talkingpointsmemo--2020-03-31--NY Gov. Cuomo: ‘Nobody Knows’ When This Will Be Over, But It Won’t Be Soon

New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo ( D ) offered a sobering message regarding the ongoing spread of coronavirus cases in the state during a press conference Tuesday .
“ We ’ re all anxious , all tired , all fatigued .
It ’ s been all bad news for a long time .
Our whole lifestyle has been disrupted , ” Cuomo said during a daily briefing in Albany .
“ Everybody wants to know one thing : when is it over ?
Nobody knows.
” Pointing out how despite President Trump initially gave an Easter timeline to reopen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nobody knows ” when the outbreak will be over .
“ It is not going to be soon , ” Cuomo said .
“ If our apex is 14 to 21 days , that ’ s our apex .
You then have to come down the other side of the mountain once you hit the apex .
So calibrate yourself and your expectations so you ’ re not disappointed every morning you get up.
” Later in the press conference , Cuomo said that the state has ordered 17,000 ventilators from China that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ After saying that the state is “ broke ” and that “ the last thing I want to do is buy a single ventilator that I don ’ t need , ” Cuomo described the complexity behind ordering ventilators from China — which California , Illinois , the federal government and Italy are also doing .
“ The orders into China are very slow in coming out .
Exactly how and why , we ’ re not sure .
It ’ s just they have such a tremendous demand , ” Cuomo said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by New York state ] , we only have a firm expectation on 2,500.
” Cuomo said that the ventilators are supposed to come in the next two weeks , but added that all 50 states are “ competing to buy the same item.
” “ We all wind up bidding up each other and competing against each other , where you now literally will have a company call you up and say California just outbid you , ” Cuomo said .
“ It ’ s like being on Ebay with 50 other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you see the bid go up because California bid , Illinois bid , Florida bid , New York bids , California rebids .
That ’ s literally what we ’ re doing.
” Cuomo added that FEMA ’ s involvement in bidding for ventilators , in addition to all 50 states , has only complicated the situation .
“ So FEMA is driving up the price .
What sense does this make ?
” Cuomo said .
“ The federal government , FEMA , should have been the purchasing agent — buy everything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the states .
Why would you create a situation where 50 states are competing with each other and then the federal government and FEMA comes in and competes with the rest of it ?
”

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) offered a sobering message regarding the ongoing spread of coronavirus cases in the state during a press conference Tuesday.
“We’re all anxious, all tired, all fatigued. It’s been all bad news for a long time. Our whole lifestyle has been disrupted,” Cuomo said during a daily briefing in Albany. “Everybody wants to know one thing: when is it over? Nobody knows.”
Pointing out how despite President Trump initially gave an Easter timeline to reopen the economy, Cuomo reiterated that “nobody knows” when the outbreak will be over.
“It is not going to be soon,” Cuomo said. “If our apex is 14 to 21 days, that’s our apex. You then have to come down the other side of the mountain once you hit the apex. So calibrate yourself and your expectations so you’re not disappointed every morning you get up.”
Later in the press conference, Cuomo said that the state has ordered 17,000 ventilators from China that would cost around $25,000 each.
After saying that the state is “broke” and that “the last thing I want to do is buy a single ventilator that I don’t need,” Cuomo described the complexity behind ordering ventilators from China — which California, Illinois, the federal government and Italy are also doing.
“The orders into China are very slow in coming out. Exactly how and why, we’re not sure. It’s just they have such a tremendous demand,” Cuomo said. “Of the 17,000 [ordered by New York state], we only have a firm expectation on 2,500.”
Cuomo said that the ventilators are supposed to come in the next two weeks, but added that all 50 states are “competing to buy the same item.”
“We all wind up bidding up each other and competing against each other, where you now literally will have a company call you up and say California just outbid you,” Cuomo said. “It’s like being on Ebay with 50 other states bidding on a ventilator. And you see the bid go up because California bid, Illinois bid, Florida bid, New York bids, California rebids. That’s literally what we’re doing.”
Cuomo added that FEMA’s involvement in bidding for ventilators, in addition to all 50 states, has only complicated the situation.
“So FEMA is driving up the price. What sense does this make?” Cuomo said. “The federal government, FEMA, should have been the purchasing agent — buy everything and then allocate it by need to the states. Why would you create a situation where 50 states are competing with each other and then the federal government and FEMA comes in and competes with the rest of it?”
Watch Cuomo’s remarks below:
NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo: "Our whole lifestyle has been disrupted. Everybody wants to know one thing: when is it over? Nobody knows." pic.twitter.com/Rq9YLQ7LSZ — Talking Points Memo (@TPM) March 31, 2020


talkingpointsmemo--2020-03-31--FEMA Sends Ambulances To NYC As Hundreds Of First Responders Are Sidelined With COVID

New York City ’ s first responders are receiving some back-up from the federal government , the city announced Tuesday , as the number of emergency medical calls continues to break records with each passing day .
As of Tuesday morning , more than 50 of the back-up ambulances were already in the city ’ s 911 system and responding to calls , FDNY spokesperson Frank Dwyer told TPM .
According to Mayor Bill de Blasio ’ s office , the partnership with FEMA will bring , in total , “ 250 more ambulances and approximately 500 more EMTs and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the city , 282 FDNY personnel had tested positive for COVID-19 as of Tuesday morning .
The back-up vehicles and their crews are employed by the FEMA contractor American Medical Response ( AMR ) .
Still , with hundreds of first responders out sick and the 911 system taking more calls than it ever has , it wasn ’ t clear the additional help would meet demand .
“ Last night again we broke another record , ” Vincent Variale , president of the Uniformed EMS Officers Union Local 3621 told TPM @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ We are at record call volume each day , ” Dwyer said .
He added that the FEMA ambulances and EMTs would initially respond to “ lower acuity ” calls , but that ultimately they would “ go to calls of most need as this develops.
” “ Our members can only handle a certain amount of jobs , ” said Carl Gandolfo , a paramedic and union official at Local 2507 , which represents FDNY EMTs , paramedics and fire inspectors .
“ The system can only handle what it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to spread in the city , local and FEMA-contracted EMTs have also expressed concern about a lack of personal protective equipment .
The FDNY is rationing N95 masks due to short supply : Currently , EMTs and paramedics are only allowed to use the coveted masks for “ aerosol generating procedures ” such as CPR .
For “ fever/cough ” calls and other patients with respiratory conditions , they ’ ve been instructed by the city to use surgical masks , which don ’ t protect as well against airborne viruses .
Dwyer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supply ” of masks , but union leaders like Variale say the N95s ought to be used on every call — as many patients unknowingly carry the virus .
“ If we continue using them the rationing way , yes , we will have enough masks , ” he told TPM .
“ But we ’ re not using them the way we should be using them.
” Variale said he has been home sick in recent days with a presumed case of COVID-19 .
His fever spiked to 102.5° last week , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and shortness of breath .
He told TPM Tuesday that he was feeling better , but that the cough and shortness of breath lingered .
Variale hasn ’ t been tested for the disease — he said he called New York ’ s hotline for a test four days ago and hasn ’ t heard back .
FEMA contractors , though they come stocked with their own supply of personal protective equipment , have also expressed concerns about the virus ’ ubiquity .
“ [ C ] rews wear personal protective equipment , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to calls that are not related to COVID-19 and later find out the patient tested positive , ” an AMR press release on the New York City deployment read .
Gandolfo expressed skepticism that the local and federal governments ’ guidelines on mask usage would be enough to keep up with easily spreadable virus .
He ’ s concerned that the long-term effects of the disease on the pulmonary system still aren ’ t known .
“ The EPA told everybody the air was safe at Ground Zero on 9/11 , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cry of all the locals that are involved in EMS .
”

New York City’s first responders are receiving some back-up from the federal government, the city announced Tuesday, as the number of emergency medical calls continues to break records with each passing day.
As of Tuesday morning, more than 50 of the back-up ambulances were already in the city’s 911 system and responding to calls, FDNY spokesperson Frank Dwyer told TPM. According to Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office, the partnership with FEMA will bring, in total, “250 more ambulances and approximately 500 more EMTs and paramedics to New York City.”
According to the city, 282 FDNY personnel had tested positive for COVID-19 as of Tuesday morning.
The back-up vehicles and their crews are employed by the FEMA contractor American Medical Response (AMR).
Still, with hundreds of first responders out sick and the 911 system taking more calls than it ever has, it wasn’t clear the additional help would meet demand.
“Last night again we broke another record,” Vincent Variale, president of the Uniformed EMS Officers Union Local 3621 told TPM. “The hits keep on coming.”
“We are at record call volume each day,” Dwyer said. He added that the FEMA ambulances and EMTs would initially respond to “lower acuity” calls, but that ultimately they would “go to calls of most need as this develops.”
“Our members can only handle a certain amount of jobs,” said Carl Gandolfo, a paramedic and union official at Local 2507, which represents FDNY EMTs, paramedics and fire inspectors. “The system can only handle what it can handle.”
As the virus continues to spread in the city, local and FEMA-contracted EMTs have also expressed concern about a lack of personal protective equipment.
The FDNY is rationing N95 masks due to short supply: Currently, EMTs and paramedics are only allowed to use the coveted masks for “aerosol generating procedures” such as CPR. For “fever/cough” calls and other patients with respiratory conditions, they’ve been instructed by the city to use surgical masks, which don’t protect as well against airborne viruses.
Dwyer said the FDNY had a “good supply” of masks, but union leaders like Variale say the N95s ought to be used on every call — as many patients unknowingly carry the virus.
“If we continue using them the rationing way, yes, we will have enough masks,” he told TPM. “But we’re not using them the way we should be using them.”
Variale said he has been home sick in recent days with a presumed case of COVID-19. His fever spiked to 102.5° last week, accompanied by a severe cough, aches and shortness of breath.
He told TPM Tuesday that he was feeling better, but that the cough and shortness of breath lingered. Variale hasn’t been tested for the disease — he said he called New York’s hotline for a test four days ago and hasn’t heard back.
FEMA contractors, though they come stocked with their own supply of personal protective equipment, have also expressed concerns about the virus’ ubiquity.
“[C]rews wear personal protective equipment, or PPE, but sometimes they respond to calls that are not related to COVID-19 and later find out the patient tested positive,” an AMR press release on the New York City deployment read.
Gandolfo expressed skepticism that the local and federal governments’ guidelines on mask usage would be enough to keep up with easily spreadable virus. He’s concerned that the long-term effects of the disease on the pulmonary system still aren’t known.
“The EPA told everybody the air was safe at Ground Zero on 9/11,” he said. “That is the battle cry of all the locals that are involved in EMS.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-03-31--NY Gov. Cuomo Offers Personal Tribute To His Brother After Chris Cuomo Tests Positive For COVID-19

