| Coronavirus: The different approaches to lockdowns in Africa Posted: 25 Apr 2020 04:11 PM PDT  Countries have taken different routes in imposing restrictions - which ones are working against the virus?
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| Kim Jong Un nowhere to be seen as health rumors continue to swirl Posted: 25 Apr 2020 02:21 PM PDT  As the hermit nation celebrated the 88th anniversary of the Korean People's Army, Kim was oddly absent from military ceremonies his father and grandfather, his predecessors as North Korea's top leader, wouldn't have missed. The deaths of Kim's father and grandfather weren't announced until more than a day later.
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| Coronavirus: 'No evidence' recovered patients are immune to re-infection, warns WHO Posted: 25 Apr 2020 02:00 PM PDT  The World Health Organisation says there is no evidence that people who have recovered from coronavirus and have antibodies are protected against a second infection.In a scientific brief published on Saturday, the United Nations agency warned against countries issuing "immunity passports" and "risk-free certificates" that would allow people to return to work or travel, relying on "proof" that they would be protected against reinfection.
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| Train Belonging to Kim Jong Un Spotted as Health Rumors Persist Posted: 25 Apr 2020 01:52 PM PDT |
| Un down? Praying for Kim Jong Un’s demise and North Korea’s freedom Posted: 25 Apr 2020 01:39 PM PDT  Thursday, perhaps thinking wishfully, President Trump said, "I think it was a fake report done by CNN," of admittedly unverified news that his friend and penpal Kim Jong Un, North Korea's brutal dictator, was gravely ill following surgery. Now come reports from Chinese and Japanese news outlets, again not confirmed — the North Korean regime tries to control all information — that Kim is dead or in a vegetative state following botched surgery.
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| Europe’s Virus Deaths Slow While U.K. Fatalities Pass 20,000 Posted: 25 Apr 2020 01:29 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Coronavirus deaths slowed in key European countries, though an increase in the U.K. underscored the risks facing the region's leaders as they plan to relax lockdown measures.Italy counted the fewest deaths in almost six weeks on Saturday and France reported the smallest daily increase since March 29. Spain announced less than 400 fatalities for the second day in row, and deaths in Germany dropped to the lowest in five days.By contrast, the U.K. became the fifth country with more than 20,000 casualties from the virus as the death toll rose by 813 in the latest 24-hour period."The sun might be shining, but the virus hasn't gone away," Prime Minister Boris Johnson's office said in a Twitter post. "Stop the spread, stay home."With Europe's economies battered by lockdowns imposed to bring the epidemic under control, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday that her country will boost funding to the European Union to mitigate the economic fallout. She also called on the EU to use planned stimulus spending to reduce dependence on global supply chains, including for items such as face masks."The economic damage will be great," Merkel said in her weekly podcast. Germany will have to commit to "much more" of a contribution to reconstruction than its existing funding plans for the EU, she said.Some of Europe's worst-hit countries are preparing to ease restrictions. Italy plans an initial reopening of businesses on May 4 and France intends to gradually restart the economy as of May 11. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Saturday he plans to allow outdoor exercise and walks starting May 2, the second step to chip away at confinement in the European country with the most confirmed infections. Germany's government expects output to shrink by 6.3% this year, the worst contraction since at least 1950, Handelsblatt reported, citing draft projections. Even so, European manufacturers are restarting factories — with little visibility on consumer demand.Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey has said a 35% drop in U.K. economic output in the second quarter isn't implausible. The BOE has launched unprecedented measures to support output and prevent long-term economic harm, Bailey said in an editorial in The Sun newspaper on Saturday.The European Central Bank takes center stage on Thursday when its governing council holds a scheduled policy meeting. The central bank will increase emergency bond-buying in the coming months, according to a Bloomberg survey of economists.Johnson RecoveringHealth officials in Spain said deaths rose by 378 to 22,902. With the bulk of confinement measures in force until May 9, the government is relaxing one of the world's strictest lockdowns on Sunday to let some children go outside for an hour a day with an adult.Italy, faced with Europe's deadliest outbreak, reported 415 fatalities, the fewest since March 17. The death toll since the start of the outbreak rose to 26,384.Deaths in Germany rose by 148 to 5,723 in the 24 hours through Saturday morning, less than Friday's increase of 260, according to Johns Hopkins University data. U.K. deaths rose by 813 to 20,319. Only the U.S., Italy, Spain and France have reported more fatalities linked to Covid-19.While Johnson is easing back to work after his battle with the virus, there's no date for his full-time return. The U.K. Treasury is preparing plans to allow non-essential businesses to reopen while ensuring they're free from the coronavirus, The Times reported, citing a Treasury blueprint.'Never Before'Deaths increased to 6,917 in Belgium, which has the world's highest per-capita death rate. Its government plans to gradually allow businesses to reopen in the first half of May."We have never before tried out an exit strategy like this," Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes said late Friday in Brussels. "Nothing will be carved in marble, especially not the target dates."(Updates with further Spanish easing in seventh paragraph.)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Thousands demonstrate against Israeli coalition deal Posted: 25 Apr 2020 11:35 AM PDT  Several thousand Israelis rallied Saturday to demonstrate against a unity government deal reached last week that leaves Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in power as he prepares to go on trial for corruption charges. The protesters oppose having Netanyahu as prime minister as long as he is a criminal suspect. The protesters say the unity government agreement, which gives Netanyahu influence over the appointment of judges and legal officials, "crushes democracy" and is meant to rescue Netanyahu from his legal troubles.
