Dispatches from a Pandemic
‘The CDC actually said to use scarves and bandanas if we are out of masks,’ says emergency room doctor on the front lines of coronavirus fight‘I come in to work, do my job and don’t complain’: a MarketWatch question-and-answer session with an emergency-room doctor

Hospital workers exit a tent set up in front of the emergency 

room at EvergreenHealth Medical Center in Kirkland, Wash.,

 near Seattle. Associated Press

My brother-in-law, John Velasquez, is an ER doctor on the front lines of the response to COVID-19. He just finished a series of night shifts at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center in Florida and is heading north for a week working at St. Luke’s University Health Network in New Jersey. I checked in with him at the end of one of his shifts.

MarketWatch: How busy was it today?


John Velasquez: Initially, volume was up, and everyone was coming to check if they had COVID, even without symptoms. When more and more people realized we had limited tests and could only test high-risk patients, less people started coming. In the past few days, volume in general has been less busy, especially at night due to the statewide curfews, which has helped tremendously, in my opinion.

MarketWatch: How was the health of the patients?


Velasquez: For the most part, patients that need to be in the emergency department are being seen (like heart attacks, strokes, trauma, etc.), and the nonemergent [patients] are staying away. People are starting to realize that if they come they might actually contract COVID, and they may not get the test unless they meet strict criteria, like fever or respiratory distress. The COVID testing has been an issue in itself. After WHO declared a COVID pandemic, most hospitals were undertesting, and, when testing became more widespread, results have been backlogged for over a week.


‘Intubation is the highest-risk procedure in terms of catching this disease as patients can cough directly into your face while you are trying to insert a tube down their trachea.’

MW: How are you and your colleagues holding up?


Velasquez: PPE [or personal protection equipment] has been the biggest issue. I don’t know if you have heard about the hoarding going on here with everything from toilet paper [to] guns [and] ammo, but it seems that even masks for PPE have been hoarded and stolen from the hospitals. I have spoken to friends in different states who work in numerous other hospitals, and they are all going through the same issues.

There are many reports that people with COVID can be asymptomatic, and the most frustrating part is that lack of PPE.

In the ER, we often intubate patients in respiratory distress and place them on ventilators. Intubation is the highest-risk procedure in terms of catching this disease as patients can cough directly into your face while you are trying to insert a tube down their trachea.

MW: What is the mental state of staff and patients?

Velasquez: For the most part, I come in to work, do my job and don’t complain. The staff goes on like business as usual. That’s how the culture is in the ER, though. One minute, we are coding someone with a GSW [gunshot wound], and the next minute I can be sedating a kid to reduce a dislocated joint, or something as minor as informing a patient that they have a sprained ankle.


‘I come in to work, do my job and don’t complain. The staff goes on like business as usual. That’s how the culture is in the ER.’

There’s a growing concern about the lack of PPE from everyone in the department, especially as people are becoming critically ill. Two ER docs are in critical condition (one in his 40s).

MW: Are you guys worried?

Velasquez: I think I speak for my colleagues as well when I say that, in general, we aren’t too worried — even though we should be — about working on the front lines. We all took the Hippocratic oath, and we try to be ready for whatever comes through those doors. The only thing we ask for is to have some form of protection. In regards to the PPE shortage, the CDC actually said to use scarves and bandanas if we are out of masks. This is truly absurd, if you ask me.

Not only are we risking our lives, but we are endangering our loved ones. I fly up to see my daughters in [New Jersey] every month and visit my mother, who just turned 83. Because I don’t know if I am an asymptomatic carrier, I will only plan to see them at a distance.


A vehicle from the hard-hit Life Care Center at Kirkland, Wash., outside the EvergreenHealth Medical Center last week. Associated Press

My wife, as you know, is an ER doc as well, so if one of us gets it, we’re pretty much screwed. At least we won’t have to practice social distancing with each other.

MW: Are there any other shortages?

Velasquez: There are staffing shortages throughout the country especially in the New York metro area. This is mainly due to the volume of patients and health-care workers being quarantined for 14 days if they treated a patient that tested positive for COVID. I’ve heard that they have granted docs in with licenses from other states, and they’re also asking retired doctors to help out.


‘The CDC actually said to use scarves and bandanas if we are out of masks. This is truly absurd, if you ask me.’

MW: Are there any signs of things getting better?

Velasquez: I feel like, as a country, we are a few weeks, maybe months, out from things going back to normal, if we are taking what happened in China and Europe as an example. I know, from speaking with ER docs in N.Y., that they seem to be getting hit pretty hard compared to [Florida]. They are running low on ventilators and have a lot of critical patients. This might be true with many metropolitan areas.

MW: What else stood out today?