New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo ( D ) saluted his brother , CNN anchor Chris Cuomo , on Tuesday after the reporter revealed that he had come down with COVID-19 .
“ Sooooo in these difficult times that seem to get more difficult and complicated by the day , I just found out that I am positive for coronavirus , ” the CNN host said in a statement .
“ I have been exposed to people in recent days who have subsequently tested positive and I had fever , chills and shortness of breath.
” “ I just hope @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the kids and Cristina , ” he added , referring to his wife .
“ That would make me feel worse than this illness !
” Cuomo stated he would be hosting his program from his basement , where he is quarantined .
During his daily press briefing on the coronavirus outbreak , Andrew Cuomo paid tribute to his younger brother .
“ Now , he is going to be fine , ” the governor told reporters .
“ He ’ s young , in good shape , strong.
” “ Not as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ joked .
“ But he will be fine.
” Cuomo described his brother as a “ really sweet , beautiful guy.
” “ And he ’ s my best friend , ” the governor said .
“ My father was always working , so it was always just me and Chris .
”

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) saluted his brother, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, on Tuesday after the reporter revealed that he had come down with COVID-19.
“Sooooo in these difficult times that seem to get more difficult and complicated by the day, I just found out that I am positive for coronavirus,” the CNN host said in a statement. “I have been exposed to people in recent days who have subsequently tested positive and I had fever, chills and shortness of breath.”
“I just hope I didn’t give it to the kids and Cristina,” he added, referring to his wife. “That would make me feel worse than this illness!”
Cuomo stated he would be hosting his program from his basement, where he is quarantined.
During his daily press briefing on the coronavirus outbreak, Andrew Cuomo paid tribute to his younger brother.
“Now, he is going to be fine,” the governor told reporters. “He’s young, in good shape, strong.”
“Not as strong as he thinks,” he joked. “But he will be fine.”
Cuomo described his brother as a “really sweet, beautiful guy.”
“And he’s my best friend,” the governor said. “My father was always working, so it was always just me and Chris.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-03-31--Pompeo Says A State Department Official Has Died From Coronavirus

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says a State Department official has died from the coronavirus , the first @ @ @ @ @ diplomatic corps from the pandemic .
Pompeo didn ’ t give details about the official @ @ @ @ @ the person contracted the disease .
He says about four to five dozen State Department @ @ @ @ @ the virus , including locally employed staffers at a handful of the 220 U.S. embassies @ @ @ @ @ Monday , State Department health officials said at least two locally employed staff members had @ @ @ @ @ Those officials say they were tracking 105 confirmed cases among the agency ’ s global @ @ @ @ @ Of those , 75 are overseas and 30 are at State Department offices in the @ @ @ @ @ .

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says a State Department official has died from the coronavirus, the first American fatality among the U.S. diplomatic corps from the pandemic.
Pompeo didn’t give details about the official who passed away or where the person contracted the disease. He says about four to five dozen State Department employees had tested positive for the virus, including locally employed staffers at a handful of the 220 U.S. embassies and consulates abroad.
On Monday, State Department health officials said at least two locally employed staff members had died from the virus.
Those officials say they were tracking 105 confirmed cases among the agency’s global workforce of about 75,000. Of those, 75 are overseas and 30 are at State Department offices in the United States in nine cities.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-04-01--Washington State Commandeers Bankrupt Rural Hospital

Washington state officials took control of a recently bankrupt rural hospital to create additional capacity amid the COVID-19 pandemic , as dwindling numbers of rural health care providers brace to face the crisis .
Though the hospital ceased operating due to its bankruptcy in early January , the takeover highlights the risk that rural America faces after a decade of hospital closures in sparsely populated regions around the country .
The state government moved in federal bankruptcy court on Monday to take over Astria Regional Medical Center in Yakima , Washington , citing the COVID-19 pandemic .
Per the filing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” wanted to commandeer the facility this week in order to create “ sufficient capacity to respond effectively to the exponential increase in infections.
” “ Because it is currently a closed facility all its beds can be made available immediately for COVID-19 patients , ” the filing reads .
Washington state had the first known community transmission in the U.S. , while a nursing home in the Seattle suburbs saw 35 deaths linked to an outbreak .
A federal judge approved the move on Tuesday , one day after filing , allowing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s property to go into force between the state department of health and the debtors .
Though the hospital went bankrupt before the virus spread , the decision highlights the measures that state governments are taking to create emergency hospital capacity as ballooning numbers of COVID patients threaten to overwhelm the country ’ s health care system .
The crisis could be particularly acute in rural America .
The need to treat large amounts of patients has forced hospitals to cancel profit-drivers like elective surgeries , depriving rural health care facilities operating on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
At the same time , those tight operating margins have already contributed to 126 rural hospital closures since 2010 , reducing rural regions ’ capacity to house people afflicted with the respiratory illness .
A declaration attached to the motion said that Washington state officials first identified the shuttered facility as a candidate for reopening on Feb. 26 , a month before the decision was made to take it over .
In California , the state intervened in a bankruptcy proceeding last month to open two hospitals in a similar case .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ health care system that declared bankruptcy last year .
Both of those hospitals are urban , with one outside San Francisco and another in Los Angeles .

Washington state officials took control of a recently bankrupt rural hospital to create additional capacity amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as dwindling numbers of rural health care providers brace to face the crisis.
Though the hospital ceased operating due to its bankruptcy in early January, the takeover highlights the risk that rural America faces after a decade of hospital closures in sparsely populated regions around the country.
The state government moved in federal bankruptcy court on Monday to take over Astria Regional Medical Center in Yakima, Washington, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.
Per the filing, “likely a military hospital unit” wanted to commandeer the facility this week in order to create “sufficient capacity to respond effectively to the exponential
increase in infections.”
“Because it is currently a closed facility all its beds can be made available immediately for COVID-19 patients,” the filing reads.
Washington state had the first known community transmission in the U.S., while a nursing home in the Seattle suburbs saw 35 deaths linked to an outbreak.
A federal judge approved the move on Tuesday, one day after filing, allowing a temporary lease on the hospital’s property to go into force between the state department of health and the debtors.
Though the hospital went bankrupt before the virus spread, the decision highlights the measures that state governments are taking to create emergency hospital capacity as ballooning numbers of COVID patients threaten to overwhelm the country’s health care system.
The crisis could be particularly acute in rural America. The need to treat large amounts of patients has forced hospitals to cancel profit-drivers like elective surgeries, depriving rural health care facilities operating on already-tight budgets of a key revenue stream.
At the same time, those tight operating margins have already contributed to 126 rural hospital closures since 2010, reducing rural regions’ capacity to house people afflicted with the respiratory illness.
A declaration attached to the motion said that Washington state officials first identified the shuttered facility as a candidate for reopening on Feb. 26, a month before the decision was made to take it over.
In California, the state intervened in a bankruptcy proceeding last month to open two hospitals in a similar case. The two facilities belonged to a statewide health care system that declared bankruptcy last year.
Both of those hospitals are urban, with one outside San Francisco and another in Los Angeles.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-04-01--New York’s Food Pantries Face An ‘Unprecedented And Extreme Uptick In Need’

