COVID 19 Related to THAILAND Posts

[Evil Penevil]

The latest

There are more than 600 cases of coronavirus in the U.S., and the virus has been confirmed in more than 30 states. Twenty-two people have died from the illness in Washington state, Florida and California.

Decades of budget cuts have left local health departments ill-prepared to handle the outbreak. Some offices told The Post they’re pulling employees off critical efforts like opioid abuse prevention. In San Bernardino County, Calif. — population 2.1 million — three interns are handling most of the coronavirus work. The staff there is spread too thin to devote more than that.

Coronavirus and the threat of an oil-price war took markets to exceptional lows that even triggered the New York Stock Exchange’s “circuit breaker” system. The S&P 500 sank 7 percent shortly after the opening bell. The Dow Jones industrial average was down more than 7.3 percent and the Nasdaq fell more than 6 percent.

The Grand Princess cruise ship finally docked in Oakland with 3,500 passengers and crew members who were expected to be evaluated upon arrival. More than 20 people on the ship tested positive late last week. The crew will quarantine onboard. California passengers will quarantine at military bases in the state, while other U.S. residents will be taken to Texas and Georgia bases.

In a tweet, President Trump tried to contrast coronavirus with the flu, highlighting the comparably low number of people who have tested positive for coronavirus. By doing so, he left out a critical point: U.S. cases and deaths are rising. 

Italy plans to restrict movement throughout the entire country, locking down around 60 million people in an unprecedented move to stop the spread of the virus. The restriction, announced by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, will prevent travel in and out of Italy, as well as between regions within the country.

White House advisers planned to present some policy options to President Trump in the hope of warding off economic fallout. Among the options, Post reporters were told, are paid sick leave and emergency help for small businesses.

[coxyhog]

Just outside of Watford are the head offices of Camelot,the company that runs the National Lottery in the UK.

According to our local rag they're closed now due to an employee coming back from Thailand with the Coronavirus.

So if you are lucky enough to win tell them to put the cheque in the post.

[Horizondave]

10 hours ago, Thai Spice said:

They really want to kill tourism and business....

 

I think actually they may be trying to prevent death and illness among Thai nationals and those already in the country by setting out these measures but you are always right so apologies in advance.

[Horizondave]

Just the updated Travel Advice relevant details from the FCO today in regard Thailand:

The info has already been noted but this is a specific UK Travel advice notification

Coronavirus

On 6 March, the Thai authorities announced that passengers who have travelled to or transited through China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Italy, Iran and South Korea in the 14 days prior to their arrival in Thailand may be subject to quarantine. This would either be in designated areas prepared by the Thai government, or self-isolation at home/accommodation for a minimum of 14 days from the date of their arrival in Thailand or until their departure.

On 9 March, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand instructed airlines not to fly passengers to Thailand from these countries unless they are in possession of a health certificate confirming they do not have COVID-19. You should check with your airline before you travel.

[KWA]

This "health certificate" requirement seems a bit crazy.  Who is going to tie up vital checking services to provide an all clear for travellers?  Already reports from HK about certificates having to be sent by the airline to Thailand for approval which is logistically impossible to fully implement, and certificates being worthless anyway as signed off on inadequate or no tests (X Ray only or medical history).  I can see that being dropped quickly.

[Smiler]

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/thailand

 

EDIT - just the southern borders as usual, thanks KWA 😀

Edit 2 - good idea Bob it 😀

Edited March 10, 2020 by Smiler

[KWA]

12 minutes ago, Smiler said:

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/thailand

Now advising against all but essential travel to Thailand. 

That might mean some travel insurance policies would be invalid in Thailand.

Looks to me like it's still only the border areas where there are frequent bombings etc.  These restrictions have been there for a while.

[Smiler]

6 minutes ago, KWA said:

Looks to me like it's still only the border areas where there are frequent bombings etc.  These restrictions have been there for a while.

Mate you are right - thank f**k for that.

[bob lt]

49 minutes ago, Smiler said:

Mate you are right - thank f**k for that.