Velasquez: My last set of shifts, I can’t recall. ... I try to have short-term memory, and it helps me keep my sanity after a busy day in the ER.

MW: Thanks, John.

Duncan Mavin is a London-based editor for MarketWatch and the Barron’s Group.

'Our number is bad': Over a million small business workers could lose jobs amid coronavirus

Alexis Keenan Reporter Yahoo Finance March 20, 20

Outlook on small businesses as weekly jobless claims jump amid COVID-19

A majority of U.S. unemployment benefit claims filed in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak could come from employees of small businesses, according to one estimate — further hurting a sector that has been losing ground to major corporations over the past several decades.

“Our number is bad. It’s in the millions,” Steve King, Director for Emergent Research, told Yahoo Finance about his firm’s projections for unemployment insurance claims expected over the coming weeks and months.

In past recessions, small firms have laid off people faster than bigger firms, resulting in a relatively high share of early applicants for unemployment benefits, according to King, whose firm focuses on the small business economy.

NEW York, NY - MARCH 18: A general view of a sign inside the window of Juniors Cheesecake that because of COVID-19 they are closed until further notice on March 18, 2020 in New York, NY. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

“Based on what we are seeing and hearing, this is happening again,” King said, cautioning that until the data starts coming out over the next couple of weeks the projection is uncertain. “Our guess would be somewhere around 60%-70% of the unemployment insurance claims over the next few weeks will come from employees of small businesses.”

Bank of American on Friday said it estimates 3 million total jobless claims to be filed for the week ending March 21. Over the next two to three weeks, Emergent estimates 2 to 3 million claims for unemployment insurance.

And over the next two to three months, if the shutdown of many businesses persists, Emergent estimates 24 million workers will file, representing nearly half of the 58 million Americans who work for private companies with fewer than 500 employees. The numbers do not include the full- and part-time gig workers who are ineligible for unemployment compensation.
‘Small business formation has been in decline’

Members of the National Federation for Independent Business (NFIB) are expressing great concern over keeping their doors open, according to Holly Wade, director of research and policy analysis for the small business advocacy organization. A slide in the number of existing small firms would exacerbate their already waning stake in the U.S. economy, she added.

“The churn of small business formation has been in decline for decades now,” Wade said. “And that's been the focus of a lot of academic research to figure out why this trend is happening.”

“So when we go through something like this, an economic crisis, like we did with the financial crisis, on the other side, we want to make sure that the landscape to start a business and define market opportunities is easily accessible and that there are very low barriers to entry to get the small business sector moving again,” Wade said.

The majority of firms will need to make quick decisions about whether to remain in business because most keep 30 days of full reserves, King said, noting that labor-intensive companies such as restaurants tend to keep less in reserves.





Small and medium-sized companies' role in the U.S. economy

Why small businesses need a lifeline

On Thursday, lawmakers introduced a new relief package proposal with additional life lines for small businesses, including $300 million in stimulus funds, part of which offers grants and loans to certain small businesses that keep their employees on their payrolls during the crisis, and penalty-free delays for tax filings and payments. The Small Business Administration also began approving disaster loans to eligible applicants.



A sign announcing that Tribeca Kitchen and Bar is closed because of the coronavirus outbreak is displayed on a door in Seattle, Washington, U.S., March 13, 2020. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

In an email Deutsche Bank Securities Chief Economist, Torsten Slok, emphasized the critical need to keep small business afloat. “The U.S. economy mainly consists of small businesses...and this is a challenge in a situation where policymakers want to quickly get money into the hands of the corporate sector either via fiscal policy or monetary policy.”

On Thursday, jobless claims for the week ending March 14 jumped to 281,000 from 211,000 the prior week. The 33% increase outpaced the largest increase during the Great Recession of 14%. But those numbers fail to represent the reality of what’s coming, King said.

“Based on everything we're hearing, this week started the layoff week,” he said. “I don't think it will be reflected in the numbers for another two weeks.”

“With an average of 30 days reserves, if your revenue is cut by 50 or 60% you're gonna have to move quickly and you're gonna have to lay people off,” King said. “The good news is there's a bunch of businesses that aren't shut down.”
‘The mergers will come’

Still, the eventual recovery could lead to even more consolidation of businesses, Mark Cooper, CEO of P.J. Solomon, told Yahoo Finance’s The First Trade, noting that mergers typically happen after a downturn.

“The mergers will come, in my view, in a few flavors. One will be ... in difficult industries like retail and site-based oriented businesses, movie theaters, amusement parks, and the like. Those might have companies coming together to show greater strength and have synergies in order to withstand the difficult marketplace,” he said.

Already, bigger businesses seem to be benefitting from the coronavirus shutdowns even as small businesses suffer. This week, mega corporations Walmart (WMT) and Amazon (AMZN) announced they planned to hire due to a surge in business. Walmart said it would bring on 150,000 workers, while Amazon reported plans to hire 100,000 full- and part-time warehouse workers.