Passover , one of the holiest holidays on the Jewish calendar and one centered around home-cooked meals , is typically the busiest time of year for Alex Rapaport .
He ’ s the executive director of the Masbia , a string of kosher soup kitchens and food pantries around New York City .
Normally the need for food doubles during this time of year , Rapaport told TPM .
But as the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in historic job losses and a spike in hungry New Yorkers , demand has quintupled this season .
Almost half of Rapaport ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and some are of “ a different socio-economic class ” than his normal clientele .
Rapaport recalled one new customer , a handyman who fixes and installs home appliances around town .
Normally , the man donates to Masbia .
But as New Yorkers have socially isolated amid growing infection rates , his business has screeched to a halt .
Now , the tables have turned .
“ You should see the fire in his eyes when he came to pick up food , ” Rapaport said .
“ He doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What do you ask ?
What do you say ?
” The surge at food pantries and soup kitchens in recent weeks represents the sharp edge of the economic crisis that ’ s been spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic .
With unemployment reaching levels not seen since the Great Depression and an eroded social safety net fraying at the edges , the charity groups that dot New York City have found themselves nearly underwater .
“ This is the greatest hunger emergency in modern American times , ” said Joel Berg , CEO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the CEO and president of Food Bank for New York City , said her mammoth operation was bracing for an “ unprecedented and extreme uptick in need.
” Per city orders , Masbia ’ s soup kitchens have switched to take-out containers .
Its pantries are offering 14 days of groceries instead of the usual three to seven , and it ’ s started collecting the information of those quarantined at home to use for delivery service .
In a recent video appeal for donations , Rapaport , a bespectacled Orthdox community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kitchens stuffed with boxes , having been turned into a miniature warehouse of sorts to keep up with the increased flow of food .
Between the closure of senior centers and schools and the massive expansion of unemployment rolls , food pantries are carrying a mammoth load — and with fewer volunteers as a result of the pandemic .
Food Bank for New York City , which had to temporarily shut down a Harlem location recently after a staffer there tested positive for COVID-19 , announced Sunday that it was suspending all volunteer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers .
The group said it wanted to maintain a dedicated workforce and a safe environment for its clients .
Rapaport , who ’ s also had to shift to paid temp workers , put it more bluntly .
“ The volunteers don ’ t want to show up , ” he said .
“ And I don ’ t blame them.
” The supply chain has been similarly affected .
Gordon , of Food Bank for New York City , relayed stories of truck drivers who were hesitant to enter New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health , leading to delays in the supply chain .
Masbia ’ s kosher chicken vendor , in upstate New York , told Rapaport recently that he didn ’ t know what his production numbers would be because he didn ’ t know how many slaughterhouse staff would show up to work .
Gordon told TPM she hadn ’ t yet seen an uptick in prices from wholesalers who are pressed with demand from giant grocers like Amazon and Walmart .
“ The operative word is ‘ yet , ' ” she said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coming down the tracks.
” And still , demand keeps growing .
Requests to local 2-1-1 helplines for information about food pantries has at least doubled year-over-year in all 23 states tracked by researchers at the University of Washington in St. Louis .
Requests in half of the states tracked increased five-fold .
In New Jersey , requests were up 2,200 % from March 12-25 , compared to the same period last year .
Calls to the USDA ’ s National Hunger Hotline , which is operated by Berg ’ s group , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Rapaport has had to hire security guards to make sure people are keeping an appropriate social distance as his lines stretch around the corner .
“ We ’ re needing bouncers at a food pantry , ” he said .
“ The bread line commandeered the entire block.
” Both he and Gordon called on the National Guard to get involved in warehouse operations , packing meals and delivering them to those under quarantine .
“ We really need their help now , ” Gordon said .
But ultimately , Berg said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nation ’ s network of food banks , pantries , and soup kitchens are going to be able to keep up with the demand from out-of-work Americans .
“ My biggest worry is the vast disconnect between the extent of the problem and fact that our political system still is not oriented to serving the needs of the most vulnerable , ” he said .
Berg predicted the number of SNAP ( food stamp ) recipients would skyrocket , as it did during the Great Recession .
He said the entitlement program was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kitchens and food pantries , ” and analysts have pointed out that the food program provides important counter-cyclical help in recessions .
One bright spot Berg highlighted in the recent congressional stimulus was the Pandemic EBT program , which makes assistance available to kids otherwise eligible for free or reduced lunch at schools that have closed as a result of the pandemic .
And Gordon highlighted the recent increase in funds for TEFAP , the Emergency Food Assistance Program , for which the USDA provides food from American farmers to local organizations including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bank CEO put it , a “ one-hit wonder ” spell of federal relief measures won ’ t be enough to weather the coming storm .
Both Berg and Gordon said they hoped the federal government would authorize the use of D-SNAP — Disaster SNAP — which loosens requirements on SNAP benefits during emergencies .
The Trump administration has so far resisted taking the step .
Rapaport , for his part , said he understood that the COVID-19 pandemic had turned the nation ’ s attention to its struggling health care system .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said , “ we ’ ve got to wake up to the fact that the people who are alive need to be well-nourished .
”

Passover, one of the holiest holidays on the Jewish calendar and one centered around home-cooked meals, is typically the busiest time of year for Alex Rapaport. He’s the executive director of the Masbia, a string of kosher soup kitchens and food pantries around New York City.
Normally the need for food doubles during this time of year, Rapaport told TPM.
But as the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in historic job losses and a spike in hungry New Yorkers, demand has quintupled this season. Almost half of Rapaport’s customers are new, he said — and some are of “a different socio-economic class” than his normal clientele.
Rapaport recalled one new customer, a handyman who fixes and installs home appliances around town. Normally, the man donates to Masbia. But as New Yorkers have socially isolated amid growing infection rates, his business has screeched to a halt. Now, the tables have turned.
“You should see the fire in his eyes when he came to pick up food,” Rapaport said. “He doesn’t even know the bread line etiquette. What do you ask? What do you say?”
The surge at food pantries and soup kitchens in recent weeks represents the sharp edge of the economic crisis that’s been spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic.
With unemployment reaching levels not seen since the Great Depression and an eroded social safety net fraying at the edges, the charity groups that dot New York City have found themselves nearly underwater.
“This is the greatest hunger emergency in modern American times,” said Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America.
Leslie Gordon, the CEO and president of Food Bank for New York City, said her mammoth operation was bracing for an “unprecedented and extreme uptick in need.”
Per city orders, Masbia’s soup kitchens have switched to take-out containers. Its pantries are offering 14 days of groceries instead of the usual three to seven, and it’s started collecting the information of those quarantined at home to use for delivery service. In a recent video appeal for donations, Rapaport, a bespectacled Orthdox community leader, showed one of his soup kitchens stuffed with boxes, having been turned into a miniature warehouse of sorts to keep up with the increased flow of food.
Between the closure of senior centers and schools and the massive expansion of unemployment rolls, food pantries are carrying a mammoth load — and with fewer volunteers as a result of the pandemic.
Food Bank for New York City, which had to temporarily shut down a Harlem location recently after a staffer there tested positive for COVID-19, announced Sunday that it was suspending all volunteer assistance, opting instead for paid temporary workers.
The group said it wanted to maintain a dedicated workforce and a safe environment for its clients. Rapaport, who’s also had to shift to paid temp workers, put it more bluntly.
“The volunteers don’t want to show up,” he said. “And I don’t blame them.”
The supply chain has been similarly affected.
Gordon, of Food Bank for New York City, relayed stories of truck drivers who were hesitant to enter New York City because they were concerned about their health, leading to delays in the supply chain. Masbia’s kosher chicken vendor, in upstate New York, told Rapaport recently that he didn’t know what his production numbers would be because he didn’t know how many slaughterhouse staff would show up to work.
Gordon told TPM she hadn’t yet seen an uptick in prices from wholesalers who are pressed with demand from giant grocers like Amazon and Walmart.
“The operative word is ‘yet,'” she said. “I can see the train coming down the tracks.”
And still, demand keeps growing.
Requests to local 2-1-1 helplines for information about food pantries has at least doubled year-over-year in all 23 states tracked by researchers at the University of Washington in St. Louis. Requests in half of the states tracked increased five-fold. In New Jersey, requests were up 2,200% from March 12-25, compared to the same period last year.
Calls to the USDA’s National Hunger Hotline, which is operated by Berg’s group, “have skyrocketed,” he said.
Rapaport has had to hire security guards to make sure people are keeping an appropriate social distance as his lines stretch around the corner.
“We’re needing bouncers at a food pantry,” he said. “The bread line commandeered the entire block.”
Both he and Gordon called on the National Guard to get involved in warehouse operations, packing meals and delivering them to those under quarantine. “We really need their help now,” Gordon said.
But ultimately, Berg said, there is simply no way the nation’s network of food banks, pantries, and soup kitchens are going to be able to keep up with the demand from out-of-work Americans.
“My biggest worry is the vast disconnect between the extent of the problem and fact that our political system still is not oriented to serving the needs of the most vulnerable,” he said.
Berg predicted the number of SNAP (food stamp) recipients would skyrocket, as it did during the Great Recession. He said the entitlement program was “far more economically efficient than soup kitchens and food pantries,” and analysts have pointed out that the food program provides important counter-cyclical help in recessions.
One bright spot Berg highlighted in the recent congressional stimulus was the Pandemic EBT program, which makes assistance available to kids otherwise eligible for free or reduced lunch at schools that have closed as a result of the pandemic. And Gordon highlighted the recent increase in funds for TEFAP, the Emergency Food Assistance Program, for which the USDA provides food from American farmers to local organizations including food banks.
But as the Food Bank CEO put it, a “one-hit wonder” spell of federal relief measures won’t be enough to weather the coming storm. Both Berg and Gordon said they hoped the federal government would authorize the use of D-SNAP — Disaster SNAP — which loosens requirements on SNAP benefits during emergencies. The Trump administration has so far resisted taking the step.
Rapaport, for his part, said he understood that the COVID-19 pandemic had turned the nation’s attention to its struggling health care system.
“But at some point,” he said, “we’ve got to wake up to the fact that the people who are alive need to be well-nourished.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-04-01--Will We Ever Know COVID-19’s Real Death Toll?

