NYC Mayor and NYS Governor disagreeing about shelter in place.
Does FL HAVE a governor???
Judge for Southern District of New York puts non-essential employees on administrative leave
From CNN’s Kara Scannell
All federal courthouse employees in Manhattan who haven’t been directed to work have been placed on administrative leave, according to chief judge for the Southern District of New York Colleen McMahon
“To protect public health, and in recognition of the national emergency that was declared by the President of the United States on March 13, 2020, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, in accordance with all applicable leave regulations and guidelines, hereby places all employees of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York who have not been directed to work, either at the courthouses or remotely, on administrative leave, retroactive to March 9, 2020,” according to the order.
The order is the latest move to restrict and decrease the number of people entering the courthouse. McMahon also issued an order postponing any appearances for violation notices.
The wearing of masks has been made compulsory in Prague, by order of local authorities.
The measure, which comes into effect today from 6pm local time, comes after authorities had said that masks would also be required in all indoor spaces such as shops and offices. A fine of up to 20,000 CZ has been set. (Guardian)
[ I’m impressed if they can access masks. ]
Greece to announce ban on group gatherings
A general ban on group gatherings will be announced within the day in Greece.
Speaking to Alpha TV earlier, the government spokesman, Stelios Petsas, who is self-isolating as his wife has contracted coronavirus, signalled a cap of ten was likely to be placed on groups meeting in public spaces such as parks and squares.
“Today we will take another step and proceed with a ban on gatherings above a certain number … unfortunately, and I say this with regret, the recommendation that we should all stay at home while upheld by a large part of the population is still not followed by all, and that is very dangerous.”
When put to him that experts were saying it was good to be out in the sun, Petsas clarified it wasn’t “a problem” for one or two people to take a stroll “and on the contrary helps them psychologically and helps them deal with this period of self-isolation.”
But what had been witnessed in recent days of people converging on the beach and in public spaces in cities nationwide was unacceptable, he told the channel.
The government has repeatedly said that those caught flouting regulations will be punished.
Greece was among the first EU states to prohibit mass public events but has yet to announce a full lockdown that would include a curfew on the streets. Petsas that “at this point” it was not considering one.
With cafes and eateries closed, young Greeks, in particular, have taken to hanging out in squares and the few green spaces that exist in central Athens.
Sites around the capital’s world-renowned antiquities have become popular – even if they, too, are closed. So far, Greek health authorities have announced 387 confirmed cases of coronavirus. There have been five reported deaths as a result of covid-19.
(Guardian)
I think they should shelter in place. The virus is spreading rapidly in NY.
County sheriff does not agree with Musk about the Tesla factory being an “Essential Business”.
A friend of mine told me that the police starting going to the Florida beaches and telling people to go home. Those photos are crowded beaches are nuts. I’m thinking many of those kids are not Florida residents and will eventually head back to their homes and possibly spread the virus. Ugh.
Dutch parliamentarians debate ‘herd immunity’ strategy
Dutch plans to press ahead with a controversial ‘herd immunity’ strategy against the coronavirus outbreak continued to face criticism today as parliamentarians debated an approach which the Netherlands appears to be alone in pursuing.
In a speech to the nation on Monday, Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte said that the Netherlands would aim to develop immunity to coronavirus among its population by allowing large numbers to contract the illness at a controlled pace
“Those who have had the virus are usually immune afterwards. Just like in the old days with measles. The larger the group that is immune, the less chance that the virus will jump to vulnerable elderly people and people with poor health. With group immunity you build, as it were, a protective wall around them,” said Rutte.
But while Rutte insisted on Tuesday that the strategy of his country - which has banned public gatherings and taken other measures - differed little from that of other states some Dutch people have been left to wonder if had become “the guineapigs of Europe.”
The British government announced last week that it would be banning mass gatherings after prime minister Boris Johnson’s cautious approach to the coronavirus outbreak was overtaken by care homes, sporting bodies and others. That came after the UK government’s chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, had last week defended its initial approach to coronavirus, saying it was aimed at creating a “herd immunity.”
Amid a continued debate in the Netherlands, some insisted that the strategy of ‘herd immunity’ was a side effect rather than the main goal, which was to mirror that of other states in attempting to use social distancing and other measures to ‘flatten the curve’ of the likely peak of the outbreak.
A Dutch microbiologist, Marc Bonten of UMC Utrecht, told De Telegraaf newspaper that even countries opting for a total lockdown would have to work on building group immunity.
But critics including the London-based economist Jerome Roos pointed to what they estimated the resulting death rate would be, as well as arguing that countries going for ‘herd immunity’ would make it impossible for the countries trying to completely stamp out the virus through collective quarantines.
Jerome Roos
@JeromeRoos
Some basic math to demonstrate the reality behind @markrutte’s proposal to build up herd immunity:
- The Netherlands has ~17M inhabitants;
- Herd immunity would require 10M (60%) to be infected;
- Even at a case fatality rate of 2% (Italy’s is 7%) that would leave ~200k dead.
