(2020-03-14). Experts advise on precautions we should take to stop spreading coronavirus. thecanary.co 
Since the coronavirus outbreak, health officials and experts have advised washing hands regularly for 20 seconds at a time.— Why is hand-washing so important? Germs, including viruses like Covid-19, exist on surfaces in our everyday living spaces says Wendy Graham, professor in the department of infectious disease epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).Graham said hands are one of the most common means by which germs are transferred from surface to surface. For example via door handles and taps, and potentially then to other parts of the body like the mouth.— How long…
(2020-03-14). Guatemala bars travel from US & Canada as Washington reluctant to halt deportations despite coronavirus concerns. rt.com 
Guatemala has expanded a travel ban on those arriving from countries hit hardest by Covid-19 to include the United States and Canada, the country's president said, amid worries that deportations from the US are driving the crisis. | After stepping up measures to contain the outbreak earlier this week — deploying stricter health screenings at its border ahead of the arrival of a migrant caravan bound for the US — Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei announced on Friday that travelers arriving from the US and Canada would no longer be granted entry, as the disease toll continues to climb in both c…
(2020-03-14). Pakistan agrees to discuss regional Covid-19 strategy after Modi calls for cooperation, ending 4-year hiatus with South Asian bloc. rt.com 
Islamabad has signaled willingness to partake in a joint response to the coronavirus with a bloc of South Asian nations, after Indian PM Narendra Modi broke years of stalemate with the regional body and called for coordination. | Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said on Friday that the country's Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Zafar Mirza would participate in a joint teleconference with leaders from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to formulate a combined action plan to contain the outbreak. | "The threat of #COVID-19 requires coordinat…
(2020-03-14). Oil price crash: 50% of US shale could go bankrupt. rt.com 
Global demand fears and a new supply crisis have triggered the sharpest decline in oil prices in decades and US shale drillers could become the first victim. | Oil opened on Monday down roughly 25 percent, the sharpest decline in decades, and broader financial markets fell so precipitously that the circuit breakers put in place during times of volatility tripped, temporarily halting trading. | The list of adjectives available to describe what is happening to the oil market is not adequate. There are now multiple crises unfolding at the same time. | First, there is obviously a health crisis — the coronavir…
(2020-03-14). Russia's number of confirmed coronavirus cases reaches 59. rt.com 
Some 14 new coronavirus patients were identified in Russia on Saturday with the total number of infected reaching 59. Moscow leads with the number of new cases, with 9 infected with Covid-19 detected in the capital. So far, the coronavirus has not claimed any lives in Russia. | Over 145,000 coronavirus patients have been registered worldwide, and more than 5,400 of them died. While the majority of cases have originated in the pandemic's ground zero — Wuhan, China — and countries such as Iran and South Korea have been heavily hit, the World Health Organization (WHO) said this week that the hotspot o…
(2020-03-14). Leading health experts warn that U.S. is past coronavirus containment. peoplesworld.org 
Editor's note: The University of California at San Francisco Hospital is considered a leading health institution in the U.S. with specialization in treatment and handling of infectious disease. Like many other institutions of this type, it has put together one or more panels of experts to study the current crisis and to make proposals to …
(2020-03-14). European airlines facing BLOODBATH as coronavirus crisis rocks industry. rt.com 
Major European airlines are set to axe thousands of jobs and, without bailouts, some are facing collapse as the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc on the industry. | After weeks of uncertainty in the sector, Saturday brought a raft of bad news for European carriers. The French government said it is not considering a bailout of Air France-KLM at this stage, as the airline struggles for survival amidst the public health crisis. | Scandanavian Airlines is reportedly laying off 100 pilots and 100 cabin crew on a temporary basis while Swiss International is taking half its fleet out of service and reducing working h…
(2020-03-14). 'Nationalize factories & industries!' De Blasio kicks panic up to 11 calling coronavirus 'war-like situation'. rt.com 
