The legislation also provides some compensation for workers who need to take longer leaves under the Family and Medical Leave Act — but this too excludes workers at big companies.

And the bill allows the Labor Department to grant hardship exemptions to businesses with fewer than 50 employees. That category includes another 26 percent of the work force, meaning that fully 80 percent of workers may not be able to cash in on Ms. Pelosi’s rhetoric.

Democrats began this process in the right place. The first draft of the coronavirus legislation included a permanent change requiring employers to allow every worker to earn up to seven days of paid sick leave, and a temporary change allowing any worker to take up to 10 days of sick leave during a public health emergency. The final draft includes only a pale shadow of those sensible requirements. The paid sick leave requirement is narrowly focused on the coronavirus; it does not even require paid sick leave during future pandemics — a contemptible signal that political leaders are already committed to not learning the lessons of this one.

Some large employers have announced voluntary grants of paid sick leave for workers affected by the coronavirus. After a Walmart employee in Kentucky tested positive for the coronavirus, the company announced it would provide up to two weeks of paid leave for workers who fall ill or are quarantined because of a confirmed exposure to the virus. Other large employers, including Target, Gap and Wawa, have made similar announcements.

But such voluntary policies are an inadequate substitute for legislation. Many large employers have not announced any changes, many of the policies that have been announced are considerably less generous than the requirements of the House legislation, and employees at those firms can hardly enforce corporate compliance with a news release.

It’s also true that big employers are generally more likely to offer standard sick leave benefits. Roughly 86 percent of workers at big companies get some kind of paid sick leave, according to federal statistics. But few workers in the United States are eligible to take 10 days of paid sick leave. And the low-wage workers who can least afford to stay home without paid leave are precisely the workers who are least likely to qualify for those standard corporate benefits.

Companies should be required to provide paid sick leave to every worker as a standard cost of doing business, and they certainly should be required to do so in the midst of a pandemic.

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/14/opinion/coronavirus-pelosi-sick-leave.html

It is important to note that with rapid developments this list will continuously change but is valid to the best of my knowledge as of Saturday 14 March.

Below serves as a guide to which countries are still open for travel.

Countries With A Global Ban On Entry And Mandatory Self-Isolation

Australia

Australia has on March 14 announced that any arrivals will have to self-quarantine for a period of 14 days.

Denmark

Denmark has closed its border on March 14 for all non-citizens, which includes a ban for tourism and vacations.

Cyprus

From March 15 Cyprus will only allow residents and European workers to enter for a 15-day period

Czech Republic

Will completely close its borders to non-residents on 16 March with no timescale currently in place to reopen. 

India

Has imposed a mandatory 14-day quarantine for citizens returning from China, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, South Korea and Spain. Tourist visas have been suspended until April 15.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has all but closed down its borders with most flights canceled. Any visitor that has been to the filling countries in the last 14 days will also not be permitted entry: Bahrain, China, Taiwan, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Kenya, South Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Macau, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Somalia, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Turkey or the United Arab Emirates.

North Korea

Competed closed their border including with China, where the majority of arrivals come from. Only diplomats are allowed to cross the border but information is not entirely clear.

Vietnam

Vietnam has announced that any arrival who has been in the U.K. or Schengen Area in the last 14 days will be denied entry, lasting for a 30 day period.

Lithuania

Lithuania will close its borders except for residents from midnight on March 16.

Ukraine

Ukraine has entirely closed its borders for foreign arrivals for the next two weeks.

Poland

Poland has instated a 10-day ban on foreign visitors from March 15, and a mandatory 14-day quarantine for returning nationals.

Slovakia

Slovakia has closed its borders and airports and imposed mandatory quarantine for returning residents with a €1,659 fine for anyone violating this.

New Zealand

New Zealand has imposed a mandatory set-isolation period of 14 days for all arrivals from overseas except for the South Pacific Islands. cruise ships have been banned from entering New Zealand until June 30z

Oman

Oman has suspended all tourist visas for a period of one month from March 15.

Suriname

The former Dutch colony of Suriname in South America has completely closed its borders.

Restrictions for citizens or visitors from Europe

With Italy on lockdown and Spain following, many nations around the world have restricted entry to U.K. and Schengen Area visitors.

United States

Entry is suspended until at least April 13 for any resident of Schengen Area countries, the U.K. and Ireland. This also includes anyone who has visited these countries in the last 14 days. Legal permanent residents and most immediate family members of U.S. citizens are still permitted entry.

Israel

Israel has imposed mandatory 14-day self-quarantine for visitors and citizens alike.

Hong Kong

Visitors to Hong Kong from Schengen Area countries will be quarantined for 14 days.

Singapore

Citizens and residents must be quarantined for 14 days and visitors from the U.K., Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Switzerland are not allowed to enter or transit.

Turkey

Entry is not allowed for visitors from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden. This also includes anyone who has visited these countries in the last 14 days. Flights from these nations are suspended but do not apply to Turkish nationals.

