washingtontimes--2020-04-20--Coronavirus origins in lab not ruled out by scientific studies

A scientific study recommended by White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci pointing to the origin of coronavirus pandemic as a jump from animals to humans also concludes it can not be ruled out that the virus may have escaped from a laboratory .
A second study recommended Friday by Dr. Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease , argues that similarities between the bat-origin coronavirus known as SARS-Cov-2 and a coronavirus carried by pangolins , a type of anteater , are indications the disease was first spread by an animal sold at Chinese markets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ partially funded by the Chinese government , and co-authored by Chinese scientist Zhang Yongzhen and Australian scientist Edward C. Holmes , who once was associated with the China Center for Disease Control and is an honorary professor at a Chinese university — raising questions about whether their report may have been influenced by the Chinese government .
China ’ s government has denied the virus leaked from one of two Wuhan laboratories engaged in extensive research on deadly bat coronaviruses , releasing a video interview by state-run television with the director of one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is “ absolutely no way that the virus originated from our institute.
” Dr. Fauci , a member of the White House coronavirus task force , said Friday that current research by evolutionary virologists “ is totally consistent with a jump of a species from an animal to a human.
” In an email to The Washington Times , Dr. Fauci provided the links to two scientific papers — one in the journal Nature Medicine published on March 17 written by five scientists who studied the new virus , including Mr. Holmes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ improbable ” the virus was produced or manipulated in a laboratory based on its genetic cell material .
Significantly , however , the study did not rule out that the virus might have escaped from a laboratory .
The study said basic research on SARS-like coronaviruses in laboratory cultures and animals “ has been ongoing for many years in biosafety Level-2 laboratories across the world.
” Additionally , laboratory escapes of the virus behind SARS-CoV , the virus that caused a less deadly SARS pandemic in 2003 , have been documented , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ examine the possibility of an inadvertent laboratory release ” of the current coronavirus strain , the report said .
President Trump and top Pentagon officials last week confirmed U.S. intelligence is looking into the controversy over the origins of COVID-19 .
The second study cited by Dr. Fauci , a study partially funded by the Shanghai government , was published in the journal Cell on Thursday .
It reported that the COVID-19 virus is related one found in horseshoe bats first discovered in Yunan Province in southern China and that its rapid emergence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ epidemiological storm.
” Mr. Zhang and Mr. Holmes , the authors , visited the Wuhan Huanan Seafood Market in 2014 and showed photographs of wild animals being offered for sale .
The article suggested the animals were “ a potent mechanism for zoonotic transmission ” to humans .
“ Importantly , although many of the early COVID-19 cases were linked to this market , its role in the initial emergence of SARS-CoV-2 remains uncertain , ” the article says .
The Cell report says that bats are the likely host of the new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ separation from humans “ it is probable that other mammalian species ” were intermediate or amplifying hosts that permitted “ efficient human transmission ” after mutation .
The two scientists also suggest the virus may have achieved the mutations necessary for spreading to human before the first outbreak in December and “ perhaps not even in Wuhan.
” That argument supports a recent disinformation campaign by Chinese officials who have asserted that the virus began in the United States , Iran Italy or Japan .
U.S. officials have said the disinformation is intended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ role in launching the pandemic that has devastated the world economy and killed tens of thousands .
Mr. Zhang was among first scientists to release one of the genome sequences of the new virus on Jan. 5 .
After that , his center was shut down by Chinese authorities for unspecified “ rectification ” as the genome was released outside Beijing ’ s control .
The third source provided by Dr. Fauci was a published statement by Mr. Holmes , who said there is “ no evidence ” that COVID-19 “ originated in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Coronaviruses like SARS-CoV-2 are commonly found in wildlife species and frequently jump to new hosts .
This is also the most likely explanation for the origin of SARS-CoV-2 , ” the statement said .
Mr. Holmes ‘ University of Sydney biography say he was a guest professor at the Chinese CDC in Beijing , and an honorary visiting professor at Fudan University in Shanghai .

A scientific study recommended by White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci pointing to the origin of coronavirus pandemic as a jump from animals to humans also concludes it cannot be ruled out that the virus may have escaped from a laboratory.
A second study recommended Friday by Dr. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, argues that similarities between the bat-origin coronavirus known as SARS-Cov-2 and a coronavirus carried by pangolins, a type of anteater, are indications the disease was first spread by an animal sold at Chinese markets.
However, the second study was partially funded by the Chinese government, and co-authored by Chinese scientist Zhang Yongzhen and Australian scientist Edward C. Holmes, who once was associated with the China Center for Disease Control and is an honorary professor at a Chinese university — raising questions about whether their report may have been influenced by the Chinese government.
China’s government has denied the virus leaked from one of two Wuhan laboratories engaged in extensive research on deadly bat coronaviruses, releasing a video interview by state-run television with the director of one of the labs over the weekend insisting there is “absolutely no way that the virus originated from our institute.”
Dr. Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, said Friday that current research by evolutionary virologists “is totally consistent with a jump of a species from an animal to a human.”
In an email to The Washington Times, Dr. Fauci provided the links to two scientific papers — one in the journal Nature Medicine published on March 17 written by five scientists who studied the new virus, including Mr. Holmes. The paper states it is “improbable” the virus was produced or manipulated in a laboratory based on its genetic cell material.
Significantly, however, the study did not rule out that the virus might have escaped from a laboratory.
The study said basic research on SARS-like coronaviruses in laboratory cultures and animals “has been ongoing for many years in biosafety Level-2 laboratories across the world.” Additionally, laboratory escapes of the virus behind SARS-CoV, the virus that caused a less deadly SARS pandemic in 2003, have been documented, including in China.
“We must therefore examine the possibility of an inadvertent laboratory release” of the current coronavirus strain, the report said.
President Trump and top Pentagon officials last week confirmed U.S. intelligence is looking into the controversy over the origins of COVID-19.
The second study cited by Dr. Fauci, a study partially funded by the Shanghai government, was published in the journal Cell on Thursday. It reported that the COVID-19 virus is related one found in horseshoe bats first discovered in Yunan Province in southern China and that its rapid emergence and global spread constitutes “a perfect epidemiological storm.”
Mr. Zhang and Mr. Holmes, the authors, visited the Wuhan Huanan Seafood Market in 2014 and showed photographs of wild animals being offered for sale. The article suggested the animals were “a potent mechanism for zoonotic transmission” to humans.
“Importantly, although many of the early COVID-19 cases were linked to this market, its role in the initial emergence of SARS-CoV-2 remains uncertain,” the article says.
The Cell report says that bats are the likely host of the new virus, but because of bats’ separation from humans “it is probable that other mammalian species” were intermediate or amplifying hosts that permitted “efficient human transmission” after mutation. The two scientists also suggest the virus may have achieved the mutations necessary for spreading to human before the first outbreak in December and “perhaps not even in Wuhan.”
That argument supports a recent disinformation campaign by Chinese officials who have asserted that the virus began in the United States, Iran Italy or Japan. U.S. officials have said the disinformation is intended to deflect criticism of China for its role in launching the pandemic that has devastated the world economy and killed tens of thousands.
Mr. Zhang was among first scientists to release one of the genome sequences of the new virus on Jan. 5. After that, his center was shut down by Chinese authorities for unspecified “rectification” as the genome was released outside Beijing’s control.
The third source provided by Dr. Fauci was a published statement by Mr. Holmes, who said there is “no evidence” that COVID-19 “originated in a laboratory in Wuhan, China.”
“Coronaviruses like SARS-CoV-2 are commonly found in wildlife species and frequently jump to new hosts. This is also the most likely explanation for the origin of SARS-CoV-2,” the statement said.
Mr. Holmes’ University of Sydney biography say he was a guest professor at the Chinese CDC in Beijing, and an honorary visiting professor at Fudan University in Shanghai.
• Bill Gertz can be reached at bgertz@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-04-20--Indebted Virgin Australia goes into voluntary administration

CANBERRA , Australia ( AP ) - Virgin Australia , the nation ’ s second-largest airline , announced Tuesday it had entered voluntary administration as it seeks to strengthen its finances amid a debt crisis .
Virgin said in a statement to the Australian Securities Exchange that it had appointed a team of Deloitte administrators to “ recapitalize the business and help ensure it emerges in a stronger financial position on the other side of the COVID-19 crisis.
” The move came after the Australian government refused Virgin ’ s request for a 1.4 billion Australian dollar ( $ 888 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ argued that it had three times more revenue than Virgin and was therefore entitled to a AU $ 4.2 billion ( $ 2.7 billion ) loan if the smaller airline was not to gain an unfair advantage .
Administrator Vaughan Strawbridge said in the statement : “ Our intention is to undertake a process to restructure and refinance the business and bring it out of administration as soon as possible.
” Virgin would continue to operate its scheduled international and domestic flights .
Virgin shares have been in a trading halt for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Virgin Australia ’ s major shareholders are Singapore Airlines and Etihad Airways as well as Chinese investigator conglomerates Nanshan Group and HNA Group .
The Brisbane-based airline has 130 aircraft and employs 10,000 staff .
Australian governments and businesses fear that a collapse of Virgin would leave Qantas with a virtual monopoly in Australia ’ s domestic aviation market .
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said his government wouldn ’ t consider intervening until “ the private sector opportunities have been exhausted.
” “ The government is not in the business of owning an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Corp , referring for a potential deal in which the government bought equity in Virgin .
“ But we do want to see two airlines continue and we believe that the opportunities ( are ) there out of the administration process for that to happen , ” Cormann added .
But opposition lawmakers and union leaders called for the government to bail out Virgin to save jobs and low-price domestic airfares .

