huffpost--2020-04-22--GOP Governor On Trump's Snub: 'I Have No Idea What He's Upset About'

Maryland Gov .
Larry Hogan ( R ) expressed confusion on Tuesday after President Donald Trump targeted him a day earlier for taking his state ’ s coronavirus testing into his own hands ― per the president ’ s advice .
“ I ’ m really not sure what he ’ s upset about , ” Hogan said during an interview with “ America ’ s Newsroom ” host Sandra Smith on Fox News .
“ We did what he told us to do , which was go out and get our testing .
And we had a great call @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I was leading the call on behalf of all the governors.
” On Monday , Trump took a swipe at Hogan , who is chair of the National Governors Association , after Hogan sourced 500,000 extra test kits for his state from South Korea .
His wife Yumi Hogan , who is a Korean immigrant , worked with him to negotiate the shipment .
Hogan recently rebutted Trump ’ s claim that adequate testing was available in the U.S. , and in a New York Times interview about obtaining the tests from abroad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not have been this difficult.
” Trump subsequently singled Hogan out during a press briefing .
“ He really didn ’ t know about the federal laboratories , ” Trump said , referring to a call Vice President Mike Pence held with governors earlier on Monday to address testing .
“ He didn ’ t really understand too much about what was going on , so now I think he ’ ll be able to do that ; it ’ s pretty simple.
” Hogan has actually been pushing for extra testing for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thanked Trump for providing Maryland access to federal labs to process the test kits acquired from South Korea .
I ’ m grateful to President Trump for sending us a list of federal labs and generously offering Maryland use of them for # COVID19 testing .
Accessing these federal labs will be critical for utilizing the 500,000 tests we have acquired from South Korea .
— Governor Larry Hogan ( @ GovLarryHogan ) April 21 , 2020 Hogan noted on Tuesday that his state had been attempting to use federal labs for “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ So we got a commitment yesterday from the vice president and from the president that we can now use federal labs — which is terrific.
” Remarking that Trump “ was not on the call ” with governors , Hogan suggested that perhaps he “ got confused in the press conference.
” “ It was a great call , ” he said .
“ I have no idea what he was upset about.
” He also publicly released a letter on Tuesday to formally accept the use of federal labs and mentioned that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ralph Northam ( D ) and Washington , D.C. , Mayor Muriel Bowser ( D ) had requested federal help with testing in the capital region over a month ago .
He asked for guidance on how to immediately proceed with accessing the facilities .

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Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) expressed confusion on Tuesday after President Donald Trump targeted him a day earlier for taking his state’s coronavirus testing into his own hands ― per the president’s advice.
“I’m really not sure what he’s upset about,” Hogan said during an interview with “America’s Newsroom” host Sandra Smith on Fox News. “We did what he told us to do, which was go out and get our testing. And we had a great call with his entire team yesterday, and I was leading the call on behalf of all the governors.”
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On Monday, Trump took a swipe at Hogan, who is chair of the National Governors Association, after Hogan sourced 500,000 extra test kits for his state from South Korea. His wife Yumi Hogan, who is a Korean immigrant, worked with him to negotiate the shipment.
Hogan recently rebutted Trump’s claim that adequate testing was available in the U.S., and in a New York Times interview about obtaining the tests from abroad, he noted, “It should not have been this difficult.”
Trump subsequently singled Hogan out during a press briefing. “He really didn’t know about the federal laboratories,” Trump said, referring to a call Vice President Mike Pence held with governors earlier on Monday to address testing. “He didn’t really understand too much about what was going on, so now I think he’ll be able to do that; it’s pretty simple.”
Hogan has actually been pushing for extra testing for weeks. After the briefing, he thanked Trump for providing Maryland access to federal labs to process the test kits acquired from South Korea.
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I’m grateful to President Trump for sending us a list of federal labs and generously offering Maryland use of them for #COVID19 testing. Accessing these federal labs will be critical for utilizing the 500,000 tests we have acquired from South Korea. — Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) April 21, 2020
Hogan noted on Tuesday that his state had been attempting to use federal labs for “more than a month now.”
“So we got a commitment yesterday from the vice president and from the president that we can now use federal labs — which is terrific.”
Remarking that Trump “was not on the call” with governors, Hogan suggested that perhaps he “got confused in the press conference.”
“It was a great call,” he said. “I have no idea what he was upset about.”
He also publicly released a letter on Tuesday to formally accept the use of federal labs and mentioned that he, along with Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) and Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) had requested federal help with testing in the capital region over a month ago. He asked for guidance on how to immediately proceed with accessing the facilities.
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huffpost--2020-03-29--'Off The Charts': Coronavirus Hot Spots Grow In Midwest

DETROIT ( AP ) — The coronavirus continued its unrelenting spread across the United States with fatalities doubling in two days and authorities saying Saturday that an infant who tested positive had died .
It pummeled big cities like New York , Detroit , New Orleans and Chicago , and made its way , too , into rural America as hotspots erupted in small Midwestern towns and Rocky Mountain ski havens .
Worldwide infections surpassed the 660,000 mark with more than 30,000 deaths as new cases also stacked up quickly in Europe , according to a tally by Johns Hopkins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in reported cases with more than 120,000 .
Confirmed deaths surpassed 2,000 on Saturday , twice the number just two days before , highlighting how quickly infections are escalating .
Still , five countries have higher death tolls : Italy , Spain , China , Iran and France .
Italy has more than 10,000 deaths , the most of any country .
As President Donald Trump made his way to Norfolk , Virginia , to see off a U.S. Navy medical ship sent to New York City to help , he suggested imposing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and parts of New Jersey and Connecticut , all hit hard by the coronavirus .
But he later tweeted that he intended to issue a “ strong travel advisory ” instead .
It wasn ’ t entirely clear whether he had the power to impose such a quarantine for the three states , and the idea was met with confusion and anger from their governors .
Cuomo said on CNN that it would be illegal , economically catastrophic and unproductive since other areas are already seeing a surge .
The disease threatens to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knows everyone , Durbin said , adding that he was a friend of the person believed to have died from the virus as well as others currently in critical condition .
Germany has fewer deaths than some neighboring countries but has closed nonessential shops and banned public gatherings of more than two people until April 20 .
It still had its share of grim news : 12 residents of a nursing home in the northern town of Wolfsburg have died since Monday after being infected , news agency dpa reported .
Spanish Prime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vigorous response from the European Union .
Spain , Italy , France and six other members have asked the union to share the burden of European debt , dubbed “ coronabonds ” in the media , to help fight the virus .
But the idea has met resistance from other members , led by Germany and the Netherlands .