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| Trump and Putin issued a symbolic statement for US and Russia to 'build trust, and cooperate,' raising fresh concerns about their relationship Posted: 25 Apr 2020 10:40 AM PDT |
| Trump and Putin issued a symbolic statement for US and Russia to 'build trust, and cooperate,' raising fresh concerns about their relationship Posted: 25 Apr 2020 10:40 AM PDT  In the statement, both Trump and Putin said they sought to cast their differences aside and cooperate on major issues.
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| Cuomo says New York's coronavirus situation is back to where it was 21 days ago Posted: 25 Apr 2020 09:54 AM PDT  New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) continued to express cautious optimism that his state, the epicent of the outbreak in the United States, is on the right trajectory amid the coronavirus pandemic.During his daily briefing, Cuomo, aided by a graph showing the amount of COVID-19 hospitalizations throughout the state, said New York is "back to where we were 21 days ago."> NEW: Hospitalizations in New York State continue to decline. "We are back where we were 21 days ago," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. "We want to know how fast that decline continues and how low that decline gets." https://t.co/3aqHgmUAFZ pic.twitter.com/hUNnJY6wX8> > — ABC News (@ABC) April 25, 2020The next step, he said, is to see "when we will back to the point where only several hundred people" show up at the hospital every day with COVID-19 infections. So while the current slope of the graph is trending in the right direction, Cuomo believes it's vital to see how low it can get, and at what speed.New York reported 1,184 new coronavirus infections Saturday, while the number of fatalities remained mostly stead at 437, a slight uptick from Friday's 422, which was the lowest number of deaths in the state since April 1.> @NYGovCuomo Sat COVID-19 briefing > Total hospitalizations, intubations continue to ⬇️ > New COVID cases 1,184> > "Only in this crazy reality would 11-hundred new cases be good."> > NYS sees another 437 deaths due to COVID-19 > Previous 4-days: 422, 438, 474, 481 pic.twitter.com/ebgd1uDQvp> > — Jeff Kulikowsky (@JeffNC9) April 25, 2020More stories from theweek.com The president is unwell Trump wants praise for his coronavirus response. Here it is. Some lawmakers, White House officials reportedly concerned by new joint Trump-Putin statement
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| Pivotal Lufthansa Bailout Snared in Government Tangle Posted: 25 Apr 2020 09:53 AM PDT |
| Some lawmakers, White House officials reportedly concerned by new joint Trump-Putin statement Posted: 25 Apr 2020 09:34 AM PDT  The relationship between the Trump administration and the Kremlin continues to perplex, as the two sides trade barbs and watch each other suspiciously, while, on certain occasions, simultaneously showing shades of camaraderie. The latter was on display Saturday when President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a joint statement commemorating the 75th anniversary of a meeting between American and Soviet troops at the Elbe River, which the leaders said "heralded the decisive defeat of the Nazi regime" toward the end of World War II. > In a joint statement commemorating the 75th anniversary of U.S. and Soviet troops meeting at the Elbe River, Trump and Putin say they "pay tribute to the valor and courage of all those who fought together to defeat fascism." pic.twitter.com/FB3IUeCREU> > — Chris Sommerfeldt (@C_Sommerfeldt) April 25, 2020Seemingly, The Wall Street Journal notes, the statement — a rare one, considering the last joint declaration about the Elbe meeting took place in 2010 when President Obama was trying to recalibrate the Moscow-Washington relationship — is meant to reverberate in the present day, signaling the powers can set aside their differences. But not everyone is on board with the symbolism, the Journal reports. Some lawmakers and White House officials have reportedly privately expressed concern, since they believe it might hinder the U.S.'s efforts to send a stern message to Russia. One thing seems likely, however — the statement was Putin's idea. "Putin wants validation from the United States that today's Russia, like the Soviet Union, is a great power," Angela Stent, a former U.S. intelligence analyst, told the Journal. Read more at The Wall Street Journal.More stories from theweek.com Cuomo says New York's coronavirus situation is back to where it was 21 days ago The president is unwell Trump wants praise for his coronavirus response. Here it is.
