vox--2020-03-06--How the coronavirus outbreak is roiling the film and entertainment industries

The Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak , which began in China in December , has had sweeping effects in the public health , business , and travel sectors , among others .
And while the repercussions for the entertainment industry may seem to pale in comparison to the clear threat the virus poses to human life , the ripple effects do have implications for people around the world who make a living producing and distributing movies , music , and more .
The immense and lucrative Chinese film industry was almost immediately hit as movie theaters across the country were closed and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soon began to feel the effects too , and as time passes , the impact of the coronavirus on the global film and entertainment industries will certainly grow .
Consequences of the outbreak on these industries could range from lowered attendance at film festivals and disruptions in film distribution to delayed or canceled movie releases and concert dates to curtailed on-location film shoots .
Financial ramifications will likely be felt by studios , filmmakers , theater owners , and more for months , or even years .
Here ’ s a timeline of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the entertainment industry so far .
Most recently , the South by Southwest festival in Austin , Texas , was canceled in response to health concerns .
This followed major entertainment companies — including Netflix , Amazon , Apple , and WarnerMedia — announcing their withdrawals from the citywide event , which was scheduled to begin March 13 .
The biggest films of China ’ s year are usually scheduled to release during the Lunar New Year holiday , but mounting fears of the coronavirus and public reticence to be in crowded spaces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several film releases .
Huanxi , distributor of the Chinese blockbuster Lost in Russia , announced that the film would premiere online for free .
Promotional materials encouraged audiences to “ stay safely at home and watch Lost in Russia with your mom.
” January 23 : Chinese theaters and other attractions close during Lunar New Year , causing huge losses in revenue Hoping to contain the coronavirus outbreak , the Chinese government decided to temporarily shut down movie theaters throughout the country until further notice .
A film production shutdown soon followed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ include Tiananmen Square ’ s National Museum of China , the Forbidden City , and a section of the Great Wall of China located near Beijing .
With movie theaters shuttered and film production paused , the Chinese film industry — which had hoped to become a major force in global cinema to rival Hollywood — remains crippled .
Loss of revenue over the Lunar New Year holiday , during which movie theaters typically see an uptick in ticket sales , amounted to a staggering $ 1 billion , according to analysts .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ over fears of the coronavirus .
The park is a major revenue generator , with 11.8 million guests in 2018 , 50 percent from outside the Shanghai region , and an estimated $ 1 billion in annual revenue and $ 50 million in operating profit .
A day after Shanghai Disneyland ’ s shut down , Hong Kong Disneyland closed .
The closures of the two parks came amid the Lunar New Year holiday , which typically includes travel and leisure activities that generate revenue for the company .
Enter the Fat Dragon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ premiere online , as theaters are shut down by order of the government .
Disney ’ s live-action version of Mulan was set for worldwide release on March 27 , but on February 4 Disney ’ s ( now-outgoing ) CEO Bob Iger confirmed to CNBC that the film was unlikely to be released in China that day , since theaters remain closed by order of the government .
The movie , which is set in China , stars Chinese American actress Liu Yifei , and features Chinese superstars like Gong Li , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its cast , was expected to rake in revenue at the Chinese box office .
It ’ s unclear when the film will be released in China .
Other high-profile American releases , such as Oscar Best Picture nominees Jojo Rabbit and 1917 , also saw their planned Chinese February release dates canceled .
February 16 : MGM cancels the Chinese premiere of No Time to Die MGM announced that it would cancel the Chinese premiere and publicity tour planned for the new James Bond movie , No Time To Die , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Jia Zhangke says from Berlin that he ’ s delaying production on his next film indefinitely Famed Chinese director Jia Zhangke ( Ash Is Purest White , A Touch of Sin ) told Indiewire that production on his new film , which was slated to begin in April , was delayed indefinitely .
Jia spoke with Indiewire at the Berlin Film Festival , where his documentary Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue was premiering .
But he said that before he left he ’ d feared his flight to Berlin would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his collaborators chose not to make the trip .
Regarding his next film , he said : Meanwhile , Chinese distributors were largely absent at the Berlin Film Festival , one of the major events in world cinema .
European Film Market Director Matthijs Wouter Knol told the Hollywood reporter that “ a Chinese delegation of companies that was planning to attend EFM has seen no other option than to cancel their attendance due to the difficulties in obtaining visas related to the current health situation in China.
” February 26 : Mission @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Venice , while northern Italian cultural sites close A coronavirus outbreak in northern Italy , in particular Venice , has had numerous cultural implications .
On February 26 , Paramount Pictures announced that the seventh installment in the Mission : Impossible franchise , starring Tom Cruise , halted a planned three-week shoot in Venice .
“ Out of an abundance of caution for the safety and well-being of our cast and crew , and efforts of the local Venetian government to halt public gatherings in response to the threat of coronavirus , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three-week shoot in Venice , the scheduled first leg of an extensive production for Mission : Impossible 7 , ” a Paramount spokesperson told the Hollywood Reporter .
“ During this hiatus we want to be mindful of the concerns of the crew and are allowing them to return home until production starts .
We will continue to monitor this situation , and work alongside health and government officials as it evolves.
” Additionally , a number of major museums in Venice , Milan , Turin , and other northern Italian cities were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s aggressive attempt to contain the virus , and annual Carnivale celebrations were halted early .
On February 24 , Paramount Pictures announced that it would delay the release of Sonic the Hedgehog in China , with a new release date to be determined .
A delegation of 24 movie theater owners in China decided not to attend CinemaCon , the annual global convention of film exhibitors scheduled to be held in Las Vegas from March 30 to April 2 .
Other countries hit by the coronavirus , including Italy and Korea , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Motion Picture Association — the Hollywood industry group composed of Disney , Netflix , Paramount , Sony , Universal , and Warner Bros. — told Deadline that it is “ closely monitoring reports from public health officials about the coronavirus and protective measures to limit its impact.
” Meanwhile , SAG-AFTRA , the union that represents Hollywood ’ s actors , issued a statement , saying that it will “ work with employers in our industry as needed to help ensure the safety of our members.
” Deadline reported that about 160,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world .
The hugely popular K-pop group BTS canceled a series of planned concerts in Seoul , scheduled for April 11 and 12 and April 18 and 19 at Seoul ’ s Olympic Stadium .
The group ’ s management agency said the decision was made due to the impossibility of predicting the scale of the outbreak in South Korea come April and cited the health and safety of the musicians themselves , workers , and concertgoers .
Two hundred thousand fans were expected to attend .
Days earlier , BTS had asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appearances scheduled to promote their newest album , Map Of The Soul : 7 , which had originally been planned to include studio audiences .
The group also appealed to fans via a streamed press conference .
“ Health is always on our minds these days , and our messages of facing your inner self and loving yourself are ultimately only possible when you ’ re healthy , especially since it is very risky outside these days , ” one of the singers , Jimin , said .
” I hope you take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entertainment sector has been affected by the outbreak , and K-pop has been hit particularly hard , with groups including GOT7 , WINNER , Sechs Kies , ( G ) I-DLE , and others canceling scheduled tour dates .
Variety reported that box office revenue in South Korea was down 30 to 40 percent in January 2020 compared to previous years .
As of mid-February , South Korea had 28 recorded cases of coronavirus and no fatalities .
But by the end of the month — partly due to a large church in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1,766 reported cases and 13 fatalities , the New York Times reported on February 27 .
February 28 : The Cannes Film Festival makes a statement regarding the upcoming festival The Cannes Film Festival , arguably the most prestigious film festival in the world , issued a statement after the first case of coronavirus in nearby Nice , France , was confirmed by the city ’ s mayor .
( Cannes is a seaside resort town located in the French Riviera , about 30 km from Nice . )
The 2020 festival is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 23 , and draws thousands of industries and press from around the globe each year .
“ As of today , it is still premature to express assumptions on an event scheduled in two months and a half , ” a spokesperson for the festival told Variety .
“ In due course and depending on the occurrences , the Festival de Cannes will naturally take all the necessary measures , aiming at ensuring the protection of all attendees and preserving their health during the event in Cannes , under the responsibility of public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the City of Cannes.
” CBS ’ s reality show The Amazing Race had filmed only three episodes of its 33rd season , located in the UK , when the network announced that the show would be suspending production until further notice , “ out of an abundance of caution.
” “ Due to increased concerns and uncertainty regarding the coronavirus around the world , CBS and the producers of The Amazing Race have taken the precautionary measure of temporarily suspending production on the 33rd season of the series , ” the network @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contestants and production staff are in the process of returning home.
” March 4 : The worldwide release date for No Time to Die is pushed back to November 25 The upcoming James Bond movie No Time to Die had been originally slated for worldwide release in early April .
Though the film ’ s Chinese premiere and publicity had been delayed on February 16 , the studio announced on March 4 that the film ’ s release would be delayed worldwide until November 25 .
According to the Hollywood Reporter and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the decision was made by the film ’ s producers , Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson .
It ’ s the first Hollywood tentpole to make a major shift to its release plans because of concerns over the virus .
March 3-5 : Major entertainment companies drop out of the South by Southwest film festival On March 4 , both Netflix and Apple followed fellow streaming company Amazon in pulling their films and planned talent appearances out of South by Southwest ( SXSW ) — the Austin , Texas–based festival/conference that attracts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A day later , WarnerMedia followed suit .
They joined a number of high-profile companies that had previously withdrawn from the festival , including Facebook , Twitter , TikTok , Mashable , and Intel .
Netflix had planned to screen five films ( Uncorked , A Secret Love , L.A. Originals , Mucho Mucho Amor , and Have a Good Trip : Adventures in Psychedelics ) .
It canceled all of those screenings , as well as a panel with Black-ish creator Kenya Barris and actor and producer Rashida Jones on their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , # BlackExcellence .
Apple had planned to premiere three AppleTV+ originals : Spike Jonze ’ s documentary Beastie Boys Story , an animated musical series called Central Park , and a docuseries called Homes .
It also was set to screen the documentary Boys State , which it acquired at the Sundance Film Festival in January , and to host a panel on Little America with the series ’ creators Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon .
Amazon canceled screenings and panels scheduled to promote its series Upload and the sci-fi drama @ @ @ @ @ @ @ via Twitter that it was also canceling “ activations ” planned for the festival .
The organizers of Emerald City Comic Con , the largest convention of its kind in Seattle , Washington , announced on March 6 that it will postpone the event until sometime this summer .
The event was to run March 12-16 .
“ We did everything that we could to run the event as planned , but ultimately , we are following the guidance of the local public health officials indicating that conventions should now be postponed , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement published on the Emerald City Comic Con website Friday .
Washington state reportedly has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the United States currently .
EMCC ’ s rescheduling , as such , seemed like only a matter of time .
On March 6 , the city of Austin declared a state of disaster , requiring the cancelation of public gatherings and events for the near future .
Most notable of those is the cancelation of South by Southwest , the annual music , film , TV , and technology festival @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the city .
“ Based on the recommendation of our public health officer and our director of public health , and after our consultation with the city manager , I ’ ve gone ahead and declared a local disaster in the city , ” Austin Mayor Steve Adler stated at a press conference Friday afternoon .
“ In association with that , I ’ ve issued an order that effectively cancels South by Southwest for this year.
” The announcement comes after a week full of major companies dropping out of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and other appearances .

The Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, which was first identified in China in December, has had sweeping effects in the public health, business, and travel sectors, among others. And while the repercussions for the entertainment industry may seem to pale in comparison to the clear threat the virus poses to human life, the ripple effects do have implications for the people around the world who make a living producing and distributing movies, music, and more.
The immense and lucrative Chinese film industry was hit almost immediately as movie theaters across the country were closed and major releases were delayed. Hollywood soon began to feel the effects, too, and as time passes, the impacts of the coronavirus on the global film and entertainment industries continue to be vast.
Consequences of the pandemic on these industries could range from lowered attendance at film festivals and disruptions in film distribution to delayed or canceled movie releases and concert dates to curtailed on-location film shoots. Financial ramifications will likely be felt by studios, filmmakers, theater owners, and more for months or even years.
Here are the biggest and most significant developments in the entertainment industry in response to the pandemic. Most recently, Disney announced more delays to several of its biggest films slated for 2020, including West Side Story and Black Widow.
Major entertainment festival cancellations and postponements
K-pop concerts canceled, including BTS shows: On February 28, the hugely popular K-pop group BTS canceled a series of concerts in Seoul. The shows were scheduled for April 11 and 12 and April 18 and 19 at Seoul’s Olympic Stadium. The group’s management agency said the decision was made due to the impossibility of predicting the scale of the outbreak in South Korea come April and cited the health and safety of the musicians themselves, workers, and concertgoers. Two hundred thousand fans were expected to attend.
Days earlier, BTS had asked fans to avoid a series of TV appearances scheduled to promote their newest album, Map of the Soul: 7, which had originally been planned to include studio audiences. The group also appealed to fans via a streamed press conference. “Health is always on our minds these days, and our messages of facing your inner self and loving yourself are ultimately only possible when you’re healthy, especially since it is very risky outside these days,” one of the singers, Jimin, said. ”I hope you take care of yourself.”
The entire Korean entertainment sector has been affected by the outbreak, and K-pop has been hit particularly hard, with groups including GOT7, Winner, Sechs Kies, (G) I-DLE, and others canceling scheduled tour dates. Variety reported that box office revenue in South Korea was down 30 to 40 percent in January 2020 compared to previous years.
SXSW canceled: On March 6, the city of Austin, Texas, declared a state of disaster, requiring the cancellation of public gatherings and events for the near future. The most notable of those is the cancellation of South by Southwest, the annual music, film, TV, and technology festival that serves as a significant financial powerhouse for the city.
The announcement came after a week full of major companies — including Netflix, Apple, Amazon, WarnerMedia, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Mashable, Intel, and more — dropping out of the well-attended event, canceling panels, premieres, and other appearances. Days later, SXSW organizers announced that they had laid off one-third of the festival’s employees in what they called “a necessary, but heartbreaking, step.”
Emerald City Comic Con delayed: The organizing body behind Emerald City Comic Con, the largest convention of its kind in Seattle, Washington, announced on March 6 that it will postpone the event until sometime this summer. The event was scheduled to run from March 12 to 16.
“We did everything that we could to run the event as planned, but ultimately, we are following the guidance of the local public health officials indicating that conventions should now be postponed,” convention organizers Reedpop said in a statement published on the Emerald City Comic Con website.
Cannes Film Festival delayed: Initially, the 2020 edition of the Cannes Film Festival, arguably the most prestigious film festival in the world, was left in limbo following an announcement from the festival’s organizers on March 19 that the gathering could be delayed until “late June or early July,” or another time. (The festival had been slated to take place May 12 to 23 and draws thousands of industries and press from around the globe each year.) The festival first issued a statement on February 28 after the first case of coronavirus in nearby Nice, France, was confirmed by the city’s mayor, saying that organizers were monitoring the situation but planned for the festival to go forward. (Cannes is a seaside resort town located on the French Riviera, about 30 km from Nice.)
By late spring, the organizers announced that the 2020 edition would be canceled. All films that would have played in the official and sidebar programs at the festival will bear the official Cannes seal when released in theaters or potentially at partner festivals in the fall, such as those that take place in Venice and Toronto. They announced these selections on June 3.
Coachella delayed, then canceled: Goldenvoice, the organizers of Coachella — one of the largest annual music festivals in the US — announced on March 10 that the festival would be postponed due to concerns about Covid-19. Another Goldenvoice festival, the country-music-oriented Stagecoach, was also delayed.
The Indio, California-based event was originally set to run for two weekends (April 10-12 and April 17-19), with the same talent lineup performing both weekends. The postponement moved Coachella to October 9-11 and October 16-18; Stagecoach 2020 was pushed back from April to October 23-25.
But on June 10, both events were canceled by an order from the public health officer of Riverside County, California.
Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) canceled: The 2020 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) — the single biggest trade show in the video game industry — has been canceled. The Entertainment Software Association, which organizes the event, announced that it would not go forward with the annual event due to coronavirus fears in California, where E3 takes place. The event was scheduled for June 9 to 11.
The organization said it will contact exhibitors and attendees about receiving full refunds for passes, and that it is considering ways to “coordinate an online experience” in lieu of the in-person event. It also maintains that E3 will return next year as planned.
The NBA suspended basketball games: A player on the Utah Jazz tested positive for coronavirus on March 11, leading NBA officials to call off that night’s Jazz game just before tip-off. As a further precautionary measure, the league issued a statement that it would suspend the basketball season “until further notice.”
Prior to putting an early pause on the rest of the season, the NBA made other efforts to protect players and fans. The league barred media from locker rooms and publicly considered having teams play to empty arenas before ultimately stopping play altogether.
Games resumed on July 30.
2020 Tokyo Olympics delayed: On March 24, following pressure from athletes and multiple nations’ Olympic committees, the International Olympic Committee and Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe announced that the 2020 Summer Olympics would be postponed, possibly until 2021; on March 30, the dates were set for July 23-August 8, 2021.
San Diego Comic-Con 2020 canceled: On April 17, the organizers of San Diego Comic-Con announced that the yearly fan convention will not go on as planned in 2020. The event will resume once again in July 2021 at the San Diego Convention Center. The cancellation marks the first time in Comic-Con’s 50-year history that the event, the largest convention of its kind in the US, will not take place.
Major film release dates postponed or canceled
Warner Bros. changes release plans: On April 20, Warner Bros. announced changes to its slate. The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson, shifted from a release date of June 25, 2021, to October 1, 2021. The Many Saints of Newark, a prequel to The Sopranos, was delayed from September 25, 2020, to March 12, 2021. King Richard, a biopic about Venus and Serena Williams’ father starring Will Smith, shifted from November 25, 2020, to November 19, 2021. An untitled Elvis movie moved from October 1, 2021 to November 5, 2021.
Two DC titles also shifted dates: Shazam! 2 is delayed from April 1, 2022 to November 4, 2022, and The Flash moved from July 1, 2022, to June 3, 2022.
On April 21, the studio announced that the big-screen adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights, originally set for June 26, 2020, would move to June 18, 2021, because of pandemic-related post-production delays. Malignant, a thriller from Aquaman director James Wan that had originally been scheduled for August 14 was pulled from the release schedule.
On June 12, the studio announced that Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, previously slated for release on July 17, would move to July 31. Wonder Woman 1984, which was set for August 14, moved to October 2. (Wonder Woman 1984 previously shifted from June to August.)
On July 20, with case numbers rising around the US and most theaters remaining closed, Warner Bros. announced that Tenet’s release would be delayed indefinitely. A week later, the studio announced that the film would be released on a staggered schedule: on August 26 in 70 international territories and then in select US theaters beginning September 3.
On September 11, the studio announced that it had delayed Wonder Woman 1984 again, reportedly until Christmas.
Related Wonder Woman 1984 has been postponed until August 14
Newest Pixar film delayed: On April 13, Disney announced that Pixar’s latest release, Soul, would open on November 20, 2020. The film was previously set to open on June 19.
Disney makes sweeping changes to release calendar: On April 3, Disney made huge changes to its release calendar, setting dates for movies it had previously pulled without a date and moving others. Mulan was set to open on July 24, 2020, while Jungle Cruise, which had been set to release that day, moved to July 30, 2021. An untitled Indiana Jones film moved from July 9, 2021, to July 29, 2022.
Changes in the MCU calendar also set off a domino effect. Black Widow was newly set for November 6, 2020, while the previous release on that date, Shang-Chi, shifted to May 7, 2021. Originally, Doctor Strange 2 was set to release on that date; it’s now set to open November 5, 2021, displacing Thor: Love and Thunder until February 28, 2022. Black Panther 2 is still currently set for May 6, 2022, and Captain Marvel 2 moved from July 22 to July 8, 2022.
Disney also owns 20th Century Films and Searchlight Films, which had a number of changes. The Ryan Reynolds film Free Guy moved from July 3 to December 11, 2020. West Side Story is still set for December 18 and Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel for Christmas Day.
On July 23, however, Disney announced a series of sweeping scheduling changes once again. Mulan was pulled off the release calendar, indefinitely delaying its debut. Disney also took Wes Anderson’s newest film, The French Dispatch, off the calendar indefinitely, after it had initially moved from July 24 to October 16, 2020. Disney moved its upcoming trio of Star Wars movies forward by one year; they’re now slated to release in 2023, 2025, and 2027. And James Cameron’s Avatar sequels were moved back by a year as well, with the first set to premiere in December 2022.
The August 28 date for Disney’s The New Mutants remains August 28, for now; it was originally slated for April 3. And a release date for The Woman in the Window (originally slated for May 15) has not been set yet.
On August 4, Disney announced that Mulan would be released on its Disney+ streaming service. Subscribers will pay an additional $29.99 to rent the movie, available September 4. In territories where Disney+ is not available, Mulan will open in theaters that same day. (Notably, Disney+ is not available in China.)
On September 23, Disney announced more sweeping changes to its release schedule. Black Widow, originally set for November 6, is now slated to open on May 7, 2021. That delay shifted release dates for several other movies in the MCU, including Eternals (from February 12, 2021, to November 5, 2021) and Shang-Chi (from May 7, 2021, to July 9, 2021).
West Side Story, which had been set to release in the prime awards-season slot of December 18, 2020, will now open a full year later on December 10, 2021. The King’s Man — which had initially been set to open in September 2020, then delayed into 2021 — now has a release date of February 16, 2021. And Deep Water, starring Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas, moved from November 13, 2020, to August 13, 2021.
