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Trump offers competing coronavirus messaging, warning of death but lamenting lockdown

Trump repeated a favorite refrain of some conservatives, who have said that the coronavirus “cure”—that is, a nationwide shutdown—cannot be worse than the disease itself.

Why does the coronavirus affect people differently? Yahoo News Explains

Coronavirus patients are showing a wide range of symptoms and the exact reason why is still a mystery — but we do have some clues as to what factors can influence the severity of the disease.

Europe sees more signs of hope as Italy's virus curve falls

Europe saw further signs of hope in the coronavirus outbreak Sunday as Italy's daily death toll was at its lowest in more than two weeks and its infection curve was finally on a downward slope. Angelo Borrelli, the head of Italy's Civil Protection agency on Sunday, said there were 525 deaths in the 24-hour period since Saturday evening. Italy now has a total of 15,887 deaths and nearly 129,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases.

An Illinois man allegedly shot his wife then himself over coronavirus fears

Experts predicted the stresses of the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns could lead to an uptick in domestic violence.

Coronavirus: Australian police launch criminal probe of Ruby Princess cruise ship docking

Australian police launched a criminal investigation into the docking and disembarking of passengers from the Ruby Princess cruise ship last month.

Number of coronavirus intensive care patients in Italy drops for first time

Italy reported its lowest daily rise in COVID-19 deaths for nearly two weeks on Saturday and said the number of patients in intensive care had fallen for the first time. The Civil Protection department reported 681 deaths, bringing the total to 15,632 since the outbreak of the new coronavirus epidemic in northern Italy on Feb. 21. The total number of confirmed cases rose to 124,632 from 119,827 reported on Friday but for the first time, the number of patients in badly stretched intensive care units fell, with 3,994 patients being treated, down 74 from 4,068 on Friday.

How China’s fake news machine is rewriting the history of Covid-19, even as the pandemic unfolds

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson’s retweet of an article blaming the U.S. for infecting Wuhan with coronavirus went viral, viewed 160 million times within hours. But where did the story come from?

Televangelist Kenneth Copeland 'blows wind of God' at coronavirus and claims pandemic is 'destroyed' in sermon

American televangelist Kenneth Copeland, who recently claimed that the coronavirus pandemic will be "over much sooner you think" because "Christian people all over this country praying have overwhelmed it," has summoned the "wind of God" to destroy the novel coronavirus during a recent sermon.Before blowing at the camera, he said: "I blow the wind of God on you. You are destroyed forever, and you'll never be back. Thank you, God. Let it happen. Cause it to happen."

Inslee: 'Ludicrous' that there hasn't been a nationalized mobilization effort to fight pandemic

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams on Sunday called the next week of the novel COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic the modern era's "Pearl Harbor moment." In other words, it'll be the "hardest moment" of many Americans' lives, and Adams hopes every person in every state does their part to slow the spread.> Surgeon General Jerome Adams: "The next week is going to be our Pearl Harbor moment. It's going to be our 9/11 moment." pic.twitter.com/HoE76Uq1sx> > — Talking Points Memo (@TPM) April 5, 2020But while Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) may agree with most of that assessment, he told NBC's Chuck Todd during Sunday's edition of Meet The Press that he isn't sure why the federal government is so intent on remaining as a backup for the states, especially if the White House believes we're in a war-like moment. > WATCH: @GovInslee says on MTP it is "ludicrous that we do not have a national effort" against the coronavirus. > > Gov. Inslee: "To say we are a backup ... can you imagine if Franklin Roosevelt said, 'I'll be right behind you Connecticut; good luck building those battleships'?" pic.twitter.com/BHqI3YkYxd> > — Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) April 5, 2020"We need a national mobilization of the manufacturing base of the United States as we started on Dec. 8, 1941," Inslee said, calling on President Trump to authorize the Defense Production Act.More stories from theweek.com 5 funny cartoons about social distancing Tiger at Bronx Zoo tests positive for COVID-19 5 brutally funny cartoons about Trump's TV ratings boast

Does Iran's coronavirus crisis raise the risk of war?

Iran is experiencing on of the worst outbreaks of coronavirus in the world. Will the instability cause the country's leaders to lash out against America?

Face masks: How the Trump administration went from 'no need' to 'put one on' to fight coronavirus

Just a little over a month after saying there was no need for the community at large to wear masks in public, the CDC has changed its mind, recommending that all Americans should wear some sort of face covering when venturing outside.

Trump: U.S. approaching period ‘that is going to be very horrendous’

President Trump on Saturday said that the United States is approaching a time that will be “very horrendous” for the nation amid the growing coronavirus outbreak across the country.

Italy, Spain, and France reported declines in daily coronavirus death tolls. Their governments don't plan to lift national lockdowns and social distancing rules anytime soon.

