npr--2020-02-22--Sanders Projected To Win Nevada Caucuses, Solidifying Front-Runner Status

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has won the Nevada caucuses , according to an Associated Press projection .
The win gives Sanders victories in two of the first three states to weigh in on the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination .
His other win was in New Hampshire , and he also ended in a near-tie atop the still-muddled Iowa caucuses .
`` In Nevada , we have just put together a multigenerational , multiracial coalition , which is going to not only win in Nevada , it 's going to sweep this country , '' Sanders boasted at a rally in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news outlets reported his caucus win .
Sanders now has the clear momentum , and an inside edge among the crowded field of candidates , going into a critical stretch where the bulk of delegates will be awarded .
It 's a remarkable position for a longtime political outsider who still has not officially joined the Democratic Party .
At a different campaign event in Texas earlier in the day , Sanders made a point to respond to critics of the central policy proposal driving his candidacy — `` Medicare for All .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ care is not a radical idea ! ''
Sanders insisted .
Pete Buttigieg , the former mayor of South Bend , Ind.
, congratulated Sanders on his win on Saturday but warned Democrats at an event in Las Vegas about what Sanders ' candidacy could mean for the party 's prospects in congressional races .
`` The only way to truly deliver any of the progressive changes we care about is to be a nominee who actually gives a damn about the effect you are having from the top of the ticket '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enact policy changes on health care and immigration , he said .
Buttigieg finished second to Sanders in the New Hampshire primary and virtually tied him in Iowa , where the caucus results are still not final .
`` We can prioritize either ideological purity or inclusive victory .
We can either call people names online or we can call them into our movement .
We can either tighten a narrow and hardcore base or open the tent to a new , broad , big-hearted American coalition , '' Buttigieg argued .
While @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Carolina , which holds its primary next Saturday , his campaign is more focused on Super Tuesday ( March 3 ) , as evidenced by the fact that Sanders spent more time campaigning in California and Texas than in Nevada in recent days .
The campaign is betting that the momentum earned by its sustained stretch of early victories , combined with its massive financial war chest funded by small-dollar donations , will give Sanders the edge on a day when about a third of all delegates will be awarded .
Former Vice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Nevada before Sanders was projected as the winner Saturday evening , proclaimed he still had time to shake up the primary race with a win in the next contest .
Early results showed him running a distant second to Sanders .
`` The press is ready to declare people dead quickly , but we 're alive and we 're coming back and we 're going to win , '' Biden said , adding , `` We 're going to win in South Carolina .
Then Super Tuesday , and we are on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sanders ' national co-chair , told NPR that the campaign was n't ceding the next primary to any other candidate .
`` We 're running in South Carolina to win , '' she said .

Sanders Projected To Win Nevada Caucuses, Solidifying Front-Runner Status
Enlarge this image toggle caption Patrick Semansky/AP Patrick Semansky/AP
Updated at 8:48 p.m. ET
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has won the Nevada caucuses, according to an Associated Press projection.
The win gives Sanders victories in two of the first three states to weigh in on the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. His other win was in New Hampshire, and he also ended in a near-tie atop the still-muddled Iowa caucuses.
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"In Nevada, we have just put together a multigenerational, multiracial coalition, which is going to not only win in Nevada, it's going to sweep this country," Sanders boasted at a rally in San Antonio, Texas, shortly after news outlets reported his caucus win.
Sanders now has the clear momentum, and an inside edge among the crowded field of candidates, going into a critical stretch where the bulk of delegates will be awarded. It's a remarkable position for a longtime political outsider who still has not officially joined the Democratic Party.
At a different campaign event in Texas earlier in the day, Sanders made a point to respond to critics of the central policy proposal driving his candidacy — "Medicare for All."
"The idea of universal health care is not a radical idea!" Sanders insisted.
Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., congratulated Sanders on his win on Saturday but warned Democrats at an event in Las Vegas about what Sanders' candidacy could mean for the party's prospects in congressional races.
"The only way to truly deliver any of the progressive changes we care about is to be a nominee who actually gives a damn about the effect you are having from the top of the ticket" on House and Senate candidates who can enact policy changes on health care and immigration, he said.
Buttigieg finished second to Sanders in the New Hampshire primary and virtually tied him in Iowa, where the caucus results are still not final.
"We can prioritize either ideological purity or inclusive victory. We can either call people names online or we can call them into our movement. We can either tighten a narrow and hardcore base or open the tent to a new, broad, big-hearted American coalition," Buttigieg argued.
While Sanders will head to events in South Carolina, which holds its primary next Saturday, his campaign is more focused on Super Tuesday (March 3), as evidenced by the fact that Sanders spent more time campaigning in California and Texas than in Nevada in recent days.
The campaign is betting that the momentum earned by its sustained stretch of early victories, combined with its massive financial war chest funded by small-dollar donations, will give Sanders the edge on a day when about a third of all delegates will be awarded.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, speaking to supporters in Nevada before Sanders was projected as the winner Saturday evening, proclaimed he still had time to shake up the primary race with a win in the next contest. Early results showed him running a distant second to Sanders.
"The press is ready to declare people dead quickly, but we're alive and we're coming back and we're going to win," Biden said, adding, "We're going to win in South Carolina. Then Super Tuesday, and we are on our way."
Nina Turner, Sanders' national co-chair, told NPR that the campaign wasn't ceding the next primary to any other candidate.
"We're running in South Carolina to win," she said.


npr--2020-02-22--Coronavirus Cases Spike In South Korea; WHO Keeps Eye On Africa, Iran

Coronavirus Cases Spike In South Korea ; WHO Keeps Eye On Africa , Iran Updated at 6:02 a.m .
ET , Feb. 23 The number of new coronavirus cases in South Korea had a major spike over the weekend .
By Sunday , Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the total number of confirmed cases in the country rose to 556 .
As of Tuesday , the number of confirmed cases was just 31 .
Many of the new patients were located in or near Daegu , South Korea 's fourth-largest city , where dozens of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Shincheonji Church of Jesus have shown symptoms of respiratory illness .
The church , which has about 150,000 adherents , says it has shared with authorities the names of members who may have been exposed to the virus , and it is encouraging them to enter quarantine .
Meanwhile , in the nearby city of Gumi , Samsung said it is shutting down a mobile device factory after confirming a case of the coronavirus at the facility .
The Korean electronics giant said it is shuttering the factory at least through the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ colleagues who came in contact with the infected employee in self-quarantine and taken steps to have them tested for possible infection , '' the company said in a statement released Saturday .
At least four patients in South Korea have died from the disease now known as COVID-19 , while at least 18 have recovered and been released from care .
Thousands more are still undergoing testing for the respiratory disease .
A few of the cases include South Korean nationals who recently traveled to Israel and the West Bank , NPR 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas have asked anyone who came in contact with the tourists to quarantine themselves for two weeks .
Also , Israel is refusing entry to foreign visitors who have been in Thailand , Singapore , China , Hong Kong and Macau in the last 14 days .
All told , there have been nearly 79,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus worldwide , more than 2,400 of which have ended in a patient 's death .
The vast majority of those cases so far have been reported in mainland China , where the outbreak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wuhan — though the number of new confirmed cases there reportedly has been declining recently .
But the virus has not stopped at the Chinese border , Japan has seen recent leaps in cases of its own .
And health officials are anxiously watching the numbers swell in countries even farther afield .
`` The increasing signs of transmission outside China show that the window of opportunity we have for containing this virus is narrowing , '' Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus , the director-general of the World Health Organization , told a news conference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , are `` the number of cases with no clear epidemiological link , such as travel history to China or contact with a confirmed case . ''
He described as especially worrisome the disease 's spread in Iran , where the AP reports at least 43 cases as of Sunday .
He said the WHO has sent testing kits to Iran .
And though just one confirmed case has been reported in Africa — in Egypt , specifically — Tedros warned that because of the robust trading relationship between China and some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should be preparing for its arrival before long .
`` Our biggest concern continues to be the potential for COVID-19 to spread in countries with weak health systems , '' he said .
`` We know a little bit more about this virus and the disease it causes .
We know that more than 80 % of patients have mild disease and will recover , but the other 20 % of patients have severe or critical disease , ranging from shortness of breath to septic shock and multi-organ failure , '' said Tedros @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , using equipment such as respiratory support machines that are , as you know , in short supply in many African countries . ''