New York City Mayor and failed presidential candidate Bill de Blasio jumped on MSNBC to compare the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic to war and claim "nationalization" would fix the US' "Mar-a-Lago attitude" toward the disease. | "Here's the reality, this is a war-like situation," De Blasio told MSNBC's Joy Reid on Saturday morning when criticizing the federal government's response to the coronavirus. The mayor claims he has been "pleading for weeks" for coronavirus test kits to be more available to citizens. | "We're in a war-time scenario with a Mar-a-Lago attitude being used by the federal government," he cont…
(2020-03-14). Spanish PM's wife tests positive for Covid-19 after Madrid imposes national lockdown to tackle the disease. rt.com 
Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez's wife, Begona Gomez, has tested positive for the deadly coronavirus, the government has confirmed. It comes after the Iberian country entered into lockdown, with ban on all non-essential movement. | Both Gomez and her husband, the Prime Minister, are feeling well, Sanchez's office reported Sunday night. | The new comes shortly after Sanchez unveiled what he described as "drastic" and "extraordinary" measures as part of the state of emergency to fend off the spread of the disease that has so far claimed at least 193 lives across the country, and infected over 6,250. | The restrictive m…
(2020-03-14). Do-nothing Mitch? McConnel takes flak for keeping Senate in recess after House passes coronavirus aid bill. rt.com 
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnel is taking heavy fire for keeping the chamber in long recess even after House approval of a bipartisan bill on emergency relief to coronavirus epidemics. | McConnel took a hands-off approach to this week's work on federal response to the disease, allowing Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to negotiate what a bipartisan approach to the emergency would look like. He agreed to cancel Senate recess next week, but gave senators a long weekend. | I fully support H.R. 6201: Families First CoronaVirus Response Act, which will be voted on in the House this evening. This Bill will fo…
(2020-03-14). Coronavirus, Epidemics and Capitalism: The Bugs Are in the System. indybay.org Radical Women supports and recommends this thoughtful analysis of the novel coronavirus by our sister organization, the Freedom Socialist Party. The statement raises excellent demands to protect workers, women, the poor, and people of color being scapegoated for the crisis.
(2020-03-14). Toronto threatens to lock out public health workers amid expanding coronavirus pandemic. wsws.org City authorities absurdly claimed that the loss of 90 percent of its public health workforce would not impede the effectiveness of its response to the coronavirus pandemic.
(2020-03-14). Poland, Czech Republic close borders, shut down public life due to coronavirus. wsws.org Three decades after the restoration of capitalism and endless austerity, the health care system in Poland and the Czech Republic, as across all of Europe, is in a devastating condition.
(2020-03-14). ILWU & Migrant Organizations Defend Grand Princess Crew & US Workers. indybay.org The Bay Area ILWU and migrant rights organizations joined together to support the Grand Princess crew health and safety as. well as the health and safety conditions of longshore workers and all port workers. They also discussed the fight of all working people to defend and protect their health and safety rights.
(2020-03-14). During Coronavirus Crisis, What If You Can't Stay Home? indybay.org Recommendations to support the health of people experiencing homelessness during the Coronavirus State of Emergency | Last updated Monday, March 9th @2: 50pm…
(2020-03-14). Coronavirus pandemic threatens to overwhelm India's dilapidated health system. wsws.org Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party government are stubbornly refusing to mobilize state resources to stem the spread of the virus.
(2020-03-14). To Help Stem Coronavirus, Lift Sanctions on Iran. truthout.org The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic is far from the first proof of how intertwined we are as a global community. The climate crisis and the refugee crisis have long been glaring examples that the wars or CO2 emissions on one continent risk the lives and well-being of people on another continent. What coronavirus is providing, however, is a unique opportunity to look specifically at how the intentional damage caused to one country's healthcare system can make it harder for the entire world to address a pandemic. | The cor…
(2020-03-14). Postponement of Signature Gathering for Voter Right to Decide on Downtown Parking Garage. indybay.org [March 13, 2020] To help reduce the serious risk of COVID-19 spreading in our community, the Campaign for Sustainable Transportation is postponing petition signature gathering to place on the ballot Santa Cruz city voters' right to decide on future construction of a parking garage downtown. CFST wants our community to thrive, and there is no more fundamental basis for the common good than public health. Each of us individually and all of us collectively must work to create a sustainable community and a sustainable planet. We will reevaluate how to proceed in light of developments as they unfold.