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| The week that was: Caught between safety, restarting economy Posted: 25 Apr 2020 09:30 AM PDT  In Spain, children will be allowed to go outside again. In the U.S. state of Georgia, a handful of businesses opened their doors, performing manicures and haircuts in masks. Auto workers are in factories, but producing ventilators, not cars.
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| Ramadan begins in Iran amid fears of 'fresh outbreak' of virus Posted: 25 Apr 2020 08:40 AM PDT  Ramadan began in Iran on Saturday as health officials raised fears of a "fresh outbreak" of coronavirus cases in the country, two weeks into a gradual reopening of shops. As the predominantly Shiite country marked the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, a day later than the mostly Sunni Muslim world, another 76 fatalities were declared. With an official death toll of 5,650, Iran has paid the deadliest price in the Middle East from the pandemic.
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| What you need to know today about the virus outbreak Posted: 25 Apr 2020 08:20 AM PDT  In the U.S., Georgia, Oklahoma and Alaska have also begun loosening restrictions despite warnings from health officials that it may be too soon. The role of the U.S. Congress is being visibly diminished despite approving record sums of virus aid. Here are some of AP's top stories Saturday on the world's coronavirus pandemic.
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| Many states fall short of mandate to track virus exposure Posted: 25 Apr 2020 06:48 AM PDT  An Associated Press review found a patchwork of systems around the country for so-called contact tracing, with many states unable to keep up with caseloads and scrambling to hire and train enough people to handle the task for the months ahead. The effort is far less than what public health experts say is needed to guard against a resurgence of the virus. The result is a wide array of strategies and little national coordination.
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| 10 things you need to know today: April 25, 2020 Posted: 25 Apr 2020 06:38 AM PDT |
| In Trump's shadow, Congress-at-home eyes reboot during virus Posted: 25 Apr 2020 06:09 AM PDT  They long for what's being lost: the ability to publicly question officials at committee hearings, to chat across the aisle, to speak from the House and Senate floor for all of America, and history, to hear. Congress wants its voice back. With no real plan to reopen Capitol Hill any time soon, the coronavirus shutdown poses an existential crisis that's pushing Congress ever so reluctantly toward the 21st century option of remote legislating from home.
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| AP FACT CHECK: Trump's errant virus theories, testing boast Posted: 25 Apr 2020 05:37 AM PDT  Lysol is for toilet bowls and countertops, not human consumption. The company that manufacturers it felt compelled to emphasize the danger of ingesting it after President Donald Trump's musings about heat, light and disinfectant in the time of coronavirus. Trump's thinking-out-loud theories took a turn toward hazmat territory this past week when he said it would be interesting to see whether people's innards could get "almost a cleaning" from disinfectants.
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| WHO warns countries against issuing coronavirus 'immunity passports' Posted: 25 Apr 2020 05:16 AM PDT  The World Health Organization wants countries to hold off on any kind of certificate program for people who have recovered from COVID-19.During a scientific brief Saturday, WHO warned governments against issuing so-called coronavirus "immunity passports" to recovered patients because there's "no evidence" they are protected from a second infection. As things stand, the United Nations agency believes such actions could increase the risks of the virus' spread because those carrying the passports may ignore standard advice about taking precautions against the virus.The WHO, however, will continue to monitor antibody responses to get a better sense of whether people can develop immunity and, if so, for how long. The jury is still out on human immunity, and there are reports of recovered patients testing positive again, but a study earlier this year in China suggested rhesus macaques did at least develop short-term protection.Several countries have tinkered with the idea of creating some form of immunity certificate that would allow recovered patients and those with antibody to return to work during the pandemic. Chile was the first country to officially announce it planned to do so. Read more at Reuters and Bloomberg.More stories from theweek.com Cuomo says New York's coronavirus situation is back to where it was 21 days ago The president is unwell Trump wants praise for his coronavirus response. Here it is.
