“Assume Everyone Is Infected”: US & Europe Wake Up To World In Lockdown As Death Toll Rises: Live Updates

“Assume Everyone Is Infected”: US & Europe Wake Up To World In Lockdown As Death Toll Rises: Live Updates

Those who spent their weekend on one last bar crawl may not have noticed that millions of people are waking up to a fundamentally different situation on Monday than they saw on Friday. In the US, more than one million students in NYC schools – including ~100,000 homeless students with no regular access to shelter or hot meals – are waking up to the first of many school-free days. Some of their parents are scrambling to find childcare, others, left at home because of the mass closures of restaurants, gyms (just in LA), concert venues, nightclubs, cafes, plus myriad other closures, are desperately hoping that government check lands soon.

In Italy, Italians are heading into a second week of nationwide lockdown, while citizens in Spain and France are facing these measures for the first time.

In Washington’s King County, Executive Director Dow Constantine said late Sunday night that “it’s time, right now, for people to assume that they and everyone they meet is infected.”

In the Philippines, which acted early to bar visitors from China, infections have repeatedly doubled over the past week, leading the government on Sunday to prepare to lock down the entire island of Luzon, according to the Rappler.

President Duterte said earlier that his ultimate goal with the country’s virus-containment measures is to “save ourselves from ourselves”.

In some places, neighborhoods are banding together to coordinate child care…though in other communities, dangerous levels of hoarding continue.

In China, the government is expanding its crack down on foreign arrivals by threatening to “probe and punish” anyone who violates rules on mandatory 14-day quarantines for foreign travelers arriving in the country, especially “those who plan to lie about whether or not thy are infected,” according to a Bloomberg report.

The global outbreak reached a grim milestone on Sunday: the number of coronavirus cases confirmed outside China has now surpassed the mainland total. Last night, China’s NHC reported 16 new confirmed cases, extending their streak of near-zero infection figures into its second week. Though few ever trusted the Chinese data, there’s now little doubt that the outbreak that originated in the city of Wuhan is now mostly under control.

Nearby in Australia, the conservative government led by PM Scott Morrison is considering a second round of economic stimulus, Reuters reports, as Canberra accelerats efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus that has now killed five people in the country.

The situation in Australia is especially concerning, because, as Harvard epidemiologist Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding reports:

Back in the US, after several governors on the east coast joined in the national emergency, closing schools etc., VP Pence and the rest of the White House coronavirus response team again promised to have testing on-line and paid for by the end of the week, with millions of tests and up to 2,000 labs across the country expected to come online this week, now that the CDC has revised its strict standards that allegedly surrounded the testing process with red tape. After Trump tested negative on Sunday, the media was quick to lash out at him again after he said that the virus is “something we have tremendous control of” during last night’s press conference.

Five governors have now closed bars and restaurants, including California, and mayors in Nashville and New Orleans announced restrictions in those cities, too, with more cities expected to join in the coming days. In Las Vegas, Wynn Resorts and MGM closed their casinos. Casinos in Massachusetts also closed over the weekend. At this point, more than 30 US states have closed schools, with many not set to reopen for at least two weeks, with schools in NYC closed until April 20.

Before we go, here are a few quick updates on the state of the epidemic around the world.

Canada:

The US:

The Americas:

 Europe:

In Africa, more cases are beginning to crop up as South Africa, which reported its first case last week, begins the process of closing its borders with several neighboring states.

Brazil reports 79 new cases of coronavirus, 200 cases in total, with 136 cases in Sao Paulo alone. Offering another jarring stat, one twitter user pointed out that 50% of coronavirus patients in intensive care in the Netherlands, which has like many other European countries seen cases spike last week, are younger than 50. In Bavaria, the hardest-hit German state, the governor has also closed schools and bars. The government of Ireland has shut pubs across the country (just in time for St. Paddy’s Day).

On Monday, Iran reported 1,053 new cases of coronavirus and 129 new deaths, bringing its total case load to 14,991, and the ‘official’ death toll to 853.

And finally, we’d like to leave off with a bit of levity.


Tyler Durden

Mon, 03/16/2020 – 07:11

via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/2IOukdN Tyler Durden

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