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DETROIT (AP) — The coronavirus continued its unrelenting spread across the United States with fatalities doubling in two days and authorities saying Saturday that an infant who tested positive had died. It pummeled big cities like New York, Detroit, New Orleans and Chicago, and made its way, too, into rural America as hotspots erupted in small Midwestern towns and Rocky Mountain ski havens.
Elsewhere, Russia announced a full border closure while in parts of Africa, pandemic prevention measures took a violent turn, with Kenyan police firing tear gas and officers elsewhere seen on video hitting people with batons.
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Worldwide infections surpassed the 660,000 mark with more than 30,000 deaths as new cases also stacked up quickly in Europe, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. leads the world in reported cases with more than 120,000. Confirmed deaths surpassed 2,000 on Saturday, twice the number just two days before, highlighting how quickly infections are escalating. Still, five countries have higher death tolls: Italy, Spain, China, Iran and France. Italy has more than 10,000 deaths, the most of any country.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Saturday that an infant with COVID-19 died in Chicago and the cause of death is under investigation. Officials didn’t release other information, including whether the child had other health issues.
“If you haven’t been paying attention, maybe this is your wake-up call,” said Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike.
New York remained the worst-hit U.S. city. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said defeating the virus will take “weeks and weeks and weeks.” The U.N. donated 250,000 face masks to the city, and Cuomo delayed the state’s presidential primary from April 28 to June 23.
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As President Donald Trump made his way to Norfolk, Virginia, to see off a U.S. Navy medical ship sent to New York City to help, he suggested imposing some kind of quarantine for New York and parts of New Jersey and Connecticut, all hit hard by the coronavirus. But he later tweeted that he intended to issue a “strong travel advisory” instead.
It wasn’t entirely clear whether he had the power to impose such a quarantine for the three states, and the idea was met with confusion and anger from their governors. Cuomo said on CNN that it would be illegal, economically catastrophic and unproductive since other areas are already seeing a surge.
Still, some states without known widespread infections began to try to limit exposure from visitors from harder-hit areas.
Rhode Island National Guard troops were instructed to go door to door in coastal communities to find New Yorkers and advise them about a mandatory 14-day quarantine for people from the state.
And in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis has ordered anyone arriving from Louisiana to self-quarantine and said law enforcement officers would set up checkpoints to screen cars from the state.
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Louisiana has surpassed 3,300 infections with 137 dead from COVID-19, according to the health department. Gov. John Bel Edwards said the region was on track to run out of ventilators by the first week of April.
Cases also have been rising rapidly in Detroit, where poverty and poor health have been problems for years. The number of infections surged to 1,381, with 31 deaths, as of noon Saturday. The city’s homeless population is especially vulnerable, officials said.
“At this time, the trajectory of Detroit is unfortunately even more steep than that of New York,” said Dr. Teena Chopra, the medical director of infection prevention and hospital epidemiology at the Detroit Medical Center.
“This is off the charts,” she said.
Chopra said many patients have ailments like asthma, heart disease, diabetes and hypertension. She also acknowledged that in Detroit, one of the nation’s largest African American cities, there is a distrust among some in the community of the medical system and government due to systemic racism.
“In Detroit, we are seeing a lot of patients that are presenting to us with severe disease, rather than minor disease,” said Chopra, who worried about a “tsunami” of patients.
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Trump approved a major disaster declaration for Michigan, providing money for the outbreak. He has done the same for New York, Louisiana and Illinois.
Cases in Chicago and suburban Cook County accounted for about three-fourths of Illinois’ 3,026 total as of Friday. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot closed popular lakeshore parks after people failed to practice social distancing, despite a statewide shelter-at-home order.
The governor of Kansas also issued a stay-at-home order to begin Monday, as the virus takes hold in more rural areas where doctors worry about the lack of ICU beds.
A cluster of three counties in rural Indiana have surging rates of confirmed cases. One of them, Decatur, population 26,000, has 30 cases with one confirmed death and another suspected, said Sean Durbin, the county’s public health emergency preparedness coordinator. Several cases were traced to large gatherings earlier in the month, including a religious retreat and a high school basketball tournament.
The disease threatens to be devastating for close-knit communities where everyone knows everyone, Durbin said, adding that he was a friend of the person believed to have died from the virus as well as others currently in critical condition.
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The county health department has already run out of personal protective equipment, Durbin said. The last supply from the federal stockpile arrived more than a week ago and contained just 77 N95 masks and two dozen face shields.
“I wish there was a stronger word for disappointed,” he said. “I’m calling on them to do better.”
Blaine County, Idaho, a scenic ski haven for wealthy tourists, now has around 100 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the highest rate per capita outside the New York area. Two people have died.
The virus continues to strain health systems in Italy, Spain and France. Lockdowns of varying degrees have been introduced across Europe, nearly emptying streets in normally bustling cities.
Germany has fewer deaths than some neighboring countries but has closed nonessential shops and banned public gatherings of more than two people until April 20. It still had its share of grim news: 12 residents of a nursing home in the northern town of Wolfsburg have died since Monday after being infected, news agency dpa reported.
Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte announced he had signed a decree freeing up 400 million euros ($440 million) for coupons and packages of food aid, to be delivered door-to-door if necessary.
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“People are suffering psychologically. They’re not used to staying in their homes. But they are also suffering economically,” Conte said. Italy has almost completed a three-week lockdown, with no end in sight.
In Spain, where stay-at-home restrictions have been in place for nearly two weeks, the death toll rose to 5,812.
Another 8,000 confirmed infections pushed that count above 72,000 cases. But Spain’s director of emergencies, Fernando Simón, saw hope in that the rate of infection is slowing and figures “indicate that the outbreak is stabilizing and may be reaching its peak in some areas.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called for a more vigorous response from the European Union. Spain, Italy, France and six other members have asked the union to share the burden of European debt, dubbed “coronabonds” in the media, to help fight the virus. But the idea has met resistance from other members, led by Germany and the Netherlands.
“It is the most difficult moment for the EU since its foundation and it has to be ready to rise to the challenge,” Sánchez said.
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As the epicenter has shifted westward, the situation has calmed in China, where some restrictions have been lifted. Some subway service was restored in Wuhan, where the virus first emerged in December, after the city of 11 million had its virus risk evaluation reduced from high to medium.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and lead to death.
More than 135,000 people have recovered, according to Johns Hopkins.
Countries are still trying to bring home citizens stranded abroad. On Saturday, 174 foreign tourists and four Nepali nationals in the foothills of Mount Everest were flown out days after being stranded at the only airstrip serving the world’s highest mountain.
Indian authorities sent buses to the outskirts of New Delhi to meet an exodus of migrant workers desperately trying to reach their home villages amid the world’s largest lockdown, which effectively put millions out of work.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin ordered his country’s borders fully closed as of Monday, exempting diplomats as well as residents of the exclave of the Kaliningrad region.
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___
Irvine reported from Chicago. Associated Press journalists around the world contributed.
___


huffpost--2020-03-27--Tiny East Coast Island Begs Outsiders To Stay Away Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

About 10 miles off the coast of mainland Rhode Island, nestled in between Montauk and Martha’s Vineyard, lies the tiny porkchop-shaped jewel of Block Island.
The island’s only township, New Shoreham, relies almost entirely on summer tourism to fuel its economy, and come spring, residents are typically welcoming visitors back with open arms. But this year, as the novel coronavirus spreads across the United States, many of the town’s roughly 1,000 year-rounders are pleading with outsiders to stay away until the dust settles.
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“Our problem is that the medical center out here has one doctor with basically one hospital bed,” said Rick Lysik, who owns Club Soda, one of the island’s couple dozen or so restaurants. “So if anything happens, we’re automatically overwhelmed.”
“We love the tourists, and when this is all over, we would love their business and support,” he added. “But the doctor put it well the other day: Once the seal is broken, it’s broken.”
Tensions have come to a head in recent weeks as residents, many of whom are older and more vulnerable to COVID-19, debate the best path forward for keeping the island virus-free for as long as possible. On Monday, the town council issued a shelter-in-place order effective through April 15 that limits restaurants and bars to takeout service and prohibits most construction workers from entering sites.
An empty Water Street is seen on Block Island on March 26. Kari Curtis for HuffPost
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The order also strongly discourages nonresidents from traveling to the island and asks full-time residents to leave only for essential purposes, such as medical care. Anyone arriving on the island must self-quarantine for two weeks. Violating any of the provisions outlined in the emergency declaration is punishable by a maximum fine of $500 or up to 30 days behind bars.
Andre Boudreau, the town council’s second warden, said the body relied heavily on guidance from Mark Clark, the island’s only medical doctor, when crafting the declaration. Clark did not respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
“Our doctor has indicated to us that it’s all about the restriction of travel,” Boudreau said. “The message we’re sending everybody is simply that right now Block Island is absolutely not the place to be.”
But while some residents fight to keep visitors away during the pandemic, some are still turning up anyway, likely eager to escape to a more remote location as major metropolitan areas within driving distance face outbreaks.
On Saturday, as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. rose to more than 25,000, a parade of cars streamed off the ferry boat and onto Water Street, the island’s modest but central thoroughfare lined with shops, inns and restaurants.
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Some of the cars, many with New York and Connecticut license plates, made a beeline straight to the post office or the grocery store, where an already-limited supply of items has thinned out in recent weeks.
A couple of people held up signs along Water Street as the cars drove past.
“Now off to stay put in your ‘residence’ for two weeks right?? With Love, The People,” read one woman’s sign, apparently directed at those who own second homes on the island.
“Please don’t hoard food from our ONLY grocery store. You made it! Congrats,” said another’s.
Workers stock shelves at Block Island's only year-round grocery store on March 26. Posted rules limit the number of visits per day. Kari Curtis for HuffPost
In the summer, the island’s population balloons to roughly 20,000 and the grocery store stocks up to meet the demand. But in the quiet winter months, orders are less frequent, and residents are concerned outsiders will snatch up the supply.
Jennifer Seebeck, who has lived on the island year-round for more than 20 years, said she’s heard of some people taking the ferry over, stocking up at the grocery store and then heading back to the mainland the same day.
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“The grocery store is having a hard time keeping up,” Seebeck said.
‘We’re All At Risk Here’
It’s not just about supplies ― residents are also worried their small island couldn’t meet the need for medical care should the coronavirus hit hard there. More than half the year-round residents are age 60 and older, one of the groups most vulnerable to COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, according to Block Island Tourism Council Director Jessica Willi.
As of Wednesday, the island’s lone medical center said it had received “very few test kits to be selectively used for high risk individuals.”
Plus, there are limited ways to get off the island if the situation becomes dire. Block Island’s single-runway airport consists of a small terminal and a popular diner called Bethany’s. Both flights and the ferry can be canceled because of weather.
“We don’t have any medical resources and if the ferry’s not running because the weather’s bad, people getting sick here can’t get to a hospital,” said Sue Black, who has lived on the island for over 40 years. “If it’s really windy, the boat can’t run. If it’s foggy, the planes can’t fly.”
Black, who has an autoimmune disorder, said she plans to leave the island if the weather forecast starts looking bad.
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“We’re all at risk here,” she said.
Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) said during a news conference Tuesday that she’s not closing off the borders to the state’s coastal communities, but encouraged out-of-towners to quarantine themselves should they come.
“New York City is obviously a hot spot,” said Raimondo, adding that she supports local officials who want to “take the action that they think is necessary to keep their community safe.”
Supplies arrive via ferry to Block Island on March 26. Kari Curtis for HuffPost
On Block Island, some residents wanted the town to shut down the main mode of transportation to the island ― a ferry boat service that departs out of Point Judith ― but soon learned that was easier said than done. The town has no control over the ferry, which is privately owned and must coordinate with the state’s public utilities commission.
The ferry company announced Wednesday, however, that it was temporarily slashing the number of boats to just one in each direction most days.
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Persephone Brown, a local business owner, was one of the first year-round residents to pressure the town council to take action weeks ago. She said she had wanted the ferry shut down completely, but quickly realized it was out of the council’s hands and may not have been the best solution anyway.
“I was very frustrated,” she said of what she considered to be the town’s slow response to the threat of the virus. “The town council wasn’t completely in agreement of the risks initially.”
Brown, who owns Persephone’s Kitchen, a cafe not far from the harbor where the ferries typically drop off vacationers by the hundreds in July and August, was seeing more and more people arriving to the island earlier this month. She feared a dangerous situation could be brewing.
“We were seeing a lot of faces we didn’t recognize,” she said. “People at the grocery store, people out on the Greenway trails, people out to dinner. … Each person has to do what’s right for them, but when they arrive they need to follow the proper protocol and self-quarantine.”
‘Save Summer’
The fear that second homeowners “seeking refuge” from the virus will unintentionally bring it along with them is shared by many full-time residents. But year-rounders also recognize the importance of their seasonal neighbors, who collectively contribute a majority of the town’s total tax revenue.
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“They have every right to be here just like everyone else does,” said Cariona Davis, a year-round resident who owns Block Island Accommodations, a boutique hotel and bed and breakfast management firm.
“Block Island is not immune to this,” she said of the virus. “Whether they come here or not, it’s going to eventually hit here just like everywhere else in the world. ... It could come on an Amazon box.”
A package delivery service on the island loads deliveries from companies like Amazon on March 26. Kari Curtis for HuffPost
Even if they understand why it happened, some residents are concerned about the effect the shelter-in-place order will have on the local economy.
Seebeck works as a bartender during the summer and her husband is a carpenter. Under the new shelter-in-place order, he’s barred from working on the island until April 15. She knows the town council had everyone’s health and safety in mind. But the lack of income is stressful.
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“There’s definitely a group of people out here who are kind of panic-stricken about how are they going to support their families,” she said. “Many construction workers are sole breadwinners. ... These are some tough men who are feeling kind of helpless.”
Willi, the Block Island tourism council director, said the organization is “fully behind” the town’s shelter-in-place order, suggesting it’s an uncomfortable but necessary action to “save summer” and protect the community.
Though many of the island’s small businesses could survive if March, April and May were a collective dud, they would be financially devastated if June, July and August didn’t bring the usual number of customers, Willi said.
“We’re all hopeful that we’ve got a summer season ahead of us,” Willi said. “It was a really tough decision. It affects the islanders just as much as it affects tourists. We’re all pitching in to make it better in the end.”
Boudreau, the town council’s second warden, said he recognizes the sacrifices made on everyone’s part but had little choice.
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“Some people are pissed, but we’ve just got to do what we got to do now, and take it seriously,” he said. “We can’t afford to be complacent. We’re so small and we could lose so much.”
Michael-Aaron Capps, who has lived on the island every summer for nearly 15 years, was a bit taken aback when some of his friends there advised him not to come to the island to ride out the pandemic. He is immunocompromised and is eager to flee New York City, where he lives during the winters.
A rock painted with the message "Please Stay Home" in New Shoreham, Rhode Island, on March 26. Kari Curtis for HuffPost
In the warmer months, he resides on Block Island, where he owns and operates Clayhead Salon & Spa, located on the top floor of the post office building.
“I was surprised a little bit at first but ... I get it now,” Capps said of suggestions he stay away from the island for now. “They all know I live in New York City and they all know that shit is going down here.”
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He said he’s 100% behind trying to stop tourists from visiting ― “Why would they want to do that now anyway?” he asked ― but asking people with second homes on the island to stay away is trickier territory.
“It kind of makes this sleepy fishing town into a New York of its own if there are people coming from all over,” he said.
For Brown and so many other residents hoping the virus never reaches their shores, the chance that there could still be a strong summer around the corner is something to hold onto.
“I feel like no matter what situation we’re in, we’re the fortunate ones,” said Brown, who is spending much of her time these days helping her two children with the school’s remote learning programs. “We get to live in a community-driven, beautiful environment.”
“I’m hoping that I can just kind of skate by this summer,” she continued. “I’m not looking to make any big moves or take any vacations. I’m hoping that I can pay the business’s bills and my basic needs, and trying not to focus too much on anything worse than that.”
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UPDATE: April 5 — At least one person on the island has tested positive for the virus, the Block Island Times reported. The patient — a resident in their 70s ― alerted the medical center of their symptoms on Wednesday.
“The patient was subsequently admitted to the ICU at a major mainland medical center and is currently in serious but stable condition,” reported the BI Times. “The Medical Center is actively tracing and testing contacts.”
A HuffPost Guide To Coronavirus


