Russia sends plane with medical supplies, equipment to U.S.

NOT APRIL FOOLS, BUT ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE USEFUL IDIOT
HELPING PUTIN PR CAMPAIGN

By Don Jacobson
April 1 (UPI) -- A Russian military plane carrying donated medical supplies left Moscow Wednesday en route to destinations in the United States to help fight the coronavirus pandemic, the Russian government said.

The Russian Aerospace Forces cargo plane is carrying medical face masks and other health equipment, the defense ministry said.

U.S. President Donald Trump first mentioned the aid from Russia during a press briefing at the White House Monday.

"Russia sent us a very, very large planeload of things, medical equipment, which was very nice," he said in an update of the administration's response to the crisis.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had spoken and that aid was being sent with the understanding that the help can be reciprocated once American manufacturers had caught up in producing medical equipment.

Russian health officials reported more than 400 new cases Wednesday, pushing the nation's total over 2,800.

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Alcohol sales up, makers hope to make relaxed rules permanent
By Ed Adamczyk


Sales of alcohol during the coronavirus pandemic have soared, and the U.S. beer, wine and alcohol industries hope to make some of the relaxed rules on purchasing permanent. File Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

April 1 (UPI) -- U.S. sales of beer, wine and alcohol have increased during the coronavirus pandemic, as states relax laws on purchases to help ailing industries.

Total alcohol retail sales, which do not include alcoholic drinks sold in bars and restaurants, increased significantly in the week ending March 20, over the same period in 2019. Research firm Nielsen Corp. reported a 27.6 percent increase in wine sales, a 14 percent increase in sales of beer and related products and a 26.4 percent increase in sales of spirits. The Nielsen data suggest that consumers are stockpiling their purchases, with 3-liter boxed wine sales up 53 percent from one year ago, wines sold in cans up 95 percent and beer sold in 24-packs up by 24 percent. Online sales of beer, wine and alcohol for home delivery have also increased.

While many businesses are shut down amid the pandemic by state government orders, many states regard liquor stores as essential businesses. New York, California, Vermont, Colorado and Kentucky relaxed rules permitting beer, wine and alcohol sales to accompany restaurant meals for takeout and delivery. While the rule changes are temporary, the U.S. alcohol industry sees them as fulfillment of decades-long push to ease sales restrictions and unify laws across state lines.

"It's definitely a step forward towards liberalizing a lot of these laws," Jarrett Dieterle of nonpartisan public policy research group R Street said. "The more interconnected we get and our marketplaces get, the more people will want their state to be part of that alcohol market."

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Many breweries have temporarily closed, as sales in bars and stadiums have decreased, but the relaxation of state rules has provided some relief, to the makers as well as the patrons, Jim McGreevy of the industry group The Beer Institute said.

"We have seen regulators at both the federal and state level be very open to helping brewers stay in businesses," McGreevy said. "I think beer is uniquely posed to address the consumer need at this point in time of uncertainty about a public health crisis, uncertainty about an economic crisis. Beer in particular brings a little joy and a little normalcy to an otherwise fraught situation for people."

Pennsylvania closed its liquor outlets, and some traffic across state lines to purchase alcohol has been noted, Chris Swonger of the lobbying group Distilled Spirits Council said.
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"We've seen a lot of instances where consumers are crossing state lines out of Pennsylvania to New Jersey and other states," Swonger said.

While the sale of some products, notably toilet paper, has been restricted by retailers, no state has put a limit on the amount of alcohol a customer can purchase. The alcohol industry is monitoring the actions of states, retailers, restaurants and customers during the pandemic for future lobbying efforts to keep some relaxed rules permanent.

"How do we go back from this?" said Michael Kaiser of lobbying group The Wine Council. "What if Maryland wineries, as an example, decide this is a very good part of our business model?"

RELATED Maryland distillery switches from liquor to hand sanitizer

Experts: Certain coronavirus measures can disrupt food supply chain
Three international-level leaders said a lack of awareness could severely harm the world's poorest nations
By Clyde Hughes

Shoppers browse food and other items at a farmer's market in Los Angeles, Calif., on Sunday. International leaders say nations of the world reacting to the coronavirus outbreak must ensure that their emergency actions don't inadvertently disrupt the food supply chain. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

April 1 (UPI) -- Leaders of three global organizations have warned that governments worldwide could invite a food crisis if they don't anticipate potential consequences of their extraordinary and emergency actions to fight the coronavirus.