Vietnam

Vietnam has suspended entry from 15 March for all Schengen country visitors including the U.K. This extends to any visit in these countries in the last 14 days, even if for transit.

Guatemala

Guatemala has banned travel from citizens of the U.S., Eurореаn соuntrіеѕ, Іrаn, Сhіnа, Ѕоuth Коrеа аnd Nоrth Коrеа 

Honduras

Honduras has banned travel for arrivals from Europe, Iran, South Korea and China

Thailand

Has stopped giving out visas on arrival and requires that anyone traveling to Thailand presents a medical certificate prior to receiving a visa in advance.

U.A.E.

The UAE has temporarily suspended the issuance of all entry visas (including visa waiver on arrival) from March 17, except for diplomatic passports. This will be effective as of March 17. 

Canada

As of yet, Canada has only restricted entry to cruise ships of over 500 passengers.

South America

Restrictions are very recent across South America, which has so far been relatively less exposed to COVID-19. Currently Peru, Paraguay, Argentina and Bolivia have recently begun suspending flights from Europe and Asia.

Other Restrictions

Austria

All visitors from France, Iran, Italy, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland and parts of China or who have visited in the past 14 days will have to provide a medical certificate proving a negative COVID-19 test result.

China

Visitors arriving from Italy, South Korea and Japan and arriving in Beijing, Shanghai, Sichuan or Guangdong must enter quarantine for two weeks.

Croatia

People arriving from other countries affected by the virus must self-isolate for two weeks. Any arrivals from “hard-hit” areas including Italy, Iran and China’s Hubei province must enter a government quarantine facility at the travelers expense.

Colombia

Colombia has closed its border with Venezuela and now restricted entry for anyone that has visited Asia or Europe in the last 14 days. Any returning citizen must enter a mandatory self-quarantine.

Denmark

Denmark has closed its borders to all foreign nationals until April 14.

El Salvador

El Salvador has restricted entry to all foreigners since March 11.

Italy

Italy is currently on lockdown.

Japan

So far Japan has banned entry to passengers who have been in affected regions of China, South Korea or Italy within the last 14 days.

Norway

Norway has said that visitors from outside the Nordics will have to return home on the Oslo municipality website.

Russia

Closing land borders with Poland and Norway, and restricting flights in the European Union to only Capital Cities.

South Korea

South Korea has currently only suspended entry for passengers from Hubei province in China.

Uruguay

Any passengers arriving from the following countries must enter a mandatory quarantine for 14 days: China, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Iran, Spain, Italy, France and Germany

Venezuela

Venezuela has suspended flights to Europe and Colombia until April 13.

If you have information to add to this list please reach out through twitter or LinkedIn 

Related:

Source Article from https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesasquith/2020/03/15/complete-coronavirus-travel-guide-the-latest-countries-restricting-travel/

U.S. travelers flying back from Europe late Saturday were greeted with snaking lines and hours-long waits at major airports as expanded coronavirus screenings required by the government’s new European travel restrictions took effect.

The restrictions ban Europeans from flying to the United States for 30 days and require U.S. travelers to be screened upon arrival at 13 U.S. airports.

Travelers at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, New York JFK and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport took to social media to complain about the waits, with many worried that the logjam wasn’t helping to stop the spread of coronavirus.

College student Brandon Mach, who was flying back from Madrid, said he waited more than four hoursto clear customs and go through Centers for Disease Control and Prevention screening at O’Hare. The Michigan resident said he landed at 4 p.m. and didn’t leave until nearly 9 p.m., until his temperature was checked and he was asked a few questions.

“What better way to ‘avoid large gatherings,’ ” he tweeted.

Source Article from https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/airline-news/2020/03/15/coronavirus-screening-chaos-awaits-travelers-returning-us-airports/5053421002/

Former White House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson weighed in on the coronavirus outbreak and reacted to the announcement of President Trump’s test results Saturday, saying the president is trying to put any issues involving his health to an end.

“I think the president’s trying to abide by the same rules that we’re going to play to everybody else in this country with regard to testing,” Jackson said on “Fox Report” on Saturday. “And to be honest with you, I don’t think there was a clinical indication for beginning tests.”

CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE

Jackson compared the situation to his time as Trump’s White House physician and when he performed cognitive testing.

“There was no indication for the cognitive testing either. But there comes a point where the narrative is all about just that,” Jackson said. “And you have to do something just to move on to whatever’s next and actually put it to bed. And I think that’s pretty much what happened here.”

“Let’s move on. I mean, he’s working hard trying to take care of our country here and keep us all safe,” Jackson said before criticizing the “liberal” press. “And I think, you know, the press, some of the liberal press in those on the left [have] really spun this stuff.”

Jackson, a congressional candidate in Texas, said that Americans will look back on this situation and see that “we overreacted a little bit.”

