LUY-Development

Tag: virus

  • Global stocks, US futures rise on virus aid hopes

    BEIJING (AP) — Global stock markets and U.S. futures rose Friday on hopes that government and central bank action can help the world economy endure a looming recession caused by the coronavirus.

    European markets were as much as 4% higher and Shanghai, Hong Kong and other Asian markets advanced. Seoul surged 7.4%.

    Investors were encouraged after seeing more steps by the Federal Reserve and other central banks and governments to support credit markets and the economy.

    On Wall Street, the future for the benchmark S&P 500 index rose 2% and that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 2.4%.

    Hopes are rising that there will be progress in finding virus treatments and that “a boatload of stimulus by both central banks and governments will put the global economy in position for a U-shaped recovery,” said Edward Moya of Oanda in a report.

    On Thursday, the European Central Bank launched a program to inject money into credit markets by purchasing up to 750 billion euros ($820 billion) in bonds. The Bank of England cut its key interest rate to a record low of 0.1% and restarted its own program of money injections into the financial system. Australia’s central bank cut its benchmark lending rate to 0.25%. Central banks in Taiwan, Indonesia and the Philippines also cut rates.

    They are trying to reduce the impact of a global recession that forecasters say looks increasingly likely as the United States and other governments tighten travel controls, close businesses and tell consumers and travelers to stay home.

    Investors also appeared to be encouraged by reports that China is set to ramp up stimulus spending after the province where the virus emerged in December showed no new infections on Wednesday.

    London’s FTSE 100 rose 1.6% to 5,237 and the DAX in Frankfurt advanced 4.2% to 8,968. France’s CAC 40 gained 4.9% to 4,044 and Italy’s FTSE MIB gained 2% to 15,773.

    In Asia, the Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.6% to 2,745.62, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 5.1% to 22,805.07. The Kospi in Seoul advanced 7.4% to 1,566.15 and Australia’s S&P-ASX 200 added 0.7% to 4,816.60 after being up more than 4% at one point.

    The U.S. Federal Reserve unveiled measures Thursday to support money-market funds and the borrowing of dollars as investors in markets worldwide hurry to build up dollars and cash as insurance against falling asset prices.

    That rush to gather dollars is straining markets, with sellers of even high-quality bonds struggling to find buyers at reasonable prices.

    Investors are jumpy due to uncertainty about the size and duration of the impact of the coronavirus and the spreading wave of business shutdowns meant to help contain it.

    More than 10,000 people have died. There are more than 244,000 cases worldwide, including nearly 85,000 people who have recovered.

    For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, and those with mild illness recover in about two weeks. Severe illness including pneumonia can occur, especially in the elderly and people with existing health problems, and recovery could take six weeks in such cases.

    Wall Street has bounced up and down by record-setting margins of up to 12% over the past week.

    Unease has grown as forecasters say a global recession looks increasingly likely and have cut growth outlooks for the United States, China and other major economies.

    In energy markets, benchmark U.S. crude gained 75 cents to $25.97 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract surged $5.08 on Thursday to settle at $25.91.

    Brent crude, used to price international oils, added 77 cents to $29.24 per barrel in London. It rose 14.4%, or $3.59, to settle at $28.47 the previous session.

    The dollar declined to 110.07 Japanese yen from Thursday’s 110.71 yen. The euro rose to $1.0721 from $1.0692.

  • 40 million Californians ordered to stay home to halt virus

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s 40 million residents should stay home indefinitely and venture outside only for essential jobs, errands and some exercise, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday, warning that the coronavirus threatens to overwhelm the state’s medical system.

    The move, the most sweeping by any state so far, was an exclamation point at the end of a week of increasingly aggressive moves meant to keep the virus in check by forcing people to stay away from each other as often as possible.

    “I can assure you home isolation is not my preferred choice, I know it’s not yours, but it’s a necessary one,” Newsom said at an evening news conference streamed on social media.

    He assured residents that they “can still take your kids outside, practicing common sense and social distancing. You can still walk your dog.” Restaurant meals can still be delivered to homes.

    The announcement came after the release of a letter to President Donald Trump where Newsom warned the virus was spreading quickly and eventually could infect more than half the state’s population. A spokesman later clarified that the figure did not take into account the aggressive mitigation efforts that have been made.

