Stock market obviously isn’t liking this news.
France to step up isolation measures
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, is telling the nation people’s movements will be severely limited, saying those who have ignored the government’s advice to isolate have put the health of other people at risk. He has ordered citizens to stay in their homes and only come out where it’s absolutely necessary.
Macron says all companies must now take steps to ensure employees can work from home. And he calls off a second round of municipal elections. (Guardian)
G7 will do ‘whatever is necessary’
The leaders of the G7 group of nations – the UK and the US, France, Germany and Italy, as well as Canada and Japan – have promised to do “whatever is necessary” to combat the virus.
We, the leaders of the Group of Seven, acknowledge that the Covid-19 pandemic is a human tragedy and a global health crisis, which also poses major risks for the world economy.
We are committed to doing whatever is necessary to ensure a strong global response through closer cooperation and enhanced coordination of our efforts.
While current challenges may require national emergency measures, we remain committed to the stability of the global economy.
Focusing on the global scale and nature of the problem, a statement released by Downing Street said the seven nations would focus on
Coordinating on necessary public health measures
Restoring confidence, growth, and protecting jobs
Supporting global trade and investment
Encouraging science, research, and technological cooperation (Guardian)
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has put the country into almost total lockdown, introducing new rules stopping people from leaving home unless strictly necessary and banning them from meeting others and spreading the coronavirus.
In his second national address in less than a week, Macron reprimanded those who had not followed official advice and warned that those who broke the new rules would be punished. In his 20-minute live broadcast, Macron repeated several times: “We are at war.”
It’s a health war; we’re not at war against an army or a nations but against an invisible enemy.
Beginning on Tuesday, people will only be allowed to leave home for strictly necessary reasons including to go shopping – while keeping a distance of one metre from anyone else – to get medical help and for work if it could not be done from home. Individual sporting activity will be allowed, but no collective sports.
Macron said the reinforced measures will be imposed for at least 15 days.
He also postponed the second round of the municipal elections next Sunday and postponed pension reforms that saw months of protests, demonstrations and strikes after they were unveiled in December until the outbreak of the coronavirus. He told the nation:
It has become an immediate and pressing reality. We saw people gathering in the parks, markets … not respecting official advice as if nothing had changed in their lives.
You are not protecting yourselves … everyone is vulnerable even the young, and you are not protecting others. Even if you have no symptoms you can infect friends, parents, grandparents, loved ones. (Guardian)
How does this affect flights. S19’s college is saying we need to move everything else and thats a flight away. (no more than 10 people). ARe the airlines shutting down completely. People are not home and they have to give them time to get there. And to isolate people for 4 months, I just dont think that will work from many aspects. I think people will tolerate this for a month.
I still don’t get it. Look at the worldometer.info countries with cases list, countries Nr. 4 thru 7. These are all fairly similar countries, comparatively rich, universal healthcare afaik, comparative populations, if anything, France should have the least population density and the youngest demographics.
Look at the deaths. Look at the serious/critical cases, compared to the active ones. Has Germany caught a milder strain? But they think that when the first outbreak in southern Germany, carried in directly by a Chinese visitor, was contained, it was reintroduced from northern Italy? Or, another theory, the southern Germany outbreak wasn’t contained as they thought and the virus transmitted to Italy and then back to Germany? It should be a similar strain. What’s going on here?
Indiana just had its first death, a 60 year old. This person’s spouse was not allowed in with their spouse as they were dying (even though they also have Coronavirus!! Why?! A nurse was allowed in so the person wouldn’t be alone. I think that’s just heartless.
So many people are dying alone in Italian hospitals.
July is the outside band for caution. The measures announced today are for 15 days only. Per dr Fauci.
Can’t imagine the rationale for that!
But it won’t be better in 15 days. And when it gets uglier, maybe people will be more willing to isolate. Comments from Italians online seem to fall into the “I wish we had locked down earlier” camp.
They keep talking about over 1 million tests being available this week, including mention of Roche. Roche said today they’ll only have 400 tests available this week.
I’m tired of lies and BS.
Trump: “We will back airlines 100%” during coronavirus outbreak
From CNN’s Jason Hoffman
President Trump said that the administration will back airlines “100%” during the economic hit due to the spread of coronavirus.
He said it’s “not their fault. It’s nobody’s fault, unless you go to the original source,” once again attempting to put blame for the coronavirus pandemic on China.
When asked if there would be loans to the airlines, Trump did not specify if there would be loans or a bailout of the airline industry.
Trump says he told his 13-year-old son “it’s bad”
From CNN’s Kevin Liptak
President Trump said he’s offered a grim assessment of the coronavirus outbreak with his 13-year-old son.
“It’s bad, it’s bad,” Trump said in describing his conversations about the crisis with his youngest son Barron. “But we’re going to hopefully be a best case, not a worst case.”
That outlook is markedly different in tone than Trump has offered previously on the outbreak, which he’s attempted to minimize.
Still, Trump insisted the team he’s assembled is working professionally toward combatting the outbreak.
Trump says he’s not considering a nationwide quarantine or curfew
From CNN’s Jason Hoffman
President Trump said as of Monday there are no plans for a nationwide quarantine or curfew.
He said the administration might be looking at certain hotspots, but there aren’t plans to do a nationwide quarantine or curfew.
“At this point, not nationwide, but there are some — you know, some places in our nation that are not very affected at all but we may — we may look at certain areas,” he said when asked about the possibility of a nationwide lockdown.
Two members of the French parliament test positive for coronavirus
From CNN’s Pierre Meilhan
Two members of France’s lower house of parliament said they have tested positive for coronavirus.
Sylvie Charrière, LaREM, who represents the Seine-Saint-Denis outside Paris, said Monday she tested positive but her condition does not require hospitalization. She added she will stay home for 14 days.
Earlier on Sunday, LR MP Guy Teissier, representing the Bouches-du-Rhône, said he also tested positive for coronavirus. He was “immediately hospitalized” at the IHU Méditerranée in Marseille following his test.
Top US doctor: This “isn’t an overreaction”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said the new coronavirus guidelines from the White House may look like an overreaction — but insisted they’re necessary.
“It will always seem that the best way to address it would be to be doing something that looks like it might be an overreaction. It isn’t an overreaction. It’s a reaction we feel is commensurate which is actually going on in reality,” he said at a White House news conference.
Moments ago, President Trump unveiled recommendations on stopping the spread of the coronavirus.
White House officials are asking Americans should avoid gathering in groups of more than 10, urging them to stay away from bars restaurants and food courts and asking them to not travel if possible.
The only way to keep people indoors? 
I love them, but the French can be very… hmm… French.
Trump sees potential recession as result of coronavirus
From CNN’s Kevin Liptak
The United States “may” be heading toward recession, President Trump says, his first acknowledgment of a potentially dire consequence of the coronavirus outbreak.
“Well, it may be,” Trump said when asked if the US economy was heading toward a recession.
“We’re not thinking in terms of recession,” Trump went on, saying his focus was fighting the virus itself.
He said once the disease is contained, there would be a “tremendous surge” in the economy as a result of “pent-up demand.”
They do enjoy their protests.
@suzyQ7 , that’s terrible, too.
Katliamom: probably a situation ripe for civil unrest… No idea if tanks escalate or de-escalate unrest
eta. …assuming report is true