In a press conference, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) said the demonstration was “going to come at a cost to people’s health.” After the protest began with people in their cars blocking streets, dozens of protesters got out of their vehicles and intermingled without masks and without remaining the recommended six feet apart.
“The sad irony is that they were protesting that they don’t like this stay-home order, and they may have just created a need to lengthen it,” Whitmer said.
With the U.S. leading the world in COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths, Michigan has seen more than 28,000 reported cases and over 1,900 deaths so far.
— Sarah Ruiz-Grossman
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state will dedicate $75 million to a disaster relief assistance fund for undocumented immigrants impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Philanthropic partners will contribute another $50 million. The fund will provide a one-time payment of $500 to an estimated 150,000 undocumented Californians, who can apply for the relief starting next month.
Undocumented immigrants were left out of the federal government’s stimulus checks, which started to go out today, due to their immigration status.
“California is the most diverse state in the nation. Our diversity makes us stronger and more resilient,” Newsom said in a statement. “Every Californian, including our undocumented neighbors and friends, should know that California is here to support them during this crisis. We are all in this together.”
— Sarah Ruiz-Grossman
Cuomo: New Yorkers Must Wear Masks When They Cannot Maintain Distance — 4/15/20 4:00 p.m. ET
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo plans to issue an executive order that will require all New Yorkers to wear a mask or face covering when they are out in public and unable to physically distance themselves from others.
“If you are going to be in a situation, in public, where you come into contact with other people in a situation that is not socially distanced, you must have a mask or a cloth covering nose and mouth,” he said at a press conference. The public has three days to obtain a mask or cloth covering before this rule is enforced.
Cuomo said there won’t be a penalty for not wearing a mask but if enough people don’t comply he may make it a civil violation, which would not be treated as a crime.
His announcement followed New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio encouraging his city’s stores to require shoppers to wear masks to enter.
— Nina Golgowski
Senate Democrats To Trump: You Failed At Managing National Stockpile — 4/15/20, 3:40 p.m. EST
More than a dozen Senate Democrats sent a letter to President Donald Trump slamming his administration for what they described as a failure to properly manage the Strategic National Stockpile amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has so far killed 24,000 people across the U.S.
The Democrats, led by Sens. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Patty Murray of Washington state, urged Trump to explain why the federal stockpile was nearly depleted of critically needed personal protective equipment as the pandemic continued to worsen in the country.
The letter highlighted dozens of governors’ requests to receive supplies from the stockpile in order to protect public health workers and medical professionals who are fighting the spread of the virus. “However, your Administration has failed to sufficiently respond to these requests,” the letter read.
“It should not take public pleas from governors or letters from congressional delegations for states to obtain the supplies they need,” the senators continued. “The stockpile was intended to support a response to a large scale disaster, and yet, as the country finds itself experiencing exactly the kind of crisis the stockpile was created to mitigate, your Administration has failed to respond with the urgency that is so clearly needed.”
The senators sent the president five questions to clarify what the administration’s strategy was when sending stockpile supplies to states, including how it prioritized states’ requests.
The Democrats also asked Trump how his administration would ensure that the distribution of supplies to states would not be politicized.
Read more here.
— Carla H. Russo
Mask Recommendations Expand To NYC Stores, D.C. Metro — 4/15/20 2:20 p.m. ET
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio encouraged the city’s stores to require customers to wear masks inside, telling store owners that this is “legal and appropriate” and that the city will help enforce the rule if necessary.
“We will back up those stores,” he said at a press conference. “We need to keep each other safe. We need to keep these grocery and supermarket workers safe. That’s the smart thing to do.”
In Washington, D.C., where shoppers are already required to wear masks in stores, people were asked on Tuesday to wear masks when using public transportation. Face covering will not be mandatory to ride but it is strongly encouraged.
Cities and counties in Florida have also implemented their own mask rules. Miami-Dade County, which has the state’s highest number of confirmed cases, last week ordered people to wear masks in grocery stores, convenience stores and pharmacies. Osceola County, south of Orlando, is also requiring people to wear a face covering when out in public.
California has not mandated the statewide use of face masks but does have localized rules on wearing them in public.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently began advising the public to wear masks to help prevent the virus’ spread. This update followed studies finding that people who have the coronavirus are able to transmit it to others before showing symptoms and being aware that they are infected.
― Nina Golgowski
U.K. Families Losing Loved Ones Will Get ‘The Right To Say Goodbye’ — 4/15/20, 12:50 p.m. ET
Families losing loved ones to coronavirus will get “the right to say goodbye,” Matt Hancock, the United Kingdom’s health secretary, said Wednesday.
The chance to make contact with loved ones a final time would be rolled out “wherever possible,” Hancock said at the Downing Street press briefing.
The announcement comes as many are left distraught that they are unable to see those who are severely ill in care homes and hospitals due to the risk of infection.
“I’m pleased to say that, working with Public Health England, the care sector and many others, we are introducing new procedures so we can limit the risk of infection while wherever possible, giving people’s closest loved ones the chance to say goodbye,” Hancock added.
More than 12,800 people in the U.K. have now died in hospitals after contracting COVID-19, an increase of 761 in the past 24 hours.
— Rachel Wearmouth
China Didn’t Warn Public Of Likely Pandemic For 6 Key Days — 4/15/2020, 7:30 a.m. ET
Top officials in Beijing were warned of a likely pandemic from a new coronavirus in January, but stayed silent for six days, the Associated Press reports. During that time, more than 3,000 people were likely infected, and the Chinese government lost crucial time in which they could have taken measures against the virus. China denies suppressing information in the early days of the outbreak. Read the full story here.
— Liza Hearon
Masks Made Mandatory Across India — 4/15/20, 4:50 a.m. ET
The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs issued fresh guidelines Wednesday to enforce the extended national lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus, HuffPost India reports.
All kinds of public transport and opening of public places will remain prohibited till May 3. However, grocery stores, fruits and vegetable shops/carts, milk booths, and poultry, meat and fish shops will remain open during lockdown.
The government has made wearing of masks compulsory in public places across India. Spitting in public has been made a punishable offense and a strict ban enforced on the sale of liquor and tobacco.
India has nearly 11,500 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 9,756 patients currently under treatment and a death toll of 377, the health ministry said.
— Meryl Sebastian
Australia Pleads With Teachers To Return To Schools — 4/15/20, 3:40 a.m. ET
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has issued a direct plea to teachers, asking them to return to classrooms and be the “great heroes” of Australia. In a televised address to the nation, the prime minister said their place in society has “always been critical,” insisting teachers must join cleaners, supermarket staff and health workers on the frontline to fight COVID-19.
“I want teachers to know from me, both as a parent and as a prime minister, just how appreciated you are and how important the job is that you’re doing right now and how much you are needed,” he said.
Although many will adapt to remote learning, for the schools that will remain open, Morrison said the risk of COVID-19 spreading among school-age children is low and reminded Australia many disadvantaged families cannot take part in distance learning.
“Your students and their families are relying on you more than ever. The education of our children hangs in the balance,” Morrison said.
Read more on HuffPost Australia
— Carly Williams
Trump’s Name Will Appear On Stimulus Checks ― 4/14/20, 10:10 p.m. ET
President Donald Trump’s name will be printed on the economic stimulus checks that the Internal Revenue Service will distribute to individuals to help mitigate losses caused by the coronavirus, according to The Washington Post.
The addition ordered by the Treasury Department is reportedly expected to delay the delivery of paper checks by several days at a time Americans are losing their jobs at an exponential rate and are in immediate need of the money.
The phrase “President Donald J. Trump” will be printed in a memo line on the left side of the checks, below a line that says “Economic Impact Payment,” according to the Post. Americans are expected to receive these checks ― most will total $1,200 per individual ― after the IRS adjusts its printing technology for the addition.
This is the first time a president’s name will appear on a payment from the IRS. The checks are part of the federal government’s $2 trillion stimulus package to help boost the economy as the coronavirus pandemic shuts down most of the country.
― Sanjana Karanth
NYC Coronavirus Death Count Rises By More Than 3,700 With Addition Of Presumed Cases ― 4/14/20, 6:05 p.m. ET
Amid testing struggles, officials in New York City are no longer limiting the local death toll to confirmed cases of COVID-19, adding more than 3,700 victims to the official tally, The New York Times reported Tuesday. More than 10,000 people are now believed to have died of the virus in the nation’s largest city.
The patients added to NYC’s official coronavirus death toll on Tuesday were presumed to have had the virus because of their symptoms and medical histories. The city’s health department had been tracking such cases for weeks, and the tally was expected to increase sharply with the change in reporting guidelines, as reported by Gothamist last week.
The additions brought the country’s coronavirus death toll to more than 26,000. Due to the severe shortage of testing capacity, however, experts believe the true tally is far higher.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said Tuesday morning that the “curve” ― the number of new hospitalizations due to the virus each day ― appears to be flattening out, hopefully heralding an eventual decline. But he emphasized that current social distancing measures would still be necessary in the weeks ahead.
― Sara Boboltz
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