Roos told the Guardian that the Dutch approach does not mimic the one Boris Johnson’s government in the UK just backtracked on - adding that there was a lot of “epidemic suppression” going on in the Netherlands already with school closures and other developments - so it didn’t make a lot of sense for Rutte to invoke the concept of herd immunity in his address to the nation. (Guardian)
Vietnam to introduce bans on wildlife markets
Vietnam’s prime minister, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, has asked the country’s agriculture ministry to draft a directive to stop illegal trading and consumption of wildlife over fears it spreads disease.
Here is an extract:
The directive, seen as a victory for animal rights organisations, will lead to a clamping down on street-side markets dotted across the country, increase prosecutions of online traders and ideally put pressure on thousands of farms with known links to illegal wildlife trading.
Vitenam’s move to ban the wildlife trade follows similar moves by the Chinese government, after the new coronavirus pandemic appeared to have emerged from a wet market in Wuhan. (Guardian)
To those who still doubt whether we should take stringent measures to deal with this virus, please be reminded that if we had taken some of these measures earlier, we’d have been in much better shape today. Time is of essence. The overall cost to the country and its economy will be lower if we stop the virus sooner rather than later.
Seems silly to close the beaches in Florida, honestly. (I am in South Florida, east coast.) They are not that crowded. The same people who would congregate closely at the beach will do it on the street, in a mall, at a park, etc. We can slow transmission, but there is no way to stop it. Closing beaches to my mind has very limited marginal benefit, at least for residents. Spring breakers… That is a different story…
Salt Lake City just had a 5.8 magnitude earthquake this morning. The epicenter was near downtown SLC. Power is out for most of the city. Light rail is shut down. The earthquake damaged buildings on UU’s campus–include the School of Medicine and parts of the UU’s Medical Center. Patients and doctors are being evacuated from the parts of the hospital. D was yanked out the OR scrub room where she was preparing to do an emergency surgery and told to evacuate. All emergent surgeries are being cancelled and patients transferred. The ER is closed until the building can be inspected and stabilized.
SLC is also the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in Utah.
Filed under–just what we need right now.
OMG. Glad your daughter is OK!!
Regarding everyone’s desire to find tasks for all the medical students (I have one med. student child, and also have a physician husband who works with medical students and residents).:
“ Show me a BMS (Best Medical Student, a student at The Best Medical School) who only triples my work and I will kiss his feet.”
One of the Laws of The House of God from classic book “The House of God” by Samuel Shem
No medical student has enough usable, practical knowledge or skills to be of any help in a pandemic situation in overrun hospitals, other than as a gofer.
Missouri governor postpones municipal elections
From CNN’s Melissa Alonso
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced today that all municipal elections previously scheduled for April 7 would now be held on June 2, he said in a press release.
“Given the growing concern surrounding COVID-19 and the large number of people elections attract, postponing Missouri’s municipal elections is a necessary step to help combat the spread of the virus and protect the health and safety of Missouri voters,” Parson said.
The deadline to register at any of the 116 separate election authorities will not be extended from March 11, the release said.
US Food and Drug Administration says coronavirus pandemic could impact other clinical trials
From CNN’s Mallory Simon
The US Food and Drug Administration says that clinical trials for medical products including drugs, devices and biological products might be impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Challenges may arise, for example, from quarantines, site closures, travel limitations, interruptions to the supply chain for the investigational product, or other considerations if site personnel or trial subjects become infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19,” the FDA said in a statement. “These challenges may lead to difficulties in conducting the clinical trials.”
In industry guidance issued Wednesday, the FDA acknowledged that there may need to be modifications to protocol which may depend on the nature of the disease, the design of the trial and where the trial is being done. Any changes should be done while “maintaining compliance with good clinical practice and minimizing risks to trial integrity,” the FDA says.
Those conducting trials may look at alternative methods for assessments, such as phone or virtual visits, as well as additional safety monitoring for trial participants.
“The FDA released this guidance to emphasize that at all times, patients’ safety should continue to be at the forefront of considerations,” said Dr. Anand Shah, FDA deputy commissioner for medical and scientific affairs. “We want to support the continuance of these clinical trials in compliance with good clinical practice and minimizing risks to trial integrity, while also safeguarding the health and well-being of study participants.”
Trump is sending a hospital ship to New York, governor says
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today at a news conference that the federal government will be dispatching the USNS Comfort hospital ship to New York to assist with the health care capacity.
Cuomo said it would be docked in New York City harbor.
Cuomo called this an “extraordinary step” because the Comfort is “literally a floating hospital.”
The President and Cuomo are also discussing the possibility of the federal government putting up mobile hospitals in New York to help with capacity, the governor said.
Cuomo said that New York needs to increase its hospital bed capacity by 50,000 to meet the potential need to care for coronavirus cases.(CNN)
Schumer: “We must make sure that we prioritize public health and workers over corporate bailouts”
From CNN’s Clare Foran
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer talked about what Senate Democrats want in the next phase of economic stimulus relief today.