The heads of the World Health Organization, World Trade Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization said it's critical to remind world leaders they need to be aware of such ramifications that could follow their response to the pandemic.

The leaders of the three organizations -- Qu Dongyu of the FAO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of the WHO and Roberto Azevêdo of the WTO -- particularly emphasized the impact that significant changes to trade policy could bring.

"When acting to protect the health and well-being of their citizens, countries should ensure that any trade-related measures do not disrupt the food supply chain," they said in a statement Tuesday. "Such disruptions including hampering the movement of agricultural and food industry workers and extending border delays for food containers, resulting in the spoilage of perishables and increasing food waste."

RELATED Egg suppliers scramble to restock stores after panic buying reduced supplies

Scenes from a pandemic: World copes with COVID-19


A man walks in an empty arrivals hall in the Ben Gurion Airport in Lod, Israel, on April 1. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo

Dongyu, Ghebreyesus and Azevêdo said harmful trade restrictions could arise from unjustified concerns about food safety. Such measures, they cautioned, could be especially devastating for the world's poorest and least developed nations.

"It is at times like this that more, not less, international cooperation becomes vital," they said. "Every effort must be made to ensure that trade flows as freely as possible, especially to avoid food shortage.

"Similarly, it is also critical that food producers and food workers at processing and retail level are protected to minimize the spread of the disease within this sector and maintain food supply chains."

Policy changes in trade, food production, consumption and stocks all have the potential to impact the food supply chain, they said.

The FAO has already called for strengthening food production and distribution systems to fight global hunger and infectious diseases, like COVID-19.

Demand explodes for New York food banks

AFP / Kena BetancurVolunteers from City Harvest food bank distribute food in Harlem, New York City

New York food banks have become inundated with newcomers deprived of income since the near-total halt of business in the United States' economic capital.

Sacks of oranges, sweet potatoes and onions are spread over three tables at an open-air market in Washington Heights, a neighborhood in the north of Manhattan. Sterilized milk and cans of tuna and salmon cover three others.

Hundreds of people came over the weekend to restock at the distribution center, one of many run by City Harvest, a major New York-based charity.

There are no long lines reminiscent of the soup kitchens of the 1930s. Instead, people trickle in, often wearing masks for protection and keeping their distance from each other under the direction of market volunteers.

Among the customers is Lina Alba, 40, a single mother with five children aged between 11 and 23. She worked as a maid in a Manhattan hotel until it closed two weeks ago.

Her two oldest children also lost their jobs.

AFP / Kena BetancurA man receives bags with food from City Harvest food bank

"It is my first time," she said. "We need the help now. This is crazy. So we don't know what's gonna happen in a few weeks."

She's trying to stay positive, though. "At least I'm spending time with my kids... I am the teacher, I am the mom -- I am everything."

"We are alive, we are healthy, we just need to pray."

It took the single mother a week to register for unemployment -- the service flooded, pointing to much worse unemployment numbers than those announced by the federal government on Thursday.

But on Friday, "I did it, finally," Alba said, relieved.

The benefits should start arriving in three weeks. Alba also hopes to receive soon at least $1,200 from the federal government, thanks to a historic aid package passed last week by Congress.

"It's not gonna be enough," but "you're gonna appreciate anything right now," she said, noting that "a lot of people" need help.

"It is the whole entire city."

- Millions need help -

Jose Neri, 51, is one of many Hispanic employees who worked in now-closed New York restaurants. He also came to a food bank for the first time.

There are five people in his family. "We're using our savings to survive," he said in Spanish, wearing a mask and gloves in an effort to prevent himself from catching the virus.

AFP / Kena BetancurPeople wait in line for the City Harvest food bank, in Washington Heights, New York City

"We've got what we need to hold it together for now," he said. He is also counting on the federal government's promised assistance to low-income workers.

Jhordana Ramirez, 39, has to keep working, despite the high risk of infection in a city that has recorded tens of thousands of cases.

She's a home caregiver for senior citizens, who "depend 100 percent" on her, she explained in Spanish.

The pandemic has had an "enormous" effect on her household, she said. Her husband and oldest daughter lost their jobs. Her youngest daughter, just eight years old, is "anxious" and can't keep still.

"I try to save as much as possible, especially for the rent, bills like electricity, cable, food and all those things," she said. She is also impatiently waiting for her federal check.

City Harvest employee Geraldine Fermin has heard stories like this a lot since most New York City business closed down two weeks ago.