A number of Disney’s films — among them Soul, the latest from Pixar — are still set for 2020 release. Soul has retained its November 20 date, at least for now. Death on the Nile shifted from October 23 to December 18. And the horror film The Empty Man is now set to open on October 23 rather than December 4.
Sony delays nearly all its movies until 2021: On March 30, Sony announced that nearly all of its summer tentpole films would be delayed until late 2020 or early 2021. Delayed movies include Kevin Hart’s Fatherhood, Jared Leto’s Morbius, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Uncharted, and the previously delayed Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway. The only film that appeared unaffected was the Spider-Man: Far From Home sequel, which is still set for theatrical release on July 16, 2020.
NBCUniversal to release major films digitally: In an unprecedented move, NBCUniversal announced on March 16 that it would make some movies available digitally the same day they are released in movie theaters that remain open, including Trolls World Tour, which is set to hit theaters on April 10. Movies currently in theatrical release will also be available on-demand, including The Hunt, The Invisible Man, and Emma. Movies are available for a 48-hour rental period for $19.99 in the US and an equivalent price abroad.
No Time to Die: On February 16, MGM announced that it would cancel the Chinese premiere and publicity tour planned for the new James Bond movie, No Time To Die, which was scheduled for April. On March 4, the studio announced that it had delayed the film’s release until November 25, making the film the first major tentpole release to be delayed worldwide. The film’s release date moved again on June 12, from November 25 to November 20.
Paramount changes release dates: On March 12, John Krasinski, director of Paramount’s A Quiet Place Part II, announced via Twitter that the movie’s March 19 release date would be delayed. “One of the things I’m most proud of is that people have said our movie is one you have to see all together. Well due to the ever-changing circumstances of what’s going on in the world around us, now is clearly not the right time to do that,” he wrote. “As insanely excited as we are for all of you to see this movie ... I’m gonna wait to release the film till we CAN see it all together! So here’s to our group movie date! See you soon!”
On July 23, Paramount announced that the Quiet Place sequel would be pushed to April 23, 2021. Top Gun Maverick was also delayed from December 23, 2020 to July 2, 2021. And that bumped Jackass, previously scheduled for July 2, 2021, to September 3, 2021.
Fast and Furious 9: On March 12, Universal Pictures announced that it would delay the release date of the ninth installment in the Fast and Furious franchise by 11 months, from May 22 to April 2, 2021.
Chinese movies scrapped theatrical release and premiere online: The biggest films of China’s year are usually scheduled to release during the Lunar New Year holiday, near the end of January, but mounting fears of the coronavirus and public reticence to be in crowded spaces caused distributors to voluntarily cancel or postpone several film releases. Huanxi, distributor of the Chinese blockbuster Lost in Russia, announced on January 22 that the film would premiere online for free. Promotional materials encouraged audiences to “stay safely at home and watch Lost in Russia with your mom.” On January 31, Enter the Fat Dragon became the second major Chinese film to premiere online, as theaters are closed by order of the government.
Film and TV productions halted, altered, or shut down
Saturday Night Live aired remotely produced content: On April 9, the producers of Saturday Night Live, which had been on hiatus since mid-March, announced that new, remotely produced material would air on NBC in the show’s usual Saturday night slot, 11:30 pm on April 11, including a “Weekend Update” segment.
The coronavirus has touched Saturday Night Live in at least two ways. The show’s long-time music supervisor, Hal Willner, passed away on April 7 at the age of 64; he was not formally diagnosed with the virus but had consistent symptoms. And Michael Che, one of the show’s co-head writers and co-anchor with Colin Jost of “Weekend Update,” announced via social media on April 6 that his grandmother had passed away from coronavirus complications.
The show joined other late-night comedy shows, such as NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers, CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, in creating comedy content remotely.
Eurovision canceled: On March 18, the organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest announced via Twitter that the 2020 edition of the event was canceled. The event had been planned for May.
TV shows suspend production: Hundreds of shows have delayed or suspended production, including Apple’s The Morning Show and Little America; Netflix shows including Russian Doll; the CW’s Riverdale; NBC shows including the Chicago dramas and The Kelly Clarkson Show; CBS shows including the NCIS dramas, The Amazing Race, and Survivor; and many more.
Late-night shows suspend production or tape without a studio audience: Originally, on March 11, producers of shows including NBC’s The Tonight Show (hosted by Jimmy Fallon) and Late Night With Seth Meyers, CBS’s Late Show With Stephen Colbert, TBS’s Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, and Comedy Central’s Daily Show (hosted by Trevor Noah) all announced they would begin taping without a live studio audience on March 16.
A day later, NBC announced that The Tonight Show and Late Night would suspend production beginning the week of March 16; Stephen Colbert also announced that the Late Show would suspend production. All three shows were already scheduled to go into hiatus on March 23. On March 13, Jimmy Kimmel Live also suspended production. Most shows eventually began producing remotely, often with hosts and guests working from home studios.
Disney suspends live-action production: On March 13, Disney announced that production on its live-action movies would suspend production. Affected films include The Little Mermaid, a Home Alone reboot, and Peter Pan. Earlier in the day, production on Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings had been suspended due to director Destin Daniel Cretton’s decision to self-isolate upon advice of a doctor. (Marvel is owned by Disney.)
Jia Zhangke project delayed: At the Berlin Film Festival in February, famed Chinese director Jia Zhangke (Ash Is Purest White, A Touch of Sin) told Indiewire that production on his new film, which was slated to begin in April, was delayed indefinitely. Jia spoke with Indiewire at the Berlin Film Festival, where his documentary Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue premiered. But he said that before he left, he’d feared his flight to Berlin would be canceled, and that some of his collaborators chose not to make the trip. Regarding his next film, he said:
For some film companies and studios involved in pre-production, a lot of costs are going down the drain, and those that already started production have to be somehow cut short or suspended. Some of them are already in the process of distributing films and they’ve paid for a lot of promotion and PR costs. The economy is now taking a huge hit, and I think the investment side will be hugely impacted as well.
Mission: Impossible production paused: On February 26, Paramount Pictures announced that it had halted a planned three-week shoot in Venice for the seventh installment in the Mission: Impossible franchise. “Out of an abundance of caution for the safety and well-being of our cast and crew, and efforts of the local Venetian government to halt public gatherings in response to the threat of coronavirus, we are altering the production plan for our three-week shoot in Venice, the scheduled first leg of an extensive production for Mission: Impossible 7,” a Paramount spokesperson told the Hollywood Reporter. “During this hiatus we want to be mindful of the concerns of the crew and are allowing them to return home until production starts. We will continue to monitor this situation, and work alongside health and government officials as it evolves.”
Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune tape without a studio audience: Though Sony declined to comment, sources told the Hollywood Reporter on March 9 that scheduled tapings of the shows would go forward without a live studio audience. The measure was taken partly as a precaution for the health of Jeopardy host Alex Trebek, who has stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson announce they’ve contracted the virus: One of Hollywood’s biggest stars, Tom Hanks, announced that he and his wife Rita Wilson had contracted the coronavirus while shooting Baz Luhrmann’s untitled Elvis Presley film in Australia:
In a message posted publicly on March 11, Hanks was his typical upbeat self:
Well, now. What to do next? The Medical Officials have protocols that must be followed. We Hanks’ will be tested, observed, and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires. Not much more to it than a one-day-at-a-time approach, no? We’ll keep the world posted and updated. Take care of yourselves!
Entertainment venues and attractions shut down
All Disney parks shut down: On January 25, Disney shut down its Shanghai Disneyland park over fears of the coronavirus. The park is a major revenue generator, with 11.8 million guests in 2018, 50 percent from outside the Shanghai region, and an estimated $1 billion in annual revenue and $50 million in operating profit. A day after Shanghai Disneyland’s closure, Hong Kong Disneyland shut down. Both Disney parks in Japan closed on February 29 and Disney announced on March 11 that they will remain closed through at least the end of April.
Late in the day on March 12, Disneyland in California announced it would close the following day; by that evening, the company announced that all of its parks would close, including those in Florida and Disneyland Paris (where three staff had previously tested positive for coronavirus).
In July, Disney World reopened amid a spike in Florida coronavirus cases.
North American movie theaters shut down: On March 13, a number of theaters and theater chains, including AMC Theatres, and the Canadian chain Cineplex, announced that they would be reducing the number of tickets sold to screenings by as much as 50 percent in order to enable patrons to sit further apart as part of “social distancing” measures.
On March 15, theaters in New York and Los Angeles were shut down by order of their respective mayors. On March 16, Regal announced it would shut down all of its 543 US theaters indefinitely; later in the day, AMC followed suit.
New York City cultural sites closed: On March 12, major cultural sites in New York City began to close, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Other institutions canceled programming for the month of March, such as the New York Public Library and Carnegie Hall.
Within days, the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced that it anticipated staying closed through July and laying off much of its staff. On March 19, the Metropolitan Opera laid off all of its union employees, including musicians and chorus.
Broadway shows closed: On March 12, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that beginning at 5:00 pm, Broadway would be closed, part of a ban on gatherings of more than 500 people. On April 8, the Broadway League announced that theaters would remain closed through June, and probably longer. On June 29, the League extended the shutdown through January 3, 2021.
West End closes: On March 16, London’s West End shut down, following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s speech urging Britons to avoid public spaces. The theaters, including the Royal Opera House, will stay closed indefinitely. As of June, the West End closures remained in effect through at least August 2.
Italian cultural sites closed: In February, a number of major museums in Venice, Milan, Turin, and other northern Italian cities were closed as part of the government’s aggressive attempt to contain the virus, and annual Carnivale celebrations stopped early. By early March, with the country under complete lockdown, cultural sites across Italy were closed, including the Colosseum and Pompeii.
Chinese movie theaters shut down for months, tentatively begin to reopen, then re-close: Hoping to contain the coronavirus outbreak, on January 23 the Chinese government temporarily shut down movie theaters throughout the country until further notice. A total film production shutdown soon followed. Loss of revenue over the Lunar New Year holiday in late January, during which movie theaters typically see an uptick in ticket sales, amounted to a staggering $1 billion, according to analysts.
By March 23, about 500 cinemas had reopened in China, roughly 5 percent of the cinemas in the country that were open before the outbreak. Variety reported that box office earnings remained minimal. But by March 27, they were closed again. Some Chinese movie theaters began to open in late July.
We will continue to update this article as the story develops.


