Coronavirus in the US

Parent Cafe
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Costa Rica has declared a state of emergency in response to the coronavirus outbreak and has become the latest Latin American country to close its borders to non-resident foreign nationals. From 11:59pm (CST – 5pm GMT) on Wednesday, non-citizens and non-residents will not be able to enter the country.

On Monday, the Costa Rican government said 41 cases COVID-19 have been recorded in the country, rising from 35 on Sunday.

In Greece, authorities are also ramping up measures after the health ministry said confirmed cases of coronavirus had risen to 352, an increase of 21 over the past 24 hours. Of that number 65 patients are hospitalised with nine in intensive care, professor Sotiris Tsiodras, an expert in infectious diseases told reporters.

With Greek officials unimpressed by the way Britain in particular has handled the crisis, it was announced that anyone flying in from abroad must now undergo two weeks of obligatory quarantine – or risk being penalised. Unveiling the measure at the health ministry’s daily briefing, the deputy civil protection minister, Nikos Hardalias, singled out the UK where people have not been subjected to the sort of measures applied elsewhere in Europe.

Greece, which has seen four people die from the disease, has applied some of the most stringent safety guards to date partly because of fears that after years of savage budget cuts the country’s fragile health system would collapse if overwhelmed.

After sealing borders with Albania and North Macedonia on Sunday and suspending flights to Italy and Spain, the centre-right government also announced the closure of all shops, bar supermarkets, pharmacies, banks, petrol stations, pet shops, food delivery outlets and appliance stores.

On the same day it said public beaches and ski resorts were also off-limits after Greeks converged on the coast en masse after being previously told that cafes, bars, tavernas, restaurants, casinos, brothels and barbers were also banned. Those violating the policies do so at their own peril: among those arrested in recent days was a hairdresser caught giving a customer highlights.

Guardian

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In Washington, Trump is discussing potential future measures.

He’s told reporters he’s looking at expanding sick pay requirements to companies with more than 500 employees and that the US government is taking over buildings to expand medical care capacity. (Guardian)

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Dow records worst point drop in history
From CNN’s Anneken Tappe

It was another ugly day for US stocks. The Dow recorded its worst one-day point drop in history and its worst performance on a percentage basis since October 19, 1987, also known as “Black Monday."

Stocks fell to session-lows in the final hour of trading, President Trump said the outbreak could last until July or August.

Here’s where things stand:

The S&P 500 finished down nearly 12%.
The Dow closed 2,999 points, or 12.9%, lower.
The Nasdaq Composite ended down 12.3%

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I don’t necessarily believe politicians but hard to believe the professionals and dr Fauci And dr Burke and fema are all willing to lie.

Not with it so easily found out in a few days. I’ll give them to Friday. Then maybe I’ll change my opinion.

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@privatebanker I appreciate your optimistic attitude but it’s bordering on Pollyanna now. They’ve already told you lies and given you empty promises. Over 2 weeks ago we were promised 1 million, 1.5 million (with Pence’s lousy math), 4 million. Not here yet.

Why would Roche lie about the number of tests?

They also lied about the Google thing.

They said we’d have plenty of PPE for health care workers. There is a shortage.

Now they are telling states to look for their own ventilators.

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Just like South Korea, Germany is testing a lot. They also have very good health care system. I believe there was more thorough explanation on this thread sometimes yesterday.

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First CDC employee confirmed positive for COVID-19
https://www.ajc.com/lifestyles/cdc-confirms-first-employee-with-coronavirus/Mz7UbyR233H1jHRlxlV3EO/

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Ok. I appreciate your stance. We can have different opinions and approaches.

Doesn’t mean this is someone’s thread. It’s our communal thread and different voices should be respected.

I certainly respect your opinion and work here. But it’s a public forum

I see something in a different way and perhaps longer term. But I’m a realist and have specific concerns as a family. So please don’t attempt to know how I feel. It’s not accurate.

I prefer to have optimism. What’s the alternative. I will be as patient, cautious and calm as the inverse neither helps me or the situation in any way.

Keep up the good work.

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Yup. Search Germany and you’ll find yesterday’s discussion.

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For those watching, did you notice during the Q&A period, Fauci pulled a pamphlet out of his pocket saying CDC recommends closing restaurants and bars?

Like I said yesterday, I feel like Fauci is 5 steps ahead of Pence and Trump and trying to coerce and drag them along, trying to get them to take more urgent actions.

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He is great.

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Certainly you can have your opinion. I never said you couldn’t. Just pointing out we’ve all been given empty promises already. Your trust and patience is greater than mine.

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Trump didn’t even know anything about restaurants shutting down :slight_smile: I don’t think he read the pamphlet

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Boeing asks employees to work from home, but says it will still build planes
From CNN’s Chris Isidore

Boeing said Monday it is directing employees who are able to perform their work from home to telecommute until further notice — but that won’t stop it from building planes.

The company did not say how many employees will continue to report to work to build planes. But it said it has enhanced cleaning procedures in work spaces, common areas and on high-touch surfaces in its assembly plants.

“We’re assessing the safety of all of our sites and their alignment with local, state and national government guidance as we continuously monitor this evolving situation,” said Boeing’s statement.
Washington state is one of the areas of the United States with the most severe outbreaks of the disease.