AFP / Kena BetancurA woman carries bags with food from the City Harvest food bank in Harlem, New York City

"It's heartbreaking that it has to be like that for a lot of people," she said.

"People that were poor are now poorer, and people that had decent jobs, that could get by, now are poor too."

"Before, there were 1.2 million people in New York who needed help for food. Now, there are three times as many, that's more than three million New Yorkers," said Eric Ripert, vice president of the board of City Harvest.

Ripert also owns the famous restaurant Le Bernardin, closed due to the coronavirus.

Speaking in French, Ripert said that City Harvest, which in addition to its markets also supplies food to some 400 homeless shelters, does not currently have any supply problems.

But it needs funds to buy more food, and so it is teaming up with other organizations to create a united front against "a situation that will get worse."

"We got through September 11, the great recession of 2008-2009, we got through a lot of things, but none of that is comparable to this catastrophe that we're living through," Ripert said.

Ancient French brotherhood braves pandemic to bury the destitute

AFP / DENIS CHARLETThis is not the first time the brotherhood has braved disease: it was founded in the 12th century when France was gripped by the plague

A ringing bell breaks the silence of the cemetery as five members of the Charitable Brotherhood of Saint Eloi in Bethune solemnly remove their two-pointed hats. All are wearing black capes, white gloves and, of course, face masks.

Founded eight centuries ago during a plague outbreak that devastated this region of northern France, the charity is continuing its mission to give homeless people a respectable burial -- even during the coronavirus pandemic.

"Our role remains the same. Regardless of the social rank of the deceased, we do exactly the same thing," Robert Guenot, the charity's provost, told AFP.

The 25 volunteer members bury nearly 300 dead every year. But the COVID-19 outbreak, which has led to an unprecedented lockdown of France's population and limited funeral attendance to around 20 people, has forced the organisation to adapt its traditions and rituals.

"We've reduced our activities because there are no longer any religious ceremonies, but we've also reduced our presence: there are now only five volunteers per service, as opposed to the usual 11, because we don't want to penalise families," said 72-year-old Guenot.

They also take sanitary precautions.

AFP / DENIS CHARLETThe Charitable Brotherhood of Saint-Eloi de Bethune have been burying the destitute more than 800 years

"We try to protect ourselves as much as possible. Anyone who feels ill of course refuses to be in the service. There's no taking risks," said Patrick Tijeras, 55, who became a member in November.

"We feel that we have a social value," Tijeras said. "Just as a sick person has the right to be cared for, the dead person has the right to this dignified treatment."

- 'A painful situation' -

On one recent morning, the cemetery was almost deserted.

The deceased was a homeless 34-year-old man who had no known family or friends. Around the light-coloured wooden coffin, the charity's members gathered for a moment of silence.

Once the ceremony ended, the five men gathered around a circle drawn on the ground, as is the custom.

"I thank you for accepting this summons. In these difficult times, it's nice to be able to continue what we've been doing for 832 years," Guenot told the other members.

AFP / DENIS CHARLETFounded in 1188, the Charitables have for eight centuries taken care of funerals for the inhabitants of Bethune regardless of religion or wealth

Across the continent, grieving families are having to cope with the additional trauma of draconian restrictions to stop the spread of the pandemic, such as strict rules that limit travel or participation in funerals.

It is during these times that the brotherhood's original role is restored, Guenot said.

"We want to continue to provide a little support and comfort to the families, who can no longer find each other," said Guenot.

All things considered, the context is reminiscent of the birth of the organisation.

According to legend, members said, gravediggers were no longer able to bury the dead during an outbreak of the plague and Saint Eloi, patron saint of blacksmiths and also known as Saint Eligius, asked two blacksmiths to ensure decent burials.

"We have these masks, this virus above our heads that makes us sad and afraid," said Pierre Decool, 66, who nevertheless feels the need to "help people".

"It's a painful situation, which our ancestors also experienced," he said. "But we'll get through it."

31MAR2020

   

Amazon workers protest over virus safety

AFP / Angela WeissAmazon workers at Amazon's Staten Island warehouse stage a walkout to demand that the facility be shut down and cleaned after one staffer tested positive for the coronavirus

Amazon warehouse employees and Instacart delivery workers joined protests Monday to press safety demands, highlighting the risks for workers on the front lines of supplying Americans largely sheltering at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

An estimated 50 to 60 employees joined a walkout at an Amazon worker warehouse in the New York borough of Staten Island, demanding that the facility be shut down and cleaned after a worker tested positive for the coronavirus.