vox--2020-03-06--Emerald City Comic Con is postponed amid Seattle’s coronavirus outbreak

After growing concern and a rising number of guest and vendor cancellations , Emerald City Comic Con ( ECCC ) a major geek convention that was to take place in Seattle March 12-16 , has been postponed due to the city ’ s coronavirus outbreak .
“ We did everything that we could to run the event as planned , but ultimately , we are following the guidance of the local public health officials indicating that conventions should now be postponed , ” convention organizers Reedpop said in a statement published on the Emerald City Comic Con website Friday .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Southwest was also canceled by emergency order by the mayor of Austin , Texas .
Attendees and artists will be issued automatic refunds .
The vendors and exhibitors , however , will be out whatever travel expenses they ’ d already incurred .
Prior to the decision to postponed , Reedpop was holding exhibitors to the terms of their previously signed contracts .
A Reedpop spokesperson told Vox in an emailed statement Friday that any fees paid for exhibit space would not be refunded , but would instead be credited to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an alternate Reedpop event .
Although the spread of coronavirus in the US has been mainly limited to a few regions so far , one of those areas is Washington state , which saw the first confirmed coronavirus death in the nation .
Seattle in particular has been particularly hard-hit , with 69 confirmed cases and 10 deaths in the area .
So there have been many valid concerns about bringing a large influx of visitors from across the country and even the globe into the city .
Even taking the best precautions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likelihood of coming into contact with the virus and taking it back to their home states .
Despite the legitimate concerns about spreading the virus , along with a very long list of merchants and guests withdrawing from the convention as concerns escalated — including major comics publishers like Dark Horse as well as prominent artists — Reedpop planned up until yesterday to go forward with the meetup .
The question of whether or not the con should continue had been a subject of heated debate , with many people touting both the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the city , and for its many artists and vendors .
But the flip-side is that the con , which regularly draws attendance of approximately 50,000 people from across the state and around the globe , could be a walking health hazard .
Geek conventions are known to be giant petri dishes for infection and illness even at the best of times .
And there seemed to be little encouragement that things would be different this time around .
Reedpop had indicated that there would be extra sanitization methods available at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risk .
But many members of the public voiced frustration that officials seemed to be doing little to enact preventative measures to cut down on coronavirus risks surrounding the convention , and instead were promoting it as though nothing were out of the ordinary : Reedpop did begin issuing refunds to ticketholders earlier this week , but seemed to be reinforcing its commitment to running ECCC no matter what — a decision that also brought plenty of criticism .
It ’ s unclear what , if anything , proved to be the tipping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ convention .
But while artists and vendors scramble to make up for the loss in revenue , some fans have said they plan to make the trip to Seattle anyway : ECCC ’ s postponement follows Facebook ’ s recent decision to cancel its annual developer convention over coronavirus concerns , as well as the postponement of the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco from March to later this summer .
Several music conventions have also been canceled or postponed .
Many were looking to another upcoming convention juggernaut , Austin ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suit : Scheduled to kick off March 13 , in parallel to ECCC ’ s original schedule , SXSW also saw its share of guests and attendees backing out , as well as a Change.org petition to cancel which has racked up over 50,000 signatures .
Just hours after ECCC ’ s postponement was announced , Austin , Texas mayor Steve Adler declared a citywide disaster and issued an order canceling SXSW , as well as all other festivals and similar events over a seven-day period .
The widely visible examples of conventions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the decision to postpone could be a huge influence on the way such events are being handled as coronavirus spreads .
ECCC ’ s postponement will hopefully drastically reduce the risk of spreading Seattle ’ s outbreak to many other areas of the country .
And it might even encourage other conventions and events to take similar risk-averse action on behalf of their attendees — even if it means calling it a day .

