Coronavirus Updates

  • ICE Is Still Holding Immigrants Vulnerable to Coronavirus. ACLU Just Sued to Let Some Out.

    March 16, 2020

    Detainees at the Strafford County Detention Center wave back to marchers rallying near the center where ICE detainees are being held, in Dover, New Hampshire.JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images

    The American Civil Liberties Union and the Northwest Immigration Rights Project sued ICE Monday afternoon, calling on the agency to release some detainees at an immigration detention facility at the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. 

    The suit is focused specifically on immigrants who are considered high-risk for serious illness or death if infected with the new coronavirus. It lists nine people held at the Tacoma Northwest Detention Center who are older adults or have medical conditions that could make them vulnerable to COVID-19, the disease that develops from the novel coronavirus, including lung disease, heart disease, diabetes, epilepsy, kidney disease, autoimmune disorders, asthma, and hypertension, according to court filings. The facility is located just outside Seattle, an area that has been particularly hard hit by the coronavirus; the state department of health reports more than 700 confirmed cases and 42 deaths across Washington. 

    ACLU staff tell me that in addition to the nine people named in the lawsuit, it estimates that roughly between 50 and 100 people could also be at high risk in the detention center, but without having access to a complete roster of detainees or their medical records, the estimate is based on what people who are already working with attorneys have reported. The Tacoma Northwest Detention Center has a capacity of 1,575 and is privately owned and operated by the  GEO Group, which contracts with ICE. 

    At a time when social distancing and improved hygiene are the new norms, ICE detention centers, much like prisons, have hundreds of adults held in close quarters, often in facilities known for having notoriously bad medical services. 

    “Immigrant detention centers are institutions that uniquely heighten the danger of disease transmission,” Eunice Cho, senior staff attorney at ACLU’s National Prison Project, said in a press release. “In normal circumstances, ICE has proven time and again that it is unable to protect the health and safety of detained people. These are not normal circumstances, and the heightened risk of serious harm to people in detention from COVID-19 is clear.”  

    My colleague Noah Lanard wrote last week about the dangers to immigrants in ICE custody, saying the agency could “reduce the risk of the coronavirus spreading and potentially causing more deaths in its custody” by releasing vulnerable detainees, particularly those who don’t pose a threat to public safety. Noah spoke with one Cuban asylum seeker held in Louisiana:

    The man, whom I’ll call Alberto to protect him from potential retaliation, had more reason to worry about the coronavirus than most: He was detained in a crowded room alongside nearly 100 others at a jail run by LaSalle Corrections, a company with a long record of providing shoddy medical care. “If coronavirus gets in here,” he said, “it’s going to be a massacre.” 

    “It’s going to be a massacre because everyone will get it at the same time,” Alberto explained in Spanish. “Not just one person. Everyone will get it at the same time because we’re all breathing the same air.” His concern is shared by immigrant advocates and detention experts who have spent years documenting Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s in some cases fatally substandard medical care.

    As Noah reported, “ICE has broad authority to release people in its custody.”

    The agency has posted online a page with its “guidance on COVID-19” where it claims to have no confirmed coronavirus cases in its detention facilities. According to this page, ICE is screening people when they arrive at detention facilities and is isolating detainees with fever and/or respiratory symptoms “who meet these criteria and observe them for a specified time period.” If needed, the agency says it will “consult with the local health department, as appropriate, to assess the need for testing.”

    Monday’s lawsuit is the latest of many public calls for ICE to release vulnerable detainees held for immigration violations. Last week, a coalition of immigrant rights groups and human rights organizations sent a letter to ICE requesting that the agency “immediately grant humanitarian parole to all vulnerable persons” held at the Adelanto Detention Facility in California. The group of 14 organizations—which includes Al Otro Lado, Human Rights First, Immigrant Defenders Law Center, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice Los Angeles—has asked for a meeting with representatives from ICE and Adelanto no later than March 19. They haven’t gotten a response. 

  • That Text You’re Getting Is a Hoax. Trump Is Not Calling for a National Quarantine.

    March 16, 2020

    Evan Vucci/AP

    On Sunday, the White House’s National Security Council put to bed a rumor circulating via text message that the president was planning to invoke the Stafford Act to impose a “two-week mandatory quarantine for the nation.”

    Here’s one version of the hoax text message that has been making the rounds:

    On Friday, Trump declared a national emergency over the spread of the coronavirus, allowing the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency to work with state and local governments on relief efforts and unlocking $50 billion in aid. But as the false text message went viral over the weekend, misinformation spread about the scope of the president’s power to authorize a national emergency and what that meant in practice. Elizabeth Goitein, co-director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, explained in The Atlantic what exactly Trump’s invocation of the Stafford Act could do.