Coronavirus Cases Spike In South Korea; WHO Keeps Eye On Africa, Iran, Italy
Enlarge this image toggle caption Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
Updated at 12:23 p.m. ET, Feb. 25
The number of new coronavirus cases in South Korea had a major spike over the weekend.
By Sunday, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the total number of confirmed cases in the country rose to 556.
As of Tuesday, the number of confirmed cases was just 31.
Many of the new patients were located in or near Daegu, South Korea's fourth-largest city, where dozens of people linked with a Christian sect known as the Shincheonji Church of Jesus have shown symptoms of respiratory illness. The church, which has about 150,000 adherents, says it has shared with authorities the names of members who may have been exposed to the virus, and it is encouraging them to enter quarantine.
Meanwhile, in the nearby city of Gumi, Samsung said it is shutting down a mobile device factory after confirming a case of the coronavirus at the facility. The Korean electronics giant said it is shuttering the factory at least through the weekend.
"The company has placed colleagues who came in contact with the infected employee in self-quarantine and taken steps to have them tested for possible infection," the company said in a statement released Saturday.
At least four patients in South Korea have died from the disease now known as COVID-19, while at least 18 have recovered and been released from care. Thousands more are still undergoing testing for the respiratory disease.
A few of the cases include South Korean nationals who recently traveled to Israel and the West Bank, NPR's Daniel Estrin reports. Officials in those areas have asked anyone who came in contact with the tourists to quarantine themselves for two weeks.
Also, Israel is refusing entry to foreign visitors who have been in Thailand, Singapore, China, Hong Kong and Macau in the last 14 days.
All told, there have been nearly 79,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus worldwide, more than 2,400 of which have ended in a patient's death. The vast majority of those cases so far have been reported in mainland China, where the outbreak has its roots in the city of Wuhan — though the number of new confirmed cases there reportedly has been declining recently.
But the virus has not stopped at the Chinese border, Japan has seen recent leaps in cases of its own. And health officials are anxiously watching the numbers swell in countries even farther afield.
In Europe, the virus has spread in Italy, which now reports 229 cases and 6 fatalities. Austria, Croatia and Switzerland have also reported their first cases.
"The increasing signs of transmission outside China show that the window of opportunity we have for containing this virus is narrowing," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization, told a news conference Saturday.
Of particular concern, he said, are "the number of cases with no clear epidemiological link, such as travel history to China or contact with a confirmed case." He described as especially worrisome the disease's spread in Iran, where there are 61 cases as of Tuesday and 12 fatalities.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images
He said that WHO has sent testing kits to Iran. And though just one confirmed case has been reported in Africa — in Egypt, specifically — Tedros warned that because of the robust trading relationship between China and some countries on the continent, health officials should be preparing for its arrival before long.
"Our biggest concern continues to be the potential for COVID-19 to spread in countries with weak health systems," he said.
"We know a little bit more about this virus and the disease it causes. We know that more than 80% of patients have mild disease and will recover, but the other 20% of patients have severe or critical disease, ranging from shortness of breath to septic shock and multi-organ failure," said Tedros.
"These patients require intensive care, using equipment such as respiratory support machines that are, as you know, in short supply in many African countries."


npr--2020-02-23--Daredevil 'Mad' Mike Hughes Killed In Crash Of Homemade Rocket

The daredevil `` Mad '' Mike Hughes was killed in a rocket launch gone wrong Saturday in Barstow , Calif. , two witnesses to the accident confirmed .
He was 64 .
It was the third launch for Hughes in one of his homemade rockets and part of his eventual plan to be able to determine for himself , up in the sky , if the Earth was as flat as he proclaimed to believe .
A steel ladder was attached to the rocket 's launch ramp to make it easier for Hughes to enter the rocket 's cockpit .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ended up hitting the ladder and setting the launch on course for disaster .
`` It ripped off a parachute can , which deployed the parachute , which got caught in the thrust of the rocket and kind of took the rocket off course a little bit , '' said Justin Chapman , a freelance journalist who was at the launch site .
The steam-powered rocket wobbled and did a huge arc before crashing less than a minute later .
`` He went way up in the sky , '' Chapman said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But his goal was 5,000 feet .
Then it did an arc and then came straight down and nose-dived into the desert floor about half a mile away from the launch pad . ''
The San Bernardino County Sheriff 's Department said deputies were called at 1:52 p.m. Saturday to a private property off of Highway 247 in Barstow and pronounced a man deceased `` after the rocket crashed in the open desert during a rocket launch event . ''
`` We do n't know what happened , '' said Waldo Stakes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's been involved in the launches and was at the scene .
Stakes says the rocket landed nearly a mile away from the launch site .
There were about 50 to 60 people on hand for the event , including a crew from the Science Channel , which was documenting Hughes ' launch as part of a series on homemade astronauts .
Hughes previously launched in March 2018 , when he soared roughly 1,875 feet in the air in the Mojave Desert before parachutes deployed and guided the rocket back to the ground @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time , telling The Associated Press he had pain in his back , but was glad to not have `` chickened out . ''
Hughes also launched in Winkelman , Ariz. , in 2014 , traveling 1,374 feet , according to the AP .
Previous to taking up rocketry , Hughes was a stuntman who jumped limousines .
He holds the record for the longest limousine ramp jump , according to Guinness World Records .
Hughes jumped a 6,500-pound Lincoln Town Car stretched limo 103 feet at Perris Auto Speedway in 2002 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Snake River Canyon jump that Evel Knievel tried years ago , '' Chapman said .
`` And I think that ultimately did n't come together .
But he did just jump limos over big distances and then moved on to building his own rockets and launching himself that way . ''
Chapman , who has been writing a lengthy profile of Hughes , said the steam-powered rocket launches were n't intended to actually lend credence to Hughes ' noted flat-Earth beliefs .
They were a short-term step to get publicity and funding for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' — part rocket , part balloon `` that would take him up about 62 miles to the edge of space , to the Kármán Line , where , as he put it , he wanted to see what shape this planet is . ''
Hughes was skilled at self-promotion , with posts on his websites detailing a dating app sponsorship , a radio show ( on Flat Earth Radio ) , a cross-country limousine trip to `` measure the curvature of the United States , '' a coloring book , a run @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The filmmakers who followed Hughes to make the documentary Rocketman — Mad Mike 's Mission to Prove the Flat Earth , wrote that Hughes `` had a soft spirit and empathy for the world '' that was often at odds with his public persona .
`` He was often lonely and felt his accomplishments as a daredevil had been forgotten , '' they wrote .
`` Ultimately , he just wanted to lead a meaningful life .
He had very little money , but he found a way to bring excitement and purpose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with rockets that he built himself using spare parts . ''
Chapman says that Hughes `` fully understood the risks '' of his rocket launches .
`` He knew very well , he said very often , that this thing could kill you , he was very well aware of that .
He was a daredevil and he was driven by this compulsion to do extraordinary things and inspire people , as he put it . ''
Stakes simply called Hughes the `` greatest daredevil this country has ever seen . ''

Daredevil 'Mad' Mike Hughes Killed In Crash Of Homemade Rocket
Enlarge this image toggle caption Mercedes Blackehart/AP Mercedes Blackehart/AP
The daredevil "Mad" Mike Hughes was killed in a rocket launch gone wrong Saturday in Barstow, Calif., two witnesses to the accident confirmed. He was 64.
It was the third launch for Hughes in one of his homemade rockets and part of his eventual plan to be able to determine for himself, up in the sky, if Earth was as flat as he proclaimed to believe.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Mercedes Blackehart/AP Mercedes Blackehart/AP
A steel ladder was attached to the rocket's launch ramp to make it easier for Hughes to enter the cockpit. But when the rocket launched, it hit the ladder, setting the launch on course for disaster.
"It ripped off a parachute can, which deployed the parachute, which got caught in the thrust of the rocket and kind of took the rocket off course a little bit," said Justin Chapman, a freelance journalist who was at the launch site.
The steam-powered rocket wobbled and did a huge arc before crashing less than a minute later.
"He went way up in the sky," Chapman said. "I'm not sure how high. But his goal was 5,000 feet. Then it did an arc and then came straight down and nose-dived into the desert floor about half a mile away from the launch pad."
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said deputies were called at 1:52 p.m. Saturday to private property off Highway 247 in Barstow and pronounced a man deceased "after the rocket crashed in the open desert during a rocket launch event."
"We don't know what happened," said Waldo Stakes, a close friend of Hughes who has been involved in the launches and was at the scene. Stakes said the rocket landed nearly a mile away from the launch site.
There were about 50 to 60 people on hand for the event, including a crew from the Science Channel, which was documenting Hughes' launch as part of a series on homemade astronauts.
Hughes previously launched in March 2018, when he soared roughly 1,875 feet in the air in the Mojave Desert before parachutes deployed and guided the rocket back to the ground. He emerged relatively unscathed at the time, telling The Associated Press he had pain in his back but was glad to not have "chickened out."
AP via YouTube
Hughes also launched in Winkelman, Ariz., in 2014, traveling 1,374 feet, according to the AP.
Before taking up rocketry, Hughes was a stuntman who jumped limousines. He holds the record for the longest limousine ramp jump, according to Guinness World Records. Hughes jumped a 6,500-pound Lincoln Town Car stretch limo 103 feet at Perris Auto Speedway in 2002.
"He was trying to re-create the Snake River Canyon jump that Evel Knievel tried years ago," Chapman said. "And I think that ultimately didn't come together. But he did just jump limos over big distances and then moved on to building his own rockets and launching himself that way."
Chapman, who has been writing a lengthy profile of Hughes, said the steam-powered rocket launches weren't intended to actually lend credence to Hughes' noted flat-Earth beliefs. They were a short-term step to get publicity and funding for his ultimate goal: a "rockoon" — part rocket, part balloon — "that would take him up about 62 miles to the edge of space, to the Kármán Line, where, as he put it, he wanted to see what shape this planet is."
Hughes was skilled at self-promotion, with posts on his websites detailing a dating app sponsorship, a radio show (on Flat Earth Radio), a cross-country limousine trip to "measure the curvature of the United States," a coloring book, a run for governor of California and more.
The filmmakers who followed Hughes to make the documentary Rocketman — Mad Mike's Mission to Prove the Flat Earth, wrote that Hughes "had a soft spirit and empathy for the world" that was often at odds with his public persona.
"He was often lonely and felt his accomplishments as a daredevil had been forgotten," they wrote. "Ultimately, he just wanted to lead a meaningful life. He had very little money, but he found a way to bring excitement and purpose to his life by doing affordable stunts with rockets that he built himself using spare parts."
Chapman says that Hughes "fully understood the risks" of his rocket launches. "He knew very well, he said very often, that this thing could kill you, he was very well aware of that. He was a daredevil and he was driven by this compulsion to do extraordinary things and inspire people, as he put it."
Stakes simply called Hughes the "greatest daredevil this country has ever seen."