huffpost--2020-03-29--2 Weeks Ago I Could Have Sex Whenever I Wanted. The Coronavirus Changed That.

It was a system that worked for both of us .
I spent nights waiting tables at a restaurant in the French Quarter and he worked from home , doing what , exactly , I had no clue , and I never asked .
It seemed all that mattered was our willingness to continue and the ease with which we found ourselves once again meeting .
We shared polite conversations before and after sex , blips of inconsequential small talk as I undressed or emptied my pockets onto his dresser .
He was always pleasant , offered me water , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ qualities someone like me hopes to find when pursuing something fun and regular but otherwise meaningless .
We lived separate , busy lives on opposite sides of town , we had no mutual friends , and so there seemed no point in getting to know each other beyond the ways we already had .
Without speaking it , we had agreed to perform this service for one another ; sharing brief exchanges of physical intimacy unlinked to our real lives outside those moments .
Within days , six cases of COVID-19 , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 9 , then to 30 , to 56 , and so on .
Every restaurant shuttered or transitioned to take-out , and I found myself ― like the majority of people in the city ― alone in my house , waiting for something to happen , fearing all the things that hadn ’ t yet , but still could .
I read online that keeping a routine similar to the one you had before all of this would help smooth out the shift from real life to endless days locked inside , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this , still doesn ’ t feel entirely real to me .
By day four , I had become an expert at video conferencing .
I called former coworkers who sat in their living rooms mere blocks away every evening at five , the time we would all usually be lining up for pre-dinner service .
I had coffee dates with friends abroad , comparing notes on our general feelings of doubt and dread .
So it seemed natural when the regular time Frank and I normally met up arrived , that I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minutes passed , and we continued to lie there , still smiling at our laptop screens .
If it had been real life , I ’ d probably be staring at his ceiling , or through the sliding glass door beside his bed , thinking about what errands I had to run or appointments I needed to make .
After a few minutes , I would rise and get dressed and walk ahead of him down the hall and out his front door ; we would part with a wave and I would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But this didn ’ t feel like real life ; I was already in my own bed , and I had stared at my own walls and through my own windows too much already .
I had nowhere to be , nowhere to go , so instead , I kept looking at him .
We worked simultaneously .
I watched him from his place propped on my cutting board ; a view of his back as he opened a can of tomatoes on the same counter I had once leaned against , kissing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when he ever used any of the tools or appliances around us .
He turned back to me every so often , checking my progress .
He showed me how to dice an onion , the fastest way to peel garlic ; he watched as I salted the water and set the lid on the pot .
When we did finally part , I was left to consider what all of this could mean for my romantic future ― and everyone else ’ s , for that matter .
In this new era @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pages run rampant with couples posting tandem workout routines or joking about how they ’ re ready to murder each other .
But little is to be seen in regard to single individuals in isolation ; aside , of course , for debilitating levels of horniness .
That ’ s perfectly reasonable : Are the uncoupled among us expected to stoically endure the coming weeks and months without complaint ?

