CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY

U.S. to Iran: Coronavirus won't save you from sanctions

ON PERSIAN/FARSI/KURDISH NEW YEARS NORWUZ

WASHINGTON/DUBAI (Reuters) - The United States sent Iran a blunt message this week: the spread of the coronavirus will not save it from U.S. sanctions that are choking off its oil revenues and isolating its economy.

Iran is the Middle Eastern nation worst hit by coronavirus, with its death toll climbing to 1,284 and one person dying from it every 10 minutes and 50 becoming infected every hour, the health ministry said.

The United States, which argues that its “maximum pressure” campaign to curb Iran’s nuclear, missile and regional activities does not stop the flow of humanitarian goods, imposed new sanctions this week.

The Trump administration blacklisted five companies based in the United Arab Emirates, three in mainland China, three in Hong Kong and one in South Africa for trade in Iran’s petrochemicals.

RELATED COVERAGE

Rouhani urges Americans to call on U.S. to lift sanctions as Iran fights coronavirus: state media

“Washington’s increased pressure against Iran is a crime against humanity,” an Iranian official told Reuters. “All the world should help each other to overcome this disease.”

Some analysts suggested the Trump administration should do more to speed the flow of humanitarian goods into Iran, though they saw little evidence to suggest this was in the offing.

“Our policy of maximum pressure on the regime continues,” Brian Hook, the U.S. Special Representative for Iranian Affairs, told reporters. “U.S. sanctions are not preventing aid from getting to Iran.”

On Monday, China called on the United States to give Iran sanctions relief for humanitarian reasons but U.S. officials, foreign diplomats and analysts saw no signs of this.

“While Iran is an epicenter of this virus outbreak and facing true economic catastrophe ... there will be no relief on sanctions,” said Elizabeth Rosenberg of the Center for a New American Security think tank.

Hook said Washington sent a diplomatic note to Tehran offering help with coronavirus “and it was quickly rejected.”

He also blamed Iran’s leadership for its coronavirus woes, saying that Iran “spends billions on terrorism and foreign wars” and that if it spent one tenth of this “on a better health care system, the Iranian people would have been much better off.”

In what might be a gesture to Washington, Tehran released U.S. citizen Michael White from its custody though he must stay in Iran.

Suzanne Maloney of the Brookings Institution think tank said Iran allowing White or other detained U.S. citizens to fly home might appeal to President Donald Trump.


“I still don’t believe this administration wants to provide a lot of leeway to the Iranian authorities but that doesn’t mean they can’t or shouldn’t be looking for every opportunity to” get medical supplies into Iran, she said.

The outbreak in Iran was likely to spread as Iranians travel for the Nowruz new year’s celebration, she added, saying this could hurt U.S. security partners across the region.

“Iran is Italy, only on steroids,” Maloney said, alluding to the outbreak in Italy, whose coronavirus death toll on Thursday overtook that of China, where the virus emerged.

Mark Dubowitz, an Iran hawk with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies policy group, said Washington could send medical goods to Iran via private groups but should not ease sanctions.

“At the very time Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias in Iraq are killing Americans and Brits and others, this would be exactly the wrong time to be providing any kind of economic relief to the regime,” he said, referring to last week’s attack on a military camp in Iraq that killed one British and two U.S. personnel..

FILE PHOTO: Members of firefighters wear protective face masks, amid fear of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), as they disinfect the streets, ahead of the Iranian New Year Nowruz, March 20, in Tehran, Iran March 18, 2020. Picture taken March 18, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Ali Khara via REUTERS

“We should be sending medical supplies directly to Iranians through non-governmental organizations and bypass the regime.”

Iranians appeared to have mixed feelings about whether Washington was making its outbreak worse.

“America’s sanctions are preventing Iran from getting necessary medicine and equipment to fight against this virus. They have to lift it,” said dentist Arash Hosseini, 52, in Tehran.

But Twitter user @fnikjoo, suggested sanctions relief would just provide “Money to support more terrorists in the region and beyond.”

Less than 60% in U.S. trust government's medical advice, study showsThe United States showed the least amount of government trust among citizens of the six nations polled. 


U.S. Vice President Mike Pence gives an update on the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic in a briefing at the White House on Wednesday. Photo Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

March 20 (UPI) -- Before the coronavirus pandemic took hold worldwide, less than 60 percent of Americans said they trust in the medical information and advice they receive from the government, a new study showed Friday.

