President Trump declares a national emergency due to coronavirus

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The latest on coronavirus:President Donald Trump declared a state of national emergency in response to the outbreakThere are more than 132,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in 123 countries and territories, according to the World Health Organization.More than 4,900 people have died worldwide.In the United States, there are at least 1,800 cases across 47 statesAt least 41 Americans have died: 31 in Washington state, four in California; two in Florida; one in Georgia; one in Kansas; one in New Jersey and one in South Dakota. The White House, Capitol Hill and the Supreme Court have temporarily suspended public tours. Major sports organizations have suspended or delayed their seasons. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will isolate himself for 14 days after his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, tested positive for coronavirus. Louisiana, Virginia and Pennsylvania have closed all public schools for a number of days.President Donald Trump declared a national emergency Friday to address the spiraling coronavirus pandemic as he sought to calm a panicked nation amid mixed messages and growing criticism of his administration’s scattershot response.The president is offering $50 billion in aid to states to help combat the virus. Trump is also ordering hospitals to activate their own emergency preparedness plan. Trump also urged states to set up emergency operation centers immediately.Trump said he was also giving Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar emergency authority to waive federal regulations and laws to give doctors and hospitals “flexibility” in treating patients.Trump announced that private labs and vaccine developers will be able to provide five million coronavirus tests within a month. He also announced a new public-private partnership to expand coronavirus testing capabilities, as his administration has come under fire for being too slow in making the test available. Trump said, “I don’t take responsibility at all” for the slow roll-out of testing.Watch the full press conference in the video aboveDr. Deborah Birx, the White House’s coronavirus response coordinator, announced that the testing kits would be made available in a type of drive-thru where citizens would be able to be tested for the virus without having to leave their cars. Some of the nation’s largest retailers, including Walmart, Walgreens and Target are opening their parking lots in select locations across the country to help in the testing phase. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, praised President Trump’s emergency action on coronavirus, saying the move will “remove the constraints” health, state and local officials have in containing the virus.”We still have a long way to go. There will be many more cases. But we’ll take care of that and ultimately, as the president said, this will end,” he said. Trump announced new measures aimed at easing the burden of student loans as universities and colleges across the country shut their doors, as well as measures aimed at taking advantage of low oil prices. “I’ve waived interest on all student loans held by federal government agencies, and that will be until further notice,” Trump said during an appearance in the Rose Garden, noting the number of schools that have sent students home amid the growing coronavirus outbreak.The president also said he has directed the secretary of energy “to purchase large quantities of crude oil for the U.S. strategic reserves.”Oil prices have tumbled in recent days – particularly as the demand for jet fuel has plummeted as global travel slows dramatically amid various bans on international movement. “That’s something that would have not even been possible a week ago,” Trump said of the large-scale purchase he was ordering the Energy Department to make. “So we’re going to fill it up, it’s a good time to fill it up,” he said of the strategic crude oil reserves.The stock market closed for the week as the president spoke, nearly regaining all of the points lost Thursday when the Dow Jones had its worst day since 1987.The news conference comes as the virus edged ever closer to the world’s power centers, including a positive test for a Brazilian official who spent time with Trump and top administration officials last weekend and an Australian Cabinet minister who met with U.S. Attorney General William Barr, Trump’s daughter Ivanka, and other top aides.Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said Friday that he had tested negative for the virus. That update contradicted earlier reports claiming Bolsonaro had been diagnosed with the coronavirus.Trump said he is experiencing no symptoms of the virus despite meeting with the Brazilian president and his aide. “No. We have no symptoms whatsoever,” Trump said during the press conference.He said he had a “fantastic meeting” and pointed out that Bolsonaro tested negative.And it comes as the world has been lurching to try to contain the virus’s spread, with millions of students staying home across three continents, large gatherings canceled and more and more bars, restaurants and offices closed.For many Americans, the past 48 hours have felt like uncharted territory.Travel restrictions into the U.S. are going into effect today. Leaders across the country are banning public gatherings, dozens of school districts and universities hit the pause button on classes, sports leagues suspended their seasons and major entertainment venues — like Broadway and Disney World — announced a halt in activities.Despite the measures, one top U.S. health official said the number of outbreaks is “definitely going to get worse before it gets better.”There’s no way around it, Fauci told CNN Thursday night.”We will have a lot more cases.”There are at least 1,800 cases across 47 states with 41 deaths: 31 in Washington state, which has been the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak with at least 457 positives; four in California; two in Florida; one in Georgia; one in Kansas; one in New Jersey and one in South Dakota.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 number of cases will likely continue jumping as more tests become available and some facilities begin conducting drive-through testing.In New York, which reported more than 400 positive cases, the Broadway League said it was suspending all shows through April 12 “in support of the health and well-being of the theatre public, as well as those who work in the theatre industry.”It was one of many cancellations that left the public stunned.Here’s who else hit the pause button The NBA said Wednesday it was suspending the rest of its season after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for the virus.That announcement came shortly after the NCAA announced it was banning public audiences from March Madness games — and then a day later canceled the tournaments altogether.Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, Major League Soccer and the PGA Tour canceled events for the next weeks. And NASCAR announced they will hold their events audience-less for the foreseeable future.The National Rifle Association also said it was canceling its annual meeting set to take place next month in Nashville. In 2018, there were more than 85,000 attendees, according to an NRA spokeswoman at the time.And The Walt Disney Company announced the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida would be closing through the end of the month.All that as children across the country are being told to stay home and college students are moving out of their dorms as many universities transition to online courses.Across many states in the U.S., the bottom line? Stay home. If you have to go out, keep your distance.Related video: Why ‘social distancing’ and self-quarantine measures save lives during coronavirus outbreakBans on gatherings, schools closed Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee issued guidance Thursday to shut down all public and private K-12 schools in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties, the state’s most populous areas, for the next six weeks.”Today’s decision has a full range of implications from learning plans and childcare, to free and reduced-price breakfast and lunch, just to name a few,” Inslee said in a statement. “I anticipate this will cause ripple effects… but we can’t afford not to do it.”A day earlier, Inslee announced a ban on all events with more than 250 people in the state’s largest three counties. He has also issued guidance for assisting living facilities to limit visitors after at least 10 homes reported cases.The announcement paralleled the one made by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who directed events with 500 or more people to be canceled or postponed and announced only “medically necessary visits” will be allowed in nursing homes.New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he was standing by Cuomo’s announcement on large gatherings and called the city’s rising numbers “striking and troubling.”He said New York City saw 42 new cases in a day.”We don’t do any of this lightly, this is difficult,” he said in a Thursday news conference. “We know it has a serious, serious impact on a number of businesses… that’s really, really painful for the many, many people who work in that field.”Similar directives were issued by California, Oregon, New Mexico, Ohio and Utah leaders, who urged the cancellation of large public events.In Georgia, which had its first death Thursday and reported 31 cases, officials have designated a state park with emergency mobile units as an isolation location for residents who test positive, CNN affiliate WSB reported.At least nine school districts — including the state’s three largest — also announced closures as early as Friday and lasting up to two weeks.Ohio, Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico and Kentucky became the first states to announce statewide shutdowns on all schools K-12.’We’re shutting down most of our structures of society’Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who also on Thursday banned mass gatherings, said the state should “treat this like it is. And that is a crisis.”The state has reported five positive cases, but Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton said it’s likely that number is not even close to the real amount of infections.”We know now, just the fact of community spread says that at least 1%… of our population is carrying the virus in Ohio today,” Acton said in a news conference Thursday.”We have 11.7 million people. So the math is over 100,000. That just gives you a sense of how this virus spreads and is spreading quickly.”The steps we are taking will absolutely save lives,” she said on the governor’s actions. “We’re all sort of waking up to this new reality.”She said the state government would be releasing fact sheets and check lists to help residents “figure out what this new norm is going to be like.””We are basically slowly shutting down most of our structures of society,” she said.Acton said 52 other people are also currently under investigation for coronavirus and the people that those residents likely came into contact with are in “the hundreds.”Drive-through testing beginsOhio isn’t alone in its estimates. Health officials have said the number of U.S. cases is likely to be much higher and will continue to climb as more Americans are tested.But that process, initially conducted by the CDC, has proved faulty.The slow rollout prompted the federal government to approve private labs to conduct their own testing and has so far sent more than a million tests out. Vice President Mike Pence said four million more would be available by the end of the week.Fauci, with the National Institutes of Health, told a congressional committee Thursday the testing system currently in place is not geared to the country’s needs and “that is a failing.””The idea of anybody getting it (test) easily, the way people in other countries are doing it, we’re not set up for that,” Fauci said. “Do I think we should be? Yes, but we’re not.”Communities in New York, Illinois and Colorado began moving toward drive-through testing.Cuomo announced New York will have the first drive-through testing facility on the east coast and officials will start testing people by appointment in New Rochelle — a suburb community that saw more than 100 cases in a little more than a week.A suburban Illinois hospital said they would try doing the same thing, telling residents they could drive up to an ambulance and get tested without ever getting out of their car, WGN reported.In Colorado’s first drive-up facility, officials said residents will need a doctor’s note saying they need to get tested, KMGH reported.Wait times ranged from three to four hours Thursday, the news station said, citing the Colorado Department of Health and Environment.

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