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The last person I touched before going into isolation was a stranger I had semi-regular sex with. I guess he wasn’t a total stranger. We met online; I knew his first name was Frank, I knew his address, and I knew that he ― like me ― was a reliably horny person.
I’d kissed him against the marble counter in his kitchen, laid in his bed. After our first hookup, he let me use his shower, and I had to call him back into the bathroom to show me how to turn it off.
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“It’s too fancy!” I’d shouted from behind the foggy glass partition. His outline stood in the doorway, watching as I waved my hands at little blinking sensors inset in the fixtures to no avail. I twisted a knob and a second jet of water erupted from a clandestine bidet in the floor below.
I left that day feeling embarrassed, but in a cute, charming way that made me take no issue with texting him again a week later, then the week after that, and so on.
In the days before COVID-19 cases began to appear and multiply in New Orleans ― where he and I both live ― we communicated with little more than propositions and times. We were efficient, judicious, we used emojis:
“Peach? Noon?”
“Devil face! Winking devil face! Thumbs up! Eggplant! Water drops! Water drops! Water drops!”
It was a system that worked for both of us. I spent nights waiting tables at a restaurant in the French Quarter and he worked from home, doing what, exactly, I had no clue, and I never asked. It seemed all that mattered was our willingness to continue and the ease with which we found ourselves once again meeting. We shared polite conversations before and after sex, blips of inconsequential small talk as I undressed or emptied my pockets onto his dresser.
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He was always pleasant, offered me water, laughed at my jokes; all the qualities someone like me hopes to find when pursuing something fun and regular but otherwise meaningless. We lived separate, busy lives on opposite sides of town, we had no mutual friends, and so there seemed no point in getting to know each other beyond the ways we already had. Without speaking it, we had agreed to perform this service for one another; sharing brief exchanges of physical intimacy unlinked to our real lives outside those moments.
We met in person for the last time shortly after my job announced it would be closing indefinitely, until the city gained some control over the rapidly spreading virus.
“Guess we won’t be seeing each other for a while,” he said with casual disappointment as I slipped back into my shoes. “Try to keep in touch, though.”
“I will,” I said. “If we get desperate, we can always Skype or something.” Then I left, not thinking twice about the offer I’d made; my desire for connection curbed by the sense of quiet, calming satisfaction that lingers briefly after sex.
“He was always pleasant, offered me water, laughed at my jokes; all the qualities someone like me hopes to find when pursuing something fun and regular but otherwise meaningless... Without speaking it, we had agreed to perform this service for one another; sharing brief exchanges of physical intimacy unlinked to our real lives outside those moments.”
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Within days, six cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, turned to 9, then to 30, to 56, and so on. Every restaurant shuttered or transitioned to take-out, and I found myself ― like the majority of people in the city ― alone in my house, waiting for something to happen, fearing all the things that hadn’t yet, but still could.
I read online that keeping a routine similar to the one you had before all of this would help smooth out the shift from real life to endless days locked inside, which, at the moment of writing this, still doesn’t feel entirely real to me. By day four, I had become an expert at video conferencing. I called former coworkers who sat in their living rooms mere blocks away every evening at five, the time we would all usually be lining up for pre-dinner service. I had coffee dates with friends abroad, comparing notes on our general feelings of doubt and dread. So it seemed natural when the regular time Frank and I normally met up arrived, that I should give him a call too.
This method of connection was still very new to me; face-timing someone without an invitation felt like barging into their house unannounced in the middle of the night. So, I sent Frank a little devil face emoji first. He responded with a thumbs up.
We lay in our respective beds staring at each other when we finished. We chuckled sheepishly, avoiding eye contact with the little squares in the corners of our screens that reflected what the other person saw.
“I’m not used to seeing my own face when I do that,” I said. “It was a little distracting.”
“I know,” he replied. “I need to find a little post-it to cover it up next time.”
Minutes passed, and we continued to lie there, still smiling at our laptop screens. If it had been real life, I’d probably be staring at his ceiling, or through the sliding glass door beside his bed, thinking about what errands I had to run or appointments I needed to make. After a few minutes, I would rise and get dressed and walk ahead of him down the hall and out his front door; we would part with a wave and I would wait to hear from him again. But this didn’t feel like real life; I was already in my own bed, and I had stared at my own walls and through my own windows too much already. I had nowhere to be, nowhere to go, so instead, I kept looking at him.
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“What are you doing today?” He asked, pulling his bed sheet up to his chest and tucking it under his arms. He lifted his computer from the comforter beside him and set it in his lap.
“I’m not sure,” I told him. “Staying home. Cleaning, cooking, maybe if I get ambitious I’ll go for a walk.”
“What are you cooking?” He asked.
“I’m not much of a cook,” I said. “Maybe a scrambled egg sandwich.”
“That’s too depressing,” he said, retrieving a pair of glasses I didn’t know he wore from a drawer in his nightstand. “Show me what you have.”
I gave him a tour of the fridge, moving the screen from shelf to shelf, then to the freezer, then to the pantry. He slipped out of bed and into a pair of gym shorts, then carried me with him into his own kitchen.
“This’ll be easy,” he said. “We can do pasta.”
We worked simultaneously. I watched him from his place propped on my cutting board; a view of his back as he opened a can of tomatoes on the same counter I had once leaned against, kissing him, not thinking about how and when he ever used any of the tools or appliances around us. He turned back to me every so often, checking my progress. He showed me how to dice an onion, the fastest way to peel garlic; he watched as I salted the water and set the lid on the pot.
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“In this new era of the coronavirus, my social media pages run rampant with couples posting tandem workout routines or joking about how they’re ready to murder each other, but little is to be seen in regard to single individuals in isolation; aside, of course, for debilitating levels of horniness.”
We ate dinner together, and when we finished we returned to our beds. All the small talk and harmless topics of conversation had been exhausted, and we were left only with ourselves.
“Feel free to hang up whenever you want,” he said. “I mean, I’m sure you have other stuff to do.”
“I don’t,” I said. “But I mean, obviously you can also hang up whenever you need.”
“Let’s just stay here for a while, maybe.”
“I’d like that,” I said, and we stayed that way for a long time.
In isolation, the things we might previously have taken for granted begin to present themselves more clearly; something that once seemed so casual and meaningless has the ability to grow significant. Unable to continue our physical connection, Frank and I chose to pursue a digital one in its place. Doing so, we offered each other a reprieve from this specific aspect of our confinement.
When we did finally part, I was left to consider what all of this could mean for my romantic future ― and everyone else’s, for that matter. In this new era of the coronavirus, my social media pages run rampant with couples posting tandem workout routines or joking about how they’re ready to murder each other. But little is to be seen in regard to single individuals in isolation; aside, of course, for debilitating levels of horniness. That’s perfectly reasonable: Are the uncoupled among us expected to stoically endure the coming weeks and months without complaint?
Initially, I’d viewed my act of online exhibitionism as something separate from the sex life I’d enjoyed as recently as two weeks prior to writing this. But upon further reflection I understand — for the foreseeable future — it’s the only game in town.
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To put our own health and that of those around us at risk for the sake of getting off is comically reckless, but that doesn’t necessarily require total abstinence. We can use this time to form stronger connections from a greater distance. We can adapt to these new restrictions without entirely foregoing our desires.
Right now, to be alone is to be responsible, heroic even; so now let us find heroism in the act of getting off for ― and with ― people on the internet! In doing so, we might discover a way to satisfy certain longings we would otherwise have to ignore. Maybe some of us will even find something we didn’t realize we were looking for before all of this happened: a small, significant way to feel less alone.
Alex Ebel is a writer living in New Orleans. He can be found online on Twitter and Instagram.
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huffpost--2020-03-29--Demi Lovato Accidentally Makes It Instagram Official With Rumored New Boyfriend

The only silver lining to everybody going live on social media to keep sane amid coronavirus is celebrities slipping up and revealing a bit more than planned ( or more than we ever wanted to know ) about their innermost thoughts and private lives .
Enter the “ I Love Me ” singer , who ’ s been linked to former “ Young and the Restless ” actor Max Ehrich over the past week , with multiple reports claiming that the two are indeed an item .
But it was all mostly speculation until Lovato popped up on screen while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an Instagram Live .
In the clip , Ehrich looks offscreen while seated at the piano , as an unaware Lovato enters the frame , snuggled up in a blanket .
“ I ’ m on live !
I ’ m on live , ” he tells her in a whisper , before she puts the pieces together , realizing she ’ s on camera .
Lovato and Ehrich clearly intended on keeping their romance under wraps , with the singer almost immediately covering her face with the blanket , as they break @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or Ehrich have spoken about the rumors , they ’ ve been leaving flirty comments on each other ’ s social media posts .
Look no further than Ehrich ’ s shirtless black-and-white Instagram pic from earlier this week , which he captioned , “ when u realize u should ’ ve packed more for your quarantine stay 😅🤦♂ have a blessed Monday filled with health , happiness , safety , joy , love , & laughter < 3 ” Ehrich also somewhat cryptically captioned another video “ 4D ” with a rose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe he was referring to the pop star .
“ Max is very into music and health , and he doesn ’ t like to party , ” the source continued .
“ He is a good influence on Demi and they have a lot in common .
They have a few mutual friends in common , but Demi has been introducing Max to her closest friends via FaceTime since being quarantined.
” Since her hospitalization and break from the public eye last year , Lovato has laid low when it comes to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with model Austin Wilson .
“ I was on dating apps for a while but as I ’ ve spent some time with myself over the past couple months , I realized that I am the type of person that will find any way to regulate when I ’ m sad or lonely or whatever , ” Lovato said .
“ I have to fight those battles on my own and I can ’ t let somebody come in and fix those issues for me .
So right now , I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ myself .
”