Read more:

COVID-19 could make a resurgence this fall depending on U.S. response

What to do if you are laid off from work due to COVID-19

The U.S. government clarifies when workers must get paid amid coronavirus shutdowns

Alexis Keenan is a New York-based reporter for Yahoo Finance and former litigation attorney.

Combating the coronavirus: Fashion designers, automakers and other companies make masks and medical supplies

Sarah Paynter Reporter, Yahoo Finance•March 21, 2020


This article was last updated on March 23, 2020 at 11:30 a.m. ET.

In the wake of the global novel coronavirus pandemic, common medical supplies like ventilators, medical masks, hospital gowns and hand sanitizer have become scarce — and manufacturers of such supplies cannot keep up.

So this past week, vacuum, car, fashion and cosmetics manufacturers have turned to making ventilators, medical masks, hospital gowns and hand sanitizer to help with COVID-19 relief and treatment efforts.

Here is an up-to-date list of major manufactures that are re-directing their resources to COVID-19 relief measures.
Ventilator production

Ventilators, which move air in and out of the lungs, are needed for critical COVID-19 patients, while protective gear aims to slow the spread of the virus. The following companies will or have offered to manufacture ventilators.
Exor and related companies

Exor, the Amsterdam-based owner of Ferrari and Fiat Chrysler, is in talks to assist Bologna-based Siare Engineering, as they ramp up ventilator production from 160 units to 500 a month.

In addition to manufacturing operations, car manufacturers have access to plastic, metal, and electronic supplies. Ferrari, the Italy-based luxury car maker, has sent specialized personnel to assist Siare, but they are also planning to manufacture ventilator parts in-house at its Maranello headquarters. They will be joined by Fiat Chrysler, according to reports.

Italian car parts maker Magneti Marelli, previously owned by Exor, makes car parts for Volkswagen, PSA and Fiat Chrysler. It suspended production at most European plants from March 13 to March 27 due to COVID-19, but it may reopen plants sooner since they are also in talks with Siare to assist with ventilator production.

"We're talking to Fiat Chrysler, Ferrari and Marelli to try to understand if they can lend us a hand in this process for the electronics part," Gianluca Preziosa, Siare's chief executive, told Reuters.
Ford and General Motors

In the U.S., President Donald Trump announced that the Defense Production Act, which authorizes him to legally mandate the production of goods from private and public companies, is now “in gear” as of March 20. But car makers have already been at work, looking for a solution.

Michigan-based car makers General Motors and Ford have been in touch with the White House about producing medical equipment, including ventilators. This comes after General Motors and Ford shut down all North American factories from March 19 until at least March 31.

"As America's largest producer of vehicles and top employer of autoworkers, Ford stands ready to help the administration in any way we can, including the possibility of producing ventilators and other equipment… We have had preliminary discussions with the US government and are looking into the feasibility,” Ford said in a statement Wednesday night.
Tesla

Elon Musk tweeted on March 18 that Tesla would make ventilators “if there is a shortage.” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio responded by saying New York had a shortage, to which Musk said they would engage in talks.
Honda, Jaguar, Rolls Royce

The UK government has approached over 60 manufacturers with a “basic, functional” blueprint for ventilators. Among manufacturers called to action, Honda, Rolls Royce and Dyson top the list, according to reports.

UK government officials asked Honda whether it would use its Swindon plant to manufacture ventilators. Rolls Royce, the London-based engine manufacturer, has promised to produce health equipment, including ventilators. This comes as the company suspends operations at its Goodwood, UK manufacturing plant from March 19 to April 2.

The UK needs 20,000 ventilators “at speed,” said Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Matt Hancock, the UK’s secretary of state for health and social care, put out a public call for manufacturing assistance on Twitter on March 16.
Dyson

Dyson, the UK-based vacuum and hand-dryer maker, has also been approached about making ventilators by the UK government.

Respirator valves and other parts

A number of 3D-printing companies, alongside private 3D printer enthusiasts, have begun production of oxygen valves for use with ventilators.

Notably, direct to consumer tele-dentistry company SmileDirectClub will use its 3D printers to produce respirator valves, as well as medical masks. Airbus, an aircraft manufacturer, is also planning to 3D print ventilator parts.

“Reports of medical supply shortages are very concerning and we have the production capacity to help in the printing of plastic materials. Due to recent automations that increased our printing output capacity, we’re able to easily add this production to our current clear aligner therapy lines,” said SmileDirectClub chief executive officer David Katzman in a statement.
Hand sanitizer, medical masks, hospital gowns, and protective supplies
Christian Siriano

Fashion designer Christian Siriano, whose designs are seen in Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s and other retailers, has offered his sewing team to make medical masks in New York. Sirano has already produced a prototype, but he plans to make several versions to fit people with varying needs.

