Live updates: As deaths
surpass 200,000
worldwide, more states
and countries move
toward easing restriction
Meanwhile, Anthony S. Fauci — the infectious diseases expert helping to steer the White House’s coronavirus response — said that the United States should double the number of coronavirus tests it’s performing in the next several weeks, and has the capacity to do so.
Here are some significant developments:
- The Chinese city of Wuhan no longer has any coronavirus patients in hospital, health officials said Sunday, a significant step towards combating the virus in the city that was once its epicenter.
- The World Health Organization said there was not enough evidence that a person who has recovered from covid-19 is immune from a second infection.
- The Northern California woman who is the first known person to die of covid-19 in the United States passed away from a massive heart attack brought on by the disease, according to an autopsy report published Saturday by the San Francisco Chronicle.
- Japan is likely to extend a nationwide state of emergency beyond the early May deadline, the country’s national broadcaster and news reports suggest.
- For the first time since states began implementing stay-at-home orders in mid-March to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, Americans are staying home less, according to researchers tracking smartphone data.
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3:42 p.m.
Hong Kong records no new coronavirus cases for third time in a week
HONG KONG — For the third time in a week, Hong Kong has recorded no new coronavirus infections, as life slowly returns to normal in the Chinese territory.
Social distancing measures will continue to remain in place in Hong Kong until at least May 7, extended this past week for another 14 days, to ensure infections remain under control. Bars, fitness centers, karaoke studios and other venues remain closed. But for more than two weeks, the city has recorded single digit increases or no new cases. New infections have largely been imported cases, or close contacts of positive cases.
Hong Kong’s path back to normalcy will be closely watched as a model of how other places can open back up once community spread is under control. Tight travel restrictions remain into the territory, which is only allowing residents to enter and subjecting them to a mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival. A vast majority of residents continue to wear facial coverings or surgical masks whenever they leave their homes, among the places where nearly universal mask wearing has been the norm since the early days of the virus.
Officials are urging caution too because a handful of coronavirus patients who have been discharged from hospital have again tested positive.
3:29 p.m.Hawaii
extends stay-at-home order through May
extends stay-at-home order through May
As some states look to pare back coronavirus restrictions, Hawaii’s governor on Saturday announced he was extending the state’s stay-at-home order through the end of May, saying that ending the lockdown could lead to a spike in cases.
“We are not out of the woods yet,” Hawaii Gov. David Ige (D) said in a news conference. “We still need to remain vigilant.”
The state’s tourism-heavy economy has been devastated by the lockdown, which took effect March 25 and was originally set to expire at the end of April.
Hawaii typically receives several hundred thousand visitors every month from the U.S. mainland and countries around the world. As of Friday, fewer than 4,000 people had traveled to the state in the entire month of April, as the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.
3:17 p.m.
Megachurch pastor placed on house arrest after playing coy on if he’d still hold church services
A Louisiana megachurch pastor who has repeatedly defied stay-at-home orders by holding large church services amid the coronavirus pandemic was placed on house arrest Saturday after refusing to tell a judge whether he’d continue to hold weekly gatherings.
Pastor Tony Spell, who has drawn nationwide attention for holding services attended by hundreds of people at his Life Tabernacle Church near Baton Rouge, was arrested Tuesday for allegedly driving a church bus backward toward a protester outside the church. Spell, who has denied the allegations, was released from jail on a $5,000 bond.
As part of Spell’s release, he had to confirm to a judge that he would obey the stay-at-home order of Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D), according to the Advocate.
Spell reportedly responded to the judge’s question by citing 1 Peter 3:14: “But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled.” And when he was asked again, Spell was silent, which the judge took to mean that he would continue to hold large church gatherings.
It was at that point that the judge implemented the house arrest ordering, starting at 9 a.m. Saturday. But Joe Long, Spell’s attorney, told the Advocate that he wasn’t sure if the megachurch pastor would still participate in the service.
“As far as I know, there will be church, whether or not he participates,” Long said. “I don’t know whether he plans on doing it. He’s praying on it.”
3:04 p.m.
Iran considers system to ease restrictions in some parts of the country in coming weeks
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Sunday his government was preparing to reopen parts of the country in coming weeks, possibly allowing cities that have seen reduced rates of infection and fatalities to ease restrictions even as other areas remain under lockdown.
Rouhani, speaking to the national coronavirus task force, said the country would be fighting the outbreak for a long time to come but that it was increasingly possible to plan for easing the rules in some places. He described a ratings system that would rank population centers as White, Yellow or Red cities.
White cities, where deaths and new cases stayed low over a number of weeks, would be allowed to open some businesses and allow prayer gatherings as long as hygiene and social-distancing rules remained in place. Areas that saw a return of new infections would be downgraded to yellow or red with restrictions reinstated.
On Saturday, Mohammad Mehdi Gouya, head of the Health Ministry’s infectious-disease department, warned that infections in some provinces have increased in recent days. He specifically cited Qom, where Iran’s outbreak originated, adding that rates remain high in the capital Tehran.
The president promised to decide whether to implement the ratings system before the end of Ramadan, which concludes May 23. He emphasized that easing restrictions would not end the responsibility of Iranians to protect themselves and others.
The hardest hit country in the Middle East, Iran has reported 89,328 infections with 5,650 deaths, though the rate of new infections and fatalities has declined substantially. The Post and other news organizations have documented that the outbreak is likely far more widespread, however.
2:52 p.m.
Once the epicenter of the virus, China’s Wuhan say it has hit a milestone: no coronavirus cases in hospital
HONG KONG — The Chinese city of Wuhan no longer has any coronavirus patients in hospital, health officials said Sunday, a significant step towards combating the virus in the city that was once its epicenter.
Wuhan was under a 76-day lockdown that slowly lifted on April 8. Severe restrictions on movement, mandatory social distancing and other measures are still in place. The virus now appears to be largely under control there, but economic recovery will be slow, experts warn, especially for smaller businesses and restaurants.
2:43 p.m.
Online orders could save retailers, but workers say they are risking their safety to fill purchases few need
Dozens of workers arrive at 8 each morning, wearing masks and gloves and under strict orders to remain six feet apart. The lights are dim and the mood somber.
The Neiman Marcus employees had been summoned back to work at a shuttered store in a shuttered mall in Pennsylvania, two weeks after the coronavirus pandemic forced the luxury retailer to close all 43 of its U.S. locations temporarily. Their task: to fill hundreds of online orders for deeply discounted Moncler jackets, Dior sunglasses, Ugg boots and the like.
The workers, doing decidedly nonessential work, offer a vision of the impossible choices facing much of the retail industry as it is being crushed by the coronavirus pandemic. While retailers have suspended operations at hundreds of thousands of “nonessential” stores nationwide because of the outbreak, some are reporting skyrocketing online sales thanks to at-home shoppers, relentless promotions and markdowns.
Read more here.
2:28 p.m.
Purdue president seeks to reopen campus by fall, claiming students aren’t threatened by coronavirus
Purdue University, one of the first colleges to shift to online classes amid the coronavirus pandemic, is preparing to go back to normal this fall.
Daniels, a Republican who served two terms as Indiana governor, said such a move was necessary because students are more likely to succeed when they’re present on campus.
He also claimed that while young people can transmit coronavirus, they face “close to zero lethal threat” from covid-19. “Literally, our students pose a far greater danger to others than the virus poses to them,” Daniels said.
Death from covid-19 is rare among teenagers and 20-somethings, but it can be fatal. The Washington Post has found at least 50 deaths among people in their 20s or under.
About 80 percent of Purdue’s 50,000-person campus is under age 35, according to Daniels, who said the university would take steps to protect people in older demographics, including reducing class sizes, allowing people to work remotely, and pretesting students and staff.
The announcement got a mixed reception among faculty. University Senate Chair Cheryl Cooky said she was worried that the plans may put the campus at risk if a second wave of infections comes in the fall and winter.
“While there are still many questions yet to be answered,” Cooky said in a statement, “I am confident in the leadership of Purdue and our shared commitment to maintaining the safety of our community while ensuring the best education.”
At least 785 people have died in Indiana and more than 14,000 have been infected. The state has an infection rate higher than most U.S. states, with roughly 217 confirmed cases per 100,000 people, according to The Post’s analysis.
2:16 p.m.
Israel cautiously allows more businesses to open
JERUSALEM — Israel further eased restrictions on businesses Sunday, allowing streetside shops to reopen as long as they limit the number of customers and staff, check shoppers’ temperatures and follow spacing rules. Restaurants will be allowed to serve takeaway customers. Barbers and hair stylists can work with protective gear that includes eye shields.
The ease follows an initial relaxation a week earlier in which business were allowed to increase the number of workers present. The moves come as coronavirus cases in the country have largely leveled off, with the number of patients on ventilators falling below 100 over the weekend.
But reports of new infections continue to spike on some days and health officials have warned of ramping up activity too quickly. A group of chain retailers announced they would remain closed, according to media reports, in part to pressure the government to develop a compensation plan for lost revenue.
Shop owners who do unlock their doors will be obliged to certify they are adhering to restrictions, which include installing a partition between clerks and customers, and be subject to fines for violations. Malls and open-air markets will remain closed.
Officials will reportedly consider plans to reopen schools on a limited basis in coming days, possibly starting with reduced classes of preschool and early grade students.
B
1:56 p.m.
An Ecuadorean woman was declared dead of coronavirus weeks ago. Then she called her sister.
Health authorities in Ecuador had notified Aura Maruri that her sister died of the novel coronavirus and eventually gave Maruri her sister’s ashes.
So when officials arrived on Friday at the family’s home in Guayaquil, the epicenter of Ecuador’s outbreak, Maruri couldn’t believe what they were saying. Not only were the ashes in her possession someone else’s instead of her sister’s but Alba Maruri wasn’t dead.
“They apologized, and they tell us, ‘Your sister is alive,’ and we were in shock,” Aura Maruri said to Reuters. “It is a miracle of God what has happened.”
Later that day, the family was informed that Alba had died.
The family isn’t sure whose ashes they were given.
In their apology to the family for the mix-up, health officials said the error happened amid the hospital dealing with an overwhelming number of coronavirus cases and deaths.
“For nearly a month we thought she was dead. Imagine,” Aura told the BBC. “And I have someone else’s ashes.”
By Timothy Bella
1:41 p.m.
Japan mulls extending state of emergency: national broadcaster
The state of emergency is due to expire on May 6, after the Golden Week holidays in Japan. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expanded a state of emergency from seven regions to include the whole country on April 16 in response to the worsening pandemic there. Japanese media outlets and broadcasters have now suggested that an extension is unavoidable.
Japan has over 13,000 cases across the country and in the past three days they have been increasing by more than 400 a day — with 100 daily just in Tokyo.
National broadcaster NHK said there is a growing view within the government that the state of emergency would have to be extended, and Jiji, a separate Japanese news agency, citing sources, said the government will at least partially extend the order.
The state of emergency however has been imposed without any punitive measures, and authorities lack the power to prosecute anyone who breaks the rules. Japan has largely avoided the more stringent lockdowns seen in the West and other parts of the region, and places like bars continue to remain open.
By Shibani Mahtani
1:21 p.m.
Global deaths pass 200,000 as states move toward reopening
The global death toll from the novel coronavirus passed 200,000 on Saturday, with deaths in the United States topping 53,000 as some states moved forward with plans to reopen parts of their economies.
For the third time in the past week, single-day deaths in the United States exceeded 2,000, and infection rates continued to climb in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and other hard-hit states.
Georgia has emerged as a flash point in debate over whether to lift shutdown orders that have stymied business and kept vast portions of the population indoors. The state is moving faster than any other to roll back restrictions that public health experts say should remain in place to prevent the spread of covid-19.
Governors in Tennessee, Idaho and Missouri are also preparing to ease containment measures in the coming weeks.