(2020-03-14). This Recession Calls for A Bigger, Greener Stimulus. truthdig.com Every crisis is also an opportunity, as the saying goes, and this is especially true of historic crises like the current coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately, as Kate Aranoff writes in a new piece at the New Republic, the U.S. government looks determined to squander one of the greatest opportunities presented by the economic crisis shadowing the health crisis: The chance to pass a stimulus package that moves toward the emissions goals demanded by the science of climate change. | While the subject of carbon emissions may seem unrelated to the virus, the climate crisis is so severe that it can no longer be so easily…
(2020-03-14). Coronavirus will deepen social and health problems in Sri Lanka. wsws.org The jobs and livelihoods of workers and the poor, who have been battered by the decades-long communalist war and government austerity measures, will be hard hit.
(2020-03-14). World Health Organization pleads for $675 million to fight coronavirus. wsws.org While the World Health Organization begs for resources to fight the global contagion, the Trump administration has provided $1.5 trillion to prop up the markets.
(2020-03-14). Spain declares state of emergency as unions agree to mass layoffs. wsws.org The decision comes as there are 4,209 confirmed cases of coronavirus, 1,000 more than the day before, and 120 deaths from the disease across Spain.
(2020-03-14). The RNC Gave Big Contracts to Companies Tied to Its Chair's Backers and Husband. truthout.org The Republican National Committee has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to contractors closely connected to the organization's chairwoman, Ronna McDaniel. | One contract went to her husband's insurance company. Two others went to businesses whose executives recently donated to Ronna for Chair, a largely inactive political action committee that McDaniel controls. She had set it up in 2015, when she successfully ran for chair of the Republican Party in Michigan, her home state. | The comp…
(2020-03-14). Medicare for All Would Transform the Labor Market for the Better. truthout.org A
(2020-03-14). Canadian woman and Italian man kidnapped in Burkina Faso have been released: UN. yenisafak.com A Canadian woman and Italian man kidnapped in Burkina Faso in December 2018 have been released to the United Nations' peacekeeping mission in neighbouring Mali and appear to be in good health, a mission spokesman said on Saturday.Edith Blais and Italian Luca Tacchetto went missing while travelling through Burkina Faso, a country where jihadist groups with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State are active.U.N. mission spokesman Olivier Salgado told Reuters that Blais and Tacchetto were received by peacekeepers on Friday evening and would be handed over to Malian authorities later on Saturday.It is not known who was r…
(2020-03-14). Iraq reports new coronavirus death, takes toll to 10. yenisafak.com Iraq's health authorities confirmed a new death from coronavirus on Saturday, taking the total fatalities in the country to 10.In a statement, the health directorate in the southern Wasit province said an elderly man died of the virus and his wife had also tested positive for the virus in the town of Sheikh Saad after their recent trip to Iran.The wife has been hospitalized for medical attention, the directorate said, without giving any more details.Wasit police said the town has been locked down following the new death from the disease.The new fatality brings to 10 the number of Iraqis who have died from the vir…
(2020-03-14). Mexican coronavirus tally increases to 26: health ministry. yenisafak.com Mexico has registered a rise in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases to 26 from 15 a day earlier, the Mexican health ministry on Friday.
(2020-03-14). Qatar reports 17 new coronavirus infections. yenisafak.com The new cases had contacted with expatriate workers, who are currently quarantined, the ministry said in a statement cited by the official QNA news agency.On Thursday, Qatari authorities closed all cinemas and theaters as part of its effort to stem the spread of the disease.After emerging in Wuhan, China, in December, the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 has spread so far to 129 countries and territories.The global death toll is now over 5,400, with more than 146,000 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization, which declared the outbreak a "pandemic".
(2020-03-14). Austria announces coronavirus aid package, ditches deficit target. yenisafak.com Austria is making 4 billion euros ($4.4 billion) immediately available to deal with the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, the conservative-led government said on Saturday as it ditched a central pledge to balance its budget.Austria has closed its borders to most arrivals from neighbouring Switzerland and Italy because of the coronavirus outbreaks there and is in the process of scaling back daily life to slow the disease's spread, shutting schools and most shops other than those selling food and medicine."A balanced budget is always important, but Austrians' health, jobs and a stable economy is more…
(2020-03-14). Rwanda confirms first case of coronavirus: health ministry. yenisafak.com Rwanda has confirmed its first case of coronavirus, an Indian citizen who arrived in the East African nation from Mumbai on March 8, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.He had no symptoms on arrival but presented himself to a health facility on March 13, the ministry said. Rwanda is the 19th African nation to report the presence of coronavirus.