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Nothing screams 2020 more than Demi Lovato accidentally crashing her rumored boyfriend’s Instagram Live during quarantine.
The only silver lining to everybody going live on social media to keep sane amid coronavirus is celebrities slipping up and revealing a bit more than planned (or more than we ever wanted to know) about their innermost thoughts and private lives.
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Enter the “I Love Me” singer, who’s been linked to former “Young and the Restless” actor Max Ehrich over the past week, with multiple reports claiming that the two are indeed an item.
But it was all mostly speculation until Lovato popped up on screen while Ehrich was recently performing for fans during an Instagram Live.
Demi Lovato’s rumored boyfriend Max Ehrich was on IG Live and Demi Lovato accidentally popped in. 👀 pic.twitter.com/NXZhoztwwb — Pop Crave (@PopCrave) March 29, 2020
In the clip, Ehrich looks offscreen while seated at the piano, as an unaware Lovato enters the frame, snuggled up in a blanket.
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“I’m on live! I’m on live,” he tells her in a whisper, before she puts the pieces together, realizing she’s on camera.
Lovato and Ehrich clearly intended on keeping their romance under wraps, with the singer almost immediately covering her face with the blanket, as they break out into giggles.
Her exit, however, wasn’t quick enough for fans to miss her appearance.
Demi Lovato attends the Teen Vogue Summit in November 2019. Rachel Murray via Getty Images
Max Ehrich pictured at Lifetime's Summer Luau in May 2019. Paul Archuleta via Getty Images
While neither Lovato or Ehrich have spoken about the rumors, they’ve been leaving flirty comments on each other’s social media posts.
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Look no further than Ehrich’s shirtless black-and-white Instagram pic from earlier this week, which he captioned, “when u realize u should’ve packed more for your quarantine stay 😅🤦♂ have a blessed Monday filled with health, happiness, safety, joy, love, & laughter <3”
“Fine by me,” Lovato quipped in the comments section.
Ehrich also somewhat cryptically captioned another video “4D” with a rose and heart emoji, leading fans to believe he was referring to the pop star.
Lovato and Ehrich “have been quarantining together at Demi’s house and it’s going really well,” an unnamed source told E! News.
“Max is very into music and health, and he doesn’t like to party,” the source continued. “He is a good influence on Demi and they have a lot in common. They have a few mutual friends in common, but Demi has been introducing Max to her closest friends via FaceTime since being quarantined.”
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Since her hospitalization and break from the public eye last year, Lovato has laid low when it comes to romance, except for a brief fling with model Austin Wilson.
And she seemed intent on staying single at least for the time being, addressing her relationship status during an appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” earlier this month.


huffpost--2020-02-20--Prince Andrew Gets Royal Birthday Wishes Amid Jeffrey Epstein Scandal

“ To date , Prince Andrew has provided zero cooperation , ” Berman said at a press conference in January @ @ @ @ @ that this is the first time investigators have acknowledged that they sought and failed to @ @ @ @ @ of York .
And despite the duke ’ s intention to step back from royal @ @ @ @ @ with China ’ s ambassador to the U.K. , Liu Xiaoming , to pass on @ @ @ @ @ .
Liu shared the message and picture from the engagement , which showed Andrew with @ @ @ @ @ daughter , Princess Beatrice ; and Beatrice ’ s fiancé , Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi .
@ @ @ @ @ sent an encouraging message to President Xi and Chinese people : At the critical time @ @ @ @ @ I express my sincere sympathy for Chinese people , and pray for the speedy control @ @ @ @ @ , ” he tweeted at the time .
The visit was private and was not @ @ @ @ @

“To date, Prince Andrew has provided zero cooperation,” Berman said at a press conference in January. The Associated Press reported that this is the first time investigators have acknowledged that they sought and failed to obtain information from the Duke of York.
And despite the duke’s intention to step back from royal life, Andrew recently met with China’s ambassador to the U.K., Liu Xiaoming, to pass on a message from the queen.
Liu shared the message and picture from the engagement, which showed Andrew with ex-wife Fergie; his eldest daughter, Princess Beatrice; and Beatrice’s fiancé, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.


huffpost--2020-03-09--Here's How The 2020 Census Process Will Work

Why do we have a census , anyway ?
What does the census process entail ?
If you ’ re not home when a census taker ( known as an enumerator ) comes around , or you refuse to participate in the in-person interview , they may then resort to backup methods , including proxies .
“ They may ask a neighbor or a landlord about some of the information they might know about your household , ” Williams said .
As the very last resort , they ’ ll use a method known as “ imputation , ” where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and statistical likelihoods based on where you live to fill in the data gaps .
How do you know if a person at your door is a real census taker ?
What happens if you ’ re not counted in the census ?
Will there be a question about citizenship on the 2020 census ?
How is the census being handled in light of the coronavirus ?
One final note : Watch out for census scams .
Other census scams tend to pop up around this time as well .
Be wary of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ encouraging you to follow the link and fill out the census form online ; these emails are not from the Census Bureau and contain malware that can steal your personal information .
Also , the Census Bureau will never call you and ask for money or personal information such as your Social Security number .
If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from the Census Bureau and aren ’ t sure if it ’ s legitimate , here ’ s how to verify it ’ s real .

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It’s that time again. Soon you’ll receive an important form in the mail from the U.S. Census Bureau, and workers may even knock at your door to ask questions about the people who live in your home. Depending on your age, you may have never experienced this as a respondent before, as a nationwide census happens only once every 10 years.
So as we prepare for the 2020 census, you might be wondering what the process actually entails. Below are answers to some of the biggest questions surrounding the census and how it works.
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Why do we have a census, anyway?
The census is conducted every 10 years for a few important reasons. For one, it’s required by the Constitution. “The sixth sentence in the constitution specifies that there will be a census every 10 years in the United States, counting everybody who lives here,” explained Jonathan Williams, an applied data science manager at Civis Analytics.
But why is it so important?
“Census results are how we apportion congressional representatives from each of the states,” Williams said. “It’s also how we disperse about $1.5 trillion of federal funding per year.” For example, the data will dictate where new schools are needed, where new roads and bridges should be built and how funds should be dispersed among programs such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as food stamps).
Census numbers also inform statewide redistricting efforts (how legislative districts are drawn and along which lines).
There’s also a significant research component ― not only academic research, but consumer or commercial research. Decisions such as where to situate new stores or which ads to run are based, in part, on census research, according to Williams.
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What does the census process entail?
There are a few different phases to the census, the first of which is a self-response period.
Starting in March, you should receive a postcard from the U.S. Census Bureau that includes instructions for how to participate. According to Williams, this is the first time that the census will include the option to participate online, which 6 in 10 households that fill out their own report are expected to do.
However, those who have limited internet access or are concerned about security risks or scams can complete their census forms on paper and mail them in, or answer census questions over the phone.
April 1 is considered the official census day, but almost all households should have received their census form in the mail by then, Williams said. “After about a month of that self-response period, the Census Bureau will begin what’s called a ‘nonresponse followup,’” he added.
This is the step in the process that a lot of people tend to associate with the census. If you do not fill out a form, census takers will collect your information through an in-person interview by going to your door. “They’ll come around several times in case you’re not home,” Williams said.
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If you’re not home when a census taker (known as an enumerator) comes around, or you refuse to participate in the in-person interview, they may then resort to backup methods, including proxies. “They may ask a neighbor or a landlord about some of the information they might know about your household,” Williams said. As the very last resort, they’ll use a method known as “imputation,” where they use a combination of administrative records and statistical likelihoods based on where you live to fill in the data gaps.
Keep in mind that this whole process may be changed as we learn more about the coronavirus situation ― more on that below.
How do you know if a person at your door is a real census taker?
Though you can expect someone to come knocking on your door this summer, always use caution when answering. Census enumerators will always have an ID badge with their photo, which includes a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark.
Additionally, they will only ask questions that are on the census form. You should never be asked about your Social Security number, immigration status, financial information such as bank account or credit card numbers, or for donations. Census takers will also never enter your home.
When in doubt, call your local Census Bureau representative to verify the person’s identity. A legitimate representative should have that contact information on hand and will present it if asked.
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“You should never be asked about your Social Security number, immigration status, financial information such as bank account or credit card numbers, or for donations. Census takers will also never enter your home.”
What’s the planned 2020 census timeline?
Below is a brief overview of the important dates related to the 2020 census:
January 21: The census got a head start and began counting the population in remote Alaska.
March 12–20: Your household should receive an official piece of mail from the U.S. Census Bureau with instructions on how to respond to the 2020 census by web, phone or mail.
March 30–April 1 (postponed): These were the planned dates for the Census Bureau to attempt counting people in homeless shelters, tent encampments, on the streets and others currently experiencing homelessness. However, due to concerns over the coronavirus, the Census Bureau is suspending all field operations through April 1.
April 1: This is the official census day when every household receives an official invitation to participate in the 2020 census.
Throughout April: Census workers will begin counting people who live in large groups, such as college students who live on campus and seniors who live in group homes. They will also conduct quality check interviews to make sure the count is accurate.
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May–July: This is when census representatives start the process of in-person interviews for households that haven’t responded yet.
December: Apportionment counts are provided to the president and Congress.
March 31, 2021: The Census Bureau will have sent redistricting counts to states by this date.
What happens if you’re not counted in the census?
All the methods of nonresponse follow-up outlined above are more likely to introduce mistakes into some of the details about households. So it’s incredibly important to respond to the census.
One consequence of missing or incorrect census data is that the total population count becomes less accurate. And that’s a big deal because it directly affects both federal representation and funding. When you have inaccurate lower totals counted in some states, both apportionments in Congress and federal funding are not divvied up as they should be, and representation and funds end up going to other states instead.
Williams added that there’s an equity component to this as well, because the people who end up not being counted in the census aren’t missed at random. “Specific populations ― such as young children under five years of age, renters, minorities and non-citizens ― are examples of groups that historically, have not been as well counted by the census as other groups,” Williams said.
And if those populations, in particular, aren’t counted relative to others, it could skew whether programs that make funds available for specific communities actually end up receiving the correct amount of funding.
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“There will be no citizenship question in the 2020 census.”
If you somehow missed your opportunity to self-report using the official census link or paper form and didn’t talk to a census worker in person, don’t worry. You can still participate in the census, even months later. Simply go online to the Census Bureau website and respond online using their secure form.
Will there be a question about citizenship on the 2020 census?
The census is intended to count every person living in the U.S., whether a citizen, noncitizen legal resident or otherwise. Over the last couple of years, the Trump administration had been pushing to add a question to the census form asking whether respondents are U.S. citizens. Critics of this change worried that it would lead to low response rates among noncitizens and Latinos, leading to unfair political representation (which some believe was the administration’s goal).
Ultimately, the Supreme Court blocked that proposal last June, stating that there was insufficient reasoning for why that question should be added. So rest assured ― there will be no citizenship question in the 2020 census.
How is the census being handled in light of the coronavirus?
One potential challenge for the 2020 census is how workers will conduct in-person interviews as the coronavirus continues to spread. People may be less likely to open their doors to strangers. And census workers will be at risk of contracting and spreading the disease due to the high level of in-person contact required.
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Until recently, there was no official plan in place to change how the census is conducted, and several senators called for the Census Bureau to address this concern. On March 18, the bureau announced that it would suspend all field operations for two weeks through April 1. “During this pause in field operations, the Census Bureau will continue to evaluate all 2020 Census operations. Should any additional adjustments need to be made, the Census Bureau will communicate these changes broadly and promptly,” it stated.
For all other surveys conducted by the Census Bureau that are separate from the 2020 census, personnel will rely on phone calls instead of in-person visits.
One final note: Watch out for census scams.
Getting an accurate count in the census is incredibly important, as it ensures that political representation and federal funding are doled out appropriately. Unfortunately, some people view this time as an opportunity to skew results or scam potential census participants.
For example, last month, Republicans mailed out documents titled “2020 Congressional District Census,” in envelopes labeled “Do not destroy, official document.” The lengthy forms were printed with colors and fonts that mirror the official census but were not actually related to the census at all. It was a clear attempt to confuse people and cause inaccurate counts. Here’s how you can verify if a mailing is real.
Other census scams tend to pop up around this time as well. Be wary of ads on social media or phishing emails encouraging you to follow the link and fill out the census form online; these emails are not from the Census Bureau and contain malware that can steal your personal information. Also, the Census Bureau will never call you and ask for money or personal information such as your Social Security number. If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from the Census Bureau and aren’t sure if it’s legitimate, here’s how to verify it’s real.
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huffpost--2020-03-22--As Crisis Deepens, Congressional Rescue Deal Teeters