"There are positive cases working in these buildings infecting thousands," warehouse worker Christian Smalls wrote on Twitter.

Amazon, responding to an AFP query, said Smalls made "misleading" statements about conditions and that he was supposed to be in quarantine.

"Like all businesses grappling with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, we are working hard to keep employees safe while serving communities and the most vulnerable," Amazon said in a statement.

"We have taken extreme measures to keep people safe."

After the protest, Smalls was officially fired by Amazon.

When contacted by AFP for comment, Amazon confirmed the decision, which it said was due to Smalls's failure to comply with the company's request that he self-isolate after he came in contact with another employee who tested positive for COVID-19.

By taking part in Monday's demonstration, he put "the teams at risk. This is unacceptable," Amazon said in a statement, noting that only 15 of the more than 5,000 employees at the site had taken part in the protest.

New York state attorney general Letitia James called Smalls's dismissal "disgraceful" and pointed out that the law protects employee's right to protest.

"At a time when so many New Yorkers are struggling and are deeply concerned about their safety, this action was also immoral and inhumane," she said in a statement.

AFP / Angela WeissAn estimated 50-60 Amazon workers walked out of a New York warehouse to demand that the facility be shut down and cleaned after one staffer tested positive for the coronavirus

James said she was exploring options for legal recourse and had asked the National Labor Relations Board to investigate the incident.

Meanwhile a group calling itself the Gig Workers Collective said it was maintaining its call for Instacart's independent contractors to strike despite new safety measures announced late Sunday by the company.

"Workers aren't filling orders until our full demands are met," a spokesperson told AFP. "This isn't just about us, we want to also protect our customers."

It was not immediately clear how many of Instacart "shoppers" who are independent "gig" workers, were participating in the stoppage.

Instacart, which recently announced plans to hire some 300,000 people to help meet demand for grocery delivery, said in a statement it was "fully operational" and that the walkout caused "no impact."

"We're continuing to see the highest customer demand in Instacart history and have more active shoppers on our platform today than ever before picking and delivering groceries for millions of consumers," said the San Francisco company, which operates in some 5,500 cities in the US and Canada.

- More safety gear -

The firm said Sunday it would provide additional health and safety supplies to full-service "shoppers" and would set a "default" tip based on customers' prior orders.

The labor group, whose numbers were not known, called the Instacart moves "a sick joke."

AFP/File / Angela WeissFood delivery personnel for Instacart were among those joining US job actions to press for improved health and safety measures for key employees during the coronavirus lockdown

"We had been asking for hand sanitizer for many, many weeks. But apparently the company is capable of sourcing some with two days of work? Where was this before," the group said in a Medium post.

A separate group of workers at the Amazon-owned grocery chain Whole Foods meanwhile called for a one-day stoppage or "sickout" on Tuesday to press demands for improved health measures.

The group calling itself "Whole Worker" said it was seeking guaranteed paid leave for quarantined workers, among other things.

With much of the US population locked down, Americans are increasingly relying on delivery of food and other supplies from firms like Amazon.

A report by NBC News said Amazon workers at two Southern California warehouses had presented demands to shut down the facilities for two weeks for sterilization while employees are tested for the virus.

Amazon has announced plans to hire an additional 100,000 people in the US, while rival Walmart is seeking to expand its workforce by 150,000.

Extreme isolation: world's last virus-free corners hold tight

AFP/File / NEIL SANDSTonga is one of the Pacific nations that has reported zero virus cases, along with Palau, Micronesia and others

A coronavirus-free tropical island nestled in the northern Pacific may seem the perfect place to ride out a pandemic -- but residents on Palau say life right now is far from idyllic.

The microstate of 18,000 people is among a dwindling number of places on Earth that still report zero cases of COVID-19 as figures mount daily elsewhere.

The disparate group also includes Samoa, Turkmenistan, North Korea and bases on the frozen continent of Antarctica.

A dot in the ocean hundreds of kilometres from its nearest neighbours, Palau is surrounded by the vast Pacific, which has acted as a buffer against the virus.

Along with strict travel restrictions, this seems to have kept infections at bay for a number of nations including Tonga, the Solomons Islands, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia.

But remoteness is not certain to stop the relentless march of the new disease. The Northern Mariana Islands confirmed its first cases over the weekend, followed by a suspected death on Monday.

AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC DIVISION/AFP / ADAM FULTON, ADAM FULTONThere is no need for social distancing in the tundra

Klamiokl Tulop, a 28-year-old artist and single mum, is hopeful Palau can avoid the fate of Wuhan, New York or Madrid -- where better-resourced health services were overrun.

But she describes a growing sense of dread, a fear that the virus is coming or could already be on the island undetected.

"You can feel a rising tension and anxiety just shopping," she told AFP. "Stores are crowded even more during non-payday weeks."

There have been several scares on Palau, including a potential case that saw one person placed into quarantine this week as authorities await test results.

- Antarctic seclusion -

Inside Australia's four remote Antarctic research bases, around 90 people have found themselves ensconced on the only virus-free continent as they watch their old home transform beyond recognition.

AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC DIVISION/AFP / NISHA HARRIS, NISHA HARRISInside Australia's four remote Antarctic research bases, around 90 people have found themselves ensconced on the only virus-free continent

There is no need for social distancing in the tundra.

"They're probably the only Australians at the moment that can have a large dinner together or have the bar still open or the gym still open," Antarctic Division Operations manager Robb Clifton told AFP.

The bases are now isolated until November, so the group is safe, but Clifton admits "the main thing that's on the mind of expeditioners is how their loved ones are going back home."

In some places, reporting no cases does not always mean there are no cases to report.

AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC DIVISION/AFP / DARREN SHOOBRIDGE, DARREN SHOOBRIDGEThe bases are now isolated until November, so the group is safe

North Korea has portrayed emergency measures as an unqualified success in keeping COVID-19 out, despite sustained epidemics in neighbouring China and South Korea.

But state media also appears to have doctored images to give ordinary North Koreans face masks -- handing sceptics reason to believe the world's most secretive government may not be telling the whole truth.

- 'Waiting for the inevitable?' -

While Palau has no confirmed cases, it has still been gripped by the society-altering fears and economic paralysis that have affected the rest of the world.

Supermarket aisles in the country's largest town Koror have seen panic buying and there are shortages of hand sanitisers, masks and alcohol.

The islands depend heavily on goods being shipped or flown in, meaning supplies can quickly run low.

United Airlines used to fly six times a week from nearby Guam -- which has seen more than 50 cases -- but now there is just one flight a week.

"Look at how bad we coped when shipments were late before this pandemic happened," Tulop said. "Everyone was practically in uproar."

AFP / KIM Won JinNorth Korea has portrayed emergency measures as an unqualified success in keeping COVID-19 out, despite sustained epidemics in neighbouring China and South Korea

Residents have been practising social distancing. Doctors are waiting for test kits to arrive from Taiwan. The government is building five isolation rooms that will be able to hold up to 14 patients.

It all feels like waiting for the inevitable.

"I would like to be optimistic we won't get the virus," Tulop said. "But Palau would most definitely get it. We rely heavily on tourism and most of us even need to travel for work."

Rondy Ronny's job is to host big tourist events, but work has already dried up, and he admits to being "very anxious".

"I have loans and bills and payments due," he said. "This will definitely put me back, I hope the government will do something about our economy too, to help it recover."

Palau's biggest test may yet come with the first positive case.

But even in the most remote corners of the world, the impact of this truly global pandemic is already being felt.

Nowhere, it seems, is truly virus-free.

Hungry and in chains, 

Thailand's tourist elephants face crisis

ELEPHANT NATURE PARK/AFP / HandoutWith global travel paralysed the animals are unable to pay their way, including the 300 kilograms (660 pounds) of food a day a captive elephant needs to survive

Underfed and chained up for endless hours, many elephants working in Thailand's tourism sector may starve, be sold to zoos or be shifted into the illegal logging trade, campaigners warn, as the coronavirus decimates visitor numbers.

Before the virus, life for the kingdom's estimated 2,000 elephants working in tourism was already stressful, with abusive methods often used to 'break them' into giving rides and performing tricks at money-spinning animal shows.

With global travel paralysed the animals are unable to pay their way, including the 300 kilograms (660 pounds) of food a day a captive elephant needs to survive.

Elephant camps and conservationists warn hunger and the threat of renewed exploitation lie ahead, without an urgent bailout.

"My boss is doing what he can but we have no money," Kosin, a mahout -- or elephant handler -- says of the Chiang Mai camp where his elephant Ekkasit is living on a restricted diet.