After growing concern and a rising number of guest and vendor cancellations, Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC) a major geek convention that was to take place in Seattle March 12-16, has been postponed due to the city’s coronavirus outbreak.
“We did everything that we could to run the event as planned, but ultimately, we are following the guidance of the local public health officials indicating that conventions should now be postponed,” convention organizers Reedpop said in a statement published on the Emerald City Comic Con website Friday. The announcement came just hours before South by Southwest was canceled by emergency order by the mayor of Austin, Texas.
After many hours of conversation internally & consultation with local government officials and the tourism bureau, we have decided to move next week’s Emerald City Comic Con to Summer 2020 with date & detail announcement forthcoming. Read more at https://t.co/ahL1TOmHLF #ECCC2020 pic.twitter.com/qq3ZnDPXWb — Emerald City Comic Con (@emeraldcitycon) March 6, 2020
Attendees and artists will be issued automatic refunds. The vendors and exhibitors, however, will be out whatever travel expenses they’d already incurred. Prior to the decision to postponed, Reedpop was holding exhibitors to the terms of their previously signed contracts. A Reedpop spokesperson told Vox in an emailed statement Friday that any fees paid for exhibit space would not be refunded, but would instead be credited to the exhibitor towards the rescheduled convention or towards an alternate Reedpop event.
Although the spread of coronavirus in the US has been mainly limited to a few regions so far, one of those areas is Washington state, which saw the first confirmed coronavirus death in the nation. Seattle in particular has been particularly hard-hit, with 69 confirmed cases and 10 deaths in the area. So there have been many valid concerns about bringing a large influx of visitors from across the country and even the globe into the city. Even taking the best precautions, ECCC attendees would have a high likelihood of coming into contact with the virus and taking it back to their home states.
Despite the legitimate concerns about spreading the virus, along with a very long list of merchants and guests withdrawing from the convention as concerns escalated — including major comics publishers like Dark Horse as well as prominent artists — Reedpop planned up until yesterday to go forward with the meetup.
The question of whether or not the con should continue had been a subject of heated debate, with many people touting both the importance of ECCC as a revenue source for the city, and for its many artists and vendors.
But the flip-side is that the con, which regularly draws attendance of approximately 50,000 people from across the state and around the globe, could be a walking health hazard. Geek conventions are known to be giant petri dishes for infection and illness even at the best of times. And there seemed to be little encouragement that things would be different this time around.
Just saw a tweet saying "I'm feeling sick but I'm still going" in respect to ECCC. Don't...don't be this guy. — Seanan McGuire (@seananmcguire) March 3, 2020
Reedpop had indicated that there would be extra sanitization methods available at the show in an attempt to curtail the risk. But many members of the public voiced frustration that officials seemed to be doing little to enact preventative measures to cut down on coronavirus risks surrounding the convention, and instead were promoting it as though nothing were out of the ordinary:
Japan (6 deaths due to #COVID19) closed ALL of its schools
France (4 deaths) bans gatherings >5000ppl
Switzerland (1 death) bans gatherings >1000ppl
Seattle (10 deaths in one city): Let's bring in 100K ppl for Comic Con and let them spread #coronavirus all over the country! https://t.co/8ZKaXmZTmc — Andy Biotech (@AndyBiotech) March 5, 2020
Reedpop did begin issuing refunds to ticketholders earlier this week, but seemed to be reinforcing its commitment to running ECCC no matter what — a decision that also brought plenty of criticism.
Ugh- Comic Con is doubling down and refusing to cancel their downtown Seattle convention in mid March. ♂ Holding a 100k person convention in epicenter of #COVID19 is irresponsible +subjects them to potential lawsuits if @emeraldcitycon continues. Can’t say they weren’t warned. pic.twitter.com/mjeDVLQ72d — Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) March 5, 2020
made a new eccc poster pic.twitter.com/qHBjjq4ABm — Matt Emmons @ ECCC Z-5 (@secondatbest_) March 5, 2020
It’s unclear what, if anything, proved to be the tipping point for the decision to postpone the convention. But while artists and vendors scramble to make up for the loss in revenue, some fans have said they plan to make the trip to Seattle anyway.
ECCC’s postponement follows Facebook’s recent decision to cancel its annual developer convention over coronavirus concerns, as well as the postponement of the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco from March to later this summer. Several music conventions have also been canceled or postponed. Many were looking to another upcoming convention juggernaut, Austin’s South by Southwest Festival, to follow suit.
Scheduled to kick off March 13, in parallel to ECCC’s original schedule, SXSW also saw its share of guests and attendees backing out, as well as a Change.org petition to cancel the event that racked up over 50,000 signatures. Just hours after ECCC’s postponement was announced, Austin, Texas mayor Steve Adler declared a citywide disaster and issued an order canceling SXSW, as well as all other festivals and similar events over a seven-day period.
The widely visible examples of conventions the size of ECCC and SXSW making the decision to postpone could be a huge influence on the way such events are being handled as coronavirus spreads. ECCC’s postponement will hopefully drastically reduce the risk of spreading Seattle’s outbreak to many other areas of the country. And it might even encourage other conventions and events to take similar risk-averse action on behalf of their attendees — even if it means calling it a day.


vox--2020-03-06--South by Southwest 2020 has been canceled because of coronavirus

On Friday , March 6 , Mayor Steve Adler of Austin , Texas , announced that the film , music , and interactive industry conference South by Southwest ( SXSW ) will be canceled by executive order of the city due to fears about spreading the Covid-19 coronavirus .
SXSW was slated to run from March 13 through 22 .
The beloved convention , part tech conference , part entertainment festival , attracts hundreds of thousands of attendees each year .
The cancellation marks the first time in 34 years that the convention will not take place .
“ Based @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officer and our director of public health , and after our consultation with the city manager , I ’ ve gone ahead and declared a local disaster in the city , ” Adler stated at a press conference Friday afternoon .
“ In association with that , I ’ ve issued an order that effectively cancels South by Southwest for this year.
” The executive order , issued by Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt , applies countywide and cancels all local public festivals and events .
The order will last for seven days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as needed .
Eckhardt called it a “ data-driven decision ” based on the coronavirus outlook .
Although Adler described the convention organizers as fully cooperative in their desire to work with the city , the official statement released by SXSW on Friday described organizers as “ devastated ” by the decision to cancel .
“ However , this situation evolved rapidly , and we honor and respect the City of Austin ’ s decision , ” the statement read .
In the days leading up to the cancellation , more than 50,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the city to cancel the conference .
Major media companies including Netflix , Apple , Amazon , and WarnerMedia had pulled films and planned talent appearances out of the festival .
They joined a number of high-profile tech companies that had previously withdrawn from the festival , including Facebook , Twitter , TikTok , Mashable , and Intel .
Netflix had planned to screen five films ( Uncorked , A Secret Love , LA Originals , Mucho Mucho Amor , and Have a Good Trip : Adventures in Psychedelics ) .
It canceled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a panel with Black-ish creator Kenya Barris and actor/producer Rashida Jones on their upcoming comedy series for the streaming network , # BlackExcellence .
Apple was set to premiere three AppleTV+ originals : Spike Jonze ’ s documentary Beastie Boys Story , an animated musical series called Central Park , and a docuseries called Homes .
It also was going to screen the documentary Boys State , which it acquired at the Sundance Film Festival in January , and to host a panel on Little America with the series ’ creators Kumail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ canceled screenings and panels scheduled to promote its series Upload and the sci-fi drama Tales of the Loop .
WarnerMedia announced via Twitter that it was also canceling “ activations ” planned for the festival .
The decision will be a costly one , both for the city of Austin in terms of lost revenue and for the many companies expected to attend .
Although there are so far no confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Austin area , cases in Houston have been detected , and another Austin-based tech conference , Collision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ postpone .
The news came shortly after the announcement that Seattle ’ s major comics convention , Emerald City Comic Con , scheduled to take place the same weekend as the beginning of SXSW , would be postponed until the summer .
Other large upcoming events , including Coachella in California , are still on — for now .

On Friday, March 6, Mayor Steve Adler of Austin, Texas, announced that the film, music, and interactive industry conference South by Southwest (SXSW) will be canceled by executive order of the city due to fears about spreading the Covid-19 coronavirus.
SXSW was slated to run from March 13 through 22. The beloved convention, part tech conference, part entertainment festival, attracts hundreds of thousands of attendees each year. The cancellation marks the first time in 34 years that the convention will not take place.
“Based on the recommendation of our public health officer and our director of public health, and after our consultation with the city manager, I’ve gone ahead and declared a local disaster in the city,” Adler stated at a press conference Friday afternoon. “In association with that, I’ve issued an order that effectively cancels South by Southwest for this year.”
The executive order, issued by Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt, applies countywide and cancels all local public festivals and events. The order will last for seven days, with the potential to be renewed as needed. Eckhardt called it a “data-driven decision” based on the coronavirus outlook.
Although Adler described the convention organizers as fully cooperative in their desire to work with the city, the official statement released by SXSW on Friday described organizers as “devastated” by the decision to cancel. “However, this situation evolved rapidly, and we honor and respect the City of Austin’s decision,” the statement read.
An Update on SXSW 2020. Please read our full statement here: https://t.co/P56nF8KFmE pic.twitter.com/ouJPKM9GNy — SXSW (@sxsw) March 6, 2020
In the days leading up to the cancellation, more than 50,000 people had signed a Change.org petition asking the city to cancel the conference. Major media companies including Netflix, Apple, Amazon, and WarnerMedia had pulled films and planned talent appearances out of the festival. They joined a number of high-profile tech companies that had previously withdrawn from the festival, including Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Mashable, and Intel.
Netflix had planned to screen five films (Uncorked, A Secret Love, LA Originals, Mucho Mucho Amor, and Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics). It canceled all of those screenings, as well as a panel with Black-ish creator Kenya Barris and actor/producer Rashida Jones on their upcoming comedy series for the streaming network, #BlackExcellence.
Apple was set to premiere three AppleTV+ originals: Spike Jonze’s documentary Beastie Boys Story, an animated musical series called Central Park, and a docuseries called Homes. It also was going to screen the documentary Boys State, which it acquired at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and to host a panel on Little America with the series’ creators Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon.
Amazon canceled screenings and panels scheduled to promote its series Upload and the sci-fi drama Tales of the Loop. WarnerMedia announced via Twitter that it was also canceling “activations” planned for the festival.
The decision will be a costly one, both for the city of Austin in terms of lost revenue and for the many companies expected to attend.
SXSW is cancelled. That brings the direct economic impact of major tech conference cancellations to $1 billion https://t.co/HUmzclZFwo — Rani Molla (@ranimolla) March 6, 2020
Although there are so far no confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Austin area, cases in Houston have been detected, and another Austin-based tech conference, Collision 2020, recently made the decision to postpone.
The news came shortly after the announcement that Seattle’s major comics convention, Emerald City Comic Con, scheduled to take place the same weekend as the beginning of SXSW, would be postponed until the summer. Other large upcoming events, including Coachella in California, are still on — for now.


