(2020-03-19). DIY disaster: CDC tells nurses to use 'use bandanas and scarves' as face mask shortage hits US. rt.com 
The US Centers for Disease Control has advised nurses and frontline healthcare workers to use bandanas and scarves as makeshift masks when caring for Covid-19 patients "as a last resort" should hospitals reach "crisis capacity." | The updated
(2020-03-19). Under Capitalism, Every Plague Has a Silver Lining. counterpunch.org 
However grave the calamity, someone will see it as a way to make a buck. COVID-19, which the World Health Organization declared as a global pandemic on March 11, is no exception. Forget about human misery. The private sector and the Trump Administration see the coronavirus as an opportunity. Because under capitalism, every plague has
(2020-03-19). DIY disaster: CDC tells nurses to 'use bandanas and scarves' as face mask shortage hits US. rt.com The US Centers for Disease Control has advised nurses and frontline healthcare workers to use bandanas and scarves as makeshift masks when caring for Covid-19 patients "as a last resort" should hospitals reach "crisis capacity." | The updated
(2020-03-19). First coronavirus patient dies in Russia: Elderly woman with underlying medical conditions. rt.com 
A 79-year-old woman, with numerous underlying health conditions, who was diagnosed with Covid-19 has died in an infectious disease hospital in Moscow, the agency for monitoring the situation with the disease reports. | The cause of death was pneumonia against the background of other very severe health problems, including type 2 diabetes, arterial hypertension, coronary heart disease, and arteriosclerosis among other things. | According to Moscow daily Moskovsky Komsomolets her name was Valentina Zubareva, a professor who lectured at the Gubkin Oil and Gas University in the Russian capital. She was still delive…
(2020-03-19). Going down? 2nd coronavirus case confirmed aboard US Navy warship despite 'aggressive mitigation strategy'. rt.com 
The USS Boxer is now the first ship in the US Navy with more than one sailor infected with Covid-19. A new case was confirmed on Wednesday. | The first positive test for the disease was recorded among the amphibious assault ship's crew on Friday. | The second infected seaman wasn't in contact with the first one, the Navy said, adding that "the Sailors work in two different departments." | The two sailors are currently isolated at their homes in accordance with protocol. People who came into contact with them have also been quarantined. | The commanders of the ship, which is now stationed in San Diego, Califor…
(2020-03-19). A Lesson Coronavirus is About to Teach the World. counterpunch.org 
If a disease can teach wisdom beyond our understanding of how precarious and precious life is, the coronavirus has offered two lessons. The first is that in a globalised world our lives are so intertwined that the idea of viewing ourselves as islands — whether as individuals, communities, nations, or a uniquely privileged species —
(2020-03-19). One Iranian dies of coronavirus every 10 minutes, 50 get infected every hour — health ministry. rt.com 
Iranian authorities have provided shocking statistics showing the massive scale of the local Covid-19 outbreak. The country remains the worst-affected in the Middle East, with 1,284 coronavirus deaths already. | "Based on our information, every 10 minutes one person dies from the coronavirus and some 50 people become infected with the virus every hour in Iran," Kianush Jahanpur, the health ministry spokesman, The death toll from the disease in Iran has reached 1,284 people, with 149 deaths comi…
(2020-03-19). For the 1st time since outbreak, China reports NO NEW LOCAL COVID-19 CASES. rt.com 
Mainland China has had no new local coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours — the first time since the outbreak began in December. Beijing is still struggling to contain imported cases of the disease. | Notably, the purported epicenter of the epidemic — Wuhan, in Hubei province — recorded no new locally-transmitted infections. The same was true across China, according to reports, citing the Chinese government. | Health authorities reported 34 new cases on Thursday, but said that all involved people who had come to China from abroad. Twenty-one of the imported infections were in Beijing, m…
(2020-03-19). Russian woman to FACE COURT for allegedly spreading coronavirus FAKE NEWS. rt.com 
With most of Europe and Asia presently under some form of emergency measures to fight the spread of Covid-19, now is probably not the best time to scare people even more. | A woman in Russia's Far East is set to appear before a court on charges of spreading false information about coronavirus in her remote region. The Amur Oblast where she resides has yet to report a case of the disease, despite bordering China, the original epicenter. | Also on rt.com | | On the o…
(2020-03-19). Vague emergency legislation gives UK police & 'public health officers' powers to DETAIN suspected Covid-19 sufferers. rt.com 