    The governor said he doesn’t expect police will be needed to enforce his stay-at-home order, saying “social pressure” already has led to social distancing throughout the state.

    “I don’t believe the people of California need to be told through law enforcement that it’s appropriate just to home isolate,” he said.

    The Democrat who is barely a year into his first term also called up 500 National Guard troops to help distribute food. The move comes after panic buying led to massive lines at some grocery stores.

    Newsom also outlined a series of steps aimed at providing more space for hospital patients.

    He said the state has taken over a 357-bed bankrupt hospital in the San Francisco Bay Area, soon will announce the purchase of a similarly sized hospital in Southern California and may use dormitories at the state’s public colleges and universities. He also asked Trump to dock the Navy’s 1,000-patient Mercy hospital ship in the Port of Los Angeles.

    The coronavirus is spread through sneezes and coughs. There are at least 1,030 confirmed cases in California and 18 people have died, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

    Newsom’s statewide order came after counties and communities covering about half the state’s population already had issued similar edicts. He said the restriction is “open-ended” because it could raise false hopes if he included an end date.

    However, he did offer a glimmer by saying he didn’t expect it would last “many, many months.”

    Just before Newsom’s statewide declaration, Los Angeles announced what officials there called a “Safer at Home” order that carried the same restrictions.

    “We’re about to enter into a new way of living here in Los Angeles,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said. “What we do and how we do it and if we get this right will determine how long this crisis lasts.”

    In the letter to Trump seeking the hospital ship, Newsom said California’s infection rates are doubling every four days in some areas and that 56% of the state’s population could contract the virus in the next eight weeks, which would be more than 22 million people. He later said the “overwhelming majority won’t have symptoms” and will be fine but that up to 20% could be hospitalized.

    “If we meet this moment we can truly bend the curve” of escalating cases, Newsom said.

    For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. It can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, for some people, especially older adults and those with existing health problems.

    Most people recover — those with mild illness in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks, according to the World Health Organization.

    Also Thursday, Newsom asked U.S. House and Senate leaders for $1 billion to support state and local health systems. He said that money would be needed to do things like set up state-run and mobile hospitals, housing options to help people socially distance and testing and treatment for people without health insurance.

    He also asked for assistance so the state can extend unemployment benefits beyond the usual 26-week limit, expand food assistance programs, resources for the homeless and tribal communities and boost childcare programs. He further asked for assistance for schools, aid to local and state budgets and transportation relief.

    “While California has prudently built a sizable Rainy Day Fund over the past ten years, the economic effects of this emergency are certain to mean that the state and its 58 counties will struggle to maintain essential programs and services,” he wrote.

    Newsom earlier announced $150 million of a $1 billion emergency state appropriation would go toward getting homeless people off the streets. He has estimated up to 60,000 of the state’s homeless could get infected.

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    This story has been corrected to show that Newsom said up to 20% of people infected by coronavirus, not 20,000 people, could be hospitalized.

  • Trump weighs controls on companies that take virus bailouts

    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday the government should take an equity stake in some companies that need bailouts because of devastating effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the U.S. economy.

    Trump told a briefing he has executive authority to curb the impact on businesses. “There’s a lot of executive power,” he said. “If we don’t have to use it, that would be a good thing, not a bad thing.”

    Such a move could be an extraordinary reach by government into the private sector. He said he’d specifically target companies that did stock buybacks, rather than investing in infrastructure. Trump also said he’d back restrictions on executive bonuses and future buybacks from companies receiving federal support.

    Trump reported Thursday on therapeutic drugs that might hold potential down the road to treat those suffering with COVID-19 and stepped up criticism of China for not telling the world earlier about what has become a pandemic.

    “More help is on the way,” Trump said at a White House briefing on the spread of the virus.

    Trump and FDA commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn described several approaches under testing, such as chloroquine, a drug long used to treat malaria; remdesivir, an experimental antiviral that’s being tried in at least five separate experiments, and possibly antibodies culled from the blood of COVID-19 patients after they recover. But no new and imminent treatment was announced.

    Chloroquine is widely available now and could be used off-label, but Hahn said officials want a formal study to get good information on safety and effectiveness.

    “We’re looking at drugs that are already approved for other indications” as a potential bridge or stopgap until studies are completed on other drugs under investigation, Hahn said. But there remains no proven treatment for the disease, from which most people recover.