If @NYGovCuomo says we need masks my team will help make some. I have a full sewing team still on staff working from home that can help.

— Christian Siriano (@CSiriano) March 20, 2020
HanesBrands

President Trump announced Saturday that the Hanes clothing company will be retrofitting its factories and working with the government to make N95 masks for health care professionals.
Zara

Inditex, the Spain-based owner of fashion retailer Zara, announced March 18 that it will produce hospital gowns and surgical masks for patients and medical workers. The company said it has already donated 10,000 masks and expects to deliver 300,000 additional masks by the end of the week. Zara representatives said that they are actively sourcing medical-grade fabric for hospital gowns.
L’Oréal

L’Oréal, the France-based cosmetics company, has re-tooled its production facilities to create hand sanitizer and hydroalcoholic gel for French and European health authorities, French pharmacies and European food distributors.

“In this unprecedented crisis, it is our responsibility to contribute to the collective effort in every way possible. Through these actions, L’Oréal expresses our recognition, our support and our solidarity towards those who are demonstrating extraordinary courage and selflessness in their efforts to combat this pandemic,” said Jean-Paul Agon, L’Oréal chairman and chief executive officer, in a statement.
LVMH

Paris-based LVMH, which owns Louis Vuitton and Dior, announced it will use the company’s French perfume factories to produce hand sanitizer that the company will donate to health authorities, LVMH announced Sunday.

“LVMH will continue to honour this commitment for as long as necessary," the company said in a statement. 

Distilleries and breweries

Breweries and distilleries in the U.S., Canada, the UK, Sweden, Australia and other locations have begun producing hand sanitizer by mixing pure alcohol with glycerol and hydrogen peroxide, as the novel coronavirus prompts global shortages in hospitals and pharmacies.

Pernod Ricard, the Paris-based spirits and wine company that makes Absolut vodka and Jameson whiskey, said it will manufacture hand sanitizer at U.S. factories for donation. They will also manufacture hand sanitizer in Sweden, Ireland and Sapin. Additionally, the company will donate 70,000 liters of alcohol to laboratories manufacturing hand sanitizer for donation, the company announced March 18.

“By sharing our resources and making our production facilities available wherever they are needed, we are supporting our fellow citizens and local authorities. I would like to thank our employees who have worked hard to make everything possible in record time, all over the world,” said Alexandre Ricard, chairman and chief executive officer of Pernod Ricard in a statement.

Brussels’ Anheuser-Busch, the world’s largest brewer, has produced 26,000 bottles of 250-milliliter hand sanitizer bottles, for donation to pharmacies and health care workers. The company is also donating alcohol that has been removed from its alcohol-free beers, in the amount of some 50,000 liters. Alcohol will go to hospitals in Belgium, Britain, France, Italy and the Netherlands.

Even smaller distilleries are beginning production. Brooklyn’s Greenhook Ginsmiths in New York City, in partnership with Brooklyn bottled cocktail maker St. Agrestis Spirits, already has orders for 4,200 gallons-worth of hand sanitizer. Some distilleries are donating hand sanitizer, while others are asking for a small donation, according to reports.

One Canadian company, Dixon’s Distilled Spirits, has donated 3,000 bottles of sanitizer to local police, health workers and care homes. And a Toronto-based distillery, Spirit of York Distillery, began selling hand sanitizer for C$3 on March 19. It offers it for free to seniors or those who can’t afford it. Proceeds from the sale of the hand sanitizer will go to a local food bank, the company said.

In the U.S., the FDA announced it would relax hand sanitizer rules on March 20, and the UK announced March 18 that it would fast-track applications from companies to make denatured alcohol for sanitizing. Canada also agreed to lift some rules on hand sanitizer, disinfectant and equipment sales, said a statement by Health Canada.

This article will continue to be updated as companies announce plans to manufacture medical supplies during the coronavirus outbreak.

TARSANDS THE MOST SUBSIDIZED FOSSIL FUEL

‘Little hope of energy investment rebounding,’ economist warns

Jeff Lagerquis

Yahoo Finance CanadaMarch 23, 2020

Closeup of a bucketwheel reclaimer at oilsands mines of Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada.

As Canada’s energy sector anxiously awaits a policy response from Ottawa to address falling crude prices, some observers predict little can be done to prevent a long-lasting downturn.

Western Canadian Select, the main grade from Canada’s energy patch, fell below US$10 per barrel again on Monday, continuing a slide driven by the one-two punch of COVID-19 constricting demand, and the threat of oversupply from a Saudi-Russian price war.