There ’ s still so much we don ’ t know .
As health care systems in New York City and around the country start to buckle under the stress of COVID-19 patients , it ’ s not clear what the true death toll of the pandemic will be .
The question goes beyond those who are dying directly from COVID-19 , the disease caused by the virus .
The Trump administration ’ s optimistic estimates now project the range from direct deaths at 100,000 to 240,000 .
But will we know the toll from the entire crisis ?
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t go to see overburdened doctors , delaying treatment for illnesses that turn terminal , or of those who languish as they wait for treatment at emergency rooms flooded with COVID-19 patients suggest that more people may die from the stress that the flood of patients places on the health care system .
Meanwhile , the lack of testing has meant that people may have died of COVID-19 itself without ever having been diagnosed .
Others may have died before it was clear that the virus was spreading locally throughout the U.S. , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with atypical symptoms .
Approximations of the true toll are knowable , however , and it ’ s been done before .
Researchers gained experience in the science of estimating what ’ s known as excess mortality – deaths that would not have occurred but for some cataclysmic event – after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico and left the island ’ s infrastructure and health care system in shambles .
The results of the studies found that thousands of people died in Puerto Rico because of secondary effects from Hurricane Maria .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not occur due to drowning or other causes directly associated with the storm .
Rather , these people were hypothesized to have passed away due to lack of health care following the hurricane , said Cruz Nazario , an epidemiologist at the University of Puerto Rico .
Post-storm studies found that significantly more people died as an indirect result of the hurricane than the 64 people included in the official death toll .
By the same token , people who died while never having been diagnosed with COVID-19 could be included in similar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ particularly good comparison to COVID-19 , Nazario argued , because it fundamentally damaged the island ’ s health care system and infrastructure , leading to questions over how many people died in the months that followed when access to care was limited .
Nazario worked on a study that joined with George Washington University ’ s Milken School of Public Health to analyze excess deaths that occurred after Hurricane Maria .
“ The question that we posed was , ‘ would these people have died if the hurricane had not come to Puerto @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And our main hypothesis was that these deaths would probably have not occurred if not for Hurricane Maria , but if our health system had been strong , adequate , and prepared , it would have been different.
” Nazario told TPM that investigators faced hurdles in part because the government supplied a death count that many refused to believe .
U.S. officials placed the official death toll from the hurricane at 64 people , a number many said was contradicted by the reality around them .
“ Everybody was commenting that there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was not possible that they were all natural deaths , or deaths due to the underlying conditions that people have , ” Nazario said .
The resulting report estimated that 2,975 Puerto Ricans died following Hurricane Maria who would otherwise have survived in the four months following the disaster .
The number jibes with other estimates .
Wolfgang Rolke , a statistician at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez , ran a study that looked at deaths after Hurricane Maria which found that 822 excess deaths occurred over the six-week period following the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capture excess deaths that occurred close to the actual hurricane , but weren ’ t included in the initial death toll of 64 .
Rolke told TPM that monthly mortality data leading up to the hurricane allowed researchers to establish a benchmark , based on government figures .
From there , it was possible to compare the benchmark to time after Maria .
Massive amounts of people fleeing Puerto Rico after the hurricane complicated the study .
It became less clear what the actual population of the island was , changing the mortality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ projections .
That specific problem wouldn ’ t affect a COVID analysis , Rolke said , given that it ’ s a global crisis .
But similar variables like a drop in car accident deaths due to social distancing policies could affect the outcome .
Nazario said that the GW report took historical death data to generate a projection of how many would have been expected to die in Puerto Rico under normal circumstances .
That included looking at average mortality by certain age and gender groups .
If a given age group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10,000 people , and that rate jumped to 20 per 10,000 in the months after the hurricane , the researchers would then hypothesize that “ the deaths that occurred above the expected average were indirectly associated with Hurricane Maria , ” Nazario said .
The same method could be adapted to COVID-19 , the researchers said , offering an estimate of what the overall spike in deaths might be .
That total would encompass deaths due to a sagging health care system , but also COVID-19 deaths that may have gone undetected .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and February – when spread of the illness in the U.S. is hypothesized to have begun but before widespread testing – could reveal early spikes in death and clusters of the disease .
“ I keep comparing what we ’ re facing with Hurricane Maria , ” Nazario said .
“ We were not prepared for the hurricane .
”

There’s still so much we don’t know.
As health care systems in New York City and around the country start to buckle under the stress of COVID-19 patients, it’s not clear what the true death toll of the pandemic will be.
The question goes beyond those who are dying directly from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. The Trump administration’s optimistic estimates now project the range from direct deaths at 100,000 to 240,000.
But will we know the toll from the entire crisis?
The untold stories of people who don’t go to see overburdened doctors, delaying treatment for illnesses that turn terminal, or of those who languish as they wait for treatment at emergency rooms flooded with COVID-19 patients suggest that more people may die from the stress that the flood of patients places on the health care system.
Meanwhile, the lack of testing has meant that people may have died of COVID-19 itself without ever having been diagnosed. Others may have died before it was clear that the virus was spreading locally throughout the U.S., while yet more may have passed away with atypical symptoms.
Approximations of the true toll are knowable, however, and it’s been done before.
Researchers gained experience in the science of estimating what’s known as excess mortality – deaths that would not have occurred but for some cataclysmic event – after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico and left the island’s infrastructure and health care system in shambles.
The results of the studies found that thousands of people died in Puerto Rico because of secondary effects from Hurricane Maria. That is to say, these deaths did not occur due to drowning or other causes directly associated with the storm. Rather, these people were hypothesized to have passed away due to lack of health care following the hurricane, said Cruz Nazario, an epidemiologist at the University of Puerto Rico.
Post-storm studies found that significantly more people died as an indirect result of the hurricane than the 64 people included in the official death toll. By the same token, people who died while never having been diagnosed with COVID-19 could be included in similar future studies.
The hurricane makes a particularly good comparison to COVID-19, Nazario argued, because it fundamentally damaged the island’s health care system and infrastructure, leading to questions over how many people died in the months that followed when access to care was limited.
Nazario worked on a study that joined with George Washington University’s Milken School of Public Health to analyze excess deaths that occurred after Hurricane Maria.
“The question that we posed was, ‘would these people have died if the hurricane had not come to Puerto Rico?” she said. “And our main hypothesis was that these deaths would probably have not occurred if not for Hurricane Maria, but if our health system had been strong, adequate, and prepared, it would have been different.”
Nazario told TPM that investigators faced hurdles in part because the government supplied a death count that many refused to believe. U.S. officials placed the official death toll from the hurricane at 64 people, a number many said was contradicted by the reality around them.
“Everybody was commenting that there were so many deaths around them that it was not possible that they were all natural deaths, or deaths due to the underlying conditions that people have,” Nazario said.
The resulting report estimated that 2,975 Puerto Ricans died following Hurricane Maria who would otherwise have survived in the four months following the disaster.
The number jibes with other estimates.
Wolfgang Rolke, a statistician at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, ran a study that looked at deaths after Hurricane Maria which found that 822 excess deaths occurred over the six-week period following the hurricane.
That study was designed to capture excess deaths that occurred close to the actual hurricane, but weren’t included in the initial death toll of 64.
Rolke told TPM that monthly mortality data leading up to the hurricane allowed researchers to establish a benchmark, based on government figures. From there, it was possible to compare the benchmark to time after Maria.
Massive amounts of people fleeing Puerto Rico after the hurricane complicated the study. It became less clear what the actual population of the island was, changing the mortality rate and forcing researchers to recalibrate their projections.
That specific problem wouldn’t affect a COVID analysis, Rolke said, given that it’s a global crisis. But similar variables like a drop in car accident deaths due to social distancing policies could affect the outcome.
Nazario said that the GW report took historical death data to generate a projection of how many would have been expected to die in Puerto Rico under normal circumstances. That included looking at average mortality by certain age and gender groups.
If a given age group had a fatality rate of 10 per 10,000 people, and that rate jumped to 20 per 10,000 in the months after the hurricane, the researchers would then hypothesize that “the deaths that occurred above the expected average were indirectly associated with Hurricane Maria,” Nazario said.
The same method could be adapted to COVID-19, the researchers said, offering an estimate of what the overall spike in deaths might be.
That total would encompass deaths due to a sagging health care system, but also COVID-19 deaths that may have gone undetected. Looking at mortality rates starting in January and February – when spread of the illness in the U.S. is hypothesized to have begun but before widespread testing – could reveal early spikes in death and clusters of the disease.
“I keep comparing what we’re facing with Hurricane Maria,” Nazario said. “We were not prepared for the hurricane.”
Tierney Sneed contributed to this report.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-04-01--House Dems Seek Coronavirus Commission For ‘Complete Accounting’ Of Admin’s Response

House Committee on Homeland Security Chair Rep. Bennie Thompson ( D-MS ) announced that the committee ’ s Democrats will introduce legislation to establish a bipartisan commission aimed at “ identifying and examining lessons learned ” from the nation ’ s response to the COVID-19 outbreak .
In a press release , the committee said that the legislation will be introduced soon and that the bipartisan commission will be modeled after the 9/11 Commission , given the magnitude that the COVID-19 outbreak has had on “ all aspects of national life .
The bipartisan commission will be in charge of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” of the nation ’ s preparedness and response to COVID-19 — which includes a public report with recommendations to improve preparedness , response and recovery from future pandemics .
In a statement , Thompson highlighted how more Americans have been killed by the virus compared to deaths from the September 11 , 2001 attacks .
Thompson added that the 9/11 Commission was created with the goal of providing ” a full accounting of the circumstances ” surrounding the attacks and that the commission ’ s recommendations led to reforms regarding intelligence and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It is clear that we , as a nation , are at another inflection point , ” Thompson said in the statement .
“ Americans today will again demand a full accounting of how prepared we were and how we responded to this global public health emergency.
” Thompson also argued that the commission will help answer how the government can “ work better to prevent a similar crisis ” and that introducing the legislation is the first step toward prevention .
Thompson ’ s announcement comes a day after the White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from COVID-19 during a coronavirus task force briefing .