“I guess it’s better to be safe than sorry. You know, in some regard. But, you know, I think that this thing has been spun for political reasons,” Jackson said. “And I think that a lot of people have really gone overboard with it. Just, you know, it did create a lot of fears. It doesn’t need to be.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“But I think we will look back on this,” Jackson said of people being critical of President Trump getting tested. “We’ll see that this was a little bit overblown or a bit overblown. Hopefully. And we’ll be able to move on and do better next time.”

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/media/former-white-house-physician-ronny-jackson-trump-coronavirus-test

Muhammad Hamda, a 48-year-old Florida resident who had been visiting relatives in France, said it took him more than five hours to get through Customs in Chicago. He said airport workers provided water and snacks, but he was annoyed because the delay caused him to miss his connecting flight to Tampa.

“It’s a big mess,” Mr. Hamda said. “Now we have to spend the night at the airport until our flight home tomorrow morning.”

Tim Clancy, 20, landed in Chicago on Saturday evening after returning from a study abroad program in Greece. Mr. Clancy said he had been waiting in line for nearly three hours and still had a long way to go. He was surrounded by hundreds of other passengers also waiting to get their temperatures taken.

“I’m not sure what this is doing to curb any coronavirus,” Mr. Clancy said in a phone interview while he waited. “If anyone had it, it would spread to everyone around with so many people jammed in such close quarters.”

Robert Chiarito reported from Chicago, Mitch Smith from Overland Park, Kan., and Mariel Padilla from Columbus, Ind. Andrea Salcedo contributed reporting from New York, and Zolan Kanno-Youngs from Washington.

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/15/us/coronavirus-ohare-airport-delays.html

United States Vice President Mike Pence has announced that a travel ban imposed on European nations over the coronavirus pandemic would be extended to the United Kingdom and Ireland starting at 04:00 GMT on Tuesday.

“Americans in the UK or Ireland can come home. Legal residents can come home,” Pence told a White House news conference on Saturday, adding that such people would be “funnelled through specific airports and processed”.

More:

Earlier, a 30-day US ban on travel from the European Union’s Schengen border-free zone took effect on Saturday, but notably excluded the UK and Ireland.

But President Donald Trump later confirmed the ban would be extended to those two countries as the pandemic progressed, saying: “They’ve had a little bit of activity, unfortunately.”

Trump tested for virus

Meanwhile, Trump said he had taken a coronavirus test, adding that his temperature was “totally normal”.

After White House officials took the unprecedented step of checking the temperatures of journalists entering the briefing room, Trump told reporters he took a test for the virus on Friday night and that he expects the results in “a day or two days”.

He met a Brazilian delegation last week, at least one member of which has since tested positive.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci said the US has recorded 20,226 cases of the new coronavirus, but has not yet reached the peak of the outbreak.


“This will get worse before it gets better,” Surgeon General Jerome Adams said at the briefing.

Pence, who is running the administration’s response to the outbreak, told reporters that visits to nursing homes were being suspended to protect the most vulnerable.

Earlier on Saturday, officials in New York said an 82-year-old woman became the state’s first coronavirus fatality.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the woman, who had previously suffered from emphysema, was admitted to hospital in Manhattan on March 3. He told reporters that the state’s tally of cases had risen to 524. Nationwide, more than 2,000 people have been infected and 50 have died.

Emergency measures

On Friday, Trump declared a national emergency in a move that he said would bring “the full power of the federal government” to bear on the escalating health crisis by freeing up some $50bn in aid. He also urged every state to set up emergency centres to help fight the virus.

The pandemic has forced public schools, sports events and cultural and entertainment venues to close across the US.

On Friday, American shoppers picked grocery store shelves clean of products ranging from disinfectants to rice, causing retailers to race to restock their stores. In response to the run on certain items, major retailers have imposed some purchase limits.

Coronavirus took its biggest toll yet on this year’s US presidential election when Louisiana announced on Friday it had postponed its Democratic and Republican presidential primaries.

Early on Saturday, the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a coronavirus aid package that would provide free testing and paid sick leave, in a bid to limit the economic damage from the outbreak.

By a bipartisan vote of 363 to 40, the Democratic-controlled House passed a multibillion-dollar effort that would expand safety-net programmes to help those who could be thrown out of work in the weeks to come.

Trump said he supported the package, raising the likelihood that it will pass the Republican-controlled Senate next week.

Economists say the impact of the outbreak on businesses could tip the US economy into recession.



Source Article from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/extends-coronavirus-travel-ban-uk-ireland-starting-tuesday-200314171617438.html

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Source Article from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-14/widespread-clampdown-takes-hold-spanish-emergency-virus-update

“Tomorrow, with just two people, I’m going to demand that we discuss the most important questions, which have to do with power structure in America,” said Sanders, who accused the media of not drawing enough attention to those topics in earlier debates. He said he was “looking forward” to the debate and hoped that “we can explore some of the real issues facing this country.”