North American benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI)(CL=F) dropped as low as US$20 per barrel last week. That’s lower than the price crashes in early-2016 and late-2018.

Stephen Brown, senior Canada economist at London-based Capital Economics, believes policymakers need to do more to reduce the chance of a broader recession in the first half of the year becoming a prolonged slump. But he said little can be done at this point to stop a long-lasting hit to energy.

“There is little hope of energy investment rebounding if, as we expect, WTI remains below $50 per barrel for most of the next two years,” he wrote in a research note on Monday. 

The federal government is expected to announce $15 billion in relief measures for the oil and gas sector this week, according to the Globe and Mail newspaper. Those could include more access to credit, and funding to put laid-off employees to work cleaning abandoned oil and gas wells, the report said.

The province of Alberta has announced tax relief for the sector, and other measures such as waiving millions in fees collected by the Alberta Energy Regulator.

Brown said falling oil prices reflect a “potentially seismic shift in the global oil market” that Ottawa will be ill-equipped to meaningfully address.

“After consistently losing market share to the U.S. shale industry, some OPEC+ members have found output cuts too hard to stomach,” he wrote. 

“If the group cannot agree to keep production limited, then oil prices will remain lower than they would otherwise be, even once the global economy recovers. That’s bad news for those producers with the highest production costs, such as [Canada’s] oil sands industry.”

House Democrats unveil bill to cancel $30,000 in student debt per borrower amid coronavirus

Aarthi Swaminathan Reporter,Yahoo Finance•March 23, 2020

House Representatives Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) are proposing to cancel student debt with new legislation aimed at helping borrowers adversely affected by the coronavirus, or COVID-19.

The legislation, called the Student Debt Emergency Relief Act, proposes the cancellation of at least $30,000 in outstanding debt, tax-free, and proposes that the Education Department (ED) “immediately assume responsibility” for the monthly payments of borrowers who hold federal loans while suspending involuntary collections or garnishments of wages or federal income tax returns amid the crisis.

“During this unprecedented crisis, no one should have to choose between paying their student loan payment, putting food on the table or keeping themselves and their families safe and healthy,” Rep. Pressley said in a statement. “We must prioritize debt cancellation for the 45 million student loan borrowers who are struggling to pay off their debt during this difficult time.”

Read more: How to repay student loans: The full breakdown

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley helps kick off canvasses for Senator Elizabeth Warren's presidential campaign in Cambridge, MA on Feb. 17, 2020. Pressley is a co-chair of Warren's campaign. (Photo: Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)More

Democrats including Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Patty Murray (D-WA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) previously proposed to cancel monthly payments for the duration of the national emergency and asked ED to pay at least $10,000 for all federal loan borrowers.

“Democrats are trying to reduce student loans by $10,000. What the hell has that got to do with the virus?” Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told Fox News on Sunday. “I’m sure everybody could use more money, but I don’t want to give money to people who have a paycheck. I want to give money to people who have lost their jobs.”

ED has officially offered two options for borrowers at present: The department has dropped interest rates on student loans automatically to 0% for at least the next 60 days, and those who are having real difficulty with their loans can request interest-free forbearance from their servicer for at least two months — and require no documentation to receive it.

Additionally, if borrowers are more than 31 days delinquent on their federal loans as of March 13, their payments are now suspended. According to ED, more than 3.2 million federal student loans are more than 31 days delinquent. 7.7 million are in default.

(Graphic: David Foster)

Student debt relief will ‘free up needed money’

Presently, there are more than 43 million Americans with $1.5 trillion in student loan debt. Federal loans comprise $1.3 trillion of that.

Consumer advocates were happy with the representatives’ proposal.

“Rep. Pressley’s legislation would free up needed money to go to food and other essentials,” Alexis Goldstein, senior policy analyst at the Americans for Financial Reform, argued in a statement. “Instead of wages being garnished to cover student loans, borrowers would pass the savings right back into the economy by spending to meet day-to-day needs."

"We failed to address student debt in the last recession and we cannot afford to make this same mistake again,” Seth Frotman, former student loan ombudsman at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, added in a statement. “Student loan companies are shutting their doors and turning off their phones in response to the coronavirus pandemic, cutting off borrowers from access to critical protections ...

If borrowers have nowhere to turn to get help, lawmakers must immediately cancel student loan payments for all Americans with federal student loans.”

LIKELY STORY 

Dr. Anthony Fauci's trending facepalm was reportedly made to cover his face after a lozenge was stuck in his throat

Business Insider•March 23, 2020
President Donald Trump and Dr. Anthony Fauci. White House

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading US expert on diseases, claimed a lozenge was stuck in his throat during a brief but trending moment that was caught on camera on Friday, according to The New York Times.

Fauci was seen gesturing with his hand to cover his face as President Donald Trump made a joke during a press conference.