House Committee on Homeland Security Chair Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) announced that the committee’s Democrats will introduce legislation to establish a bipartisan commission aimed at “identifying and examining lessons learned” from the nation’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
In a press release, the committee said that the legislation will be introduced soon and that the bipartisan commission will be modeled after the 9/11 Commission, given the magnitude that the COVID-19 outbreak has had on “all aspects of national life.
The bipartisan commission will be in charge of producing a “full and complete accounting” of the nation’s preparedness and response to COVID-19 — which includes a public report with recommendations to improve preparedness, response and recovery from future pandemics.
In a statement, Thompson highlighted how more Americans have been killed by the virus compared to deaths from the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Thompson added that the 9/11 Commission was created with the goal of providing” a full accounting of the circumstances” surrounding the attacks and that the commission’s recommendations led to reforms regarding intelligence and helped the government counter terror threats.
“It is clear that we, as a nation, are at another inflection point,” Thompson said in the statement. “Americans today will again demand a full accounting of how prepared we were and how we responded to this global public health emergency.”
Thompson also argued that the commission will help answer how the government can “work better to prevent a similar crisis” and that introducing the legislation is the first step toward prevention.
Thompson’s announcement comes a day after the White House projected between 100,000 to 240,000 fatalities from COVID-19 during a coronavirus task force briefing.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-04-01--Widespread Testing, Large Number Of ICU Beds Gave Germany An Upper Hand On Coronavirus

BERLIN ( AP ) — Late last year — long before most people had heard of the new coronavirus now sweeping the globe — scientists in Germany sprang into action to develop a test for the virus that was causing an unusual respiratory disease in central China .
They had one by mid-January — and labs around the country were ready to start using it just weeks later , around the same time that Europe ’ s most populous country registered its first case .
“ It was clear that if the epidemic swept over here from China , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Hendrik Borucki , a spokesman for Bioscientia Healthcare , which operates 19 labs in Germany .
That quick work stands in stark contrast to delays and missteps in other countries .
Coupled with Germany ’ s large number of intensive care beds and its early social distancing measures , it could explain one of the most interesting puzzles of the COVID-19 pandemic : Why are people with the virus in Germany currently dying at much lower rates than in neighboring countries ?
The numbers are remarkable : As confirmed cases in Germany @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was 775 , according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University .
In contrast , Italy has reported almost 106,000 infections and more than 12,400 deaths , while Spain has more than 102,000 cases with over 9,000 deaths .
France has four times as many virus deaths as Germany and Britain has twice as many , even though both countries have fewer reported infections .
There may be many factors at play , but experts said early on that fast and widespread testing gave Germany an edge .
“ The reason why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the moment compared to the number of infected can be largely explained by the fact that we are doing an extremely large number of lab diagnoses , ” said virologist Dr. Christian Drosten , whose team developed the first test for the new virus at Berlin ’ s Charité hospital — established over 300 years ago to treat plague victims .
He estimated that Germany is now capable of conducting up to 500,000 tests a week .
Spain , meanwhile , tests between 105,000 and 140,000 people each week , about 20 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capable of .
Italy did around 200,000 tests over the past week , but that reflects a significant recent ramp-up .
Early access to the test from Drosten ’ s team is only part of the reason for Germany ’ s head start .
Before the country even registered its first case , authorities agreed the tests would be covered by its universal insurance system , and be available to everyone with symptoms and either recent travel to virus hotspots or close contact with a confirmed case .
Still , Germany may not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it seems .
The fact that Spain and Italy — which have seen much more intense outbreaks — are doing fewer tests indicates they are missing many mild or asymptomatic cases .
That makes their fatality rates look worse than they are .
But Germany , too , is likely missing cases , and experts say that all figures worldwide undercount the extent of the pandemic .
Limited testing also means the true spread of the virus is hidden in those countries — further fueling the outbreak .
For most people , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But for some , especially older adults and people with existing health problems , it can cause more severe illness and lead to to death .
Ensuring those severely ill patients can be treated properly is key to managing the outbreak — and preventing deaths .
And there again , Germany has an advantage .
Italy had 8.6 intensive care unit beds per 100,000 people before the outbreak , according to the Organization for Cooperation and Economic Development .
By comparison , Germany ’ s most recent available figure is 33.9 per @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a number the government wants to double .
“ We are well prepared today , tomorrow and the day after tomorrow , ” said Dr. Uwe Janssens , who heads Germany ’ s Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine .
Hospitals in the hardest-hit areas of Italy , are now buckling under the weight of treating so many ill patients at once , contributing the country ’ s death toll — the highest in the world .
In the rare position of having beds to spare , German hospitals have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and France .
While that will allow German doctors and nurses to learn how to treat severely ill COVID-19 patients , it also reflects a remarkable confidence in the country ’ s ability to manage its outbreak at a time when many others are shutting their borders .
The Robert Koch Institute , Germany ’ s disease control center , has suggested that strong measures imposed almost three weeks ago , including closing schools and restaurants , and later barring more than two people from gathering outside , seem to have slowed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bemoaned that many countries took similar steps too late .
Scientists advising the British government say major social distancing measures are necessary before there are 0.2 deaths per 100,000 people .
According to the , albeit imperfect , data available , Italy imposed its lockdown four days after hitting that threshold but Germany ’ s came a week before that level was reached .
Officials stress Germany is still in an early stage of its outbreak .
But Dr. Sebastian Johnston , a professor of respiratory medicine at Imperial College London , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should theoretically be able to avoid the tsunami of cases seen in Italy and Spain .
“ We were lucky to have had a long time to prepare , ” said Dr. Susanne Herold , a specialist for lung infections at the university hospital in Giessen .
For weeks , her staff has been installing new ICU beds , training in the use of ventilators and planning for an emergency scenario .
Amid the cautious optimism , there are those who warn against complacency .
Chancellor Angela Merkel — who is herself in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has resisted calls to loosen the lockdown .
A top government medical adviser , Lothar Wieler of the Robert Koch Institute , said he wouldn ’ t rule out Germany ’ s health system reaching its limit , too .
“ This is still the calm before the storm , ” said Health Minister Jens Spahn .
Associated Press writers Nicole Winfield in Rome , Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin and Maria Cheng in London contributed to this report .
Follow AP news coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https @ @

BERLIN (AP) — Late last year — long before most people had heard of the new coronavirus now sweeping the globe — scientists in Germany sprang into action to develop a test for the virus that was causing an unusual respiratory disease in central China.
They had one by mid-January — and labs around the country were ready to start using it just weeks later, around the same time that Europe’s most populous country registered its first case.
“It was clear that if the epidemic swept over here from China, then we had to start testing,” said Hendrik Borucki, a spokesman for Bioscientia Healthcare, which operates 19 labs in Germany.
That quick work stands in stark contrast to delays and missteps in other countries. Coupled with Germany’s large number of intensive care beds and its early social distancing measures, it could explain one of the most interesting puzzles of the COVID-19 pandemic: Why are people with the virus in Germany currently dying at much lower rates than in neighboring countries?
The numbers are remarkable: As confirmed cases in Germany passed 71,000, the death toll Wednesday was 775, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. In contrast, Italy has reported almost 106,000 infections and more than 12,400 deaths, while Spain has more than 102,000 cases with over 9,000 deaths.
France has four times as many virus deaths as Germany and Britain has twice as many, even though both countries have fewer reported infections.
There may be many factors at play, but experts said early on that fast and widespread testing gave Germany an edge.
“The reason why we in Germany have so few deaths at the moment compared to the number of infected can be largely explained by the fact that we are doing an extremely large number of lab diagnoses,” said virologist Dr. Christian Drosten, whose team developed the first test for the new virus at Berlin’s Charité hospital — established over 300 years ago to treat plague victims.
He estimated that Germany is now capable of conducting up to 500,000 tests a week.
Spain, meanwhile, tests between 105,000 and 140,000 people each week, about 20% to 30% what Germany is capable of. Italy did around 200,000 tests over the past week, but that reflects a significant recent ramp-up.
Early access to the test from Drosten’s team is only part of the reason for Germany’s head start. Before the country even registered its first case, authorities agreed the tests would be covered by its universal insurance system, and be available to everyone with symptoms and either recent travel to virus hotspots or close contact with a confirmed case.
Still, Germany may not be as much of an anomaly as it seems. The fact that Spain and Italy — which have seen much more intense outbreaks — are doing fewer tests indicates they are missing many mild or asymptomatic cases. That makes their fatality rates look worse than they are. But Germany, too, is likely missing cases, and experts say that all figures worldwide undercount the extent of the pandemic.
Limited testing also means the true spread of the virus is hidden in those countries — further fueling the outbreak.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms. But for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness and lead to to death.
Ensuring those severely ill patients can be treated properly is key to managing the outbreak — and preventing deaths.
And there again, Germany has an advantage.
Italy had 8.6 intensive care unit beds per 100,000 people before the outbreak, according to the Organization for Cooperation and Economic Development. By comparison, Germany’s most recent available figure is 33.9 per 100,000, or about 28,000 in total, a number the government wants to double.
“We are well prepared today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow,” said Dr. Uwe Janssens, who heads Germany’s Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine.
Hospitals in the hardest-hit areas of Italy, are now buckling under the weight of treating so many ill patients at once, contributing the country’s death toll — the highest in the world.
In the rare position of having beds to spare, German hospitals have taken in dozens of patients from Italy and France. While that will allow German doctors and nurses to learn how to treat severely ill COVID-19 patients, it also reflects a remarkable confidence in the country’s ability to manage its outbreak at a time when many others are shutting their borders.
The Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s disease control center, has suggested that strong measures imposed almost three weeks ago, including closing schools and restaurants, and later barring more than two people from gathering outside, seem to have slowed the rate of new infections.
Experts have bemoaned that many countries took similar steps too late.
Scientists advising the British government say major social distancing measures are necessary before there are 0.2 deaths per 100,000 people. According to the, albeit imperfect, data available, Italy imposed its lockdown four days after hitting that threshold but Germany’s came a week before that level was reached.
Officials stress Germany is still in an early stage of its outbreak. But Dr. Sebastian Johnston, a professor of respiratory medicine at Imperial College London, said countries that intervene early with aggressive measures should theoretically be able to avoid the tsunami of cases seen in Italy and Spain.
“We were lucky to have had a long time to prepare,” said Dr. Susanne Herold, a specialist for lung infections at the university hospital in Giessen. For weeks, her staff has been installing new ICU beds, training in the use of ventilators and planning for an emergency scenario.
Amid the cautious optimism, there are those who warn against complacency.
Chancellor Angela Merkel — who is herself in isolation after her doctor tested positive — has resisted calls to loosen the lockdown. A top government medical adviser, Lothar Wieler of the Robert Koch Institute, said he wouldn’t rule out Germany’s health system reaching its limit, too.
“This is still the calm before the storm,” said Health Minister Jens Spahn.
___
Associated Press writers Nicole Winfield in Rome, Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin and Maria Cheng in London contributed to this report.
___
Follow AP news coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak


talkingpointsmemo--2020-04-01--Florida Gov. DeSantis Will Issue Stay-At-Home Order After Growing Pressure

Florida Gov .
Ron DeSantis will issue a stay-at-home order on Wednesday after mounting pressure to do so amid the COVID-19 outbreak .
DeSantis had previously resisted issuing such an order , despite health experts ’ warnings that the large crowds on Florida ’ s beaches were ripe for further spread of the coronavirus .
The governor had pushed back , arguing that a shelter-in-place order would hurt the economy and throw people ’ s lives “ into potential disarray.
” “ When you are ordering people to shelter in place , you are consigning probably hundreds-of-thousands of Floridians to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last week .
DeSantis chose instead to have local officials decide what action , if any , to take to shrink down crowds in their districts .
Florida Democrats blasted the governor for allowing only piecemeal cautionary measures against the outbreak instead of enacting a sweeping order across the Sunshine State .
State Sen. Oscar Braynon ( D ) described DeSantis ’ reasoning as “ the dumbest shit I have heard in a long time ” in an interview with Politico .
“ This is going to be a disaster for Florida if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Rep. Donna Shalala ( D-FL ) told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune .
“ Without a cure or vaccine , there is no time to waste , ” said Rep. Lois Frankel ( D-FL ) , per the Herald-Tribune .
“ That is why a statewide order is necessary.
” However , the calls for a shelter-in or social distancing mandates weren ’ t necessarily partisan in nature : Sen. Rick Scott ( R-FL ) said several weeks ago that Florida officials at “ every level ” ought to discourage people from gathering at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think whether it ’ s the beaches , wherever we are , every part of the government ’ s got to start telling people , ‘ Take some personal responsibility here .
Don ’ t infect other people , ’ ” Scott said during an interview on CNN .

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will issue a stay-at-home order on Wednesday after mounting pressure to do so amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
DeSantis had previously resisted issuing such an order, despite health experts’ warnings that the large crowds on Florida’s beaches were ripe for further spread of the coronavirus.
The governor had pushed back, arguing that a shelter-in-place order would hurt the economy and throw people’s lives “into potential disarray.”
“When you are ordering people to shelter in place, you are consigning probably hundreds-of-thousands of Floridians to lose their jobs,” he said last week.
DeSantis chose instead to have local officials decide what action, if any, to take to shrink down crowds in their districts.
Florida Democrats blasted the governor for allowing only piecemeal cautionary measures against the outbreak instead of enacting a sweeping order across the Sunshine State.
State Sen. Oscar Braynon (D) described DeSantis’ reasoning as “the dumbest shit I have heard in a long time” in an interview with Politico.
“This is going to be a disaster for Florida if the governor does not step up,” Rep. Donna Shalala (D-FL) told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
“Without a cure or vaccine, there is no time to waste,” said Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL), per the Herald-Tribune. “That is why a statewide order is necessary.”
However, the calls for a shelter-in or social distancing mandates weren’t necessarily partisan in nature: Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) said several weeks ago that Florida officials at “every level” ought to discourage people from gathering at beaches and other places.
“I think whether it’s the beaches, wherever we are, every part of the government’s got to start telling people, ‘Take some personal responsibility here. Don’t infect other people,’” Scott said during an interview on CNN.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-04-01--Pence Struggles To Respond To WH’s Projection Of 100,000 COVID-19 Fatalities

Vice President Mike Pence responded to the White House ’ s sobering projection of up to 240,000 fatalities from COVID-19 during an interview on CNN Wednesday .
Acknowledging President Trump ’ s warning that there are “ tough days ahead ” in light of the White House coronavirus task force ’ s projection of 100,000 to 200,000 fatalities from the coronavirus , Pence said that he hopes that by “ sometime in early June ” the outbreak will be “ largely behind us ” and the country can be reopened .
CNN ’ s Wolf Blitzer then pressed Pence on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be dead in the country from COVID-19 .
“ The time frame for the epidemic is a period of time where the number of losses becomes much lower by about Memorial Day weekend and June 1st , ” Pence said .
“ But I never want to minimize the loss .
I just want to make sure people know there is light at the end of the tunnel.
” Pence went on to push for the White House ’ s social distancing guidelines before Blitzer asked him about why the task force @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , citing Florida Gov .
Ron Desantis ’ initial refusal to issue one in his state .
( DeSantis eventually issued a statewide stay-at-home order Wednesday afternoon . )
Dodging the question , Pence responded that he ’ s been “ very inspired over the last 15 days ” by people adhering to the White House ’ s social distancing guidelines .
“ We ’ re going to continue to bring the President the best recommendations based on real-time data and science for what every state , what every community should be doing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the present moment , we truly do believe that the strong actions taken in places like California and Washington and New York and New Jersey are appropriate.
” Blitzer also raised the question of a national stay-at-home order earlier in the interview , saying that it would ’ ve been good if the President “ wouldn ’ t have been belittling the enormity of this crisis.
” Pence shot back by arguing that he doesn ’ t believe Trump “ has ever belittled the threat of the coronavirus.
” After Blitzer mentioned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s past remarks — which include saying that the coronavirus wasn ’ t as bad as the regular flu — Pence said that the President is “ an optimistic person.
” “ From the very beginning when the President suspended all travel from China and stood up the White House coronavirus task force in January , we have been hoping for the best but planning for the worst , ” Pence said .

Vice President Mike Pence responded to the White House’s sobering projection of up to 240,000 fatalities from COVID-19 during an interview on CNN Wednesday.
Acknowledging President Trump’s warning that there are “tough days ahead” in light of the White House coronavirus task force’s projection of 100,000 to 200,000 fatalities from the coronavirus, Pence said that he hopes that by “sometime in early June” the outbreak will be “largely behind us” and the country can be reopened.
CNN’s Wolf Blitzer then pressed Pence on whether he’s presuming that 100,000 will be dead in the country from COVID-19.
“The time frame for the epidemic is a period of time where the number of losses becomes much lower by about Memorial Day weekend and June 1st,” Pence said. “But I never want to minimize the loss. I just want to make sure people know there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
Pence went on to push for the White House’s social distancing guidelines before Blitzer asked him about why the task force has not issued a national stay-at-home order, citing Florida Gov. Ron Desantis’ initial refusal to issue one in his state. (DeSantis eventually issued a statewide stay-at-home order Wednesday afternoon.)
Dodging the question, Pence responded that he’s been “very inspired over the last 15 days” by people adhering to the White House’s social distancing guidelines.
“We’re going to continue to bring the President the best recommendations based on real-time data and science for what every state, what every community should be doing,” Pence said. “But at the present moment, we truly do believe that the strong actions taken in places like California and Washington and New York and New Jersey are appropriate.”
Blitzer also raised the question of a national stay-at-home order earlier in the interview, saying that it would’ve been good if the President “wouldn’t have been belittling the enormity of this crisis.”
Pence shot back by arguing that he doesn’t believe Trump “has ever belittled the threat of the coronavirus.”
After Blitzer mentioned that he asked his question based on Trump’s past remarks — which include saying that the coronavirus wasn’t as bad as the regular flu — Pence said that the President is “an optimistic person.”
“From the very beginning when the President suspended all travel from China and stood up the White House coronavirus task force in January, we have been hoping for the best but planning for the worst,” Pence said.
Watch Pence’s remarks below:
Pence: "I don't believe the President has ever belittled the threat of the coronavirus." pic.twitter.com/gTmqgDUBws — Talking Points Memo (@TPM) April 1, 2020
CNN's Wolf Blitzer asks Pence if he presumes that 100,000 people in the U.S. will be dead by early June pic.twitter.com/Nb2ilW6yaU — Talking Points Memo (@TPM) April 1, 2020


talkingpointsmemo--2020-04-01--At The Mercy Of The Unpredictable Coronavirus, States Gird For June Primaries