    Under a Stafford Act emergency declaration, the federal government can perform various activities to support state and local emergency assistance. It can coordinate disaster-relief efforts, provide technical and advisory help to state and local governments, provide grants to individuals and households for temporary housing and personal needs, and distribute medicine and food. Under a major-disaster declaration, the federal government can provide additional forms of assistance—most notably, direct relief to victims and communities affected by the disaster in the form of unemployment assistance, food coupons, legal services, grants to assist low-income migrant and seasonal farmworkers, emergency public transportation, and emergency communications.

    Even though a pandemic could clearly meet the Stafford Act’s definition of an emergency, using the law for such a purpose is actually quite unusual. Rather, federal responses to such crises generally take place under the auspices of the Department of Health and Human Services, using authorities provided by a different law, the Public Health Services Act (PHSA). In fact, a president has declared a Stafford Act emergency to address an outbreak of disease on only one prior occasion: In 2000, President Bill Clinton issued Stafford Act declarations in response to requests from the governors of New York and New Jersey to address an outbreak of the West Nile virus. No president has ever declared a major disaster in response to a health epidemic.

    Wendy Parmet, director of Northeastern University’s Center for Health Policy and Law, told me that the federal government, particularly the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has broad powers to authorize quarantine orders under the Public Health Services Act but not under the Stafford Act, as indicated by the text. “I don’t know what’s in the president’s head but that’s some indication that this is just fake news email, texts, Facebook,” Parmet said. 

    The act, she added, allows for “the apprehension, detention, or conditional release” of people under quarantine or “to prevent the interstate transmission of a disease if it’s in the country.” A federal quarantine order would have “statutory, regulatory, and constitutional limits” on it and would have to follow existing constitutional safeguards on individual liberties. It’s possible it would run afoul of the Constitution if the order were done in a racially discriminatory way or if it denied people the ability to get basic food. But such a widespread order would be unprecedented, given that the CDC has promulgated isolation orders only twice in the past 50 years. (The CDC’s website notes that the last large-scale isolation or quarantine order came down during the 1918 influenza pandemic.) Far more likely are the sorts of state-mandated business closures and state-level guidance on public gatherings we’re already seeing. “The states are way ahead of where the federal government is,” Parmet said, adding they are acting “far more draconian than the federal government.” 

    “Wherever [the text message] is going on the Internet, we’re in scary times. There’s been a troubling lack of consistency in messaging and policy from Washington and that helps to sow the seeds of rumors,” Parmet said. “Trust is an absolutely critical ingredient to an effective public health response. If people don’t trust the leadership, that’s a bad situation. Unfortunately, we’re in that bad situation.” 

  • Ohio Judges Are Releasing People From Jails to Fight Coronavirus. It’s a Good Idea.

    March 16, 2020

    FrankvandenBergh/Getty

    To keep the novel coronavirus from spreading, public health officials are urging everyone to stay at home and distance themselves from others. But for the 2 million people in jails and prisons across the country, often crammed into crowded holding cells or dorm-style housing units, that’s simply not possible: Incarceration creates a perfect breeding ground for infections. In the United States, no inmates have tested positive for the virus yet, but public health experts believe it’s only a matter of time: China saw an explosion of cases across its prisons in February. In Iran, officials announced earlier this month they would release more than 54,000 prisoners to try to prevent the disease from spreading there.

    In the United States, prisons and jails have so far resisted calls to release large groups of incarcerated people, despite warnings from public health and correctional experts about the dangers of crowded cells. But over the weekend, judges in Cleveland, Ohio, became some of the first to really take these warnings to heart: A county court held emergency hearings to let dozens of jail detainees go home early, with the goal of sending hundreds more back to their communities as soon as possible.

    Thirty-eight people were released from the Cuyahoga County Jail after emergency hearings on Saturday, according to local reporters at a Fox affiliate and Cleveland.com. Some of these detainees went home on bond, while others were sentenced to probation or community service or time served. More hearings are ramping up at the county’s common pleas court this week, and a local judge said he hoped to soon release as many as 300 people from the jail, aiming to free up more space for quarantines at the facility if they are needed. “We know that eventually that virus is going to hit our jail,” Brendan Sheehan, the presiding judge of the county’s common pleas court, told Cleveland.com. “If that virus hits our jail, our jail will not be able to operate, and everything will be crippled.” Criminal justice reform advocates applauded the move: “Other jails should follow,” Udi Ofer, the director of the ACLU’s Justice Division, wrote in a tweet.