Fauci reportedly said that he covered his face to hide the incident from the news reporters.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who has been thrust into the national spotlight, reportedly claimed a lozenge was stuck in his throat during a brief but trending moment that was caught on camera on Friday.

Fauci, who served in six administrations since President Ronald Reagan, was seen gesturing with his hand to cover his face as President Donald Trump made a joke during a press conference at the White House Brady Press Briefing Room.

Standing behind the lectern, Trump likened the State Department as "the Deep State Department," when Fauci appeared to make some facial gestures and covered his face. According to a New York Times report published Monday, officials asked Fauci about the moment.

Fauci answered that his throat had been scratchy and the lozenge he was having became stuck in his mouth, according to The Times. He reportedly added that the covered his face to hide the incident from the news reporters.

Facui's gestures were picked up and became a trending moment on social media channels, leading some people to theorize he was reluctant to be at the press briefing with Trump.

Fauci has undercut several of Trump's claims in recent days, including whether or not an anti-malaria medication called chloroquine was proven to be beneficial in the treatment of the coronavirus. When asked about Trump's description of the drug being a "game changer" and "approved," Fauci replied that the evidence was merely "anecdotal."

At least one person ingested the drug and died, according to NBC News. The man's wife told NBC News Trump's remarks had directly influenced his decision to take the drug and led him to falsely believe it could have protected him from the coronavirus. As of now, there are no known cures or vaccines to the coronavirus.

"But I can't jump in front of the microphone and push him down," Fauci said in an interview with Science Magazine when asked about Trump's mischaracterizations. "OK, he said it. Let's try and get it corrected for the next time."

Trump says he will 'reopen' US in three weeks against advice of doctors who 'want to keep world shut forever'

John T Bennett, The Independent•March 23, 2020

Donald Trump arrives for a White House briefing on the coronavirus pandemic as Attorney General William Barr looks on: AFP via Getty Images

Donald Trump said he intends to re-open the United States from its coronavirus shutdown sooner than in three or four months, as some experts have predicted the lockdown should last, even saying he might consider such an order when a White House-mandated 15-day period to shutter much of the economy ends next week. However, it is unclear if state and local officials would even follow such presidential guidance – especially in hard-hit areas.

"Our country wasn't built to be shut down," Mr Trump said during an evening briefing at the White House. Once medical officials signal it is "okay," he added, "Let's get back to work."

Later came this presidential vow: "I'm not talking about months, I can tell you that." And even later, he appeared to mock his public health experts.

"If it were up to the doctors, they may say, 'Let's keep it shut down. Let's shut down the entire world,'" he said, sounding exasperated.

"We can't do that," Mr Trump said with his arms held straight out, for effect.

At one point, the president noted the virus outbreak is not as serious in many rural areas, naming Nebraska and Idaho because those countries are affected "not nearly to the extent of New York."

Trump administration officials have talked about, without providing clear evidence, the virus outbreak ending in late May or June. But the president's comments in the White House briefing room made clear he does not intend to allow the partial lockdown to go on that long.

And, once again, the president touted the state of the economy under his watch, saying the coronavirus undercut gains made during his term. Mr Trump had been banking on a strong economy as a basis of his re-election campaign.

The president said an announcement to that end is coming "soon," but he did not offer further details.

"We're going to open up our country to business because our country was meant to be open. ... The engine for that system is we have to have companies," Trump said, saying that likely would happen "very, very soon."

Still, he said "it's going to get bad" while also touting the flu as possibly being a bigger killer, projecting influenza might cause 50,000 deaths in America this year. So far, there are over 500 coronavirus deaths. He also continued to focus on the virus outbreak's body count.

"You look at automobile accidents. Which are far greater than any numbers we're talking about. That doesn't mean we're going to tell everybody no more driving of cars," he said.

Though Mr Trump repeatedly on Monday signalled he is growing impatient with the situation, his own government has projected in its worst case scenario model that Americans could still be getting infected in December. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in its most gloomy projection, estimates 160 million to 210 million Americans might be infected by Christmas. That said, other models from academic and other institutions offer a range of estimates, many falling somewhere in between the CDC's worst-case projection and Mr Trump's indirect assessment that the threat is abated come summer.

Meantime, despite his own public health team urging caution, the president continued to pitch specific medications as possible solutions to treat COVID-19.

He again touted Chloroquine, used to treat malaria, saying without providing supporting data, that "there's a real chance it could have a tremendous impact."

"It would be a gift from God," he said, "and a real game changer.

Yemen Huthis uphold death sentence for Baha'i, community says

AFP•March 23, 2020

A Yemeni sanitation team gathers with disinfecting equipment to fight the novel coronavirus in a field in the capital Sanaa (AFP Photo/Mohammed HUWAIS)More

Washington (AFP) - A court run by Yemen's Huthi rebels has upheld the death sentence of a Baha'i over his religion in defiance of international appeals, the community said Monday.