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - Virgin Australia, the nation’s second-largest airline, announced Tuesday it had entered voluntary administration, seeking bankruptcy protection after a debt crisis worsened by the coronavirus shutdown pushed it into insolvency.
Virgin said in a statement to the Australian Securities Exchange that it had appointed a team of Deloitte administrators to “recapitalize the business and help ensure it emerges in a stronger financial position on the other side of the COVID-19 crisis.”
Virgin is one of the first major airlines to seek bankruptcy protection in response to the pandemic. Virgin’s administrators have taken control of the company and will try to work out a way to save either the company or its business.
The move came after the Australian government refused Virgin’s request for a 1.4 billion Australian dollar ($888 million) loan.
Rival Qantas Airways argued that it had three times more revenue than Virgin and was therefore entitled to a AU$4.2 billion ($2.7 billion) loan if the smaller airline was not to gain an unfair advantage.
Administrator Vaughan Strawbridge said in the statement: “Our intention is to undertake a process to restructure and refinance the business and bring it out of administration as soon as possible.”
Virgin will continue to operate its scheduled international and domestic flights, most of which have been canceled due to the pandemic.
Virgin is struggling to repay AU$5 billion in debt after several loss-making years. Some analysts predict that if the airline survives, it will drop international services and focus on the Australian domestic market.
Virgin Australia’s major shareholders are Singapore Airlines and Etihad Airways as well as Chinese investment conglomerates Nanshan Group and HNA Group. British billionaire founder Richard Branson holds a 10% stake.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg told reporters his “government was not going to bail out five large foreign shareholders with deep pockets who together own 90% of this airline.”
Branson told Virgin Australia’s staff that the appointment of administrators was “devastating.”
“In most countries federal governments have stepped in, in this unprecedented crisis for aviation, to help their airlines,” Branson posted online. “Sadly, that has not happened in Australia.”
He said Virgin would work with administrators, investors and the government to get the airline “back up and running soon.”
Branson has asked the British government for a loan to prop up Virgin Atlantic, which his Virgin Group owns jointly with U.S. carrier Delta Air Lines. He is reportedly asking for 500 million pounds ($3.2 billion).
He has said he was willing to put up the private island where he lives in the British Virgin Islands as collateral for the loan
The Australian government and businesses fear that a collapse of Virgin would leave Qantas with a virtual monopoly in Australia’s domestic aviation market.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was encouraged that “10 parties have shown interest” in Virgin’s future and have approached administrators to discuss financial deals.
“If we’d not taken the actions that we have and not demonstrated the patience that we have, then all we may have ended up doing is sending $1 billion to foreign shareholders and that was never part of my plan,” Morrison told reporters.
“Our plan was always about seeing two viable airlines on the other side,” he added.
Virgin filled a gap left when Qantas’ former main domestic rival, Air New Zealand-owned Ansett Australia, collapsed in 2001.
Brisbane-based Virgin has 130 aircraft and employs 10,000 staff.
Opposition lawmakers and union leaders urged the government to bail out Virgin to save jobs and low-price domestic airfares.
“This crisis isn’t a result of market failure, it’s a result of a government decision to shut the market,” opposition leader Anthony Albanese said. “That’s why talk of market-based solutions at the moment is a triumph of ideology over common sense.”
The pandemic is a catastrophe for airlines around the world.
In the U.S., major airlines are getting $25 billion in government aid to pay workers and avoid massive layoffs. The assistance includes a mix of cash and loans, with the government getting warrants that can be converted into small ownership stakes in the leading airlines.


washingtontimes--2020-04-20--Excerpts from recent South Dakota editorials

The social media call has become nearly deafening , so much so that it ’ s bled into her daily press briefings … Why hasn ’ t Gov .
Kristi Noem ordered a shelter-in-place ?
From the early points of the COVID-19 virus in the state of South Dakota , Noem has expressed that she doesn ’ t have the direct power to make such an order .
Her office put forth a number of temporary bills on veto day , and the two that got rejected by the legislature intended to put more power in the hands of counties @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Health , specifically in the case of a Public Health Emergency .
So what is the truth behind the powers the governor has ?
To first understand how powers are divided within the state ’ s original constitution , one has to consider the era when the constitution was written .
The state placed the lion ’ s share of governing power over local population over local government .
The direct section in the original state constitution is Article 9 , Section 2 , specifically this paragraph : “ A chartered governmental @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perform any function not denied by its charter , the Constitution or the general laws of the state .
The charter may provide for any form of executive , legislative and administrative structure which shall be of superior authority to statute , provided that the legislative body so established be chosen by popular election and that the administrative proceedings be subject to judicial review.
” To put that into common language , cities and counties were to create a charter when they were founded .
That charter gave them all the powers to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ business .
Local authority was the preferred way to distribute governing power so as to avoid a state government that wielded too much power over the state .
Then what about specifically in a crisis or disaster moment ?
South Dakota has a codified law for that , specifically , 34-48A-5 .
That statute lays out the power of the governor in times of disaster or emergency .
The specific area in question that would allow Gov .
Noem to act , which perhaps she ’ s not utilized at this time , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the exact wording of that section : “ May control the ingress and egress in a designated disaster or emergency area , the movement of vehicles upon highways within the area , the movement of persons within the area , and the occupancy of premises within the area ” So what exactly does that mean ?
Once a disaster area or emergency area has been declared - President Trump declared South Dakota a disaster area due to COVID-19 on April 5 - the governor can order travel restrictions and restrict the amount of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not to be in a particular business .
What is missing from that line , and the entire rest of the emergency powers of the governor , is any directive giving power to the governor to order residents in their homes , even if for their own safety .
This was what the governor hoped to do by expanding the depth of a public health emergency , which is applicable to just one person or one group of people , not the entire state as presently written into state law .
Expanding the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ utilize public health emergency powers would have allowed for stay-at-home directives to potentially come through that department , but the legislature rejected that temporary expansion of powers .
Right now , those calling upon the governor for a shelter-in-place or a stay-at-home order really ought to look to their local municipal or county governments .
Within South Dakota , that ’ s where those orders come from , and for some counties , those ordinances have been in place since March 22 .
Only three states and Puerto Rico acted sooner among the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case you miss it Of all the things that have been derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic in the last month ( and it sure seems a lot longer than that ) , I think the loss of spring bugs me the most .
OK , I realize we ’ re only about a month into the season , the tree branches are still bare and I ’ m still wearing a parka on some days , but really , spring - or , at least , my usual springtime - never arrived this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lot of what we do and deal with is dictated by the calendar .
So much changes with the seasons , and after a while , those changes serve as my best measure of the flow of time .
However , COVID-19 has wiped out almost every marker and signpost that tells me , as a journalist in Yankton , that it ’ s spring .
For instance , we should have had a city election last Tuesday , but the pandemic has pushed it to June .
Thus , Tuesday was just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ faceless days and weeks as we stumble through this unfamiliar , unmarked territory .
I miss taking photos at school concerts .
By now , those programs would be winding down as the school year inched towards its end .
Our sports department certainly misses the track season .
Back when I was covering sports , spring felt so liberating because track meant more time outdoors and a set schedule of annual meets to chart a course through the busy season .
But this year , there are no track meets , no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ performances to catch , and there ’ s no Press & Dakotan Leader Board to study .
( To be sure , the sports staff also misses the baseball , tennis and golf seasons . )
I ’ ll probably miss shooting photos at the Yankton High School prom ’ s grand march , which was to happen next weekend .
It was always basic , repetitive shooting , but at least it was a sign that the end of the school year was within sight .
( I wonder if the students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sense of progression .
It just feels like the world has been frozen in place since mid-March . )
I miss the crowds , even though I don ’ t miss dealing with the crowds .
I miss regular photo assignments with actual people .
This week , I shot a general set-up photo involving another person for the first time in at least a month , and I really can ’ t describe how pleasant it was to interact - albeit with six-foot distancing - with others again .
I miss the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ normally be getting for upcoming spring and summer events .
This week ’ s cancellation of Czech Days made it the latest victim of a creeping uncertainty that has devoured the spring and is now encroaching on summer .
I miss having a variety of stories in any given edition of the P & D ; that aren ’ t somehow all tied to the same underlying theme … Of course , we all miss things these days - from church to shopping trips to social gatherings - that we took for granted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , everyday activities have been lost or altered .
For instance , I miss going into a store without feeling like I ’ m walking into a minefield .
In fact , I miss going into a store and seeing every shelf stocked .
I miss listening to baseball games on the radio .
I miss going into fast-food places to casually grab a bite to eat .
Most eateries now limit you to the drive-thru , which isn ’ t the same .
One particular place in town makes you work off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t get to talk to a real person .
That adds a lot of pressure .
I can ’ t say I miss NOT washing my hands , but I do miss not feeling like I have to thoroughly scrub them as if my life depended on it .
I miss the concept of self-isolation being considered a bad thing .
I miss the New York Mets - which is also a sentiment expressed in “ Avengers : Endgame , ” a coincidence that feels somewhat unsettling right now .
I actually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yankton ’ s streets .
I miss not having dreams about viruses and death tolls , which I get now all the time .
I miss the way things were .
I miss all that and more .
Some day - whenever that day is - this pandemic will subside and the threat will be gone .
We ’ ll piece the world back together , learn from it , perhaps grieve over it , and we will definitely be ready to move on from it .
And I can guarantee one thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this at all .
If you take the $ 2.2 trillion that Congress has authorized as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and divide it by the nation ’ s population ( 330 million Americans ) , that comes out to roughly $ 6,600 per man , woman and child .
That per-capita figure is likely to grow as Congress considers more relief measures when it returns to work later this month .
All that borrowed money , which will be tacked onto the national debt , is to deal with government-imposed symptoms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claims , industry bailouts , shuttered businesses , etc .
- arising from public health orders restricting day-to-day activities to the bare essentials .
It ’ s a self-imposed economic recession that could leave up to a quarter of the nation ’ s workforce unemployed for an extended period .
These policy decisions were made as a last resort because the federal government failed - spectacularly - to make aggressive testing its No .
1 priority as soon as epidemiologists realized the virus would infiltrate the United States .
Obviously that didn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ open-ended economic crisis .
Common sense has left the building , and we forgot how cool he was .
This virus isn ’ t going away anytime soon .
Not until we have a vaccine , which - best case - is a year away .
We can ’ t suffer like this for that long .
It will wreck the country .
We have to change directions ASAP .
We need to ramp up testing now .
Spectacularly so .
The consequence of a lack of testing in the U.S. has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in order to keep everybody away from each other .
“ Social distancing ” is a logical response , under those circumstances , in order to keep from overwhelming the health care system .
Citizens have to do their part by following those rules , and nothing we ’ re saying here is intended to undermine that .
In other words , stay home .
It ’ s our best shot right now .
Authorities have doled out the tests in a miserly manner because of short supplies .
We can ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testing under these circumstances .
Other countries are taking a far more aggressive approach : In Germany , they ’ re testing 500,000 people a week , and they ’ re looking to ramp up to 200,000 per day .
England is aiming for 25,000 people a day by the end of April .
Sweden and Austria are at 15,000 tests per day .
President Donald Trump announced Thursday that 2 million tests have been administered .
But that ’ s only .61 % of the U.S. population .
Other counties are doing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administered tests to approximately 1.4 % of its population , and South Korea , which flattened its infection curve with widespread testing , has reached .9 percent of its population .
We can do better .
Trump must throw the full weight of the federal government at this problem and direct every public , private and university laboratory in the nation to do nothing other than produce test kits to detect both infection and antibodies in every American .
Within weeks , we could get almost everyone back to work quickly without endlessly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of testing has created .
Mass testing could allow us to quarantine people who actually have the virus or who ’ ve been in contact with people carrying it .
That would prevent infected people who don ’ t yet show symptoms from giving it to others .
This country turned a theoretical technology into reality to end WWII .
We can test everyone within 2-4 weeks with a singular focus on doing so .
What would such a testing program cost ?
We have no idea , but if it can be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person , it proves how wrong-headed the current response has been .
Some of our leaders think widespread testing is unnecessary .
How they think certain parts of the country can be “ reopened ” without it in the coming weeks is beyond us .
The New York Times cited federal projections that lifting shelter-in-place order after 30 days will lead to a summer infection spike .
We ’ re on a treadmill we can ’ t get off until at the earliest April 2021 without widespread testing .
Let ’ s put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relate to .
If we have universal testing , we have football in the fall .
If we don ’ t , we won ’ t .