June 2 has become a late-breaking major voting day for the 2020 primary calendar , after six states pushed back their elections amid the coronavirus pandemic .
Connecticut , Delaware , Indiana , Maryland , Pennsylvania and Rhode Island have now joined Washington D.C. , Montana , New Jersey , New Mexico and South Dakota in holding primaries on that day .
But the ongoing coronavirus crisis , which prompted the delays , looms large over that early summer date .
Whether the worst will be past in the ten states and D.C. — and whether it will be safe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Get Out The Vote ?
“ A lot will depend on how strictly social distancing guidelines are followed and how much can be done to strengthen the healthcare system and flatten the peak of the epidemic , ” Leana Wen , emergency physician and visiting professor of health policy and management at George Washington University , told TPM .
“ There may also be regional variation , ” she said .
“ It ’ s possible that some states may be ready for some form of in-person voting while others may not.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ some in-person voting .
A few are expanding their vote-by-mail options , but most are not .
And though the states delayed their contests hoping to skirt the risk posed by an unpredictable pandemic that makes in-person gatherings ill-advised , the virus is operating on an undetermined timeline .
Experts are worried what an election in the time of coronavirus will mean — both from a public health standpoint , and an electoral one .
If the disease is still lingering by then , turnout may plummet as risk-averse voters opt to stay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s going to be very difficult , ” Andrew Rosenberg , director of the Union of Concerned Scientists ’ Center for Science and Democracy , told TPM .
“ I don ’ t think by any means that it ’ s likely we ’ ll be done with coronavirus by June.
” The June 2 date was in part chosen to keeps states within a deadline for delegate-counting set by the Democratic National Committee .
Under current rules , any state that holds its primary after June 9 risks losing half of its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 686 delegates will be up for the taking .
But under the extraordinary circumstances created by the coronavirus pandemic , the DNC may ultimately ease up on the punishment .
DNC Communications Director Xochitl Hinojosa told TPM that the Rules and Bylaws Committee planned to meet and contemplate what to do if any state pushed its election past that deadline .
“ We will continue to monitor the situation and work with state parties around their delegate selection plans , and if states move beyond the June 9th window stated in our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will meet to discuss and determine next steps , ” Hinojosa said .
Some states have already blown that deadline .
Louisiana pushed its primary to June 20 , and Kentucky and New York rescheduled for June 23 .
Hinojosa did not comment on when DNC officials would meet to reconsider delegate rules .
The bulk of the June 2 states — but not all — are operating their primaries without substantially expanding vote-by-mail with coronavirus-specific provisions .
Many are urging voters towards their absentee ballot systems , but all are maintaining some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Catherine Sheehan of Delaware ’ s Office of the State Election Commissioner told TPM that while the state does not have “ no-excuse absentee voting ” — which would allow any voter to vote absentee no matter their reasoning — even voters “ asymptomatic of COVID-19 infection ” can check off the option to obtain a mail-in ballot due to illness or temporary or permanent disability .
“ There will be regular in-person voting for the presidential primary election on June 2 , 2020 , ” she added .
Some states , like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their down-ballot elections vote-by-mail only , including the congressional race for the late Rep. Elijah Cummings ’ ( D-MD ) seat in the former and local elections in the latter .
But their presidential primaries , potentially much larger races , will still have in-person voting .
Switching to an entirely vote-by-mail election is expensive and labor intensive , and likely impossible for many states to pull off in such a short window , experts told TPM .
“ I want to stress that we have different states in very different places when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said John Fortier , director of Bipartisan Policy Center ’ s Democracy Project .
“ Even Oregon , the first state to do all-vote by mail , did it gradually over time , offering mail options more until more people took it up.
” Barry Burden , director of the University of Wisconsin ’ s Elections Research Center , agreed .
“ Jumping to an all-mail election is more difficult than it initially appears and few states are well positioned to make the transition even by early June , ” he told TPM @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that some policy makers may have decided to push the primary down the road and hope that time and changing situation make a later election less problematic.
” But whether it will be safe to gather by June 2 remains a lingering question , and one that may have a different answer from state to state .
“ I wouldn ’ t be surprised if states push their primaries back further , ” Fortier said .
One epidemiological model , from the University of Washington School of Medicine ’ s Institute for Health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state ’ s coronavirus outbreak will peak .
Happily , the model ( which has received some criticism for being too optimistic ) shows the peak in all of the June 2 primary states coming before the rescheduled election .
But they ’ re still not out of the woods .
Even some later-peaking states , like South Dakota and New Mexico , would still be dealing with a large number of coronavirus cases at the times the polls open , even as infection rates fall .
Given that bleak reality , Rosenberg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that states should do all in their power to allow no-excuse absentee voting , extend the times that polling places are open to avoid crowds and encourage recruitment of younger poll workers .
Some of these reforms , he added , may well be necessary for November ’ s general election as well .
“ It ’ s a good time to institute these measures that we ’ ll probably need to do for the November election to ensure that if there ’ s another flare-up with the virus , we can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .

June 2 has become a late-breaking major voting day for the 2020 primary calendar, after six states pushed back their elections amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island have now joined Washington D.C., Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota in holding primaries on that day.
But the ongoing coronavirus crisis, which prompted the delays, looms large over that early summer date. Whether the worst will be past in the ten states and D.C. — and whether it will be safe to gather — remains an open question.
Get Out The Vote?
“A lot will depend on how strictly social distancing guidelines are followed and how much can be done to strengthen the healthcare system and flatten the peak of the epidemic,” Leana Wen, emergency physician and visiting professor of health policy and management at George Washington University, told TPM.
“There may also be regional variation,” she said. “It’s possible that some states may be ready for some form of in-person voting while others may not.”
All of the states are offering some in-person voting. A few are expanding their vote-by-mail options, but most are not. And though the states delayed their contests hoping to skirt the risk posed by an unpredictable pandemic that makes in-person gatherings ill-advised, the virus is operating on an undetermined timeline.
Experts are worried what an election in the time of coronavirus will mean — both from a public health standpoint, and an electoral one. If the disease is still lingering by then, turnout may plummet as risk-averse voters opt to stay home.
“I think it’s going to be very difficult,” Andrew Rosenberg, director of the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Center for Science and Democracy, told TPM. “I don’t think by any means that it’s likely we’ll be done with coronavirus by June.”
The June 2 date was in part chosen to keeps states within a deadline for delegate-counting set by the Democratic National Committee. Under current rules, any state that holds its primary after June 9 risks losing half of its delegates to the convention. In total, 686 delegates will be up for the taking.
But under the extraordinary circumstances created by the coronavirus pandemic, the DNC may ultimately ease up on the punishment. DNC Communications Director Xochitl Hinojosa told TPM that the Rules and Bylaws Committee planned to meet and contemplate what to do if any state pushed its election past that deadline.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and work with state parties around their delegate selection plans, and if states move beyond the June 9th window stated in our rules, the Rules and Bylaws Committee will meet to discuss and determine next steps,” Hinojosa said.
Some states have already blown that deadline. Louisiana pushed its primary to June 20, and Kentucky and New York rescheduled for June 23. Hinojosa did not comment on when DNC officials would meet to reconsider delegate rules.
Difficulty Of Vote By Mail
The bulk of the June 2 states — but not all — are operating their primaries without substantially expanding vote-by-mail with coronavirus-specific provisions. Many are urging voters towards their absentee ballot systems, but all are maintaining some form of in-person voting as well.
Catherine Sheehan of Delaware’s Office of the State Election Commissioner told TPM that while the state does not have “no-excuse absentee voting” — which would allow any voter to vote absentee no matter their reasoning — even voters “asymptomatic of COVID-19 infection” can check off the option to obtain a mail-in ballot due to illness or temporary or permanent disability.
“There will be regular in-person voting for the presidential primary election on June 2, 2020,” she added.
Some states, like Maryland and New Jersey, are making their down-ballot elections vote-by-mail only, including the congressional race for the late Rep. Elijah Cummings’ (D-MD) seat in the former and local elections in the latter. But their presidential primaries, potentially much larger races, will still have in-person voting.
Switching to an entirely vote-by-mail election is expensive and labor intensive, and likely impossible for many states to pull off in such a short window, experts told TPM.
“I want to stress that we have different states in very different places when it comes to mail-in systems,” said John Fortier, director of Bipartisan Policy Center’s Democracy Project. “Even Oregon, the first state to do all-vote by mail, did it gradually over time, offering mail options more until more people took it up.”
Barry Burden, director of the University of Wisconsin’s Elections Research Center, agreed.
“Jumping to an all-mail election is more difficult than it initially appears and few states are well positioned to make the transition even by early June,” he told TPM. “The challenges are significant enough that some policy makers may have decided to push the primary down the road and hope that time and changing situation make a later election less problematic.”
A Grim Prognosis
But whether it will be safe to gather by June 2 remains a lingering question, and one that may have a different answer from state to state. “I wouldn’t be surprised if states push their primaries back further,” Fortier said.
One epidemiological model, from the University of Washington School of Medicine’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, estimates when each state’s coronavirus outbreak will peak. Happily, the model (which has received some criticism for being too optimistic) shows the peak in all of the June 2 primary states coming before the rescheduled election.
But they’re still not out of the woods. Even some later-peaking states, like South Dakota and New Mexico, would still be dealing with a large number of coronavirus cases at the times the polls open, even as infection rates fall.
Given that bleak reality, Rosenberg of the Center for Science and Democracy said that states should do all in their power to allow no-excuse absentee voting, extend the times that polling places are open to avoid crowds and encourage recruitment of younger poll workers. Some of these reforms, he added, may well be necessary for November’s general election as well.
“It’s a good time to institute these measures that we’ll probably need to do for the November election to ensure that if there’s another flare-up with the virus, we can still hold the election,” Rosenberg said.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-04-01--Wimbledon Tennis Tournament Canceled For First Time Since WWII

