Global stock markets and U.S. futures rose Friday on hopes that government and central bank action can help the world economy endure a looming recession caused by the coronavirus.
European markets were as much as 4% higher and Shanghai, Hong Kong and other Asian markets advanced. Seoul surged 7.4%.
Investors were encouraged after seeing more steps by the Federal Reserve and other central banks and governments to support credit markets and the economy.
On Wall Street, the future for the benchmark S&P 500 index rose 2% and that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 2.4%.
Hopes are rising that there will be progress in finding virus treatments and that “a boatload of stimulus by both central banks and governments will put the global economy in position for a U-shaped recovery,” said Edward Moya of Oanda in a report.
On Thursday, the European Central Bank launched a program to inject money into credit markets by purchasing up to 750 billion euros ($820 billion) in bonds. The Bank of England cut its key interest rate to a record low of 0.1% and restarted its own program of money injections into the financial system. Australia’s central bank cut its benchmark lending rate to 0.25%. Central banks in Taiwan, Indonesia and the Philippines also cut rates.
They are trying to reduce the impact of a global recession that forecasters say looks increasingly likely as the United States and other governments tighten travel controls, close businesses and tell consumers and travelers to stay home.
Investors also appeared to be encouraged by reports that China is set to ramp up stimulus spending after the province where the virus emerged in December showed no new infections on Wednesday.
London’s FTSE 100 rose 1.6% to 5,237 and the DAX in Frankfurt advanced 4.2% to 8,968. France’s CAC 40 gained 4.9% to 4,044 and Italy’s FTSE MIB gained 2% to 15,773.In Asia, the Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.6% to 2,745.62, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 5.1% to 22,805.07. The Kospi in Seoul advanced 7.4% to 1,566.15 and Australia’s S&P-ASX 200 added 0.7% to 4,816.60 after being up more than 4% at one point.The U.S. Federal Reserve unveiled measures Thursday to support money-market funds and the borrowing of dollars as investors in markets worldwide hurry to build up dollars and cash as insurance against falling asset prices.That rush to gather dollars is straining markets, with sellers of even high-quality bonds struggling to find buyers at reasonable prices.Investors are jumpy due to uncertainty about the size and duration of the impact of the coronavirus and the spreading wave of business shutdowns meant to help contain it.More than 10,000 people have died. There are more than 244,000 cases worldwide, including nearly 85,000 people who have recovered.For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, and those with mild illness recover in about two weeks. Severe illness including pneumonia can occur, especially in the elderly and people with existing health problems, and recovery could take six weeks in such cases. Wall Street has bounced up and down by record-setting margins of up to 12% over the past week.
Unease has grown as forecasters say a global recession looks increasingly likely and have cut growth outlooks for the United States, China and other major economies.In energy markets, benchmark U.S. crude gained 75 cents to $25.97 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract surged $5.08 on Thursday to settle at $25.91.
Brent crude, used to price international oils, added 77 cents to $29.24 per barrel in London. It rose 14.4%, or $3.59, to settle at $28.47 the previous session.The dollar declined to 110.07 Japanese yen from Thursday’s 110.71 yen. The euro rose to $1.0721 from $1.0692.
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Month: March 2020
Nigeria Fishing Festival Resumes After Decade-long Suspension
Officials in Nigeria’s Kebbi state have revived the Argungu Fishing Festival, which was halted in 2009 because of threats from Boko Haram terrorists. Authorities say with security progress against the Islamist group, the festival can resume and provide jobs and income to thousands. Timothy Obiezu reports from Kebbi.
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Cuomo Emerges as Democratic Counter to Trump Virus Response
Before President Donald Trump stepped into the White House briefing room to provide an update on the coronavirus, an opening act was broadcast across cable news of another chief executive calmly reciting statistics and safety tips.
For the second straight day, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s matter-of-fact and slightly scolding demeanor from an epicenter of the pandemic was a stark contrast Thursday to the often haphazard and hyperbolic messages coming from Trump.
“I tell my daughters: Make decisions based on risk versus reward,” the Democrat said at his Thursday briefing. “For young people to go out in crowds on spring break is so unintelligent and reckless, I can’t even begin to express it. Stay home. Stop the spread. Save lives.”
Through daily briefings and scores of media appearances, Cuomo has emerged as one of the key faces responding to the pandemic. He is one of several governors thrust into the spotlight as cases surge, forcing a reordering of American life without schools, sporting events or large crowds. The decisions to cancel events and help overburdened hospitals have often fallen to governors, like Ohio’s Mike DeWine, a Republican, who postponed the state’s primary this week, and Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, who drew Trump’s ire for criticizing the federal response.
But it has been Cuomo’s daily briefings that have become must-see TV. Twice this week, the White House’s own coronavirus briefing was delayed until Cuomo concluded his own update, providing vital information to a public largely shut in at home, televisions anxiously tuned to cable news.
His appearances drew praise from some unlikely sources.
“I continue to be impressed with the briefings given by @realDonaldTrump and his world-class experts,” tweeted Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal attorney. “Similarly, my Governor, Andrew Cuomo who is keeping us well informed.”
Meanwhile, an unexpected online fan club has popped up, full of adoring Twitter posts during the governor’s briefings and one Jezebel article Thursday titled “Help, I Think I’m In Love With Andrew Cuomo???”
It’s a remarkable show of affection for a governor who has long been more respected than loved, one who is in his third term in an overwhelmingly Democratic state yet has never been embraced by the party’s liberal base, who at times have grown frustrated with his centrist approach. He has twice toyed with running for president but never launched a campaign.
Still, his very public tactics have positioned him as the Democratic counter to Trump even as the party begins to coalesce around Joe Biden’s presidential campaign. Biden, who has a nearly insurmountable delegate lead in the Democratic contest, has largely kept a low profile limited to short speeches, remarks and other events livestreamed to supporters who are being advised to stay home for the foreseeable future.
As Cuomo conducts briefings from the state capital in Albany, he has vacillated between being Trump’s foil and his unlikely ally. The two Queens natives have traded barbs on Twitter while also conferring in late-night phone calls placed from the White House residence.
“Just had a very good tele-conference with Nation’s Governors. Went very well. Cuomo of New York has to ‘do more,”’ Trump tweeted Monday.
A short time later, Cuomo responded: “I have to do more? No — YOU have to do something! You’re supposed to be the President.”
But the two men spoke several times the next few days and Cuomo made a point, in national television interviews, of expressing his appreciation for Trump’s responsiveness even as he urged the federal government to do more.
“The best news is, I think the federal government has now really gotten this and they’re engaged,” Cuomo said Thursday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “I said to the president, you step up, you help my state, you help my people, you help this country, and I will put my hand out in partnership 100% because politics be darned right now, right?”
The president, hours later from the White House briefing room, noted the comment, saying, “Andrew Cuomo is being very, very generous, saying such nice things about us.”
Cuomo has steered his state through crisis before, including the devastation wrought by Superstorm Sandy in 2012. He has long been drawn to proposing sweeping government projects and taking a hands-on approach to emergency responses. He worked for his father, three-term Gov. Mario Cuomo, and oversaw the response to numerous disasters as secretary of housing and urban development for President Bill Clinton.
He long has feuded with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, a fellow Democrat who once worked for Cuomo at HUD. Ruthless when wielding political power, Cuomo has at times appeared to quash de Blasio’s policy proposals out of sport, and the two men have continued their rivalry during the coronavirus crisis.