With a population on edge and shell-shocked financial markets poised for the new work week , all sides were hoping for an agreement that would provide some relief against health and economic crises that are likely to stretch for several months .
Trump urged Congress to get a deal done and , during the Sunday briefing , responded to criticism that his administration was sluggish to respond .
He cited his cooperation with the three states hardest hit — New York , Washington and California — and invoked a measure to give governors flexibility in calling up the national guard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government covers the bill .
But even as Trump stressed federal-local partnerships , some governors , including Republican Greg Abbott of Texas , expressed unhappiness with Washington ’ s response .
The president himself took a swipe hours earlier at Gov .
J .
B. Pritzker , D-Ill. , saying that he and “ a very small group of certain other Governors , together with Fake News ” should not be “ blaming the Federal Government for their own shortcomings.
” This came as the first senator , Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus .
Paul , who is a doctor and close ally of the president , said in a tweet he was not showing symptoms and was in quarantine .
In recent days , Trump invoked the Defense Protection Act , a rarely used , decades-old authority that can be used to compel the private sector to manufacture needed medical supplies like masks and ventilators .
Officials said Sunday that it would be used voluntarily and businesses would not be compelled to act .
The president tweeted Sunday that automakers General Motors and Tesla @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make ventilators and other products .
But no automaker is anywhere close to making medical gear such as ventilators and remain months away , if not longer .
Nor do the car companies need the president ’ s permission to move forward .
Two days after he lashed out at a reporter who asked about his message to frightened Americans , Trump said , `` For those worried and afraid , please know as long as I am your president , you can feel confident that you have a leader who will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers and businesses will get assistance to help cover payrolls for the next 10 weeks ; unemployment insurance ; and a one-time “ bridge payment ” of about $ 3,000 for a family of four .
Hospitals , he said , will get approximately $ 110 billion for the expected influx of sick patients .
“ We ’ re not here to create a slush fund for Donald Trump and his family , or a slush fund for the Treasury Department to be able to hand out to their friends , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re here to help workers , we ’ re here to help hospitals .
”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Top-level negotiations between Congress and White House teetered Sunday over a nearly $1.4 trillion economic rescue package, as the coronavirus crisis deepened, the nation shut down and the first U.S. senator tested positive for the disease.
As President Donald Trump took to the podium in the White House briefing room and promised to help Americans who feel afraid and isolated as the pandemic spreads, the Senate was turning back the aid package on a procedural vote. But negotiations continued on Capitol Hill.
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“We’re enduring a great national trial and we will prove that we can meet the moment,” Trump said. “We’re at war.”
At the otherwise emptied out Capitol, the draft aid bill was declared insufficient by Democrats, who argued it was tilted toward corporations rather than workers and healthcare providers. The setback sent Republicans back to the negotiating table.
With a population on edge and shell-shocked financial markets poised for the new work week, all sides were hoping for an agreement that would provide some relief against health and economic crises that are likely to stretch for several months.
“Americans don’t need to see us haggling endlessly,” warned Senate Majority Leader McConnell, R-Ky., his voice rising on the Senate floor. He sought passage of the package by Monday.
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But Democrats say the largely GOP-led effort does not go far enough to provide health care and unemployment aid for Americans, and fails to put restraints on a proposed $500 billion “slush fund” for corporations.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the draft package “significantly cut back our hospitals, our cities, our states, our medical workers and so many others needed in this crisis.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., invoked Pope Francis in urging colleagues to “take responsibility” as Democrats prepared their own draft.
While the congressional leaders worked to send help, alarms were being sounded from coast to coast about the wave of coronavirus cases about to crash onto the nation’s health system.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio had dire, urgent news from the pandemic’s U.S. epicenter: “April and May are going to be a lot worse,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
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De Blasio all but begged Washington to help procure ventilators and other medical supplies. He accused the president of “not lifting a finger” to help.
“If the president doesn’t act, people will die who could have lived otherwise,” he said.
Trump urged Congress to get a deal done and, during the Sunday briefing, responded to criticism that his administration was sluggish to respond. He cited his cooperation with the three states hardest hit — New York, Washington and California — and invoked a measure to give governors flexibility in calling up the national guard under their control, while the federal government covers the bill.
But even as Trump stressed federal-local partnerships, some governors, including Republican Greg Abbott of Texas, expressed unhappiness with Washington’s response. The president himself took a swipe hours earlier at Gov. J. B. Pritzker, D-Ill., saying that he and “a very small group of certain other Governors, together with Fake News” should not be “blaming the Federal Government for their own shortcomings.”
This came as the first senator, Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky, announced he tested positive for the coronavirus. Paul, who is a doctor and close ally of the president, said in a tweet he was not showing symptoms and was in quarantine.
Paul was seen at a GOP senators’ lunch on Friday and swimming in the Senate gym pool on Sunday morning. His office said he left the Senate immediately after learning his diagnosis.
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A growing list of lawmakers have cycled in and out of isolation after exposure, and two members of the House have said they tested positive. Five senators were in self-quarantine Sunday evening.
In recent days, Trump invoked the Defense Protection Act, a rarely used, decades-old authority that can be used to compel the private sector to manufacture needed medical supplies like masks and ventilators. Officials said Sunday that it would be used voluntarily and businesses would not be compelled to act.
The president tweeted Sunday that automakers General Motors and Tesla were given “the go ahead” to make ventilators and other products. But no automaker is anywhere close to making medical gear such as ventilators and remain months away, if not longer. Nor do the car companies need the president’s permission to move forward.
Two days after he lashed out at a reporter who asked about his message to frightened Americans, Trump said, ``For those worried and afraid, please know as long as I am your president, you can feel confident that you have a leader who will always fight for you.”
But minutes later, when he learned that rival Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, was one of those in isolation, he declared “Romney’s in isolation? Gee, that’s too bad.”
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Trump claimed he was not being sarcastic.
The urgency to act is mounting, as jobless claims skyrocket, businesses shutter and the financial markets are set to re-open Monday eager for signs that Washington can soften the blow of the healthcare crisis and what experts say is a looming recession.
At issue is how best to keep paychecks flowing for millions of workers abruptly sidelined by the crisis, shore up business and create a so-called Marshall Plan for U.S. hospitals — evoking the postwar effort to rebuild Western Europe.
Officials put the price tag of the rescue package at nearly $1.4 trillion and said that with other measures from the Federal Reserve it could pump $2 trillion into the U.S. economy.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who was leading a third day of nonstop talks on Capitol Hill, said the plan was meant to prop up the nation’s weakened economy for the next 10 to 12 weeks.
Mnuchin said workers and businesses will get assistance to help cover payrolls for the next 10 weeks; unemployment insurance; and a one-time “bridge payment” of about $3,000 for a family of four. Hospitals, he said, will get approximately $110 billion for the expected influx of sick patients.
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The treasury secretary said a significant part of the package will involve working with the Federal Reserve for up to $4 trillion of liquidity to support the economy with “broad-based lending programs.”
But Democrats have pushed for add-ons, including food security aid, small business loans and other measures for workers — saying the three months of unemployment insurance offered under the draft plan was not enough.
They warned the draft plan’s $500 billion “corporate slush fund” does not put enough restraints on business, saying the ban on corporate stock buy-backs are weak and the limits on executive pay are only for two years.
“We’re not here to create a slush fund for Donald Trump and his family, or a slush fund for the Treasury Department to be able to hand out to their friends,” said Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. “We’re here to help workers, we’re here to help hospitals.”
There is also a $242 billion proposal for emergency supplemental food, hospital and public health needs, including for the Centers for Disease Control.
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The details are coming from drafts of both bills circulating among lobbyists but not yet released to the public. They were obtained by The Associated Press.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.
The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.
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Bev Banks contributed. Associated Press writers Colleen Long, Hope Yen, Mary Clare Jalonick, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Alan Fram and Padmananda Rama contributed to this report.
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The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.


huffpost--2020-03-22--Rand Paul Becomes First Senator Known To Contract Coronavirus

Sen. Rand Paul ( R-Ky. ) has tested positive for COVID-19 , the disease caused by the coronavirus , his office announced Sunday .
He is the first senator known to have contracted the virus .
The Kentucky Republican is “ feeling fine ” and is in quarantine , according to a tweet sent from his account .
“ He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events , ” the tweet continued .
“ He was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person.
” Senator Rand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He is feeling fine and is in quarantine .
He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events .
He was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person .
— Senator Rand Paul ( @ RandPaul ) March 22 , 2020 “ He expects to be back in the Senate after his quarantine period ends and will continue to work for the people of Kentucky at this difficult time , ” said a second tweet sent from Paul ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Congress known to have contracted the virus , which has infected more than 31,000 people in the U.S. and over 320,000 people worldwide .
Two members of the House of Representatives ― Mario Diaz-Balart ( R-Fla. ) and Ben McAdams ( D-Utah ) ― announced they had the virus last week .
It ’ s unclear how Paul was able to secure a test despite his lack of symptoms or known direct contact with an infected person .
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has asked only those who are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus to seek a test .
Several senators have reportedly expressed concern over coming in contact with Paul in recent days , unaware that he had the virus until this morning .
Three GOP senators told CNN that Paul was in the gym with colleagues earlier Sunday , and he was observed sitting near others during recent lunches .
“ All the senators are going to seek medical advice as to what action we should take to make sure that we don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Sen. Mitt Romney ( R-Utah ) told reporters on Sunday .
“ We had a lunch together with Rand , and hope he ’ s doing very well , but we have to determine whether any of us should self-quarantine as a result of being in the same room .
”

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Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, his office announced Sunday. He is the first senator known to have contracted the virus.
The Kentucky Republican is “feeling fine” and is in quarantine, according to a tweet sent from his account.
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“He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events,” the tweet continued. “He was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person.”
Senator Rand Paul has tested positive for COVID-19. He is feeling fine and is in quarantine. He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. He was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person. — Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 22, 2020
Paul’s office began operating remotely 10 days ago.
“He expects to be back in the Senate after his quarantine period ends and will continue to work for the people of Kentucky at this difficult time,” said a second tweet sent from Paul’s account.
Paul is the third member of Congress known to have contracted the virus, which has infected more than 31,000 people in the U.S. and over 320,000 people worldwide. Two members of the House of Representatives ― Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) and Ben McAdams (D-Utah) ― announced they had the virus last week.
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It’s unclear how Paul was able to secure a test despite his lack of symptoms or known direct contact with an infected person. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has asked only those who are showing symptoms of COVID-19 or have had contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus to seek a test.
Paul’s office did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
Several senators have reportedly expressed concern over coming in contact with Paul in recent days, unaware that he had the virus until this morning. Three GOP senators told CNN that Paul was in the gym with colleagues earlier Sunday, and he was observed sitting near others during recent lunches.


huffpost--2020-03-22--Chaos, Inconsistency Mark Launch Of Drive-Thru Coronavirus Testing

PROVIDENCE , R.I. ( AP ) — Drive-thru sites have been opening around the United States to make it quicker and safer to test people for the new coronavirus .
But much like the rest of the U.S. response to the pandemic , the system has been marked by inconsistencies , delays , and shortages .
Many people who have symptoms and a doctor ’ s order have waited hours or days for a test .
More than a week after President Donald Trump promised that states and retail stores such as Walmart and CVS would open drive-thru test centers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and they ’ re not yet open to the general public .
Some states are leaving it to the private sector to open test locations ; others are coordinating the effort through state health departments .
Patients have complained that they had to jump through cumbersome bureaucratic hoops and wait days to get tested , then wait even longer for a result .
Testing centers opened in some places only to be shut down shortly afterward because of shortages of supplies and staff .
And while the drive-thru test centers that have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been long lines at some .
For most people , the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms , such as fever and cough .
For some , especially older adults and people with existing health problems , it can cause more severe illness , including pneumonia .
The vast majority of people recover from the new virus .
According to the World Health Organization , people with mild illness recover in about two weeks , while those with more severe illness may take three weeks to six weeks to recover .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ locations in more than 30 states — in state parks and parking lots , next to medical centers and universities , at the Mississippi state fairgrounds and near where the Jacksonville Jaguars play .
The governor of Maryland this past week ordered vehicle emission inspection programs across the state to stop so that the locations can be used as drive-thru centers to test for the virus .
The Utah health department said it isn ’ t in charge of the sites and isn ’ t tracking them .
North Carolina ’ s health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the private sector and declined to say how many sites there are .
By contrast , in Rhode Island , health care organizations are running the sites in partnership with the state health department .
The vast network of drive-thru sites at retail chains that Trump said more than a week ago was coming has so far failed to materialize .
CVS has opened one site in Massachusetts , which it calls a “ model for testing.
” Walmart said its launching two sites and Walgreens said it ’ s launching one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health care workers and first responders are allowed .
Finally , on Thursday , she got an appointment for Monday .
And she was told the results would not come back until four to five days after that .
The visit will cost her $ 25 , she said .
Complicating matters , she doesn ’ t have a car and has to borrow one from a friend .
At the Penn Medicine testing site in West Philadelphia , two security officers late Thursday stood outside to make sure people who arrived by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For about 40 minutes that evening , the line of cars never grew to more than six or seven .
But Patricia Sullivan , chief quality officer of Penn Medicine , said every morning this past week , 25 to 35 cars have been lined up and six or seven walk-up patients have stood 6 feet apart under a portico waiting to be seen .
“ It is our absolute top priority to get to a place where everyone who needs it can be tested and you ’ ll get the results very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news conference held via Facebook Live on Friday .
“ Then if you ’ re positive , we can get you quarantined .
”