Source Article from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/03/14/sanders-lays-out-plan-campaign-amid-coronavirus-pandemic/

Georgia election officials postponed the state’s presidential primary election scheduled for March 24 due to concerns of over the coronavirus, the Georgia Secretary of State first announced Saturday. 

Election officials are moving the primary to May 19, and early voting for the primary will resume again shortly before the new voting date. 

“Events are moving rapidly and my highest priority is protecting the health of our poll workers, their families, and the community at large,” Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said in a statement to The Hill.

The move comes as Louisiana on Friday became the first state to postpone their primary due to concerns over the virus, pushing their contest from April 4 to June 20. 

Georgia currently has 66 confirmed cases of the virus and one death, according to Johns Hopkins’ Center for Systems Science and Engineering. However, according to health officials, cases will continue to pop up before they decrease. 

Election officials fear that the outbreak could put voters at risk and potentially lessen turnout as Americans are urged by government officials to practice “social isolation.”

“Given these circumstances, I believe it is necessary and prudent to suspend in-person voting in the Presidential Preference Primary, and the local elections associated with them, and resume in-person voting for those elections as part of the already scheduled May 19 General Primary,” Raffensperger said.

It’s unclear how many more states will follow in the coming days or weeks.

On Tuesday, four states host their primaries: Arizona, Florida, Ohio and Illinois. And three other states — Alaska, Hawaii and Wyoming — are set to hold their votes in early April.

New York and Maryland — both states whose governors have issued states of emergency due to the outbreak — are also among the states scheduled to host primaries in April.

The move means candidates have nearly a month longer to win over Georgia’s 105 delegates.

In previous polls, former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenTrump faces toughest crisis of presidency in coronavirus Trump campaign turns to virtual tools amid coronavirus spread Where Biden and Sanders stand in the polls ahead of Tuesday’s primaries MORE has garnered nearly double the support of Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersThis is how devastating the Green New Deal would be for Wisconsin Overnight Health Care — Presented by Philip Morris International — Trump declares national emergency | Pelosi announces deal on coronavirus package | Trump pledges to overhaul virus testing Overnight Energy: Trump to buy crude oil to help industry | Sanders, Democrats decry assistance to oil companies amid coronavirus | Judge sides with California in cap-and-trade lawsuit MORE (I-Vt.) in the Peach State. 

Source Article from https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/487611-georgia-to-postpone-primary-due-to-coronavirus-concern

Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton defended the use of the phrase “Wuhan Virus” from critics who complain it is xenophobic.

The Republican was prompted to react to media disapproval of labeling the coronavirus in such a way that identifies its widely believed origin in Wuhan, China by Fox News host Jesse Watters on his Saturday evening show, Watters’ World.

“Anyone who complains that it’s racist or xenophobic to call this virus the Chinese coronavirus or the Wuhan virus is a politically correct fool,” Cotton said.

Moments earlier, Watters showed a tweet from MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, who said: “Just astoundingly gross to call it the Wuhan Virus.”

The senator said these critics should be ignored, particularly talking about the spread of the deadly illness.

“In fact as you say, the Chinese Communist Party right now is trying to blame this on America. In their Chinese language media at this very moment they are telling their own people this did not come from Wuhan. It came from outside China, perhaps from the United States. That’s why it’s so important that we not let Lijian get away with that kind of propaganda,” Cotton said.

He was referring to China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, whose recent claims that the U.S. military planted the coronavirus in Wuhan prompted the State Department to summon the Chinese ambassador for some “stern” words.

Cotton also said the U.S. needs to “reevaluate” its relationship with China because of its lack of transparency early on in the outbreak hurt the rest of the world’s ability to prepare and respond to what is now a pandemic.

China has begun to tout itself as a global leader in containing the coronavirus, even though most of the cases worldwide, 80,000, have been found in the Chinese mainland, and more than 3,100 people have died in the country. China has also been lobbing threats at the West.

A recent article in Xinhua, the state-run media agency in China, claimed Beijing could start denying life-saving drugs which would throw the U.S. into “the mighty sea of coronavirus.”

Cotton said the U.S. needs to lower its dependency on China.

“China now makes much of our basic pharmaceutical products. That has to change and it has to change fast,” the senator said, adding that there should be other “consequences” in the future.

Source Article from https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/tom-cotton-anyone-who-casts-wuhan-virus-as-xenophobic-is-a-politically-correct-fool

Spain and France announced drastic, countrywide restrictions on Saturday to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Spain ordered all citizens to confine themselves to their homes — and to leave only to buy food, go to work, seek medical care or assist the elderly and others in need.

Officials in Spain reported 1,500 new cases, the largest daily increase in the country so far, pushing its total to 5,753. The government ordered all schools, restaurants and bars to close, extending measures that various regional authorities, including in Madrid and in Catalonia, had taken on Friday.