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| Re-Opening Politics, North Korea’s Future Draw Scrutiny: Weekend Reads Posted: 25 Apr 2020 05:00 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- How and when to ease lockdowns to fight the coronavirus — along with government efforts to ramp up testing capacity — were the key questions across the globe this week as the pandemic spread.In the U.S., small bands of protesters — driven by the social-media tactics of a coalition of gun-rights activists and far-right groups — staged demonstrations over government-ordered closures of businesses and schools, particularly in Democratic-led states. Elsewhere the impact of the virus on the world's poorest people is coming into focus. And uncertainty swirled around the state of Kim Jong Un's health after reports the North Korean leader was in critical condition following cardiovascular surgery. Dig deeper into these and other topics with the latest edition of Weekend Reads. Patchwork Approach to Reopening States Reveals a Red-Blue DivideAs Amanda Hurley reports, the gap between how Republican- and Democratic-controlled states seek to ease social distacing measures and restart their economies will likely grow wider as the pandemic grinds on.Inside the Dystopian, Post-Lockdown World of WuhanThe first epicenter is coming back to life, but not as anyone knew it. Sharon Chen and Matthew Campbell — with the help of Claire Che and Sarah Chen — tell what it's like for some of the millions of people in Wuhan trying to come to grips with the economic and social fallout from the worst pandemic in a century.The Week Coronavirus Got Away From Boris Johnson's GovernmentBritain had time. Academics, disease specialists and critics say the prime minister wasted it. Alex Morales, Suzi Ring, Robert Hutton and James Paton take you inside a critical week in March. Kim Jong Un Has Put North Korea in Position to Outlast His ReignWhatever the state of Kim's health, he's already put North Korea in its strongest position to resist U.S. pressure in decades. Eight years after Kim filled the power vacuum left by the death of his reclusive father, Kim Jong Il, North Korea is more secure and less isolated. Jihye Lee and Jon Herskovitz explain why that matters right now. Workers Who Make the World's Clothes Are Facing Abject PovertyRozina Begum is worried that she and her husband and two children will starve. Rozina — along with 300 other workers at the Ultimate Fashions plant on the outskirts of Bangladesh's capital lost their jobs March 25. She's one of the millions of people who are on the lowest rung of a global supply chain that has been shattered by the virus, Marvin G. Perez and Arun Devnath report. Virus Care Disruptions Raise Infant Death Risk in Poor NationsThe Covid-19 pandemic has the potential to reverse years of progress in reducing maternal and child mortality worldwide by impairing access to medical care in poorer countries. Anne Pollak takes a closer look. Hope Turns to Doubt, Then Gunfire, as Saudi Megacity EmergesWhen Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman unveiled plans for Neom, a futuristic megacity on the Red Sea coast, residents rejoiced. Jobs and investment would surely accompany the $500 billion development at the center of the young leader's plan to transform his conservative kingdom. But that optimism has faded. Vivian Nereim explores why. High-Seas Energy Fight Off Malaysia Draws U.S., Chinese WarshipsMalaysia's push to explore energy blocks off its coast has turned into a five-nation face-off involving U.S. and Chinese warships. That's raised the risk of a direct confrontation as broader tensions grow between the world's biggest economies, Philip J. Heijmans reports.Religious Group's Mass Gatherings Spark Asian Virus ClustersA conservative religious group's gatherings have emerged as virus hotspots in Malaysia, India and now Pakistan, with authorities tracking people who attended an event with as many as 70,000 worshipers. Faseeh Mangi has more.Tell us how we're doing or what we're missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net.And finally … Sushen Dang, 26, and his fiancee, Keerti Narang, dreamed of making their wedding an affair to remember — but not like this. Instead of hundreds of guests descending on a wildlife resort for a multi-day revelry with cocktail parties and elaborate feasts, the couple got married over the video conferencing app Zoom amid a stringent national lockdown. It's just one example of how India's $70-billion wedding industry has skidded to a stop in the midst of peak marriage season. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Virus toll nears 200,000 as UN pushes for global vaccine effort Posted: 25 Apr 2020 04:33 AM PDT  The global coronavirus death toll approached 200,000 on Saturday as the United Nations launched an international push for a vaccine to defeat the pandemic. Governments around the world are struggling to limit the economic devastation unleashed by the virus, which has infected nearly 2.8 million people and left half of humanity under some form of lockdown. The scale of the coronavirus pandemic has forced medical research on the virus to move at unprecedented speed, but effective treatments are still far off and the United Nations chief said the effort will require cooperation on a global scale.
