U.S. President Donald Trump said in a news conference Saturday morning that he is considering domestic travel restrictions and is working with states that might be affected.
“If you don’t have to travel I wouldn’t do it,” Trump said.
When a reporter asked if the White House is considering domestic travel restrictions, Trump replied: “Yes, specifically from certain areas, yes we are.”
He didn’t name which areas those might be but said officials were working with states that could be impacted.
The White House also announced that restrictions on foreign nationals entering the U.S. from more than two dozen countries in Europe are being extended to include the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Trump said he was tested for coronavirus Friday night, and the White House reported Saturday evening that the president tested negative for coronavirus.
Everyone in the briefing room, including Trump, had their temperatures checked before entering as part of a new move by the White House to monitor those who come in close contact with the president.
Meanwhile, New York, Louisiana and Virginia reported their first deaths from COVID-19 Saturday, as more than a dozen states moved to closed all public schools in the coming days, the Department of Defense restricted travel for servicemembers and their families and four more major cruise lines suspended operations as the global pandemic grips the nation.
At least 156,000 people have been sickened by COVID-19 worldwide and more than 5,800 had died, as of Saturday evening, according to the Johns Hopkins coronavirus dashboard. At least 2,700 have tested positive in the U.S., where there have been at least 57 deaths in 11 states.
Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Health officials say most people infected will have mild sickness, but the elderly and those with underlying health issues are at higher risk of severe illness.
Latest Developments
United States:
-The virus has been confirmed in every state in the U.S. except West Virginia, with Montana and Idaho both reporting their first cases Friday night. Washington state has the highest death toll with at least 40 fatalities. People have also died in California, Florida, Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, South Dakota and Virginia.
-Some 300 U.S. troops who returned from Afghanistan to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, on Saturday are under a 14-day quarantine, according to the AP.
-“I am saddened to report the COVID19-related death of an 82-year-old woman in NYC who had a pre-existing respiratory disease (emphysema),” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Twitter Saturday morning. The death was the first of two in New York, one of the states hardest hit by the outbreak of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The state has at least 613 confirmed cases. Fifty people in the state were hospitalized, with 13 in intensive care as of Friday afternoon.
-With U.S. troops and their families stationed overseas already on virtual lockdown, the Pentagon on Friday ordered servicemembers in the U.S. not to travel outside of their local areas. The ban means families who were set to move to new duty stations or troops who were to travel for training will hold in place until at least May 11. The DOD also instituted a hiring freeze for civilian employees.
-Four more major cruise lines are suspending operations, USA Today reported. Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Celebrity all announced on Friday that they are suspending cruises to and from U.S. ports for 30 days. Other cruise lines, including Disney, had already made similar announcements. “CLIA cruise line members are voluntarily and temporarily suspending operations from the U.S. as we work to address this public health crisis,” Kelly Craighead, CLIA president and CEO in a statement. “This is an unprecedented situation.”
-Schools in at least 18 states – Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin – are shutting down. The start dates and length of time for the closures vary, but most are for at least two weeks. Dozens of districts in other states are also canceling classes, including the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest in the nation, and the Houston Independent School District. The closures stand to affect millions of students and have officials scrambling to figure out how to feed those who rely on school nutrition programs, and have left parents trying to juggle work and childcare.
-The Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center in Florida will be closed starting Monday until further notice. The center has exhibits and tours related to NASA’s adjacent John F. Kennedy Space Center, but operates independently from the launch complex. SpaceX plans to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from the space center Sunday morning as part of its ongoing resupply missions to the International Space Station.
-Early Saturday morning, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed an aid package that will allow Americans to receive free testing, sick pay and food through federal programs, according to the Associated Press.
-Three people who visited Trump’s Mar-A-Lago estate in Florida last week have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Washington Post.
-Apple announced its closing all of its stores worldwide outside of China until March 27. Stores in China were previously closed but have reopened.
-Trump declared a national emergency over the new coronavirus on Friday, freeing up billions of dollars to fight the global pandemic in the United States. The president also announced several efforts to boost testing.
Worldwide:
-France announced Saturday it is shutting down all bars, restaurants, cafes and nonessential shops, the AP reported.
-Officials in Spain a country-wide lockdown following Italy’s lead and instituted a nationwide lockdown, allowing people only to leave their homes only for certain reasons, including to buy food and medicine and go to work, hospitals and banks, the AP reported. All schools, universities, restaurants, bars and hotels will also be closed down. Wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez tested positive on Saturday.
-More than 21,000 people have been sickened in Italy, the largest outbreak outside of mainland China. More than 1,400 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins. The entire country remains on lockdown.
-More than 12,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Iran, where at least 611 people have died. It’s the third largest outbreak worldwide behind China and Italy.
-Korea, Spain, Germany and France are the other largest outbreaks outside of China.
-In all, the virus has spread to at least 147 countries and regions.
https://fromthetrenchesworldreport.com/flashback-h1n1-swine-flu-may-have-killed-15-times-more-than-first-said/263744
‘The CDC calculates that up to 575,000 people may have died from H1N1 in 2009.’….. Wow all those deaths and no lockdown!
Exactly! Imagine that….
So every year during flu season, is the whole world on lockdown for 3 or 4 months going to be the new norm now?
Unfrigginbelievable…..
Is Tuesday, Soylent Green Day? Lol