    Trump, who planned to visit the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Thursday, has invoked rarely used emergency powers to marshal critical medical supplies against the coronavirus pandemic. Trump also signed an aid package — which the Senate approved earlier Wednesday — that will guarantee sick leave to workers who fall ill.

    Trump jabbed at China, where the virus was first reported, contending: “Could have been stopped. Could have been stopped. Could have been stopped pretty easily.” He said Chinese officials “didn’t decide to make it public” in time to stop the virus from going global.

    The pandemic was starting to show its effects in the job market. The Labor Department reported Thursday that the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits surged last week by 70,000.

    The Canada-U.S. border, the world’s longest, was effectively closed, save for commerce and essential travel, while the administration pushed its plan to send relief checks to millions of Americans.

    Trump says he is expanding the nation’s diagnostic testing capacity and deploying a Navy hospital ship to New York City, which is rapidly becoming an epicenter of the pandemic, and another such ship to the West Coast. And the Housing and Urban Development Department is suspending foreclosures and evictions through April to help the growing number of Americans who face losing jobs and missing rent and mortgage payments.

    IMPACT ON THE ECONOMY:

    On Wednesday the Senate overwhelmingly passed a second coronavirus response bill, which Trump signed Wednesday night. The vote was a lopsided 90-8 despite worries by many Republicans about a temporary new employer mandate to provide sick leave to workers who get COVID-19. The measure is also aimed at making tests for the virus free.

    Meanwhile the administration pushed forward its broad economic rescue plan, which proposes $500 billion in checks to millions of Americans, with the first checks to come April 6 if Congress approves.

    The White House urged hospitals to cancel all elective surgeries to reduce the risk of being overwhelmed by cases. The president was pressed on why a number of celebrities, like professional basketball players, seemed to have easier access to diagnostic tests than ordinary citizens.

    The government has told Americans to avoid groups of more than 10 people and the elderly to stay home while a pointed reminder was given to millennials to follow the guidelines and avoid social gatherings. But officials urged younger people to donate blood, saying it is safe to do so.

    The Defense Production Act gives the president broad authority to shape the domestic industrial base so that it is capable of providing essential materials and goods needed in a national security crisis. The law allows the president to require businesses and corporations to give priority to and accept contracts for required materials and services.

    The executive order issued by Trump gives Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar the authority to determine “the proper nationwide priorities and allocation of all health and medical resources, including controlling the distribution of such materials … in the civilian market, for responding to the spread of COVID-19 within the United States.” It also applies to certain health services.

    Azar released a statement Wednesday night, saying, “we are coordinating closely with private suppliers, healthcare purchasers, and our federal partners like the Commerce Department to ensure that resources are going where they’re needed.”

    Trump also said he would soon invoke a rarely used federal statute that would enable the U.S. to tighten controls along the southwest border because of the new coronavirus, based on a recommendation of the U.S. surgeon general.

    The president said the law, intended to halt the spread of communicable diseases, would give authorities “great latitude” to help control the outbreak. Earlier, U.S. officials told The Associated Press that the administration would invoke the law to immediately turn back all people who cross the border illegally from Mexico and to refuse people the right to claim asylum there.

    COPING WITH THE OUTBREAK:

    More than eight weeks after the first U.S. case of the virus was detected, the federal government is still struggling to conduct widescale testing for the virus. Compounding the problem, laboratories are reporting shortages of supplies needed to run the tests, which officials urged to be given to those most likely to have COVID-19.

    Deborah Birx, who is coordinating the White House response, cautioned that there has been a backlog of swabs waiting in labs to be tested, and as that backlog clears “we will see the number of people diagnosed dramatically increased” in the next few days.

    Asked about the administration’s mixed messages when it comes to the threat posed by the virus, Birx said new studies about how long the virus can be transmissible on hard surfaces helped prompt the administration’s tightening of recommendations on social distancing. “None of us really understood” that, she said. “We’re still working out how much is by human transmission and how much is it by surface.” She added, “Don’t exposure yourself to surfaces outside the home.”

    For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

    The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

    Birx said there have been “concerning reports” from France and Italy about young people becoming seriously ill. The task force last week urged young generations to avoid going out to bars and restaurants and to avoid groups of more than 10 people.

    “We cannot have these large gatherings that continue throughout the country for people who are off work,” Birx said. She added that the federal pandemic task force so far has not seen any “significant mortality” in children.