Gallup said it asked the question to citizens of six countries as part of its Wellcome Global Monitor study. The data was compiled for the year 2018, well before the COVID-19 outbreak began, but the pollster said it indicates trends that are highly relevant to the pandemic now.

The study found 59 percent of Americans said they have "a lot" or "some" of health advice from the federal government. Thirty-six percent said they have "not much" or no trust at all.

The United States showed the least amount of government trust among citizens of the six nations polled. The most trust was found in Germany (83 percent), followed by Britain (81 percent), Spain (77 percent), France (70 percent) and Italy (63 percent).

Italy, however, showed the most distrust among citizens. Thirty-six percent of Italians said they have not much or no trust in health advice from their government. More than 3,400 people in Italy have died so far from the coronavirus, the most of any nation. Twenty-nine percent of Americans said they have little or no trust in government advice.

"While the vast majority of residents in these countries do have faith in their government's medical and health advice, the strikingly large minorities of residents in countries such as Italy and the United States may be less likely to adopt crucial government advice to stop the spread of COVID-19, particularly when it is voluntary rather than compulsory," Gallup wrote.

In the United States, trust in the government was highest among Americans between the ages of 15 and 29, and was lowest among those 50 and older.

By contrast, more than 90 percent of citizens in all six countries said they place "a lot" or "some" trust in the advice when it comes from medical workers, like doctors and nurses.

As Canada virus cases pass 1,000, asylum seekers to be turned back; jobless claims soar

In relief for Canada's agriculture sector, temporary foreign workers to be allowed in

OTTAWA/TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada will turn back asylum seekers who walk over the U.S.-Canada border, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday, as economic damage from the coronavirus outbreak intensified and a ban on non-essential travel across the world’s longest undefended border was set to come into effect.

More than 500,000 applications for Canadian unemployment benefits were made so far this week, versus just under 27,000 in the same week last year, Trudeau said. The monthly number of unemployment insurance claims last year averaged 239,000.

“This is of course an unprecedented situation and it is putting a lot of pressure on our system, but we’re on it,” he told reporters outside his house, where he has been in isolation since his wife tested positive for the virus last week.

Air Canada (AC.TO), the country’s largest carrier, said on Friday it will temporarily lay off more than 5,100 employees.

The jobless claims indicate an unemployment rate over the next two months “probably the likes of which we have not seen in the post-war era,” said Bank of Montreal Chief Economist Douglas Porter.

The Bank of Canada on Friday said it would take additional measures to help ensure financial markets continue operating smoothly “given the rapidly evolving uncertainty”.

Canada’s tally of reported cases of the COVID-19 respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus has surpassed 1,000, along with 12 deaths.

It closed its borders to most foreign nationals and agreed with the United States this week to close their shared border. A notice from the U.S. Homeland Security Department (DHS) said restrictions will begin at 11:59 p.m. EDT Friday and last until April 20.

Trudeau said the measure to return asylum seekers who walk into Canada outside official border stations was a temporary one to protect the health of Canadians during the coronavirus outbreak.

Thousands have illegally crossed the Canada-U.S. border to file refugee claims in recent years, spurred by tougher U.S. immigration policies under President Donald Trump’s administration.

The Canadian Council for Refugees said it was “shocked” at the decision to turn back migrants.

As the border deadline approached, traffic was already snarled on some crossings early on Friday owing to stepped-up screening measures by the Canada Border Service Agency.

In a relief for Canada’s agriculture sector, temporary foreign workers are exempt from the restrictions.

Trudeau’s government has pledged C$27 billion ($18.6 billion) in support, which could blow out the fiscal deficit and lead to higher government borrowing by nearly 40%, according to Reuters calculations.

Additional reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal, Moira Warburton in Toronto and Rod Nickel in Winnipeg; editing by Shounak Dasgupta, Jason Neely, Andrea Ricci, Marguerita Choy and Cynthia Osterman

In relief for Canada's agriculture sector, temporary foreign workers to be allowed in


OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada will allow temporary foreign workers with valid visas to enter the country, officials said on Friday, offering possible salvation to the agriculture industry even as Ottawa moves to limit the spread of a coronavirus outbreak.

Canada’s labor-strapped farms rely heavily on nearly 60,000 temporary foreign workers to help plant and harvest crops like fruit and vegetables. They also account for about 3% of meat and seafood processors’ labor force.

Ottawa this week said it would close its borders to all foreign nationals, except U.S. citizens, prompting industry concerns about the potential damage to this year’s harvest.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters that “valid work and student visas to come to Canada will be respected... and that includes temporary foreign workers.”