The British government is giving police, public health and immigration officers authority to detain those suspected of having coronavirus under a new emergency bill, but it's not clear exactly how the new powers will be exercised. | The proposed powers were outlined in a 329-page emergency bill on Thursday and come as the UK implements more draconian measures to curb the spread of Covid-19. | In explanatory
(2020-03-19). Texas court stays second execution in a week 'because of coronavirus'. rt.com 
A Texas appeals court has issued a 60-day stay of execution for convicted murderer Tracy Beatty, citing the "enormous resources" needed to deal with the coronavirus crisis – its second such decision this week. | The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals pressed pause on Beatty's execution on Thursday, explaining in its decision that "the current health crisis and the enormous resources needed to address that emergency" necessitated waiting 60 days before setting a new date. Beatty was convicted and sentenced to death 15 years ago for killing his mother and burying her in his backyard, and was due to be executed next…
(2020-03-19). Trumka praises workers, slams Trump and profiteers on coronavirus pandemic. peoplesworld.org 
(2020-03-19). Health inequality: The rich and famous get coronavirus tests first. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON (AP)—Celebrities, politicians, and professional athletes faced a backlash this week as many revealed that they had been tested for the coronavirus, even when they didn't have a fever or other tell-tale symptoms. That's fueling a perception that the wealthy and famous have been able to jump to the head of the line to get …
(2020-03-19). Worldwide coronavirus deaths surpass 9,000 — AFP. rt.com 
The global death toll from Covid-19 has reached at least 9,000, according to an AFP tally. The benchmark comes a day after fatalities in Europe surpassed those in Asia. | Multiple sources have estimated that the number of worldwide infections reached around 220,000 by Thursday. | China, the reported epicenter of the outbreak, reported no new local infections for the first time since the pandemic began more than two months ago. The hopeful news contrasts sharply with the growing health crisis in Europe. Italy, the hardest-hit nation outside China, reported a record 475 deaths yesterday from the illness. | As Ch…
(2020-03-19). Silent streets: Life halts, but not for all workers. peoplesworld.org 
This is the first installment of a two-part series featuring interviews with the workers in the service, health, and other sectors who are still going to their jobs each day during the coronavirus crisis—the ones keeping our society functioning. ST. LOUIS—The mood is uneasy. The streets are quiet and show their pain through the paint …
(2020-03-19). Current economic disaster is like three neutron bombs dropped on us, market analyst tells Boom Bust. rt.com 
The US Federal Reserve has been attempting to stop investor panic with its emergency actions, but those moves are like firing "a water gun" when we need "a bazooka," Tobin Smith, CEO of Transformity Research, believes. | Speaking to RT's Boom Bust, the analyst said that the real problem is in the US debt market, as there is four times as much debt than there was in 2008-2009. | "This is as a financial disaster, as a health disaster as an economic disaster — is like we got three neutron bombs dropped on us," Smith warned. "First we obviously have the coronavirus and the pandemic, then we've got the oil pan…
(2020-03-19). Coronavirus: Scientists warn young people not to be complacent as deaths rise. thecanary.co 
The government's top scientific advisers have warned young people not to be complacent over Covid-19 as they urged the public to keep up social distancing measures to protect themselves.England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said the vast majority of people in all age groups would recover but it was a mistake for young people who are healthy to think they would all just "breeze through" the pandemic.He spoke before latest figures revealed that a further 29 people who tested positive had died in England, taking the UK total to 137, and the Bank of England slashed interest rates to a new historic lo…
(2020-03-19). Italy's coronavirus toll OVERTAKES China, total cases in Europe pass 100,000. rt.com 
Health officials in Italy have confirmed a further 427 deaths from Covid-19, pushing the country's overall death toll to 3,405. The figure overtakes the number of total deaths in China from the outbreak. | According to a tally compiled by the AFP, the overall number of cases across Europe has now risen over 100,000. | The latest deaths in Italy are a slight decrease on the previous 24-hour period, in which a record 475 people died in one day from the rapidly-spreading virus. | The outbreak was first recorded in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019, and has since spread around the world at an alarming rate, i…
(2020-03-19). Covid-19 and the Need, Right Now, For a Universal Basic Income. counterpunch.org 
