Thursday,  May 14th, 2020

Poland extends its ban on foreigners entering the country until June 12 due to COVID-19. (Reuters)

Due to a spike in cases, the government announces a total lockdown in Santiago. (The New York Times)

New York City goes 58 consecutive days without a fatal pedestrian traffic collision, the most since tracking began in 1983. (ABC News)

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announces that the stay-at-home order will be lifted on May 15, except for Prince George’s and Montgomery counties. Groups of over ten will remain forbidden. (The Hill)

Wisconsin Supreme Court strikes down governor’s stay-at-home order The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Wednesday evening struck down the stay-at-home order implemented by Gov. Tony Evers (D) to slow down the spread of the coronavirus. GOP lawmakers filed the suit, claiming that Evers’ administration overstepped its authority when it extended the order to May 26. In a 4-3 decision, the court ruled the order was “unenforceable” and “unlawful.” The court is controlled by conservatives, but one did side with the court’s two liberal justices to dissent. Now Evers, who has allowed the lifting of some restrictions, and the Republican-controlled state Legislature must work together to form a reopening plan. As of Wednesday, there are 10,902 confirmed coronavirus cases in the state, with 421 deaths. Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Ousted official to warn of risk of ‘unprecedented illness and fatalities’ Dr. Rick Bright, the federal official who was allegedly ousted while leading coronavirus vaccine development, reportedly plans to warn Congress that the United States is on the precipice of the “darkest winter in modern history.” Bright, who filed a whistleblower complaint regarding his removal, will testify before Congress on Thursday. “If we fail to develop a national coordinated response based in science, I fear the pandemic will get far worse and be prolonged, causing unprecedented illness and fatalities,” his statement reads. Bright warns of the dangers of states reopening too soon. The Office of Special Council has found “reasonable grounds” to believe Bright’s ouster was retaliatory. A spokesperson for HHS says the department “strongly disagrees” with his allegations. Source: CNN

Fed chair describes economic downturn ‘without modern precedent’ Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Wednesday said “the reversal of economic fortune” brought on by the coronavirus pandemic over the last two months in the United States “has caused a level of pain that is hard to capture in words.” In the same address, Powell said the Fed is releasing a survey Thursday which found that among people who were working in February, nearly 40 percent of those in households making less than $40,000 per year lost a job in March. All told, Powell said, “the scope and speed of this downturn are without modern precedent, significantly worse than any recession since World War II.” He also warned that the pandemic could leave lasting economic damage. Source: Federal Reserve

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Wednesday,  May 13th, 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)

Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov is hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19. (AP)

Brazil’s Ministry of Health reports 881 more deaths from COVID-19, the highest daily death toll in the country to date, bringing the country’s death toll to 12,400 and 177,589 total cases. (BBC)

China suspends imports of beef from four Australian abattoirs, saying that its customs agency “continuously” found violations of inspection and quarantine requirements. Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian says the suspension comes to “ensure the safety and health of Chinese consumers”. This comes after the Australian government last month called for an independent inquiry into the origins of the novel coronavirus. (Reuters)

The End Wednesday

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