Those individuals, like all persons entering Canada from abroad, will be required to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival, she added.

Many of the workers come to Canada via the Seasonal Agriculture Worker Program. It allows farmers to hire workers from Mexico or certain Caribbean countries for a maximum of eight months, provided they can offer workers a minimum of 240 hours of work within a period of six weeks or less.

Farm groups said a lack of workers would challenge Canada’s agriculture supply chain.

In a notice sent on Wednesday, the groups sent a document to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet outlining suggested ways to get workers from countries whose borders or airports are shut to Canada, including the use of chartered flights, said sources with direct knowledge of the file.

The proposal laid out how farmers could maintain operational health and safety and ensure workers, who often live in close-quarters on farms, could self-isolate for 14-days upon arrival, the sources said.

A senior government official told Reuters on Thursday all options were on the table and discussions with provincial counterparts were ongoing.

Nikki Haley exits Boeing board, saying she opposes US bailout

GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File / John Lamparski

Nikki Haley resigned from Boeing's board of directors, saying she was philosophically opposed to company efforts to garner a government bailout

Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley resigned from Boeing's board of directors, saying she was philosophically opposed to efforts to win a government bailout, the firm said Thursday.

Haley, a former governor of South Carolina, said she had hoped "to be part of helping" Boeing as it contends with the coronavirus crisis on top of the travails with the 737 MAX.

But Boeing's leaders and board "are going in a direction I cannot support," Haley said in a resignation later included in a Boeing securities filing.

"While I know cash is tight, that is equally true for numerous other industries and for millions of small businesses," she said, adding that she has "long held strong convictions" against government support.

Boeing is seeking at least $60 billion in federal support for the aerospace industry as the grounding of much of the global airline fleet due to coronavirus obliterates nearly term demand for commercial planes.

"I cannot support a move to lean on the federal government for a stimulus or bailout that prioritizes our company over others and relies on taxpayers to guarantee our financial position," she said in her letter, adding that she would remain a "strong supporter of Boeing and its workforce."

Haley, who is seen as a potential Republican party candidate for national office, was named to the board in February 2019, shortly before the MAX was grounded following two deadly plane crashes.

She praised Boeing leadership and expressed confidence in the 737 MAX, which remains grounded following two deadly crashes and still must clear some important regulatory hoops before it will fly again.

A Boeing spokesman said, "We appreciate her service on the board and wish her well."


Nikki Haley quits Boeing board over push for $60B in coronavirus aid

Nikki Haley joined the Boeing board in April 2019 after serving as President Donald Trump's top ambassador to the United Nations. File Photo by Manuel Elias/U.N./UPI | License Photo

March 20 (UPI) -- Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has resigned from Boeing's board of directors after less than a year, apparently because the aerospace giant is asking for $60 billion in federal aid amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The U.S. airline industry has seen passenger demand plummet in recent weeks as the coronavirus disease has expanded worldwide and nations have temporarily closed their borders. Boeing, also a top defense contractor, said it needs the federal aid to stabilize its operations and those of companies in its supply chain.

In a filing Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Boeing said Haley resigned Monday. She joined the board last April.

"As a matter of philosophical principle, she does not believe that the company should seek support from the federal government, and therefore decided to resign from the board," Boeing told the SEC.

Haley said in her resignation letter she understands Boeing still faces challenges related to the grounding of its 737 Max, but cannot support its decision to ask for public money.

"While I know cash is tight, that is equally true for numerous other industries and for millions of small businesses," Haley wrote. "I cannot support a move to lean on the federal government for a stimulus or bailout that prioritizes our company over others and relies on taxpayers to guarantee our financial position.

"I have long held strong convictions that this is not the role of government."

Haley served as President Donald Trump's chief ambassador to the United Nations for the first two years of his administration. Before that, she was governor of South Carolina for six years.

Boeing warned last month that short-term aircraft deliveries could be affected by the coronavirus outbreak, particularly due to an expected decline in demand in Asia.

Cricket great Warne's gin distillery shifts to hand sanitiser

AFP/File / GEORGES GOBETHand sanitiser is in short supply in many countries battling coronavirus

Australian cricket great Shane Warne has halted production of gin at a distillery he co-owns to make medical-grade hand sanitiser for hospitals in these "challenging times".

The spin legend, who played 145 Tests, responded to Prime Minister Scott Morrison's plea for companies to help wherever they can during the spiralling coronavirus crisis.

"This is a challenging time for Australians and we all need to do what we can to help our healthcare system combat this disease and save lives," Warne said on his Instagram page.