Cuomo upstaged and undermined de Blasio by ordering the city’s schools to close mere minutes before the mayor was set to make the announcement, and, this week, the governor took pains to rebut the mayor’s plan for the nation’s largest city to shelter in place during the worst of the outbreak.
Cuomo’s performance this week, to some, echoed how another polarizing New York politician commanded the national stage when the commander-in-chief was missing in action.
Giuliani, then mayor of New York City, was the face of American grief and resolve on Sept. 11, 2001, when President George W. Bush was being scrambled to safety on Air Force One in the hours after the terror attacks. Cuomo’s leadership this week has been reminiscent of Giuliani in that moment of American worry, according to George Arzt, a New York Democratic consultant who was Mayor Ed Koch’s press secretary and has worked with both Cuomo and Trump.
“People are yearning for leadership, and they are not getting it from the Oval Office,” said Arzt. “Andrew really does well in a crisis. And here he is, someone taking the lead and showing on the state level what needs to be done nationally.”
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Vietnam Readies for Tentative Economic Rebound as Coronavirus Caseload Stays Low
Vietnamese officials are preparing for a limited economic revival as their coronavirus caseload stays low.Despite its land border and close trade relationship with China, Vietnam reports only 85 widely dispersed coronavirus cases, and it sometimes goes for days with no new cases.The government is rolling out incentives now to revive companies including export manufacturers, a backbone of the economy that has grown around 6% per year since 2012, although the borders are largely sealed to inbound travelers.“Materials are starting to come in and [factories] picked up a little bit, but the real concern they have is tourism and foreign flow, so they’re really tightening that up,” said Mike Lynch, managing director with SSI Institutional Brokerage in Ho Chi Minh City.As with countries elsewhere in Southeast Asia, Vietnam is offering tax breaks, extending tax due dates and allowing delayed land-use fee payments to companies affected by the outbreak, business consultancy Dezan Shira & Associates said in an online briefing Tuesday.The central bank cut its benchmark refinance 1 percentage point Tuesday to stimulate business activity.“This is all they can do in response to the virus outbreak of trying to mitigate the impact of the outbreak on their economy,” said Song Seng Wun, a Southeast Asia regional economist in the private banking unit of CIMB in Singapore. “It’s about helping to minimize disruption and saving jobs.”A health worker sprays disinfectants to protect against the coronavirus on a beach in Hoi An, Vietnam, March 10, 2020.Epidemic controlVietnamese officials reacted to the virus early on by banning arrivals from China. People ordered into quarantine normally comply, at the risk of being scorned otherwise on social media, two authors from the Ho Chi Minh City-based University of Economics School of Government wrote in a March 17 article in The Diplomat online.The country discloses its caseload openly and doesn’t silence public discussion, the scholars said, suggesting it had tried to avoid repeating China’s response.Vietnam quit issuing visas to almost all foreign nationals for 30 days, starting March 18. Ho Chi Minh City authorities plan to curb meetings geared for more than 1,000 people. Bars and cinemas are closed through March 31.The halt to visas will hurt hotels, airlines and travel agencies, analysts in Vietnam said. Inbound tourism had grown from 5 million to 15 million between 2010 and 2018. China and South Korea are the top two sources.People in Vietnam are staying home more often than usual, in some cases working there instead of in offices. Restaurants still operate, though sometimes for fewer hours per week than before, residents of the two biggest cities said this week.When the government declares an end to local coronavirus spread, the domestic economy is likely to bounce back as far as it can without foreign visitors including tourists, said Adam McCarty, chief economist with Mekong Economics in Hanoi.“When that point happens, the government will say OK, it’s clear, restaurants are on and everyone can go out,” McCarty said “The domestic economy could revive and all the masks could come off, so that would be a big stimulus and that could happen in less than a month from now.”FILE – Laborers work at a garment assembly line of Thanh Cong textile, garment, investment and trading company in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam, July 9, 2019.Factories are operating – for nowThe country’s economy is doing relatively well, for the moment.Factories are still operating on local labor, and export growth from January 1 through March 15 grew 6.8% over the same period of 2019.“Even with the first quarter quickly drawing to a close, the data [are] way better than what the doom and gloom crowd would have had you believe,” SSI Research said in market update note Thursday. “The Vietnamese economy actually performed to a degree that other national economies nowadays would give an arm and a leg to have.”However, demand for factory goods is expected to slump in Western countries as consumers stay home. The disease outbreak appears to be a “potent direct hit on confidence,” the Harvard Business Review said March 3.About 55% of Vietnam’s economy, more than the global average, has relied on export manufacturing from 1986 through 2018.
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Asian Markets Mostly Up Friday After Wall Street’s Modest Gains
Asian stock indexes were mostly up Friday after Thursday’s modest gains on Wall Street. Investor hopes that governments and central banks would provide help for the world economy in order to avert a global recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic seemed responsible for at least temporarily halting the plunge. In South Korea, stocks opened 3.44% higher than Thursday, with the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index 50.19 points up. In Taiwan the main stock index rose 5.46% or 474.03 points to 9,155.37. In Hong Kong the Hang Seng Index began trading up 438 points, as news of no new coronavirus transmitted cases came from China for the second day in a row but fell 900 points in in the middle of the session. In China Shanghai Composite Index was only less than half a percent higher. In Japan, the Tokyo stock exchange was closed for a public holiday.
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US Senator Dumps Stocks Before Market Plunge
The chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee dumped a sizable portion of his stock portfolio in February before the upheaval of COVID-19 was felt in the U.S. stock markets. According to reports from NPR and The Washington Post, Richard Burr, a Republican senator from North Carolina, also in February, warned members of The Tar Heel Club, an exclusive group of North Carolina businessmen, about the impending chaos the virus would wreak on the stock market. At that time, Burr and U.S. President Donald Trump were publicly expressing confidence about U.S. stocks in the face of the coronavirus. On the same day in February that the president said the coronavirus would one day disappear “like a miracle,” Burr told the businessmen the virus was “much more aggressive in its transmission than anything that we have seen in recent history,” according to a recording of the meeting obtained by NPR. He told the gathering that the virus was “probably more akin to the 1918 pandemic.” Burr also told the group that every company would have to alter its travel arrangements, that schools would close and there would be at least one military hospital. Many of the shares that the senator sold were in businesses that were pummeled by the national emergency the virus caused, including health care, hotels and restaurants.It is illegal for members of Congress, congressional staff and federal officials to use inside information to their financial advantage. The Center for Responsive Politics was the first to report Burr’s sale of 33 stocks that he and his wife owned. The stocks were reported to be worth between $628,033 and $1.72 million, according to Senate sources. The Senator’s office said in a statement “Senator Burr filed a financial disclosure form for personal transactions made several weeks before the U.S. and financial markets showed signs of volatility due to the growing coronavirus outbreak. As the situation continues to evolve daily, he has been deeply concerned by the steep and sudden toll this pandemic is taking on our economy.”