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| WHO Warns You May Catch Coronavirus More Than Once Posted: 25 Apr 2020 04:10 AM PDT |
| Three months and 50,000 deaths: the defining Covid-19 moments in the US – timeline Posted: 25 Apr 2020 04:00 AM PDT  From grim milestones to record unemployment rates and protests against stay-at-home orders, the pandemic has upended life across the US * Coronavirus – live US updates * Live global updates * See all our coronavirus coverageIn just three months, Covid-19 has upended life in the US, ravaging cities and businesses and overwhelming hospitals woefully unprepared. What started as a single infection in Washington state ballooned until the US became the global hotspot for Covid-19, with exponentially more confirmed cases than any other nation.Mixed messages from Donald Trump and his administration have caused confusion over when or if Americans will return to life as usual. Squabbles between the president, governors and mayors have inspired headlines as critics assail missed chances to contain the virus.Now, the US has passed another grim milestone, 50,000 Covid-related deaths, while closing in on 1m confirmed cases, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 26 million are out of work and protesters are demanding an end to stay-at-home orders, even as experts say such rallies could make outbreaks worse.These are the defining moments from the US under Covid-19 so far. 21 JanuaryThe US confirms its first case of Covid-19, after a 35-year-old man who lives north of Seattle returns from Wuhan, China. A day later, Trump tells CNBC: "It's one person coming in from China, and we have it under control." 29 JanuaryThe White House announces a taskforce to "monitor, contain and mitigate the spread of the virus". 30 JanuaryThe World Health Organization (WHO) labels the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. But Trump continues to downplay it, telling a crowd in Iowa: "We only have five people. Hopefully, everything's going to be great." 31 JanuaryAlex Azar, secretary of health and human services, declares a public health emergency. Trump restricts travel from China, a decision that he later claims, erroneously, saved hundreds of thousands of lives. 5 FebruaryAfter becoming the third president to be impeached, Trump is acquitted by the Republican-controlled Senate. 6 FebruaryThe federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ships coronavirus testing kits to labs, but early tests are contaminated, handicapping the response. The US experiences its first known death from Covid-19, in California, though it will not be identified and reported as such for months. 24 FebruaryThe economy shows signs of free fall, even as Trump tweets: "Stock Market starting to look very good to me!" His administration asks Congress for $2.5bn to pay for vaccine development and protective equipment. 26 FebruaryThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces that a patient in California has tested positive for Covid-19, potentially the first US case where the source of infection is unknown. At Life Care Center, a nursing home outside Seattle, two residents contract the virus. Dozens will succumb. Trump taps Mike Pence to lead the coronavirus response. 29 FebruaryThe US makes public what is then believed to be its first Covid-related death, a man in his 50s. The case is in Washington state, ground zero for the virus. Trump restricts travel from Iran. 6 MarchTrump signs an $8.3bn aid bill that receives near-unanimous support in Congress. He says: "Anybody that wants a test can get a test," a claim that confuses Americans and hamstrings healthcare workers. 11 MarchThe WHO redefines the outbreak as a pandemic. Trump restricts travel from Europe, excluding the UK. Days later, he announces a bar on travel from the UK and Ireland. 12 MarchBroadway closes and the NCAA cancels March Madness. The US has more than 1,600 confirmed coronavirus cases, across almost every state. 13 MarchTrump declares a national emergency, the same day Washington state orders its schools closed. 18 MarchTrump signs a second coronavirus relief bill. 19 MarchCalifornians must stay at home to curtail the spread of the virus. A day later, New York issues a similar order, beginning a war of words between Trump and a number of governors. 24 MarchTrump tells Fox News he "would love to have the country opened up and just raring to go by Easter", 12 April. He faces immediate criticism. 26 MarchThe US reports its first 1,000 deaths. The next day, Trump signs a $2.2tn stimulus package that includes a $1,200 check for many Americans. Trump later takes heat for making sure the checks, intended to help struggling workers during catastrophic levels of unemployment, bear his signature during an election year. 28 MarchThe US death toll doubles, to more than 2,000, in just two days. 31 MarchIn a significant shift in tone, exactly a week after he floated the idea of reopening the country by Easter, Trump says "our country is in the midst of a great national trial, unlike any we have ever faced before". 