Hamed bin Haydara, who has been detained since 2013, was not allowed into Sunday's hearing in the capital Sanaa that rejected his appeal against the sentence imposed more than a year ago, the community said.

The Baha'i International Community in a statement said it was "utterly dismayed at this outrageous verdict" and urged the court to overturn it.

"At a time when the international community is battling a global health crisis, it is incomprehensible that the authorities in Sanaa have upheld a death sentence against an innocent individual solely because of his beliefs instead of focusing on safeguarding the population, including Baha'is," said Diane Ala'i, the community's representative to the United Nations in Geneva.

The United States and other nations as well as human rights groups have voiced alarm over the Huthi rebels' treatment of Yemen's small Baha'i community.

The rebels are linked to Iran, whose Shiite clerical regime bans the Baha'i faith, even while granting religious freedom to other minorities including Christians and Jews.

The Baha'i faith was founded in the 19th century by an Iranian, the Baha'u'llah. Believers consider him a prophet, a sharp contrast with the orthodox Islamic view that Mohammed was God's final messenger.

The Baha'i faith calls for unity among religions and equality between men and women.

Haydara is one of six Baha'is detained by Yemen's Huthi rebels and has spent months in prison where he suffered beatings and electric shocks, according to the community.

Huthi courts have started prosecution of more than 20 Baha'is and called for the dissolution of the faith's institutions in Yemen.

The Huthis control much of Yemen despite a US-backed military campaign led by Saudi Arabia, which has been widely criticized for attacks that have killed civilians.

Former Bloomberg Field Organizer Sues Campaign
Mairead McArdle,National Review•March 23, 2020


A former field organizer for Mike Bloomberg’s Democratic presidential campaign filed a class-action lawsuit against the campaign on Monday, claiming Bloomberg lured her and thousands of other employees into jobs they were falsely told would last until November.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in New York City by Donna Wood, who worked for the former New York City mayor’s campaign in Miami and was laid off on Friday.

Wood alleges in the suit that the Bloomberg campaign breached its contract with employees by laying them off eight months earlier than was promised and failing to pay them overtime. The campaign “deprived them of promised income and health care benefits, leaving them and their families potentially uninsured in the face of a global pandemic,” the suit states.

“People are going from a pretty generous health care benefit to projected 20 to 30 percent unemployment,” said Wood’s attorney Sally Abrahamson.

Bloomberg entered the 2020 race for the Democratic nomination in late November after other candidates had been on the campaign trail for months. The New York billionaire spent more than $900 million on his campaign, including $500 million for political ads, and offered generous pay and benefits to campaign workers.

However, Bloomberg dropped out of the presidential race on March 4, a day after his disappointing finish in Super Tuesday primaries. Over the last several weeks, the Bloomberg campaign has fired campaign workers and invited all former staffers to apply to work for the Democratic National Committee, saying staffing for the DNC would draw “in part from our own incredibly experienced and talented organizing staff.”

Bloomberg also announced he will donate $18 million to the DNC instead of putting it towards a new super PAC to aid Democrats in securing the nomination. The former New York mayor had previously promised over the course of his campaign to offer his campaign resources to the eventual Democratic nominee.

The campaign promised “employment through November 2020 with Team Bloomberg,” according to talking points used when interviewing and hiring field organizers. However, contracts signed by the employees stated that employment was in fact at-will and could be terminated at any point and also that campaign staffers were “classified as exempt from the overtime provisions of federal and applicable state laws.”


Dumped amid coronavirus, former Bloomberg campaign aides sue for pay and benefits

By Sharon Bernstein, Reuters•March 23, 2020


FILE PHOTO: Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg's Super Tuesday night rally in West Palm BeachMore

By Sharon Bernstein

(Reuters) - Former organizers for Michael Bloomberg's unsuccessful presidential bid sued the billionaire's campaign on Monday, saying he laid them off amid the global coronavirus pandemic after promising pay and benefits through the November election.

Employees resigned from good jobs to take positions with Bloomberg's campaign, and they now face unemployment and the loss of their health insurance in the midst of the spreading virus, field organizers Alexis Sklair, Sterling Rettke and Nathaniel Brown said in their complaint, one of two proposed class action lawsuits potentially representing thousands of workers.

"They promised salaries nearly double that of other campaigns," alleged their complaint, filed on Monday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. "And they pledged to keep this promise regardless of whether Bloomberg won the Democratic nomination."

Donna Wood, an organizer in Miami, said in a separate complaint that she was laid off last week despite promises of continued employment.