The company had 161,000 employees as of Dec. 31, according to a company filing. About 35,000 are members of the Machinists union, and they are primarily involved building planes.

There are about 18,000 technical and engineering employees who are also represented by a union, and while some of them may be able to work from home, others are needed on the assembly line to oversee construction. The company also has a nonunion assembly plant in South Carolina.

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Sudan closes its borders due to coronavirus concerns
From Yassir Abdullah in Khartoum and Nima Elbagir in London

Sudan has closed its borders, sealing of all sea ports, land crossings and airports, Mohamed Al-Faki Suleiman, spokesperson for Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council, said in a press statement.

The Council has formed an executive committee to put in place measures to further prevent the entry coronavirus into the country and has declared a state of medical emergency.

“The first undertaking by the committee is hereby to close all ports, airports and land crossings, with the exception of trips that carry aid and technical and humanitarian support and scheduled air freight flights,” Suleiman said.
The Council also laid out all the necessary measures to receive citizens stranded in land crossings and prepare places for them to go into quarantine.

Elsewhere in Africa, Eritrea has issued travel bans and Kenya has denied entry to anyone traveling to Kenya “from any country with reported Coronavirus cases.”

Trump says he would give himself a 10 for his coronavirus response
From CNN’s Jason Hoffman

President Trump gave himself a 10 when asked how he would grade his response to the coronavirus pandemic.

He also praised the professionals who work on the coronavirus task force.

Trump went on to criticize the testing system he inherited calling it “obsolete.”

When asked if the buck stops with him, Trump said “yeah normally” but once again discussed things that took place in 2009 and 2011.

In his Rose Garden address on Friday, Trump said, “No, I don’t take responsibility at all” for the delay in coronavirus testing.

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Trump says delaying elections is “unnecessary”
From CNN’s Sarah Westwood

President Trump said he did not advise states to postpone primary elections, calling the delays “unnecessary” shortly after Ohio’s Republican governor called for the postponement of Tuesday’s primary election.

“Well I’d leave that up to the states. It’s a big thing, postponing an election,” Trump said at a coronavirus task briefing.“It goes to the heart of what we’re all about.”
Trump said states could conduct elections safely by “spreading people out.”

“They have lots of room in lots of electoral places,” Trump said.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said earlier Monday that he would like to see the primary on Tuesday delayed because the election could not be conducted in accordance with US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention social distancing guidelines.

Previously, Louisiana and Georgia announced they would postpone their primaries.

“I think postponing elections is not a very good thing,” Trump said. “I think postponing is unnecessary.”

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@doschicos it’s coming to end. Better see some results.

But to continue as somewhat optimistic. (As usual). Tom Hanks ans his wife are out of the hospital.

I love everyone here and we all cope in our own way.

Thanks for all the great info.

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Optimism tends to lead to disappointment.

You can be patient, cautious, and calm while preparing for the worst case scenario that is looking increasingly likely.

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In the UK, opposition parties are beginning to put pressure on Downing Street over its response to the pandemic. The outgoing Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, is due to meet Boris Johnson on Monday evening (GMT) and has said he will make five key demands:

Extend full sick pay and lost earnings protection from day one for all workers – including insecure workers, low paid workers, and self-employed, during self-isolation and illness

Raise statutory sick pay in line with amounts in other European countries
Introduce rent and mortgage payment deferment options and ban evictions of tenants affected by outbreak

Remove the requirement to present for Universal Credit, suspend sanctions and reduce the wait time for first payment down from five weeks

Support local authorities working with food banks in the purchase and distribution of food stocks

In the Commons, the Liberal Democrat health spokeswoman, Munira Wilson, has called for all social care workers to be tested for coronavirus, alongside NHS staff.

Some of the most vulnerable in our society live in care homes. Shortages in the care workforce are already a problem. That’s why staff at care homes must be supported to the same level as staff in the NHS.

Montenegro has temporarily halted flights of its national air carrier, Montenegro Airlines, and all international railway and bus lines.

The former Yugoslav republic has tested dozens of people but has so far not reported a single case of coronavirus infection. More than 390 people remain in quarantine. The government has said:

All international public air, railroad and road transport is suspended. We will facilitate the return of our own citizens to Montenegro.

Last week, Montenegro’s health authorities banned public gatherings, closed schools and restaurants, and some border crossings with Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia Kosovo and Albania. The country, which earns most of its revenue from tourism, also last week closed its ports and marinas for all incoming cruiser ships and yachts.

The US president, Donald Trump, has stopped short of calling upon states to follow the lead of many other countries across the world – including the UK and France – and cancel elections, saying he does not think it is a “very good thing” and would be “unnecessary”.

One state just announced to have taken a different approach is Serbia, which has said its election commission has postponed general elections that were due to take place on 26 April. The Serbian president, Aleksandar Vučić, declared the state of emergency on Sunday.

Guardian

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That’s not accurate. I’m a big time planner and totally prepared for the worst. It’s just a view of the world that there are things I can control and others I can’t. I’m healthy for the moment and will follow the guidelines.

Being positive doesn’t mean being unprepared.

I’m scared like everyone. I’m just not giving up hope.

I’d also like to post without having to speak back to it everytime. It’s not that controversial and I’m pretty consistent. Lol