3 AprilThe CDC recommends all Americans wear face coverings in public – after weeks of suggesting otherwise. New York's mayor warns that D-Day is looming as hospitals struggle to find personal protective equipment, ventilators, beds and staff. 13 AprilTrump claims total authority over the states, saying: "The president of the United States calls the shots." He is challenged by governors, who say he does not have the constitutional right to reopen the country without their involvement. 17 AprilTwo days after thousands of protesters in Michigan gathered to decry their state's stay-at-home order, Trump tweets to "LIBERATE MINNESOTA", "LIBERATE MICHIGAN" and "LIBERATE VIRGINIA". Protesters in other states follow suit. 23 AprilThe House of Representatives approves another relief bill to help small businesses and hospitals, after previous funds for small businesses fell into the hands of large companies such as Shake Shack and Potbelly. At a press briefing, Trump seems to suggest people might inject disinfectant as a way to fight the virus. 24 AprilTrump claims he was being sarcastic about the disinfectant. The US surpasses 50,000 Covid-related deaths.
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| Trump wants praise for his coronavirus response. Here it is. Posted: 25 Apr 2020 02:45 AM PDT  I have come to praise President Trump, not to bury him.The U.S. has more coronavirus cases and deaths than any other country, but Trump is doing his best. What Trump does best is marketing, not management; showmanship, not the traditional performance of leadership. In his new nightly show, he has been saying some pretty nutty things — including inappropriately demanding praise from White House reporters — but if you look past his words and tweets, Trump has done some things right. Why not make a good-faith effort to recognize his positive actions?For example, Trump closed off most travel to and from China on Jan. 31, overruling objections from Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and other economic advisers and despite trade negotiations with Beijing he considered very important. The reduction in visitors from China plausibly bought the U.S. some time to prepare for the pandemic.So far, Trump has been admirably willing to step back when others were better suited to take the lead. He has delegated responsibility — wisely to Vice President Mike Pence and his medical advisers, less wisely to son-in-law Jared Kushner, whose hubristic attempt to reinvent the wheel will likely be viewed darkly by history. He sent Mnuchin to negotiate coronavirus rescue packages with Senate and House Democrats, the result being huge amounts of money being pushed out in a remarkably short time, probably boosting both the economy and Trump's re-election hopes.Also, many of the governors Trump has left to their own devices have risen to the occasion, instituting aggressive COVID-19 mitigation measures that have saved lives and appear to have slowed the spread of the coronavirus to at least a manageable level.Trump himself may not have been quick to embrace social distancing, but he did agree to his health team's "15 Days to Slow the Spread" guidelines and unveiled them himself on March 16. For reference, that's the same day five counties in the San Francisco Bay area issued the nation's first stay-at-home orders. California didn't impose the country's first statewide order until March 19, a day after Trump tweeted out a video urging various coronavirus mitigation strategies including working from home and avoiding unnecessary travel.Trump knows his audience. His imprimatur of the social distancing rules, inconsistent as it may be, was still essential in getting his hard-core fan base to accept the hardship of quarantine and inconvenience of masks and social distance. Just imagine how much worse the anti-social-distancing protests would be if Trump went full freedom-to-infect?Trump has signaled publicly and privately that he is eager for business activity to resume in the U.S., but the White House's advice for states seeking to lift their social distancing rules remains fairly cautious and conservative. Trump's instincts appeared to urge him to gamble on COVID-19 miraculously disappearing, but he has not put all his chips on the economy. Even he thinks some states have gone too far, too fast.It can be hard to give Trump his due because he is so thirsty for praise. His "primary focus" these days, The New York Times reports, "is assessing how his performance on the virus is measured in the news media, and the extent to which history will blame him.""Let us now praise famous men" is best known as the ironic title of the 1941 James Agee-Walker Evans dive into the lives of impoverished white subsistence farmers in the Great Depression South. But it comes from the Book of Sirach in the Old Testament. In the translation I have, Sirach 44:1 reads: "Now will I praise those godly men, our ancestors, each in his own time."Those godly men Sirach praises include not just the Hebrew patriarchs but also "subduers of the land in kingly fashion, men of renown for their might," prophets and prudent thinkers, "resolute princes of the folk, and governors with the staves," skilled authors, melodious composers and