"I am happy SevenZeroEight has the ability to make this shift and encourage others to do the same."

Warne is a co-founder in the company alongside two prominent surgeons with an agreement in place to supply two Western Australian hospitals with hand sanitiser at cost.

The company halted gin production earlier this week and is now pumping out 70-percent alcohol hand sanitiser indefinitely.

"Great work Shane and team. We need leaders in the community to stand up -- you have always been and are one," said one of his social media followers.

It follows a similar move by a distillery in Ireland, with hand sanitiser in short supply in many countries battling the virus.

Australia has so far seen more than 750 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, with seven deaths from the disease.

VIRUS KILLS CAPITALISM
Panic buying, lockdowns may drive world food inflation: FAO, analysts

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Lockdowns and panic food buying due to the coronavirus pandemic could ignite world food inflation even though there are ample supplies of staple grains and oilseeds in key exporting nations, a senior economist at FAO and agricultural analysts said.

The world’s richest nations poured unprecedented aid into the global economy as coronavirus cases ballooned across Europe and the United States, with the number of deaths in Italy outstripping those in mainland China, where the virus originated.

With over 270,000 infections and more than 11,000 deaths, the epidemic has stunned the world and drawn comparisons with periods such as World War Two and the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic.

“All you need is panic buying from big importers such as millers or governments to create a crisis,” said Abdolreza Abbassian, chief economist at the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

“It is not a supply issue, but it is a behavioral change over food security,” he told Reuters by phone from Rome, the FAO headquarters. “What if bulk buyers think they can’t get wheat or rice shipments in May or June? That is what could lead to a global food supply crisis.”

Graphic: Stocks of global crop staples - here


Consumers across the world from Singapore to the United States have queued at super markets in recent weeks to stock up on items ranging from rice and hand sanitizers to toilet paper.

The global benchmark Chicago wheat futures rose more than 6% this week, the biggest weekly gain in nine months, while rice prices in Thailand, the world’s 2nd largest exporter of the grain, have climbed to the highest since August 2013.

France’s grain industry is scrambling to find enough trucks and staff to keep factories and ports running as the panic buying of pasta and flour coincides with a surge in wheat exports.

Restrictions imposed by some European Union countries at their borders with other member states in response to the pandemic are also disrupting food supplies, representatives of the industry and farmers said.

However, global wheat stocks at the end of the crop marketing year in June are projected to rise to 287.14 million tonnes, up from 277.57 million tonnes a year ago, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates.

Graphic: Stocks of crop and food staples - here


World rice stocks are projected at 182.3 million tonnes as compared with 175.3 million tonnes a year ago.

FOOD IN THE RIGHT PLACE

Logistics are likely to be a major global issue, analysts said.

“There is about 140 million tonnes of corn that goes in ethanol in the United States and some of that can used for food as it won’t be needed for fuel, given the drop in oil prices,” said Ole Houe, director of advisory services at brokerage IKON Commodities

“The concern is having food at the right time in the right place.”

Asian buyers were inactive this week with uncertainty looming in the market.

“We are not sure about the demand. What it is going to look like in June or July?” said one Singapore-based purchasing manager at a flour milling company that has operations across Southeast Asia. “Restaurant business is down, and as a result demand is a bit soft right now.”

Asian wheat importers, including the region’s top importer Indonesia, have been taking a bulk of the cargoes from the Black Sea region amid a global oversupply.


Oil exporting nations in the Middle East, which are also net grain importers, are likely to feel more financial pain with crude losing more than 60% of its value this year.

“Net oil exporters’ capacity to buy grains has dropped given the fall in oil prices and depreciation in currencies,” said FAO’s Abbassian.

“There will be less capacity to take policy actions to boost economies.”


Reporting by Naveen Thukral; Additional reporting by Patpicha Tanakasempipat in BANGKOK Editing by Gavin Maguire and Raju Gopalakrishnan

Canada's stretched hospitals brace for impact

Allison Martell, Moira Warburton

BECAUSE CONSERVATIVE PREMIERS HAVE CUT HEALTHCARE STAFF


TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada’s health system is preparing for an influx of coronavirus patients in the midst of a long-running bed shortage, calling doctors out of retirement and ramping down any treatment that can wait.

FILE PHOTO: A sign for washing hands is seen during a news media tour of quarantine facilities for treating novel coronavirus at Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada March 2, 2020. REUTERS/Christinne Muschi

A shortage of beds during periods of peak demand, like the flu season, is a longstanding problem in the publicly funded system. While health spending has risen gradually in recent years, beds have not kept pace with population growth.