npr--2020-02-23--Officials Scramble To Contain Coronavirus Outbreaks In South Korea, Iran And Italy

Officials Scramble To Contain Coronavirus Outbreaks In South Korea , Iran And Italy As coronavirus prevention and control measures continue in China , new outbreaks of the respiratory disease COVID-19 in South Korea , Italy and Iran have health officials on high alert over the global spread of an illness that has infected nearly 77,000 people in China , with more than 2,400 deaths tied to the virus .
In a meeting with Communist Party leaders on Sunday , Chinese President Xi Jinping called the epidemic `` severely complex , '' noting that efforts to control the spread of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
So far in the U.S. , officials have confirmed 35 cases .
Half of those are among repatriated passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise ship , which was placed under quarantine in Japan .
Meanwhile , other world leaders have been scrambling to halt the transmission of the illness in their countries and to calm public fears .
Facing the highest number of coronavirus cases outside China , officials in South Korea have taken emergency steps that will allow the lockdown of affected cities and can restrict travel within the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were 602 cases in the country , including six deaths that have been connected to the virus .
Most of the cases were confirmed in the last few days .
A spike in cases triggered South Korea 's national threat level to rise to `` red alert , '' the first time the action was taken since the 2009 H1N1 swine flu outbreak .
The epicenter of the outbreak in South Korea is in the area surrounding Daegu , the country 's fourth-largest city .
Hundreds of those who have been infected are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Shincheonji Church of Jesus .
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the largest cluster in South Korea is linked to a branch of the religious sect in Daegu .
In a public statement , South Korean President Moon Jae-in said emergency support was being deployed to Daegu .
`` Please avoid excessive anxiety , and trust the government 's actions , '' Moon said .
The U.S. State Department raised its travel advisory for South Korea to `` exercise increased caution , '' the second of four levels , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country .
Italy reports 152 cases , forcing 11 cities to go on lockdown In Italy , officials reported a surge in cases , including three deaths , prompting officials in the country 's north to issue warnings urging residents to stay at home .
Health officials said the death toll rose to three on Sunday after an elderly cancer patient became infected .
Ten towns in the Lombardy region and one in Veneto were placed on lockdown , with schools , businesses and train stations closed and scheduled public events canceled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked not to leave unless they are granted special permission , as health officials scramble to contain the sudden jump in cases .
Before Friday , officials reported just three cases in Italy , but the number had climbed to 152 by Sunday , making it the worst outbreak in Europe .
Veneto regional president Luca Zaia told reporters that because the virus is transmitted much like the common flu , attempting to isolate a single source with a connection to China is no longer an effective method of containment .
`` You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Zaia said .
`` We can expect to have cases of patients who had no contact [ with possible carriers ] . ''
Zaia said the vast majority of coronavirus cases are mild and not life-threatening , but the elderly and those with a preexisting medical condition remain the most vulnerable .
The last two days of the famed Venice Carnival , which draws thousands of revelers , was cancelled because of the outbreak .
In the financial capital of Milan , based in the Lombardy region , fashion designer Armani announced it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to an empty theater for the city 's final day of fashion week , Sunday , as a way of supporting the `` national efforts in safeguarding public health . ''
The Milan opera house La Scala announced that it was canceling performances due to the spread of the virus .
Fears were growing in the region about the virus moving across the Italian border .
In Vienna , Austria 's railway company has stopped all trains departing from and arriving in Italy because of virus concerns .
Health officials in Iran said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ died from the coronavirus , with the number of confirmed cases now at 43 .
Most of the cases , according to Iran 's health ministry , have been based in Qom , a city south of Tehran , the country 's capital , which has also seen reported cases .
Speaking on state television , Health Minister Saeed Namaki asked residents not to panic over the recent uptick in cases .
Officials closed schools and cultural and religious centers across 14 provinces beginning on Sunday .
Many public events in affected areas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outbreak .
Soccer games will be held in empty stadiums because authorities have barred fans from attending matches .
Government agencies handed out masks and hand sanitizer across the country .
On Friday , Iran held national parliamentary elections amid heightened concern over the illness .
On Sunday , Turkey and Pakistan announced the countries were temporarily closing their borders with Iran as a response to the coronavirus .

Officials Scramble To Contain Coronavirus Outbreaks In South Korea, Iran And Italy
Enlarge this image toggle caption Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Ebrahim Noroozi/AP
Updated at 4:10 p.m. ET
As coronavirus prevention and control measures continue in China, new outbreaks of the respiratory disease COVID-19 in South Korea, Italy and Iran have health officials on high alert over the global spread of an illness that has infected nearly 77,000 people in China, with more than 2,400 deaths tied to the virus.
In a meeting with Communist Party leaders on Sunday, Chinese President Xi Jinping called the epidemic "severely complex," noting that efforts to control the spread of the virus have entered a "crucial stage."
So far in the U.S., officials have confirmed 35 cases. Half of those are among repatriated passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which was placed under quarantine in Japan.
Meanwhile, other world leaders have been scrambling to halt the transmission of the illness in their countries and to calm public fears.
South Korea raises national threat level to "red alert"
Facing the highest number of coronavirus cases outside China, officials in South Korea have taken emergency steps that will allow the lockdown of affected cities and can restrict travel within the country.
On Sunday, officials said there were 602 cases in the country, including six deaths that have been connected to the virus.
Most of the cases were confirmed in the last few days.
A spike in cases triggered South Korea's national threat level to rise to "red alert," the first time the action was taken since the 2009 H1N1 swine flu outbreak.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Lee Jin-man/AP Lee Jin-man/AP
The epicenter of the outbreak in South Korea is in the area surrounding Daegu, the country's fourth-largest city.
Hundreds of those who have been infected are members of a Christian sect known as the Shincheonji Church of Jesus. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the largest cluster in South Korea is linked to a branch of the religious sect in Daegu.
In a public statement, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said emergency support was being deployed to Daegu.
"Please avoid excessive anxiety, and trust the government's actions," Moon said.
The U.S. State Department raised its travel advisory for South Korea to "exercise increased caution," the second of four levels, in response to the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
Italy reports 152 cases, forcing 11 cities to go on lockdown
In Italy, officials reported a surge in cases, including three deaths, prompting officials in the country's north to issue warnings urging residents to stay at home.
Health officials said the death toll rose to three on Sunday after an elderly cancer patient became infected.
Ten towns in the Lombardy region and one in Veneto were placed on lockdown, with schools, businesses and train stations closed and scheduled public events canceled.
People in affected towns are being asked not to leave unless they are granted special permission, as health officials scramble to contain the sudden jump in cases.
Before Friday, officials reported just three cases in Italy, but the number had climbed to 152 by Sunday, making it the worst outbreak in Europe.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Luca Bruno/AP Luca Bruno/AP
Veneto regional president Luca Zaia told reporters that because the virus is transmitted much like the common flu, attempting to isolate a single source with a connection to China is no longer an effective method of containment.
"You can get it from anyone," Zaia said. "We can expect to have cases of patients who had no contact [with possible carriers]."
Zaia said the vast majority of coronavirus cases are mild and not life-threatening, but the elderly and those with a preexisting medical condition remain the most vulnerable.
The last two days of the famed Venice Carnival, which draws thousands of revelers, was cancelled because of the outbreak.
In the financial capital of Milan, based in the Lombardy region, fashion designer Armani announced it would show its latest collection by livestream to an empty theater for the city's final day of fashion week, Sunday, as a way of supporting the "national efforts in safeguarding public health."
The Milan opera house La Scala announced that it was canceling performances due to the spread of the virus.
Fears were growing in the region about the virus moving across the Italian border.
In Vienna, Austria's railway company has stopped all trains departing from and arriving in Italy because of virus concerns.
Iran announces schools, cultural and religious centers closed across 14 provinces
Health officials in Iran said on Sunday that eight people have now died from the coronavirus, with the number of confirmed cases now at 43.
Most of the cases, according to Iran's health ministry, have been based in Qom, a city south of Tehran, the country's capital, which has also seen reported cases.
Speaking on state television, Health Minister Saeed Namaki asked residents not to panic over the recent uptick in cases.
Officials closed schools and cultural and religious centers across 14 provinces beginning on Sunday. Many public events in affected areas were also halted in response to the outbreak. Soccer games will be held in empty stadiums because authorities have barred fans from attending matches.
Government agencies handed out masks and hand sanitizer across the country. On Friday, Iran held national parliamentary elections amid heightened concern over the illness.
On Sunday, Turkey and Pakistan announced the countries were temporarily closing their borders with Iran as a response to the coronavirus.


npr--2020-02-23--India Set To Welcome Trump, Whose First Stop Will Be In Modi's Home State Of Gujarat