vox--2020-03-07--Gov. Cuomo declares a state of emergency in New York as coronavirus cases rise

New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency on Saturday as the state ’ s number of confirmed Covid-19 — the disease caused by the coronavirus — cases jumped to 76 .
The decision came as the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases more than doubled from five to 11 in New York City overnight .
Most of the state ’ s cases — 57 — are in an area north of the city , Westchester County .
Despite the spike in cases , Cuomo assured residents the uptick had more to do with advancements in the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transmission .
“ That ’ s good news because we can put them in isolation , ” he said .
“ The more positives you find , the better because you can isolate them and slow the spread .
... We say , ‘ That ’ s good news , ’ that we know who the people are.
” The governor also stressed that the overall health risk of Covid-19 remains low .
His main concern lies with vulnerable populations , such as those with weak immune systems , he said .
By @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state will now have access to $ 30 million in emergency funds , which will be used for further testing and to purchase protective equipment for healthcare professionals , according to The New York Post .
The money will also allow for the hiring of additional personnel and the monitoring of businesses to fight against price gouging as citizens begin to buy additional supplies in preparation for a pandemic , per Department of Homeland Security guidelines .
Cuomo also took time during his press conference to express frustration with the Centers for Disease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York state and city officials — like Raul Perea-Henze , the New York City deputy mayor for Health and Human Services — have been complaining about a shortage of testing kits for some time , and Cuomo added to those critiques .
“ I believe the CDC was caught flat-footed , ” Cuomo said during the press conference .
“ I believe the CDC was slow in their response , and I believe they ’ re slowing down the state.
” But the governor promised faster action in the weeks to come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allowing the state to contract with commercial laboratories for testing , a change in policy that should ease overburdened state laboratories .
New York isn ’ t the first to declare a state of emergency .
Here ’ s what it does .
The governors of California , Washington , Florida , Kentucky , and Maryland have already declared a states of emergency as cases of Covid-19 have popped up in their states .
The effect such declarations have varies by state , but in general it allows state governments to access emergency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to crises .
These responses often take the form of working to protect consumers from price gouging , allowing more flexibility for out-of-state health care workers , and allowing the state to bypass purchasing regulations .
In some cases , states of emergency can even allow access to emergency federal funding , as was the case in California when it declared a state of emergency Wednesday .
“ The State of California is deploying every level of government to help identify cases and slow the spread of this coronavirus , ” Gov .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ proclamation will help the state further prepare our communities and our health care system in the event it spreads more broadly.
” Several more cities and counties have also declared public health emergencies — including San Francisco and San Diego in California as well as Austin , Texas — to receive similar funding benefits and flexibility while handling the disease .
Although the number of states , cities , and counties declaring some form of state emergency is increasing , there ’ s no need to panic as of yet .
These declarations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of control — instead , they mean officials are being cautious and doing everything in their power to prevent Covid-19 from spreading further .

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency on Saturday as the state’s number of confirmed Covid-19 — the disease caused by the coronavirus — cases jumped to 76.
The decision came as the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases more than doubled from five to 11 in New York City overnight. Most of the state’s cases — 57 — are in an area north of the city, Westchester County. Despite the spike in cases, Cuomo assured residents the uptick had more to do with advancements in the state’s testing capacity than with person-to-person transmission.
“That’s good news because we can put them in isolation,” he said. “The more positives you find, the better because you can isolate them and slow the spread. ... We say, ‘That’s good news,’ that we know who the people are.”
The governor also stressed that the overall health risk of Covid-19 remains low. His main concern lies with vulnerable populations, such as those with weak immune systems, he said.
By declaring a state of emergency, the state will now have access to $30 million in emergency funds, which will be used for further testing and to purchase protective equipment for health care professionals, according to the New York Post. The money will also allow for the hiring of additional personnel and the monitoring of businesses to fight against price gouging as citizens begin to buy additional supplies in preparation for a pandemic, per Department of Homeland Security guidelines.
Cuomo also took time during his press conference to express frustration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). New York state and city officials — like Raul Perea-Henze, the New York City deputy mayor for health and human services — have been complaining about a shortage of testing kits for some time, and Cuomo added to those critiques.
“I believe the CDC was caught flat-footed,” Cuomo said during the press conference. “I believe the CDC was slow in their response, and I believe they’re slowing down the state.”
But the governor promised faster action in the weeks to come, noting that the CDC is now allowing the state to contract with commercial laboratories for testing, a change in policy that should ease overburdened state laboratories.
New York isn’t the first to declare a state of emergency. Here’s what it does.
The governors of California, Washington, Florida, Kentucky, and Maryland have already declared states of emergency as cases of Covid-19 have popped up in their states.
The effect such declarations have varies by state, but in general it allows state governments to access emergency funds in order to speed up responses to crises. These responses often take the form of working to protect consumers from price gouging, allowing more flexibility for out-of-state health care workers, and allowing the state to bypass purchasing regulations.
In some cases, states of emergency can even allow access to emergency federal funding, as was the case in California when it declared a state of emergency Wednesday.
“The state of California is deploying every level of government to help identify cases and slow the spread of this coronavirus,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said. “This emergency proclamation will help the state further prepare our communities and our health care system in the event it spreads more broadly.”
Several more cities and counties have also declared public health emergencies — including San Francisco and San Diego in California as well as Austin, Texas — to receive similar funding benefits and flexibility while handling the disease.
Although the number of states, cities, and counties declaring some form of state of emergency is increasing, there’s no need to panic as of yet. These declarations are not admissions that things are out of control — instead, they mean officials are being cautious and doing everything in their power to prevent Covid-19 from spreading further.


vox--2020-03-07--Coronavirus in the US: Tracking cases and deaths

Since December 31 , when China first reported cases of the novel coronavirus disease to the World Health Organization , it has spread to dozens of countries around the world , including the United States .
Now , there are more than 100,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 worldwide , with major outbreaks in mainland China , South Korea , Iran , and Italy .
Covid-19 initially arrived in the US in two ways .
First , infected people returned to the US from China , where the virus originated and where the vast majority of cases have been reported .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ someone who had been to China or to another country with Covid-19 .
Since February 28 , new cases of Covid-19 have been reported in the US with no link to travel , which means the disease has been spreading inside the country .
In February , there was little testing done by the US , and many of the original test kits the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) sent out could not be validated by testing labs .
Another problem was that the testing was focused only on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
On February 28 , the CDC said the problem with the kits was fixed , and it was sending kits to labs around the country along with new , expanded testing criteria .
All state and local public health labs as well as qualified private labs are expected to be able to test by the end of this week , USA Today reports .
Health experts say this means the number of cases will rise in the coming weeks .
It doesn ’ t mean the virus is spreading any faster .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center , said on Twitter that case numbers are rising because there is “ likely a backlog of cases to be detected ” : Including those repatriated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship , more than 300 cases have been reported across the United States .
We ’ ll update this post as more cases are reported and more information becomes available .
Reported cases , reported deaths , and recovered cases ( as of March 7 , 12:35pm Eastern ) : This data is based on reports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The numbers reported may vary depending on the source .
These numbers don ’ t include the 46 repatriated cases from the Diamond Princess cruise ship .

Editor’s note: This article is not currently being updated. You can find updates on US case counts, deaths, and testing with our new tracker and the latest case counts on this Johns Hopkins tracker. Or follow Vox’s coverage of the coronavirus outbreak here.
Since December 31, when China first reported cases of the novel coronavirus disease to the World Health Organization, it has spread to dozens of countries around the world, including the United States. As of March 18, there are more than 205,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 worldwide, with major outbreaks in mainland China, Italy, Spain, Iran, and South Korea.
Including those repatriated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, more than 6,500 cases have been reported across the United States.
Covid-19 initially arrived in the US in two ways. First, infected people returned to the US from China, where the virus originated and where the vast majority of cases have been reported. Second, people came into contact with someone who had been to China or to another country with Covid-19. Since February 28, new cases of Covid-19 have been reported in the US with no link to travel, which means the disease has been spreading inside the country.
In February, there was little testing done by the US, and many of the original test kits the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sent out could not be validated by testing labs. Another problem was that the testing was focused only on people who’d been to China.
On February 28, the CDC said the problem with the kits was fixed, and it was sending kits to labs around the country along with new, expanded testing criteria. Testing has still been slow to roll out, however.
Health experts say this means the number of cases will rise in the coming weeks. That doesn’t mean the virus is spreading any faster.
Trevor Bradford, an associate member at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, tweeted that case numbers are rising because there is “likely a backlog of cases to be detected”:
Because of the lack of national testing that had been going on, there is likely a backlog of cases to be detected. As this backlog gets cleared, case counts are going to rise quickly. But please remember that reported cases aren’t newly acquired infections. 3/4 — Trevor Bedford (@trvrb) March 2, 2020
We’ll update this post as more cases are reported and more information becomes available.
Reported cases, reported deaths, and recovered cases (as of March 18, 11:38 am Eastern):
California:
6519 cases
cases 13 deaths
6 out of 6519 recovered
New York:
1717 cases
cases 16 deaths
Washington state:
1041 cases
55 deaths
1 out of 1041 recovered
New Jersey:
267 cases
3 deaths
Massachusetts:
218 cases
1 out of 218 recovered
Florida:
217 cases
cases 7 deaths
Louisiana
196 cases
4 deaths
Colorado
185 cases
cases 2 deaths
Illinois:
161 cases
1 death
2 out of 161 recovered
Georgia:
147 cases
1 death
Texas:
132 cases
2 deaths
Pennsylvania:
115 cases
Wisconsin:
90 cases
1 out of 90 recovered
Tennessee
78 cases
Connecticut:
68 cases
Oregon:
68 cases
2 deaths
Ohio
67 cases
Virginia
67 cases
2 deaths
Michigan
66 cases
North Carolina
66 cases
Maryland:
60 cases
Minnesota
60 cases
Nevada
56 cases
1 death
Utah
51 cases
South Carolina:
47 cases
1 death
Alabama
39 cases
Maine
32 cases
District of Columbia
31 cases
Indiana
30 cases
2 deaths
Iowa
29 cases
Kentucky
27 cases
1 death
New Hampshire:
26 cases
Nebraska
24 cases
New Mexico
23 cases
Rhode Island:
23 cases
Arkansas
22 case
Mississippi
22 cases
Arizona:
21 cases
1 out of 21 recovered
Oklahoma
19 cases
Kansas
18 cases
1 death
Vermont
17 cases
Delaware
16 case
Missouri
16 cases
Wyoming
15 cases
Hawaii
14 cases
South Dakota
11 cases
1 death
Montana
10 cases
Idaho
9 cases
North Dakota
5 cases
West Virginia
1 case
This data is based on reports from Johns Hopkins and the CDC. The numbers reported may vary depending on the source.
These numbers don’t include the 46 repatriated cases from the Diamond Princess cruise ship.