“You’ve got people in broom closets and auditoriums and conference rooms across the country,” said Michael Gardam, chief of staff at one Ontario’s newest hospitals, the 656-bed Humber River Hospital.

Canada has 925 cases of the COVID-19 respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, and 12 deaths.

A preliminary model published by Canadian researchers this week estimated that if cases increase by 7.5 percent each day, Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, will run out of ICU beds and ventilators in about 37 days.

Between Sunday and Thursday, daily case counts grew an average of 16% a day.

In British Columbia, which has seen the most virus-linked deaths in Canada, the majority of hospitals are running between 110% and 140% of their official capacity, said Christine Sorensen, president of the BC Nurses’ Union.

Most current Canadian hospitals were built between the 1940-1960s, under a federal program. Budget cuts forced closures, and in recent years, growing demand for long-term care has further strained the system.

Canada had 12.9 adult intensive care beds per 100,000 people, according to a study based on 2013-14 data, with variations across the country. British Columbia had only 10.5 beds, and the Atlantic province of Newfoundland and Labrador had 21.8, according to a report from Canadian Institute for Health Information.

Quebec’s government recently said it has 1,000 ICU beds, or 11.8 per 100,000.

In contrast, the United States had 34.7 ICU beds per 100,000 as of 2009, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

With little time left to prepare, officials are moving to make the most of what they have.

British Columbia’s College of Physicians and Surgeons put a call out to doctors who retired in the last two years to re-register under a special emergency class.

Ontario told hospitals this week to ramp down elective surgeries and non-urgent treatment. It also said it would invest C$100 million to increase capacity, but it is not clear how quickly that can be done.

An Ontario committee set up to address the crisis is looking at how to move more patients out of hospitals and into long-term care or home with care, a document obtained by Reuters showed.

Alberta is enabling doctors to bill for phone consultations, in an effort to keep patients at home.

Its College of Physicians and Surgeons told doctors that unregulated technology, like email and texting, may be justified under the “extraordinary circumstances.”

Some hospitals have the capacity to re-open beds that have been closed over the years, said Michael Hurley, president of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions, but that is not occurring quickly enough.

“So far we haven’t talked about approaching this virus with the intensity that the Chinese have,” said Hurley, citing China’s move to open up thousands of hospital beds in a matter of days to handle the influx of coronavirus patients. China assembled new hospitals in Wuhan using prefabricated buildings.

One top priority will be protecting healthcare workers, for their own safety and so they can continue to see patients.

“It’s going to be a burden on the staff; it’s going to be a burden on the system,” said Paul-Émile Cloutier, president of hospital advocacy group HealthCareCAN.

“The challenges of COVID-19 underscore the challenges that already exist in the system.”


Editing by Amran Abocar and Dan Grebler

Climate change: The rich are to blame, international study finds
By Roger Harrabin

BBC environment analyst
16 March 2020 

The rich are primarily to blame for the global climate crisis, a study by the University of Leeds of 86 countries claims.

The wealthiest tenth of people consume about 20 times more energy overall than the bottom ten, wherever they live.

The gulf is greatest in transport, where the top tenth gobble 187 times more fuel than the poorest tenth, the research says.

That’s because people on the lowest incomes can rarely afford to drive.

The researchers found that the richer people became, the more energy they typically use. And it was replicated across all countries.

And they warn that, unless there's a significant policy change, household energy consumption could double from 2011 levels by 2050. That's even if energy efficiency improves.

Transport gulf

The researchers combined European Union and World Bank data to calculate how different income groups spend their money. They say it’s the first study of its kind.

It found that in transport the richest tenth of consumers use more than half the energy. This reflects previous research showing that 15% of UK travellers take 70% of all flights.

The ultra-rich fly by far furthest, while 57% of the UK population does not fly abroad at all.

GETTY IMAGES

The study, published in Nature Energy, showed that energy for cooking and heating is more equitably consumed.

But even then, the top 10% of consumers used roughly one third of the total, presumably reflecting the size of their homes.

Solutions?

Co-author Professor Julia Steinberger, leader of the project at Leeds, asked: “How can we change the vastly unequal distribution of energy to provide a decent life for everyone while protecting the climate and ecosystems?”

The authors say governments could reduce transport demand through better public transport, higher taxes on bigger vehicles and frequent flyer levies for people who take most holidays.

They say another alternative is to electrify vehicles more quickly, although previous studies suggest even then demand for driving must be reduced in order to reduce the strain on resource use and electricity production and distribution.