"We are suffering very much. It's a devastating pain," Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Sunday.

Two children hospitalized after eating THC candy from a food bank

At least five children ate candy containing high THC doses after the Utah Food Bank distributed it as part of their food donations, police said.

Scots' medical chief resigns after flouting own coronavirus rules

Scotland's Chief Medical Officer Catherine Calderwood resigned on Sunday after she broke her own advice to stay at home to help slow the spread of the coronavirus by visiting her second home this weekend and last. Calderwood said that during discussions with Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Sunday evening they agreed her actions risked distracting from the "hugely important job that government and the medical profession has to do in getting the country through this coronavirus pandemic". Police had earlier issued a warning to Calderwood about her behaviour and Sturgeon had removed her as the public face of the campaign to tackle the coronavirus.

Malaysia detains boatload of 202 presumed Rohingya refugees

Malaysian authorities said they have arrested a boatload of 202 people believed to be minority Muslim Rohingya refugees after their boat was found adrift Sunday morning near the northern resort island of Langkawi. A Northern District maritime official, Capt. Zulinda Ramly, said the refugees included 152 men, 45 women and five children. Zulinda said maritime officials have taken precautionary measures to prevent any possible transmission of the COVID-19 virus while handling the group.

Japan’s Abe Set to Declare State of Emergency, Media Say

(Bloomberg) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to declare a state of emergency within days, after coronavirus cases in Tokyo jumped over the weekend to top 1,000 for the first time and raised worries of a more explosive surge, media reports said.Abe will announce the plan as soon as Monday, with the formal declaration for the Tokyo area coming as early as Tuesday, the Yomiuri newspaper reported, without attribution. Osaka is also likely to be included, while Hyogo, Saitama and Hokkaido prefectures are under consideration, according to Kyodo News and other media reports. Japan’s biggest-ever stimulus package worth 60 trillion yen ($550 billion) may also be announced Tuesday.Abe is expected to call a meeting of his advisory panel on the virus before announcing the decision. The state of emergency will be issued for specific areas and a time period will be set.Abe’s government saw its approval rating slip to its lowest since October 2018 in a poll from broadcaster JNN released Monday with a majority of respondents faulting the way the government has managed the virus crisis. The poll taken April 4-5 showed that about 80% of respondents said the declaration should be made.While Abe’s government has said the country is on the brink of an explosive surge, it has resisted calls to declare an emergency. The governors of Tokyo and Osaka have been pushing for the declaration as the recent spike in cases sparked concerns Japan is headed for a crisis on the levels seen in the U.S. and several countries in Europe.Declaring a state of emergency hands powers to local governments, including to urge residents to stay at home. By contrast with some other countries though, there is no legal power to enforce such requests due to civil liberties protections in Japanese law.While Japan was one of the first countries outside of the original epicenter in neighboring China to confirm a coronavirus infection, it has fared better than most, with about 3,150 reported cases as of Monday -- a jump from less than 500 just a month ago. That’s the lowest tally of any Group of Seven country, although Japan might be finding fewer mild cases because it has conducted a relatively small number of tests.Last week, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo advised American citizens to return home, saying Japan’s low testing rate makes it hard to accurately assess the prevalence of the virus. The Japan Medical Association warned last week that the jump in cases in the nation’s most populous cities is putting more pressure on medical resources and that the government should declare a state of emergency.Tokyo reported 143 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, its largest single day. It marked the second straight day the city’s daily infection tally exceeded 100.Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is already pressing residents to avoid unnecessary outings, and television showed many of the capital’s main shopping areas almost deserted over the weekend. The Tokyo local government is set to begin leasing hotels this week to accommodate mild cases, to make room in its hospitals for the seriously ill.Abe told parliament Friday that the situation didn’t yet warrant an emergency declaration, but said he wouldn’t hesitate to take the step if the time comes.(Updates with details throughout)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.

Jordan becomes latest Mideast country to deploy drones in virus response

Jordan on Sunday started to deploy drones to fight the coronavirus pandemic, joining a host of Middle East countries using the technology to enforce curfews, deliver public health announcements and even monitor people's temperatures. Jordan has declared five deaths and 323 cases of COVID-19 and says it has arrested at least 1,600 people for violating a nationwide curfew in force since last month. "The armed forces and security services will ensure the curfew is being respected by using modern technology such as drones and surveillance cameras," Minister of State for Information, Amjad al-Adayleh, told a press briefing late Saturday.