Doctors are still struggling to get a complete picture of how the coronavirus behaves and how it affects the human body. Young and middle-aged patients, barely sick with covid-19, are dying of strokes for reasons that remain mysterious to medical professionals, who say they’ve seen growing evidence that the virus not only attacks the lungs but nearly every major organ system.
With worldwide infections approaching 3 million, the World Health Organization cast doubt on the notion that people who have recovered from covid-19 are immune from a second infection. In a scientific brief, the organization warned that there was no evidence that people couldn’t get the disease again and advised against governments issuing “immunity passports” to people who have already had it once.
In Washington, President Trump signaled he was ready to do away with the hours-long White House news conferences he has held for weeks, saying he now thinks they’re a waste of time.
“What is the purpose of having White House News Conferences when the Lamestream Media asks nothing but hostile questions, & then refuses to report the truth or facts accurately,” he tweeted. “They get record ratings, & the American people get nothing but Fake News. Not worth the time & effort!”
The remarks came after Trump received universal condemnation for speculating that injecting light or disinfectant could guard against the virus.
By Derek Hawkins
12:54 p.m.
Singapore rushes to build beds for coronavirus patients, overwhelmingly migrant workers
Authorities in Singapore are rushing to convert convention centers and vacant government housing blocks into beds that can house coronavirus patients, who overwhelmingly are low-wage migrant workers.
Singapore now has over 12, 000 confirmed coronavirus cases, a number which skyrocketed as the virus spread among the largely South Asian male migrant worker community, living in crowded dormitories. The situation has raised concern over the treatment of migrant workers in this affluent city-state, who make up one third of the workforce and powers its construction sector. Migrants comprise up 80 percent of Singapore’s cases, with more than 10,000 infections among the community.
Facilities like conference halls and convention centers are now being converted into makeshift treatment centers. Patients are progressively being transferred to these facilities, which can hold thousands of people.
A member of the organizing committee for the temporary facility told Reuters in an interview that the process of setting up the infrastructure took just six days. Three vessels are also being converted into accommodation and can hold up to 1,300 people. Patients who show only mild symptoms or are asymptomatic will be moved into these facilities, to free up space in hospitals and not overwhelm the city-state’s facilities, officials said.
By Shibani Mahtani
12:35 p.m.
Brad Pitt plays Dr. Fauci on SNL’s second at-home episode
The return of “Saturday Night Live At Home” two weeks after its historical remote episode came as a bit of a surprise. NBC announced this week’s show just Thursday, despite a track record of advertising upcoming episode far earlier in normal times. But, as if anyone needs to say it at this point, times are anything but normal.
So the cast, with a boost from guests such as Brad Pitt, Miley Cyrus, Charles Barkley, Paul Rudd, Adam Sandler and Bad Bunny, again put together what felt like an experimental version of its show by prerecording shorter-than-average segments either alone or together via video chat. It seems they learned a few things from their first go-round.
It bears repeating that creating sketch comedy as a team without being in the same room is tougher than drawing blood from a stone. Playing off one another in real time is the cornerstone of the entire shebang. Yet SNL’s cast and crew proved clever enough in their first remote episode to overcome these difficulties and mine our shared quarantine life — from difficulties with Zoom calls to being so utterly bored we turn to absurdist makeshift sports — for laughs. The element of surprise certainly helped, adding energy to surprise appearances from celebrities such as Tom Hanks and Coldplay’s Chris Martin.
Read more here.
By Travis Andrews
12:16 p.m.
Saudi Arabia to ease restrictions during Ramadan
DUBAI — Saudi Arabia announced Sunday it was easing some of the country’s extensive lockdown measures for the holy month of Ramadan, allowing stores to reopen and people to move around from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. daily.
Saudi Arabia has been the hardest-hit country in the Middle East after Iran with 16,299 cases, and the number has been growing by over 1,000 a day. Several of the hardest hit cities were placed under 24-hour lockdown to stem the spread of the virus.
The holy city of Mecca, a focus of pilgrimage for Muslims around the world, has been particularly hard hit, with almost 4,000 cases. It will remain under total lockdown.
Retail stores and shopping centers will reopen under conditions of social distancing but salons, sports clubs, recreational centers, cinemas and eating establishments will remain closed.
Ramadan is traditionally a time of daytime fasting, large family meals and communal prayers at night. But with authorities attempting to stem the spread of the virus, gatherings are limited to just five people and everyone has been instructed to pray at home.
Jiddah resident Um Mohammed described how painful it was to have all her family in town for a change, but not be able to see them.
“This year is different and is extremely difficult, I finally have everyone here in Saudi and now with the coronavirus pandemic, it’s painful not having them over,” she told the Arab News. “We want this pandemic to be over with and live our normal lives peacefully. Coronavirus has stolen our traditions, it is very surreal.”
The easing of restrictions comes after similar announcements in neighboring United Arab Emirates where malls have now been reopened to limited traffic. Restaurants and cafes there have been reopened as well.
By Paul Schemm
11:58 a.m.
A Texas mayor violated her own stay-at-home order to go to the nail salon. She has now apologized.
A Texas mayor apologized this week after an image surfaced of her at a nail salon, which violated her own stay-at-home order during the coronavirus pandemic.
Mayor Becky Ames of Beaumont, Tex., announced a stay-at-home order for the city and its businesses on March 27, nearly a week before the state enforced its own order. But after she was identified in the picture on Tuesday, which was met with backlash on social media, the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office has opened up an investigation of why the mayor broke her own order and was at a nonessential business that was supposed to be closed.
On Thursday, Ames apologized for what she described as a “lapse in judgment.”
“I promise there was no malice intended,” Ames wrote in a statement posted Thursday to Facebook. “I should never have entered the salon last Tuesday. I did not intend to take personal privilege while asking others to sacrifice and for that I am truly remorseful.”
@GregAbbott_TX are you aware that Beaumont, TX Mayor Becky Ames violated your order about nail salons today when the Nail Bar in Beaumont opened to allow her to “buy product”? Last time I checked, you didn’t have to soak your nails to buy something. Open us up!!!!
Ames told KBMT she had gone to the salon on Tuesday for tips on how to remove an old manicure set, and was seeking acetone. The owner of the salon returned with a bowl of solution, and the mayor left after 10 minutes and did not get her nails done, she said to the outlet.
“As an elected official I am held to a higher standard, I regret my action that day,” she said in her statement. “I am honestly sorry and I pray that you will forgive me.”
Now, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office are investigating the incident, which could result in a fine of up to $1,000.
“We are reviewing to determine if there was a violation,” Jefferson County District Attorney Bob Wortham told KBMT on Friday.
The news comes as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is expected to release an order Monday detailing how the state will reopen. As The Washington Post reported, the process started Friday in the Lone Star State when retailers started offering to-go services and hospitals resumed elective surgeries.
By Timothy Bella
11:33 a.m.
An Arab doctor and an ultra-Orthodox Jew find common ground in a covid ward
JERUSALEM — When Jesse Michael Kramer was hospitalized with coronavirus, he realized as soon as the doctor in the spacesuit introduced himself that it would be a rare encounter.
Kramer is an Israeli ultra-Orthodox Jew; Fadi Kharouf is a Palestinian Muslim.
“Fadi, it’s an Arab name,” Kramer, 75, said as he recalled his time at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, once he was back home convalescing in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood he seldom leaves. “He was very good to me.”
Read more here.
By Steve Hendrix
11:10 a.m.
Woman believed to be first U.S. coronavirus victim died from heart attack caused by disease, autopsy says
The Northern California woman who is the first known person to die of covid-19 in the United States passed away from a massive heart attack brought on by the disease, according to an autopsy report published Saturday by the San Francisco Chronicle.
Patricia Dowd, a 57-year-old from Santa Clara, Calif., died on Feb. 6 after fighting flu-like symptoms for several days. The Santa Clara County medical examiner described her as “mildly obese,” but didn’t indicate any underlying health conditions that would have made her vulnerable to severe infection.