    Some of those released in Cleveland had been arrested for nonviolent drug charges or poverty-related crimes. One woman who was jailed for drug possession pleaded guilty Saturday during her arraignment hearing; the judge allowed her to go home that day by sentencing her to time served. Another woman facing charges for fentanyl possession was sentenced to probation and drug treatment during her hearing. While the court prioritized punishments like these that allowed people to return to their communities, some defendants were sentenced to prison, where they will continue to face heightened odds of infection.

    In San Francisco, meanwhile, attorneys are also trying to release more people from lockup. Last week, the city’s public defender announced his office would ask courts to immediately free anyone sentenced to county jail with less than six months remaining on their sentence, as well as all clients held pretrial who are at heightened risk for getting sick—a fairly large group, given that many people booked into jails have preexisting health conditions. The city’s new chief prosecutor, Chesa Boudin, said he would not oppose the release of pretrial detainees facing misdemeanor charges or drug-related felony charges as long as they pose no threat to public safety. He urged his team of prosecutors to help more people leave confinement early by offering plea deals that take into account the time they have already waited in jail.

    Other jurisdictions around the country are trying to slow the speed at which people are jailed in other ways. Some are postponing nonessential criminal court hearings, unless the defendant is already in custody. Sheriffs in some counties are urging police not to put people into jail who are accused of nonviolent crimes or misdemeanors. State and federal prisons have also announced temporary bans on transfers between facilities or visits from family members.

    But many criminal justice advocates say that won’t be enough, arguing that prison outbreaks will be unavoidable unless more drastic measures are taken. In New York, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez last week joined criminal justice advocates and public health experts in asking Gov. Andrew Cuomo to grant emergency clemencies to prisoners who are elderly or sick, as my colleague Madison Pauly reported last week. Some advocacy groups are now calling for their jurisdictions to follow the lead of the Ohio judges. “During this pandemic, incarcerated people are at increased risk of exposure and death,” the ACLU of Florida, Dream Defenders, and other criminal justice reform groups wrote in a statement urging courts in Miami to release more people from jails who have short sentences or are there pretrial. “Continued incarceration will be a death sentence.”

  • In Private Facebook Groups, Doctors Share Their Worst Fears. We Talked to One of Them.

    March 16, 2020

    Workers in protective gear operate a drive through COVID-19 mobile testing center on March 13, 2020 in New Rochelle, New York. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    I conducted an interview with a physician who wanted to remain anonymous for job-security reasons. The doctor’s remarks have been edited for clarity. 

    I’m a 38-year-old physician. My specialty is surgery, and I’ve been practicing for 12 years including surgical training. I’m a member of three different private coronavirus Facebook groups just for physicians and other health care providers. Each group has anywhere from about 5,000 to 45,000 members. I am not on the front lines right now, but what I’m hearing is really alarming.

    I’ve never seen anything like this in my professional life.

    Early on, from what we were hearing from the media, many of us were sort of thinking this is a disease really for older people. Last week, even one of my own colleagues was in the anti-panic mode, you know, trying to calm everyone down, posting that, “It’s not surprising when grandma gets a cold that she might die.”

    But what I’m hearing from these groups now is that people are seeing folks in their thirties and forties getting severely ill. In the last 24 hours, just in these groups, I have heard of one paramedic and three ICU nurses that have been intubated. Clearly the denominator is huge, but even if it’s just a handful of critical cases of younger people, this is concerning and different from what we first thought. 

    A major theme early on last week was the shortage of testing. Last week, one doctor reported a patient whom she could not get tested effectively telling her, “Well, if my government doesn’t think I need to be tested, then I’m not going to quarantine myself.” That highlights the message it sends when you know your doctor can’t get you tested. And I think what we were seeing there was also this scary feeling of the media reporting the number of confirmed cases, but not really how many more symptomatic patients there were out there who couldn’t get a test.

    That was last week. But in the last couple days I’ve seen a lot of emphasis on the lack of proper protective gear for physicians. A lot of providers are coming into contact with patients who need to be tested so Covid could be ruled out. Now people are feeling like that could be anybody—they’re finding patients coming in for one reason, for example a fever and nausea, and then noting on a CT scan they also have signs of coronavirus infection.

    The government and some hospital administrators are saying, “You don’t need an N95 mask,” which is the kind that protects you from airborne diseases, illnesses that are known to be passed through the air like tuberculosis. We’re told that’s not necessary, that surgical masks are sufficient. However, there’s a lot of concern and anxiety about whether that is true—or whether that’s just because there is a shortage of N95 masks. We saw that with test kits, too. The criteria for testing was very strict. Is that more of a reflection of what the supply chain is rather than reflecting what is best for care and safety of our staff?

