Tag: pandemic

Governors, health experts warn coronavirus restrictions must stay in place

The Hill logoGovernors and health experts alike warned Sunday that restrictions to mitigate the coronavirus pandemic must stay in place as the disease continues to spread.

Widespread social distancing guidelines and orders can’t be lifted until the number of COVID-19 cases levels off or drops, experts said, also cautioning that more widespread testing is needed to ensure accurate numbers.

“I want to see a flattening and a turning down to the curve. So, if somebody asked me a question, what about New York, should we be pulling back on New York, obviously not,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”  Continue reading.

Relief package billions can’t buy hospitals out of shortages

The billions of tax dollars headed for hospitals and states as part of the $2.2 trillion coronavirus response bill won’t fix the problem facing doctors and nurses: a critical shortage of protective gowns, gloves and masks.

The problem isn’t a lack of money, experts say. It’s that there’s not enough of those supplies available to buy. What’s more, the crisis has revealed a fragmented procurement system now descending into chaos just as demand soars, The Associated Press has found.

Hospitals, state governments and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are left bidding against each other and driving up prices. Continue reading.

Inside the White House during ’15 Days to Slow the Spread’

Staffers described a time of reassessment as the West Wing reoriented itself entirely around a singular mission. They witnessed historic moments. They wondered what it would all mean.

An eerie quiet crept over the White House.

Desks were empty. Office lights were turned off. Many staffers had been told to work from home. The bustling Navy Mess was closed, and the usual stream of visitors rushing in and out of the West Wing had slowed to a trickle. Left behind were President Donald Trump, his top aides, and a small group of staffers, hunkered down and making battle plans as the novel coronavirus marched across the country. All were acutely aware their decisions in the coming days could define their legacies — not to mention whether they kept their jobs after 2020.

It was the beginning of the 15-day period during which the White House hoped it could slow the advancing virus and stem the economic bleeding left in its wake. For the next two weeks, the president’s coronavirus task force encouraged Americans to essentially self-quarantine, while aides worked with anxious governors across the country and quarreling lawmakers negotiating over the largest economic recovery bill the country has ever seen. Continue reading.

Lawmakers already planning more coronavirus stimulus after $2T package

The Hill logoLawmakers are already planning another round of legislation aimed at keeping companies flush with capital and millions of workers on payrolls amid the coronavirus pandemic, even after passing a $2 trillion relief bill this past week, the largest stimulus of its kind in U.S. history.

The Senate plans to be on recess until April 20, and the House will take an extended break as well, though members say they could return sooner depending on how the economy reacts in the next few weeks.

Businesses, trade associations and state governments are already jockeying for more federal relief, calling the package that President Trump signed Friday a good “first step” but not enough to keep the economy on track if the coronavirus crisis extends beyond the end of April. Continue reading.

As Virus Spreads, China and Russia See Openings for Disinformation

New York Times logoThe two powers amplify discredited conspiracy theories and sow division as they look to undermine the United States.

WASHINGTON — China and Russia have both seized on the novel coronavirus to wage disinformation campaigns that seek to sow doubts about the United States’ handling of the crisis and deflect attention from their own struggles with the pandemic, according to American intelligence officials and diplomats.

Kremlin-aligned websites aimed at Western audiences have trafficked in conspiracy theories to spread fear in Europe and political division in the United States, the officials said, noting that Russia’s diplomats and state-run news media have arguably been more restrained.

China has been more overtly aggressive. It has used a network of government-linked social media accounts to spread discredited, and sometimes contradictory, theories. And China has adopted Russia’s playbook for more covert operations, mimicking Kremlin disinformation campaigns and even using and amplifying some of the same conspiracy sites. Continue reading.

Gov. Walz COVID-19 Update: March 29, 2020

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March 29, 2020

Below is an update on the COVID-19 pandemic as it pertains to Minnesota as of 4:20 PM on 3/29/2020.

Updates from the Governor

During challenging times, Minnesotans look out for one another. We’ve compiled a few ideas on how you can contribute to your community right now. Below, you can also find resources to help anyone struggling with health coverage, rent, unemployment, child care or a small business.

w Continue reading “Gov. Walz COVID-19 Update: March 29, 2020”

As Trump invokes presidential powers to fight the coronavirus, he sows confusion along the way

Washington Post logoEager to demonstrate that he is in control of a viral outbreak that is spreading rapidly across the country, President Trump has ramped up efforts to show he is using some of his broadest powers as commander in chief.

But the unprecedented push has been plagued by growing confusion about how far his authorities actually extend and how much he is willing to use them.

He blindsided New York’s governor Saturday by publicly announcing a potential quarantine order on the state’s residents, only to retreat from the idea hours later. This came a day after he authorized his government to use the Defense Production Act, a move on which he’d been taking an on-again, off-again stance, but it remains unclear whether that power will be used. Continue reading.

The Lost Month: How a Failure to Test Blinded the U.S. to Covid-19

New York Times logoAggressive screening might have helped contain the coronavirus in the United States. But technical flaws, regulatory hurdles and lapses in leadership let it spread undetected for weeks.

WASHINGTON — Early on, the dozen federal officials charged with defending America against the coronavirus gathered day after day in the White House Situation Room, consumed by crises. They grappled with how to evacuate the United States consulate in Wuhan, China, ban Chinese travelers and extract Americans from the Diamond Princess and other cruise ships.

The members of the coronavirus task force typically devoted only five or 10 minutes, often at the end of contentious meetings, to talk about testing, several participants recalled. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, its leaders assured the others, had developed a diagnostic model that would be rolled out quickly as a first step.

But as the deadly virus spread from China with ferocity across the United States between late January and early March, large-scale testing of people who might have been infected did not happen — because of technical flaws, regulatory hurdles, business-as-usual bureaucracies and lack of leadership at multiple levels, according to interviews with more than 50 current and former public health officials, administration officials, senior scientists and company executives. Continue reading.

Washington Post’s Free COVID-19 Article

The link below is to The Washington Post‘s free news posts on the latest article about the COVID-19 pandemic:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/03/28/coronavirus-latest-news/?utm_campaign=wp_news_alert_revere&utm_medium=email&utm_source=alert&wpisrc=al_news__alert-hse–alert-national&wpmk=1

 

Trump says he advises coronavirus task force not to contact unappreciative governors

Axios logo“If they don’t treat you right, I don’t call,” President Trump told reporters at the White House coronavirus task force briefing on Friday, referring to U.S. governors battling the spread of COVID-19.

What he’s saying: Trump said that while “generally speaking,” the nation’s governors have been appreciative of his administration’s efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19, there are some — including Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer — who the task force should not bother contacting.

  • “All I want them to do, very simple, I want them to be appreciative. I don’t want them to say things that aren’t true, I want them to be appreciative. We’ve done a great job,” Trump said on Friday.
  • When discussing Vice President Mike Pence’s efforts on the task force, Trump said: “He calls all the governors, I tell him, I mean I’m a different type of person, I say Mike, don’t call the governor of Washington, you’re wasting your time with him. Don’t call the woman in Michigan … if they don’t treat you right, I don’t call. He’s a different type of person.”
  • The White House declined to comment. Continue reading.