(2020-03-14). Rouhani: Iran's Efforts to Fight Coronavirus in Face of US Sanctions 'Remarkable'. sputniknews.com The news comes after earlier this week President Donald Trump announced that oil development sanctions against Iran would be extended for another year. Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif responded by stating that Washington is draining Tehran's resources amid a health crisis, calling it economic and medical terrorism.
(2020-03-14). German Finance Minister Vows to Use 'Bazooka' to Shore Up Companies Amid COVID-19 Crisis. sputniknews.com Earlier this week, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that the coronavirus outbreak can be viewed as a pandemic which WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said is "a crisis that will touch every sector".
(2020-03-14). Spain Records Over 1,500 New Coronavirus Cases in 24 Hours – Health Ministry. sputniknews.com MADRID (Sputnik) – Earlier this week, the World Health Organisation declared the spread of the COVID-19 a pandemic. The number of coronavirus cases worldwide has surpassed 145,000, with over 5,400 fatalities.
(2020-03-14). Qatar flight carrying medical aid arrives in Iran. iranian.com A Qatari airplane carrying government medical and health aid from Doha has arrived in Tehran. Iran Air will also provide its third flight to Qatar on Friday to bring home Iranian passengers stranded in Qatar due to coronavirus fears. In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, Iran Air flights to Qatar were suspended. Due to …
(2020-03-13). Italy sees a one-day record of 250 Covid-19 DEATHS, officials say. rt.com 
Italy has reported 250 new deaths due to the Covid-19 virus — a one-day record since the country experienced the biggest outbreak of positive cases across Europe. | The latest spate of deaths has brought the Italian death toll to 1,266, up from 1,016 on Thursday, officials said. | The total number of confirmed cases of the Covid-19 virus in Italy also rose from 15,113 on Thursday to 17,660 on Friday. The outbreak was first identified in Italy's northern regions in late February and has spread rapidly since. | The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that Europe was now the center of the global…
(2020-03-13). Johnson slammed by WHO and scientists for 'wrong and dangerous' coronavirus strategy. thecanary.co 
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called into question the UK's approach to developing "herd immunity" against the coronavirus aka Covid-19.On Friday 13 March, the UK's chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance said the government's strategy is aimed at creating a "herd immunity" to the disease. WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris criticised this approach on BBC Radio 4's Today programme: We don't know enough about the science of this virus, it hasn't been in our population for long enough for us to know what it does in immunological terms. | Every virus functions differently in your body and stimulates a diffe…
(2020-03-13). Louisiana becomes 1st state to postpone Democratic primary, delaying for 2 months due to coronavirus outbreak. rt.com 
Louisiana has postponed its 2020 presidential primaries, initially scheduled for next month, until June 20 a spokesman for the secretary of state told CNBC, citing concerns over the coronavirus epidemic. | The state becomes the first to postpone its primaries amid worries over the virus, which has caused schools and businesses to shut down across the nation. The presidential primary was originally scheduled for April 4. | Municipal elections, scheduled for May 9, will also be postponed until July 25. | "We want to protect the health and safety of all Louisianans by doing our part to prevent the spread of this…
(2020-03-13). Even Jeremy Hunt is 'concerned' by the UK's coronavirus strategy. thecanary.co 
The Government's approach to tackling coronavirus is "concerning", former health secretary Jeremy Hunt has said as new measures to delay the spread of the virus come into effect.Hunt, chair of the House of Commons Health select committee, questioned the Government's decision not to cancel large gatherings after Boris Johnson warned many more families would "lose loved ones before their time".Asked on BBC Newsnight what he thought about the decision not to cancel large gatherings, Hunt said: "I think it is surprising and concerning that we're not doing any of it at all when we have just four weeks before we get to…
(2020-03-13). End of an era? Bill Gates steps down from Microsoft board. rt.com 
Microsoft co-founder and tech icon Bill Gates has resigned from the company's board of directors, stating he will dedicate more of his energies to philanthropy, but will continue to advise CEO Satya Nadella. | The firm announced the move on Friday afternoon, noting that Gates would now spend more time on "his philanthropic priorities including global health, development, education," as well as climate change. | "It's been a tremendous honor and privilege to have worked with and learned from Bill over the years," company CEO Satya Nadella said in a statement. "Bill founded our company with a belief in the democ…