vox--2020-03-07--Trump’s visit to the CDC shows why there’s concern about his coronavirus response

President Donald Trump visited the headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) Friday amid his administration 's push to control the spread of Covid-19 , the disease caused by the novel coronavirus first observed in China .
But in a press conference during that visit , Trump did little to help Americans understand the government ’ s response to the virus , instead spreading misinformation while using to public health crisis for self-aggrandizement .
The president spent much of the press conference working to convince the public his administration has the coronavirus under control , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the case .
For instance , while it is unclear how many people have been infected by the virus due to a delay in testing , it has become increasingly clear in recent days that there are Americans infected with the virus across the country .
The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the United States has more than doubled in the past week , and as CNN ’ s Ryan Struyk reported , at least seven states — Minnesota , Oklahoma , Connecticut , Kentucky , Nebraska , Hawaii and Utah — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s CDC visit .
Yet during the press conference , Trump dismissed any criticism against the government ’ s handling of the virus , stressing in particular the availability of Covid-19 tests .
“ As of right now and yesterday , anybody that needs a test [ can have one ] , that ’ s the important thing , and the tests are all perfect , like the letter was perfect , the transcription was perfect , ” Trump said , seemingly referring to the White House transcript of his call with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ requests an investigation into his political rivals .
That call was of course , not perfect , and helped lead to the president ’ s impeachment — and the tests have not been perfect either .
There have been three main problems with the US government ’ s coronavirus tests : the first batch , distributed in February , is believed to have had a faulty reagent leading to inconclusive results ; once that issue was corrected , there was not enough CDC capacity to test the kits that had been sent out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testing to state-level facilities ) , and there aren ’ t currently enough tests to go around .
Several states have been pushing the CDC for more Covid-19 test kits , and have criticized the government for its slow response in making more test available .
New York , where there are more than 70 confirmed cases , can not meet the demand for testing because it doesn ’ t have enough tests , according to Raul Perea-Henze , the New York City deputy mayor for Health and Human Services .
“ With @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testing capacity to enable successful implementation of the public health strategies that best protect New Yorkers , ” Perea-Henze wrote in a letter Friday , requesting more testing kits .
“ The slow federal action on this matter has impeded our ability to beat back this epidemic.
” California simultaneously does not have enough kits to test all those at risk of having been infected , and does not have the lab capacity to process all of the tests it has already run .
Lab technicians have been working 18-hour shifts in order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ backlog , but have been unable to do so .
In LA County , commercial laboratories will begin processing tests on Monday , something that is expected to help alleviate this issue .
But not all states have the resources California and New York do — while they were able to send tests to state-run labs after the CDC began allowing them to do so , some states , including Maine , Ohio , West Virginia , Oklahoma and Wyoming , do not currently have the capacity for in-state testing .
The government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ criticism about the shortage of testing kits .
On Wednesday , Vice President Mike Pence promised to increase supply , saying 1.5 million tests would be made available .
So far , however , the actual number of tests being administered fails to live up to that promise — as of Friday , Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said the CDC had distributed enough tests for 75,000 people , and partnered with a private firm to distribute material for 700,000 additional tests .
Trump ’ s CDC presser confirms everything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the US Even before the recent uptick in US-based Covid-19 cases , critics of the Trump administration ’ s coronavirus response argued the administration was disorganized and ill equipped to combat Covid-19 .
As Vox ’ s Matt Yglesias has written , the president was slow to put someone in charge of the coronavirus response efforts — and when he finally did , he selected Vice President Mike Pence , someone who failed in his responses to public health crises while serving as governor of Indiana , according to experts .
And there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to cut CDC funding — and the size of the administration ’ s initial coronavirus budget — might have limited the government ’ s ability to fight the virus effectively .
But experts have argued the biggest issue with the administration ’ s coronavirus response so far is , as former director of the USAID ’ s Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance Jeremy Konyndyk told Vox ’ s Alex Ward , Trump has “ made it primarily about himself.
” And this concern was on display at the CDC press conference when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about his own intelligence , in part by referencing a “ great , super genius ” uncle who taught at MIT .
“ I like this stuff .
I really get it , ” Trump said .
“ People are surprised that I understand it .
Every one of these doctors say , ‘ How do you know so much about this ?
’ Maybe I have a natural ability .
Maybe I should ’ ve done that instead of running for president.
” Trump ’ s public response , however , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put his public health knowledge into question .
During a White House meeting on Monday with pharmaceutical executives and public health officials , Trump displayed his ignorance by pushing for a vaccine to be developed in a few months ( something he has promised the public will happen ) — even though that ’ s just not how it works .
And he went on to express confusion as to why pharmaceutical companies can ’ t release the drugs they are currently working on immediately , as Vox ’ s Aaron Rupar reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work and the timeline for a potential coronavirus vaccine , Trump told supporters at a rally : “ We had a great meeting today with a lot of the great companies , and they ’ re going to have vaccines I think relatively soon .
And they ’ re going to have something that makes you better , and that ’ s going to actually take place we think even sooner.
” It isn ’ t clear why Trump said this , particularly after seemingly have been disabused of his misconceptions in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement does not support his claim at the CDC that “ I understand that whole [ scientific ] world.
” Nor did the president ’ s CDC visit allay concerns about a lack of coordination between officials .
If anything , it added confusion to an already tumultuous — and potentially dangerous — situation .
For example , the Trump administration has been offering a variety of answers to the question of whether the country is experiencing a shortage of test kits ( it is ) .
On Thursday , Pence said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tests today to meet what we anticipate will be the demand going forward , ” according to The Hill .
Trump , however , had a completely different message as he boasted the US ’ s testing capabilities in Atlanta on Friday , saying , “ Anybody who needs a test gets a test .
...
They have the tests and the tests are beautiful.
” This left Pence with the difficult task Friday of attempting to bring his factually correct messaging in line with the president ’ s incorrect statements .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s symptomatic , speaking to your doctor , if you have reason to believe that you have been exposed to the coronavirus , I have every confidence that your physician would contact state health officials and have access to the state lab , ” Pence said at a White House briefing .
And this , unlike Trump ’ s statement is closer to the truth — the CDC revised its testing guidelines on Wednesday , allowing primary physicians to conduct testing in concert with local authorities .
Whether local labs have the ability @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those tests are even available , however , remains a matter of concern .
Although we ’ ve grown used to the Trump administration ’ s frequent inconsistency in messaging , it becomes dangerous in times like this , when transparent communication is key in helping contain a disease and keep trust in the government strong .
And Trump ’ s tendency to self-aggrandize is not helpful in a moment that calls for collaboration and creating an apolitical environment .
In fact , perhaps the most concerning aspect of the CDC conference was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s view of the coronavirus as a political rather than health-based issue .
During his remarks , Trump said he would rather have the passengers of the Grand Princess , a cruise ship docked in San Francisco with 21 confirmed cases onboard , stay on the ship than move to the land — all because doing so would raise the number of total Covid-19 cases in the US .
“ I would rather because I like the numbers being where they are , ” Trump said .
“ I don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because of one ship that wasn ’ t our fault .
And it wasn ’ t the fault of the people on the ship either , okay ?
It wasn ’ t their fault either and they ’ re mostly Americans .
So , I can live either way with it .
I ’ d rather have them stay on , personally.
” Trump ’ s comment suggests a grim reality : that keeping the number of Covid-19 cases low is more important to him than the actual people who have the disease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the political fallout of a growing case count .
And that wasn ’ t the only political moment during the conference — he also took time out to praise Fox News for its ratings , attack CNN as “ fake news , ” and smear Washington Gov .
Jay Inslee ( D ) — who was praised by Pence for his work in fighting the spread of Covid-19 — as a “ snake ” who wants to “ take advantage ” of the administration ’ s kindness .
These sort of attacks undercut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they also draw attention towards Trump and away from the coronavirus itself .
And they come at a time when the virus needs more attention than ever .