Apart from the medical threat revealing a brutal class divide in healthcare, the coronavirus pandemic is creating social and economic havoc among non-rich populations. If ever the need for a universal basic income was evident, it is now. But governments, trying to save the neoliberal system, and making the most of the disaster to lay the foundations for a new round of disaster capitalism, won't see it. To give a couple of examples of this catastrophe profiteering, laissez-faire entrepreneur par excellence, Sir Richard Branson, wants a £7.5 billion government bailout for his airline, and Trump has proposed a…
(2020-03-19). Convoy of Italian army trucks haul away corpses as local crematorium flooded with coronavirus dead (VIDEO). rt.com 
The Italian military has been called in to help transport dead bodies as the northern city of Bergamo reels from the ongoing coronavirus epidemic. The city's crematorium is reportedly now working around-the-clock. | The head of Lega Nord, Matteo Salvini, posted a photograph on Twitter showing a seemingly endless line of army trucks moving their way through the Italian town, located in the Lombardy region. | L'Esercito porta le bare fuori da Bergamo, per la cremazione fuori dalla Lombardia, una terra messa a prova durissima, che lotta senza tregua contro il male. | àà un'immagine straziante, che colpisce…
(2020-03-19). French govt ready to extend lockdown if necessary, interior minister says. rt.com 
France's 15-day lockdown ordered by President Emmanuel Macron to curb the coronavirus epidemic could be extended if necessary, according to Interior Minister Christophe Castaner. | "The 15-day period may be extended. If necessary, the government will re-conduct it," Castaner told Europe 1 radio station on Thursday. | Since Wednesday morning, the police deployed to enforce the lockdown have carried out 70,000 controls and handed out 4,095 tickets to those flouting the lockdown, Reuters quoted Castaner as saying. | The minister said earlier that 100,000 police would be deployed to enforce the lockdown, and check…
(2020-03-19). India locks down Kashmir as it reports 1st case of coronavirus, Sri Lanka postpones election. rt.com 
India blocked roads in Kashmir on Thursday after the insurgency-torn region reported its first case of coronavirus. The development comes as several other parts of the country imposed restrictions on public gatherings in attempts to prevent the spread of epidemic. | Dozens of people in Kashmir told Reuters they had been prevented from leaving their neighborhoods on Thursday because roads were blocked by police and paramilitary units. | Srinagar's senior superintendent of police Haseeb Mughal said that road blockades across the valley had been imposed to prevent the spread of the virus. | Elsewhere in densely-p…
(2020-03-19). What about ending endless wars? Tulsi Gabbard drops out of presidential race and backs …Biden. rt.com 
Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has suspended her presidential campaign and endorsed Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden, citing the establishment favorite's primary victories and the coronavirus as her reasons. | Gabbard made the surprise announcement on Thursday in a video posted to her Twitter account, explaining she was dropping out to focus on dealing with the coronavirus epidemic in Hawaii and potentially serving in her National Guard capacity should she be called to action. | The endorsement of Biden came as a particular surprise, given Gabbard's opposition to "regime change wars," a central plank of he…
(2020-03-19). Tulsi Gabbard suspends presidential campaign, endorses Biden. rt.com Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has suspended her presidential campaign and endorsed Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden, citing the establishment favorite's primary victories and the coronavirus as her reasons. | Gabbard made the surprise announcement on Thursday in a video posted to her Twitter account, explaining she was dropping out to focus on dealing with the coronavirus epidemic in Hawaii and potentially serving in her National Guard capacity should she be called to action. | The endorsement of Biden came as a particular surprise, given Gabbard's opposition to "regime change wars," a central plank of he…
(2020-03-19). Global corporate losses from coronavirus to top $12 TRILLION — investor Ray Dalio. rt.com 
The economic damage from the Covid-19 outbreak will be unprecedented, according to the head of one of the world's largest hedge funds Ray Dalio, who says global corporate losses from the epidemic will amount to $12 trillion. | "What's happening has not happened in our lifetime before … What we have is a crisis," Dalio told CNBC. "There will also be individuals who have very big losses… There's a need for the government to spend more money, a lot more money… A lot of people are going to be broke." Talking about US corporations he said they will lose as much as $4 trillion. | The founder of Bridgewater Ass…
