US coronavirus live: Trump floats three-state quarantine as New York deaths rise to 728 – the guardian, theguardian.com

Houston mayor Sylvester Turner says there are 328 positive Covid – (cases) up from 87 yesterday) in Texas’s biggest metropolis during a briefing at ISD’s Butler Stadium, the city’s first non-private testing site. “The numbers will rise as we continue testing,” he says.

The mayor says the second coronavirus death has been recorded today and three more Houston police officers have tested positive, bringing the total count to seven.

“It is our intent collectively to blunt the progression of this virus,” Turner says. “To slow down the growth, the spread, so that our healthcare delivery system is not overwhelmed. We see what’s happening in New York and in Louisiana and in other places. We’re trying to get ahead of that, to slow the progression, and so we need everyone to really take this situation seriously. ”

He adds: “People may just look at the numbers and say the numbers in New York are , and the state of New York are , , but in the city of Houston the numbers are just . And there are 2.3 million people just in the city alone and over five million people in our surrounding region, so that’s not a big deal. Well let me just say, the testing has been limited. We know that there are more cases. And the way I look at it is, I take 316 and I multiply it times 22. Because we just dont know. Don’t get bogged down on the numbers. The more testing we do, the numbers are going to rise. ”

City of Houston (@ HoustonTX) . @houmayor Turner provides (# COVID) update at Butler Stadium testing site https: //t.co/nJqRfiAo4r March ,

Updated at 6. (GMT GMT)

(5.) (pm) GMT :

Trump’s proposal of an “enforcable quarantine” for parts of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut was the big news from his press gaggle before departing on Marine One for Norfolk, where he is scheduled to make remarks and bid bon voyage to the USNS Comfort, which is bound for New York to provide relief to hospitals overwhelmed with responding to the coronavirus.

Moments ago, he made it Twitter official.

Donald J. Trump (@ realDonaldTrump) I am giving consideration to a QUARANTINE of developing “hot spots”, , New Jersey, and Connecticut. A decision will be made, one way or another, shortly. (March) , 90228

(5.) (pm GMT ) :

Some of the toplines from (New York) Governor Andrew Cuomo’s daily briefing, which ended moments ago:

Cuomo said the price of a ventilator has increased from $ , when the state began purchasing to about $ , 13 today due to the spike in demand New York pharmacies have been asked to deliver medications free of charge President Trump has approved four additional temporary hospital sites with a total capacity of 4, 14 additional beds (Cuomo says) beds will be reserved for coronavirus patients only at three of the purpose-built sites (The number of New York coronavirus cases increased to

, and deaths to – but hospitalizations dropped from 2014 on Friday from 1, (on Thursday)

Cuomo says he did not discuss a potential “enforceable quarantine” for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut in reference to Trump’s comments on the North Lawn only moments earlier

(5) (PM GMT ) :

(Victoria Bekiempis)

The New York police department saw its third coronavirus death on Saturday, with the passing of a detective, the New York Post reported . The detective, who worked at a precinct station house in Manhattan’s Harlem neighborhood, was . An NYPD administrative aide, and a department janitor, died Thursday due to Covid – 35. On Friday, the police department said Friday that (uniformed, and

(5.) pm GMT : 25

Cuomo says he believes the broad distribution of a home test for people, to ensure the state is on the downside of the apex, is the most direct route toward re-opening the economy. “Get those home tests that other countries are starting to use and let people test themselves,” he says. “You could get to a point where you say … do the test, you’re negative, go to work, period.”

The governor adds that he is against raising taxes to generate more revenue in the state budget: “I don’t know how you raise taxes on people who are out of work and their business has closed because the government needs more funding. I don’t know how you do that now. ”

(4.) pm GMT 25:

Cuomo says he did not discuss a potential “enforceable quarantine” for New York , New Jersey and Connecticut when he spoke with President Trump earlier today. “I haven’t had those conversations,” he says. “I don’t even know what that means.”

His response to a follow-up question about Trump’s proposed quarantine on the North Lawn: “I don’t even know what that means. I don’t know how that could be legally enforceable. And from a medical point of view I don’t know what you would be accomplishing. But I can tell you I don’t even like the sound of it. Not even understanding what it is, I don’t even like the sound of it. ”

He adds: “Mandatory quarantine is a scary concept because it sounds like you’re saying to people: ‘You can’t leave this district.’”