Bernie Sanders' campaign still 'assessing' but focusing on a more pressing issue: coronavirus

The Sanders campaign has repurposed its efforts to helping fight the pandemic – is it possible he’ll succeed in his decades-long battle to remake US society?Bernie Sanders is not done running for president and he’s tired of saying so.“For the fourth time,” Sanders said tartly in an interview on The View this week, “we are assessing the campaign.”It was a response – more diplomatic if no less irritated than previous versions – to a question he’s been getting for weeks: “Why are you still in the race?”Sanders has faced calls to drop out since early last month, when Joe Biden began his all-but unstoppable ascent to the nomination. But with the race for the nomination effectively in a state of suspended animation amid the coronavirus pandemic, the 78-year-old Vermont senator has resisted.Covid-19 has ravaged the US economy and strained the healthcare system, claiming more than 7,000 lives and nearly 10 million jobs. The twin economic and public health crises give what Sanders and allies have described as a new imperative to his calls for universal healthcare and a wide expansion of the social safety net.“In many ways, this pandemic has made the case for a lot of the policies that the senator has spent 35 years fighting for,” said Anna Bahr, a spokeswoman for the Sanders campaign. “Reality has endorsed Bernie Sanders.”Since stepping off the physical campaign trail, Sanders has turned his focus almost entirely to the coronavirus pandemic, a crisis he said is on the “scale of a major war”. In glitchy media interviews from his home in Vermont, the senator has argued that the US would be better prepared – and more resilient – in the face of a future pandemic if his policy agenda were already in place.But his continued presence in the race has alarmed many Democrats, haunted by the fallout from a divisive primary four years ago they believe contributed to Hillary Clinton’s defeat by Donald Trump. Sanders, they contend, had a year to make the case for his political revolution and should now bow out and help unify the party.“It’s a fantasy to say there is some path for Bernie Sanders to win this nomination,” Jay Jacobs, chairman of the New York party. “If he stays in this race, Bernie Sanders is doing it for one reason and one reason alone and unfortunately it’s for Bernie Sanders.” ‘Enough debates’Sanders has sent conflicting signals.On the one hand, he has acknowledged Biden’s daunting lead. Yet he insists there is a path to the nomination, albeit a “narrow” one.After a dismal showing last month, the campaign deactivated its digital ads while pausing spending on TV ads. Days later, the campaign announced it was ramping up digital organizing ahead of the New York primary, the most delegate-rich contest left New York has since postponed from 28 April to 23 June.Sanders recently said he would welcome a debate in April, an idea Biden dismissed.“We’ve had enough debates,” the former vice-president said.Sanders’ allies are split. Some have said it’s time to exit while others believe he should continue to compete. On Saturday, the Washington Post reported that a group of top aides, including his campaign manager, had encouraged Sanders to withdraw. But many supporters believe the senator should continue collecting delegates, which will serve as leverage to shape the party platform at the national convention.“Campaigns are an important way to maintain that fight and raise public consciousness on those issues,” Sanders said on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers on Tuesday. “So that’s, I think, one of the arguments for going forward.”Biden has largely avoided pressuring Sanders, well aware he will need support in the fall if he is the nominee. But he’s not waiting for Sanders either. In recent weeks, Biden has begun making overtures to progressives and young voters. In a fundraising call on Friday night, Biden revealed that he had spoken to Sanders about his search for a running mate.“He’s a friend,” Biden said. “I don’t want him to think I’m being presumptuous but you have to start now deciding who you’re going to have background checks done on as potential vice-presidential candidates and it takes time.”Like Biden, Sanders has been sharply critical of Trump’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak. But they diverge on how they would harness the federal government to respond to a future pandemic.“Our healthcare is without equal in the developed world in being dysfunctional and unfair and expensive,” said Wendell Potter, former head of communications at Cigna who is now president of Business for Medicare for All. “And I think this experience is going to bring into sharp focus how bad we are in terms of providing healthcare.”As the crisis deepens, support for a single-payer system has climbed. In a survey this month by Morning Consult, support for Medicare for all rose to 55%, its highest point since June 2019. From February to March, net support for Sanders’ sweeping healthcare proposal nearly doubled from 11 points to 20 points.Sanders’ advocacy has not moved his rival. Biden was recently pressed on MSNBC to explain why universal healthcare isn’t a better option as millions of Americans stand to lose coverage in the coming months, a shift in the way questions about the sweeping proposal are typically framed.“Single-payer will not solve that at all,” Biden replied. He said overhauling the US healthcare system would take too long and advocated instead for expanding the Affordable Care Act.In recent weeks, the Sanders campaign has stopped actively fundraising and instead leveraged its extensive donor list to raise money for charities helping Americans suffering from the outbreak. His team has surveyed supporters for ideas on how Congress can provide economic relief, circulated petitions demanding protective equipment and safety protections for Amazon and Walmart workers, and even adapted its digital organizing app, Bern, to help connect users with resources and aid.Sanders frequently hosts roundtable discussions. On one occasion he sought to channel a wartime president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, hosting a fireside chat.The campaign says it raised more than $4.5m for the charities and more than 14 million people have viewed its livestreams.Sander has also used his perch in the Senate to influence the debate over the response to the crisis. When three Republican senators objected to a provision in the $2tn rescue package that expanded unemployment insurance, Sanders threatened to block the bill unless they dropped their opposition.“Oh my God, the universe is collapsing!” he said, mocking their concern that the bill might give some struggling Americans extra financial support in a time of crisis. “Oh my word, will the universe survive?”The recovery package, the largest ever in American history, passed unanimously.On Friday, Sanders released a slate of priorities for the next stimulus package that his campaign touted as “the boldest legislation ever written in modern history”.They include monthly cash payments of $2,000 monthly to all individuals, including undocumented immigrants, a freeze on rent and mortgage payments, hazard pay for essential workers and using Medicare to pay all medical costs incurred during the pandemic.The plan is almost certainly a nonstarter in a Republican-controlled Senate wary of expanding federal relief beyond what was included in the last package. ‘Unprecedented moment’It remains unlikely that Sanders can dramatically reshape the Democratic primary. He is almost hopelessly behind Biden in the delegate count and many of the biggest contests left are in states that appear more favorable to the former VP, like Georgia, Ohio and Pennsylvania.The next test comes on Tuesday, when Wisconsin is scheduled to hold its primary despite calls from Sanders and several legal challenges to postpone it. Sanders will likely need a strong performance in the state to keep alive the already dim prospect of a comeback. A new poll from Marquette Law School found Sanders trailing Biden by nearly 30 points in the battleground state.Sanders knows he has a decision to make. He is, as he tells every interviewer, “assessing” his options. Fundamentally, he believes the pandemic has changed the calculus.Is it possible to fall short of his presidential ambitions but succeed in his decades-long battle to remake US society?“Right now in this unprecedented moment in American history,” Sanders told The View, “I think we need to have a very serious look at how we need to go forward.”