India Set To Welcome Trump , Whose First Stop Will Be In Modi 's Home State Of Gujarat When President Trump arrives on his first official visit to India on Monday , his first stop will be Ahmedabad , the largest city in the western state of Gujarat .
It 's the place where Indian freedom leader Mahatma Gandhi built his ashram , a place for prayer and communal living , on a riverbank lined with Indian lilac trees .
Each dawn , Gandhi preached his doctrine of nonviolence to followers on the banks of Ahmedabad 's Sabarmati River .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in 1930 , on his 240-mile Salt March , an act of civil disobedience against British colonial rule .
These days , the ashram is surrounded by busy highways , bridges and shiny new office complexes .
The man credited with much of the city 's development is Narendra Modi , who served from 2001 to 2014 as chief minister of Gujarat .
Now in his second term as India 's prime minister , Modi is making a point of showing off his home state to the U.S. president .
On Monday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Namaste , Trump ! ''
rally at a newly renovated cricket stadium which seats more than 100,000 — returning the favor to Trump for holding a `` Howdy , Modi ! ''
rally in Houston last year with tens of thousands of Indian-Americans .
The two leaders will head Monday night to New Delhi ahead of talks the following day focusing on strategic partnership and trade .
India and the U.S. have boosted the number of military exercises they conduct jointly in recent years and Washington increasingly looks toward the world 's largest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ growing power in the Indo-Pacific region .
It has encouraged India to buy U.S. weapons , rather than Russian ones , and India is expected to announce additional U.S. weapons purchases during Trump 's visit .
Modi and Trump may also address trade tensions ; the U.S. and India have been engaged in trade talks for more than 18 months , after imposing tariffs on each other 's imports .
While running his home state , Modi launched what 's become known as the `` Gujarat model '' of development .
`` It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better roads , water supply to agricultural lands , building big dams — and also deregulation , '' says Sharik Laliwala , a researcher at the Centre for Equity Studies in New Delhi .
In almost every year Modi was chief minister , the state 's economy grew faster than the nation 's .
It was that track record , in large part , that got him elected nationally in 2014 .
His Hindi campaign slogan promised `` achche din '' — good days — ahead .
But Modi also presided over a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many can not forget .
Along with becoming a model for economic development , Gujarat also became Modi 's `` laboratory , '' Laliwala says , for Hindu nationalism — the idea that India should be a nation shaped by Hindu faith and culture , with special rights for its Hindu majority .
( India is about 80 % Hindu . )
`` Gujarat was [ Modi 's ] first experiment in successfully establishing a Hindu nation , and Muslims have been marginalized from politics and society , '' Laliwala says .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rebuild the BJP here . ''
The Bharatiya Janata Party is Modi 's Hindu nationalist party .
For most of Modi 's time as Gujarat 's chief minister , the Indian National Congress , a rival center-left party , held power nationally .
But Modi helped boost support for the BJP , first in Gujarat and then across India , with a mix of `` economic development plus Hindu nationalism , '' Laliwala says .
`` And Hindu-Muslim division was central to that . ''
`` The whole street was burning '' That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gujarat in 2002 .
In February that year , a train carrying Hindu pilgrims was set on fire east of Ahmedabad , in a town called Godhra , which has a large Muslim population .
( India is about 14 % Muslim , but in Godhra , Muslims make up about half the population . )
The train was returning to Ahmedabad from Ayodhya , where , a decade earlier , Hindu extremists demolished a 16th century mosque .
Ayodhya has since become a pilgrimage site for Hindu faithful who want to build @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In Godhra , 59 Hindu passengers died in the train fire .
Authorities brought the victims ' charred bodies to Ahmedabad and put them on public display .
Anti-Muslim riots erupted across the city and beyond , killing thousands of people , mostly Muslims .
In Ahmedabad , many Muslims sought refuge in an apartment building that was home to a prominent Muslim politician named Ehsan Jafri , a former member of India 's parliament .
They thought they 'd be safe there , recalls Abeda Bano Munna Khan , now 50 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ watched masked men throw Molotov cocktails at Muslim homes , '' says Khan , who rushed into the building with her husband and 3-year-old daughter , as a Hindu mob set fire to the lower floors .
`` I somehow got separated from my husband and toddler .
I spent hours hiding upstairs .
The whole street was burning . ''
When police finally rescued Khan , she learned that her husband and child – along with the lawmaker Jafri — were among dozens killed on the building 's lower floors .
When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toll was more than 1,000 , including 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus .
But the real numbers are believed to be much higher .
Many victims were so badly burned or mutilated that their bodies were never identified .
Thousands of Muslims were displaced after their homes were destroyed by Hindu mobs .
Khan says she was never issued death certificates for her husband and child , and without them , has been unable to claim a widow 's pension .
Her other children , now grown , help support her .
Human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and his state government of turning a blind eye and failing to halt anti-Muslim violence or pursue justice for the perpetrators .
In a legal petition , Jafri 's widow Zakia listed Modi among 63 suspects in her husband 's death .
She says her husband `` made over a hundred phone calls for help '' to Modi aides from inside the Gulbarg Society , as mobs threatened to kill him .
Witnesses later testified to government-appointed investigators that Jafri even called Modi himself , and that the chief minister refused to deploy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ killings , Modi embarked on a tour of his state , delivering fiery speeches in which he mocked Muslims and accused them of siding with the country 's arch-rival Pakistan .
He accused anyone who criticized his handling of the riots as `` power-hungry people who are out to defame Gujarat . ''
Modi never faced trial and has always denied any role in the killings .
But allegations persisted , and for years , the United States refused to grant him a visa — until 2014 , just before he was elected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's Supreme Court appointed a special panel to investigate the 2002 Gujarat riots .
Two years later , the panel questioned Modi for 10 hours about his alleged role in Ehsan Jafri 's killing and cleared him of any wrongdoing .
Zakia Jafri appealed , and her case is still languishing in Indian courts .
After the 2002 riots , Hindus and Muslims in Gujarat became more segregated , with fewer religiously mixed neighborhoods , and Modi played more overtly to his Hindu base .
The number of Muslims in Gujarat 's state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make up about 10 % of the state 's population .
For the past 30 years , Gujarat has not sent a single Muslim lawmaker to India 's parliament .
In 2014 and 2019 , Modi 's BJP won decisive national victories .
The party has implemented his agenda promoting Hindu nationalism across India , with laws like the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act , which excludes Muslim refugees from a new fast-track citizenship scheme .
Critics say it violates the secularism enshrined in India 's constitution .
Protests have erupted nationwide .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — at least among non-Muslims .
`` He made infrastructure very well .
He is a true leader , '' says Bhakti Vamja , an 18-year-old medical student , speaking on a riverfront promenade in Ahmedabad built during Modi 's time as chief minister .
`` I feel proud of being a Gujarati , '' she says .
`` I belong to this very significant state of India , which is developing . ''
That development is what Modi aims to showcase when Trump visits Monday .
It 's his legacy .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump has no plans to visit while in Ahmedabad is the sprawling Juhapura neighborhood south of the riverfront , with its dusty , unpaved roads , tangles of electricity wires and laundry draped across balconies .
It 's where the widow Abeda Khan and thousands of other Muslims took refuge after the 2002 riots .
Eighteen years later , most of them still live there , segregated , unable to forget .