The New York lawmaker said “Democrats are proposing a Marshall Plan for our public health infrastructure. The sooner we act on it the better."
“We must make sure that we prioritize public health and workers over corporate bailouts,” Schumer said.
On the Republican proposals for direct cash payments to Americans, Schumer said, “This is not a time for small thinking. This is not a time for small measures. This is a time to be bold, to be aggressive …. $1,000 goes by pretty quickly if you’re unemployed. In contrast, expanded unemployment insurance, beefed up unemployment insurance covers you for a much longer time and would provide a much bigger safety net.”
Schumer added: “If we’re going to provide direct payments, they need to be bigger, more frequent, more targeted. Millionaires shouldn’t get them."
New York has tested more than 14,000 people, governor says
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that more than 14,000 people have been tested for coronavirus in the state of New York.
There are 2,382 total cases of coronavirus in New York state with 1,008 new positive cases.
“The numbers are going up. Hence the increased actions to reduce the spread, the density reduction,” Cuomo said.
There are 549 people currently hospitalized in the city. (CNN)
New York governor orders businesses to keep 50% of staff at home
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a new mandatory order for businesses that says they can have no more than 50 percent of workforce report for work outside the home. He is doing this by executive order.
Absolutely - my med school lad would also agree. They really aren’t experienced enough to take the lead on so many things. If they end up using them, they are talking about using them in other ways - not as doctors. Some might have to fill in as a type of nurse (those who hold things or “gofer” things) if they are needed there due to staff shortages. Some might have to take histories for other things totally non Covid related, etc. It will all depend upon the drain on the medical care system.
Just because they know more than you or I (assuming non-medial people) doesn’t mean they know enough to help vs hurt. Residents are better and are being used as needed.
Nepal is to close its borders completely to anyone - even its own nationals - arriving in the country from Europe, west Asia, the gulf states and other countries badly hit by the Covid-19 outbreak.
The ban will come into effect from midnight on Friday and remain in place until 15 April, according to the Kathmandu Post. Movement to and from China, however, remains open.
Rajan Pokhrel, director-general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, said:
The decision means that all Nepalis who are currently outside the country have to enter Nepal by Friday midnight. As the Indian government has banned the entry and exit of all passengers from its airports, we didn’t deem it necessary to ban passenger movement to India. (Guardian)
Sri Lanka is closing all international airports to arriving passenger flights, the US state department has reported on Twitter.
Chile declares 90-day state of emergency
Charis McGowan
Sebastian Piñera, the president of Chile, has declared a 90-day state of emergency to curb the spread of Coronavirus in the country.
While specific details are yet to be announced, these measures could see the restriction of transport and the prohibition of public gatherings. The military is authorised to uphold these regulations when required.
This is the second state of emergency that Piñera has applied in under 6 months. In October, the President called for an 8-day state of emergency to repress protests over rising costs of living. The unrest has continued for over five months — over a hundred were seen marching in Santiago’s Plaza Italia as recently as Monday. Such demonstrations are now expected to come to an abrupt halt over Covid-19 concerns.
While many in the country understand the necessity to ensure public wellbeing, there is great distrust in Piñera, who has a 12% approval rating. Over 30 have been killed and thousands have suffered injuries caused by the state’s harsh repression on protesters — it is a troubling time to see the government assume greater power.
Responding to protesters’ demands, Piñera established a vote to change the country’s referendum last November. Originally set for the end of April, it is likely the referendum will be postponed.
There are currently 238 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Chile, with 0 deaths.
Parisians who fled the French capital before the national lockdown are finding the welcome to second or family homes in the countryside less than warm after locals accused them of spreading the coronavirus.
Trains leaving Paris for the countryside were packed on Tuesday morning, hours before the government’s order to stay at home unless absolutely necessary or face €135 fines came into effect at midday.
In places, however, the Parisian arrivals were met with a frosty reception.
Graffiti on a fence at Cap Ferret near Arcachon in south-west France set the tone with “Parigo home virus?”. Parigo is French slang for Parisians.
Guardian
@doschicos, early and comprehensive testing in decentralised labs is the only explanation I have found for the low death rates in Germany.
Turns out there are more people musing about this, I have found quite a slew of articles since I have started wondering myself.
That, and possibly undercounting of deaths. Theoretically possible, whether by design or mistake, but a bit farfetched. That said, the serious cases are definitely undercounted, because they haven’t budged from 2 for days even though about 13 people have died since, and we know people tend to sicken for weeks.
There are no official figures available for tests performed in Germany at this point, precisely due to the decentralised testing. I have found some tentative figures: at some point in March, 40.000 tests performed nationwide. Current capacity: between 12.000 and 20.000 tests daily, so that is probably at the low end. Berlin, home to 4 million and something people, has announced they have tested a little over 9000 people in the last week alone, with consistently about 4 % testing positive.
It’s frustrating, all this guesswork and poking in the dark.
NY numbers indicate about 12% tests coming back positive.