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New York Has Most Deaths in a Day, Italy Has Fewer: Virus Update
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New York State recorded its most deaths in a single day while Italy, the nation with most fatalities, had the fewest since March 26. Spain plans to extend its lockdown.
U.S. deaths rose to more than 7,500, and the global tally exceeds 62,000. Dubai halted metro services and expanded limits on movement. A quarter of French workers now get jobless benefits.
The president is set to brief the nation at 4 p.m. Washington time. The big question remains:When, and how, will this end?
32,133 in U.S.Most new cases today
-26% Change in MSCI World Index of global stocks since Wuhan lockdown, Jan. 23
-1.138 Change in U.S. treasury bond yield since Wuhan lockdown, Jan. 23
Key Developments:
Globalcases near 1.2 million; deaths exceed 62,000: Johns Hopkins
Bread lines are forming in Mar-a-Lago’sshadow
The virus isdestroying jobs around the world
Sports leaguestalk with Trump
Landlords in peril asretailers withhold rent
Cruise ships, linked to the early spread, arestill sailing
The maker ofPurell gets tariff exclusions
Sports Leaders Talk With Trump (3 p.m. NY)
President Donald Trump held a conference call with the commissioners of professional baseball, basketball, football and hockey leagues as the groups race to reschedule games and tournaments canceled or delayed by the pandemic.
Both men’s and women’s golf tours, IndyCar, Major League Soccer and professional wrestling also participated, the White House said. The call didn’t include an official from the NCAA, the nonprofit organization that regulates college athletics.
Trump encouraged them to continue to support Americans “during this challenging time,” spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement.
Nigeria Plans Crisis Fund (2:45 p.m. NY)
Nigeria’s finance minister asked the National Assembly to approve a 500 billion naira ($1.2 billion) Covid-19 crisis fund during a meeting Saturday with Senate President Ahmad Lawan and House Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila.
Africa’s top oil producer will create the fund taking money from various special government accounts, the minister told the lawmakers. Nigeria has 209 cases and four deaths, according to Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
Boris Johnson’s Fiancee Tweets on Virus (2:15 p.m. NY)
Carrie Symonds, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s pregnant fiancee,tweeted that she “spent the past week in bed with the main symptoms of coronavirus.” She said that she hasn’t “needed to be tested” and that after resting, she’s “on the mend.”
The premier tested positive for Covid-19 more than a week ago.
New York’s Deadliest Day (2 p.m. NY)
New York, the worst-hit U.S. state, recorded the biggest daily death toll yet, adding 630 fatalities for a total of 3,565, Governor Andrew Cuomo said. One thousand ventilators are due to arrive from China on Saturday. “This is a big deal and it’s going to make a significant difference for us,” Cuomo said. Oregon donated another 140. “We’re not at the apex,” Cuomo told reporters. New York City’s total rose to 63,306 cases and 2,624 deaths.
Read the full storyhere.
Trudeau Plans Trump Call Amid Spat (1 p.m. NY)
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he will speak to Donald Trump soon as the U.S. president escalates a battle with allies and3M Co. over exports of medical equipment and N95 masks. Trudeau said he wasn’t looking to retaliate or limit exports to the U.S. but will note that Canada also sends key equipment across the border.
“In terms of gloves and other types of equipment and test kits, the fact is we’ve supplied that equipment to the United States,” Trudeau said at a news conference. It would hurt both countries to interrupt those supplies, Trudeau said.
Read storyhere.
Italy’s Daily Deaths Lowest Since March 26 (1:10 p.m. NY)
Italy reported 681 coronavirus deaths on Saturday, including a police officer in Premier Giuseppe Conte’s security team. Authorities warned that a return to normalcy remains distant. The daily toll was the lowest since March 26 and fell from 766 on Friday, according to civil protection data. There were 4,805 new cases, an increase from 4,585 a day earlier.
While efforts to contain the virus have started bearing fruit, “It’s way too early to think the battle is won,” according to emergency response czar Domenico Arcuri.
Read the full storyhere
Dubai Extends Restrictions to 24 Hours (1:05 p.m. NY)
Dubai imposed further restrictions on the movement of people and halted metro services as the Middle East’s business hub seeks to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
A program to clear the streets will be extended to 24 hours for two weeks from Saturday, Dubai’s media office said by tweet. Supermarkets, pharmacies and food delivery services will operate, it said. Violators could face legal action, it said.
Dubai will suspend metro and tram services from Sunday until further notice, Gulf News reported earlier. The Gulf nation has 1,505 cases so far, with 241 added on Saturday.