Before many people have a heart attack you may wish to request the post is removed

[Smiler]

18 minutes ago, bob lt said:

Before many people have a heart attack you may wish to request the post is removed

Just doing my bit on the fake news project 😀

[Skalliwag]

My son is flying to Australia on Thursday,direct from Vancouver to Sydney..Even though he has an Aussie Passport,I bought him travel insurance.

There was a travel advisory from the insurance company,but it was only relating to trip cancellation.🤷‍♂️
Missus and I leave for Mexico on Monday,while he is gone and no warnings at all on ours.🤷‍♂️

[Freee!!]

11 hours ago, tommy dee said:

its not like other flus as no anti biotic will relieve its symptoms. 

Antibiotics won't do anything against any flu or other virus infection. Sometimes antibiotics are given to prevent a secondary, bacterial infection, but that is about all antibiotics can do with any virus infection. And as most of the world is taking antibiotics like candy for every small problem, the world is getting into worse and worse problems with antibiotic resistance.

[Krapow]

I work for Public Health in one of the London Boroughs. Things have certainly ramped up a bit in the last 24hours, there has been a flurry of emails from the top down this morning, including asking for volunteers for the PHE health protection teams. 

What they are also saying, is whilst the deaths from the virus is obviously a concern, another huge concern is the NHS getting completely overrun with Corona cases who need hospital treatment, and many more dying as people have to be prioritised. That's already playing out in Italy, Italy that has much, much more bed space than the UK. In Italy Doctors are now having to decide who lives and who doesn't, who gets treatment for whatever and who doesn't. There are people having strokes and serious shit like that who can't get treatment, as their health service is overrun. This is in Milan etc, who have an excellent heath service. 

That's why the UK plan is to 'delay', as they know it's coming, just trying to delay it until there is not as much pressure already on the NHS, trying for summer. 

Any emails I've read this morning from the top down have all said 'When we get into the epidemic stage'. 

So not if, when. And it's not the virus death rate, it's so much more than that. And not even talking about the economic damage. 

I'm not scaremongering, this is official internal guidance for staff from the top of Public Health England. 

Whether it plays out like they expect, who knows, but judging by Italy, it won't be pretty. 

[Freee!!]

The problem we have here in the Netherlands is that several cases, where common sense would have demanded a test, weren't tested because of (too) strict guidelines, resulting in several unnecessary infections (infectious patients already in hospital for something different and nobody knew for crying out loud).

[Evil Penevil]

FROM:  POLITICO

CORONAVIRUS

U.S. tops grim coronavirus milestone: 1,000 cases

The unofficial tally is being compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

 

 

Vice President Mike Pence stands with members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force team. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images

By MATTHEW CHOI

03/10/2020 11:22 PM EDT

Updated: 03/10/2020 11:32 PM EDT

More than 1,000 people in the United States have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, according to an unofficial count compiled by researchers at Johns Hopkins University.

The 1000th case was reported on Tuesday night, as state and local officials in California and New York began enacting aggressive new measures to contain and mitigate the spread of the virus. The numbers have risen rapidly since health authorities announced the first community-spread case in California on Feb. 26.

Hopkins compiled the numbers using data from local and national health departments including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has lagged the Hopkins count, and from local news reports of confirmed cases. The count has risen in part because hospitals, labs and other public health facilities finally now have access to more testing kits after weeks of confusion and delay. Public health experts believe the ongoing testing problems mean that unknown numbers of cases have gone undetected.

At least 28 people have died from the disease in the United States, according to the Hopkins database, though public health officials expect that toll to rise.

Most of the reported deaths so far have taken place in Washington state, where a nursing home and retirement complex near Seattle suffered a lethal outbreak of the virus. Washington's King County announced the discovery of 75 new confirmed cases on Tuesday, bringing the total number in the county to nearly 200.

Also on Tuesday, Massachusetts declared a state of emergency as officials there announced that the number of confirmed cases in the state had leaped to 92, most of them linked to a biotech firm's strategy meeting in Boston.

Although public health officials have warned consistently that the number of cases would inevitably rise, President Donald Trump and several of his top aides have repeatedly sought to downplay the threat posed by the virus, which originated in Wuhan, China.