Bloomberg, a former mayor of New York, was a late entrant to the Democratic Party's nominating race and then abruptly exited after a disappointing showing on March 3, the first time his name appeared on ballots.

Seeking to assuage concerns that he was a spoiler in the race to challenge Republican Donald Trump for the presidency in November, Bloomberg had said publicly that he would keep his campaign offices open through the election so employees could work for whoever became the Democratic nominee.

Bloomberg has since endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden, who leads remaining rival Bernie Sanders in delegates. But the nominating contest is now on hold as several states have postponed their primary elections due to coronavirus concerns.

On Friday, Bloomberg field organizers were laid off from their jobs. The same day, Bloomberg said he would donate $18 million to the Democratic National Committee.

In an emailed statement to Reuters on Monday, the campaign did not address the allegations made in the lawsuits but said Bloomberg had been generous with employees.

"Staff worked 39 days on average, but they were also given several weeks of severance and healthcare through March, something no other campaign did this year," the campaign said.

To help former employees weather the coronavirus crisis, Bloomberg is creating a fund to provide healthcare through the month of April, the campaign said.

Both lawsuits, which must first be approved as a class action by the court, seek overtime as well as full pay and benefits through the November election for Wood and other employees. The lawsuit filed by Sklair, Rettke and Brown seeks punitive damages.


(Reporting by Sharon Bernstein in Sacramento, California; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

IOC member says 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be postponed because of coronavirus pandemic
Christine Brennan
USA TODAY



Veteran International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound told USA TODAY Sports on Monday afternoon that the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games are going to be postponed amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“On the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided,” Pound said in a phone interview. “The parameters going forward have not been determined, but the games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know.”

Pound, a Canadian who has been one of the most influential members of the IOC for decades, said the games will likely be moved to 2021, with the details to be worked out in the next four weeks. He said he expects the IOC to announce its next steps soon.

“It will come in stages,” said Pound, 78, the longest-serving IOC member. “We will postpone this and begin to deal with all the ramifications of moving this, which are immense.”

Neither the IOC nor the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee had announced a decision to postpone as of Monday afternoon.


WARNING:Health experts warn holding 2020 Summer Games too soon risks spreading coronavirus more

When informed of Pound's comments and asked for an IOC response, spokesman Mark Adams said, "It is the right of every IOC member to interpret the decision of the IOC executive board which was announced (Sunday)."

In that announcement Sunday, IOC president Thomas Bach indicated, for the first time, that postponing the Tokyo Games would be a possibility.

In a letter to the athlete community, he wrote that the IOC would begin exploring alternate ways to stage the games, including postponement, and plan to reach a decision within the next four weeks. He emphasized that the IOC has ruled out canceling the games, a stance that was reiterated by key Japanese officials – including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe – on Monday.


Representatives of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee did not immediately reply to an email from USA TODAY Sports seeking a response to Pound's comments.

The Olympics would be the latest – and, by far, most significant – sporting event to date to fall victim to the coronavirus, which was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December. Also known as COVID-19, the disease rapidly spread throughout China and across the world in subsequent months, infecting hundreds of thousands of people and causing major disruptions to daily life in numerous countries.


The spread of the coronavirus also has interrupted Olympic qualification procedures and severely affected training regimens, prompting athletes and sports governing bodies around the world to call for the games' postponement.

"I would have real moral objections, if the situation was the same as it was today, to competing,” swimmer and five-time Olympic gold medalist Nathan Adrian told USA TODAY

Pressure mounted over the weekend as World Athletics, the international federation that oversees track and field, publicly called for the games to be postponed. The Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Committees then took matters to another level Sunday night by announcing they will not send a delegation of athletes to the Tokyo Games unless they were postponed.

Within the next 12 hours, Australia's Olympic Committee released a similar but more ambiguous statement, explaining that its executive board had agreed that "an Australian team could not be assembled in the changing circumstances at home and abroad." And the German Olympic Committee joined its counterparts in Brazil and Norway, among other countries, in publicly urging the IOC to postpone the games.

The decision to postpone, when finalized and announced by the IOC, will mark a significant milestone. It would the first time the Olympics have been suspended, though the games have been canceled in times of war.

The 1916 Summer Games were canceled because of World War I, as were the Summer and Winter Games in 1940 and 1944 because of World War II. Boycotts also caused serious complications for the games in 1976, 1980 and 1984. But in each case, the event itself went on as scheduled.

"I’ve had so many calls with athletes who have been in tears trying to train for their ultimate dream but not wanting to jeopardize their health," American hurdler Lolo Jones wrote on Twitter after Pound's comments. "This was the right thing to do. May the world heal."

Contributing: Nancy Armour and Tom Schad

SEE https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2020/03/olympic-athletes-in-impossible-position.html