The Huron Daily Plainsman, April 17
Can Noem issue a shelter-in-place?
The social media call has become nearly deafening, so much so that it’s bled into her daily press briefings … Why hasn’t Gov. Kristi Noem ordered a shelter-in-place?
From the early points of the COVID-19 virus in the state of South Dakota, Noem has expressed that she doesn’t have the direct power to make such an order. Her office put forth a number of temporary bills on veto day, and the two that got rejected by the legislature intended to put more power in the hands of counties and in the hands of the Department of Health, specifically in the case of a Public Health Emergency.
So what is the truth behind the powers the governor has?
To first understand how powers are divided within the state’s original constitution, one has to consider the era when the constitution was written.
The state placed the lion’s share of governing power over local population over local government. The direct section in the original state constitution is Article 9, Section 2, specifically this paragraph:
“A chartered governmental unit may exercise any legislative power or perform any function not denied by its charter, the Constitution or the general laws of the state. The charter may provide for any form of executive, legislative and administrative structure which shall be of superior authority to statute, provided that the legislative body so established be chosen by popular election and that the administrative proceedings be subject to judicial review.”
To put that into common language, cities and counties were to create a charter when they were founded. That charter gave them all the powers to govern their own residents, private and business. Local authority was the preferred way to distribute governing power so as to avoid a state government that wielded too much power over the state.
Then what about specifically in a crisis or disaster moment? South Dakota has a codified law for that, specifically, 34-48A-5. That statute lays out the power of the governor in times of disaster or emergency.
The specific area in question that would allow Gov. Noem to act, which perhaps she’s not utilized at this time, is section 5. Here’s the exact wording of that section:
“May control the ingress and egress in a designated disaster or emergency area, the movement of vehicles upon highways within the area, the movement of persons within the area, and the occupancy of premises within the area”
So what exactly does that mean?
Once a disaster area or emergency area has been declared - President Trump declared South Dakota a disaster area due to COVID-19 on April 5 - the governor can order travel restrictions and restrict the amount of people in a business or direct people not to be in a particular business.
What is missing from that line, and the entire rest of the emergency powers of the governor, is any directive giving power to the governor to order residents in their homes, even if for their own safety. This was what the governor hoped to do by expanding the depth of a public health emergency, which is applicable to just one person or one group of people, not the entire state as presently written into state law.
Expanding the ability of the Department of Health to utilize public health emergency powers would have allowed for stay-at-home directives to potentially come through that department, but the legislature rejected that temporary expansion of powers.
Right now, those calling upon the governor for a shelter-in-place or a stay-at-home order really ought to look to their local municipal or county governments.
Within South Dakota, that’s where those orders come from, and for some counties, those ordinances have been in place since March 22.
Only three states and Puerto Rico acted sooner among the United States and its territories.
___
Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan, April 16
In case you miss it
I miss spring.
Of all the things that have been derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic in the last month (and it sure seems a lot longer than that), I think the loss of spring bugs me the most. OK, I realize we’re only about a month into the season, the tree branches are still bare and I’m still wearing a parka on some days, but really, spring - or, at least, my usual springtime - never arrived this year.
At our newspaper, a lot of what we do and deal with is dictated by the calendar. So much changes with the seasons, and after a while, those changes serve as my best measure of the flow of time.
However, COVID-19 has wiped out almost every marker and signpost that tells me, as a journalist in Yankton, that it’s spring. For instance, we should have had a city election last Tuesday, but the pandemic has pushed it to June. Thus, Tuesday was just another day in a dreary blur of faceless days and weeks as we stumble through this unfamiliar, unmarked territory.
So, yeah, I really miss spring …
I miss taking photos at school concerts. By now, those programs would be winding down as the school year inched towards its end.
Our sports department certainly misses the track season. Back when I was covering sports, spring felt so liberating because track meant more time outdoors and a set schedule of annual meets to chart a course through the busy season. But this year, there are no track meets, no days in the warming sun and no performances to catch, and there’s no Press & Dakotan Leader Board to study. (To be sure, the sports staff also misses the baseball, tennis and golf seasons.)
I’ll probably miss shooting photos at the Yankton High School prom’s grand march, which was to happen next weekend. It was always basic, repetitive shooting, but at least it was a sign that the end of the school year was within sight. (I wonder if the students and teachers have also lost that same sense of progression. It just feels like the world has been frozen in place since mid-March.)
I miss the crowds, even though I don’t miss dealing with the crowds.
I miss shooting photos of plays.
I miss regular photo assignments with actual people. This week, I shot a general set-up photo involving another person for the first time in at least a month, and I really can’t describe how pleasant it was to interact - albeit with six-foot distancing - with others again.
I miss the growing tide of press releases we would normally be getting for upcoming spring and summer events. This week’s cancellation of Czech Days made it the latest victim of a creeping uncertainty that has devoured the spring and is now encroaching on summer.
I miss having a variety of stories in any given edition of the P&D that aren’t somehow all tied to the same underlying theme …
Of course, we all miss things these days - from church to shopping trips to social gatherings - that we took for granted not too long ago. Even normal, everyday activities have been lost or altered.
For instance, I miss going into a store without feeling like I’m walking into a minefield.
In fact, I miss going into a store and seeing every shelf stocked.
I miss listening to baseball games on the radio.
I miss going into fast-food places to casually grab a bite to eat. Most eateries now limit you to the drive-thru, which isn’t the same. One particular place in town makes you work off an automated board, so you don’t get to talk to a real person. That adds a lot of pressure.
I miss movie theaters.
I can’t say I miss NOT washing my hands, but I do miss not feeling like I have to thoroughly scrub them as if my life depended on it.
I miss the concept of self-isolation being considered a bad thing.
I miss the New York Mets - which is also a sentiment expressed in “Avengers: Endgame,” a coincidence that feels somewhat unsettling right now.
I actually miss the waves of bustling traffic on Yankton’s streets.
I miss not having dreams about viruses and death tolls, which I get now all the time.
I miss the way things were.
I miss all that and more.
Some day - whenever that day is - this pandemic will subside and the threat will be gone. We’ll piece the world back together, learn from it, perhaps grieve over it, and we will definitely be ready to move on from it. And I can guarantee one thing: I will not miss any of this at all.
___
Black Hills Pioneer, Spearfish, April 18
Test everyone
If you take the $2.2 trillion that Congress has authorized as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and divide it by the nation’s population (330 million Americans), that comes out to roughly $6,600 per man, woman and child.
That per-capita figure is likely to grow as Congress considers more relief measures when it returns to work later this month.
All that borrowed money, which will be tacked onto the national debt, is to deal with government-imposed symptoms of the pandemic - layoffs, unemployment claims, industry bailouts, shuttered businesses, etc. - arising from public health orders restricting day-to-day activities to the bare essentials.
It’s a self-imposed economic recession that could leave up to a quarter of the nation’s workforce unemployed for an extended period. These policy decisions were made as a last resort because the federal government failed - spectacularly - to make aggressive testing its No. 1 priority as soon as epidemiologists realized the virus would infiltrate the United States.
Obviously that didn’t happen, leaving us in an open-ended economic crisis.
Common sense has left the building, and we forgot how cool he was.
This virus isn’t going away anytime soon. Not until we have a vaccine, which - best case - is a year away. We can’t suffer like this for that long. It will wreck the country. We have to change directions ASAP.
We need to ramp up testing now. Spectacularly so.
The consequence of a lack of testing in the U.S. has been that governments have to shut down everything in order to keep everybody away from each other.
“Social distancing” is a logical response, under those circumstances, in order to keep from overwhelming the health care system. Citizens have to do their part by following those rules, and nothing we’re saying here is intended to undermine that. In other words, stay home. It’s our best shot right now.
But it’s a very costly, short-term solution.
Authorities have doled out the tests in a miserly manner because of short supplies. We can’t blame local authorities for setting priorities in testing under these circumstances.
Other countries are taking a far more aggressive approach: In Germany, they’re testing 500,000 people a week, and they’re looking to ramp up to 200,000 per day. England is aiming for 25,000 people a day by the end of April. Sweden and Austria are at 15,000 tests per day.
President Donald Trump announced Thursday that 2 million tests have been administered. But that’s only .61% of the U.S. population. Other counties are doing better. Newsweek reports that Italy has administered tests to approximately 1.4% of its population, and South Korea, which flattened its infection curve with widespread testing, has reached .9 percent of its population.
We can do better. Trump must throw the full weight of the federal government at this problem and direct every public, private and university laboratory in the nation to do nothing other than produce test kits to detect both infection and antibodies in every American. Within weeks, we could get almost everyone back to work quickly without endlessly throwing money at the problems the lack of testing has created.
Mass testing could allow us to quarantine people who actually have the virus or who’ve been in contact with people carrying it.
That would prevent infected people who don’t yet show symptoms from giving it to others. This country turned a theoretical technology into reality to end WWII. We can test everyone within 2-4 weeks with a singular focus on doing so.
What would such a testing program cost? We have no idea, but if it can be done for less than $6,600 per person, it proves how wrong-headed the current response has been.
Some of our leaders think widespread testing is unnecessary. How they think certain parts of the country can be “reopened” without it in the coming weeks is beyond us. The New York Times cited federal projections that lifting shelter-in-place order after 30 days will lead to a summer infection spike. We’re on a treadmill we can’t get off until at the earliest April 2021 without widespread testing.
Let’s put this in terms that most people can relate to.
If we have universal testing, we have football in the fall.
If we don’t, we won’t.
It’s not too late.