India Set To Welcome Trump, Whose 1st Stop Will Be In Modi's Home State Of Gujarat
Enlarge this image toggle caption Sam Panthaky/AFP via Getty Images Sam Panthaky/AFP via Getty Images
When President Trump arrives on his first official visit to India on Monday, his first stop will be Ahmedabad, the largest city in the western state of Gujarat. It's the place where Indian freedom leader Mahatma Gandhi built his ashram, a place for prayer and communal living, on a riverbank lined with Indian lilac trees.
Each dawn, Gandhi preached his doctrine of nonviolence to followers on the banks of Ahmedabad's Sabarmati River. It's also where he set off, in 1930, on his 240-mile Salt March, an act of civil disobedience against British colonial rule.
These days, the ashram is surrounded by busy highways, bridges and shiny new office complexes. The man credited with much of the city's development is Narendra Modi, who served from 2001 to 2014 as chief minister of Gujarat.
Now in his second term as India's prime minister, Modi is making a point of showing off his home state to the U.S. president. On Monday, Modi will be hosting a "Namaste, Trump!" rally at a newly renovated cricket stadium which seats more than 100,000 — returning the favor to Trump for holding a "Howdy, Modi!" rally in Houston last year with tens of thousands of Indian-Americans.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
The two leaders will head Monday night to New Delhi ahead of talks the following day focusing on strategic partnership and trade. India and the U.S. have boosted the number of military exercises they conduct jointly in recent years and Washington increasingly looks toward the world's largest democracy as a buffer against China's growing power in the Indo-Pacific region.
It has encouraged India to buy U.S. weapons, rather than Russian ones, and India is expected to announce additional U.S. weapons purchases during Trump's visit. Modi and Trump may also address trade tensions; the U.S. and India have been engaged in trade talks for more than 18 months, after imposing tariffs on each other's imports.
Modi's "laboratory"
While running his home state, Modi launched what's become known as the "Gujarat model" of development.
"It's about infrastructure, 24-hour power, better roads, water supply to agricultural lands, building big dams — and also deregulation," says Sharik Laliwala, a researcher at the Centre for Equity Studies in New Delhi.
In almost every year Modi was chief minister, the state's economy grew faster than the nation's. It was that track record, in large part, that got him elected nationally in 2014. His Hindi campaign slogan promised "achche din" — good days — ahead.
But Modi also presided over a dark chapter in Gujarat, one that many cannot forget.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Sebastian D'Souza/AFP via Getty Images Sebastian D'Souza/AFP via Getty Images
Along with becoming a model for economic development, Gujarat also became Modi's "laboratory," Laliwala says, for Hindu nationalism — the idea that India should be a nation shaped by Hindu faith and culture, with special rights for its Hindu majority. (India is about 80% Hindu.)
"Gujarat was [Modi's] first experiment in successfully establishing a Hindu nation, and Muslims have been marginalized from politics and society," Laliwala says. "He saw that as an opportunity to rebuild the BJP here."
The Bharatiya Janata Party is Modi's Hindu nationalist party. For most of Modi's time as Gujarat's chief minister, the Indian National Congress, a rival center-left party, held power nationally. But Modi helped boost support for the BJP, first in Gujarat and then across India, with a mix of "economic development plus Hindu nationalism," Laliwala says. "And Hindu-Muslim division was central to that."
"The whole street was burning"
That division was never more harrowing than in Gujarat in 2002. In February that year, a train carrying Hindu pilgrims was set on fire east of Ahmedabad, in a town called Godhra, which has a large Muslim population. (India is about 14% Muslim, but in Godhra, Muslims make up about half the population.)
The train was returning to Ahmedabad from Ayodhya, where, a decade earlier, Hindu extremists demolished a 16th century mosque. Ayodhya has since become a pilgrimage site for Hindu faithful who want to build a temple on the mosque's ruins.
In Godhra, 59 Hindu passengers died in the train fire. Authorities brought the victims' charred bodies to Ahmedabad and put them on public display.
Anti-Muslim riots erupted across the city and beyond, killing thousands of people, mostly Muslims. In Ahmedabad, many Muslims sought refuge in an apartment building that was home to a prominent Muslim politician named Ehsan Jafri, a former member of India's parliament.
They thought they'd be safe there, recalls Abeda Bano Munna Khan, now 50.
"From a balcony, I watched masked men throw Molotov cocktails at Muslim homes," says Khan, who rushed into the building with her husband and 3-year-old daughter, as a Hindu mob set fire to the lower floors. "I somehow got separated from my husband and toddler. I spent hours hiding upstairs. The whole street was burning."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Lauren Frayer/NPR Lauren Frayer/NPR
When police finally rescued Khan, she learned that her husband and child – along with the lawmaker Jafri — were among dozens killed on the building's lower floors.
When the rioting ended, the official death toll was more than 1,000, including 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus. But the real numbers are believed to be much higher. Many victims were so badly burned or mutilated that their bodies were never identified. Thousands of Muslims were displaced after their homes were destroyed by Hindu mobs.
Khan says she was never issued death certificates for her husband and child, and without them, has been unable to claim a widow's pension. Her other children, now grown, help support her.
Questions over Modi's role
Human rights groups and others have accused Modi and his state government of turning a blind eye and failing to halt anti-Muslim violence or pursue justice for the perpetrators. In a legal petition, Jafri's widow Zakia listed Modi among 63 suspects in her husband's death.
She says her husband "made over a hundred phone calls for help" to Modi aides from inside the Gulbarg Society, as mobs threatened to kill him. Witnesses later testified to government-appointed investigators that Jafri even called Modi himself, and that the chief minister refused to deploy police to rescue him.
After the killings, Modi embarked on a tour of his state, delivering fiery speeches in which he mocked Muslims and accused them of siding with the country's arch-rival Pakistan. He accused anyone who criticized his handling of the riots as "power-hungry people who are out to defame Gujarat."
Modi never faced trial and has always denied any role in the killings. But allegations persisted, and for years, the United States refused to grant him a visa — until 2014, just before he was elected prime minister.
In 2008, India's Supreme Court appointed a special panel to investigate the 2002 Gujarat riots. Two years later, the panel questioned Modi for 10 hours about his alleged role in Ehsan Jafri's killing and cleared him of any wrongdoing. Zakia Jafri appealed, and her case is still languishing in Indian courts.
Modi's legacy
After the 2002 riots, Hindus and Muslims in Gujarat became more segregated, with fewer religiously mixed neighborhoods, and Modi played more overtly to his Hindu base. The number of Muslims in Gujarat's state assembly has dwindled, even though they make up about 10% of the state's population. For the past 30 years, Gujarat has not sent a single Muslim lawmaker to India's parliament.
In 2014 and 2019, Modi's BJP won decisive national victories. The party has implemented his agenda promoting Hindu nationalism across India, with laws like the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, which excludes Muslim refugees from a new fast-track citizenship scheme. Critics say it violates the secularism enshrined in India's constitution. Protests have erupted nationwide.
But Modi remains popular in his home state — at least among non-Muslims.
"He made infrastructure very well. He is a true leader," says Bhakti Vamja, an 18-year-old medical student, speaking on a riverfront promenade in Ahmedabad built during Modi's time as chief minister.
"I feel proud of being a Gujarati," she says. "I belong to this very significant state of India, which is developing."
That development is what Modi aims to showcase when Trump visits Monday. It's his legacy.
But so are the divisions. One place Trump has no plans to visit while in Ahmedabad is the sprawling Juhapura neighborhood south of the riverfront, with its dusty, unpaved roads, tangles of electricity wires and laundry draped across balconies. It's where the widow Abeda Khan and thousands of other Muslims took refuge after the 2002 riots. Eighteen years later, most of them still live there, segregated, unable to forget.
NPR producer Sushmita Pathak contributed to this report.


npr--2020-02-23--Amid Coronavirus Outbreak, Hong Kong Tries To Cope

Hong Kong is being forced to innovate as the city struggles with the high number of people who need to be tested and are placed under quarantine .
In Hong Kong , the coronavirus outbreak is placing huge additional strains on the local government .
Thousands of people are in quarantine , and doctors are trying to figure out who to test for the new virus , who to isolate and who to send home .
NPR 's Jason Beaubien reports from Hong Kong on how the city is trying to cope .
JASON BEAUBIEN , BYLINE : Right now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yeung public housing estates .
These are these 40-story towers .
These are brand-new public housing buildings that have not yet been occupied , and they 've just become one of the largest quarantine facilities here in Hong Kong .
Buses under heavy police escort recently arrived , bringing in passengers off of the Diamond Princess cruise ship from Japan .
Police have set up barricades around the entire complex , and this is not just to keep the people under quarantine in .
A few weeks ago , protesters set fire to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ planning to use as a quarantine facility .
CARRIE LAM : Hong Kong could not afford not to have this center .
BEAUBIEN : That 's Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam .
This housing estate , she said , is the city 's only viable quarantine site for the Diamond Princess passengers .
She said there is no plan B. LAM : We will do all we could to protect this estate .
And I hope residents around will accept this arrangement which is of benefit to the whole society .
UNIDENTIFIED @ @ @ @ @ @ @ briefing .
Let me introduce the speakers to you .
BEAUBIEN : Hong Kong 's public health system has been screening seven to eight hundred suspected coronavirus cases a day .
At a press conference , the Hospital Authority 's chief manager for quality and standards , Dr. Lau Ka-hin , speaking through an interpreter , announced that they 're launching a new outpatient testing program for suspected COVID-19 cases to try to ease the burden on hospitals .
LAU KA-HIN : ( Through interpreter ) For patients age 18 with fever , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if a clinical diagnosis that they do n't need to be hospitalized - then the accident and emergency department will give a specimen tube to the patient .
BEAUBIEN : People are being sent home to collect sputum samples as soon as they wake up in the morning .
LAU : ( Through interpreter ) The patient does not have to stay in the hospital , wait for the test result .
BEAUBIEN : It 's always possible that the patient might not take the sample correctly or fail to return the specimen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ greatly eases the burden on hospitals and laboratories .
LAU : ( Through interpreter ) If the test result is negative , we will inform the patient by text message .
But if his test is positive , then the department will call the patient and arrange for the patient to go into hospital for treatment in isolation .
BEAUBIEN : In addition to testing thousands of people for the virus , Hong Kong 's health department is also attempting to track down hundreds of people who were or might have been in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr. Chuang Shuk-Kwan , the head of communicable diseases for the health department , says it 's hard to find these people .
CHUANG SHUK-KWAN : For example , the airplanes , the trains - sometimes they do n't provide a telephone number , and sometimes they 're not in Hong Kong .
BEAUBIEN : For instance , the city was notified that 36 Hong Kong residents were on board the Westerdam cruise ship , where a passenger tested positive after disembarking in Cambodia .
The health department was able to connect with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still trying to track down the other 12 .
This week , two unrelated people who 'd both taken a bus from Macao tested positive .
Health officials are trying to find everyone else who was on that bus .
CHUANG : Also , the taxi drivers because the patient can not provide a name plate , car plate number for the taxi .
And it 's very difficult to ask them to come .
And we try all sorts of means , and sometimes it 's futile .
BEAUBIEN : And as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough extra work trying to chase down potential contacts of confirmed cases , it 's also monitoring nearly 12,000 people who are under mandatory home quarantine .
Most of them are Hong Kong residents who 've recently returned from China .
Those at highest risk are fitted with wrist monitors to make sure they do n't leave their apartments .
As for the others , the health department is keeping tabs on them by tracking their cellphones , under the assumption that no one goes anywhere these days without one .

