Tuesday,  May 12th, 2020

At least five COVID-19 patients in a hospital in Vyborgsky District, St. Petersburg, Russia, die after a ventilator caught fire in the intensive care ward they are treated in. (DW)

House Democrats unveil new $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill House Democrats on Tuesday unveiled a new coronavirus relief bill totaling $3 trillion, planning for a vote later this week. The new legislation, called the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act, includes $500 billion for state governments, $375 billion for local governments, $20 billion for tribal relief, $10 billion for small businesses, $25 billion for the postal service, and more. Additionally, the bill includes another round of $1,200 direct payments to individuals. Politico notes, however, that Democrats acknowledge this new bill announced Tuesday “is more of a talking point than legislation that they expect to become law.” If it were to pass, CNN notes it would be the new largest relief package ever in U.S. history. Source: Politico

Fauci warns Senate of ‘needless’ death if U.S. opens up too quickly Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned the Senate heath committee on Tuesday that if the U.S. reopens too fast, Americans will experience “needless suffering and death,” The New York Times reports. Fauci and three other top government doctors testified remotely. In an email sent late Monday night, Fauci wrote that the “major message” he hopes to convey to the committee is “if we skip over the checkpoints in the guidelines to ‘Open America Again,’ then we risk the danger of multiple outbreaks throughout the country. This will not only result in needless suffering and death, but would actually set us back on our quest to return to normal.” Source: The New York Times

Some California shutdown measures to extend through the fall While California’s coronavirus infection and death rates appear to have stabilized overall, cases continue to rise in some parts of the state, prompting officials to prepare to extend lockdown measures. Los Angeles County is expected to put a hold on loosening restrictions through July, although changes that have already been planned — like opening beaches — will remain in place. Meanwhile, Timothy White, the chancellor of the state’s largest university system, California State University, said its 23 campuses would remain closed for the fall semester, with instruction taking place online once again. White did say there could be some exceptions for the nursing program and some essential science labs if health and safety precautions permit. More than 480,000 students are enrolled in the university system. Source: The Los Angeles Times

Shanghai Disneyland reopens with new social distancing rules. (The Guardian)

Tesla, Inc. CEO Elon Musk announces he will reopen the Tesla Factory in Fremont, California, United States, in defiance of an Alameda County shutdown order. Governor Gavin Newsom voiced his support for the reopening of the factory. (CNN)

New coronavirus clusters are reported in Wuhan—where the virus first emerged—and the north-eastern province of Jilin, after confirming its first case since April 3. (BBC)

Malaysian authorities detains hundreds of foreign workers in a major raid in areas around the Kuala Lumpur Wholesale Market. It is the second major raid on the country’s biggest wholesale wet market by the authorities amid the movement control order. (The Strait Times)

 

The End