Chiang Mai is Thailand's northern tourist hub, an area of rolling hills dotted by elephant camps and sanctuaries ranging from the exploitative to the humane.

THAI ELEPHANT ALLIANCE ASSOCIATION/AFP / HandoutAround 2,000 elephants are currently "unemployed" as the virus eviscerates Thailand's tourist industry, says Theerapat Trungprakan, president of the Thai Elephant Alliance Association

Footage sent to AFP from another camp in the area shows lines of elephants tethered by a foot to wooden poles, some visibly distressed, rocking their heads back and forth.

Around 2,000 elephants are currently "unemployed" as the virus eviscerates Thailand's tourist industry, says Theerapat Trungprakan, president of the Thai Elephant Alliance Association.

The lack of cash is limiting the fibrous food available to the elephants "which will have a physical effect", he added.

Wages for the mahouts who look after them have dropped by 70 percent.

Theerapat fears the creatures could soon be used in illegal logging activities along the Thai-Myanmar border -- in breach of a 30-year-old law banning the use of elephants to transport wood.

Others "could be forced (to beg) on the streets," he said.

It is yet another twist in the saga of the exploitation of elephants, which animal rights campaigners have long been fighting to protect from the abusive tourism industry.

- 'Crisis point' -

For those hawking a once-in-a-lifetime experience with the giant creatures -- whether from afar or up close -- the slump began in late January.

Chinese visitors, who make up the majority of Thailand's 40 million tourists, plunged by more than 80 percent in February as China locked down cities hard-hit by the virus and banned external travel.

By March, the travel restrictions into Thailand -- which has 1,388 confirmed cases of the virus -- had extended to Western countries.

With elephants increasingly malnourished due to the loss of income, the situation is "at a crisis point," says Saengduean Chailert, owner of Elephant Nature Park.

AFP/File / Mladen ANTONOVBefore the virus, life for the kingdom's estimated 2,000 elephants working in tourism was already stressful, with abusive methods often used to 'break them' into giving rides and performing tricks at money-spinning animal shows

Her sanctuary for around 80 rescued pachyderms only allows visitors to observe the creatures, a philosophy at odds with venues that have them performing tricks and offering rides.

She has organised a fund to feed elephants and help mahouts in almost 50 camps nationwide, fearing the only options will soon be limited to zoos, starvation or logging work.

For those restrained by short chains all day, the stress could lead to fights breaking out, says Saengduean, of camps that can no longer afford medical treatment for the creatures.

Calls are mounting for the government to fund stricken camps to ensure the welfare of elephants.

"We need 1,000 baht a day (about $30) for each elephant," says Apichet Duangdee, who runs the Elephant Rescue Park.

Freeing his eight mammals rescued from circuses and loggers into the forests is out of the question as they would likely be killed in territorial fights with wild elephants.

He is planning to take out a two million baht ($61,000) loan soon to keep his elephants fed.

"I will not abandon them," he added.

Air Canada to temporarily lay off half 

its workforce

AFP/File / JOEL SAGETAir Canada has suspended most of its international flights due to the coronavirus

Air Canada announced Monday it would temporarily lay off nearly half of its employees and reduce activity by up to 90 percent in the second quarter due to the coronavirus.

The measures would affect 15,200 employees and about 1,300 managers from April 3, the airline said in a press release.

Last week, Air Canada -- the first Canadian airline to be hit hard by the pandemic -- announced the temporary layoff of more than 5,100 flight attendants, including 1,500 members of its low-cost subsidiary Air Canada Rouge.

"The unpredictable extent and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic requires a significant overall response," Air Canada president Calin Rovinescu said in the statement.

"To furlough such a large proportion of our employees is an extremely painful decision but one we are required to take given our dramatically smaller operations for the next while."

The Montreal-based company will reduce operations for the second quarter of 2020 by 85 to 90 percent compared to the same period the previous year.

A cost reduction program will be implemented to generate "at least $500 million" (320 million euros). Senior executives will give up a part of their salary, and the president and chief financial officer will give up their entire salary.

Air Canada has suspended most of its international flights, including to the United States, after the announcement of the temporary closure of the US-Canada border in an attempt to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

The number of airports in Canada it is now serving has been reduced from 62 to 40.

Air Canada employs 36,000 people around the world, according to the company website.

Canada's second-largest airline, Air Transat, which is being acquired by Air Canada, also announced it would lay off nearly 2,000 flight attendants, beginning in early April.