During a news conference in February, when the number of U.S. cases stood at just 15, Trump predicted the tally would drop to zero "within a couple of days."

Since then, his remarks have suggested he is monitoring the rising caseload closely. During a visit to CDC headquarters in Atlanta last week, the president said that he preferred that a cruise ship off the California coast that housed infected individuals not be allowed to return to land.

President Donald Trump presented Republican senators Tuesday with several potential actions Congress could take to avert the economic impacts of the worldwide coronavirus outbreak — but he did not offer a specific economic stimulus package during their meeting.

States Affected: 36 | U.S Cases: 1,020 | U.S. Deaths: 28

Sign up for our special edition coronavirus newsletter

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

• More than 1,000 people in the United States have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus.
• An email crash at HHS considerably slowed the department's response to coronavirus.
• DNC announces no live audience for Phoenix debate.
• A looming shortage in lab materials is threatening to delay coronavirus test results.
• Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden canceled campaign events over coronavirus.

 

"I don't need to have the numbers double because of one ship that wasn't our fault,” Trump said. The ship was allowed to dock in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday.

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, stressed during a White House briefing on Tuesday that the rising number of cases was expected and that it would certainly continue to grow by the following morning.

The number of cases has continued to mount in Europe, Fauci noted, though he said it appeared that the epidemic's growth rate was slowing in China.

"If you look at the curves of outbreaks, they go big peaks and come down. What we need to do is flatten that down. ... You do that by trying to interfere with the natural flow of the outbreak," Fauci said. "We would like the country to realize that as a nation we can't be doing the kinds of things we were doing a few months ago."

[Bazle]

1 hour ago, Evil Penevil said:

Fauci said. "We would like the country to realize that as a nation we can't be doing the kinds of things we were doing a few months ago."

I guess they will soon be telling/instructing us what those things are - in virtually every country in the world.

This is where the kids are at an advantage. They live their lives, clutching their mobile devices, in the digital social media, so won't notice any difference. 🙂

[Evil Penevil]

EP note: A "containment area" using National Guard troops is something unprecedented in the U.S.  In its restrictions, the containment area is between self-quarantine and a full lock-down quarantine.  Schools and churches are closed and public gatherings are banned, but stores and businesses remain open.  Residents are able to leave and re-enter the area.

Source: NPR (National Public Radio)

[JPK]

Just seen thailand has cancelled visas on arrival for another 18 countrieS.  No chinese, no Russian, no Indians. 

What a time to visit Pattaya, i would risk a dose of Coronavirus to have a few decent nights in walking street without groups of Indians walking up and down holding hands and wobbling their heads  😃

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1876449/thailand-cancels-visa-on-arrival-for-18-countries-visa-exemptions-for-3

[grayray]

9 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

FROM:  POLITICO

CORONAVIRUS

U.S. tops grim coronavirus milestone: 1,000 cases

The unofficial tally is being compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

 

 

Vice President Mike Pence stands with members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force team. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images

By MATTHEW CHOI

03/10/2020 11:22 PM EDT

Updated: 03/10/2020 11:32 PM EDT

More than 1,000 people in the United States have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, according to an unofficial count compiled by researchers at Johns Hopkins University.

The 1000th case was reported on Tuesday night, as state and local officials in California and New York began enacting aggressive new measures to contain and mitigate the spread of the virus. The numbers have risen rapidly since health authorities announced the first community-spread case in California on Feb. 26.

Hopkins compiled the numbers using data from local and national health departments including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has lagged the Hopkins count, and from local news reports of confirmed cases. The count has risen in part because hospitals, labs and other public health facilities finally now have access to more testing kits after weeks of confusion and delay. Public health experts believe the ongoing testing problems mean that unknown numbers of cases have gone undetected.

At least 28 people have died from the disease in the United States, according to the Hopkins database, though public health officials expect that toll to rise.

Most of the reported deaths so far have taken place in Washington state, where a nursing home and retirement complex near Seattle suffered a lethal outbreak of the virus. Washington's King County announced the discovery of 75 new confirmed cases on Tuesday, bringing the total number in the county to nearly 200.