Also on Saturday, Spanish authorities said the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Begoña Gómez, had tested positive for the virus.

France announced the closing of all “non-indispensable” businesses as of midnight, including restaurants, bars, and movie theaters, after a sharp uptick in the assault from the coronavirus. French cases doubled over the last 72 hours to about 4,500. There have been 91 deaths, and 300 coronavirus patients are in critical condition — half of them under 50 years of age.

The measures in both countries follow similar moves in Italy, the hardest hit country in Europe. Italy has been locked down since early in the week, with only groceries, pharmacies and banks allowed to operate. On Saturday, the country reported 175 new deaths, with a total of 1,441, and 2,795 new cases, with the total crossing 21,000.

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/15/world/coronavirus-news.html

Gov. Brian Kemp declared an unprecedented public health emergency Saturday and said he would use the broad powers granted under the law to deploy “all available resources” to help contain the spread of coronavirus.

The declaration would give Kemp new abilities to suspend laws and regulations, take “direct operational control” of civil forces and mandate evacuations to cope with an outbreak that’s sickened at least 66 in Georgia and killed one. 

The powers also would give health authorities the ability to isolate or quarantine Georgians exposed to the disease, order vaccinations or other treatments, restrict travel into or within the state and limit or cancel public gatherings. 

» COMPLETE COVERAGE: Coronavirus in Georgia

“This public health emergency is unprecedented for the state of Georgia, and I do not take this action lightly,” said the governor, who steered clear of insisting that schools shut down but urged Georgians to “incorporate social distancing in their daily lives.”  

“Otherwise, we risk a run on critical resources for the sickest patients in our state,” he said during a somber speech in the state Capitol, livestreamed to the public because it was cordoned off to the media. “Now is the time to act.”

The governor said the declaration would immediately be used to help some nurses from other states get temporary licenses to practice in Georgia and lift restrictions on commercial truck drivers to let them continue stocking stores with supplies. 

More broadly, though, Kemp said the measures would “greatly assist health and emergency management officials across Georgia by deploying all available resources” to respond to  COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. 

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By the end of the day, he also authorized calling up as many as 2,000 Georgia National Guard troops to active duty to help transfer cruise ship passengers quarantined at Dobbins Air Reserve Base back to their homes and “ensure the steady supply of medical equipment, food, shelter, or related materials to keep Georgians safe.”

The public health emergency must still be ratified by lawmakers, who will return to the Capitol for an extraordinary special session Monday shortly after they suspended their work indefinitely amid a pandemic.

Georgia’s legislative leaders quickly signaled their bipartisan support. House Minority Leader Bob Trammell, the top Democrat in the chamber, said the emergency declaration would help Georgia swiftly respond to a “rapidly evolving” crisis. 

Still, some lawmakers cautioned Kemp to use restraint with his new powers, which also give the state authority to commandeer private property and effectively take control of hospitals if “reasonable and necessary” for the emergency response.

“These emergency powers will likely be granted with the expectation that Governor Kemp will act prudently and continue to act transparently,” said state Rep. Scott Holcomb, an Atlanta Democrat.

A growing crisis

The governor’s decision came as federal authorities announced new measures to respond to a pandemic that has fast transformed everyday life. 

Sports leagues suspended seasons, metro Atlanta schools shuttered classrooms, grocery store aisles were picked clean, clergy members canceled services, festivals and events were scrapped and Delta Air Lines announced the largest reduction of flights in its history. 

And late Saturday, Georgia’s presidential primary was postponed roughly two months. 

Even Kemp’s press conference underscored the grim new reality. It was held in his ceremonial office in front of one TV camera and a handful of staff members “to ensure the health of staff and media personnel.” 

The state’s legal system, too, was upended. Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton declared a statewide judicial emergency late Saturday, ordering courts and clerk’s offices to “suspend all but essential…functions” for at least 30 days.

The order says that courts should continue to address issues “necessary to protect health, safety and liberty of individuals” but otherwise limit operations.

That means issues like domestic abuse restraining orders; juvenile detention hearings; mental health commitment hearings; and bond reviews should be prioritized, the order said, and criminal trials already underway should continue until completed.

“To the extent court proceedings are held, they should be done in a manner to limit the risk of exposure, where possible, such as videoconferencing,” the order said.

New cases

After outlining the fast spread of the disease — including the doubling of cases in Bartow, Cobb and DeKalb overnight — Kemp said Georgia will increase its ability to test for the disease to 200 specimens a day by the end of the week. 

Georgia, like other states, had previously relied on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to run its coronavirus tests but started to process its own samples last week. 

Dr. Kathleen Toomey, who heads Georgia’s health department, said the state’s focus on testing “highest risk” patients has skewed the count of cases. She said recent additional shipments and more staffing has allowed the state to ramp up testing. 