Dr. Deborah Birx warns hotspots will see a spike in coronavirus deaths over next 6-7 days

“They are predicting in those three hotspots, all of them hitting together in the next six to seven days," Dr. Deborah Birx said.

Coronavirus 'could wipe out Brazil's indigenous people'

Respiratory illnesses are already the main cause of death for the country's native communities.

'I'm worried that I have infected 1000 people in the last three days': Amazon workers reveal all the reasons why they're afraid to go to work

Amazon workers claim the company is not doing enough to prevent the spread of COVID-19 throughout their facilities and the communities they serve.

Woman needed stitches after anti-Asian hate crime attack on city bus, NYPD says

An unidentified woman and three teens are alleged to have attacked a 51-year-old Asian woman, hitting her on the head with an umbrella after making anti-Asian remarks.

India curbs diagnostic testing kit exports as virus spreads

India is restricting the export of most diagnostic testing kits, as coronavirus cases in the South Asian nation topped 3,350 on Sunday despite a three-week nationwide lockdown to slow the spread of the respiratory disease. India, which in recent weeks already banned the export of certain drugs, along with ventilators, masks and other protective gear needed by both patients and medical staff, issued the latest directive on Saturday. The move comes even as U.S. President Donald Trump urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a phone call on Saturday, to release supplies of anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, which is being tested as a possible treatment for patients with COVID-19 - the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Coronavirus: Germany and France accuse US of taking face masks as international tensions rise

Germany and France have accused the US of taking face masks already ordered by Europe as the coronavirus pandemic continued to cause rising international tensions.Politicians in Berlin and Paris both said America had been using unfair means to undermine their own attempts to secure personal protective equipment.

Black mistrust of medicine looms amid coronavirus pandemic

Roughly 40 million black Americans are deciding whether to put their faith in government and the medical community during the coronavirus pandemic. Historic failures in government responses to disasters and emergencies, medical abuse, neglect and exploitation have jaded generations of black people into a distrust of some public institutions.

Iran to restart 'low-risk' economic activities soon

Iran said Sunday it will allow "low-risk" economic activities to resume from April 11 as its daily coronavirus infection rates slowed for a fifth straight day. "Restarting these activities does not mean we have abandoned the principle of staying at home," President Hassan Rouhani said at a meeting of Iran's anti-coronavirus task force. The president, whose country has been battered by US economic sanctions, did not specify what qualified as "low risk" activities, but said bans would remain on schools and large gatherings.

'Complete collapse of economies' ahead as Africa faces virus

Some of Uganda’s poorest people used to work here, on the streets of Kampala, as fruit sellers sitting on the pavement or as peddlers of everything from handkerchiefs to roasted peanuts. Now they're gone and no one knows when they will return, victims of a global economic crisis linked to the coronavirus that could wipe out jobs for millions across the African continent, many who live hand-to-mouth with zero savings.