President Donald Trump visited the headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Friday amid his administration's push to control the spread of Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus first observed in China. But in a press conference during that visit, Trump did little to help Americans understand the government’s response to the virus, instead spreading misinformation while using the public health crisis for self-aggrandizement.
The president spent much of the press conference working to convince the public his administration has the coronavirus under control, something that does not appear to be the case.
For instance, while it is unclear how many people have been infected by the virus due to a delay in testing, it has become increasingly clear in recent days that there are Americans infected with the virus across the country. The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the United States has more than doubled in the past week, and as CNN’s Ryan Struyk reported, at least seven states — Minnesota, Oklahoma, Connecticut, Kentucky, Nebraska, Hawaii, and Utah — reported their first Covid-19 cases following Trump’s CDC visit.
Yet during the press conference, Trump dismissed any criticism against the government’s handling of the virus, stressing in particular the availability of Covid-19 tests.
“As of right now and yesterday, anybody that needs a test [can have one], that’s the important thing, and the tests are all perfect, like the letter was perfect, the transcription was perfect,” Trump said, seemingly referring to the White House transcript of his call with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in which he requests an investigation into his political rivals.
"The [coronavirus] tests are all perfect. Like the letter was perfect. The transcription was perfect. This was not a perfect as that, but pretty good." -- is Trump referring to the transcript of his phone call with the Ukrainian president here? pic.twitter.com/FU5XxPTu7Z — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 6, 2020
That call was, of course, not perfect, and helped lead to the president’s impeachment — and the tests have not been perfect either.
There have been three main problems with the US government’s coronavirus tests: the first batch, distributed in February, is believed to have had a faulty reagent leading to inconclusive results; once that issue was corrected, there was not enough CDC capacity to test the kits that had been sent out (leading the center to open up testing to state-level facilities), and there aren’t currently enough tests to go around.
Several states have been pushing the CDC for more Covid-19 test kits, and have criticized the government for its slow response in making more tests available. New York, where there are more than 70 confirmed cases, cannot meet the demand for testing because it doesn’t have enough tests, according to Raul Perea-Henze, the New York City deputy mayor for health and human services.
“With multiple positive cases, NYC needs maximum testing capacity to enable successful implementation of the public health strategies that best protect New Yorkers,” Perea-Henze wrote in a letter Friday, requesting more testing kits. “The slow federal action on this matter has impeded our ability to beat back this epidemic.”
California simultaneously does not have enough kits to test all those at risk of having been infected, and does not have the lab capacity to process all of the tests it has already run. Lab technicians have been working 18-hour shifts in order to try to work through a testing backlog, but have been unable to do so. In Los Angeles County, commercial laboratories will begin processing tests on Monday, which is expected to help alleviate this issue.
But not all states have the resources California and New York do — while they were able to send tests to state-run labs after the CDC began allowing them to do so, some states, including Maine, Ohio, West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Wyoming, do not currently have the capacity for in-state testing.
The government has tried to respond to mounting criticism about the shortage of testing kits. On Wednesday, Vice President Mike Pence promised to increase supply, saying 1.5 million tests would be made available. So far, however, the actual number of tests being administered fails to live up to that promise — as of Friday, US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said the CDC had distributed enough tests for 75,000 people, and partnered with a private firm to distribute material for 700,000 additional tests.
Trump’s CDC presser confirms everything people were worried about if Covid-19 hit the US
Even before the recent uptick in US-based Covid-19 cases, critics of the Trump administration’s coronavirus response argued the administration was disorganized and ill-equipped to combat Covid-19. As Vox’s Matt Yglesias has written, the president was slow to put someone in charge of the coronavirus response efforts — and when he finally did, he selected Vice President Mike Pence, someone who failed in his responses to public health crises while serving as governor of Indiana, according to experts. And there were also concerns Trump’s efforts to cut CDC funding — and the size of the administration’s initial coronavirus budget — might have limited the government’s ability to fight the virus effectively.
But experts have argued the biggest issue with the administration’s coronavirus response so far is, as former director of the USAID’s Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance Jeremy Konyndyk told Vox’s Alex Ward, Trump has “made it primarily about himself.”
And this concern was on display at the CDC press conference when Trump took time to talk at length about his own intelligence, in part by referencing a “great, super genius” uncle who taught at MIT.
“I like this stuff. I really get it,” Trump said. “People are surprised that I understand it. Every one of these doctors say, ‘How do you know so much about this?’ Maybe I have a natural ability. Maybe I should’ve done that instead of running for president.”
Here's Trump rambling at length about how smart he is and how well he understands public health pic.twitter.com/1Co6MaRkzl — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 6, 2020
Trump’s public response, however, is a reminder of how he has recently put his public health knowledge into question. During a White House meeting on Monday with pharmaceutical executives and public health officials, Trump displayed his ignorance by pushing for a vaccine to be developed in a few months (something he has promised the public will happen) — even though that’s just not how it works.
And he went on to express confusion as to why pharmaceutical companies can’t release the drugs they are currently working on immediately, as Vox’s Aaron Rupar reported:
Trump pressed the pharmaceutical leaders on why they can’t just release the coronavirus drugs their companies are working on tomorrow — in the process revealing that he doesn’t understand the concept of clinical trials. “So you have a medicine that’s already involved with the coronaviruses, and now you have to see if it’s specifically for this. You can know that tomorrow, can’t you?” he said. “Now the critical thing is to do clinical trials,” explained Daniel O’Day, CEO of Gilead Sciences, which has two phase-three clinical trials going for remdesivir, a potential treatment for the coronavirus. “We have two clinical trials going on in China that were started several weeks ago ... we expect to get that information in April.”
Hours after learning about how vaccines work and the timeline for a potential coronavirus vaccine, Trump told supporters at a rally: “We had a great meeting today with a lot of the great companies, and they’re going to have vaccines I think relatively soon. And they’re going to have something that makes you better, and that’s going to actually take place we think even sooner.”
It isn’t clear why Trump said this, particularly after seemingly having been disabused of his misconceptions in his White House meeting, but such a statement does not support his claim at the CDC that “I understand that whole [scientific] world.”
Nor did the president’s CDC visit allay concerns about a lack of coordination between officials. If anything, it added confusion to an already tumultuous — and potentially dangerous — situation.
For example, the Trump administration has been offering a variety of answers to the question of whether the country is experiencing a shortage of test kits (it is). On Thursday, Pence said, “We don’t have enough tests today to meet what we anticipate will be the demand going forward,” according to The Hill.
Trump, however, had a completely different message as he boasted of the US’s testing capabilities in Atlanta on Friday, saying, “Anybody who needs a test gets a test. ... They have the tests and the tests are beautiful.”
This left Pence with the difficult task Friday of attempting to bring his factually correct messaging in line with the president’s incorrect statements.
“I think for any American that’s symptomatic, speaking to your doctor, if you have reason to believe that you have been exposed to the coronavirus, I have every confidence that your physician would contact state health officials and have access to the state lab,” Pence said at a White House briefing. And this, unlike Trump’s statement, is closer to the truth — the CDC revised its testing guidelines on Wednesday, allowing primary physicians to conduct testing in concert with local authorities. Whether local labs have the ability to process those tests, or if those tests are even available, however, remains a matter of concern.
Although we’ve grown used to the Trump administration’s frequent inconsistency in messaging, it becomes dangerous in times like this, when transparent communication is key in helping contain a disease and keep trust in the government strong. And Trump’s tendency to self-aggrandize is not helpful in a moment that calls for collaboration and creating an apolitical environment.
Trump continues to politicize the Covid-19 outbreak
In fact, perhaps the most concerning aspect of the CDC conference was how it gave us a glimpse into Trump’s view of the coronavirus as a political rather than health-based issue.
During his remarks, Trump said he would rather have the passengers of the Grand Princess, a cruise ship docked in San Francisco with 21 confirmed cases onboard, stay on the ship than move to land — all because doing so would raise the number of total Covid-19 cases in the US.
“I would rather because I like the numbers being where they are,” Trump said. “I don’t need to have the numbers double because of one ship that wasn’t our fault. And it wasn’t the fault of the people on the ship either, okay? It wasn’t their fault either and they’re mostly Americans. So, I can live either way with it. I’d rather have them stay on, personally.”
"I like the numbers being where they are. I don't need to have the numbers double because of one ship" -- Trump explains that he doesn't want to let people off the Grand Princess cruise ship because he doesn't want the number of coronavirus cases in the country to go up pic.twitter.com/ELhZDjiZW9 — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 6, 2020
Trump’s comment suggests a grim reality: that keeping the number of Covid-19 cases low is more important to him than the actual people who have the disease — all because he wants to avoid the political fallout of a growing case count.
And that wasn’t the only political moment during the conference — he also took time out to praise Fox News for its ratings, attack CNN as “fake news,” and smear Washington’s Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee — who was praised by Pence for his work in fighting the spread of Covid-19 — as a “snake” who wants to “take advantage” of the administration’s kindness.
Trump smears Jay Inslee, governor of the state at the heart of the coronavirus outbreak: "I told Mike [Pence] not to be complimentary of the governor, because that governor is a snake." pic.twitter.com/zfraPiqmGI — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 6, 2020
These sort of attacks undercut the seriousness of the situation — and they also draw attention toward Trump and away from the coronavirus itself. And they come at a time when the virus needs more attention than ever.