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South Korea’s Coronavirus Battle Isn’t Over Yet
Even though South Korea has drastically reduced its number of new coronavirus infections, public health officials and analysts are warning it is too soon to declare victory against what is likely to be a long-term pandemic.For five out of six days this week, South Korea has reported fewer than 100 new infections. That is down significantly from a peak of 909 new cases February 29.South Korea has fought the virus without resorting to widespread restrictions on movement or forced closure of businesses, as seen in other countries. Instead, it made coronavirus tests widely available, conducted data-driven investigations of infection paths and quickly isolated those exposed.But the success is fragile, authorities warn, especially since dangerous cluster infections continue to emerge in settings like churches, offices and nursing homes.“We cannot let our guards down yet,” said Yoon Tae-ho, a senior health ministry official, at a regular briefing Friday. “We believe that we will still see a continued and prolonged coronavirus outbreak.”People watch a TV broadcasting a news report on a news conference by Lee Man-hee, founder of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, in Seoul, South Korea, March 2, 2020.Group infections South Korea appears particularly susceptible to group infections, in part because nearly half the country lives in the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area.Authorities say nearly 90 percent of South Korea’s confirmed coronavirus cases have been related to cluster infections. The majority have been linked to a single “super cluster” that began at a gathering of a fringe religious group in the southeastern city of Daegu. Authorities have tested nearly 210,000 members of the group, known as the Shincheonji Church of Jesus.But even though the Shincheonji-related infection appears to have been largely contained, that doesn’t mean the wider threat is over, warned Ki Moran, who heads the Korean Society of Preventive Medicine’s committee for emergency response.“It is still very dangerous right now,” said Ki, especially in enclosed public spaces like offices, churches, hospitals, coin karaoke rooms, or computer gaming centers. She said the situation will have stabilized only when cluster infections have been eliminated and the main source of infection is individual transfer.A woman wearing a mask to prevent contracting the coronavirus waits for her flight at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, March 19, 2020.Social distancing fatigue“The longer it lasts, the more social fatigue there will be,” she said. “And as a result, the participation rate will fall.”Most of the South Korean outbreak has been contained to the southeastern part of the country. In Seoul, the situation has never felt out of control, even as the number of cases continues to slowly but steadily grow. In many ways, life in the capital continues as normal, though schools, sporting events, and most other group gatherings have been canceled.Though many South Korean religious groups have moved their services online, the Seoul city government estimates that about one-third of Protestant churches in the capital held in-person services on Sunday, according to the Yonhap news agency.Authorities have so far asked, but not required, churches to close their doors temporarily. On Friday, Yoon, the public health official, encouraged all religious gatherings to be canceled.“The weather is getting nice and many people are having a tough time having to stay at home,” Yoon said. “But just as you have been participating in social distancing measures up until now, we hope these measures could be prolonged moving forward.”Red Cross workers fill emergency relief kits with basic necessities like instant food for delivery to impoverished people amid the spread of the new coronavirus at a facility of the Korean National Red Cross in Seoul, South Korea, March 20, 2020.Worldwide cases spikeIn total, South Korea has reported 8,652 infections. Ninety-four people have died, mostly elderly patients with underlying conditions.South Korea has now been surpassed by several other countries, including the United States, in the number of overall infections, raising the risk of imported cases from overseas.South Korean authorities, who have so far detected 17 imported virus cases, have tightened immigration procedures.Beginning Sunday, all arrivals from Europe will be required to get a coronavirus test. Those who test positive will go to a hospital or residential treatment center. Even those who test negative must go into self-isolation for two weeks.South Korean authorities say such measures could also soon apply to those coming from the United States and other Asian countries.In the coming weeks, tens of thousands of college students from mainland China, where the virus originated, had been expected to return to South Korea, though some may delay those plans since most classes remain postponed.“As the virus spreads globally, that could lead to more deaths here,” said Kang Da-yean, a nurse working at a makeshift quarantine facility on a college campus in the worst-hit city of Daegu.Though Daegu officials have stated they hope to defeat the virus by the end of March, Kang is skeptical that it can happen. And she cautioned against anyone tempted to let their guard down.“This will speed up the spread of the virus,” she said. “It is deadly serious for elders and those with underlying conditions. And there is no cure yet. It is just too soon to say the situation has been controlled.”Lee Juhyun contributed to this report.
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Archaeologist Tests 20,000-Year-Old Campfire Technique
Twenty thousand years ago, humans lived in grassy tundras near the Arctic Circle. Trees were scare in these cold, dry regions, so Ice Age hunters could not build campfires using wood. Instead, these hardy humans made campfires by burning the bones of the big animals they hunted. Few modern people know how to make a bone fire. Recently, a Colorado archeologist and some volunteers gave it a try. From Longmont, Colorado, Shelley Schlender reports.
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Fishing Festival Resumes in Northern Nigeria After Decade-long Suspension
Officials in Nigeria’s Kebbi state have revived the Argungu Fishing Festival, which was halted in 2009 because of threats from Boko Haram terrorists. Authorities say with security progress against the Islamist group, the festival can resume and provide jobs and income to thousands. Timothy Obiezu reports from Kebbi.
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Analysts: Russia Using Virus Crisis to Sow Discord in West
Russia is very likely behind a disinformation campaign on coronavirus in the Western media, intended to fuel panic and discord among allies, experts tell VOA. The European Union has accused Moscow of pushing fake news online in English, Spanish, Italian, German and French, using “contradictory, confusing and malicious reports” to make it harder for the bloc leaders to communicate its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Reuters news agency reported Wednesday that the European External Action Service issued a nine-page internal document March 16 saying that “the overarching aim of Kremlin disinformation is to aggravate the public health crisis in Western countries … in line with the Kremlin’s broader strategy of attempting to subvert European societies.” The document, seen by Reuters, says an EU database has recorded almost 80 cases of disinformation about coronavirus since January 22, some of them claiming that coronavirus was a U.S. biological weapon. FILE – Russian President Vladimir Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskova in Moscow, March 31, 2015.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov promptly denied the accusation citing a lack of specific examples. “We’re talking again about some unfounded allegations, which in the current situation are probably the result of an anti-Russian obsession,” he said. But Russia analysts tell VOA that the Russian government is using every means possible to use the coronavirus crisis to its advantage as part of its information warfare against the West. Russia has reported less than 200 confirmed COVID-19 cases and no deaths, compared with about 80,000 cases and about 3,500 deaths in Europe. “The Russian media is using these numbers to praise the Russian government and personally President Vladimir Putin for allegedly preventing the coronavirus from spreading fast in Russia,” said political analyst and historian Peter Eltsov, author of the new book The Long Telegram 2.0: A Neo-Kennanite Approach to Russia. Eltsov said the Russian media also claim that even China is handling the crisis better than the European Union and the United States. “Some talk shows even spread conspiracy theories, claiming that the U.S. government has invented and is testing coronavirus as means of biological warfare.“ Eltsov says the goal of this propaganda is to sow chaos and dissension in the EU, NATO and the United States. “On many occasions, Putin emphasized that Russia needs a new security architecture in Europe. As European countries are cordoning themselves, he may see it as an opportunity to put his plans in action.” U.S. Congress has found indisputable evidence that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election, and many officials say there is no doubt that Moscow plans to do so again in this year’s election. FILE – French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Dec. 9, 2019.During a joint 2017 press conference in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron asked Putin publicly to stop the fake news against him generated by the Sputnik news agency and RT television network. Klaus Larres, professor of international affairs at the University of North Carolina, noted that Russia has used every opportunity it has had to weaken Europe, notably during the 1973 oil crisis and 2008 global financial crisis. “It is hardly surprising that some Russian state actors are attempting to exploit the coronavirus crisis through conspiracy theories disseminated on the internet,” he told VOA. Larres said EU members must not allow being drawn into competition over masks and ventilators as part of an effort to have the spirit of Europe crushed. Instead they must share information and join forces to end the coronavirus crisis, he said.