Also on Tuesday, Massachusetts declared a state of emergency as officials there announced that the number of confirmed cases in the state had leaped to 92, most of them linked to a biotech firm's strategy meeting in Boston.

Although public health officials have warned consistently that the number of cases would inevitably rise, President Donald Trump and several of his top aides have repeatedly sought to downplay the threat posed by the virus, which originated in Wuhan, China.

During a news conference in February, when the number of U.S. cases stood at just 15, Trump predicted the tally would drop to zero "within a couple of days."

Since then, his remarks have suggested he is monitoring the rising caseload closely. During a visit to CDC headquarters in Atlanta last week, the president said that he preferred that a cruise ship off the California coast that housed infected individuals not be allowed to return to land.

President Donald Trump presented Republican senators Tuesday with several potential actions Congress could take to avert the economic impacts of the worldwide coronavirus outbreak — but he did not offer a specific economic stimulus package during their meeting.

States Affected: 36 | U.S Cases: 1,020 | U.S. Deaths: 28

Sign up for our special edition coronavirus newsletter

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

• More than 1,000 people in the United States have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus.
• An email crash at HHS considerably slowed the department's response to coronavirus.
• DNC announces no live audience for Phoenix debate.
• A looming shortage in lab materials is threatening to delay coronavirus test results.
• Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden canceled campaign events over coronavirus.

 

"I don't need to have the numbers double because of one ship that wasn't our fault,” Trump said. The ship was allowed to dock in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday.

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, stressed during a White House briefing on Tuesday that the rising number of cases was expected and that it would certainly continue to grow by the following morning.

The number of cases has continued to mount in Europe, Fauci noted, though he said it appeared that the epidemic's growth rate was slowing in China.

"If you look at the curves of outbreaks, they go big peaks and come down. What we need to do is flatten that down. ... You do that by trying to interfere with the natural flow of the outbreak," Fauci said. "We would like the country to realize that as a nation we can't be doing the kinds of things we were doing a few months ago."

heard on one radio station that the majority of deaths in USA was at a aged care place in Washington state,how many was that?anybody know?

regards

grayray

[Thai Spice]

8 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

EP note: A "containment area" using National Guard troops is something unprecedented in the U.S.  In its restrictions, the containment area is between self-quarantine and a full lock-down quarantine. 

First step in taking liberties away...

And using the National Guard, who likely in American style will show up fully armed, is not really going to calm people .....

 

[forcebwithu]

5 hours ago, grayray said:

heard on one radio station that the majority of deaths in USA was at a aged care place in Washington state,how many was that?anybody know?

regards

grayray

18 deaths. Given the demographic of nursing homes it's no surprise they're going to have a very high mortality rate.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/us/coronavirus-nursing-homes-washington-seattle.html

[Evil Penevil]

From the Associated Press:

Trump suspends travel between US and Europe for 30 days
By LISA MASCARO, ANDREW TAYLOR, JILL COLVIN and ZEKE MILLER
2 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday he is suspending all travel between the U.S. and Europe for 30 days beginning Friday as he seeks to combat a viral pandemic.

Trump made the announcement in an Oval Office address to the nation, blaming the European Union for not acting quickly enough to address the “foreign virus” and saying U.S. clusters were “seeded” by European travelers.

“We made a lifesaving move with early action on China,” Trump said. “Now we must take the same action with Europe.”

Trump said the restrictions won’t apply to the United Kingdom and the U.S. would monitor the situation to determine if travel could be reopened earlier.

Trump said he was also directing agencies to provide unspecified financial relief for “for workers who are ill, quarantined or caring for others due to coronavirus,” and asked Congress to take action to extend it.

Trump said the U.S. will will defer tax payments for some individual and business filers for three months to lessen the impacts of the virus outbreak. He said the Small Business Administration will also make low-interest loans available to businesses to help them weather the storm.

“This is not a financial crisis,” he said. “This just a temporary moment of time that we will overcome together as a nation and as a world.”

Trump also reiterated his call on Congress to pass a cut to the federal payroll tax in order to stimulate the economy.