Former FDA commissioner expects New York health-care system will be pushed to the brink, but 'won't go over'

Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has issued some dire warnings since the early days of the novel COVID-19 coronavirus, but on Sunday he indicated some steps taken by the U.S. federal government and states might be paying off -- both in terms of curbing the spread and preparing the health-care system for an onslaught of patients.New York City remains the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, and its hospitals are struggling. Gottlieb reiterated the predication made by numerous officials that the city, and New York state, are on the verge of peaking next week, which will undoubtedly stretch the health-care system thin. But he said he, ultimately, he thinks there will be enough ventilators for severe COVID-19 patients thanks to a historic effort to expand their supply, preventing New York from going past its tipping point.> The New York healthcare system "will be right on the brink" \- strained - "but won't go over" @ScottGottliebMD tells @margbrennan . He adds, "I don't think they will run out of ventilators." pic.twitter.com/AhnAanf4rN> > -- Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) April 5, 2020As for the rest of the country, Gottlieb believes mitigation efforts like social distancing are "clearly working," as case rates slow in northern states, though he's concerned the next set of hot spots will be in the South. > "Mitigation is clearly working," @ScottGottliebMD tells @margbrennan, but notes that states in the Sunbelt - across the south - are going to be the next hotspots in the United States. pic.twitter.com/wD4q1Z5yUf> > -- Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) April 5, 2020More stories from theweek.com 5 funny cartoons about social distancing Tiger at Bronx Zoo tests positive for COVID-19 5 brutally funny cartoons about Trump's TV ratings boast

Coronavirus: Australia launches criminal investigation into Ruby Princess

Passengers from the Ruby Princess disembarked in Sydney without knowing the coronavirus was on board.

Photos show China coming to a standstill to mourn everyone who died of coronavirus, including whistleblower doctor Li Wenliang

All of China observed a three-minute silence on Saturday, which coincided with Qingming Festival, when people traditionally visit ancestors' graves.

Thousands of applicants, zero loans: Trump's small businesses lending program is a failure to launch

One day after the launch of a $350B loan program designed to rescue millions of small businesses, technical glitches continue to cripple the process.

Oil prices decline $3 a barrel as market remains uncertain on supply outlook

Global benchmark oil prices traded as much as $3 a barrel lower as the market opened for Monday's trading session, reflecting fears of oversupply after Saudi Arabia and Russia postponed to Thursday a meeting about a potential pact to cut production. Late last week, prices had surged, with both U.S. and Brent contracts posting their largest weekly percentage gains on record due to hopes that OPEC and its allies would strike a global deal to cut crude supply worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus has cut demand and a month-long price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia has left the market awash in crude.

Police in Russia shoved a man into a van and forced him to abandon his dog in a park for violating the city's lockdown order

At the end of March, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin closed all restaurants, cafe, bars, and parks to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

'We're gonna die': migrants in US jail beg for deportation due to Covid-19 exposure