Wimbledon was canceled on Wednesday because of the coronavirus pandemic , the first time since World War II that the oldest Grand Slam tennis tournament won ’ t be played .
The All England Club announced after an emergency meeting that the event it refers to simply as The Championships is being scrapped for 2020 .
Wimbledon was scheduled to be played on the club ’ s grass courts on the outskirts of London from June 29 to July 12 .
Instead , the next edition of the tournament will be June 28 to July 11 , 2021 .
Also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the men ’ s and women ’ s professional tennis tours would be suspended until at least July 13 .
They already had been on hold through June 7 .
Wimbledon first was held in 1877 and has been contested every year since , with the exception of two stretches : from 1915-18 because of World War I , and from 1940-45 because of World War II .
“ It has weighed heavily on our minds that the staging of The Championships has only been interrupted previously by World Wars , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ press release , “ but , following thorough and extensive consideration of all scenarios , we believe that it is a measure of this global crisis that it is ultimately the right decision to cancel this year ’ s Championships , and instead concentrate on how we can use the breadth of Wimbledon ’ s resources to help those in our local communities and beyond.
” Wimbledon joins the growing list of sports events called off completely in 2020 because of the COVID-19 outbreak .
That includes the Tokyo Olympics — which have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the NCAA men ’ s and women ’ s college basketball tournaments .
Wimbledon is the first major tennis championship completely wiped out this year because of the coronavirus .
The start of the French Open was postponed from late May to late September .
As of now , the U.S. Open is still scheduled to be played in New York from Aug. 31 to Sept. 13 .
Wednesday ’ s decision means Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep will not get a chance to defend their Wimbledon titles from 2019 .
The cancellation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of Roger Federer ’ s best chances to try to add to his 20 Grand Slam titles , including a record eight at Wimbledon , where he lost a fifth-set tiebreaker to Djokovic in the last final after holding a pair of championship points .
Federer , who turns 39 in August , is currently recovering from knee surgery and planned to return in time for the grass-court circuit .
In a statement last week , the All England Club said that postponing the two-week event would not come “ without significant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grass surface .
The club also said then that it already had ruled out “ playing behind closed doors ” without spectators .
The tennis schedule already had been affected by the illness that has spread around the world , with about 20 tournaments postponed or canceled .
The French tennis federation announced March 17 that its Grand Slam tournament was being moved .
Hundreds of thousands of people have caught COVID-19 , and thousands have died .
For most people , the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms , which can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ milder cases of pneumonia , sometimes requiring hospitalization .
The risk of death is greater for older adults and people with other health problems .
According to the World Health Organization , people with mild illness recover in about two weeks , while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover .
Regular day-to-day life has come to a halt in many ways in many parts of the world in recent weeks , and sports has reflected that .
The NBA , NHL and Major League Baseball are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Masters and Indianapolis 500 were pushed back several months until September ; the European soccer championship — scheduled to end in London on the same day as the Wimbledon men ’ s final — was postponed from 2020 to 2021 .

Wimbledon was canceled on Wednesday because of the coronavirus pandemic, the first time since World War II that the oldest Grand Slam tennis tournament won’t be played.
The All England Club announced after an emergency meeting that the event it refers to simply as The Championships is being scrapped for 2020.
Wimbledon was scheduled to be played on the club’s grass courts on the outskirts of London from June 29 to July 12.
Instead, the next edition of the tournament will be June 28 to July 11, 2021.
Also Wednesday, the ATP and WTA announced that the men’s and women’s professional tennis tours would be suspended until at least July 13. They already had been on hold through June 7.
Wimbledon first was held in 1877 and has been contested every year since, with the exception of two stretches: from 1915-18 because of World War I, and from 1940-45 because of World War II.
“It has weighed heavily on our minds that the staging of The Championships has only been interrupted previously by World Wars,” club chairman Ian Hewitt said in a press release, “but, following thorough and extensive consideration of all scenarios, we believe that it is a measure of this global crisis that it is ultimately the right decision to cancel this year’s Championships, and instead concentrate on how we can use the breadth of Wimbledon’s resources to help those in our local communities and beyond.”
Wimbledon joins the growing list of sports events called off completely in 2020 because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
That includes the Tokyo Olympics — which have been pushed back 12 months — and the NCAA men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments.
Wimbledon is the first major tennis championship completely wiped out this year because of the coronavirus. The start of the French Open was postponed from late May to late September.
As of now, the U.S. Open is still scheduled to be played in New York from Aug. 31 to Sept. 13.
Wednesday’s decision means Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep will not get a chance to defend their Wimbledon titles from 2019.
The cancellation also takes away what might have been one of Roger Federer’s best chances to try to add to his 20 Grand Slam titles, including a record eight at Wimbledon, where he lost a fifth-set tiebreaker to Djokovic in the last final after holding a pair of championship points. Federer, who turns 39 in August, is currently recovering from knee surgery and planned to return in time for the grass-court circuit.
In a statement last week, the All England Club said that postponing the two-week event would not come “without significant risk and difficulty” because of the grass surface. The club also said then that it already had ruled out “playing behind closed doors” without spectators.
The tennis schedule already had been affected by the illness that has spread around the world, with about 20 tournaments postponed or canceled.
The French tennis federation announced March 17 that its Grand Slam tournament was being moved.
Hundreds of thousands of people have caught COVID-19, and thousands have died. For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, which can include fever and cough, but also milder cases of pneumonia, sometimes requiring hospitalization. The risk of death is greater for older adults and people with other health problems.
According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.
Regular day-to-day life has come to a halt in many ways in many parts of the world in recent weeks, and sports has reflected that.
The NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball are on hold indefinitely; the Kentucky Derby, Masters and Indianapolis 500 were pushed back several months until September; the European soccer championship — scheduled to end in London on the same day as the Wimbledon men’s final — was postponed from 2020 to 2021.
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Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at https://twitter.com/HowardFendrich
___
More AP Tennis coverage: https://www.apnews.com/apf-Tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports


talkingpointsmemo--2020-04-01--Surgeon General Argues WH Guidelines Are ‘National Stay At Home Order’

Surgeon General Jerome Adams wouldn ’ t give a direct answer when asked whether all states should issue a stay-at-home order , during an interview on the “ TODAY Show ” Wednesday morning .
In light of the White House ’ s sobering briefing the night before that projected between 100,000 to 240,000 deaths from COVID-19 if social distancing is done correctly , anchor Savannah Guthrie asked Adams whether he is concerned that 17 states still haven ’ t issued stay-at-home orders .
After acknowledging the “ somber news ” from the briefing , Adams pointed to the “ good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Italy have flattened their curves through “ aggressive mitigation ” efforts .
Pressed again by Guthrie on whether every state should have a stay-at-home order given its effectiveness in states such as Washington and California , Adams responded that is the “ whole point ” of the White House ’ s 30 days to slow the spread guidelines .
“ We want nationally people to understand the importance of social distancing .
We live in a nation that has a system of federalism and the governors get to make the decision , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re going to give them the best possible guidance we can and that ’ s to stay at home and social distance.
” When asked about how Florida Gov .
Ron DeSantis ( R ) has yet to issue a stay-at-home order in his state due to the lack of recommendation from the White House coronavirus task force , Adams said that his advice to the country is that the 30-day guidelines are “ a national stay-at-home order.
” “ They ’ re guidelines that say that : look , the more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stay at home , the less spread of disease there will be , ” Adams said .
Asked whether there is any good reason for states not having a stay-at-home order , Adams said “ governors have tough choices to make.
” “ They have to decide whether or not they feel like their citizens will listen to them without a stay-at-home order , ” Adams said .
“ But again , the most important thing is to stay at home , stay six feet away from each other .
That ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Surgeon General Jerome Adams wouldn’t give a direct answer when asked whether all states should issue a stay-at-home order, during an interview on the “TODAY Show” Wednesday morning.
In light of the White House’s sobering briefing the night before that projected between 100,000 to 240,000 deaths from COVID-19 if social distancing is done correctly, anchor Savannah Guthrie asked Adams whether he is concerned that 17 states still haven’t issued stay-at-home orders.
After acknowledging the “somber news” from the briefing, Adams pointed to the “good news” that Washington state, California and Italy have flattened their curves through “aggressive mitigation” efforts.
Pressed again by Guthrie on whether every state should have a stay-at-home order given its effectiveness in states such as Washington and California, Adams responded that is the “whole point” of the White House’s 30 days to slow the spread guidelines.
“We want nationally people to understand the importance of social distancing. We live in a nation that has a system of federalism and the governors get to make the decision,” Adams said. “But we’re going to give them the best possible guidance we can and that’s to stay at home and social distance.”
When asked about how Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has yet to issue a stay-at-home order in his state due to the lack of recommendation from the White House coronavirus task force, Adams said that his advice to the country is that the 30-day guidelines are “a national stay-at-home order.”
“They’re guidelines that say that: look, the more we social distance, the more we stay at home, the less spread of disease there will be,” Adams said.
Asked whether there is any good reason for states not having a stay-at-home order, Adams said “governors have tough choices to make.”
“They have to decide whether or not they feel like their citizens will listen to them without a stay-at-home order,” Adams said. “But again, the most important thing is to stay at home, stay six feet away from each other. That’s how you slow the spread.”
Watch Adams’ remarks below: