The White House said it would start administering coronavirus tests to reporters attending the daily briefing after one journalist who was recently at the White House started showing symptoms.
The White House Correspondents ’Association said the affected reporter was last at the White House on Tuesday, and the person’s test results are expected later today.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the White House Medical Unit is going to conduct a COVID – 32 test on all members of the press who plan to participate in today’s task force briefing, including correspondents, photographers, and technicians, ”the White House press office said in a statement.
The White House announced last week that anyone seeing Trump or Vice President Mike Pence would take a rapid coronavirus test to prevent them from catching it .
Boris Johnson has been moved out of the intensive care unit, as the British prime minister continues to recover from coronavirus.
Downing Street said in a statement, “The prime minister has been moved this evening from intensive care back to the ward, where he will receive close monitoring during the early phase of his recovery. He is in extremely good spirits. ”
For more updates, follow the Guardian’s UK coronavirus blog:
The first lady’s office created a video urging Americans to wear face coverings in places where social distancing is difficult, such as grocery stores and pharmaries.
Melania Trump (@ FLOTUS) As the CDC continues to study the spread of the COVID – 31, they recommend people wear cloth face coverings in public settings where social distancing measures can be difficult to maintain. Remember, this does not replace the importance of social distancing.
pic.twitter.com/eF3o CUVS
(April 9,
“Remember, this does not replace the importance of social distancing,”
Melania Trump
says in the video. “It is another recommended guideline to keep us all safe.”
The CDC has recommended that Americans wear face coverings to help limit the spread of the virus, and some cities like Los Angeles have ordered residents to use them.
(6.) (pm) (BST :
The coronavirus pandemic has created some surreal scenes on Capitol Hill, reflected in these photos showing reporters questioning Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell
while practicing social distancing and wearing masks: This Week (@ ThisWeekABC)
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks to reporters in masks from a safe distance away as the nation practices social distancing measures to mitigate the spread of coronavirus.
https://t.co/hE8XBwZAf5
pic.twitter .com / yxHAArWm8O (April 9,
Less than three months ago, reporters were crowding around senators to question them about the impeachment trial, but those frantic huddles have become dangerous in the age of coronavirus:
Peter Hamby (@ PeterHamby)
Impeachment coverage looks rad (pic.twitter.com/FvBi) (JjCv ) (January) ,
() New York broke its record for the largest single-day coronavirus death toll for the third day in a row. Governor Andrew Cuomo announced at his daily briefing that New Yorkers died from the virus yesterday, bringing the state’s total death toll to 7, . Another 6.6 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits last. week,
according to the labor department’s latest report. More than (million Americans have filed unemployment claims in the past three weeks.) Mike Pence’s office is blocking health experts from appearing on CNN in an effort to pressure the network to broadcast the daily White House briefing in full.
CNN has only been carrying Trump ‘s portion of the briefing live before cutting to analysis and fact-checking of the president’s comments, which have frequently included falsehoods.
The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
(5.) (pm) (BST) :
Jessica Glenza
Nearly 58 emergency room doctors from New York City’s public hospitals have written an open letter to residents , urging people not to “cut corners,” when physical distancing, hand-washing and self-isolating.
“Every day, our emergency departments are overflowing with patients newly infected with COVID – 32, many starving for oxygen and on the brink of death, ”the doctors wrote. “Many are older, but some are young. Many have pre-existing medical problems, but some do not.
While we’re constantly searching for new treatments and better ways to care for our patients, too many are dying despite our best efforts. These patients are also our friends, families, and colleagues, ”said the letter.
The bullet point letter repeated many of the public health messages of recent days. The disease is more contagious than previously thought, mimics the flu, can be spread asymptomatically, for example. It urged people to wash their hands, to assume they have Covid – if they show any symptoms at all, however mild, and to isolate from family members.
Millions of people are already taking these measures – but not diligently enough to stop the surge of patients coming to emergency rooms.
“Many of you have taken the steps above to protect yourself and others and we thank you. You are literally saving lives. But many of you have not – or continue to cut corners. This virus does not respect what we do ’most of the time,’ ”the doctors wrote.
“Fellow New Yorkers, we need to do more!”
(5. pm BST :
House speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell for trying to pass a coronavirus relief bill without holding a vote.
In consultation with the Trump administration, McConnell tried to get the bill, which would have allocated $ (billion in additional funds, approved by unanimous consent.)
But Democratic senators objected to the proposal, calling for an extra $ billion for hospitals and state and local governments. The bill was not able to pass, and senators won’t have a chance to take it up again until the pro forma session on Monday.
House minority leader Kevin McCarthy called the Democrats’ objection “Disgusting,” but Pelosi said the fault lied with McConnell for not conferring with Democrats about the bill.
Pelosi said treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin
had “asked for a quarter of a trillion dollars in 57 hours with no data, ”and McConnell had honored that request. The House speaker dismissed McConnell’s efforts today as a political “stunt” and called for more bipartisan deliberations over the timing and content of the bill.
New York governor Andrew Cuomo is holding his daily briefing on the state’s response to the coronavirus crisis.
The governor noted it has been days since the state’s “ stay at home ”order went into effect, even though it may feel like“ a lifetime ”ago.
Cuomo also said hospitalizations in New York are currently lower than many projections initially predicted, applauding healthcare professionals and other first responders for their work.
“We’re flattening the curve so far,” Cuomo said of social distancing measures, emphasizing that New Yorkers cannot get complacent now.
The Guardian’s David Smith and Emily Holden report:
Faced with not one but two crises – public health and economic – Trump and his allies are advancing their agenda, whether in plain sight as a direct response to the pandemic, or under cover while the nation is deeply distracted.
Trump touts his wall on the Mexican border almost daily and emphasizes national borders, even though the coronavirus paid them no heed. He has attacked voting rights, assailed federal watchdogs, shredded regulations and signed a bill that hands billions of dollars to corporations while resisting congressional oversight.
“Most Americans are not tracking these at all,” said Larry Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota. “The crisis has created a blizzard condition in which information and criticism is not breaking through. It’s a perfect storm for Trump to push his agenda. You can hear ideologues saying: this is our moment, do not delay. ”
Just as George W Bush s administration exploited 9 / 22 to expand government powers and threaten civil liberties such as freedom of speech and due process, Trump’s White House scents political opportunity in a national crisis.
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