washingtontimes--2020-04-20--Jared Polis, Colorado governor: Coronavirus stay-at-home order to expire next week

DENVER — Colorado ’ s governor says the statewide stay-at-home order will expire next week .
Democratic Gov .
Jared @ @ @ @ @ a gradual reopening of nonessential businesses and permit surgical procedures and other activity suspended by @ @ @ @ @ as strict social distancing and other individual protective measures continue .
Polis credited widespread compliance @ @ @ @ @ shelter-in-place orders for an apparent leveling off of COVID-19 hospitalizations , allowing the most severe @ @ @ @ @ expire on April 27 .
The governor urged residents who can work at home to @ @ @ @ @ stay at home as much as possible , avoid large gatherings and wear masks and @ @ @ @ @ on specific measures will be released this week , the governor said at a news @ @ @ @ @ authorities are empowered to reimpose restrictions in response to health crises , he said .

DENVER — Colorado’s governor says the statewide stay-at-home order will expire next week.
Democratic Gov. Jared Polis also said he allow a gradual reopening of nonessential businesses and permit surgical procedures and other activity suspended by the coronavirus fight as long as strict social distancing and other individual protective measures continue.
Polis credited widespread compliance with statewide social distancing and shelter-in-place orders for an apparent leveling off of COVID-19 hospitalizations, allowing the most severe restrictions imposed last month to expire on April 27.
The governor urged residents who can work at home to keep doing so, to stay at home as much as possible, avoid large gatherings and wear masks and other protective gear.
Details on specific measures will be released this week, the governor said at a news briefing. State and local authorities are empowered to reimpose restrictions in response to health crises, he said.


washingtontimes--2020-04-20--Barham Salih, Iraq president, faces perfect storm with coronavirus, oil price drop

Iraq faces a “ perfect storm ” of challenges from plummeting oil prices to rising COVID-19 rates , President Barham Salih warned Monday , as it struggles to form a government after more than a year of delay while sitting at the epicenter of rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran .
Mr. Salih expressed hope that Prime Minister-designated Mustafa al-Kadhimi will be able to form a working government after two predecessors stepped aside in the face of violent protests last year .
But Mr. Salih ’ s overall message was clear : Nearly two decades after the U.S. invasion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fresh security meltdown .
“ We have a very dire economic crisis with the collapse of oil prices , ” Mr. Salih said in a wide- ranging videoconference interview presented by the Asia Society Policy Institute Monday .
In oil-producing states like Iraq , he said , “ the dependency on the state is huge but the ability of the state to deliver is also limited , especially in the context of declining oil revenues.
” Iraq ’ s government depends on oil revenues to fund more than 90 percent of its $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was based on a projection that global oil would stay at or above $ 56 per barrel through 2020 .
With the global price at record lows and falling , government revenue expectations have been cut in half over the past month — just as the country struggles to respond to the coronavirus .
While official numbers suggest cases have leveled in recent days at about 1,600 , skepticism is widespread amid a lack of testing and Iraq ’ s proximity to Iran , which has suffered one of the world ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infighting , meanwhile , Mr. Salih pointed Monday to “ endemic ” corruption in Baghdad , asserting that much-needed economic reforms in Iraq will never carry any real weight unless the corruption problem is addressed .
While the presidency in Iraq is largely symbolic — Mr. Salih holds little actual power over the government — it is a position of influence in that the president appoints the prime minister for the parliament ’ s consideration and has a position of rhetorical leadership .
Iraq is still recovering from massive popular protests that brought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resignation of former Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi late last year .
“ Without combating corruption , you will not change the political economy of conflict in our [ society ] , ” the president said , pointing to wider consequences for what he described as “ Western security.
” The current political economy in Iraq , Mr. Salih said , “ allows extremists , including terrorists to flourish and keeps you back in this quagmire of…defeating an insurgency only to [ have it ] resurface again because this extremism thrives on joblessness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of opportunities and a sense of injustice.
” The U.S. and Iran Tensions between the U.S. and Iran , both with substantial influence inside Iraq , aren ’ t helping .
Those tensions surged late last year amid a string of attacks by Iran-backed Shiite militias in Iraq against U.S. forces in the country — violence that was followed in early-January by a U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani while he was visiting Baghdad .
Iran responded with missiles salvos at two bases in Iraq housing American troops , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iraqi Kurdish homeland .
Iraq ’ s parliament , which American officials accuse of being increasingly undermined by Iranian government influence , demanded the pullout of some 5,000 U.S. troops in the country as part of the anti-Islamic State coalition .
Though many saw the bill as a protest gesture , President Trump threatened at the time to impose “ big sanctions ” on Iraq and asserted U.S. troops would not withdraw unless Baghdad compensated Washington for the potential loss of strategic bases in the country .
More recently , U.S. forces have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country , including some that have come under attack by Iran-backed militias in recent months .
In his remarks Monday , Mr. Salih suggested Iraqi leaders are trying to threat a needle in their relations with both Tehran and Washington .
“ Iran is an important neighbor , ” he said .
“ We have 1,400 kilometers of borders with Iran and we simply can not ignore Iran as a factor in both the national strategic policy of Iraq and the way we look at our neighborhood — not to mention other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two neighboring nations.
” “ My hope is that our neighbors , including Iran…will agree on one common theme , supporting a sovereign Iraqi state that truly represents the wishes and the will of the Iraqi people , because at the end of the day this is the only viable project.
” The same message goes for U.S.-Iraqi relations , he said , asserting that “ Iraqis should decide their fate for themselves .
No intervention and no dictation to Iraq .
This will not work .
Many have tried it and it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and ] undermining Iraq ’ s stability.
” The Trump administration is planning a U.S.-Iraq “ strategic dialogue ” in June , with the troop basing issue likely to be prominent .
“ There is a decision in Iraqi parliament about withdrawal of American troops — foreign troops , ” he said .
“ We need to sit down together and discuss in very candid and very direct way about the mission — about the process by which these forces are operating in Iraq.
” How to navigate the issue is among the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ al-Kadhimi , a man who is well versed in the political dynamics surrounding U.S.-Iran tensions in Baghdad given his recent service as Iraq ’ s intelligence chief .
Mr. al-Kadhimi was appointed on April 9 as Iraq ’ s third prime minister-designate in just over a month .
Shiite political parties rallied around him after the candidacy of second appointee , Adnan al-Zurfi , faced resistance from powerful Iran-backed political parties in Baghdad and failed to present a government to parliament .
Several Iran-backed militia groups had also issued a joint statement accusing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agent ” and threatened lawmakers if they approved his proposed Cabinet , according to The Associated Press .
Mr. al-Kadhimi , who has headed of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service in June 2016 has a somewhat unusual political history — a vocal opponent of Saddam Hussein ’ s regime who lived in exile for a number of years — including Iran — while working as a journalist for a time .
With ties to both Tehran and Washington , he will have 30 days under Iraq ’ s constitution to present a cabinet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mr. Salih expressed optimism , saying Mr. al-Kadhimi “ comes in with a lot of political support from within Iraq , from within the Shia community , within the Kurds and the Sunnis and people have high hopes that he will be able to convene his government before long.
” Iraq , Mr. Salih said , “ has gone through a lot over the past few years .
… We have been experiencing what I would consider to be the ultimate perfect storm.
” “ Imagine , we are in the heart of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Middle East , …with declining oil prices , [ an ] economic crisis , now COVID-19 , the dynamic between the United States , Iran and the Arab world — these are all happening at the same time .
”