    We are all looking at the Italian experience and the Chinese experience. There are now a lot of pictures of doctors in full gear, and they have lost so many people. Obviously patients, but also in a few cases providers. In the most recent photos they are head to toe covered in gowns, with N95 masks. So here we are feeling like, we don’t understand how our government can be saying that we don’t need those masks and full coverage.

    This was one of the issues in the early part of the outbreak in other countries: The frontline was not adequately protected. And that meant that a lot of those people were either very sick or they had to be quarantined. If we don’t have proper protection, providers are going to get the disease. And then we will be in a really bad situation, because providers who are not fully trained to take care of critically ill patients will have to step up. People have been desperate to figure out ways that they can get N95s. We know that this virus is a little bit more hardy than normal respiratory viruses.

    A lot of providers are being asked to be on backup duty, also to be on as providers of services that in which they’re not board certified or that are really outside the scope of their normal practice, though some hospitals are providing basic training for this. What are their legal protections to be able to say, “These are too many work hours for me”? Or, “This is not my scope of practice and I’m not comfortable”?

    I’m seeing a lot of anxiety, especially from providers with young children, women who are pregnant. People in two physician households are really concerned about bringing this home to their kids and having it spread. What happens if they get sick? What happens if their spouse gets sick?

    There are extensive discussions about how to decontaminate their homes. A lot of people, when they get home from the hospital are stripping, running to the shower, washing everything. A lot of people have started sleeping separately, basically quarantining themselves. They are assuming that they’ve been exposed. So they’re sleeping in the basement or another room, not seeing their kids, not wanting to risk it, which I’m sure is adding to the stress.

    Someone asked yesterday in a post, what else should I be doing or thinking about? Should I be drawing up a will? And other people in the comments said they were also thinking about that. It’s just heartbreaking. One of my best friends right now is on the front lines in New York. And she’s pregnant, and she’s in her second trimester, and she is not able to wear an N95. God bless her. She’s going into work and she’s doing it openly. And she’s very levelheaded about it. She’s just like, “This is my job.”

  • Tell Us Your Story: How Are You Helping Others During the Coronavirus Crisis?

    March 16, 2020

    For this week’s episode of the Mother Jones Podcast, we want to hear from you: What are you doing to help others in your community during the coronavirus crisis?

    Call (510) 519-MOJO. That’s (510) 519-6656‬. You’ll hear our host Jamilah King give you instructions on how to introduce yourself and leave your story on our voicemail. We may air your story on this week’s episode of the podcast.

    We want to hear your stories about how you’re connecting with your community and stepping up to help those most in need. Maybe you’ve signed up to an online community billboard, or you’re registering others; perhaps you are doing groceries for older friends who can’t make it outside; maybe you’re simply FaceTiming or Skyping a more regularly to chat through some of the lonelier moments of widespread social distancing.

    We’re seeing lots of strategies: Tell us yours so we can share it. That number again: (510) 519-MOJO.

    Last week, listeners spanning ages, cities, and professions relayed stories of disruption: fears about paying rent and relying on credit cards, taking big hits to their businesses, and looking after the elderly. Take a listen:

  • New York City Schools Will Finally Close—and May Not Open the Rest of the School Year

    March 15, 2020

    Luiz Rampelotto/AP

    Mayor De Blasio of New York City said public schools in the city will be closing beginning tomorrow—and may not be open for the rest of the school year.

    De Blasio added that schools will be open next week for parents to get meals for their children. “I know just how much parents depend on our schools,” he said. “I know the full cost of shutting our schools.” He called the decision “very painful.”

    There has been ongoing tension over the continued operation of the city’s public schools—the biggest in the country, with nearly 1.1 million students—and de Blasio’s wariness to close them. As Eric Umansky wrote for ProPublica:

    New York, of course, faces an excruciating decision. It’s the largest public school system in the country by far, with 1.1 million children. Roughly three-fourths of students are in low-income families, and about 10% are homeless. They get fed at school.

    Mayor Bill de Blasio has said he’s worried about “a cascading effect” that shutting the schools could have, forcing many vital sectors’ employees to stay home.

    De Blasio has also expressed doubt about the effectiveness of a closure. “Do we really believe these kids will hole up in their rooms for a month?”

    But other large cities, including Los Angeles and Chicago, are shuttering their schools. And pressure is becoming overwhelming for New York City to do the same.

    But the tides turned this weekend. A major step was the decision by 1199SEIU, a major union representing health care workers, to reverse course and call for school closures. (Previously, the union opposed closing schools, hoping to hold off a downturn in wages.)

    Then, on Sunday afternoon, Gov. Andrew Cuomo pre-empted de Blasio’s press conference by announcing to the New York Times that schools throughout southern New York, including in the city, would be closing. 

    “I believe that the New York City schools should be closed, period,” the governor told the Times. “We also need an immediate plan to provide child care for essential workers and for food programs for the children.”

    The decision joins other major closures from states today. Both Ohio and Illinois moved to shut down bars and dine-in service at restaurants, and California shut bars, wineries, and brewpubs and called for “the home isolation” of seniors and “all those with chronic conditions.”

  • Please Let Me Suggest These Oddly Beautiful Moments Made Possible by Social Distancing

    March 15, 2020

    WWE Smackdown

    This is the new normal. We’re mostly stuck inside. We’re freaking out, refreshing the news, and freaking out some more. We’re trying to cope. It’s unclear—at least to me—how long it will last, or what this will mean in a few months. But, right now, I wanted to offer a small pleasure: this clip from Saturday night’s WWE Smackdown.

    It’s beautiful. The camera holds us in a tight shot with the wrestler when his voice slightly breaks, transforming the macho rant from faux theatrics into something tender; the stadium is silent; “let me in, John,” the burly man whispers to another burly man.

    WWE Smackdown cleared out an arena so we can stop the spread of the coronavirus. It’s this wonderful reminder that—despite the deluge of bad news—there is a lot of good happening: People are fundamentally changing their behavior to help protect other people. It’s a kindness. We’re trying to get on with our lives, even embracing how frivolous bits like professional wrestling can give us hope that the new normal can be, well, normal.

    By collectively distancing ourselves from one another over the past weeks, the world has stumbled into moments of strange and happenstance beauty. Pictures show cleared-out spaces and empty squares. In the process, our world can look both postapocalyptic and prelapsarian. In the absence of people in these places, there’s a comforting visual acknowledgment we are—as an entire world—making decisions together to love, support, and help. It has been imperfect. But it’s something.

    “Completely surreal,” notes the local music reporter in Tennessee, as they show the Grand Ole Opry putting on a show to no audience.

    The only other time the Grand Ole Opry has canceled its ticketed show was after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., the announcer explains. He says they’ll be playing acoustic sets while “practicing recommended social distancing.” Then he continues: “But trust us, we still love each other, and we look forward to hugs and handshakes again real soon.”

    Art is also accidental in these times—like one of Pope Francis praying in the Vatican above an empty St. Peter’s Square, capturing a grace of not gathering together on Sunday. Still, the Pope hovers above, blessing the unseen. It is incredible to see so many make the choice to not be there. And oddly powerful to find the Pope, still, seeing the unhuddled masses.

    Alone, one can feel we’re all in this together.

  • Ohio’s Governor Just Ordered All Bars and Restaurants to Close, Starting Sunday Night

    March 15, 2020

    Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio announced that he ordered all bars and restaurants to close in his state, starting at 9 p.m. tonight.

    “Every day we delay, more people will die,” said Dewine.

    Ohio is among the first states to close bars and restaurants. Many others—amid the dangers of the coronavirus outbreak—have limited social gatherings or canceled school.

    DeWine tweeted out a few recommendations to add on: order delivery, get carryout, purchase alcohol at drive-thrus. And said he recognizes that many will be affected. “I’m aware that this will impact many, many good workers,” he said. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am, but we will work to mitigate the suffering. It is our goal for everyone to get through this.”

    Update, 1:25 p.m. Pacific: Moments later, Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered a similar measure in Illinois, barring dine-in customers at restaurants and closing bars—with the restriction beginning at the end of the business day on Monday.

    Update, 2:15 p.m. Pacific: Gov. Gavin Newsom called on all bars, wineries, and brewpubs to close and said there were “more nuanced” directives for restaurants forthcoming, according to reports. On top of that, he called for “the home isolation” of seniors and “all those with chronic conditions”:

  • O’Hare Airport Was Total Chaos on Saturday. But the White House Is More Upset About a Tweet.

    March 15, 2020

    zz/Dennis Van Tine/STAR MAX/IPx

    On Saturday night, as images of huge crowds stuck at customs at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport went viral, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker tweeted his frustration—tagging President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. “These crowds are waiting to get through customs,” he said, “which is under federal jurisdiction….you need to do something NOW.” Pritzker’s message was clear: “The federal government needs to get its s@#t together.” 

    On Sunday morning, Pritzker said on Meet the Press that he did hear from the White House late Saturday night. Except it wasn’t to offer support or help at one of the nation’s biggest airports—rather, it was to yell at him for tweeting about it in the first place. 

    “Well, here is what I got,” he told host Chuck Todd. “I got a call at about 11 o’clock last night after that tweet from a White House staffer who yelled at me about the tweet. That is what I got.”

    Pritzker went on to say the administration’s response at airports to the coronavirus pandemic “seems completely unprepared.” 

    You can watch the clip here.

    Meanwhile, Sunday morning, Trump tweeted that “precise Medical Screenings” could be causing delays—12 hours after acting Homeland Security secretary Chad Wolf tweeted that DHS was “aware of the long lines” and that the screenings took “~60 seconds.” 

  • Report: The Trump Administration Offered “Large Sums” to Secure Exclusive Rights to a Coronavirus Vaccine

    March 15, 2020

    Alex Brandon/AP

    The Trump administration attempted to persuade a German science firm with “large sums of money” to leave Europe and develop a coronavirus vaccine “only for the United States,” according to reporting in a German newspaper Sunday.

    It’s a bizarre tale. From Reuters:

    Earlier, the Welt am Sonntag German newspaper reported that U.S. President Donald Trump had offered funds to lure CureVac to the United States, and the German government was making counter-offers to tempt it to stay.

    There was no comment immediately available from the U.S. embassy in Berlin when contacted by Reuters over the report.

    The basics: CureVac, a German biopharmaceutical company, is developing an experimental vaccine for the coronavirus that it hopes to have by June or July, when it would then push for approval on human testing. Earlier this month, Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and administration and industry leaders met with CureVac’s CEO, Daniel Menichella, to discuss the vaccine. (Menichella was replaced as CureVac CEO by the company’s founder on March 11.)  Die Welt then reported that the United States reached out to broker an exclusive deal on the vaccine, prompting the German government to try to counter.

    For its part, CureVac issued a statement on Sunday, saying, “The company rejects current rumors of an acquisition.”

    But a spokesperson for the health ministry of Germany confirmed to Reuters there is an ongoing battle.

    “The German government is very interested in ensuring that vaccines and active substances against the new coronavirus are also developed in Germany and Europe,” a Health Ministry spokeswoman said, confirming a quote in the newspaper.

    “In this regard, the government is in intensive exchange with the company CureVac,” she added.

  • Tom Hanks, Spread As Much Vegemite on Your Toast As You Like. But Here’s the Thing You’re Missing.

    March 15, 2020

    Shane White/Dave Bedrosian/Shutterstock/Zuma

    Everyone is right to be worried about the spread of coronavirus. But what about the spread of Vegemite?

    The famously salty Aussie staple appeared as a cameo in this weekend’s corona-drama Down Under, thanks to actor Tom Hanks, who sparked an outbreak of concern, and a historic debate among our citizens:

    Is this too much Vegemite?

    Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson tested positive for coronavirus in Australia last week, while in production for Baz Luhrmann’s new, untitled film about Elvis. But when he posted his thanks to the Australian people on Twitter and Instagram this weekend, from an isolation unit at a Gold Coast hospital, Australians were frankly worried—and not about the coronavirus.

    “Tom, step away from the Vegemite,” said one Insta-user. “That’s wAAAAAAAY too much.” Most agreed. Said another: “I adore Tom Hanks and I’m sure he is in safe hands, but somebody desperately needs to help him with his Vegemite application.”

    Here I am, Tom. Mother Jones’s senior Australian, to set this straight. I’d like to file a dissent to the growing consensus: This is a good amount of Vegemite. A real pro-level spread. A YOLO spread. A crisis spread. I’m into it.

    Where I have my real gripe is Hank’s lack of butter. Here’s my own guide for Tom Hanks:

    • Speed is important. The snack is best served hot. Vegemite is at peak-deliciousness when lots of butter (or margarine, whatever you like) is applied to fresh medium-toasted bread, right away, followed by a deep-dig spread from the Vegemite jar. Vegemite is dangerously delicious. I spread it on thick. The point here is to achieve a buttery, melty mess of Vegemite atop hot toast. Pure alchemy.
    • I prefer a thin-sliced multigrain in this situation. But it’s equally delicious on sourdough for that extra crunch, or straight-up white bread if you want a bit of softness, aided by the butter.
    • Rapid cooling of toast is a major problem for this snack. Even the staging required to get Hank’s photograph would have cooled the toast far too much for my liking. The desired sequence of sensations should go something like this: satisfying crunch of the toast, before sinking into the gooey, salty mix on a rapidly softening piece of hot toast.
    • Consume for any meal.
    • Now, if you’re a real pro, add a sharp cheddar to finish it. Consume quickly. Welcome to Australia. And all the best wishes, Tom, for a speedy recovery.