“The more we test, the more we’ll understand where the virus is,” she said. “As we do more testing, we’ll get a better picture of the statewide spread of the epidemic.”

.

In Washington, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency and said he free up access to a $50 billion fund for states desperate for help to cope with the outbreak.

And federal lawmakers struck a deal over legislation that would provide billions of additional dollars to help sick workers, clear the way for more testing and calm a jittery market.

Health officials, meanwhile, warned the number of coronavirus cases will far exceed the 66 reported Saturday. The patients are mostly in metro Atlanta, though new cases were reported this week in rural parts of south and west Georgia. 

Earlier this week, a 67-year-old patient at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital became Georgia’s first patient to die from COVID-19.

Nearly 500 passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship — which was hit with the coronavirus — arrived this week at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, and some who are quarantined there reported cramped conditions

Kemp Saturday that the state was granted permission to transfer the Georgians at the base to their homes “as soon as possible,” and that emergency officials were on hand to help smooth the transition.

The state government, meanwhile, is building a “quarantine space” that will house residents who are sickened by the disease and who have nowhere to isolate themselves. 

The facility is under construction at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Monroe County and is expected to accommodate 20 temporary housing units when it’s completed.

Staff Writers Tyler Estep and Jeremy Redmon contributed to this report.

Read Kemp’s executive order:

 


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Source Article from https://www.ajc.com/news/state–regional-govt–politics/kemp-declares-unprecedented-public-health-emergency-georgia/gdTeQfD6zJPb1kbYlRLHRO/

Barcelona, Spain – With the number of coronavirus cases spiralling to more than 6,000 and the death toll reaching 190, Spain on Saturday followed Italy and prepared to impose an unprecedented lockdown.

The country’s left-wing government declared a two-week state of emergency which will start from Monday at 07:00 GMT.

Some 47 million Spaniards must stay at home in an attempt to contain an outbreak which has seen 1,500 new cases in the past 24 hours. Spain has the fifth-highest number of cases in the world, behind China, Italy, Iran and South Korea.

More:

In practical terms, the emergency order means Spaniards will only be allowed to leave their homes to buy food, get medicines, see a doctor, leave the house for an emergency or go to work.

Already Spain has the feel of a country that has closed for business, and the atmosphere is tense.

The crackdown started last week when schools closed, confining not just 15 million pupils to home but their parents, too.

Juggling work with child care has proved a difficult balance for some.


Begona Lopez, 37, a marketing executive from Barcelona, has a four-year-old son who is too young to understand why he is confined to his mother’s cramped flat.

“My son has a habit of touching everything, so I can hardly take him out. It is not safe. He is careering around the flat on his bike in his pyjamas. I am not sure how much I can take of this,” she told Al Jazeera.

Cities deserted

The streets in many cities were empty on Saturday, with bars, restaurants, clubs and other businesses deserted. On many roads, there were few cars. 

The government has ordered the population to work from home, or “teletrabajo” as it is called in Spanish. Public transport will continue to operate to ensure those in essential sectors such as health or transport can get to their place of work, but services will be reduced by 50 percent.

The skies above Spain are also emptying as many airlines have stopped flights there.

Jet2, a British airline, ordered flights bound for Spain on Saturday to turn round in midair and return to UK airports. Other airlines have offered changes of booked flights without the usual costs. Tourists stuck in Spain may be able to change their flights and return later, and other countries have advised their citizens not to go there.

Anyone spotted disobeying the state of emergency could face large fines, and the police and army will be deployed on the streets.

Supermarkets have reported panic buying and shortages on essential items of pasta, rice and toilet roll.

Health authorities in Madrid, where almost half of all cases have been diagnosed, said their resources are stretched. Private health companies are offering help and doctors were offering advice on social media.

For a country like Spain where life is lived outside in bars, restaurants or on the beaches, the lockdown will come as a shock.


Antonio Valverde, owner of the El Pasa Doble restaurant in Madrid, said last week he made only 800 euros in one day whereas he usually he takes home 5,000 euros. 

“If this carries on for much longer, I am ruined. I cannot sustain loses like this and neither can anyone else,” he told Al Jazeera.

Lifting spirits

The closure of restaurants, bars and hotels will put a strain on Spain’s tourism industry which accounts for 12 percent of GDP and 13 percent of employment.

Economists predict the Spanish economy, which had been expected to grow by 1.7 percent this year, will plunge into recession.

Spaniards were trying to lift their spirits by standing on the balconies of flats in Madrid and singing along to the wordless national anthem, mirroring similar events in Italy.

There are also plans to applaud the health workers tackling the virus on the front lines at 21:00 GMT each night. 

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced the lockdown after a marathon cabinet session, telling Spaniards: “We must all be united in fighting the coronavirus.” 

Shortly afterwards, it was revealed that his wife, Begona Gomez, had been diagnosed with COVID-19.

Source Article from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/spain-imposes-italy-style-lockdown-bid-coronavirus-200314233749980.html

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has tested negative for the novel coronavirus, the White House announced on Saturday evening.

The president’s physician, Sean P. Conley, said in a memo released by the White House that Trump decided to get tested on Friday after they conferred about matter. The virus is officially called COVID-19.

“Last night after an in-depth discussion with the president regarding COVID-19 testing, he elected to proceed,” the president’s physician, Sean P. Conley, wrote in a memorandum released by the White House Saturday evening.

“This evening I received confirmation that the test is negative,” Conley wrote.

Trump announced at a press briefing on Saturday that he had been tested for coronavirus following his recent exposure to two Brazilian officials who later tested positive for the virus.

Trump, who said his temperature was “totally normal,” told reporters he took the test Friday night but that it would take a few days to get the results because the test was sent to a lab.

Trump took the test around the time a White House doctor issued a statement saying the president does not need to get tested or self-quarantined for coronavirus because he had not exhibited any symptoms.

Travel ban expanded:Coronavirus travel: President Trump considering domestic travel restrictions, adds UK to ban

Trump is at low risk for the coronavirus because his contacts with one of the officials “was extremely limited (photographs, handshake),” and his interaction with the second person “occurred before any symptom onset,” Conley wrote in a letter released late Friday.

The president had said earlier on Friday at a news conference in the Rose Garden that he would “most likely” be tested for coronavirus “fairly soon.” He was pressed on the matter after it emerged that Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s communications secretary tested positive for the virus. During his remarks, Trump continued to grip hands with business executives and health officials who continue to tell Americans one of the first lines of defense against the spread is to stop shaking hands.

Source Article from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/03/14/president-trump-tests-negative-coronavirus-white-house-says/5050710002/

An Italian couple tested positive for the coronavirus in San Juan, Puerto Rico, late on Friday after they disembarked from the cruise ship. Costa Cruises, an Italian subsidiary of Miami-based Carnival Corp., says the ship is now heading to Marseilles, France.

But the closing of restaurants and cafes in France, major elements of the country’s symbolic heart, is certain to bring the crisis home to the average French person in a way that nothing has so far. Even the closing of museums and major tourist attractions, announced Friday, don’t compare.

Commentators on French television Saturday night noted that even during the German occupation, bars and restaurants stayed open.

On Saturday night, a Paris reveler, Clémence Jamult, a 39-year-old history teacher, said the closures meant “the end of a very French way of life.”

“It’s a special moment,” she added. Others said it was inevitable.

“It’s a little sad to come to this, but it’s a necessary decision,” said Ms. Noaillon, the bartender, adding that French people were barely respecting the rules of “social distancing” urged on them by the government earlier in the week.

Adam Nossiter reported from Paris, and Raphael Minder and Elian Peltier reported from Madrid. Benjamin Mueller contributed reporting from in London, and Constant Meheut and Aurelien Breeden from Paris and Zolan Kanno-Youngs from Washington D.C.

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/14/world/europe/france-coronavirus.html

Media captionMike Pence: US to suspend all UK travel

The US is to extend its European coronavirus travel ban to include the UK and Republic of Ireland.

The ban will begin at midnight EST on Monday (04:00 GMT Tuesday), Vice-President Mike Pence announced.

President Trump’s travel ban on 26 European countries – members of the Schengen free movement zone – came into force on Saturday.

Mr Pence also announced that free coronavirus testing would be provided for every American.

“Now it’s all systems go,” said National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci on efforts to expand testing.

Speaking at the same news conference, President Trump said he had been tested himself. The White House later said that the test was negative.

The US has confirmed 51 deaths linked to the pandemic and 2,488 infections.

In the first six weeks of vetting for the virus at US, 17 travellers were placed under quarantine at medical facilities, a senior official at the US Department of Homeland Security told Reuters news agency. During that period, more than 30,000 travellers were also asked to self-quarantine at home.

More than 132,500 people have now been diagnosed in 123 countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It says Europe is now the epicentre for the virus, which originated in China.

Following Italy’s lead, Spain is poised to declare a 15-day national lockdown on Monday to battle the virus.

How is the US travel ban being extended?

As of Saturday morning, the US had already suspended travel for 30 days from 26 Schengen countries – 22 European Union members and four non-EU.

Image copyright
EPA

Image caption

London Heathrow Airport was markedly less busy on Saturday

They are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

The travel ban was met with anger and confusion in the EU, with leaders accusing President Trump of making the decision “without consultation”.

The UK and Ireland had been exempt but Mr Trump said on Saturday: “They’ve had a little bit of activity, unfortunately.”

The total number of confirmed cases in the UK has reached 1,140, with 21 deaths – up from 11 on Friday.

Mr Pence explained that American citizens and legal residents could still return.

Such people would be “funnelled through specific airports and processed”, he said.

Why did Trump take a test?

Speculation over the president’s vulnerability to the virus had grown after he had interactions with least three people who later tested positive.

On Saturday, the 73-year-old told reporters he had had his temperature taken before stepping into the room and it was “totally normal”.

The White House is now conducting temperature checks on anyone who is in close contact with the president and Mr Pence.

Cost had been a concern for many ordinary Americans considering a test for coronavirus.

More than 27 million people in America have no medical insurance at all, while tens of millions have basic insurance that often only covers a fraction of the cost of any check-ups or treatment.

The authorities have also been accused of being too slow to supply test kits.

Media captionTop US doctor explains US testing failure

On Thursday, US lawmakers said fewer than 10,000 people had been tested in America.

By contrast, South Korea, with a much smaller population, has tested more than 210,000 people, while the UK has tested more than 32,000.

On Friday, Mr Trump declared a national emergency which allows the federal government to tap up to $50bn (£40bn) in relief funds.

Source Article from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51891662

ATLANTA – Georgia election officials are postponing the state’s March 24 presidential primaries until May because of fears over the coronavirus.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said in a statement Saturday that in-person early voting, which began statewide March 2, will be halted and the election will be moved to May 19, when Georgia’s other 2020 primary elections are being held.

The action followed Republican Gov. Brian Kemp’s signature of an emergency declaration that unlocked sweeping powers to fight COVID-19. In a speech Saturday, the governor renewed a call for places of worship, schools and others to consider canceling large gatherings as cases in the state rise.

Coronavirus concerns:Tuesday primaries still happening despite coronavirus concerns that shut down Louisiana’s

As of Saturday, the virus had infected more than 150,000 people worldwide and killed over 5,600. Georgia is reporting 66 confirmed cases, with most concentrated around metro Atlanta, and has had one death caused by the virus.

Election officials said in addition to the safety of the public, one of the biggest considerations was the risk the virus posed to poll workers, who are often older.

On Friday, Louisiana became the first state to push back its presidential primaries.

Source Article from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/03/14/coronavirus-georgia-presidential-primaries-postponed-until-may/5052124002/

Donald Trump was at the same dinner table as a guest who later tested positive for COVID-19, the president’s physician said Friday. The incident took place last weekend, while Trump was hosting a delegation from Brazil at Mar-a-Lago, where he was briefly in contact with the press secretary of Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro who also tested positive after the event.

In the second case, Trump shared the dinner table with the guest who “was symptom-free until this morning,” Dr. Sean Conley said in a statement which did not mention the name of the guest.

“There is no indication for home quarantine at this time” as the interactions would be considered low risk for transmission, in accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, he added. —Joanna Tan

Read CNBC’s coverage from its international team overnight: Jakarta closes all schools, Apple shuts stores outside China

— CNBC’s Spencer Kimball, Lauren Hirsch, Jeff Cox, Leslie Josephs, Annie Palmer, Matt Clinch, John Melloy, Ari Levy, Christina Farr, Jacob Pramuk and Joanna Tan contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/14/coronavirus-live-updates-florida-cases-increase-apple-shuts-stores-outside-china.html

Brothers, can you spare a hand santizer?

Matt and Noah Colvin cooked up a get-rich scheme to glom all of the antibacterial wipes and hand sanitizers they could find after the first U.S. coronavirus was reported March 1 and make a killing on the re-sale, according to a New York Times interview.

The Colvins — piloting a silver SUV — snapped up all the sanitizers they could find across Tennessee and Kentucky. They thought they were on the road to Easy Street when the first 300 bottles of hand sanitizer they purchased sold out for between $8 and $70 a pop, which was “multiples higher than what he had bought them for,” the Times story said.

EBay is prohibiting any US sales of masks or sanitizer

The brothers cleaned out a Dollar Tree, a Walmart, Staples and Home Depot and bought thousands of packs of antibacterial wipes from “little hole-in-the-wall dollar stores in the backwoods,” the Times reported.

“It was crazy money,” Matt Colvin told the paper.

However, Amazon got wise to the pandemic price gouging and pulled his items and thousands of other listings for hand sanitizers, face masks and wipes, the Times reported.

EBay “soon followed with even stricter measures, prohibiting any US sales of masks or sanitizer,” the story said.

While millions of Americans are hustling to get their hands on the hygiene products, the Colvin brothers are saddled with a garage filled with 17,700 bottles of sanitizer they can’t sell.

“It’s been a huge amount of whiplash,” Matt Colvin told The Times. “From being in a situation where what I’ve got coming and going could potentially put my family in a really good place financially to ‘What the heck am I going to do with all of this?’”

Map of coronavirus cases in the US

New York Post graphic

Source Article from https://nypost.com/2020/03/14/hoarding-bros-hoping-to-profiteer-off-coronavirus-stuck-with-17k-bottles-of-hand-sanitizer/