  • Italian death toll overtakes China’s as virus spreads

    ROME (AP) — The death toll in Italy from the coronavirus overtook China’s on Thursday in a stark illustration of how the outbreak has pivoted toward Europe and the United States.

    Italy, with a population of 60 million, recorded at least 3,405 deaths, or roughly 150 more than in China — a country with a population over 20 times larger.

    Italy reached the bleak milestone the same day that Wuhan, the Chinese city where the coronavirus first emerged three months ago, recorded no new infections, a sign that the communist country’s draconian lockdowns were a powerful method to stop the virus’ spread.

    On Thursday, a visiting Chinese Red Cross team criticized Italians’ failure to properly quarantine themselves and take the national lockdown seriously.

    Meanwhile, the damage to the world’s largest economy kept piling up, with unemployment claims surging in the United States, while the virus appeared to be opening an alarming new front in Africa, where in less than three weeks it has spread to 35 countries.

    The epidemic has also now reached at least one European head of state, 62-year-old Prince Albert II of the tiny principality of Monaco. The palace announced that he tested positive for the virus but was continuing to work from his office and was being treated by doctors from Princess Grace Hospital, named after his American actress mother.

    In the U.S., Congress rushed to pass a $1 trillion emergency package to shore up the sinking economy and help households pull through the crisis, with the first of two possible rounds of relief checks consisting of payments of $1,000 per adult and $500 for each child.

    The worldwide death toll crept toward 10,000 as the total number of infections topped 220,000, including nearly 85,000 people who have recovered.

    French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe pleaded with people to keep their distance from one another to avoid spreading the virus, even as the crisis pushed them to seek comfort.

    “When you love someone, you should avoid taking them in your arms,” he said in Parliament. “It’s counterintuitive, and it’s painful. The psychological consequences, the way we are living, are very disturbing — but it’s what we must do.”

    COPING WITH THE OUTBREAK:

    The American death toll rose to 160, primarily elderly people.

    Health authorities have cited a variety of reasons for Italy’s high toll, key among them its large population of elderly people, who are particularly susceptible to serious complications from the virus, though severe cases have also been seen in younger patients. Italy has the world’s second-oldest population, and the vast majority of its dead — 87% — were over 70.

    Jonas Schmidt-Chanasit, a virologist at Germany’s Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, said Italy’s high death rate could be explained in part by the almost total breakdown of the health system in some areas.

    IMPACT ON THE ECONOMY:

    “That’s what happens when the health system collapses,” he said.

    On a visit to the northern city of Milan, the head of a Chinese Red Cross delegation helping advise Italy said he was shocked to see so many people walking around, using public transportation and eating out.

    Sun Shuopeng said Wuhan saw infections peak only after a month of a strictly enforced lockdown.

    “Right now we need to stop all economic activity and we need to stop the mobility of people,” he said. “All people should be staying at home in quarantine.”

    Aside from the elderly and the sick, most people have mild or moderate symptoms, like a fever or cough, and most recover in a matter of weeks.

    Spain has been the hardest-hit European country after Italy, and in Madrid a four-star hotel began operating as a makeshift hospital for coronavirus patients.

    The director of the group that runs the Ayre GH Colon hotel tweeted: “365 rooms more to help win the war.” The Madrid Hotel Business Association said it has placed 40 hotels with room for 9,000 people at the service of the Madrid region, which has near half of Spain’s 17,000 or so cases.

    In London, home to almost 9 million, the government urged people to stay off public transportation as authorities considered imposing tougher travel restrictions.

    The British supermarket chain Sainsbury’s reserved the first hour of shopping for vulnerable customers, one of many such efforts around the world.

    Jim Gibson, 72, of London, said he found most of his groceries there in a “relatively trauma-free” experience. But he fretted that he hadn’t been able to get the medicine he needed for his wife and himself, and expressed concerns that Britain’s government had been too slow in ramping up testing.

    “You can’t go on ignoring World Health Organization guidelines — if they’re wrong, who the hell is right?” he said. “Let’s have no shilly-shallying.”

    The British government, which was slow to react to the virus, has shifted gears and is now drawing up legislation giving itself new powers to detain people and restrict gatherings. The bill is expected to be approved by Parliament next week.