(2020-03-19). AOC calls for universal basic income and 'Medicare for all'. zcomm.org Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other progressive lawmakers are calling for a significantly more robust federal-government response to the coronavirus than has so far been proposed by both Democrats and Republicans…
(2020-03-19). Headlines for March 19, 2020. democracynow.org Italy Records Record 475 Coronavirus Deaths as Infections Continue Climbing, British PM Boris Johnson Closes Schools After Reversing Lax Virus Containment Plan, Millions of Brazilians Protest from Windows and Balconies Demanding President's Ouster, World Health Organization Warns Critical Lack of Testing Is Costing Lives, Egypt Arrests Protesters Calling for Release of Prisoners at Risk of COVID-19, Yemen, Already Wracked by U.S.-Supported, Saudi-Led War, Braces for Coronavirus, Trump Admin Tightens Sanctions That Have Devastated Iran's Public Health System, Trump Signs Coronavirus Relief Bill Providing Paid Leav…
(2020-03-19). Socialist countries response to pandemic shows stark contrast to capitalism. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – As the number of confirmed cases of the viral illness COVID-19 approaches 200,000 worldwide, we can already see how differently issues of public health and human needs are treated in socialist countries vs. capitalist countries. | COVID-19 was first detected in Wuhan, a major city in the People's Republic of China. Local officials took three to four weeks to recognize its significance. Once the threat was clear, the whole of the country and vast resources were mobilized. Everything was shut down to stop the virus in its tracks. People were quarantined at home as new hospitals were constructed, s…
(2020-03-19). Trump's Budget Proposal Reveals His Values. counterpunch.org It is often said that government budgets are "an expression of values." Those values are clear in the Trump administration's $4.8 trillion budget proposal for 2021, unveiled early this February. The budget calls for deep cuts in major U.S. government programs, especially those protecting public health. The Department of Health and Human Services would be
(2020-03-19). The Dem Primary is Over, and We Need Bernie Sanders to Lead on Health Care From the Senate. truthdig.com On Tuesday, I cast a joyless vote for the very much politically doomed Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Illinois primary, in an elementary school where hushed whispers and fearful glances had replaced the normal din of an election day. There was no one standing just outside the perimeter hustling me to vote for this …
(2020-03-19). Not Giving Up on Happiness: Care of the Self and Well-Being in a Plague Year. truthdig.com The specter of plague haunts our world, and it brings with it not only the ghouls of disease and death but vast economic and social uncertainty of a sort only the most elderly among us remembers (the Great Depression and World War II). My father is 90 and when I called him a child of …
(2020-03-19). As coronavirus pandemic grows, anger rises against German companies. wsws.org While the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) announced that the health risk posed by COVID-19 is "high", VW announced its production lines would operate until Friday.
(2020-03-19). ACLU Demands the Release from Prisons and Jails of Communities Vulnerable to COVID-19. indybay.org ACLU Also Calls for Release of People Currently in Pretrial Detention Because of Cash Bail to Prevent a Public Health Crisis…
(2020-03-19). Canadian government's Coronavirus response: Tens of billions for business, a pittance for healthcare and workers. wsws.org While the Liberal government is handing the corporate elite virtually unlimited supplies of cash, it is placing working people and their families on rations amid a global pandemic.
(2020-03-19). Coronavirus Pandemic: Science Sidelined in Trump Rose Garden Fiasco: "Double Collapse of Human and Economic Health, Shutdown of Normal Life" globalresearch.ca Having paved over the science on pandemics, the Trump administration puts up parking lots. Literally. | It wasn't enough that President Trump's Rose Garden declaration of a national coronavirus emergency on Friday disintegrated into a self-congratulatory monologue. It wasn't enough that …
(2020-03-19). What the Coronavirus Says about Us. zcomm.org Trump's message to governors on lifesaving medical equipment — "get it yourselves" — is grimly appropriate in a country without national health care…
(2020-03-19). Coronavirus Shock Doctrine. globalresearch.ca Supranational polities, including the World Health Organization (WHO), have created the perception that the coronavirus is a significant global threat — despite evidence to the contrary. (1) | "National" governments have turned the perception into a "consensus", a "truth", and have …
(2020-03-19). Front-line nurses and doctors face dire shortages of personal protective equipment. wsws.org There are mounting fears among health care workers that they are running unacceptable risks because of the lack of equipment.