Ice detainees isolated after one had Covid-19 symptoms tell the Guardian that cries for help and protection have gone ignored * Coronavirus – latest US updates * Coronavirus – latest global updates * See all our coronavirus coverageDetainees in a US immigration jail are begging to be released after potential Covid-19 exposure, saying the conditions are so brutal that they would rather suffer deportation than remain locked up.Three men incarcerated at the Winn correctional center in a remote part of Louisiana told the Guardian that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) has isolated 44 of them together after they were possibly exposed to coronavirus. Some of the detainees are so desperate to leave that they are seeking voluntary deportation. They say their cries for masks, hand sanitizer, gloves and cleaning supplies have gone ignored, including for elderly detainees and those with asthma.In a series of phone calls, the men described a nightmare ordeal over the last two weeks, citing rampant mistreatment and a terrifying lack of information from Ice after they learned they were under some kind of quarantine. They also said that seven of their fellow detainees were deported on a flight to Colombia this week, four days into a 14-day quarantine period, which would appear to violate basic standards of coronavirus containment.Their firsthand accounts escalate concerns that human rights lawyers have been raising for weeks, that Ice jails could become death traps during the pandemic and that the only way to save lives and slow the spread is to release people en masse.“People are writing to the judge that they want to be deported as soon as possible. They don’t want to continue fighting,” said a detainee from El Salvador in his 30s, who declined to give his name. He said he was trying to self-deport and was also helping an asylum seeker seek deportation. “He told me, ‘I’d prefer to go home instead of being in this jail.’ … Ice has to release all the people, immediately.”One of the detainees speaking out and advocating for the release of immigrant prisoners is Dr Sirous Asgari, an Iranian scientist who was exonerated in a US trial last year but continues to face detention. The 59-year-old professor shared his story with the Guardian last week, prompting Iran’s foreign minister to call for his release.The men were first detained at the Alexandria staging facility (ASF) in Louisiana, where Asgari said Ice was continuing to bring in new detainees from around the country in cramped quarters where they were denied masks and basic supplies to protect themselves.Then on 26 March, ASF staff put up a sign outside the pod where they slept, which said the room was under “medical observation” due to the possibility of exposure, saying the risk was “high”, Asgari recounted this week. He heard that a detainee had a fever. But Ice, he alleged, gave the detainees no information and declined to tell them whether it was Covid-19.“Everybody got panicked,” he said, describing a chaotic scene of the detainees yelling for help and information. “We had two elderly people in their 70s, younger people with respiratory problems. One guy is crying, saying, ‘My life is in danger, we have been exposed.’ People were screaming, ‘Give us masks!’ … ‘We’re gonna die!’”One officer suggested there was nothing to worry about, but then staff kept the pod completely isolated from other detainees, suggesting they were under quarantine, Asgari said. Despite what seemed to be a strict quarantine, seven of them were deported to Colombia a few days later, he said.Roughly 30 men who remained behind were then taken to Winn, but were still given no information, the detainees said. But once they had medical visits, he said they confirmed their fears after asking the nurse to look at their records, which all said “possible exposure to Covid-19” and listed as 8 April as a “release date” which would be the end of a 14-day quarantine period. The men joined a dozen other detainees in that facility who were also suspected of having exposure, Asgari said.Bryan Cox, an Ice spokesman, declined to respond to many of their specific claims, but said no detainee has tested positive for Covid-19 at ASF. He did not answer questions about whether the men were given tests or whether there was a direct exposure or quarantine. He said Ice groups detainees in “medical cohorts”, meaning separating potential Covid-19 patients from others, but said that a “cohort for potential exposure does not mean a person has been exposed”.He said the men were spreading “unsubstantiated rumor and false allegations”, but did not offer specifics.“We are just a number to them. They don’t care,” said a detainee in his 30s who is facing deportation to Guatemala, and was also moved from ASF to Winn alongside Asgari. “I’m really afraid … They put you in jail with all these people and you don’t know where they’ve come from. It doesn’t make any sense.”This detainee said he had lived in the US for more than a decade and that he was arrested in New York in mid-March as Ice continued its raids and arrests amid the worsening pandemic. He said he has little information about his case and is fighting to get out: “I’m trying to do something, but I can’t. I haven’t seen a judge, nothing. They are just moving me around.” ‘Disgusting’ conditions and silence from IceThe men said the conditions at Winn were appalling. The detainees are responsible for all cleaning, and there is a single shower and only two toilets for all 44 of them to share. They are also sleeping on beds roughly two feet apart from each other, and the humidity when they first arrived left the sheets wet and beds rusted, they alleged.“When we got inside, everyone was absolutely shocked at the living conditions,” said Asgari, who has a history of respiratory problems and is at risk of death. “It’s frustrating, disgusting and humiliating. We get outside for one hour a day. That’s the only good thing.”By Friday, a majority of the detainees were suffering from some kind of cold, according to Asgari, who said he now has a bad cough and fears it will infect his lungs. They don’t have fevers, and he said he hopes it’s not coronavirus.The man from El Salvador said the staff at Winn were taking their temperatures daily, but otherwise doing little else related to Covid-19 prevention. He said Ice should consider releasing them in the US for their own safety, noting that he didn’t know the status of the outbreak in El Salvador and whether it would be dangerous to return. But ultimately, he said he was desperate to get out, fearing staff could bring the virus to the facility or that he could be moved again and exposed to hundreds more detainees in other jails.One Ice officer told him he could submit a formal request and get a reply in seven or eight days, he said: “I want to know what is happening with us. They don’t answer, nothing.”On Friday, the man from El Salvador was deported, according to Asgari.> People are seeking asylum and they are saying, ‘Just send me back.’ That speaks to the horrific conditions> > Mehrnoush YazdanyarAsgari has also been trying to self-deport to Iran, where there is a massive Covid-19 outbreak.“They are asking to be sent anywhere but there,” said Mehrnoush Yazdanyar, an attorney who has talked to multiple Winn detainees and is helping Asgari’s family. “People are seeking asylum and they are saying, ‘Just send me back.’ That speaks to the horrific conditions.”Cox, the Ice spokesman, said all detainees are screened upon arrival to facilities and that Ice conducts Covid-19 testing in accordance with US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines. He said Ice provides soap and “other appropriate cleaning supplies” and “necessary and appropriate medical care” to detainees.Advocates have raised similar complaints about Ice conditions across the country. Karlyn Kurichety, an attorney with immigrant rights group Al Otro Lado, said that at California’s largest Ice jail, detainees lack basic sanitation supplies and that Ice has placed some detainees in quarantine without telling them why.“We’re concerned there’s going to be a massive outbreak in one of these facilities, and literally thousands of people could die,” she said.