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Drive-thru sites have been opening around the United States to make it quicker and safer to test people for the new coronavirus. But much like the rest of the U.S. response to the pandemic, the system has been marked by inconsistencies, delays, and shortages. Many people who have symptoms and a doctor’s order have waited hours or days for a test.
More than a week after President Donald Trump promised that states and retail stores such as Walmart and CVS would open drive-thru test centers, few sites are up and running, and they’re not yet open to the general public. Some states are leaving it to the private sector to open test locations; others are coordinating the effort through state health departments.
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Patients have complained that they had to jump through cumbersome bureaucratic hoops and wait days to get tested, then wait even longer for a result. Testing centers opened in some places only to be shut down shortly afterward because of shortages of supplies and staff. And while the drive-thru test centers that have opened are generally orderly, there have been long lines at some.
The slow ramp-up of the COVID-19 testing and the spotty nature now of the system makes it hard for public health officials to track the spread of the disease and bring it under control.
“We need to be testing more broadly to fully understand the scope of the public health situation we are facing,” said Joseph Wendelken, a spokesman for the Rhode Island Department of Health.
Critical care nurse Molly Spaeny, left, with St. Vincent Healthcare speaks with a patient after administering a coronavirus test in a drive-thru testing center outside the hospital in Billings, Mont. Friday, March 20, 2020. ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Dr. Brett Giroir, the federal health official tasked with overseeing testing, said at a White House briefing Saturday that so far about 195,000 people have been tested in the U.S. That figure does not include some people who have been tested in private labs.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three weeks to six weeks to recover.
Drive-thru test sites have popped up in locations in more than 30 states — in state parks and parking lots, next to medical centers and universities, at the Mississippi state fairgrounds and near where the Jacksonville Jaguars play. The governor of Maryland this past week ordered vehicle emission inspection programs across the state to stop so that the locations can be used as drive-thru centers to test for the virus.
But as of Friday there were no open drive-thru tests available in Maryland’s inspection centers.
The Utah health department said it isn’t in charge of the sites and isn’t tracking them. North Carolina’s health director said the state is leaving testing to the private sector and declined to say how many sites there are. By contrast, in Rhode Island, health care organizations are running the sites in partnership with the state health department.
In Houston on Thursday, cars lined up for more than a mile outside a hospital when the city’s first drive-thru testing site opened. U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee said they administered fewer than 200 tests in the first six hours.
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Elsewhere, at several sites visited by Associated Press reporters and photographers, the scenes were well-controlled and sometimes downright quiet.
Dozens of people waiting in cars at a center in Homestead, Florida, on Wednesday, waited their turn to speak with a screener wearing a gown and mask and carrying a clipboard. Some were apparently turned away. Others were waved through, had their temperatures checked and were swabbed for samples.
But supply shortages have shut down drive-thrus in several states, including Colorado, New Mexico, Virginia, Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, North Carolina, and Utah. One Las Vegas site was closed because it didn’t have enough workers.
Medical personnel wearing protective equipment screen people referred by doctors for COVID-19 testing, Friday, March 20, 2020, at a drive-thru testing station set up in the parking lot at the Spokane County Fair & Expo Center in Spokane, Wash. ASSOCIATED PRESS
New York state opened several centers to great fanfare on Tuesday. By Friday, however, New York City’s health department issued an alert saying only people who require hospitalization should be tested, due to shortages of protective equipment such as face masks.
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Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak said he has begged the federal government for additional test kits and supplies, but the state received a notice Thursday that all of its requests for drive-thru testing pods and testing kits “are on an indefinite backlog, without any estimate of a timeline for delivery.”
“This is our unfortunate reality Nevada. It’s up to us,” he said.
The sites themselves are dotted with tents and traffic cones. The most notable features are medical personnel wearing masks, gloves and protective smocks or other clothing. They take nose and throat swabs from people sitting in their cars or help people go inside for the test.
Some states have as few as one drive-thru site. Montana’s sole site is in Billings, the state’s largest city. Others have a few dozen.
Security guards were reported at many sites, but a survey of states by the AP did not uncover any security problems. In Rhode Island, the National Guard have been on hand to set up the state’s three drive-thru sites and even to swab patients.
The vast network of drive-thru sites at retail chains that Trump said more than a week ago was coming has so far failed to materialize. CVS has opened one site in Massachusetts, which it calls a “model for testing.” Walmart said its launching two sites and Walgreens said it’s launching one, all three around Chicago. Only health care workers and first responders are allowed.
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The patchwork of approaches has caused confusion for patients. Caroline Mauldin was ordered to get a test by her doctor in Charleston, South Carolina, on Tuesday, after experiencing aches and chills for several days.
To get an appointment at a drive-thru site at a medical center, she had to fill out a lengthy online questionnaire and she spent two days calling a number that rolled to voicemail and wouldn’t take messages. She resorted to tweeting at the hospital several times just to move things forward.
Finally, on Thursday, she got an appointment for Monday. And she was told the results would not come back until four to five days after that. The visit will cost her $25, she said. Complicating matters, she doesn’t have a car and has to borrow one from a friend.
“We have a lot of elderly, low-income people here who don’t have access to the internet and who don’t have access to transportation. And given that they’re the highest risk population, how are we getting tests to them?” she asked.
Photo by: zz/John Nacion/STAR MAX/IPx 2020 3/20/20 A new coronavirus testing site on Staten Island, New York City. The state-run mobile testing site is in a parking lot next to the South Beach Psychiatric Center on Seaview Avenue. zz/John Nacion/STAR MAX/IPx
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In urban area such as New York and Philadelphia, some sites are providing “walk-up” appointments for people with no cars.
At the Penn Medicine testing site in West Philadelphia, two security officers late Thursday stood outside to make sure people who arrived by car or foot had an appointment. For about 40 minutes that evening, the line of cars never grew to more than six or seven. But Patricia Sullivan, chief quality officer of Penn Medicine, said every morning this past week, 25 to 35 cars have been lined up and six or seven walk-up patients have stood 6 feet apart under a portico waiting to be seen.
The 20 sites in greater Philadelphia are testing about 1,000 people a day, but that hasn’t cleared the pent-up demand.
Rosanne Tanner’s 79-year-old mother has been sick with a fever and chest pain since returning from visiting Tanner’s brother and his wife, who had recently been on a cruise ship.
Her doctor ordered a test on Tuesday, but when she tried to get an appointment at a drive-thru site at a hospital outside Philadelphia, they were told “they are overloaded, they’re bogged down,” Tanner said.
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Medical staff told her they’re scheduling 15 minutes apart so there aren’t bottlenecks at the test site.
Finally on Thursday her mother secured an appointment for the following Tuesday. Then, she will have to wait five more days for a result.
“The lag time on these tests, it’s putting people at risk,” Tanner said.
In Rhode Island, state officials said they are testing around 100 to 200 people a day at all testing sites, including three drive-thrus.
Gov. Gina Raimondo said they want to perform 500 to 600 per day, but they don’t have the supplies they need.
“It is our absolute top priority to get to a place where everyone who needs it can be tested and you’ll get the results very quickly,” Raimondo said at a news conference held via Facebook Live on Friday. “Then if you’re positive, we can get you quarantined.”
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Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price in Las Vegas, Lynne Sladky in Homestead, Florida, Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia, Chris Ehrmann in Hartford, Connecticut, Brady McCombs in Salt Lake City, and Jonathan Drew in Raleigh, North Carolina, and contributed to this report.
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huffpost--2020-03-22--17 Employees, 21 Inmates Test Positive For Coronavirus In NYC Jails

NEW YORK ( AP ) — At least 38 people have tested positive for coronavirus in New York City jails , including at the notorious Rikers Island jail complex , the board that oversees the city ’ s jail system said Saturday .
In a letter to criminal justice leaders , Board of Correction interim chairwoman Jacqueline Sherman wrote that at least 58 other people were currently being monitored in contagious disease and quarantine units .
“ It is likely these people have been in hundreds of housing areas and common areas over recent weeks and have been in close @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and staff , ” Sherman warned , predicting a sharp rise in the number of infections .
“ The best path forward to protecting the community of people housed and working in the jails is to rapidly decrease the number of people housed and working in them.
” In the past six days , she wrote , the board learned that at least 12 Department of Correction employees , five Correctional Health Services employees , and 21 inmates have tested positive for the virus .
The city ’ s jail agency and its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ messages seeking comment on the letter .
On Friday , the city ’ s Department of Corrections said just one inmate had been diagnosed with coronavirus , along with seven jail staff members .
Late Saturday , the department acknowledged 19 inmates had tested positive — two fewer than in the board ’ s letter — and 12 staff members .
The city-run agency that provides inmate health care did not respond to messages seeking comment on the board ’ s assertion that some of its employees were also infected .
New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , The Associated Press has found in conversations with current and former inmates .
More than 2.2 million people are incarcerated in the United States — more than anywhere in the world — and there are growing fears that an outbreak could spread rapidly through a vast network of federal and state prisons , county jails and detention centers .
It ’ s a tightly packed , fluid population that is already grappling with high rates of health problems and , when it comes to the elderly and the infirm , elevated risks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nationally to test for COVID-19 , men and women inside worry that they are last in line when showing flu-like symptoms , meaning that some may be infected without knowing it .
The first positive tests from inside prisons and jails started tricking out just over a week ago , with less than two dozen officers and staff infected in other facilities from California and Michigan to Pennsylvania .
For most people , the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms , such as fever and cough .
For some , especially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problems , it can cause more severe illness , including pneumonia , and even death .
The vast majority of people recover from the virus .
According to the World Health Organization , people with mild illness recover in about two weeks , while those with more severe cases may take three to six weeks to recover .

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NEW YORK (AP) — At least 38 people have tested positive for coronavirus in New York City jails, including at the notorious Rikers Island jail complex, the board that oversees the city’s jail system said Saturday.
In a letter to criminal justice leaders, Board of Correction interim chairwoman Jacqueline Sherman wrote that at least 58 other people were currently being monitored in contagious disease and quarantine units.
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“It is likely these people have been in hundreds of housing areas and common areas over recent weeks and have been in close contact with many other people in custody and staff,” Sherman warned, predicting a sharp rise in the number of infections.
“The best path forward to protecting the community of people housed and working in the jails is to rapidly decrease the number of people housed and working in them.”
In the past six days, she wrote, the board learned that at least 12 Department of Correction employees, five Correctional Health Services employees, and 21 inmates have tested positive for the virus.
The city’s jail agency and its city-run healthcare provider did not respond to messages seeking comment on the letter. On Friday, the city’s Department of Corrections said just one inmate had been diagnosed with coronavirus, along with seven jail staff members.
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Late Saturday, the department acknowledged 19 inmates had tested positive — two fewer than in the board’s letter — and 12 staff members. The city-run agency that provides inmate health care did not respond to messages seeking comment on the board’s assertion that some of its employees were also infected.
New York has consistently downplayed the number of infections, The Associated Press has found in conversations with current and former inmates.
More than 2.2 million people are incarcerated in the United States — more than anywhere in the world — and there are growing fears that an outbreak could spread rapidly through a vast network of federal and state prisons, county jails and detention centers.
It’s a tightly packed, fluid population that is already grappling with high rates of health problems and, when it comes to the elderly and the infirm, elevated risks of serious complications. With limited capacity nationally to test for COVID-19, men and women inside worry that they are last in line when showing flu-like symptoms, meaning that some may be infected without knowing it.
The first positive tests from inside prisons and jails started tricking out just over a week ago, with less than two dozen officers and staff infected in other facilities from California and Michigan to Pennsylvania.
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For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and even death.
The vast majority of people recover from the virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe cases may take three to six weeks to recover.
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