Rich Brits

The research also examined the relative energy consumption of one nation against another.

It shows that a fifth of UK citizens are in the top 5% of global energy consumers, along with 40% of German citizens, and Luxembourg’s entire population.

Only 2% of Chinese people are in the top global 5% of users, and just 0.02% of people in India.

Even the poorest fifth of Britons consumes over five times as much energy per person as the bottom billion in India.

GETTY IMAGES

The study is likely to ignite future UN climate negotiations, where the issue of equity is always bitterly contentious.

In the USA, libertarian politicians have typically portrayed climate change as a harbinger of global socialism.

Normal lives?

But Professor Kevin Anderson, from the Tyndall Centre in Manchester, who was not involved in the study, told BBC News: “This study tells relatively wealthy people like us what we don’t want to hear.

“The climate issue is framed by us high emitters – the politicians, business people, journalists, academics. When we say there’s no appetite for higher taxes on flying, we mean WE don’t want to fly less

“The same is true about our cars and the size our homes. We have convinced ourselves that our lives are normal, yet the numbers tell a very different story,” he said.

The study says transport energy alone could increase 31% by 2050. “If transport continues to rely on fossil fuels, this increase would be disastrous for the climate,” the report says.

It suggests different remedies for different types of energy use. So, flying and driving big cars could face higher taxes, while energy from homes could be reduced by a housing retrofit.

The authors note that the recent Budget declined to increase fuel duty and promised 4,000 miles of new roads. It did not mention home insulation.

The Treasury was contacted to discuss the taxation issues raised in the research, but declined to comment.

VIRUS KILLS CAPITALISM

Coronavirus: Dow erases Trump presidency gains

    WOT ME WORRY?!

The Dow Jones Industrial Average of 30 major American companies fell more than 4.5% on Friday, erasing all the gains it had made since Donald Trump became president in January 2017.

The drop helped to finish the worst week on Wall Street since 2008, with all three indexes down at least 12%.

The falls come as authorities tighten restrictions on activity in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

New York state on Friday ordered non-essential businesses to close.

Illinois also made a similar move, while California earlier mandated that its residents shelter in place.

The Dow lost more than 900 points to close at 19,173, while the wider S&P 500 dropped 4.3% to 2,304 and the Nasdaq lost 3.8% to 6,879.5.

They have now fallen more than 30% from their recent records.

Mr Trump has taken credit as the share indexes climbed during his presidency - gaining nearly 50% as of last month. He has written about them on Twitter at least 131 times, according to a tally by the New York Times.

At briefings this week, Mr Trump has said he is not worried about the economy in the long-run, arguing that business will bounce back after the pandemic eases and restrictions can be relaxed.

For now, however, the upheavals are severe.

Unemployment claims in the US surged 30% this week, as thousands of people lost their jobs, while in the restaurant industry alone as many as 7 million jobs could be cut in the next three months, according to estimates by the National Restaurant Association.

Delta Air Lines on Friday said it would lose $10bn in its second quarter, while United Airlines warned that it would cut jobs starting in April if the government does not provide relief funding. Both firms saw share prices fall about 30% this week.

Coca-Cola lost more than 8%, after warning the virus had upended its growth forecast, as sales to theatres, sporting venues and restaurants evaporate.

Earlier, the FTSE 100 index of top UK firms ended up 0.76%, while Germany's Dax and France's CAC 40 gained more than 3%.

'Drastic action'

The market moves came as the state of New York ordered staff at all "non-essential" businesses to remain at home as the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise.

The move expands earlier restrictions and comes as California on the west coast said its nearly 40 million residents should "shelter in place".

The US has confirmed more than 14,000 cases of the coronavirus, including more than 7,000 in New York.

The surge has started to strain its health care system.

"This is the most drastic action we can take," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said,

New York said pharmacies, grocery stores, banks and shipping firms were among those exempt from the order, which goes into effect on Sunday.

REUTERS

Many places have already been forced to shut, including schools, shopping centres, and theatres.

Mr Cuomo also issued additional rules for the state's 19.5 million citizens, saying healthy people who are not at risk may go outside for exercise and to go grocery shopping, but should otherwise remain at home.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, who has been a leader of the national response, said he supported the move.

"Please co-operate with your governor," he said at the White House's daily coronavirus briefing.

The US also said it would bar non-essential travel between the US and Canada, from midnight.

However, US President Donald Trump said he did not think shelter in place orders needed to be expanded nationally, noting that many states have far lower infection rates.