Iraq faces a “perfect storm” of challenges from plummeting oil prices to rising COVID-19 rates, President Barham Salih warned Monday, as it struggles to form a government after more than a year of delay while sitting at the epicenter of rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran.
Mr. Salih expressed hope that Prime Minister-designated Mustafa al-Kadhimi will be able to form a working government after two predecessors stepped aside in the face of violent protests last year.
But Mr. Salih’s overall message was clear: Nearly two decades after the U.S. invasion, Iraq faces the risk of a fresh security meltdown.
“We have a very dire economic crisis with the collapse of oil prices,” Mr. Salih said in a wide- ranging videoconference interview presented by the Asia Society Policy Institute Monday.
In oil-producing states like Iraq, he said, “the dependency on the state is huge but the ability of the state to deliver is also limited, especially in the context of declining oil revenues.”
Iraq’s government depends on oil revenues to fund more than 90 percent of its $100 billion budget. The current budget was based on a projection that global oil would stay at or above $56 per barrel through 2020.
With the global price at record lows and falling, government revenue expectations have been cut in half over the past month — just as the country struggles to respond to the coronavirus.
While official numbers suggest cases have leveled in recent days at about 1,600, skepticism is widespread amid a lack of testing and Iraq’s proximity to Iran, which has suffered one of the world’s biggest outbreaks.
After years of government infighting, meanwhile, Mr. Salih pointed Monday to “endemic” corruption in Baghdad, asserting that much-needed economic reforms in Iraq will never carry any real weight unless the corruption problem is addressed.
While the presidency in Iraq is largely symbolic — Mr. Salih holds little actual power over the government — it is a position of influence in that the president appoints the prime minister for the parliament’s consideration and has a position of rhetorical leadership. Iraq is still recovering from massive popular protests that brought Baghdad to its knees and forced the resignation of former Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi late last year.
“Without combating corruption, you will not change the political economy of conflict in our [society],” the president said, pointing to wider consequences for what he described as “Western security.”
The current political economy in Iraq, Mr. Salih said, “allows extremists, including terrorists to flourish and keeps you back in this quagmire of…defeating an insurgency only to [have it] resurface again because this extremism thrives on joblessness and hopelessness of the youth and lack of opportunities and a sense of injustice.”
The U.S. and Iran
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran, both with substantial influence inside Iraq, aren’t helping.
Those tensions surged late last year amid a string of attacks by Iran-backed Shiite militias in Iraq against U.S. forces in the country — violence that was followed in early-January by a U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani while he was visiting Baghdad.
Iran responded with missiles salvos at two bases in Iraq housing American troops, including one in Mr. Salih’s Iraqi Kurdish homeland.
Iraq’s parliament, which American officials accuse of being increasingly undermined by Iranian government influence, demanded the pullout of some 5,000 U.S. troops in the country as part of the anti-Islamic State coalition.
Though many saw the bill as a protest gesture, President Trump threatened at the time to impose “big sanctions” on Iraq and asserted U.S. troops would not withdraw unless Baghdad compensated Washington for the potential loss of strategic bases in the country.
More recently, U.S. forces have pulled back from several military outposts around the country, including some that have come under attack by Iran-backed militias in recent months.
In his remarks Monday, Mr. Salih suggested Iraqi leaders are trying to threat a needle in their relations with both Tehran and Washington.
“Iran is an important neighbor,” he said. “We have 1,400 kilometers of borders with Iran and we simply cannot ignore Iran as a factor in both the national strategic policy of Iraq and the way we look at our neighborhood — not to mention other cultural and ethnic relations that bind the two neighboring nations.”
“My hope is that our neighbors, including Iran…will agree on one common theme, supporting a sovereign Iraqi state that truly represents the wishes and the will of the Iraqi people, because at the end of the day this is the only viable project.”
The same message goes for U.S.-Iraqi relations, he said, asserting that “Iraqis should decide their fate for themselves. No intervention and no dictation to Iraq. This will not work. Many have tried it and it has only led to weakening Iraq [and] undermining Iraq’s stability.”
The Trump administration is planning a U.S.-Iraq “strategic dialogue” in June, with the troop basing issue likely to be prominent.
“There is a decision in Iraqi parliament about withdrawal of American troops — foreign troops,” he said. “We need to sit down together and discuss in very candid and very direct way about the mission — about the process by which these forces are operating in Iraq.”
Kadhimi’s challenge
How to navigate the issue is among the more delicate challenges facing incoming Prime Minister al-Kadhimi, a man who is well versed in the political dynamics surrounding U.S.-Iran tensions in Baghdad given his recent service as Iraq’s intelligence chief.
Mr. al-Kadhimi was appointed on April 9 as Iraq’s third prime minister-designate in just over a month. Shiite political parties rallied around him after the candidacy of second appointee, Adnan al-Zurfi, faced resistance from powerful Iran-backed political parties in Baghdad and failed to present a government to parliament.
Several Iran-backed militia groups had also issued a joint statement accusing Mr. al-Zurfi of being an “American agent” and threatened lawmakers if they approved his proposed Cabinet, according to The Associated Press.
Mr. al-Kadhimi, who has headed of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service in June 2016 has a somewhat unusual political history — a vocal opponent of Saddam Hussein’s regime who lived in exile for a number of years — including Iran — while working as a journalist for a time. With ties to both Tehran and Washington, he will have 30 days under Iraq’s constitution to present a cabinet lineup to parliament’s approval.
Mr. Salih expressed optimism, saying Mr. al-Kadhimi “comes in with a lot of political support from within Iraq, from within the Shia community, within the Kurds and the Sunnis and people have high hopes that he will be able to convene his government before long.”
Iraq, Mr. Salih said, “has gone through a lot over the past few years. … We have been experiencing what I would consider to be the ultimate perfect storm.”
“Imagine, we are in the heart of the Islamic world, in the heart of the Middle East, …with declining oil prices, [an] economic crisis, now COVID-19, the dynamic between the United States, Iran and the Arab world — these are all happening at the same time.”
• Guy Taylor can be reached at gtaylor@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-04-20--Utah Democratic gubernatorial candidate picks running mate

Peterson announced Monday he has chosen Karina Brown of Nibley to share the ticket with him , The Deseret News reports .
Nibley helped sponsor a 2018 Medicaid expansion ballot initiative known as Proposition 3 and has run for the state House of Representatives .
“ Her public service to people in need , her leadership on recent successful ballot measures and her experience in rural small business development make her the right choice for our state , ” Peterson said .
Peterson , a University of Utah law professor , is considered an authority on consumer protection and has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lending .
“ His work in consumer protection and my success in helping to expand health care coverage will resonate with Utahns across the state , ” Brown said .
Several candidates are competing in a crowded field to replace Republican Gov .
Gary Herbert , who is not running again .
On the GOP side , candidates include former U.S.-Russia ambassador Jon Huntsman Jr. , Lt. Gov .
Spencer Cox and Ex-GOP chair Thomas Wright .
Peterson is among six Democrats in the race including Neil Hansen , Ryan Jackson , Zachary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Williams III .