Vanuatu braces as monster storm strengthens in Pacific

A deadly cyclone bearing down on the Pacific nation of Vanuatu has intensified into a Category Five super storm, generating destructive winds and "phenomenal" seas, forecasters said Monday. Tropical cyclone Harold, which claimed 27 lives when it swept through the Solomon Islands last week, strengthened overnight Sunday as it moved east, Vanuatu's meteorology service said. Harold is forecast to pass north of the capital Port Vila early Tuesday.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson hospitalized with virus

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was admitted to a hospital Sunday for tests, his office said, because he is still suffering symptoms, 10 days after he was diagnosed with COVID-19. The prime minister's Downing St. office said it was a “precautionary step” and Johnson remains in charge of the government. Johnson, 55, has been quarantined in his Downing St. residence since being diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 26 — the first known head of government to fall ill with the virus.

Spain Virus Cases Pass Italy, Where Daily Deaths Are Falling

(Bloomberg) -- Spain’s Covid-19 cases surpassed Italy as Europe’s two main epicenters continue to struggle to curtail the virus, with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announcing plans to extend the country’s lockdown until April 25.Spain’s confirmed cases increased by 7,026 to 124,736 over the past 24 hours, while deaths rose by 809 to 11,744. Total cases are now higher than Italy’s 124,632, where the country reported the fewest number of new deaths since March 26. In France, the total number of fatalities rose to 7,560 and the U.K. reported its deadliest day yet with an increase of 708 deaths.The virus has crippled Europe at different times with most countries now in some form of lockdown, even as nations like Sweden and the U.K. were more reluctant to take drastic measures earlier. Governments and policy-makers are scrambling to find ways to mitigate the damage with entire economies headed into deep recession and a common approach still elusive.As attention shifts to Spain, Italy has signaled the situation, while still grave, is improving. Angelo Borrelli, the head of the country’s civil protection agency, said the number of patients in intensive care has dropped by 74, the first fall since the country went into a state of emergency.In Spain, a slower pace of fatalities and new cases is also offering some hope that the outbreak may be moving toward a peak. Health Minister Salvador Illa said on Friday that the goal of slowing the epidemic was “within reach.”The government in Madrid has imposed some of the most restrictive lockdown measures in Europe, shuttering most businesses and forcing people to stay in their homes except to buy groceries and seek healthcare.Containment measures across the continent have cut off border crossings and limited air travel, while countries have announced trillions of euros in aid to support businesses and individuals.Italy’s ruling parties and the Treasury reached an agreement to free up an additional 200 billion euros ($216 billion) of liquidity for firms, according to daily newspaper La Stampa. It said the moves, part of a new aid decree, will be approved by Monday and will let companies seek bank loans for as much as 25% of their revenue, most of which will be granted by the state.In Germany the number of coronavirus deaths and confirmed cases climbed further, a day after Robert Koch Institute President Lothar Wieler warned the country might require further intensive-care space. Germany has boosted capacity by more than 40% since the outbreak began.The death rate in Europe’s largest economy has been well below the levels seen in Italy and Spain, but government officials and healthcare experts insist it’s too early to ease social distancing rules and transport restrictions.Swedish QuestionThere are signs in turn that the death rate in Sweden is growing faster than elsewhere in Scandinavia, raising pressure on the government to abandon its controversial hands-off approach -- schools, restaurants and cafes remain open -- in tackling Covid-19.The number of Swedish deaths from the virus rose to 373 on Saturday, up 12% from Friday. That brings the rate per million in Scandinavia’s biggest economy to 36, compared with 29 in Denmark and 9 in Norway, where much tougher lockdowns are in place.Prime Minister Stefan Lofven warned that Sweden may now be facing “thousands” of deaths, and said the crisis is likely to drag on for months rather than weeks.When, and How, Does the Coronavirus Pandemic End?: QuickTakeApart from imposing lockdowns, several European leaders have moved to institute other controls which in some cases could also consolidate their own holds on power.In Hungary, political parties will lose half of their state funding this year, Gergely Gulyas, the minister in charge of the Prime Minister’s office, said in a video briefing. The move comes after Prime Minister Viktor Orban secured the power to rule by decree this week, drawing criticism from European Union members that he staged a power grab under the cover of the Covid-19 crisis.Equipment TensionsMeanwhile another dispute emerged over emergency medical equipment with Madrid accusing Ankara of retaining a shipment of respirators bought by two regional Spanish governments from a Turkish company.Turkey cited the risk of a shortage at home in holding onto the ventilators, Spain’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Spain would insist on reimbursement if the equipment was not released, it added. There was no immediate comment from the Turkish government.It comes after local officials in France and Germany accused unnamed Americans of using unfair means to obtain protective masks. The U.S. embassy in Paris said any suggestion that the federal government was involved in such practices was “completely false.(Updates with context and numbers throughout)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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Iran's Rouhani says low-risk economic activities to resume from April 11 amid coronavirus

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Revealed: food bank shortages expected to hit Washington state by mid-April

Report obtained by Guardian projects acute demand and supply problem, meaning agencies will struggle to provide for the hungry * Coronavirus – live US updates * Live global updates * See all our coronavirus coverageAgencies and organisations tasked with feeding children, the poor and the elderly in Washington state during the coronavirus crisis will experience shortages of food and supplies as early as mid-April, according to state government emergency planning documents obtained by the Guardian.A 27 March situation report (SitRep) document produced by the Unified Command of Washington’s State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) projects that a combination of acute demand at food banks and schools, supply problems for food and cleaning supplies, plus staffing shortages, will mean government and NGOs will struggle to provide for hungry people whose incomes have disappeared as the state’s economy stutters.This raises the prospect of food bank shortages in Washington but also nationwide, as food banks across the US are being increasingly utilized by unprecedented numbers of people in an economy that has been abruptly slowed to fight the spreading pandemic.Washington state has experienced one of the earliest and most serious outbreaks of Covid-19 in the US. Governor Jay Inslee has received praise in recent days for his decisive response, which is thought to have prevented an even worse crisis.But the document suggests that at the predicted peak of the epidemic, which has already infected at least 4,896 Washingtonians and killed at least 195, the state will need to head off a parallel humanitarian crisis.The SitRep document, produced by the emergency agency coordinated by Washington state’s military department and distributed to state and local agencies involved in the emergency response, details emerging problems and frantic efforts to solve them across a range of numbered emergency support functions (ESF), including communications, firefighting, and energy.Under the heading “ESF11 Agriculture and Natural Resources”, the SitRep details the growing problems in food security. Many of the problems involve food banks – non-governmental organizations that deliver food to needy people.The document says there is already a “shortage of food at food banks”, which is projected to become worse. It says: “NGOs have food on hand. However, burn rate is increasing fast. Demand is growing dramatically so supply is quickly being used up.”It goes on to warn: “Food banks expect a significant gap in the food supply across the whole system by mid-April (April 10-20).”It then offers insight into spiking demand at specific NGOs delivering food in Washington: “Northwest Harvest (a statewide food bank service) reported they are distributing 450,000lbs of food this week.”It continues: “The burn rate and demand are rising sharply. These NGOs are seeing 30 percent to 100% increases in the number of people served.”In a telephone conversation, Northwest Harvest chief executive Thomas Reynolds said of his food banks: “We don’t predict peak demand for another three weeks and then we anticipate peak demand for 12 to 20 weeks.”He added: “I worked for 15 years for Care International. So what it reminds me of is earthquakes in Nepal, the tsunami in Japan, food crises in Yemen. And the difference is there’s a lot more experience in a place like Nepal or Yemen to respond to emergencies.”The document says rural counties are already moving to rationalize food delivery in the face of demand.“Chelan county is moving away from using small distribution centers. Instead they are going to start using a single, mass-distribution site for emergency food,” it says.It continues with a prediction: “It’s a model we will likely see more of in the days and weeks to come.”On Wednesday, Inslee, announced he had mobilized 130 National Guard members to provide support for food banks in Chelan and four other counties, with potentially more to follow.The problems are being compounded by supply problems in other goods necessary for food service, such as supplies used to clean kitchens.As in other states, Washington has closed schools, but many districts have maintained school lunch delivery as a way of feeding needy children.These programs, too, are under strain, according to the SitRep.One issue is in the workforce, which “is a growing issue because schools rely on older people to work in food service and as bus drivers. These are two job categories important to food assistance.”The document says “older workers are opting not to work because of Covid concerns” and that schools are also experiencing supply problems.The document does offer some hope that solutions to shortages are emerging, but leaves open the question of whether they will arrive in time.Chris McGann, a spokesman for the Washington state department of agriculture, said in an email: “The current situation with its rapidly increasing demand and limited resources is putting incredible strain on the social safety net. Hunger relief is no different.”He added: “We have called on the federal government and private industry to identify and commit additional resources to help us make sure families have the nutritional support they need to make it through this crisis.”He also said that the problem was so far confined to food banks. “The food supply chain is otherwise operational and functional. People will still be able to get food at the grocery store.”Reynolds stressed that Northwest Harvest was working well with the state and has “good relationship with our local elected officials”. But he said he hoped food security will become more central to political debate.“I think we should be asking people who are running for office. What is your food policy?”

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