"They're watching it on television but they don't have the same problems," he said.

Restrictions aimed at reducing the spread of the coronavirus have expanded rapidly this week and are already having a devastating economic effect, with the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits surging more than 30% this week.

Economists are predicting a sharp contraction in economic growth in coming months, and have warned that millions of jobs are at risk.

Congress is working on a more than $1tn relief bill, that is expected to include direct payments of more than $1,000 for each American who earns less than a certain amount. It would also include millions for businesses affected by the pandemic, such as airlines and hotels.

Dow ends worst week since 2008 financial crisis

A worker sweeps the floor of the New York Stock Exchange after the closing bell on Wall Street in New York City on Friday. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

March 20 (UPI) -- Stocks attempted to rally early Friday, but tumbled further throughout the day, ending the worst week in over a decade for the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

The Dow closed at 19,248, down 4.5 percent for the day. The S&P 500 slid 4.4 percent and the Nasdaq Composite fell 3.8 percent, despite a 2 percent jump earlier in the day.

The Dow was down more than 17 percent for the week, its biggest weekly decrease since October 2008, when it dropped 18.2 percent. The S&P 500 lost 13 percent and the Nasdaq 12.6 percent this week.

Stocks attempted to rally with gains early Friday, but sources told CNBC that news that clearing firm Ronin Capital failed to meet its capital requirements dragged trading down toward the end of the day.

Oil prices, which have plummeted in recent weeks, showed some gains Friday but fell back into the negative. Brent crude was trading at $29.44 per barrel.

Friday's losses followed reports that multiple U.S. senators moved to sell off some of their stock weeks ago at the start of the coronavirus outbreak. Among those reported to have dumped shares are Sens. Richard Burr, R-N.C., Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., James Inhofe, R-Okla., and Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga.

NOT REAL NEWS: Another week of false coronavirus content

FILE - In this Friday, March 20, 2020 file photo, a member of the New Jersey National Guard helps direct traffic at COVID-19 drive-through testing center in Paramus, N.J. On Friday, March 20, 2020, The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online incorrectly asserting that within 48-72 hours the president will evoke what is called the Stafford Act, will order a two week mandatory quarantine for the nation, and that the National Guard will mobilize and martial law will go into effect. The National Security Council knocked down the rumors on Twitter. “As we saw over the wkend, disinfo is being spread online about a supposed national lockdown and grounding flights. Be skeptical of rumors. Make sure you’re getting info from legitimate sources," the council tweeted. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the real facts:

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CLAIM: Please be advised that within 48-72 hours the president will evoke what is called the Stafford Act. The president will order a two week mandatory quarantine for the nation. The National Guard will mobilize and martial law will go into effect. Stock up on whatever you need to make sure you have an adequate supply of everything.

THE FACTS: Screenshots of text messages are circulating in group chats and on social media warning that the U.S. will go into lockdown and that martial law will go into effect. The texts are often attributed to a friend of a friend or a relative who knows someone working in an official capacity for the U.S. government or a medical institution. They claim the government — sometimes federal, sometimes state or local — is about to put a quarantine in place and people won’t be allowed to leave their homes for weeks. The National Security Council knocked down the rumors on Twitter. “As we saw over the wkend, disinfo is being spread online about a supposed national lockdown and grounding flights. Be skeptical of rumors. Make sure you’re getting info from legitimate sources,” the council tweeted Thursday. The texts first emerged on a local level with messages saying that New York and Washington state would go under lockdown, with later claims suggesting that the whole nation would enforce a lockdown. President Donald Trump said at a briefing Friday that he has no plans for a national lockdown at this time. “I don’t think we’ll ever find that necessary,” he told reporters.

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CLAIM: Using a blow dryer to shoot hot air into your sinuses will kill the new coronavirus.

THE FACTS: Medical professionals said taking such action would be dangerous and would not kill the new coronavirus. Social media users are sharing clips from a 6-minute video that suggests that heat kills the coronavirus and applying heat to your nose will help eliminate it. The false claim is one of many around the new virus which doctors are actively trying to debunk. “False! Please don’t. Our nose carries bacteria, as part of normal flora. Those bacteria may get confused,” tweeted Faheem Younus, who specializes in infectious diseases at the University of Maryland. The World Health Organization has said that hand dryers cannot kill the new coronavirus and noted that the virus can still be transmitted in hot and humid climates. Dr. Jen Caudle, a family physician and associate professor at Rowan University in New Jersey, also confirmed that blowing hot air into a nose will not prevent or cure the new coronavirus. “Depending on how hot the blow dryer gets, I would be concerned with some adverse effects,” she said. Doctors like Younus and Caudle are using their social media platforms to debunk myths around the virus that has infected more than 200,000 worldwide.

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CLAIM: Research by scientists at the University of Queensland in Australia has proven that bananas bolster the immune system due to the super source of vitamin B-6 and helps prevent coronavirus.

THE FACTS: As researchers rush to develop a vaccine to stop the spread of the coronavirus, a video circulating on social media falsely claimed they had found a tie between preventing the virus and bananas. It’s not true. The 58-second video takes footage from an ABC Australia news segment, which aired in January about research at the Queensland university to create a vaccine for the virus, and combines it with a Wall Street Journal video on research around the vaccine. It then adds images of bananas overlaid with text suggesting the benefits of bananas in combating the virus. The ABC Australia and The Wall Street Journal videos, which are both available online, make no reference to bananas preventing or killing the coronavirus. A University of Queensland spokesperson told The Associated Press in an email that the video is fake and said they strongly recommend people do not share it. The claim spread in the Philippines in March after officials in the country claimed that bananas could kill the virus. While bananas are a good source of nutrients, including vitamin B6, fiber and potassium, there is no evidence that bananas can prevent or kill coronavirus.

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CLAIM: The first person to receive an experimental coronavirus vaccine during testing in Seattle is a crisis actor

THE FACTS: All participants who volunteered for vaccine test being led by Kaiser Permanente Washington Research Institute in Seattle were screened and had to meet a set list of criteria. They were not hired as actors to simulate a role. After researchers began the first round of testing on an experimental vaccine, posts began circulating on social media claiming the first person tested was a crisis actor. To support the claim, the posts falsely suggested that volunteers were injected with saline and that a needle not used for vaccines was used. Both are false. The AP was granted exclusive access to observe the first injections. No saline shots were given as part of the study and photos taken by the AP confirm that the vaccine was given by intramuscular injection. To find participants, Kaiser Permanente advertised for volunteers in the Seattle area. Subjects were screened by phone, and had to meet a set list of criteria. Those who met the criteria were then medically assessed in person at the Kaiser Permanente facility. Some posts making the false crisis actor claim featured photos of Jennifer Haller, the first person to receive the test vaccine. The AP observed Haller, an operations manager at a small tech company, as she received the injection in an exam room. The testing that began Monday marked just the beginning of a series of studies in people needed to prove whether the shots are safe and could work. Even if the research goes well, a vaccine would not be available for widespread use for 12 to 18 months, said Dr. Anthony Fauci of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

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CLAIM: Coronavirus remains in the throat for four days, drinking water and gargling with warm water mixed with salt or vinegar eliminates the virus.

THE FACTS: Medical officials said there is no evidence that gargling with the mixture will combat the novel coronavirus. False posts containing the claim have been shared widely on social media. One widely shared post states: “Corona virus before it reaches the lungs it remains in the throat for four days and at this time the person begins to cough and have throat pains. If he drinks water a lot and gargling with warm water & salt or vinegar eliminates the virus. Spread this information because you can save someone with this information.” Dr. Robert Legare Atmar, Infectious Disease expert at the Baylor College of Medicine, told the AP while the virus may be detected in the throat for at least a week after the onset of symptoms, the information about gargling is false. “There is no evidence for coronavirus or other respiratory viruses that drinking water or gargling protect against subsequent infection and illness,” he said. “In fact, doing these activities might give people a false sense of security, which would be dangerous if it resulted in behavior that is more risky.” It can be detected in the throat for at least a week after symptom onset, at least in some people, Atmar said.

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CLAIM: Parents who can’t find or afford baby formula right now, Enfamil and Gerber will send you a free case of formula.

THE FACTS: As consumers emptied store shelves stocking up on necessities in anticipation of shortages around the novel coronavirus, social media posts claimed that makers of baby formula would help ease any scarcity by sending a case of formula to those in need. “For parents who cannot find formula in stores for their babies right now, grab the can for formula that you do have and call the number on the back and they will send you a whole case during this time,” said one tweet posted just after midnight Monday. By Tuesday afternoon it had more than 21,000 shares and 16,000 likes. Both Gerber and Enfamil said the posts circulating online are not true, and emphasized they are working with retailers to keep shelves stocked.

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This is part of The Associated Press’ ongoing effort to fact-check misinformation that is shared widely online, including work with Facebook to identify and reduce the circulation of false stories on the platform.

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Find all AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck

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