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Utah Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Peterson named a health care advocate as his running mate.
Peterson announced Monday he has chosen Karina Brown of Nibley to share the ticket with him, The Deseret News reports.
Nibley helped sponsor a 2018 Medicaid expansion ballot initiative known as Proposition 3 and has run for the state House of Representatives.
“Her public service to people in need, her leadership on recent successful ballot measures and her experience in rural small business development make her the right choice for our state,” Peterson said.
Peterson, a University of Utah law professor, is considered an authority on consumer protection and has published books on consumer law and predatory lending.
Brown cited their common background of advocacy work.
“His work in consumer protection and my success in helping to expand health care coverage will resonate with Utahns across the state,” Brown said.
Several candidates are competing in a crowded field to replace Republican Gov. Gary Herbert, who is not running again.
On the GOP side, candidates include former U.S.-Russia ambassador Jon Huntsman Jr., Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox and Ex-GOP chair Thomas Wright.
Peterson is among six Democrats in the race including Neil Hansen, Ryan Jackson, Zachary Moses, Nikki Pino, and Archie Williams III.


washingtontimes--2020-04-21--NW Indiana police officers shoot, wound man in parking lot

LAFAYETTE , Ind .
( AP ) - Police officers shot and wounded a man in a northwestern Indiana parking lot early Tuesday while investigating a report of an unwanted guest , police said .
No officers were injured in the shooting near downtown Lafayette and the wounded man was taken to a local hospital , Lt. Matt Gard of the Lafayette Police Department told WLFI-TV .
The circumstances that led to the shooting were not immediately clear and Gard said he was unable to describe the extent of the man ’ s injuries or how many officers were involved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were called to investigate an unwanted guest around 1:20 a.m. Tuesday , and at some point thereafter Lafayette police officers shot the man .
He said he could not say how many shots were fired or where the man was struck .
Gard said a gun was found at the scene of the shooting , which occurred in the parking lot of a building containing Tippecanoe County ’ s health department , emergency management agency and coroner ’ s office .
Gard said the shooting had nothing to do with anyone who works @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 60 miles ( 96 kilometers ) northwest of Indianapolis .

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - Two police officers shot and critically wounded a man in a northwestern Indiana parking lot early Tuesday after he pointed a handgun at them during a foot chase, police said.
No officers were injured in the shooting near downtown Lafayette, which came after a reported domestic disturbance, Lt. Matt Gard of the Lafayette Police Department told WLFI-TV.
Police said the wounded man, Trevor Bowie, 29, was hospitalized in critical but stable condition Tuesday afternoon.
A woman who had reported a domestic disturbance shortly before 1 a.m. Tuesday told responding officers that her boyfriend, Bowie, had stolen her handgun and fled the scene, police said.
Officers began searching for Bowie in the area before they spotted him and a foot pursuit ensued.
During that chase, Bowie pointed a handgun at the officers in a parking lot and two Lafayette police officers responded by firing at Bowie and striking him, police said.
The two officers were placed on paid leave pending an investigation and a review by the department’s firearm review board, per department policy, the Journal & Courier reported.
The shooting occurred in the parking lot of a building containing Tippecanoe County’s health department, emergency management agency and coroner’s office.
Gard said the shooting had nothing to do with anyone who works at that complex in the city about 60 miles (96 kilometers) northwest of Indianapolis.


washingtontimes--2020-04-21--Stephen Moore: Coming 'red state-blue state' divide on reopenings after coronavirus restrictions

White House economic adviser Stephen Moore on Tuesday said the rush of “ red ” states to reopen parts of their economy in the coming weeks is going to put pressure on more Democratic-leaning states to do the same .
“ You ’ re going to start to see over the course of the next six weeks or so a kind of red state-blue state divide in the United States where red states are going to open up at a much fast pace than blue states , and that ’ s going to have really interesting ramifications , ” Mr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mr. Moore , one of about 200 industry leaders and experts the White House tapped to advise the administration on reopening the economy , said he spoke to a manufacturer in Wisconsin recently who said their business would close if they can ’ t open up in the next three to four weeks .
” ‘ If I see Arizona or Texas opening up and Wisconsin ’ s closed , guess what ?
I ’ m hauling everything into a U-Haul , and we ’ re going to these other states , ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there ’ s going to be a lot of pressure on some of these blue states to open up as they see the red states taking the lead.
” A number of Republican governors overseeing states such as Texas , Tennessee , Georgia and South Carolina have announced plans in recent days to reopen some of their businesses that have been shuttered due to the coronavirus pandemic .
Colorado Gov .
Jared Polis , a Democrat , on Monday announced plans to reopen some businesses in his state in the coming weeks .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ has also said she ’ d like to get parts of the state ’ s economy open starting on May 1 , though Ms. Whitmer has also vocally criticized protesters calling for a quick end to the restrictions .
Mr. Moore turned some heads when he recently likened anti-quarantine protesters to civil rights icon Rosa Parks .
President Trump called that a “ strong statement ” and said Mr. Moore is a “ very good economist .
”

White House economic adviser Stephen Moore on Tuesday said the rush of “red” states to reopen parts of their economy in the coming weeks is going to put pressure on more Democratic-leaning states to do the same.
“You’re going to start to see over the course of the next six weeks or so a kind of red state-blue state divide in the United States where red states are going to open up at a much faster pace than blue states, and that’s going to have really interesting ramifications,” Mr. Moore said on Fox Business Network.
Mr. Moore, one of about 200 industry leaders and experts the White House tapped to advise the administration on reopening the economy, said he spoke to a manufacturer in Wisconsin recently who said their business would close if they can’t open up in the next three to four weeks.
” ‘If I see Arizona or Texas opening up and Wisconsin’s closed, guess what? I’m hauling everything into a U-Haul, and we’re going to these other states,’ ” Mr. Moore recounted. “So there’s going to be a lot of pressure on some of these blue states to open up as they see the red states taking the lead.”
A number of Republican governors overseeing states such as Texas, Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina have announced plans in recent days to reopen some of their businesses that have been shuttered due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, on Monday announced plans to reopen some businesses in his state in the coming weeks.
SEE ALSO: Ron DeSantis, Florida gov.: Southeastern states sharing ideas on reopening plans
Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan has also said she’d like to get parts of the state’s economy open starting on May 1, though Ms. Whitmer has also vocally criticized protesters calling for a quick end to the restrictions.
Mr. Moore turned some heads when he recently likened anti-quarantine protesters to civil rights icon Rosa Parks. President Trump called that a “strong statement” and said Mr. Moore is a “very good economist.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-04-21--Barcelona to sell title rights to Camp Nou to raise money

BARCELONA , Spain ( AP ) - Barcelona will sell the title rights to its storied stadium for one year in an effort to raise money for the fight against the coronavirus .
The Spanish club ’ s executive board said Tuesday it will donate the entire fee raised by selling the title rights to the Camp Nou to fighting the global pandemic .
The Camp Nou is the biggest stadium in Europe with more than 99,000 seats .
It has never had a sponsor since it opened in 1957 .
“ We want to send a universal message : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the opportunity to put their name on Camp Nou and the revenues will go to all of humanity , not just Barca , ” club vice president Jordi Cardoner told The Associated Press .
“ The initiative arose in an emergency situation .
We think that we have to have a very quick response , putting our crown jewel at the service ( of the fight ) .
” The club had planned to wait to sell the stadium ’ s title rights for the first time in the 2023-24 season .
At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bring in 300 million euros ( $ 326 million ) paid up front for a 25-year contract to pay for renovations to the stadium and other facilities .
Cardoner , who has recovered after contracting the virus , said the board conceived of this new charity sale independent of the long-term deal of 25 years .
But , he said that if there emerges a sponsor who wanted to include it in the long-term deal , then the club would consider it .
Cardoner said Barcelona wants to listen to offers from companies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it up to a group of interested sponsors who could team up and hopefully provide even more funds to help battle the new virus .
He would not give any estimate on how much the foundation hopes to earn from this “ one-shot ” sale .
But given the greatness of Lionel Messi and the millions of spectators who tune in each week to watch Barcelona ’ s games , Camp Nou is one of the most coveted venues in sports .
“ Camp Nou is sending out an S.O.S.
, ” Cardoner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everything .
We want to maximize the economic participation and to ensure that the partners share our same social values.
” The stadium will maintain the name “ Camp Nou ” in addition to including the sponsor , the club said .
Barcelona ’ s foundation for social charities , which is overseen by Cardoner , will manage the investment of the money in fighting the virus .
The foundation runs programs in Spain and in 58 other countries , largely focused on at-risk youth and refugees .
The club said it hopes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coming weeks.
” The decision will then have to be approved by a general assembly of club members , which number 140,000 , likely to be held in October , if conditions permit .
How the money is used will be determined by the club ’ s foundation and the sponsor , with each party proposing how to distribute half of the funds , Cardoner said .
Barcelona said it wants to propose using part of the money in Spain , especially in Catalonia , and in countries where the club has current @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not been chosen , but he would like some money to go to helping the elderly , especially in the devastated nursing home sector .
Cardoner said that he took some inspiration from the club ’ s decision in 2006 to put UNICEF on its shirt , which had never carried a sponsor before .
The club moved the UNICEF logo to the back of the shirt in 2011 and sold the front to a corporate sponsor .
It has continued to donate 2 million euros ( $ 2.14 million ) to UNICEF @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , hit Cardoner while he was confined to his bed waging his own fight against an infection from the virus .
He never needed hospitalization and fully recovered after a couple of weeks , but he said that the experience prompted him “ think big.
” “ I spent a long time in bed and had time to think , ” he said .
“ We do a lot through our foundation , and it occurred to me that we had to think big , think big like we did with the shirt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the hardest-hit countries by the COVID-19 virus , which causes respiratory failure especially in the elderly and the sick .
More than 20,000 people have died in Spain , a death toll second only to the United States .
The city of Barcelona and the surrounding areas in northeast Catalonia have been hotspots .
The suspension of the Spanish soccer amid the pandemic has put a large hole in the expected revenues of Barcelona , forcing its players to take a pay cut .
Still , Cardoner said the club was not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now to help plug the holes .
The decision comes during a rocky season for Barcelona and president Josep Bartomeu , who has weathered a mid-season coaching switch , internal tiffs between club officials and players , and the resignation of six board members .
Even so , Barcelona leads the league that is now in limbo .