    Thursday marked the first time since Jan. 20 that Wuhan showed no new locally transmitted cases, a rare glimmer of hope and perhaps a lesson in the strict measures needed to contain the virus.

    Wuhan, which has been under a strict lockdown since January, once was the place where thousands lay sick or dying in hurriedly constructed hospitals. But Chinese authorities said all 34 new cases recorded over the previous day had come from abroad.

    “Today, we have seen the dawn after so many days of hard effort,” said Jiao Yahui, a senior inspector at the National Health Commission.

    Meanwhile, the World Health Organization warned that the virus is spreading quickly in Africa — an especially alarming development, given the poor state of health care in many of its countries.

    “About 10 days ago we had about five countries” with the virus, said WHO’s Africa chief, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti. Now 35 of Africa’s 54 countries have cases, with the total close to 650. It is an “extremely rapid evolution,” she said. The first sub-Saharan Africa case was announced Feb. 28.

    European stock markets were up only slightly after losses in Asia despite a massive 750 billion-euro stimulus package announced overnight by the European Central Bank.

    Wall Street was calm in early trading by the standards of the past few days, when traders — weighing the increasing likelihood of a recession against the huge economic support pledged by global authorities — have caused wild swings.

    With wide swaths of the U.S. economy grinding to a halt, the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits surged by 70,000 last week, more than economists expected.

    The U.S. Federal Reserve unveiled measures to support money-market funds and borrowing as investors worldwide rush to build up dollars and cash.

    Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler, along with Honda and Toyota, announced on Wednesday that they would close all of their factories in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The shutdown of Detroit’s Big Three alone will idle about 150,000 workers.

    More borders closed, leaving tens of thousands of tourists wondering how they would get home. In the Pacific, Australia and New Zealand shut out tourists.

    Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei planned to pardon 10,000 more prisoners — including an unknown number of political detainees— to combat the virus. The country, where more than 1,100 people have already died, previously freed 85,000 prisoners on temporary leave.

    In Austria, the province of Tyrol put 279 municipalities under quarantine because of a large number of infections, barring people from leaving towns or villages except to go to work.

  • Mississippi Researchers Working On Another Coronavirus Test

    Mississippi Researchers Working On Another Coronavirus Test

    JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Leaders at the University of Mississippi Medical Center said Wednesday that physicians and researchers there are working to develop a test for the new coronavirus amid high demand for test kits nationwide.

    Many Mississippi government agencies, meanwhile, are limiting activities because of the global pandemic.

    The state reported 34 confirmed cases of the virus as of Wednesday, up from 21 Tuesday. The state Health Department said 513 people had been tested in Mississippi by Wednesday.

    Dr. Richard Summers, associate vice chancellor for research at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, said it will likely be a couple of weeks before teams there develop test kits.

    UMMC’s top executive, Dr. LouAnn Woodward, said the medical center is working to increase telehealth capacity to screen patients remotely.

    The head of emergency medicine, Dr. Alan Jones, said it’s “very important” that people not go to an emergency room if they think they have symptoms. Instead, they should first use a telephone or telehealth service to get advice on what to do.

    For most people, the new virus strain causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

    The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. People with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover, according to the World Health Organization.

    The Mississippi Public Service Commission announced Wednesday that it is banning utility companies from cutting off water, sewer, natural gas or electricity service for 60 days for customers who are unable to pay. The commission said that includes city-run utilities not normally under its jurisdiction.

    Among the government services curtailed are driver’s license offices, which are closed for most functions. Gov. Tate Reeves said Tuesday that the Highway Patrol will not issue tickets to people driving with expired licenses.

    The state Health Department said distribution centers for the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program remain open, but only two clients at a time can go into a warehouse to pick up food. The secretary of state and the auditor have employees working remotely.

    Mississippi legislators are suspending their work until at least April 1, largely to prevent interaction among thousands of people who converge on the Capitol during most days of legislative sessions.

    “This virus doesn’t discriminate,” Democratic Sen. Derrick Simmons of Greenville said Wednesday. “It doesn’t matter if you’re black or white, Democrat or Republican, young or old.”

    Before leaving, senators passed a bill Wednesday to ensure that teachers and employees of city and county governments in Mississippi would be paid even if workers are told to stay home because of the pandemic.

    The bill passed the House Tuesday, and it now goes to Reeves, who requested it. The measure would give city and county governments and school boards the power to pay hourly employees who are not working during a disaster, including the current pandemic. State law already authorizes Mississippi state government to pay its hourly employees in such circumstances. The legislation would not affect private businesses.