Trump said “we are marshaling the full power” of the government and private sector to protect the American people.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below:

President Donald Trump prepared to announce a range of executive actions in an address to the nation Wednesday night as Washington raced to confront a viral pandemic that is roiling global financial markets and disrupting the daily lives of Americans.

Trump was considering new travel advisories, a national disaster declaration and a delay in the tax filing deadline. Congress, for its part, unveiled a multibillion-dollar aid package that was expected to be voted on by the House as soon as Thursday.

After days of playing down the threat, Trump announced he would be delivering a prime-time Oval Office address on the federal response to the outbreak.

The mounting effort to contain the virus and financial fallout intensified on a grueling day: Communities canceled public events nationwide, universities moved to cancel in-person classes, and families grappled with the impact of disruptions to public schools. The number of confirmed cases of the infection topped 1,000 in the U.S. and the World Health Organization declared the global crisis is now a pandemic.

As government officials warned that the outbreak in the U.S. will only get worse, the Capitol was set to halt public tours of the building as the shifting developments raised questions, urgency and a new level of unease.

“I can say we will see more cases, and things will get worse than they are right now,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said in testimony before the House Oversight and Reform Committee. He said the virus is “10 times more lethal than the seasonal flu.”

In a week of mixed messages and false starts, Washington suddenly seemed poised to act.

“I am fully prepared to use the full power of the Federal Government to deal with our current challenge of the CoronaVirus!” Trump tweeted before a meeting with bankers in which he offered assurances that “we are going to get the problem solved.”

“Now we’re hitting a patch and we’re going to have to do something with respect to getting rid of this virus as quickly as possible and as safely as possible,” he said.

Among other measures, officials were considering placing a “Level 3 Health Travel Notice” on the entire European Union. Such a notice would recommend that Americans avoid nonessential travel to the region and quarantine themselves for 14 days after returning home.

“As you know, we have another part of the world, Europe, that is in very tough shape, having a hard time right now with the virus,” Trump said during a meeting with bankers to discuss how the financial services industry can help consumers and small businesses affected by the outbreak.

Yet there was confusion at the White House, even as officials began to come to grips with the enormous gravity of the situation. Aides struggled to determine what action the president could take unilaterally and what required congressional action, as Trump personally weighed the public and political reactions to the options before him.

On Capitol Hill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled an economic assistance plan that was gaining bipartisan backing. Central to the package is free coronavirus testing nationwide and emergency funding to reimburse lost paychecks for those self-quarantining, missing work or losing jobs amid the outbreak.

The draft legislation would create a new federal emergency sick leave benefit for people with the virus or caring for a coronavirus victim. It would provide two-thirds of an employee’s monthly income for up to three months.

Facing a likely surge in unemployment claims, the package would also give states money for the newly jobless. It would provide additional funding for food and nutrition benefits for pregnant women, mothers and young children. It also would up money for “meals on wheels” and food for low-income elderly people.

“Right now we’re trying to deal with the direct impact of the virus on individual citizens,” said House Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth, D-Ky.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, whom Trump tapped to negotiate with Pelosi, urged Congress “to pass legislation quickly.”

“This is a little bit like a hurricane, and we need to cover these outside of normal expenses,” Mnuchin said.

To that end, the administration floated several other strategies, including the rare idea of declaring a national disaster that could potentially unlock funding streams, according to a person unauthorized to discuss the planning and granted anonymity.

A major disaster declaration provides additional authorities for federal agencies, including the military, to assist in responding to an emergency, including medical care, sheltering and distributing goods.

The White House was expected to delay the April 15 federal tax filing deadline for some taxpayers in a bid to soften the impact of the virus outbreak on the U.S. economy.

And the administration rolled out new recommendations for the counties most impacted by the virus in Washington state and California, while authorizing Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to take whatever steps necessary to increase the supply of face masks available to doctors and nurses by providing them with masks intended for industrial use.

Mnuchin noted that Trump’s executive authorities are “quite significant” and said the administration would be rolling out “various proposals.”