Traces of the coronavirus were found in her heart, trachea, lungs and intestines, according to the report posted by the Chronicle. She died from inflammation and rupturing in her heart, the medical examiner concluded.
“There’s something abnormal about the fact that a perfectly normal heart has burst open,” forensic pathologist Judy Melinek, who was not involved in the autopsy, told the Chronicle. “The heart has ruptured. Normal hearts don’t rupture.”
Much remains unknown about how the coronavirus works and why it affects some people more severely than others. Experts initially believed it primarily attacked the lungs, but they’ve since seen evidence that it can ravage nearly every major organ in the body, causing strokes, liver damage, acute kidney disease and other life-threatening problems.
The virus is especially threatening to people with heart disease. The massive inflammation caused by covid-19 can trigger fast, abnormal heart rhythms, leading to heart failure and death, even in patients who aren’t experiencing chest pains or shortness of breath.
Until last week, health officials believed the United States’ first coronavirus death occurred Feb. 29 in Kirkland, Wash., an early epicenter of the American outbreak. Last Tuesday, officials in Santa Clara revealed that tissue samples taken during autopsies of two local residents who died at home earlier in the month tested positive for the virus.
By Derek Hawkins
10:47 a.m.
Another casualty of the coronavirus pandemic: The taxi industry
Taxi driver Becaye Traore would often begin his day at the Courtyard by Marriott in Chevy Chase, where he could easily catch a $75 fare to Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport.
But these days, there’s no reason to hurry to the hotel at dawn because he knows there will be no one waiting for a ride.
The coronavirus pandemic and the Washington region’s stay-at-home orders have brought an end to the good times when Traore made up to 15 trips a day and $300 or more in fares.
Read more here.
By Luz Lazo
10:20 a.m.
Tensions emerge between Republicans over coronavirus spending and how to rescue the economy
The economic havoc wreaked by the coronavirus pandemic is opening up a rift in the Republican Party — as the Trump administration and some GOP senators advocate for more aggressive spending while senior party leaders say now may be the time to start scaling back.
President Trump is promoting costly ideas such as infrastructure investment and a payroll tax cut as his top economic official plays down the impact of additional virus spending on the national debt. But at the same time, senior Senate Republicans are increasingly warning about the effect on the nation’s liabilities, even as some of their own members lobby for expensive proposals to rescue an economy still in a free fall.
“As we start thinking down the road in future iterations, my hope would be that it’s more fine tuning what we’ve already done rather than taking on big, aggressive new initiatives that are paid for by additional debt,” Senate Majority Whip John Thune (S.D.), the chamber’s No. 2 Republican, said in an interview. He warned that at some point, “we’re going to run out of capacity at the federal level.”
Read more here.
By Seung Min Kim
10:02 a.m.
Potbelly says it will return $10 million small-business loan, the latest company to give back funding
Potbelly announced on Saturday that it was returning its $10 million small-business loan to the federal government, joining a slew of large companies to give back coronavirus funding.
The sandwich chain, which received the maximum loan amount under the Payroll Protection Program, comes as similar moves were made by Shake Shack and Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in recent days after the program ran dry earlier this month.
“We were surprised and disappointed when the fund was quickly exhausted, leaving many without help,” Potbelly said in a statement Saturday. “We are returning the PPP loan after further clarification from the Treasury Department.”
The company said it had initially applied for the loan after the pandemic resulted in sales dropping dramatically. It forced the chain to “furlough employees, close shops, and significantly cut salaries at all levels of the organization,” the company said in a statement.
The question of what companies would receive federal funding resulted in a standoff when it came to replenishing it. When the money ran dry, public outrage swelled after large companies were given funding meant to help small businesses survive during the pandemic.
The executives of Shake Shack said as much in announcing it had returned its funding last week.
“Our people would benefit from a $10 million [Paycheck Protection Program] loan but we’re fortunate to now have access to capital that others do not,” the company’s executives, Danny Meyer and Randy Garutti, wrote in a letter shared on LinkedIn. “Until every restaurant that needs it has had the same opportunity to receive assistance, we’re returning ours.”
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