(2020-03-13). 'No tests': AP reporter trying to get Covid-19 test sent from pillar to post by health authorities, told to 'stay home' on Twitter. rt.com 
AP reporter Steve Peoples had no luck trying to get tested for the Covid-19 virus after he presented to a primary care center and was subsequently bounced around to various other health facilities with no tests available anywhere. | Peoples tweeted on Friday that he had been experiencing "mild symptoms" — a headache, mild fever and cough — but that when he arrived at his primary care center in north Jersey, they told him to go to the emergency room instead. | I'm presenting mild symptoms (headache, mild fever, mild cough) and want to get tested in north Jersey. Primary care tells me to go to ER. ER…
(2020-03-13). "Capitalism is a disease hotspot" mronline.org 
The real danger of each new outbreak is the failure or—better put—the expedient refusal to grasp that each new Covid-19 is no isolated incident. The increased occurrence of viruses is closely linked to the proliferation of capitalist food production and distribution. |
(2020-03-13). Trump declares national emergency over coronavirus pandemic, unlocking $50bn in funding. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency over the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, unlocking additional powers and funding for disaster response and getting FEMA involved in the efforts to curb the disease. | "To unleash the full power of the federal government," Trump said in an address from the White House Rose Garden on Friday, "I am officially declaring a national emergency." Trump said that the declaration will free up $50 billion in funding to tackle the spread of the illness. | Trump added that he is "asking every hospital in the country" to activate their emergency preparation plans, a…
(2020-03-13). Coronavirus epidemic responses reveal differences in capitalist and socialist values. peoplesworld.org 
BEIJING—The world has a Public Enemy No. 1, and it's the novel coronavirus. Capable of causing severe pneumonia among those it infects, the virus first wreaked havoc on the city of Wuhan in China's Hubei province and has since spread at an alarming rate. At present, thousands have died and over 100,000 have been infected …
(2020-03-13). Headlines for March 13, 2020. democracynow.org Coronavirus Infections Around the Globe Reach 135,000 People, Nearly 5,000 Dead, U.S. Coronavirus Infections Rise to 1,650 as Actual Number Believed to Be Higher | , Dow Jones Plummets 10% in Biggest Drop Since 1987 | , Trump Administration Faces Backlash for Handling of Coronavirus Outbreak, Testing | , Brazilian President Bolsonaro's Aide Tests Positive for COVID-19 Days After Meeting with Trump, Philippines President Duterte Orders Lockdown in Manila Amid Coronavirus Pandemic | , Advocates Afraid of Deadly Coronavirus Outbreak in Immigration Jails Plagued by Medical Neglect, Democratic Presidential Debate Relo…
(2020-03-13). Amid the Worse Public Crisis in Decades, Trump Admin Finds the Time and Money to Bomb Iraq. mintpressnews.com While the government has found plenty of money to carry out wars around the globe (the Trump administration increased the military budget to $934 billion), when it comes to policies protecting public health, money is always apparently lacking.
(2020-03-13). New Coronavirus and Measures That Latin America Govts Have Taken. telesurenglish.net The advance of the new coronavirus in Latin America alerted the governments of the region since already 17 countries have reported confirmed cases. Brazil is the country with the most infected so far but does not yet register deaths like Argentina, Ecuador, Panama, and Guyana. | RELATED: | After the World Health Organization (WHO) told the world about the decision to classify the proliferation of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) as a 'pandemic,'
(2020-03-13). Watch Labour legend Tony Benn nail the US medical system's inadequacy to deal with the coronavirus. thecanary.co The World Health Organization has
(2020-03-13). White House Removes Public Health Experts from Coronavirus Discussions. globalresearch.ca The White House held dozens of meetings about coronavirus response that excluded government experts because
(2020-03-13). Union Workers Are More Likely to Have Paid Sick Days and Health Insurance. commondreams.org Union workers are more likely to be able to stay home and seek medical care, which will help strengthen their communities by being less likely to spread the virus. (Photo: Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-03-13). WHO Details Tips on How To Wear Surgical Mask. telesurenglish.net The World Health Organization (WHO) has offered the RELATED: | If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with suspected novel coronavirus infection. | Mas…