As pressure mounted for Washington to respond, the GOP leader in the House, Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, signaled potential Republican support for the funding package in Congress.

“We need to do something,” McCarthy said. “I think they could become very bipartisan.”

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.

Congress’ attending physician told staff there could be 70 million to 100 million coronavirus cases in the U.S. That’s on par with other estimates. A Harvard official has estimated that 20% to 60% of adults will get the virus, noting it’s “a pretty wide range.”

Trump had been promoting a broader economic stimulus package as the financial markets reel, but lawmakers from both political parties roundly panned his call for a payroll tax holiday or industry aid.

Pelosi’s goal is to pass an aid package before lawmakers leave town for a previously scheduled weeklong recess, and revisit potential stimulus measures later.

In Washington, tourists still arrived at the U.S. Capitol, but an official unauthorized to discuss the situation and speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed that tours would soon be shut down.

___

Associated Press writers Lauran Neergaard, Marty Crutsinger, Laurie Kellman and Kevin Freking in Washington contributed to this report.

[fygjam]

27 minutes ago, forcebwithu said:

18 deaths. Given the demographic of nursing homes it's no surprise they're going to have a very high mortality rate.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/us/coronavirus-nursing-homes-washington-seattle.html

23

Here’s what we know now:

• Twenty-three of the deaths in King County were linked to Life Care Center nursing facility in Kirkland. Federal authorities are investigating.

https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/coronavirus-inslee-announces-new-rules-nursing-homes-assisted-living-facilities/XIDPHMLVOJAAREQ5YCL75367PU/

 

[Skalliwag]

1 hour ago, Evil Penevil said:

From the Associated Press:

Trump suspends travel between US and Europe for 30 days
By LISA MASCARO, ANDREW TAYLOR, JILL COLVIN and ZEKE MILLER
2 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday he is suspending all travel between the U.S. and Europe for 30 days beginning Friday as he seeks to combat a viral pandemic.

Trump made the announcement in an Oval Office address to the nation, blaming the European Union for not acting quickly enough to address the “foreign virus” and saying U.S. clusters were “seeded” by European travelers.

“We made a lifesaving move with early action on China,” Trump said. “Now we must take the same action with Europe.”

Trump said the restrictions won’t apply to the United Kingdom and the U.S. would monitor the situation to determine if travel could be reopened earlier.

Trump said he was also directing agencies to provide unspecified financial relief for “for workers who are ill, quarantined or caring for others due to coronavirus,” and asked Congress to take action to extend it.

Trump said the U.S. will will defer tax payments for some individual and business filers for three months to lessen the impacts of the virus outbreak. He said the Small Business Administration will also make low-interest loans available to businesses to help them weather the storm.

“This is not a financial crisis,” he said. “This just a temporary moment of time that we will overcome together as a nation and as a world.”

Trump also reiterated his call on Congress to pass a cut to the federal payroll tax in order to stimulate the economy.

Trump said “we are marshaling the full power” of the government and private sector to protect the American people.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below:

President Donald Trump prepared to announce a range of executive actions in an address to the nation Wednesday night as Washington raced to confront a viral pandemic that is roiling global financial markets and disrupting the daily lives of Americans.

Trump was considering new travel advisories, a national disaster declaration and a delay in the tax filing deadline. Congress, for its part, unveiled a multibillion-dollar aid package that was expected to be voted on by the House as soon as Thursday.

After days of playing down the threat, Trump announced he would be delivering a prime-time Oval Office address on the federal response to the outbreak.

The mounting effort to contain the virus and financial fallout intensified on a grueling day: Communities canceled public events nationwide, universities moved to cancel in-person classes, and families grappled with the impact of disruptions to public schools. The number of confirmed cases of the infection topped 1,000 in the U.S. and the World Health Organization declared the global crisis is now a pandemic.

As government officials warned that the outbreak in the U.S. will only get worse, the Capitol was set to halt public tours of the building as the shifting developments raised questions, urgency and a new level of unease.

“I can say we will see more cases, and things will get worse than they are right now,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said in testimony before the House Oversight and Reform Committee. He said the virus is “10 times more lethal than the seasonal flu.”

In a week of mixed messages and false starts, Washington suddenly seemed poised to act.

“I am fully prepared to use the full power of the Federal Government to deal with our current challenge of the CoronaVirus!” Trump tweeted before a meeting with bankers in which he offered assurances that “we are going to get the problem solved.”

“Now we’re hitting a patch and we’re going to have to do something with respect to getting rid of this virus as quickly as possible and as safely as possible,” he said.

Among other measures, officials were considering placing a “Level 3 Health Travel Notice” on the entire European Union. Such a notice would recommend that Americans avoid nonessential travel to the region and quarantine themselves for 14 days after returning home.

“As you know, we have another part of the world, Europe, that is in very tough shape, having a hard time right now with the virus,” Trump said during a meeting with bankers to discuss how the financial services industry can help consumers and small businesses affected by the outbreak.

Yet there was confusion at the White House, even as officials began to come to grips with the enormous gravity of the situation. Aides struggled to determine what action the president could take unilaterally and what required congressional action, as Trump personally weighed the public and political reactions to the options before him.

On Capitol Hill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled an economic assistance plan that was gaining bipartisan backing. Central to the package is free coronavirus testing nationwide and emergency funding to reimburse lost paychecks for those self-quarantining, missing work or losing jobs amid the outbreak.

The draft legislation would create a new federal emergency sick leave benefit for people with the virus or caring for a coronavirus victim. It would provide two-thirds of an employee’s monthly income for up to three months.

Facing a likely surge in unemployment claims, the package would also give states money for the newly jobless. It would provide additional funding for food and nutrition benefits for pregnant women, mothers and young children. It also would up money for “meals on wheels” and food for low-income elderly people.

“Right now we’re trying to deal with the direct impact of the virus on individual citizens,” said House Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth, D-Ky.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, whom Trump tapped to negotiate with Pelosi, urged Congress “to pass legislation quickly.”

“This is a little bit like a hurricane, and we need to cover these outside of normal expenses,” Mnuchin said.

To that end, the administration floated several other strategies, including the rare idea of declaring a national disaster that could potentially unlock funding streams, according to a person unauthorized to discuss the planning and granted anonymity.

A major disaster declaration provides additional authorities for federal agencies, including the military, to assist in responding to an emergency, including medical care, sheltering and distributing goods.

The White House was expected to delay the April 15 federal tax filing deadline for some taxpayers in a bid to soften the impact of the virus outbreak on the U.S. economy.

And the administration rolled out new recommendations for the counties most impacted by the virus in Washington state and California, while authorizing Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to take whatever steps necessary to increase the supply of face masks available to doctors and nurses by providing them with masks intended for industrial use.

Mnuchin noted that Trump’s executive authorities are “quite significant” and said the administration would be rolling out “various proposals.”

As pressure mounted for Washington to respond, the GOP leader in the House, Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, signaled potential Republican support for the funding package in Congress.

“We need to do something,” McCarthy said. “I think they could become very bipartisan.”

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.

Congress’ attending physician told staff there could be 70 million to 100 million coronavirus cases in the U.S. That’s on par with other estimates. A Harvard official has estimated that 20% to 60% of adults will get the virus, noting it’s “a pretty wide range.”

Trump had been promoting a broader economic stimulus package as the financial markets reel, but lawmakers from both political parties roundly panned his call for a payroll tax holiday or industry aid.

Pelosi’s goal is to pass an aid package before lawmakers leave town for a previously scheduled weeklong recess, and revisit potential stimulus measures later.

In Washington, tourists still arrived at the U.S. Capitol, but an official unauthorized to discuss the situation and speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed that tours would soon be shut down.

___

Associated Press writers Lauran Neergaard, Marty Crutsinger, Laurie Kellman and Kevin Freking in Washington contributed to this report.

Market meltdown in 0 point 8 hours.

[forcebwithu]

16 minutes ago, Skalliwag said:

Market meltdown in 0 point 8 hours.

Yep, it's shaping up to be another bad day on Wall Street.

US stock futures fall more than 1,000 points after Trump suspends travel between the US and Europe