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Military Hospital Ships Core Staff Report for Duty to Help in COVID-19 Crisis
Key medical staff for the USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort hospital ships have reported for duty to get the ships ready to deploy to areas overwhelmed with coronavirus cases, said the military officer in charge of putting the teams together.The Mercy’s destination port has not yet been determined, but U.S. Navy Surgeon General Rear Adm. Bruce Gillingham told reporters Thursday at the Pentagon that the goal is to have the ship sail out of San Diego Harbor next week.The Comfort is undergoing maintenance in Norfolk, Virginia, and will deploy to New York Harbor in the coming weeks. FILE — Patients wait under a tarp to see a doctor from the U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort anchored off Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Nov. 8, 2019.Both ships are preparing for a 1,000-bed mission, the largest mission set these ships can accommodate, Gillingham said.The key medical professionals who will staff the Mercy and the Comfort and run the medical facilities onboard were screened before boarding the ships, which will be used for triage care.The hospital ships and other military assets, such as field hospitals, can free up medical professionals and beds in local hospitals working to isolate and treat highly contagious coronavirus patients, but they are not designed to treat infectious disease patients themselves, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and other officials said.“They don’t have necessarily the space, the segregated spaces, you need to deal with infectious diseases,” Esper told reporters Tuesday at the Pentagon.Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley has placed some active duty units on alert to potentially deploy and build field hospitals across the country, Joint Staff Surgeon General Paul Friedrichs said Wednesday.FILE — U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort is seen during its mission in the port of Paita, northern Peru, Nov. 5, 2018.The U.S. Air Force is flying coronavirus testing supplies to high-need areas, Air Force Chief of Staff General David Goldfein said.The U.S. National Guard, which is often called to help with natural disasters, reported that more than 2,000 National Guardsmen in 27 states were responding to the coronavirus pandemic. The number of guardsmen activated for this crisis is expected to double by the end of the week, National Guard Bureau Chief General Joseph Lengyel said.“With COVID-19, it’s like we have 54 separate hurricanes in every state, territory and the District of Columbia,” Lengyel said.The Defense Department has 15 labs with the capacity to conduct 9,096 COVID-19 tests daily. To date the labs have tested about 1,600 patients.As of early Thursday, 81 coronavirus cases around the globe were related to the U.S. military — 51 service members, nine civilians, 10 dependents and 11 contractors — the Pentagon said.
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Iran Airline’s ‘Humanitarian’ China Flights Criticized by Skeptics as Profit-Driven
A government-backed Iranian airline that has flown to and from China as both countries battled worsening coronavirus outbreaks is facing criticism from some prominent Iranians who accuse Mahan Air of risking further spread of the virus in pursuit of profits. Iranian officials have provided evolving justifications for permitting dozens of such flights since January 31, when the government of President Hassan Rouhani ordered the privately owned airline to stop its China passenger services. The The Tehran government’s shifting explanations for Mahan Air’s China flights have China National Radio Weibo PostThe first group of Chinese medics sent from Guangzhou, China, to Iran on February 29 were not the only passengers on their flight, according to a Mandarin-language Weibo post by state-run China National Radio. “Mahan Air flight W580 had the consent of other passengers … for a delay, as they waited for Chinese anti-epidemic medical experts and materials to board the plane,” CNR said, after describing how the medical team had just arrived in Guangzhou on a domestic flight from Shanghai. CNR did not elaborate on the identities of the “other passengers,” whose departure from Guangzhou at 1:51 a.m. China time on February 29 was delayed by more than two hours from their scheduled departure time, according to flight tracking service FlightRadar24. China National Radio Weibo PostIn another social media post undercutting Iran’s description of Mahan Air’s China flights as purely humanitarian, the airline used its WeChat account to respond to a user who inquired about travel to China. “Hundreds of us want to return to China, and we can’t buy a ticket. How can we return to China?” asked the user, writing under a February 29 post on Mahan Air’s newsfeed. “Hello, sorry for the inconvenience. If you want to charter a flight, please contact Jennifer, the person in charge of the Mahan Air Commerce Department. Her email is Jennifer.shen@iranmahanair.com,” replied the administrator of the Mahan Air account. Mahan Air WeChat PostDespite the suggestive social media postings, there has been no sign of the airline offering tickets for its China routes online. Mahan Air’s website did not show any tickets available for flights to Tehran from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou or Shenzhen through May 1. China’s popular Qunar.com travel platform also did not have any ticket listings for such flights. Mahan Air sales agents at the four Chinese airports did not answer calls made to their office phones during business hours on Wednesday. However Babak Taghvaee, an Athens-based Iranian aviation journalist, said in an interview with VOA Persian that a loss of the China routes would be costly for the airline. Mahan Air WeChat Post”For Mahan Air, it is very important to keep the China market open after losing many of its European destinations last year under pressure of U.S. sanctions against Iran,” said Taghvaee, who previously worked in Iran’s military and civilian aviation sectors as an engineer and a technician. He also wrote for an Iranian aviation magazine before leaving the country in 2013. Mahan Air’s only active route to Western Europe in recent days has been to Barcelona. Its routes to Germany, France and Italy were suspended last year as those nations cited security concerns and heeded Washington’s calls to ban the U.S.-sanctioned airline. Mahan Air also saw its Turkey routes suspended in late February as Ankara tried to prevent Iran’s virus outbreak from spreading to Turkish territory. Taghvaee pointed out that if Iran’s only purpose is to transport humanitarian goods, it could be using cargo planes operated by the Iranian air force or by other Iranian airlines such as IranAir, Fars Air Qeshm or Pouya Air, rather than Mahan Air’s passenger jets. It is not economical for Mahan Air to fly its Airbus passenger jets, with a cargo capacity of 40 tons, to or from China with nothing but 15 tons or less of humanitarian supplies, he said. “They have to carry passengers as well, and the humanitarian cargo is a very good cover for them to do so.” A Mahan Air press release posted on its Chinese digital platforms on March 4 said the airline had decided to extend its suspension of Iran-China passenger routes until March 31. This article originated in VOA’s Persian service, in collaboration with VOA’s Mandarin service and the Extremism Watch Desk.
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Former Allies Challenge Turkey’s Erdogan
Two former close allies of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have formed new political parties, a move that could threaten his hold on power. The two parties are calling for a more democratic Turkey but, as Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul, they are likely to face formidable challenges.
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Union: Hundreds of Layoffs at Philadelphia Airport Amid Coronavirus
Hundreds of contract workers at Philadelphia International Airport are getting laid off as flight cancellations soar because of the spreading coronavirus, a labor union official said.Gabe Morgan of Local 32BJ of Service Employees International Union said some workers received layoff notices Wednesday, and he estimated that 600 to 1,000 of its members will be laid off through Monday.”They are attempting to push whatever problem they are having onto the lowest paid people. And these are folks who can’t afford to miss a week of pay,” Morgan said.Airport spokesperson Florence Brown would not speculate about potential job cuts by the companies that operate there.The largest portion of the workers are employed by American Airlines subcontractors PrimeFlight Aviation and Prospect Airport Services.Prospect Airport Services Inc. said it would begin layoffs at the Philadelphia Airport starting on Sunday.In a statement, Prospect said demand for its services at the airport has fallen as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, but hoped the layoffs would be temporary.The union represents 1,400 subcontracted workers such as wheelchair attendants, baggage handlers and cabin cleaners at the airport. Morgan said the layoff is expected to affect between 50 and 80 percent of all those workers.A message seeking comment was left for PrimeFlight Aviation Services.Morgan said the union is asking city and federal officials to step in, among other things, to require that any government funding to help the industry be tied to contract workers keeping their jobs instead of only direct employees of airlines.Union staff are helping people quickly file for unemployment or other benefits. But, Morgan said, that means weeks of waiting for income for a group of people most often living paycheck to paycheck. Morgan said some employers are finding ways not to layoff contract workers during virus closures. He said the union has worked with the owners and operators of commercial office buildings in downtown Philadelphia, who employ close to 5,000 contract employees for maintenance, cleaning and other services to make sure those employees keep their jobs and go to work as long as rents are being collected. “There are other ways to do this,” Morgan said.He said there are union food service workers and non-union contract workers at the airport who are likely to also be affected by layoffs, but he did not know how many or if the food service union had received any notices.
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South Sudan Vaccination Drive Tackles Measles Outbreak
With the coronavirus pandemic alarming the global community, South Sudan is grappling with another potentially fatal viral infection: measles. Last year, more than 4,700 people were affected due to low immunization coverage. Chika Oduah reports from the South Sudan capital, Juba.
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Massachusetts Boosts Testing; 2nd Connecticut Resident Dies
Massachusetts
State officials are promising a significant increase in Massachusetts’ capacity to test for the coronavirus.
Massachusetts Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders said Thursday the state aims to administer 3,500 tests a day by the beginning of next week.
Gov. Charlie Baker has said expanding coronavirus testing is among his top priorities as state-run labs can only currently process about 400 tests a day.
The top prosecutor for Boston and surrounding communities is seeking the release from custody of certain people who are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus because of their health or age.
Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins’ office said in an emailed statement Thursday that it is working with defense attorneys to identity “individuals whose release we deem urgent and necessary for public health reasons.”
Rollins’ office said she is seeking to free from jail only those who “pose no meaningful risk to public safety.” Connecticut
A 91-year-old Connecticut man who was hospitalized with the coronavirus has died, becoming the state’s second victim of the virus, a local official announced.
The New Haven Register reports that New Canaan Councilman Steve Karl announced the death Wednesday night at a Town Council meeting.
A man in his 80s died Wednesday at Danbury Hospital, Gov. Ned Lamont announced.
For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death. The vast majority of people recover.
A Maine-based independent bioresearch institution announced Thursday it will begin conducting 150 tests a day for the coronavirus at its Connecticut laboratory.
The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine will conduct the testing of samples obtained by medical organizations, including UConn Health and Hartford HealthCare.Maine
A Maine island community has rescinded its order banning visitors and seasonal residents because of the coronavirus pandemic. But the community’s leaders are still asking people to limit travel.
A new resolution from the North Haven Select Board “strongly” encourages people to stay where they are. It also says that people who live on the mainland with better access to medical care should refrain from the traveling to the island, where resources are limited.
Town Administrator Rick Lattimer said it was never the Select Board’s intention to keep summer residents away from the community with about 375 year-round residents and one medical clinic.
Two more people who live at a retirement community in Falmouth have tested positive for coronavirus, the director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.
The new diagnoses double the number of people from OceanView in Falmouth who have tested positive, Nirav Shah said.
Shah made the announcement on the same day he announced the number of positive cases in the state has surged past 50. One person has recovered and four are hospitalized, Shah said.
The state is also changing rules to allow compounding pharmacies to help alleviate the state’s hand sanitizer shortage by making and selling their own, Shah said.New Hampshire
New Hampshire’s public university system is shifting to remote teaching for the remainder of the semester.
The University of New Hampshire, Plymouth State University and Keene State College initially had taken different approaches to students returning after spring break. But university system officials announced Wednesday night that all would extend remote teaching for the rest of the semester while restricting access to the campuses. Housing will continue to be provided to students who do not have a secure place to be and have been granted exceptions.Vermont
The University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, Vermont’s largest city, is temporarily suspending visitation at the hospital with limited exceptions. It’s restricting entrances and screening everyone who enters the hospital or clinics.Rhode Island
The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering low-interest federal disaster loans to Rhode Island small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
These loans can be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the outbreak’s impact, the agency said. Applicants can apply online.
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Italian Virus Death Toll Nears China’s as Outbreak Spreads
The Chinese city where the coronavirus first emerged reported no new homegrown cases Thursday, while the death toll in Italy was poised to overtake China’s in a stark illustration of how the crisis has pivoted toward Europe and the U.S.
The outbreak spread to at least one European head of state, 62-year-old Prince Albert II of the tiny principality of Monaco. The palace announced that he had tested positive for the virus but was continuing to work from his office and was being treated by doctors from Princess Grace Hospital, named after his American actress mother.
In the U.S., Congress rushed to pass a $1 trillion emergency package to shore up the sinking economy and help households pull through the crisis, with the first of two possible rounds of relief checks consisting of payments of $1,000 per adult and $500 for each child.
The worldwide death toll crept toward 10,000 as the total number of infections topped 220,000, including nearly 85,000 people who have recovered.
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe pleaded with people to keep their distance from one another to avoid spreading the virus, even as the crisis pushed them to seek comfort.
“When you love someone, you should avoid taking them in your arms,” he said in Parliament. “It’s counterintuitive, and it’s painful. The psychological consequences, the way we are living, are very disturbing — but it’s what we must do.”Here’s a breakdown of the potentiality of contagion based on your greeting of choice.Italy, a country of 60 million, registered 2,978 deaths Wednesday after 475 more people died. Italy was likely to overtake China’s 3,249 dead — in a land of 1.4 billion — upon the release of Thursday’s figures.
The American death toll rose to 149, primarily elderly people.
Health authorities have cited a variety of reasons for Italy’s high toll, key among them its large population of elderly people, who are particularly susceptible to serious complications from the virus. Italy has the world’s second-oldest population, and the vast majority of its dead — 87% — were over 70.
Jonas Schmidt-Chanasit, a virologist at Germany’s Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, said Italy’s high death rate could be explained in part by the almost total breakdown of the health system in some areas.
“That’s what happens when the health system collapses,” he said.
On a visit to the northern city of Milan, the head of a Chinese Red Cross delegation helping advise Italy said he was shocked to see so many people walking around, using public transportation and eating out.
Sun Shuopeng said Wuhan saw infections peak only after a month of a strictly enforced lockdown.
“Right now we need to stop all economic activity and we need to stop the mobility of people,” he said. “All people should be staying at home in quarantine.”
Aside from the elderly and the sick, most people have mild or moderate symptoms, like a fever or cough, and most recover in a matter of weeks.
Spain has been the hardest-hit European country after Italy, and in Madrid a four-star hotel began operating as a makeshift hospital for coronavirus patients.
The director of the group that runs the Ayre GH Colon hotel tweeted: “365 rooms more to help win the war.” The Madrid Hotel Business Association said it has placed 40 hotels with room for 9,000 people at the service of the Madrid region, which has near half of Spain’s 17,000 or so cases.
In London, home to almost 9 million, the government urged people to stay off public transportation as authorities considered imposing tougher travel restrictions.
The British supermarket chain Sainsbury’s reserved the first hour of shopping for vulnerable customers, one of many such efforts around the world.
Jim Gibson, 72, of London, said he found most of his groceries there in a “relatively trauma-free” experience. But he fretted that he hadn’t been able to get the medicine he needed for his wife and himself, and expressed concerns that Britain’s government had been too slow in ramping up testing.
“You can’t go on ignoring World Health Organization guidelines — if they’re wrong, who the hell is right?” he said. “Let’s have no shilly-shallying.”
Michel Barnier, the European Union’s chief negotiator for its future relationship with Britain after Brexit, said he had been infected with the coronavirus.
“For all those affected already, and for all those currently in isolation, we will get through this together,” the 69-year-old Barnier tweeted.
Thursday marked the first time since Jan. 20 that the Chinese city of Wuhan showed no new locally transmitted cases, a rare glimmer of hope and perhaps a lesson in the strict measures needed to contain the virus.
Wuhan, which has been under a strict lockdown since January, once was the place where thousands lay sick or dying in hurriedly constructed hospitals. But Chinese authorities said all 34 new cases recorded over the previous day had come from abroad.
“Today, we have seen the dawn after so many days of hard effort,” said Jiao Yahui, a senior inspector at the National Health Commission.
European stock markets were up only slightly after losses in Asia despite a massive 750 billion-euro stimulus package announced overnight by the European Central Bank.
Wall Street was calm in early trading by the standards of the past few days, when traders — weighing the increasing likelihood of a recession against the huge economic support pledged by global authorities — have caused wild swings.
With wide swaths of the U.S. economy grinding to a halt, the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits surged by 70,000 last week, more than economists expected.
The U.S. Federal Reserve unveiled measures to support money-market funds and borrowing as investors worldwide rush to build up dollars and cash.
Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler, along with Honda and Toyota, announced on Wednesday that they would close all of their factories in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The shutdown of Detroit’s Big Three alone will idle about 150,000 workers.
More borders closed, leaving tens of thousands of tourists wondering how they would get home. In the Pacific, Australia and New Zealand shut out tourists, while Fiji reported its first virus case, a worrying development in a region with poor healthcare.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei planned to pardon 10,000 more prisoners — including an unknown number of political detainees— to combat the virus. The country, where more than 1,100 people have already died, previously freed 85,000 prisoners on temporary leave.
In Austria, the province of Tyrol put 279 municipalities under quarantine because of a large number of infections, barring people from leaving towns or villages except to go to work.
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World Depends on China for Face Masks But Can Country Deliver?
Phones have been ringing off the hook lately for Brian Edwards, a sales manager of a small medical supply company in California. And he has to say “No” to all the people who called.Edwards used to buy tens of thousands of facemasks from China. But not in the past three months.His company, the First Choice Industrial Supply Company, has not been able to get any masks from China since the outbreak of coronavirus in late December while the demand is soaring in the U.S.”You can’t get a product. You are not going to get a product for months. ” said Edwards, whose company advertises itself as “If it’s something you use, it’s something we stock”.Edwards said in the interview with Voice of America last Friday that he gets about 50 calls and 50 emails every day from all over the country trying to find masks. But now in the U.S. “no body can get anything”. “The worst you could possibly have.” said Edwards.ShortagesEdwards is at the center of a major problem that the nation faces now: There aren’t enough critical medical supplies, such as facemasks, because China has stopped shipping them to the world.In the fight against the coronavirus, facemasks have become the most visible symbol of the deadly pandemic, worn by millions of people around the globe every day. Various N95 respiration masks at a laboratory of 3M, that has been contracted by the U.S. government to produce extra marks in response to the country’s novel coronavirus outbreak, in Maplewood, Minnesota, U.S., March 4, 2020.In the U.S., officials project the country has just one percent of the 3.5 billion surgical masks and respirators needed to fight the outbreak for a year.Hospitals across the country are now “conserving supplies and allocating with oversight”, said Arika Trim, Associate Director of Media Relation at the American Hospital Association.She said in an email to VOA that hospitals are “grouping patients accordingly as means of preserving personal protective equipment.”Doctors, nurses and other medical staff caring for the growing number of novel coronavirus cases are reportedly making DIY (do-it-yourself) face shields to help deal with the shortage. U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he will be invoking a federal law called “Defense Production Act” to marshal the private sector for the supply shortage. In addition, the White House has asked construction companies to donate their stocks of N95 respirator masks to their local hospitals. The shortage has also prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to loosen its recommendations on the face protection that healthcare workers should use. Instead of recommending using specialized masks known as N95 respirators, which filter out about 95 percent of airborne particles, the CDC now says that looser fitting surgical facemasks “are an acceptable alternative.”“The supply chain of respirators cannot meet demand.” the CDC said Tuesday.A Broken Supply ChainThousands of miles away, among millions of manufacturers on the other end of the supply chain, Cai Mingxian, the owner of a mask factory based in China’s virus epicenter in Hubei province, is trying to get his business restarted.Like many small businesses in China, his factory was devastated during the lockdown and not able to produce anything.Cai’s 150 employees are now back at work making 200,000 masks per day. But he said all of them are being sold to China’s government and none for export. “We previously exported to the U.S., Spain and other parts of Asia,” Cai said. “But at the moment we can’t export anything.”Chinese officials deny they are banning exports. Li Xingqian, director of the foreign trade department at the Ministry of Commerce, said at a press conference last week that it would abide by free trade and market principles. “Masks are freely traded products …companies can trade them in line with market principles.” However, another Chinese official, Chen Hongyan, secretary-general of the Medical Devices Branch of the China Pharmaceutical Materials Association, admitted “key medical supplies such as masks are uniformly managed and allocated by the government”, according to a report published last Wednesday by the official Xinhua news agency.As the virus’s spread escalates all over the world, the government is under growing pressure to share and meet the world’s needs. There are signs recently that China may now be willing to share some of what it has. “China pledges continuous support for its export enterprises in providing face masks and medical supplies to foreign countries, said foreign trade director Li last Thursday.Li’s claim was confirmed by mask factory owner Cai who said he has heard that the regulation prohibiting mask exports is lifted. “Mask export was authorized yesterday” Cai said in the telephone interview last Saturday. “I am following the situation every day.” As part of goodwill packages, the Chinese government has begun some shipments to Iran, South Korea, Japan and Italy. Last week, it said it would send five million masks to South Korea and export two million surgical masks to Italy. FILE – An Indian laborer works at a surgical mask production unit in Ahmadabad, India, Feb. 1, 2020.Production Ramp-UpChina made half the world’s masks before the coronavirus emerged there. The government has been undertaking a massive mobilization of wartime proportions to expand its output since then. Daily production soared from about 10 million before the crisis to 116 million now, according to the latest number released late last month by China’s National Development and Reform Commission.More than 2,500 companies in China have reportedly started making facemasks, among them are some of the country’s powerful state-owned enterprises and technology companies, including iPhone assembler Foxconn.The maker of China’s new J-20 stealth fighter jet, Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group, repurposed part of its factory to design a mask production line, according to local media, The Sichuan Daily’s recent report.BYD Co., a leading Chinese electric-carmaker backed by American investor Warren Buffett is now the world’s biggest facemask maker with the capacity of making 5 million masks a day.The Limits China facesEven with the daily output of masks in China now 116 million, given the sheer size of its population, the country is likely to continue facing shortages.In many parts of China, facemasks are required by local governments to protect against infection in public spaces. A recent report by a leading Chinese financial services firm, Huachuang Securities, says China has 38 million people working in healthcare, transportation, and manufacturing industries. If one person uses one mask per day, China would need 238 million masks every day.Yuan Fajun, the secretary general of the medical materials committee at the China Medical Pharmaceutical Material Association, estimates manufacturers still needed to produce about 230 million surgical masks for its domestic market.In addition, there are some technical limits. The production of sophisticated facemasks like the N95 model requires nonwoven polypropylene, a special fabric that is in short supply. As a result, N95 respirator masks, which help keep health workers safe from contracting the virus through particles released by mucus and cough sputum when they are around infected individuals, has barely increased.The investment in a new production line for such material will cost millions of dollars, and will take two to three months to complete, local media reported.The other bottleneck the country faces is with its mask-making machines. Demand for such machines skyrocketed as hundreds of companies altered their business and have started making masks. For the big companies that are unable to obtain the equipment rapidly enough, they are making their own. A General Motors joint venture in southwestern China and BYD have already built dozens of the machines and are beginning bulk production.But the majority of mask makers, which are small and mid-sized businesses, can only wait. Mask maker Cai said he has placed a back order and machines would come in a month. “I will be making 400,000 masks per day after the machines arrive” Cai said.As for the U.S., the Trump administration is invoking special powers to quickly expand domestic manufacturing of protective masks. But in order to ramp up the production, “They have to build the machine, and that is going to take 6 months.” said Edwards.
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Dutch PM Tells Citizens to Relax, Saying There’s Enough Toilet Paper for 10 Years
The prime minister in the Netherlands has offered reassurances amid the global coronavirus outbreak: telling citizens on Thursday there is no shortage of toilet paper.
“Yes, I have enough,” Mark Rutte told a shopper in an informal exchange while visiting a supermarket to show support for workers. “They have it (on shelves) again.”
“But there’s enough in the whole country for the coming 10 years,” he said. “We can all poop for 10 years.”
Dutch supermarkets shelves have mostly refilled following a stockpiling episode last week.
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ASEAN Summit in Vietnam Postponed Until end-June Over Coronavirus
A summit of Southeast Asian and other international leaders scheduled in Vietnam early next month has been postponed until end-June due to worries about coronavirus, Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has informed leaders of other Southeast Asian countries about the postponement, the ministry said.The 36th summit of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) had been scheduled to take place on April 6-9 in Vietnam, the group’s chair this year.The postponement decision came after Vietnam announced on March 17 that it would introduce mandatory quarantine for all visitors from the United States, Europe and ASEAN countries and suspend the issue of new visas for all foreign nationals.The coronavirus pandemic, which has killed nearly 9,000 people worldwide and infected 76 people in Vietnam as of late Thursday, already forced a meeting between ASEAN and the United States slated for March 14.The ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
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US Aviation Chief to Self-Quarantine for 7 Days
U.S. Federal Aviation Administration chief Steve Dickson told employees that he will self-quarantine at home for seven days after a brief interaction with one of two members of Congress who have tested positive for COVID-19.
Dickson said he is feeling well and said he has not received a test because he is symptom-free.”The smart and constructive thing for me to do is stay home,” Dickson said.Some news outlets on Wednesday published photos of Dickson shaking hands with Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, who has now tested positive, during a congressional hearing last week.
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Amid Challenges, South Sudan Vaccination Drive Tackles Measles
Shejirina Moni sits beside her children in front of their makeshift home in a shanty community in South Sudan’s capital Juba. Six of her children have died of various illnesses. She’s got three left.“The first one died at nine months. Another one died at the age of 10 months. Another one died when he was crawling, about three months,” she tells VOA.Moni’s story highlights a sad fact: Millions of children in South Sudan do not get routine vaccinations. They are vulnerable to preventable illnesses.UNICEF health specialist Dr. Patti Samuel (R) explains the importance of childhood immunizations to a young mother. (Chika Oduah/VOA)While South Sudan is currently free of the coronavirus pandemic alarming the global community, the country is battling a severe measles outbreak, with over 4,700 confirmed cases and 26 deaths since January 2019.
The government of South Sudan has partnered with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and ONE, the anti-poverty campaign co-founded by Irish musician and celebrity-activist Bono, to carry out a nationwide measles vaccination drive that aims to reach 2.5 million children by April.
The campaign launched in February at the only pediatric medical facility in the entire country – Al-Shabbah Children’s Hospital. Situated in the heart of Juba, it provides healthcare to more than 5,000 people monthly, reaching some of the poorest people in the city.Agnes Anjack Alphonse, a UNICEF community health volunteer, tells a little girl that she needs to get vaccinated against measles. (Chika Oduah/VOA)“We need to boost the vaccination coverage to protect children against measles outbreaks,” says Dr. Makur Matur Kariom, the Ministry of Health’s undersecretary. “Unfortunately, in South Sudan routine vaccination coverage against measles remains low at only 59 percent.”Public health specialists recommend coverage not to fall below 90 percent. It’s crucial to maintain that standard for measles, which is highly infectious. With poor coverage, outbreaks reoccur.“[Measles] can cause rashes, eye infection, respiratory infections, diarrhea and even death,” says Dr. Olushayo Olu, the WHO’s South Sudan country representative.One reason why childhood immunization coverage against measles is low in the country is due to the logistical challenges involved in keeping vaccines at near-freezing temperatures. It’s not easy to do in South Sudan – the least electrified country in the world, where temperatures often soar above 40 degrees Celsius.Al-Shabbah Children’s Hospital, the only pediatric medical facility in South Sudan, uses a solar-powdered fridge provided by UNICEF to store vaccines. (Chika Oduah/VOA)Al-Shabbah Hospital uses a solar-powered fridge provided by UNICEF.“We are able to keep these things at the correct temperature in the hospital here. That is the most important thing,” says Dr. Felix Nyungura, the hospital’s executive director. “The public electricity has not yet arrived in our place here. Although in some places it is there. But now we are depending on solar power and electricity from generator. “UNICEF is helping to restore what is known in healthcare terms as the cold-chain system, which was severely disrupted during the civil war that broke out in 2013.“With the conflict, more than 50 percent of the cold chain equipment installed in the country were vandalized and some of them looted,” Dr. Patti Samuel, a UNICEF health specialist, tells VOA. She says UNICEF has installed refrigerators, freezers and generators to run them in about 55 percent of health facilities across the country.Shejirina Moni shows her measles vaccination immunization card for one of her children. Her children were vaccinated against measles in February as part of a nationwide campaign. (Chika Oduah/VOA)South Sudan faces huge developmental challenges as a young nation mired in historic conflict, economic crisis and grappling with rapid population growth.Only one percent of the government’s 2019-2020 fiscal budget has been allocated to healthcare. In 2018, it was two percent.“South Sudan – what are the priorities right now? When your house is on fire, you just want to put out the fire and unfortunately in South Sudan the fire has been burning for so long and some of the basics of development have just not been prioritized,” says Edwin Ikhuoria, ONE’s Africa executive director.He says governments in Africa do not adequately fund healthcare because politicians don’t see it as a “sexy campaign,” compared to other areas like infrastructure.“But If health care is not well invested in, you’re going to lose a lot in human capital,” he says.Eduardo Martins (R) oversees quality assurance operations in South Sudan for Continental Medical Supplies. (Chika Oduah/VOA)ONE tries to convince governments to increase domestic financing for primary health care and pushes for investments that help to end preventable childhood deaths.Another reason immunization coverage is low is because people aren’t informed. That’s where community mobilizers like Agnes Anjack Alphonse come in. Volunteering for UNICEF, she’s on the frontline in the effort to get the word out.“Sometimes I knock on the doors,” she says. “If they did not come and I know that this house has kids, and they did not come, I’ll go knock on the door. ‘Hi, we are doing vaccine, why are you not coming?’ They’ll say, ‘I’m busy.’ I’ll say, ‘can I have your kids and I’ll return them back?’ They’ll say it’s OK.”Making the rounds in her neighborhood, she meets a mother whose daughter has not been vaccinated and gently persuades her to go to a medical facility.The efforts are paying off. So far, the vaccination campaign has reached more than a million children, including Shejirina Mon’s.“I have discovered the importance of vaccination,” she says.She hopes her daughters, Madelina Padi and Maria Yangi, and son Yoanna, will live long, healthy lives.