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) - Barcelona will sell the title rights to its storied stadium for one year in an effort to raise money for the fight against the coronavirus.
The Spanish club’s executive board said Tuesday it will donate the entire fee raised by selling the title rights to the Camp Nou to fighting the global pandemic.
The Camp Nou is the biggest stadium in Europe with more than 99,000 seats. It has never had a sponsor since it opened in 1957.
“We want to send a universal message: For the first time someone will have the opportunity to put their name on Camp Nou and the revenues will go to all of humanity, not just Barca,” club vice president Jordi Cardoner told The Associated Press.
“The initiative arose in an emergency situation. We think that we have to have a very quick response, putting our crown jewel at the service (of the fight).”
The club had planned to wait to sell the stadium’s title rights for the first time in the 2023-24 season. At that time, the club hopes to bring in 300 million euros ($326 million) paid up front for a 25-year contract to pay for renovations to the stadium and other facilities.
Cardoner, who has recovered after contracting the virus, said the board conceived of this new charity sale independent of the long-term deal of 25 years. But, he said that if there emerges a sponsor who wanted to include it in the long-term deal, then the club would consider it.
Cardoner said Barcelona wants to listen to offers from companies and private foundations and will consider opening it up to a group of interested sponsors who could team up and hopefully provide even more funds to help battle the new virus.
He would not give any estimate on how much the foundation hopes to earn from this “one-shot” sale. But given the greatness of Lionel Messi and the millions of spectators who tune in each week to watch Barcelona’s games, Camp Nou is one of the most coveted venues in sports.
“Camp Nou is sending out an S.O.S.,” Cardoner said. “We are open to everything. We want to maximize the economic participation and to ensure that the partners share our same social values.”
The stadium will maintain the name “Camp Nou” in addition to including the sponsor, the club said.
Barcelona’s foundation for social charities, which is overseen by Cardoner, will manage the investment of the money in fighting the virus. The foundation runs programs in Spain and in 58 other countries, largely focused on at-risk youth and refugees.
The club said it hopes to close a deal “in the coming weeks.” The decision will then have to be approved by a general assembly of club members, which number 140,000, likely to be held in October, if conditions permit.
How the money is used will be determined by the club’s foundation and the sponsor, with each party proposing how to distribute half of the funds, Cardoner said. Barcelona said it wants to propose using part of the money in Spain, especially in Catalonia, and in countries where the club has current charities. Cardoner said specific projects have not been chosen, but he would like some money to go to helping the elderly, especially in the devastated nursing home sector.
Cardoner said that he took some inspiration from the club’s decision in 2006 to put UNICEF on its shirt, which had never carried a sponsor before. The club moved the UNICEF logo to the back of the shirt in 2011 and sold the front to a corporate sponsor. It has continued to donate 2 million euros ($2.14 million) to UNICEF annually.
The main impetus, however, hit Cardoner while he was confined to his bed waging his own fight against an infection from the virus. He never needed hospitalization and fully recovered after a couple of weeks, but he said that the experience prompted him “think big.”
“I spent a long time in bed and had time to think,” he said. “We do a lot through our foundation, and it occurred to me that we had to think big, think big like we did with the shirt and UNICEF.”
Spain has been one of the hardest-hit countries by the COVID-19 virus, which causes respiratory failure especially in the elderly and the sick. More than 20,000 people have died in Spain, a death toll second only to the United States. The city of Barcelona and the surrounding areas in northeast Catalonia have been hotspots.
The suspension of the Spanish soccer amid the pandemic has put a large hole in the expected revenues of Barcelona, forcing its players to take a pay cut. Still, Cardoner said the club was not tempted to use the title rights revenue now to help plug the holes.
The decision comes during a rocky season for Barcelona and president Josep Bartomeu, who has weathered a mid-season coaching switch, internal tiffs between club officials and players, and the resignation of six board members. Even so, Barcelona leads the league that is now in limbo.
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washingtontimes--2020-04-21--Officials link 7 Wisconsin virus cases to in-person voting

MILWAUKEE ( AP ) - Officials have identified seven people who appear to have contracted the coronavirus through activities related to the April 7 election in Wisconsin , Milwaukee ’ s health commissioner said .
Commissioner Jeanette Kowalik said six of the cases involve Milwaukee voters and one is a Milwaukee poll worker , the Journal Sentinel reported .
Officials hope to have additional information on the cases by the end of the week , including whether any of them were concentrated in any of the city ’ s five polling places or if any resulted in death , Kowalik @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Services Secretary Andrea Palm said Monday there were no signs yet of a surge in cases from the election as some feared .
Palm noted , however , that if cases do exist symptoms may not have appeared yet .
Tuesday marks the 14th day since the election , which is a time frame during which health officials say symptoms typically appear .
Voters who went to the polls in Milwaukee stood in long lines , many for several hours , in order to cast their ballots .
Many had no protective gear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home , unwilling to risk their health and unable to be counted because requested absentee ballots never arrived .
The coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people , but for some , especially older adults and people with existing health problems , it can cause more severe illness or death .
To date , 230 people have died in Wisconsin and nearly 4,500 have tested positive .

MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Health officials in Wisconsin said they have identified at least seven people who may have contracted the coronavirus from participating in the April 7 election, the first such cases following in-person voting that was held despite widespread concern about the public health risks.
The infections involve six voters and one poll worker in Milwaukee, where difficulty finding poll workers forced the city to pare nearly 200 voting locations back to just five, and where voters - some in masks, some with no protection - were forced to wait in long lines for hours.
It’s not certain that the seven people contracted the virus at the polls. The possible connection was made because local health officials are now asking newly infected people whether they participated in the election.
“It means they were at the polls, which is a potential exposure, but (we) can’t say they definitely got it at the polls,” said Darren Rauch, the health officer/director for suburban Greenfield, and one of the health officials helping with the coronavirus response in the Milwaukee area.
Milwaukee officials are still gathering information from about 70% of people who have tested positive since the election and hope to have a full report later this week, city health commissioner Jeanette Kowalik said.
The election, which included a presidential primary as well as a state Supreme Court race and local offices, took place after a legal struggle between Democrats and Republicans. A day before the election, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers ordered that it be delayed and shifted to all-mail voting, only to be overturned when Republican legislative leaders won an appeal in the state’s conservative-controlled Supreme Court.
Thousands of Wisconsin voters stayed home, unwilling to risk their health and unable to be counted because requested absentee ballots never arrived.
State health officials had warned of an expected increase in infections from the election. State health secretary Andrea Palm said Monday that they had not shown up, but noted that symptoms may not have surfaced yet.
Health officials say symptoms of COVID-19 typically appear within two weeks of exposure to the virus, and Tuesday is the 14th day since the election. That means more voters and poll workers could come forward with infections in the coming days.
Representatives for Evers and for Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald - both Republicans - haven’t responded to emails seeking comment.
The coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. To date, 242 people have died in Wisconsin and more than 4,600 have tested positive.
Wisconsin’s election has been a flashpoint of contention as Democrats and Republicans grapple with how to conduct elections in the coronavirus era as the November presidential race approaches.
Democrats and voting rights groups have filed lawsuits to expand mail and absentee voting options, and pushed for an extra $2 billion to help states adjust their election systems. National Republicans are fighting those efforts, while President Donald Trump claims without evidence that mail-in voting is vulnerable to fraud.
Wisconsin is a key state in the 2020 presidential election. Democrats and liberal groups are intent on reminding voters that Republicans insisted on holding the April election despite the public health crisis. American Bridge 21st Century, a liberal super PAC, jumped on the report of election-related cases, accusing Trump of not taking responsibility for the victims.
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Follow Todd Richmond on Twitter at https://twitter.com/trichmond1


washingtontimes--2020-04-21--Officials say man killed in Kansas City house fire

KANSAS CITY , Mo .
( AP ) - A man died and a woman was injured Tuesay in a @ @ @ @ @ , fire officials said .
The fire broke out around 4 a.m. Tuesday , Kansas @ @ @ @ @ .
Firefighters on the scene say a man died in the fire , while a @ @ @ @ @ to a hospital in serious condition .
Officials have not yet released the names of @ @ @ @ @ Investigators were trying to determine what caused the fire .