(2020-03-19). China reports no new Covid-19 cases in Wuhan and Hubei province. thecanary.co China has recorded no new cases of Covid-19 in Wuhan or in the surrounding Hubei province, officials said. | Wuhan had previously reported thousands of new cases of coronavirus infection daily, overwhelming its health care system. | The country's health ministry said early on 19 March that results over the past 24 hours showed 34 new cases, all detected in people arriving from abroad. | Eight new deaths were reported, all in Wuhan. | Of those new cases of infection, 21 were in Beijing, nine in the southern manufacturing centre Guangdong, two in Shanghai and one each in coastal Zhejiang and Heilongjing in the far…
(2020-03-19). On the Front Lines of the Coronavirus Pandemic: A Doctor's View. counterpunch.org Coronavirus has officially hit the United States. Throughout the country, there have been anywhere between 1600 and 3600 confirmed cases and 41 deaths. This number is likely a gross underestimate of the actual number of cases, as the U.S. has only tested a small proportion of the population. Meanwhile, top health officials in Ohio estimate 100,000 people could have potentially already been
(2020-03-19). Moratorium on Water Shut-offs in Detroit Long Overdue. globalresearch.ca Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced a halt to the ongoing water shut-offs in the state of Michigan in the midst of a global healthcare crisis spawned by the COVID-19 pandemic. | In Detroit the suspension of all terminations of water services …
(2020-03-19). Minnesota: Hennepin County workers fight back in times of crisis. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – Hennepin County union workers keep fighting for worker and community safety. AFSCME Local 2822 has led the charge, alongside sister Hennepin County AFSCME locals. AFSCME Local 2822 represents almost 1300 clerical workers, including service center representatives, office specialists and library specialists, who do work that cannot be done from home. | Workers won a major victory on March 16, after days of frontline workers and community members speaking out about public health and safety concerns at worksites like licensing service centers, libraries, and human service hubs. Hennepin County final…
(2020-03-19). Colombia: Senators Ask Duque for More Decision to Halt Covid-19. telesurenglish.net More than 60 Colombian lawmakers and senators Thursday asked President Ivan Duque to take more forceful measures in the face of the health emergency caused by the Covid-19. | RELATED: | They argued that while reconnecting water to thousands of homes is fine, Colombians need four things that the government is not doing. | Mandatory isolation is the most effective measure. However, for people to stay at home, the government mu…
(2020-03-19). S.C. County Issues Shelter-in-Place with No Shelter or Facilities for Those Outside. indybay.org Several hours ago the County of Santa Cruz Health Services Agency followed up on actions by San Francisco, Marin, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Mateo counties declaring much public assembly a misdemeanor. Meanwhile acting City czar Martin Bernal has declined to provide portapotties, open bathrooms, provide vacant hotel and motel rooms, or declare an eviction moratorium for folks outside and hard-pressed renters inside.
(2020-03-19). San Francisco Food Not Bombs Is Sharing Food on Wednesday, March 18. indybay.org San Francisco Food Not Bombs will keep its regular schedule during the San Francisco Department of Public Health's Shelter In Place Order.
(2020-03-19). Collectivism by the Chinese People Played Indispensable Role in China's COVID-19 Fight. globalresearch.ca It is indeed a "people's war" against the epidemic, which demonstrates China's ability to mobilize huge resources and its sheer national strength while relying on its people to win. | *** | China has stabilized the COVID-19 epidemic situation in a short …
(2020-03-19). Hungarian government uses coronavirus epidemic to promote racism. wsws.org As throughout Europe, the coronavirus is spreading rapidly in Hungary.
(2020-03-19). Biden Silent on Plan That Could Make Coronavirus Vaccine Affordable. truthout.org This article was produced by The pharmaceutical lobby scored a major win earlier this month when it stopped House Democrats from adding language to the emergency coronavirus funding bill that would have pre…
(2020-03-19). Turkish banking sector continues to back businesses. yenisafak.com The Turkish Banking Association (TBB) on Thursday announced a set of recommendations for lenders to revive business activity amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.Pointing to Turkey's economic recovery in the third quarter of last year, the association said in a statement that the negative impact of the virus on economic and social ties would likely curb the rally.The association aims to support the measures taken to limit the economic fallout caused by the coronavirus and contribute a much as possible to maintaining healthy growth."We recommend to our banks that they support their customers who need additional cre…
(2020-03-19). Spain's coronavirus death toll climbs by over 200 overnight. yenisafak.com Spain's health ministry said on Thursday the death toll from the coronavirus epidemic soared by 209 to 767 fatalities from the previous day as the total number of coronavirus cases climbed by a quarter to 17,147 on Thursday.On Wednesday, there were 13,716 cases in Spain.