lyricists, and "stalwart men, solidly established and at peace in their own estates."All of these men "were glorious in their time, each illustrious in his day," the verse continues. "Some of them have left behind a name and men recount their praiseworthy deeds; But of others there is no memory, for when they ceased, they ceased. And they are as though they had not lived, they and their children after them."Which is to say: History will judge how Trump handled this plague, not now but once it is long over. It may judge his actions above-average, it may deem him a disaster, or it may ignore his role entirely. Do you remember hearing anything about how Woodrow Wilson managed the Spanish Influenza pandemic of 1918-19? Me neither.When students study this moment in the future, they will look at the death toll in the U.S. and the world, how long the pandemic lasted, and how it affected the way we lived. Hopefully, history will record that America and the world learned valuable lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and put in place measures to make sure no virus would be so disruptive and destructive again.So let us now praise Donald Trump, a famous man. Honestly, nobody else will care as much as him.Want more essential commentary and analysis like this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for The Week's "Today's best articles" newsletter here.More stories from theweek.com Cuomo says New York's coronavirus situation is back to where it was 21 days ago The president is unwell Some lawmakers, White House officials reportedly concerned by new joint Trump-Putin statement
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| "No evidence" yet that recovered COVID patients cannot be reinfected - WHO Posted: 25 Apr 2020 02:33 AM PDT |
| Pandemic gives megaphone to the oft-maligned New York accent Posted: 25 Apr 2020 12:05 AM PDT  With New York City at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. and its native-born among those offering crucial information to the nation in televised briefings, the New York accent has stepped up to the mic — or maybe the megaphone. Holly Kelsey, for one, is charmed. "I think it's because my accent is so opposite from theirs, it's intriguing to me," said Kelsey, 59, of Denton, Texas, who's been watching New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and top infectious disease specialist Dr. Anthony Fauci, both sons of New York City.
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| Virus lockdowns an extra ordeal for special-needs children Posted: 24 Apr 2020 11:31 PM PDT  Weeks into France's strict coronavirus lockdown, Mohammed, a 14-year-old with autism, took a pickax and started hitting the wall of his family's house. The disruptions in daily life caused by the virus pandemic are a particularly trying ordeal for children with disabilities and the people who love and are caring for them confined at home while special-needs schools and support programs remain closed. The family, like others who spoke to The Associated Press about what their experiences, spoke on the condition of being identified by first name only out of concern for the privacy of their children.
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| Global death toll tops 200,000 as some virus lockdowns eased Posted: 24 Apr 2020 10:09 PM PDT  As the global death toll from the coronavirus surpassed 200,000 on Saturday, countries took cautious steps toward easing lockdowns imposed amid the pandemic, but fears of a surge in infections made even some outbreak-wounded businesses reluctant to reopen. The states of Georgia, Oklahoma and Alaska started loosening restrictions on businesses despite warnings from experts that such steps might be premature. Shawn Gingrich, CEO and founder of Lion's Den Fitness, decided after the Georgia governor's announcement that his Atlanta gym would remain closed for now.
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| For Peace Corps evacuees, there wasn't even time for goodbye Posted: 24 Apr 2020 09:45 PM PDT  After two weeks alone in a hotel room in the Virginia suburbs, 40 minutes outside Washington, Kelsea Mensh was ready to go home. A few weeks earlier, the 22-year-old Peace Corps volunteer had completed a year of service in the Dominican Republic. The Peace Corps was pulling all its volunteers from projects around the world because of concerns about the coronavirus.
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| Brazil becoming coronavirus hot spot as testing falters Posted: 24 Apr 2020 09:03 PM PDT  Cases of the new coronavirus are overwhelming hospitals, morgues and cemeteries across Brazil as Latin America's largest nation veers closer to becoming one of the world's pandemic hot spots. Medical officials in Rio de Janeiro and at least four other major cities have warned that their hospital systems are on the verge of collapse, or already too overwhelmed to take any more patients. Health experts expect the number of infections in the country of 211 million people will be much higher than what has been reported because of insufficient, delayed testing.
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