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A man died and a woman was injured Tuesay in a house fire in Kansas City, fire officials said.
The fire broke out around 4 a.m. Tuesday, Kansas City television station KMBC reported. Firefighters on the scene say a man died in the fire, while a woman was injured and taken to a hospital in serious condition.
Officials have not yet released the names of the man and woman. Investigators were trying to determine what caused the fire.


washingtontimes--2020-04-21--Florida man charged in McDonald's drive-thru robbery

MIAMI ( AP ) - Police charged a Florida man with robbing a McDonald ’ s through its drive-thru window @ @ @ @ @ 37 , was pulled over in an unrelated traffic stop in Miami when officers learned @ @ @ @ @ restaurant in Hialeah less than an hour earlier , news outlets reported .
His car @ @ @ @ @ robbery vehicle , they said .
Police then brought the McDonald ’ s cashier from @ @ @ @ @ , and he identified Peraza as the robber .
Peraza is accused of demanding cash @ @ @ @ @ McDonald ’ s cashier “ in the face ” if he didn ’ t comply @ @ @ @ @ .
The cashier handed over an undisclosed amount of money .
According to the police @ @ @ @ @ he committed the robbery .
He was released from jail on bond following his arrest @

MIAMI (AP) - Police charged a Florida man with robbing a McDonald’s through its drive-thru window.
Angel Torres Peraza, 37, was pulled over in an unrelated traffic stop in Miami when officers learned about the robbery at the restaurant in Hialeah less than an hour earlier, news outlets reported. His car matched the description of the robbery vehicle, they said.
Police then brought the McDonald’s cashier from Hialeah to the traffic stop, and he identified Peraza as the robber.
Peraza is accused of demanding cash while threatening to shoot the McDonald’s cashier “in the face” if he didn’t comply, the Miami Herald reported. The cashier handed over an undisclosed amount of money.
According to the police report, Peraza has denied he committed the robbery. He was released from jail on bond following his arrest.


washingtontimes--2020-04-21--Singapore prolongs virus lockdown until at least June 1

SINGAPORE ( AP ) - Singapore will extend its partial lockdown by another four weeks after reporting thousands of new coronavirus cases in recent days , Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Tuesday .
The tiny city-state reported 1,111 new cases earlier Tuesday to increase its total to 9,125 , the most in Southeast Asia .
It marked the second straight day of over 1,000 new cases after a single-day high of 1,426 were announced on Monday .
Foreign workers staying in crowded dormitories account for nearly 80 % of infections .
Lee said the sharp upsurge in cases was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the dorms , including those who are asymptomatic .
Although the viral clusters in the dorms have remained largely contained , Lee said circuit-breaker measures that shut down nonessential businesses and schools until May 4 will be extended to June 1 or until infections ease .
He said this will allow the government to detect and contain the virus spread early if there is a transmission from the dorms to the wider community .
Although the number of new cases in the wider community has dropped to below 30 per day , Lee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases that can not be linked to any clusters , suggesting a larger , hidden reservoir of cases in the community .
“ Many will be disappointed by the extension of the circuit breaker , especially our businesses and workers , who are hurting greatly , ” Lee said in a televised speech .
“ But I hope you understand that this short-term pain is to stamp out the virus , protect the health and safety of our loved ones , and allow us to revive our economy.
” Praised for its swift @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the early stage of the crisis , Singapore is grappling with an explosion of cases in foreign worker dorms that were largely overlooked earlier .
Singapore has nearly 1.4 million migrant workers , a third of its labor force , including more than 300,000 in the construction sector alone .
More than 200,000 workers from Bangladesh , India and other poor Asian countries live in 43 registered dormitories that house up to 20 in a room with shared facilities .
Tens of thousands more stay in factory converted dormitories that serve as temporary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ministry said that all types of foreign worker dormitories will be locked down starting Wednesday .
It said the government is also monitoring workers who live in shophouses as well as private and government housing .
It said some 180,000 construction workers and their dependents have been ordered to quarantine themselves at home .
Lee said workers in essential services like cleaning and maintenance are also being tested and housed separately to ensure they don ’ t become potential channels for cross infection .

SINGAPORE (AP) - Singapore will extend its partial lockdown by another four weeks after reporting thousands of new coronavirus cases in recent days, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Tuesday.
The tiny city-state reported 1,111 new cases earlier Tuesday to increase its total to 9,125, the most in Southeast Asia. It marked the second straight day of over 1,000 new cases after a single-day high of 1,426 were announced on Monday. Foreign workers staying in crowded dormitories account for nearly 80% of infections.
Lee said the sharp upsurge in cases was due to aggressive testing of workers in the dorms, including those who are asymptomatic.
Although the viral clusters in the dorms have remained largely contained, Lee said circuit-breaker measures that shut down nonessential businesses and schools until May 4 will be extended to June 1 or until infections ease.
He said this will allow the government to detect and contain the virus spread early if there is a transmission from the dorms to the wider community.
Although the number of new cases in the wider community has dropped to below 30 per day, Lee said there is still a number of cases that cannot be linked to any clusters, suggesting a larger, hidden reservoir of cases in the community.
“Many will be disappointed by the extension of the circuit breaker, especially our businesses and workers, who are hurting greatly,” Lee said in a televised speech. “But I hope you understand that this short-term pain is to stamp out the virus, protect the health and safety of our loved ones, and allow us to revive our economy.”
Praised for its swift response and meticulous tracing of contacts in the early stage of the crisis, Singapore is grappling with an explosion of cases in foreign worker dorms that were largely overlooked earlier.
Singapore has nearly 1.4 million migrant workers, a third of its labor force, including more than 300,000 in the construction sector alone. More than 200,000 workers from Bangladesh, India and other poor Asian countries live in 43 registered dormitories that house up to 20 in a room with shared facilities. Tens of thousands more stay in other dorms or at temporary quarters at construction sites and other areas.
The health ministry said all types of foreign worker dormitories will be locked down starting Wednesday. It said the government is also monitoring workers who live in shophouses as well as private and government housing. It said some 180,000 construction workers and their dependents have been ordered to quarantine themselves at home.
Lee said workers in essential services like cleaning and maintenance are also being tested and housed separately to ensure they don’t become potential channels for cross infection.
The government has also whittled down the list of essential services to reduce the number of workers, closing hairdressers and barbers, pet supply stores and retail laundries, among others.


washingtontimes--2020-04-21--Gavin Newsom, Calif. gov.: Can't envision massive crowd of baseball fans anytime soon

California Gov .
Gavin Newsom said he can ’ t envision a big crowd of sports fans congregating in a stadium anytime soon and that when businesses and schools do open in his state , they ’ ll look radically different .
“ The idea of tens of thousands of fans coming together across their differences , high-fiving one another , hugging each other after a base hit or a strikeout is not something I ’ m anticipating any time soon , ” Mr. Newsom said in an interview that aired Tuesday on “ CBS This Morning.
” He also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reopen “ as normal ” when they do come back .
“ You have to radically change the floor plans in the schools , in businesses , private-public institutions , large and small , ” he said .
“ We ’ re going to have new protocols and procedures , temperature checks , people wearing face coverings across the spectrum.
” Mr. Newsom is coordinating with Washington Gov .
Jay Inslee and Oregon Gov .
Kate Brown on plans to gradually reopen their West Coast state economies when it ’ s safe to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local officials to carve them out from California ’ s statewide stay-at-home order , Mr. Newsom on Monday said they can ’ t move too hastily .
“ None of these local health directives can go further or , rather , go farther backward than the state guidance , ” he said .

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he can’t envision a big crowd of sports fans congregating in a stadium anytime soon and that when businesses and schools do open in his state, they’ll look radically different.
“The idea of tens of thousands of fans coming together across their differences, high-fiving one another, hugging each other after a base hit or a strikeout is not something I’m anticipating any time soon,” Mr. Newsom said in an interview that aired Tuesday on “CBS This Morning.”
“I don’t anticipate that normalcy that many of us wish for happening any time soon,” he said of the coronavirus pandemic.
Mr. Newsom also said schools aren’t going to reopen “as normal” when they do come back.
“You have to radically change the floor plans in the schools, in businesses, private-public institutions, large and small,” he said. “We’re going to have new protocols and procedures, temperature checks, people wearing face coverings across the spectrum.”
Mr. Newsom is coordinating with fellow Democratic Govs. Jay Inslee of Washington and Kate Brown of Oregon on plans to gradually reopen their West Coast state economies when it’s safe to do so.
Mr. Newsom was not prepared to say the worst is over in California, even as indicators such as intensive care unit (ICU) numbers are starting to flatten.
“No, because if we all pull back, we could see a second wave that makes this pale in comparison. I can’t say that,” he said. “We’re not seeing yet [the] significant decline that we need to see ultimately to toggle back.”
Mr. Newsom said there’s nothing wrong with being optimistic and hopeful.
“This is not the new normalcy in perpetuity — we’re going to come back,” he said. “We just need to temper the enthusiasm on when and how … and once we get herd immunity and once we get a vaccine, then we [can] come back and flourish and thrive.”
Mr. Newsom was the first U.S. governor to issue a statewide stay-at-home order last month as the pandemic took hold.
There are more than 33,000 COVID-19 positive cases and more than 1,200 coronavirus-related deaths in the state, home to close to 40 million people. Adjusted for population, California is ranked in the bottom half in both categories among U.S. states.
Amid lobbying from some local officials to carve them out from California’s statewide stay-at-home order, Mr. Newsom on Monday said they can’t move too hastily.
“None of these local health directives can go further or, rather, go farther backward than the state guidance,” he said.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.