Sunday,  May 17th, 2020

https://www.theweek.com/articles/914427/almost-time-pandemic-apologies

https://www.ibtimes.com/covid-19-testing-breakthrough-new-coronavirus-antibody-test-found-be-100-accurate-2976029

Air Canada announces it will lay off 20,000 employees starting June 7. (The Associated Press)

House passes $3 trillion coronavirus relief package  The House on Friday passed a $3 trillion coronavirus relief package by a vote of 208-199. The Democrat-crafted HEROES Act will now head to the Senate, where — along with the White House — it is expected to face opposition. The bill includes, among other things, nearly $1 trillion in aid to state and local governments, extending unemployment benefits expansion until January 2021, and another round of $1,200 to individual Americans. The bill wasn’t looked upon favorably by all Democrats. Some centrists were concerned that it had no chance of becoming law, while others in the progressive wing felt the package failed “to match the scale” of the crisis. In the end, though, only 14 Democrats voted against the bill, allowing it to advance. Source: NBC News

Italy to allow international, regional travel in June  The Italian government approved a decree Saturday which will allow travel to and from abroad beginning on June 3. The move is the latest development in the country’s emergence from one of the world’s stricter coronavirus lockdowns. Italy’s 31,600 COVID-19 deaths since the outbreak began in February is the third-highest total in the world after the United States and the United Kingdom, but its infection rate has declined steadily. The decree also allows for travel between regions on the same day. All sectors of the economy that might still be shuttered at the time will be allowed to re-open as long as they follow safety protocols. Source: Reuters

Bundesliga becomes the first major sports league to resume its season since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. (NBC News)

Amid growing disillusionment with Puerto Rico’s territorial status, Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced announces a referendum in November to decide whether Puerto Rico should be made a U.S. state. (The Associated Press)

The End