    Mississippi’s 26 state-regulated casinos were ordered to close at midnight Monday, leaving empty parking lots in places that are often bustling. Schools are closed, and some grocery stores shelves have been picked clean of toilet paper and cleaning products.

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    The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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    Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

  • Natchez Delays Municipal Election Cycle

    Natchez Delays Municipal Election Cycle

    STATEMENT FROM THE OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
    REGARDING MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS

    NATCHEZ, Mississippi – Mayor Grennell, City Attorney Bob Latham,
    and other local leaders are working with the Governor’s Office, the
    Secretary of State, the Attorney General’s Office and the local
    Election Commission to delay the City’s municipal election cycle,
    which begins with the April 7 primary, followed by the April 28
    runoff, and the June 2 general election.
    Mayor Grennell has spoken with several local candidates who are
    voluntarily suspending their campaigns in response to the
    coronavirus pandemic.
    “At this time of emergency, our local election is not really on the
    radar screen at the state level. This is because of our special charter
    and the fact that we are on a different election cycle from the rest of
    the municipalities. Only a few Mississippi municipalities have local
    elections this spring.”
    The Mayors office will provide updates as soon as more informaitojn
    becomes available.

  • MAYOR GRENNELL TAKES FURTHER STEPS IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19 OUTBREAK

    MAYOR GRENNELL TAKES FURTHER STEPS IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19 OUTBREAK

    MAYOR GRENNELL TAKES FURTHER STEPS
    IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19 OUTBREAK
    NATCHEZ, Mississippi, March 18, 2020 – Natchez Mayor Darryl Grennell took further steps to
    protect residents by responding even more aggressively to the COVID-19 outbreak.
    “My primary concern is the health of the citizens of our community. The economy of every city in
    the United States will be affected by this pandemic. Once this pandemic is over, we will recover
    economically; however, we cannot recover lost lives. My first priority is saving lives here in
    Natchez, Adams County,” says Mayor Grennell.
    “I am deeply, personally grateful to all citizens and businesses who have chosen to limit or close
    their businesses out of an abundance of caution for the safety of their employees, fellow citizens,
    and visitors. I profoundly regret that it is necessary to call for additional limitations, but not
    everyone is understanding the we are in a state of emergency.”
    Again, Mayor Grennell reiterates that we must ALL heed the President’s National Coronavirus
    Guidelines for Americans. Even if you are young or otherwise healthy, you are at risk and your
    activities can increase the risk for others. It is critical that you do your part to slow the spread of the
    coronavirus.
    Pursuant to Mayor Grennell’s order, Natchez Police Chief Walter Armstrong will have his officers
    deliver the following notices to businesses throughout the city.
    Darryl Grennell, Mayor of the City of Natchez, strongly urges all citizens and businesses to
    STRICTLY COMPLY with the President’s National Coronavirus Guidelines for Americans
    and the following local guidelines, effective immediately:
    Bars and nightclubs: Close in-house service immediately. Take-out and delivery of food
    service may continue. If your bar or nightclub is located in the Leisure & Recreation District
    (Go Cup), alcoholic beverages may be served in go cups at the door.
    Restaurants: Close dine-in service immediately; provide take-out and delivery ONLY;
    drive-thru services may remain open.
    Movie theaters, arcades, malls, bowling alleys, gyms and health clubs: Close entirely
    immediately.

  • 7th Louisiana Death From Virus, With New Orleans Epicenter

    7th Louisiana Death From Virus, With New Orleans Epicenter

    BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Three more New Orleans area residents have died from the coronavirus disease spreading across the country, Gov. John Bel Edwards said Wednesday, bringing the state’s death toll from the virus to seven as the number of positive cases in Louisiana rose above 250.

    The epicenter of the virus in Louisiana remains the New Orleans region, with most of the positive tests and all of the state’s deaths. Four of the people who died from the virus were residents of a New Orleans retirement home, Lambeth House, which has seen a cluster of cases. Two of the victims announced Wednesday, aged 98 and 92, were residents there, Edwards said. The third victim was from the New Orleans suburb of Jefferson Parish, the governor said.

    But increased testing showed the COVID-19 disease also had reached the state’s capital city of Baton Rouge, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. Positive tests for the virus statewide jumped to 257, up from 196 a day earlier.