U.K. Has ‘Reasons to Be Hopeful’ (12:30 p.m. NY)
The measures put in place by the U.K. to fight the virus are providing “reasons to be hopeful,” NHS England Medical Director Stephen Powis said at a press briefing. Existing lockdown procedures will be reviewed next weekend, as the government previously announced, and financial assistance to help people and companies are constantly under review, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said.
Greece Extends Lockdown (12:30 p.m. NY)
Greece is extending its national lockdown, with restrictions on movement, until early April 27, Deputy Citizen Protection Minister Nikos Chardalias said. The country introduced a total lockdown on March 22 after moving quickly to put in place restrictions following the first confirmed case on Feb. 26. Greece so far has 1,673 cases and 68 deaths.
A Quarter of French Workers on Benefits (11:30 a.m. NY)
French Labor Minister Muriel Penicaud said on BFM TV that 5 million workers, about a quarter of the nation’s people on payrolls, have been granted temporary unemployment benefits, a system put in place to help companies reduce operations without laying off staff.
NYC Seeks U.S. Doctors, Nurses (11 a.m. NY)
Mayor Bill de Blasio repeated calls for a national system to help move doctors and nurses from other states to areas with high need, saying the weeks ahead will be New York City’s “the toughest time.”
“This is going to be a reality where you are going to have many cities and states simultaneously in crisis, needing health care professionals, needing ventilators,” de Blasio said on MSNBC, adding that the thinning ranks of health care workers was the city’s biggest challenge.
The city on Friday sent an emergency mobile alert pleading for licensed health-care workers to volunteer at its hospitals. The mayor said the city needs 45,000 more medical personnel through April and May. “We need as many health workers as possible right here, right now,” he said.
Egypt National Projects Postponed (11:15 a.m. NY)
Egypt delayed the start of large national projects including the Grand Egyptian Museum and Museum of Egyptian Civilization, and postponed to 2021 moving the country’s administrative capital city due to the pandemic.
Poland Weighs Easter Restrictions (10 a.m. NY)
Poland is considering further restrictions ahead of the Easter holiday to keep the coronavirus from spreading via traditionalfamily visits, Health Minister Lukasz Szumowski said.
Poles have been under a lockdown for three weeks. While the government previously predicted a peak in the outbreak by mid-April, crediting its early restrictions, Szumowski said it’s now expected to keep growing over the coming weeks.
Singapore Has Another 75 Cases (9:55 a.m. NY)
Singapore’s Ministry of Health confirmed an additional 75 cases of Covid-19 infection, of which six are imported and 69 are local cases who have no recent travel history abroad.
Spain Plans to Extend Lockdown (9:14 a.m. NY)
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced plans to extend the country’s lockdown by two weeks until April 25. “I understand it’s difficult to extend the effort and sacrifice two more weeks,” Sanchez said in a televised speech. “These are very difficult days for everyone.” A longer lockdown would be subject to cabinet and legislative approval.
U.K. Deaths Increase (9:02 a.m. NY)
The U.K. reported its deadliest day yet, with an increase of 708 coronavirus deaths, bringing the total to 4,313. According to the Department of Health and Social Care, 41,903 people have tested positive for the virus.
Keir Starmer, newly elected as leader of Britain’s oppositionLabour Party, said he would have the “courage” to back Prime Minister Boris Johnson where necessary in the national interest to defeat the coronavirus pandemic, while holding him accountable for mistakes.
Hungary Funds Crisis Measures (7 a.m. NY)
Hungary’s government announced cuts to political party finances and pledgedtax increases for banks and retail chains as part of efforts to fund crisis measures. The steps are the latest in contentious measure that have seen Prime Minister Viktor Orbanassume powers to rule by decree indefinitely.
The cabinet will announce a major economic policy plan amounting to 18-22% of GDP on Tuesday, Gergely Gulyas, the minister in charge of the premier’s office said Saturday. The central bank will also announce measures of its own that day, he said.
Herd Immunity Could Take Years (6:39 a.m. NY)
Herd immunity against the coronavirus may take years to develop, Jaap Goudsmit, adjunct professor of epidemiology and infectious diseases at Harvard, said in an interview with Dutch daily De Telegraaf.
The number of deaths in the Netherlands rose by 164, or 11%, to 1,651, according to a daily update from the RIVM National Institute for Public Health and the Environment. The tally of confirmed virus cases increased by 6% to 16,627, slightly below the growth rate seen in the beginning of the week. The amount of people hospitalized with the virus rose by 336 to 6,622.
— With assistance by Steve Geimann, Paul Tugwell, Shaji Mathew, Fred Pals, Marton Eder, Macarena Munoz Montijano, and Ruth Olurounbi