  • Devin Nunes Just Went on Fox News and Told Viewers, “It’s a Great Time to Go Out”

    March 15, 2020

    In an appearance on Fox News on Sunday morning, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) had some, well, unorthodox advice for Americans hunkered down against the coronavirus this weekend: “If you’re healthy, you and your family, it’s a great time to go out and go to a local restaurant, likely you can get in easy.”

    Nunes was (rightly) telling people not to hoard food like crazed preppers. He was also right to say you should support local businesses right now. But his casual “go to a local pub” is, of course, idiotic. He should’ve known better, considering Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt’s equally dumb and now-deleted tweet from Saturday night:

    It also flies in the face of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the federal government’s leading expert on infectious diseases, telling people on the Sunday morning shows to stop going out—and that he wouldn’t go to a restaurant right now.

    The point is to flatten the curve. To do so, we need to proactively socially distance, even if that means avoiding—gasp!—small amounts of pleasure on the weekends. It will save lives. During this time, local restaurants and bars and the whole economy could take a hit. Yes, like Nunes said, try to support them. But take it to go! Batch order some broth or coffee beans from a spot around the corner. Pay your dog walker even if you don’t need them. Don’t. Go. Out.

  • Puerto Rico Is Shuttering Non-Essential Businesses and Imposing a Nighttime Curfew

    March 15, 2020

    Puerto Rico will shutter non-essential businesses and impose a nighttime curfew across the US territory of 3.2 million people until the end of March, in response to the spread of the coronavirus. The announcement was made in a televised Sunday address by Gov. Wanda Vázquez.

    According to Miami Herald:

    Under the new decree, the island will be under a curfew from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. that runs through March 30. The only exceptions are those who are working or in cases of emergency.

    In addition, all non-essential businesses, including theaters, malls, casinos, bars, gyms and “any place that promotes the gathering of citizens in one place” will be closed starting at 6 p.m. Sunday.

    Gas stations, pharmacies, banks, and supermarkets will remain open, according to the New York Times.

    The island currently reports four cases of the virus, according to the Herald, with many more suspected awaiting results.

  • Anthony Fauci Was Just Asked About a Potential National Lockdown. His Response? “Whatever It Takes”

    March 15, 2020

    Alex Brandon/AP

    Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert, said this morning on CNN’s State of the Union that—if necessary to actually get people (especially young people, please!) to stop crowding bars and public places—he wouldn’t rule out supporting a national lockdown.

    “I would like to see a dramatic diminution of the personal interaction that we see in restaurants and in bars,” he said when asked about a lockdown. “Whatever it takes to do that, that’s what I’d like to see.”

    Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, has been something of a public guide—a walking, talking CDC brochure—as the coronavirus has spread. He also went on CBS’s Face The Nation and said that he “personally…wouldn’t go to a restaurant.”

    Fauci’s comments are perhaps aimed at the disturbing trend of younger people, who are less likely to be harmed by COVID-19 if infected, treating the pandemic blithely. And it joins a New York Times op-ed from Charlie Warzel—appropriately headlined, “Please, Don’t Go to Brunch Today”—that notes that “many younger Americans seem unfazed by the pandemic.”

    Meanwhile, here’s a bar in Nashville, Tennessee, from Saturday night: 

  • 300 People With Coronavirus Are in Intensive Care in France. Most of Them Are Under 60.

    March 14, 2020

    In France, 300 people with coronavirus are in intensive care; more than half of them are under the age of 60.

    Though coronavirus is understood to be particularly lethal among the elderly, France’s new numbers underscore the reality that younger generations can still face serious consequences.

    French health authorities on Saturday reported a sharp rise in the number of infections, with 4,500 reported cases and 91 deaths from the virus. Prime Minister Édouard Philippe announced sweeping restrictions to limit movement across France, shutting down restaurants, bars, theaters, and non-essential stores.

     

  • Soaring Infection Rates, Lockdowns, and Border Closures: The Latest on the Coronavirus in Europe

    March 14, 2020

    A staffer walks in one of the emergency structures that were set up at the Brescia hospital, in northern Italy.Luca Bruno/AP

    Saturday brought a flood of news from Europe, where coronavirus cases are soaring and countries are scrambling to mitigate the spread of the infection. 