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US Family-Owned Restaurants Face Possible Ruin Due to Coronavirus Fears
Months before coronavirus fears swept the United States, business was already slow at Mediterranean Breeze, a family-owned Greek restaurant in suburban Washington, D.C. Owner and primary chef Terry Kasotakis, along with general manager Paul Johnson, were optimistic the bottom line would improve once the weather got warmer. “We all were weathering the storm through January and February,” Johnson says. “We were just kind of holding our breath for April because we have a big outdoor section and it’s very popular, and it holds a lot of people.” Last week, business at the Virginia eatery was down 90%. “It was horrid, horrid,” Johnson says. “We’re concerned…Most of us don’t really know where this is all headed.” The operators of Mediterranean Breeze Restaurant in suburban Washington, D.C., hoped business would improve once the weather warmed and patrons could sit in the popular outdoor area.Virginia allows law enforcement to enforce a 10-person limit in restaurants. Several U.S. states have gone further in an effort to stem the spread of coronavirus. The governors of California, Connecticut, Ohio, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Washington state are among those who have ordered restaurants and bars to close their dining rooms, limiting the establishments to carry-out or delivery service. “We ought to be worried about the mom-and-pop type bar [or] restaurant less than we do Disney, which has the resources to muscle through this,” says Ball State University economist Michael Hicks. The U.S. Congress is considering measures that would expand lending to small businesses impacted by coronavirus. Those loans would not make up for financial losses, but they could make it possible for an establishment to stay afloat. “The problem with a small restaurant, if you close, you still have to pay your insurance, you still have to pay an electric bill, you still have to pay rent,” Hicks says. “And so, if you could borrow enough money to make those payments for six weeks, you’re still going to have lost money, right? But you’ll still be able to open, perhaps.” Anwar Halteh owns Waterfront Pizza in Foster City, California, outside of San Francisco. Although he expects to lose 70% of his business, Halteh is optimistic his business can survive, despite being forced to close down his dining areas, which include a scenic outdoor section by the water. “I expect (carry-out) to give us maybe 30% of business, but we cut down our overhead by 80% so we should be able to be okay,” he says. “I let everybody stay home because I don’t need servers to take food to the tables. So, I only keep three people in the whole restaurant cleaning and cooking.” Images from the website of Waterfront Pizza, in Foster City, California, which is adapting to the lack of dine-in customers due to heightened state and local coronavirus restrictions.As a small-business owner, Halteh says he cannot afford to keep paying the employees he doesn’t have any work for. But he is hopeful that things will eventually be back to normal. “I think, after it’s over, everything’s going to be a booming economy,” Halteh says. “I feel optimistic.” Back in Virginia, the folks who run the Mediterranean Breeze can only hope business will soon be back to where it was. “I’m optimistic and hopeful that the virus situation will start to subside in the next five to 10 days, although I know a lot of the professionals are saying that’s not going to be the case,” Johnson says. Terry Kasotakis, owner of Mediterranean Breeze Restaurant in suburban Washington, D.C. (Photo courtesy Paul Johnson)He does not expect the restaurant, which has been in operation for 15 years, to survive more than a month if business does not improve. “The local businesses that aren’t supported by major corporations, the national chains, those are the ones that are really hurt here,” says Johnson, who hopes more people will consider giving their carry-out business to independently owned restaurants like Mediterranean Breeze. “You know, an extra 30 of them (pickup orders) a week might be the difference between that place still being here in six months.”
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Flame Arrival Faces Calls for Tokyo Olympics be Delayed
The Olympic flame is set to arrive in Japan from Greece even as the opening of the Tokyo Games in four months is in doubt with more voices calling for the event to be postponed or canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The flame will touch down Friday aboard a white aircraft painted with the inscription “Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay” along its side, and “Hope Lights Our Way” stenciled near the tail section. Staff members of Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways and runway crew wave as they see off the ‘Tokyo 2020 Go’ aircraft, before it departs for Greece, at Haneda international airport in Tokyo, Japan, March 18, 2020.Everything about the arrival ceremony at the Matsushima air base in northern Japan will be subdued. The flame is to be greeted by a few dignitaries, saluted by a flyover from an aerial acrobatic team — if weather permits — and then used to ignite a cauldron. The burning vessel will be displayed in three northern prefectures before the official relay begins on March 26 from Fukushima prefecture, which was devastated nine years ago by an earthquake, tsunami and the meltdown of three nuclear reactors. Thousands of people from the region are still in temporary housing and life has not returned to normal for many. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hopes to use the Olympics to crown his run as Japan’s longest serving premier, and many suggest he may not be around if the games are put off and the economy slumps. Taro Aso, the Japanese finance minister and former prime minister, characterized the Tokyo Games as the “cursed Olympics” when speaking on Wednesday in a parliamentary committee. Aso was born in 1940, the year Tokyo was to hold its first Olympics, which were called off because of World War II. FILE – Japan’s Finance Minister Taro Aso speaks during a news conference in the sidelines of the World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings in Washington, Oct. 18, 2019.”This isn’t a phrase that the press could like to hear, but it’s true,” said Aso, who was a member of Japan’s shooting team at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Aso pointed out that even as the situation in Japan and Asia improves, it’s worse globally. “We certainly hope to have a situation where everyone can at least come to Japan feeling safe and happy.” Aso said. “But the question is how we do that. It is something that Japan alone cannot achieve, and I don’t have an answer to this.” Getting the flame to Japan represents a small victory for the International Olympic Committee and local organizers, who maintain the Olympics will open as scheduled on July 24 and be followed by the Paralympics on Aug. 25. Even if they don’t, the burning flame could be used as a symbol — particularly if the games are eventually delayed — and a rallying point for the Japanese public. In a conference call on Wednesday, IOC president Thomas Bach got support for holding course, but is also getting push back from athletes who can’t train, are confused about the qualification process, and worry about their health. Critics are also complaining about the unfairness of qualifying, which might give some athletes advantages over others. An IOC member, four-time Olympic hockey gold medalist Hayley Wickenheiser, has broken publicly with Bach. “I think the IOC insisting this will move ahead, with such conviction, is insensitive and irresponsible given the state of humanity,” said Wickenheiser, who is training to be a physician. “Keep them safe. Call it off,” Matthew Pinsent, a four-time Olympic champion rower and former IOC member, wrote on Twitter. The four-month torch relay could be fraught with problems, particularly for sponsors Coca-Cola and Toyota, which have invested millions for the publicity. The torch relay tradition dates from Adolph Hitler’s 1936 Berlin Olympics. Greek actress Xanthi Georgiou, center, lights the torch of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, held by Greek shooting Olympic champion Anna Korakaki, left, during the flame lighting ceremony at the closed Ancient Olympia site in southern Greece.The torch relay in Greece, following the symbolic lighting on March 12, was stopped during the second day and did not resume because of large crowds. The flame was handed over, by proxy, to Tokyo organizers in Athens on Thursday in a bare-bones version of the usual elaborate ceremony in the stadium where the first modern games were staged in 1896. The 80,000-seat marble stadium was empty apart from a handful of officials and participants. The Japanese delegation was absent because of travel restrictions and Tokyo organizing committee president Yoshiro Mori delivered a speech by video from Japan. But his message was upbeat. “Tokyo 2020 commits to be in readiness for the games as planned,” Mori said. “I hereby pledge that on 24 July this flame will be lit at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo.” Tokyo organizers have stripped most of the festivities from the relay, and have asked roadside crowds to be “restrained” and keep their distance from others. If that does not happen, organizers say they could stop the relay, or delay it.
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