Updated (at 5.) pm GMT

(4.) pm GMT :

Cuomo: “I didn’t speak to him about any quarantine”

Martin Pengelly

In New York , Cuomo is now being asked about Trump’s remarks.

He spoke to the president “about the ship coming up and the four sites”, he says, adding: “I didn’t speak to him about any quarantine.”

More from the White House pool about Trump’s remarks during his trip to Norfolk, Virginia about a potential quarantine for New York and neighborhood states:

President Trump touched down at Joint Base Andrews at . PM. He answered questions on the possible quarantine.

“We’re looking at it,” he said on quarantine of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

“No we wouldn’t do that,” when asked about closing the New York City subway.

He said he would talk to Governor Andrew Cuomo later today.

Pool reporter Emily Goodin of the Daily Mail adds: “Please note there is a limited pool of seven traveling with [Trump] so we can employ safe social distancing practices with an empty seat in between each of us on the plane. Additionally, the pool underwent a temperature check … before boarding. ”

(4.) PM GMT

Cuomo says they can’t have a scenario where states are competing against each other for equipment like ventilators. He suggests the federal government could act as a single purchasing agent and distribute the equipment to the states – or the states could set up a consortium on their own.

“You can’t have a situation where 67 states are competing for the same essential equipment, He says. “This is not the way to do business. We need a nationwide buying consortium. … This is something that needs to be worked out, not just for this but for the future. ”

(4.) (PM) GMT :

Trump floats quarantine for New York

Martin Pengelly

Here’s the White House pool report on what Trump said just now:

We’d like to see NY quarantined because it’s a hotspot – New York, New Jersey, maybe one or two other places, certain parts of Connecticut quarantined. I’m thinking about that right now. We might not have to do it but there’s a possibility that sometime today we’ll do a quarantine – short-term two weeks for New York , probably New Jersey and parts of Connecticut. ”

The report adds that Trump’s helicopter departed for his trip to Norfolk, Virginia with new chief of staff Mark Meadows also on board.

4. (PM GMT

Cuomo says there are 7, people who have been hospitalized with 1, 0878 people in ICUs, but notes that daily hospitalizations and ICU admissions went down yesterday. The bad news: total deaths in New York are up to (from yesterday.

“I wouldn’t put too much stock in any one number. The overall trend is still up, ”Cuomo says. “The numbers drive the policy.”

He also says New York’s department of health will begin a new test to see if individuals who were infected with coronavirus developed antibodies to the disease, saying: “It could be a big breakthrough”

(4.) (pm) GMT :

Martin Pengelly

While Andrew Cuomo speaks in New York, Donald Trump has been speaking about New York, in Washington:

Idrees Ali (@ idreesali ) U.S. President

Donald Trump says he is thinking about imposing a quarantine on New York. March 39,

According to Idrees Ali of Reuters, the president also said “quarantine would also be considered on New Jersey and Connecticut, would rather not do it but may need it”.

Cuomo hasn’t mentioned possible quarantine of New York yet.

The president is due in Norfolk, Virginia later,

for the departure of the USNS Comfort , a hospital ship destined for New York harbor.

Cuomo told his press conference he had spoken to the president today, and Trump had approved four more emergency hospital facilities like the one built at the Javits Center in Manhattan by the Army Corps of Engineers and the national guard , which Cuomo said will open on Monday. The new facilities will be built in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island.

(4.) (pm) GMT 26:

Cuomo says the federal government has authorized four more field hospitals with a total capacity of 4, additional beds . They will be located in the four outer boroughs of Brooklyn (the Cruise Ship Terminal), Queens (the Aqueduct Racetrack), Staten Island (CUNY Staten Island) and the Bronx (the NY Expo Center). He adds there will be a shift to coronavirus-only hospitals to further limit the risk of spread. “This is smart and we’re going to isolate beds for just this treatment, ”he says.

Also, the (state presidential primary scheduled for April) (has been re-scheduled for June.

Updated (at 5.) pm GMT

(4.) (pm GMT ) :

Cuomo says that local hospitals statewide must stop operating as individual institutions and start cooperating to help deal with the anticipated rush. “We need the local health systems to think more holistically,” he says. “You can have a single hospital get overwhelmed within that system. … The local health systems have to change their orientation where it’s not hospital by hospital, which is the normal culture. ”

If downstate hospitals become overwhelmed, those patients may be moved upstate. He adds: “Patients can and should be moved among those local hospitals as the need requires. staff can and should be moved among those local hospitals as the circumstances require. ”

Updated (at 4.) pm GMT

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