Amid Coronavirus Outbreak, Hong Kong Tries To Cope
Hong Kong is being forced to innovate as the city struggles with the high number of people who need to be tested and are placed under quarantine.
LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:
In Hong Kong, the coronavirus outbreak is placing huge additional strains on the local government. Thousands of people are in quarantine, and doctors are trying to figure out who to test for the new virus, who to isolate and who to send home. NPR's Jason Beaubien reports from Hong Kong on how the city is trying to cope.
JASON BEAUBIEN, BYLINE: Right now, I'm standing outside the Chun Yeung public housing estates. These are these 40-story towers. These are brand-new public housing buildings that have not yet been occupied, and they've just become one of the largest quarantine facilities here in Hong Kong. Buses under heavy police escort recently arrived, bringing in passengers off of the Diamond Princess cruise ship from Japan. Police have set up barricades around the entire complex, and this is not just to keep the people under quarantine in. A few weeks ago, protesters set fire to another high-rise that Hong Kong had been planning to use as a quarantine facility.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
CARRIE LAM: Hong Kong could not afford not to have this center.
BEAUBIEN: That's Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam. This housing estate, she said, is the city's only viable quarantine site for the Diamond Princess passengers. She said there is no plan B.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
LAM: We will do all we could to protect this estate. And I hope residents around will accept this arrangement which is of benefit to the whole society.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Welcome to today's media briefing. Let me introduce the speakers to you.
BEAUBIEN: Hong Kong's public health system has been screening seven to eight hundred suspected coronavirus cases a day. At a press conference, the Hospital Authority's chief manager for quality and standards, Dr. Lau Ka-hin, speaking through an interpreter, announced that they're launching a new outpatient testing program for suspected COVID-19 cases to try to ease the burden on hospitals.
(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)
LAU KA-HIN: (Through interpreter) For patients age 18 with fever, upper respiratory tract infection or pneumonia - if a clinical diagnosis that they don't need to be hospitalized - then the accident and emergency department will give a specimen tube to the patient.
BEAUBIEN: People are being sent home to collect sputum samples as soon as they wake up in the morning.
(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)
LAU: (Through interpreter) The patient does not have to stay in the hospital, wait for the test result.
BEAUBIEN: It's always possible that the patient might not take the sample correctly or fail to return the specimen. But Dr. Lau says the program greatly eases the burden on hospitals and laboratories.
(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)
LAU: (Through interpreter) If the test result is negative, we will inform the patient by text message. But if his test is positive, then the department will call the patient and arrange for the patient to go into hospital for treatment in isolation.
BEAUBIEN: In addition to testing thousands of people for the virus, Hong Kong's health department is also attempting to track down hundreds of people who were or might have been in contact with someone who's infected. Dr. Chuang Shuk-Kwan, the head of communicable diseases for the health department, says it's hard to find these people.
CHUANG SHUK-KWAN: For example, the airplanes, the trains - sometimes they don't provide a telephone number, and sometimes they're not in Hong Kong.
BEAUBIEN: For instance, the city was notified that 36 Hong Kong residents were on board the Westerdam cruise ship, where a passenger tested positive after disembarking in Cambodia. The health department was able to connect with 24 of them, but it's still trying to track down the other 12. This week, two unrelated people who'd both taken a bus from Macao tested positive. Health officials are trying to find everyone else who was on that bus.
Again, Dr. Chuang.
CHUANG: Also, the taxi drivers because the patient cannot provide a name plate, car plate number for the taxi. And it's very difficult to ask them to come. And we try all sorts of means, and sometimes it's futile.
BEAUBIEN: And as if the health department didn't have enough extra work trying to chase down potential contacts of confirmed cases, it's also monitoring nearly 12,000 people who are under mandatory home quarantine. Most of them are Hong Kong residents who've recently returned from China. Those at highest risk are fitted with wrist monitors to make sure they don't leave their apartments. As for the others, the health department is keeping tabs on them by tracking their cellphones, under the assumption that no one goes anywhere these days without one.
Jason Beaubien, NPR News, Hong Kong.
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npr--2020-02-23--A Father Fights To Get Footage Of His Daughter's Death Removed

A Father Fights To Get Footage Of His Daughter 's Death Removed Andy Parker talks with NPR 's Lulu Garcia-Navarro about his latest effort to get YouTube to remove video of his daughter 's murder .
He has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission .
Early morning , 2015 - a gunman walked up and shot Alison Parker , a young journalist , and her cameraman as they were doing a live TV interview .
Nearly five years have passed since those murders , but videos from the broadcast and from the gunman 's GoPro camera are still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by conspiracy theorists .
Despite YouTube 's community guidelines about graphic violence , videos keep appearing on the site .
Alison 's father , Andy Parker , has been fighting for years to get YouTube and its parent company , Google , to stop airing those videos .
He 's now filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission .
We should note here that Google is one of NPR 's financial supporters .
Andy Parker joins us now from his home in Collinsville , Va .
Thank you so much for being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you , Lulu .
I 'm glad to be here .
GARCIA-NAVARRO : Tell me a little bit about how you first discovered these videos and what kind of impact that had on you .
PARKER : Well , I - you know , I do n't recall the exact time , but it was very shortly after Alison 's murder .
And I had a YouTube channel myself , like a lot of people do .
And you know , I 'd archive Alison 's dance recitals .
I would create videos @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adventures and just stuff like that .
And I uploaded all that stuff .
Nobody paid any attention to it until Alison was killed .
And then suddenly , they swarmed it .
I mean , people were posting the most vile comments you could imagine on her dance recital .
You know , people - I remember there were comments like , I watched her die , and I really enjoyed it - I mean , sick , evil stuff like that .
GARCIA-NAVARRO : So you 've been waging this long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Can you sort of share what that fight has looked like ?
What did you have to do ?
PARKER : Yeah .
Initially - it 's not like you can call up Google customer service and say , hey , you know , got a problem here .
They 're the most opaque company in the world .
But I got some young man overseas , and he - he was actually very helpful .
And he said , we have a thing called the moment of death certificate .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then they 'll be removed .
And I thought , well , that 's great - well , until I found out that you could n't just use it as a blanket tool .
They were asking me essentially to go in and flag every single video to - you know , to have it removed .
You know , imagine being told that if you want videos of your child 's murder removed from the Internet , you got to watch and describe every single one of them .
You know , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
At the time , I thought , well , you know , somebody is going to recognize this .
No , they do n't .
It 's all an algorithm .
It 's all a robot that responds back .
And so nothing was getting done .
GARCIA-NAVARRO : This has obviously been horrific to live with .
And you know , I ca n't even imagine how hard this has been .
We should say that YouTube has said that it has taken down thousands of Alison 's videos and , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ using a combination of machine learning and human review . ''
Also , there is no law against posting disturbing images , is there ?
PARKER : Right .
There is not .
And Google 's response is - it 's the same response that we 've been hearing for years .
All they do is regurgitate their terms of service , which they violate , and their policies .
They do n't tell you - and they lie about the - you know , the fact that , you know , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really do n't .
GARCIA-NAVARRO : So you filed an FTC complaint , and you want to sort of revoke or amend Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act , which protects tech companies for being responsible for what 's on their sites .
So for example , at NPR , we ca n't say bad words on air .
We could certainly not play a murder on air .
But tech companies who say that they 're simply platforms can do that .
What are you hoping to achieve here ?
PARKER @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I mean , if Google had to abide by the same editorial oversight that you or Fox News or any legitimate news organization - you know , we would n't be having this conversation .
So what I 'm trying to accomplish here - and I 'm doing this not just for me , but I 'm doing it for , you know , the Sandy Hook families , the Parkland families , anybody that 's been victimized like I have - we think that this action is the first step .
GARCIA-NAVARRO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I mean , YouTube has said it makes exceptions for graphic material that has educational , news , scientific or artistic value .
And people who oppose any restrictions on the Internet say that it 's a short step to sort of censorship because one person 's conspiracy theory might be another person 's freedom of speech .
I understand that in the case of the death of your daughter - the murder of your daughter - that may not be the case .
But the wider issue - do you see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to infringe on freedom of speech online ?
PARKER : I understand that argument , but as I told Senator Cruz when I testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee , look ; we can all agree that we can protect the First Amendment , but there are limits .
Recording and publishing murder online should not be one of them .
There are limits to freedom of speech .
Just like you ca n't yell fire in a theater , this is one of those exceptions .
And I think anybody with any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to promote this - literally promote it and monetize murder - my daughter 's murder - which is what Google does - it 's reprehensible .
It 's pernicious .
And it 's got to stop .
And that can be done without violating the First Amendment and freedom of speech .
GARCIA-NAVARRO : Andy Parker - he filed a complaint against YouTube with the FTC for failing to remove videos of the murder of his daughter Alison Parker .
Thank you very much , Mr. Parker .
GARCIA-NAVARRO : We contacted Google @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Parker 's charge that the company was lying about having human beings review objectionable content .
Google reiterated it has hired 10,000 people to do just that , which is the number of human reviewers Google announced it would hire in 2017 .

A Father Fights To Get Footage Of His Daughter's Death Removed
Andy Parker talks with NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro about his latest effort to get YouTube to remove video of his daughter's murder. He has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:
Early morning, 2015 - a gunman walked up and shot Alison Parker, a young journalist, and her cameraman as they were doing a live TV interview. Nearly five years have passed since those murders, but videos from the broadcast and from the gunman's GoPro camera are still being shared and often manipulated and posted by conspiracy theorists. Despite YouTube's community guidelines about graphic violence, videos keep appearing on the site.
Alison's father, Andy Parker, has been fighting for years to get YouTube and its parent company, Google, to stop airing those videos. He's now filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. We should note here that Google is one of NPR's financial supporters.
Andy Parker joins us now from his home in Collinsville, Va. Thank you so much for being with us.
ANDY PARKER: Thank you, Lulu. I'm glad to be here.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Tell me a little bit about how you first discovered these videos and what kind of impact that had on you.
PARKER: Well, I - you know, I don't recall the exact time, but it was very shortly after Alison's murder. And I had a YouTube channel myself, like a lot of people do. And you know, I'd archive Alison's dance recitals. I would create videos of, you know, our kayaking adventures and just stuff like that. And I uploaded all that stuff. Nobody paid any attention to it until Alison was killed. And then suddenly, they swarmed it. I mean, people were posting the most vile comments you could imagine on her dance recital. You know, people - I remember there were comments like, I watched her die, and I really enjoyed it - I mean, sick, evil stuff like that.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: So you've been waging this long fight to get these videos taken down. Can you sort of share what that fight has looked like? What did you have to do?
PARKER: Yeah. Initially - it's not like you can call up Google customer service and say, hey, you know, got a problem here. They're the most opaque company in the world. But I got some young man overseas, and he - he was actually very helpful. And he said, we have a thing called the moment of death certificate. And you apply that to videos, and then they'll be removed. And I thought, well, that's great - well, until I found out that you couldn't just use it as a blanket tool. They were asking me essentially to go in and flag every single video to - you know, to have it removed.
You know, imagine being told that if you want videos of your child's murder removed from the Internet, you got to watch and describe every single one of them. You know, and you're talking to a machine. At the time, I thought, well, you know, somebody is going to recognize this. No, they don't. It's all an algorithm. It's all a robot that responds back. And so nothing was getting done.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: This has obviously been horrific to live with. And you know, I can't even imagine how hard this has been. We should say that YouTube has said that it has taken down thousands of Alison's videos and, quote, "rigorously enforce these policies using a combination of machine learning and human review." Also, there is no law against posting disturbing images, is there?
PARKER: Right. There is not. And Google's response is - it's the same response that we've been hearing for years. All they do is regurgitate their terms of service, which they violate, and their policies. They don't tell you - and they lie about the - you know, the fact that, you know, they have human eyeballs on it. They really don't.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: So you filed an FTC complaint, and you want to sort of revoke or amend Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects tech companies for being responsible for what's on their sites. So for example, at NPR, we can't say bad words on air. We could certainly not play a murder on air. But tech companies who say that they're simply platforms can do that. What are you hoping to achieve here?
PARKER: Yeah, you're right. I mean, if Google had to abide by the same editorial oversight that you or Fox News or any legitimate news organization - you know, we wouldn't be having this conversation. So what I'm trying to accomplish here - and I'm doing this not just for me, but I'm doing it for, you know, the Sandy Hook families, the Parkland families, anybody that's been victimized like I have - we think that this action is the first step.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: I just have a last question. I mean, YouTube has said it makes exceptions for graphic material that has educational, news, scientific or artistic value. And people who oppose any restrictions on the Internet say that it's a short step to sort of censorship because one person's conspiracy theory might be another person's freedom of speech. I understand that in the case of the death of your daughter - the murder of your daughter - that may not be the case. But the wider issue - do you see that there might be problems with trying to infringe on freedom of speech online?
PARKER: I understand that argument, but as I told Senator Cruz when I testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee, look; we can all agree that we can protect the First Amendment, but there are limits. Recording and publishing murder online should not be one of them. There are limits to freedom of speech. Just like you can't yell fire in a theater, this is one of those exceptions. And I think anybody with any common sense would recognize that to continue to promote this - literally promote it and monetize murder - my daughter's murder - which is what Google does - it's reprehensible. It's pernicious. And it's got to stop. And that can be done without violating the First Amendment and freedom of speech.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Andy Parker - he filed a complaint against YouTube with the FTC for failing to remove videos of the murder of his daughter Alison Parker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Parker.
PARKER: Thank you, Lulu.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: We contacted Google and asked them to respond to Andy Parker's charge that the company was lying about having human beings review objectionable content. Google reiterated it has hired 10,000 people to do just that, which is the number of human reviewers Google announced it would hire in 2017.
(SOUNDBITE OF NOSAJ THING'S "TM")
Copyright © 2020 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.


npr--2020-02-23--Activists In Argentina Fight For Access To Legal Abortion

Activists In Argentina Fight For Access To Legal Abortion A historic change in Argentina may be at hand .
Since the 1920s , abortion has been illegal there .
Women can only seek one in the predominantly Catholic country in cases of rape or if the mother 's life is at risk .
But statistics suggest that hundreds of thousands of often unsafe , illegal abortions take place every year .
And botched abortions are the leading cause of maternal death there .
Last week , thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Buenos Aires and other cities , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the political winds there have shifted .
To tell us more , we have Natalie Alcoba in Buenos Aires on the line .
She reported on the demonstrations for Al-Jazeera .
Welcome .
GARCIA-NAVARRO : Hi .
This has been a long fight for these activists .
The latest attempt to legalize abortion got close in 2018 , but it ultimately failed in the Senate .
You report that activists are more optimistic now .
Why ?
ALCOBA : Yeah .
Yeah , that 's right .
So last week was a return @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legalize abortion in Argentina .
The last time we saw the feminist movement come out in these kinds of numbers was in May of last year when they actually did present a new project to legalize abortion in the first 14 weeks .
It was never debated last year because it was an election year .
And I guess that is the crucial piece that has changed since 2018 because now Argentina has a president , Alberto Fernandez , who is pro-legalization , pro-decriminalizing abortion and is drafting a bill to present to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported on the demonstrations .
What were the women on the streets there telling you about why they 're out ?
And did you hear any personal stories ?
ALCOBA : Yeah .
So , I mean , I was out last year when they presented their project and then again last week .
You know , I talked to mothers who were there with their daughters , some very young .
I know one mother who 's there with her 5-year-old .
Last year , when I was out at one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teenager who talked about how after the debate in 2018 , you know , she recalled this one instance when she was watching television with her mom , and it was a news item about the question of legalizing abortion .
And following that item , her mother kind of opened up to her and confided that when she was a teenager , she had sought an illegal abortion .
And she had felt alone and did n't know who to turn to for help .
GARCIA-NAVARRO : We should say abortion in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it can lead to prison time , right ?
ALCOBA : That 's correct .
Yeah , yeah .
It comes with a sentence of between one and three years .
I mean , the reality is that it is seldom - at this stage , it is seldom prosecuted .
And I think that 's one of the main reasons why the president , Alberto Fernandez , talks about the hypocrisy that exists here in Argentina , this idea that two tiers - two classes of women , right ?
- that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ access something that is safe .
And if you 're not , then you ca n't .
And that really drives his own position on legalizing it .
GARCIA-NAVARRO : One of the main groups opposing legalization is , of course , the Catholic Church .
This is the home country , after all , of Pope Francis , who personally got involved in the debate last time .
What has the religious community and others who oppose abortion been saying this time ?
ALCOBA : Yes , I think we are hearing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the influence of the Catholic Church is the main reason why this will be a stiff debate .
It seems to me at least that they 're taking an even more visible role .
Like , for example , that the church has called a special mass for March 8 , which is International Women 's Day , in a basilica in the city of Lujan .
It 's a mass that is in defense of both lives - that 's the terminology that they use - and that really is meant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opposition to abortion .
GARCIA-NAVARRO : Well , there 's still a lot of opposition in the Senate to this , which means this bill might not pass yet again .
I mean , what are the expectations at this point ?
ALCOBA : Yeah , so I think that the gap between the yes and the no side in the Senate has shrunk .
But it does appear to tilt no at the moment .
GARCIA-NAVARRO : Natalie Alcoba is a reporter in Buenos Aires .
Thank you so much .

Activists In Argentina Fight For Access To Legal Abortion
LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:
A historic change in Argentina may be at hand. Since the 1920s, abortion has been illegal there. Women can only seek one in the predominantly Catholic country in cases of rape or if the mother's life is at risk. But statistics suggest that hundreds of thousands of often unsafe, illegal abortions take place every year. And botched abortions are the leading cause of maternal death there. Last week, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Buenos Aires and other cities, calling for abortion to be legalized as the political winds there have shifted. To tell us more, we have Natalie Alcoba in Buenos Aires on the line. She reported on the demonstrations for Al-Jazeera. Welcome.
NATALIE ALCOBA: Hi, Lulu.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Hi. This has been a long fight for these activists. The latest attempt to legalize abortion got close in 2018, but it ultimately failed in the Senate. You report that activists are more optimistic now. Why?
ALCOBA: Yeah. Yeah, that's right. So last week was a return to the streets for the campaign to legalize abortion in Argentina. The last time we saw the feminist movement come out in these kinds of numbers was in May of last year when they actually did present a new project to legalize abortion in the first 14 weeks. It was never debated last year because it was an election year. And I guess that is the crucial piece that has changed since 2018 because now Argentina has a president, Alberto Fernandez, who is pro-legalization, pro-decriminalizing abortion and is drafting a bill to present to the Congress.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: So you reported on the demonstrations. What were the women on the streets there telling you about why they're out? And did you hear any personal stories?
ALCOBA: Yeah. So, I mean, I was out last year when they presented their project and then again last week. You know, I talked to mothers who were there with their daughters, some very young. I know one mother who's there with her 5-year-old. Last year, when I was out at one of the demonstrations, I spoke to a teenager who talked about how after the debate in 2018, you know, she recalled this one instance when she was watching television with her mom, and it was a news item about the question of legalizing abortion. And following that item, her mother kind of opened up to her and confided that when she was a teenager, she had sought an illegal abortion. And she had felt alone and didn't know who to turn to for help.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: We should say abortion in Argentina is not only illegal, but it can lead to prison time, right?
ALCOBA: That's correct. Yeah, yeah. It comes with a sentence of between one and three years. I mean, the reality is that it is seldom - at this stage, it is seldom prosecuted. And I think that's one of the main reasons why the president, Alberto Fernandez, talks about the hypocrisy that exists here in Argentina, this idea that two tiers - two classes of women, right? - that if you're wealthy, you can access something that is safe. And if you're not, then you can't. And that really drives his own position on legalizing it.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: One of the main groups opposing legalization is, of course, the Catholic Church. This is the home country, after all, of Pope Francis, who personally got involved in the debate last time. What has the religious community and others who oppose abortion been saying this time?
ALCOBA: Yes, I think we are hearing that same message. And I think that the influence of the Catholic Church is the main reason why this will be a stiff debate. It seems to me at least that they're taking an even more visible role. Like, for example, that the church has called a special mass for March 8, which is International Women's Day, in a basilica in the city of Lujan. It's a mass that is in defense of both lives - that's the terminology that they use - and that really is meant to show, you know, the opposition to abortion.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Well, there's still a lot of opposition in the Senate to this, which means this bill might not pass yet again. I mean, what are the expectations at this point?
ALCOBA: Yeah, so I think that the gap between the yes and the no side in the Senate has shrunk. But it does appear to tilt no at the moment.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Natalie Alcoba is a reporter in Buenos Aires. Thank you so much.
ALCOBA: Thank you, Lulu.
Copyright © 2020 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.


npr--2020-02-23--Quarantine For Diamond Princess Cruise Didn't Stop Spread Of COVID-19

When passengers of a luxury ship were quarantined in their rooms after one person tested positive with the coronavirus , it may have seemed like a good idea .
Yet as the days went on , dozens and then hundreds became infected with COVID-19 .
The largest outbreak site outside of China was on board that ill-fated ship docked in Japan .
Now two passengers are dead .
The closed environment of the Diamond Princess , says our next guest , was essentially a petri dish .
Dan Vergano is a science writer for BuzzFeed News , and he joins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Hi .
Good to be here .
GARCIA-NAVARRO : Cruise ships , as you wrote , are notorious for spreading illnesses .
I have to start by asking , are epidemiologists really surprised that after two weeks , more than 600 people have been infected on one ship alone ?
VERGANO : The people we spoke to who 've studied this sort of thing in the past are n't surprised at all .
And it sort of keyed on the question of , how does this virus behave ?
And now it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apparent - we have to be very careful ... VERGANO : ... That it 's more like the flu , like influenza A , where airborne transmission earlier in an infection - during the sneezing rather than coughing stage - seems to be a factor here .
And that brings into play the question of how this ship was ventilated and , you know , airborne transmission in general .
GARCIA-NAVARRO : Well , let 's talk about the ventilation system .
VERGANO : So the people who 've studied this - and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there actually has been a lot of research looking into this question - say that ventilation systems on cruise ships are n't any good at stopping airborne diseases from spreading , that there 've been studies of flu where you have , in a week 's time , you know , one patient infecting 40 people .
And likewise , the air filters simply are n't designed to screen viruses .
After a while , the whole system gets gunked up with it .
And just speaking , sneezing , coughing in your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the air system , you know , and ... GARCIA-NAVARRO : And it does n't get filtered out and maybe gets passed on .
VERGANO : In the past , that 's what 's happened .
And unless this cruise ship had some kind of impossible-to-have ventilation system , that was going on .
GARCIA-NAVARRO : But it just seemed that people knew about what happens onboard ships .
And so it might not have been the best thing to keep them all ... VERGANO : What 's your criteria ?
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government 's goal was to keep this thing bottled up on a ship , right ?
There - you have all these people there - 2,666 passengers and another thousand crew .
They 're on the ship .
They 're not in Japan , right ?
And so if you just pull them off one by one as they get sick and put them in the hospital , that 's better than dumping 3,000-some people who are all potentially sick into Japan at once and potentially contaminating an entire island , which likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spoken to have speculated .
So like this was a way to keep the thing contained on the ship more than a way to to treat the patients , although , of course , they treated them .
You know , they were getting checked and that sort of thing .
GARCIA-NAVARRO : So with the benefit of hindsight , what should have officials in Japan done when a ship with more than 3,700 crew and passengers anchored there with the coronavirus as a concern ?
VERGANO : The consensus seems to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found places to put these people up like they 've done in Singapore , where they have them in university dorms , separate from each other .
The airflow should 've been cut off from a central air .
And they should have used fresh air pumped into individual rooms , turn on space heaters to keep them warm and , you know , do n't intermix on a giant container a bunch of sick people and well people and expect it to turn out well .
GARCIA-NAVARRO : With air travel - @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people - do you see the widespread outbreak of COVID-19 as inevitable ?
VERGANO : Most of the experts I talked to see it as inevitable .
They think that this is going to end up being one of the endemic coronaviruses that humanity has to deal with .
The question is , how soon does that happen ?
And it seems like it 's coming closer right now with what 's going on in South Korea and Iran and elsewhere , where we have cases that look - are looking more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ travel related .
That 's the big worry .
And the nice thing about the Diamond Princess people is we know who they are .
And we can watch them .
The cases where we ca n't do that , I mean - those are the ones that are a real worry right now .
GARCIA-NAVARRO : Dan Vergano is a science reporter for BuzzFeed News , based here in Washington , D.C. And he joined us in the studio .
Thank you so much .

Quarantine For Diamond Princess Cruise Didn't Stop Spread Of COVID-19
LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:
When passengers of a luxury ship were quarantined in their rooms after one person tested positive with the coronavirus, it may have seemed like a good idea. Yet as the days went on, dozens and then hundreds became infected with COVID-19. The largest outbreak site outside of China was on board that ill-fated ship docked in Japan. Now two passengers are dead. The closed environment of the Diamond Princess, says our next guest, was essentially a petri dish. Dan Vergano is a science writer for BuzzFeed News, and he joins me now. Welcome.
DAN VERGANO: Hi. Good to be here.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Cruise ships, as you wrote, are notorious for spreading illnesses. I have to start by asking, are epidemiologists really surprised that after two weeks, more than 600 people have been infected on one ship alone?
VERGANO: The people we spoke to who've studied this sort of thing in the past aren't surprised at all. And it sort of keyed on the question of, how does this virus behave? And now it's becoming apparent - or it seems apparent - we have to be very careful...
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Right.
VERGANO: ...That it's more like the flu, like influenza A, where airborne transmission earlier in an infection - during the sneezing rather than coughing stage - seems to be a factor here. And that brings into play the question of how this ship was ventilated and, you know, airborne transmission in general.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Well, let's talk about the ventilation system.
VERGANO: So the people who've studied this - and one of the surprises here was that there actually has been a lot of research looking into this question - say that ventilation systems on cruise ships aren't any good at stopping airborne diseases from spreading, that there've been studies of flu where you have, in a week's time, you know, one patient infecting 40 people. And likewise, the air filters simply aren't designed to screen viruses. After a while, the whole system gets gunked up with it. And just speaking, sneezing, coughing in your ward room - that gets picked up by the air system, you know, and...
GARCIA-NAVARRO: And it doesn't get filtered out and maybe gets passed on.
VERGANO: In the past, that's what's happened. And unless this cruise ship had some kind of impossible-to-have ventilation system, that was going on.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: But it just seemed that people knew about what happens onboard ships. And so it might not have been the best thing to keep them all...
VERGANO: Well...
GARCIA-NAVARRO: ...There.
VERGANO: What's your criteria? I mean, it's clear the Japanese government's goal was to keep this thing bottled up on a ship, right? There - you have all these people there - 2,666 passengers and another thousand crew. They're on the ship. They're not in Japan, right? And so if you just pull them off one by one as they get sick and put them in the hospital, that's better than dumping 3,000-some people who are all potentially sick into Japan at once and potentially contaminating an entire island, which likely was their thinking, people I've spoken to have speculated. So like this was a way to keep the thing contained on the ship more than a way to to treat the patients, although, of course, they treated them. You know, they were getting checked and that sort of thing.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: So with the benefit of hindsight, what should have officials in Japan done when a ship with more than 3,700 crew and passengers anchored there with the coronavirus as a concern?
VERGANO: The consensus seems to be they should have bitten the bullet, found places to put these people up like they've done in Singapore, where they have them in university dorms, separate from each other. The airflow should've been cut off from a central air. And they should have used fresh air pumped into individual rooms, turn on space heaters to keep them warm and, you know, don't intermix on a giant container a bunch of sick people and well people and expect it to turn out well.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: With air travel - and there is still largely free movement of people - do you see the widespread outbreak of COVID-19 as inevitable?
VERGANO: Most of the experts I talked to see it as inevitable. They think that this is going to end up being one of the endemic coronaviruses that humanity has to deal with. The question is, how soon does that happen? And it seems like it's coming closer right now with what's going on in South Korea and Iran and elsewhere, where we have cases that look - are looking more and more like community-based ones rather than travel related. That's the big worry. And the nice thing about the Diamond Princess people is we know who they are. And we can watch them. The cases where we can't do that, I mean - those are the ones that are a real worry right now.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Dan Vergano is a science reporter for BuzzFeed News, based here in Washington, D.C. And he joined us in the studio. Thank you so much.
VERGANO: You bet.
Copyright © 2020 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.