    • Italy reported 175 deaths and a 20 percent jump in coronavirus cases over 24 hours, bringing the nation’s total infection toll to more than 21,000. Most of the new cases were in the country’s northern region of Lombardy, the epicenter of the European outbreak. The country remains in lockdown. (In a sliver of lighter news, there are lots of moving videos of Italians singing from their balconies to cope with the quarantine.)
    • Spain is following Italy into lockdown: residents will only be able to leave their homes for essential reasons, including going to medical appointments or buying food. The measures, announced by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Saturday, will remain in place for at least 14 days. The announcement comes after an increase of 1,500 new cases in Spain over 24 hours, bringing the country’s total number of infections to 5,700. The country is now Europe’s second-biggest coronavirus hot spot.
    • In France, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced the closure of all restaurants, cafés, theaters, and non-essential stores, effective Saturday. French authorities have already shut down schools. Officials confirmed cases in France have doubled over the last three days to more than 4,500.
    • More borders are shutting as well: Norway and Latvia announced they were closing airports and ports in an effort to curb transmission, following Denmark, Lithuania, Poland, and the Czech Republic. The United States extended the European travel ban to the United Kingdom and Ireland, according to a White House press conference Saturday.
     

  • The White House Says Donald Trump Does Not Have Coronavirus

    March 14, 2020

    Alex Brandon/AP

    Update, 3/14/20, 7:30 pm ET: Donald Trump has tested negative for coronavirus, according to a letter from the White House physician.

    President Donald Trump just held another coronavirus press conference. The takeaways:

    • Trump says he took the coronavirus test last night and is awaiting the results. “I decided I should, based on the press conference yesterday,” he said. (This claim stands in contrast with a public letter from the White House physician late last night, which said that Trump didn’t need to be tested following his interaction with a member of a Brazilian delegation who tested positive.)
    • Vice President Pence, meanwhile, says he has not been tested, but “Mrs. Pence and I would be more than happy to be tested.” Temperature checks are now being performed on those in close contact with Trump and Pence, according to White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere.
    • Assuming it gets through the Senate, Trump will sign the Families First Act, the bipartisan economic relief package that will include paid sick leave, unemployment benefits, free coronavirus testing, and money for food stamps.
    • The White House is considering expanding domestic travel restrictions to and from certain regions of the country, and will expand the European travel ban to include the United Kingdom and Ireland starting Monday.
    • Trump reported that “the masks are being made by the millions—the millions and millions. We have plenty now, but we’re preparing for the worst-case scenario.” (We do not, in fact, have plenty now; some hospitals are close to running out.)
    • The president gloated that the stock market bounced back during his 45-minute press conference yesterday, during which businesses pledged their support to help with testing. “That was a record, an all-time record,” he said. “I think we should do one every day, perhaps. How about five times per day?” (In fact, the S&P had its best day since 2008.)
    • Pence faced questions about the federal government’s supposed partnership with Google. After Trump claimed on Friday that Google was creating a website to determine whether individuals need testing—one that will “be done very quickly,” Trump said— Google’s parent company, Alphabet, clarified that it will launch a small-scale website next week focused specifically on triaging patients in the Bay Area. It will likely serve a wider population “over time,” reported CNN. Pence confirmed Saturday that the focus on Monday was indeed the Bay Area, “with the goal of expanding to other locations.”

  • The First Coronavirus Death Has Been Reported in New York City

    March 14, 2020

    New York has reported its first death from the coronavirus— an 82-year-old woman with a history of lung disease died in Brooklyn on Friday evening.

    “It’s tragic—we are going to lose some people.” Mr. Bill de Blasio said on MSNBC Saturday morning. “There are some, I am certain, that could had been saved if the testing were here from the beginning.”

    As of Saturday, New York had 524 reported cases; more than 100 have been hospitalized. 

    While most coronavirus cases will not require hospitalization, officials worry that the nation’s capacity—about 50,000 hospital beds and 3,000 intensive care units—can not handle the influx of patients in the weeks to come.

    Hospital systems are preparing by canceling elective operations, following guidance released Friday by the American College of Surgeons. New York City’s Health and Hospitals Corporation, which operates the largest hospital system in the country, plans to cancel nonemergency surgeries; on Saturday, NewYork Presbyterian, one of the largest hospital systems in New York City, announced similar plans. 

    Meanwhile, Gov. Cuomo reported Friday that 150 cars came through the state’s new drive-through testing site in New Rochelle, a New York City suburb at the center of the city’s outbreak.