    Edwards warned the numbers likely will “jump tremendously” within 36 hours as testing ramps up statewide.

    “I want people to be prepared for this,” the governor said. “It is going to get much worse before it gets better.”

    Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, a doctor, said Louisiana has the third highest rate of COVID-19 cases per capita in the nation. But he acknowledged the state has limited knowledge about the full spread, because of the initial slow pace of testing.

    A drive-thru testing center in Baton Rouge that shuttered Tuesday after running out of testing kits was reopening Wednesday, according to the mayor’s office. Edwards said new drive-thru test sites in New Orleans and neighboring Jefferson Parish would open Friday.

    The grim uptick — and drastic restrictions enacted to try to contain the virus’ spread — prompted the postponement of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, a huge tourism driver that draws hundreds of thousands of people yearly. The festival will be rescheduled for the fall.

    For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

    The governor has closed K-12 public schools, bars, gyms, casinos and movie theaters and has limited restaurants to delivery and takeout until at least April 13. Public gatherings of more than 50 people are banned. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell has prohibited all public and private gatherings. Louisiana lawmakers have temporarily adjourned their legislative session.

    With schools shuttered across Louisiana, the state education department asked federal officials to suspend standardized testing requirements for public school students, along with school performance scores and letter grades.

    Edwards defended his restrictions against pushback his actions are too harsh. The governor said he’s taking the advice of public health officials to slow the spread of the virus to avoid strain on the health care system. In a rare moment of agreement with the Democratic governor, Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry described the governor’s aggressive actions as legal and aimed at protecting the public.

    “He is acting with restraint and with consideration to individual liberties and freedoms, and I appreciate that,” Landry said Wednesday, appearing at a news conference with Edwards.

    The governor’s actions mirror decisions by other states’ governors. Louisiana law enforcement agencies said they intend to enforce Edwards’ limitations on events and businesses.

    Trying to keep more people in their homes, Edwards brought one of Louisiana’s most popular figures to his Wednesday briefing with reporters, LSU football coach Ed Orgeron, who led the school to a national championship earlier this year.

    Orgeron told Louisiana’s residents to follow the governor’s advice: “Have faith in the game plan. We’re going to get through this.”

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    McGill reported from New Orleans.

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    The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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    Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.

  • Wednesday March 18th Interview with Adams County Emergency Management Director Robert Bradford

    Wednesday March 18th Interview with Adams County Emergency Management Director Robert Bradford


  • Mississippi Employees Off Work To Be Paid Amid Pandemic

    Mississippi Employees Off Work To Be Paid Amid Pandemic

    JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Teachers and employees of city and county governments in Mississippi would be paid even if workers are told to stay home because of the coronavirus pandemic, under a bill the state Senate passed Wednesday.

    The bill now goes to Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, who requested it. The measure would give city and county governments and school boards the power to pay hourly employees who are not working during a disaster, including the current pandemic. State law already authorizes Mississippi state government to pay its hourly employees in such circumstances. The legislation would not affect private businesses.

    House members passed the bill and left the Capitol on Tuesday, but senators had to return briefly and pass it Wednesday because a House member blocked it from immediately going to the Senate.

    Mississippi reported 34 confirmed cases of the virus as of Wednesday, up from 21 Tuesday. The state Health Department said 513 people had been tested in Mississippi by Wednesday.

    For most people, coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

    The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. People with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover, according to the World Health Organization.

    Mississippi legislators are suspending their work until at least April 1, largely to prevent interaction among thousands of people who converge on the Capitol during most days of legislative sessions.

    “This virus doesn’t discriminate,” Democratic Sen. Derrick Simmons of Greenville said Wednesday. “It doesn’t matter if you’re black or white, Democrat or Republican, young or old.”

    Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and House Speaker Philip Gunn will decide whether lawmakers will return April 1 or on a later date.

    Hosemann said Tuesday that many in Mississippi live paycheck-to-paycheck, and he knows times could be tough as people are asked to isolate themselves from others to curb the spread of the virus.

    Mississippi’s 26 state-regulated casinos were ordered to close at midnight Monday, leaving empty parking lots in places that are often bustling. Schools are closed, and some grocery stores shelves have been picked clean of toilet paper and cleaning products.

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    The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

    ___

    Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak