GOP Outsources Wuhan Virus Response to Pelosi. There Is a Better Way

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All of our vital products might be made in China, but all of the GOP policy decisions are now made by Nancy Pelosi. Not only do Republicans, including the president, give in to every Pelosi spending bill, they are now allowing her to use a public health crisis to increase spending on welfare even more without getting anything in return to address the underlying security problems with China that have caused this crisis in the first place.

It’s truly shocking how Democrats are able to consistently get nearly 100 percent of what they want in any critical legislative fight, even though they only control the House. Late on Friday, all but 55 Republicans supported the Pelosi bill, which increases spending on food stamps, unemployment benefits, and Medicaid and requires businesses to provide paid family leave (but only certain companies). This is on top of suspending student loan interest “until further notice” aka indefinitely and the Federal Reserve pumping more monetary morphine into the economy. There is no CBO score estimating how much this will cost nor any idea how this will help save lives and heal the economy while dealing with the source of the China virus problem.

At some point, if Republicans can’t provide a bold alternative, we need to ask: Why even have a Republican Party? Republicans talk tough against the Democrats whenever it doesn’t matter, but every time the ball is actually in play to pass major legislation during our most challenging moments, they sign on to whatever the Democrats want.

Which leads us to the most salient question in this debate. It seem like Democrats, congressional Republicans, and President Trump all agree that spending and debt are risk-free and that it’s great for the economy and will somehow solve a biological problem. So why stop at this price tag? Why not pass a trillion-dollar bill? A two-trillion-dollar bill? Why not mail a $10,000 check to every American family? They are telling us the debt is somehow not a problem, so why not spend even more for an even greater “stimulus”?

What is so bizarre about this “stimulus” bill is that this is not even like the 2008 financial crisis. This is a logistical problem because cities are shutting down all public gatherings. Kids are off school, so even those whose places of employment are still operational cannot go to work. It’s a matter of getting rid of the virus, and more importantly, the fear surrounding it, and then the economy will go back to normal over time. At that point we can assess the damage done by these weeks of curtailed economic activity. But until then, paying people to stay home will only incentivize and draw out the problem.

Also, any response to this crisis should be universal, focusing on the needs of the whole of the people in terms of health care access and access to the supply chain of food and provisions. Thus, it should focus on de-regulation, not just welfare or provisions for certain businesses. The Democrat bill would give the USDA $1 billion on top of record funding for major food programs to increase monthly food stamp benefits. It would also put in place plans to fund and deliver school breakfast and lunch, day-care meals, and summer food programs during school cancellations. The bill also adds $500 million to the already-record funding levels of the WIC program.

Real leadership would provide federal legislation that would replicate what Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is doing in his state by easing trucking regulations, to ensure that supplies can be delivered to the stores quicker, and health care regulations, to ensure we optimize all of the medical staff we have. The focus should be on ensuring universal access to provisions, not just free stuff for some, a perennial goal that liberals bring out so as not to let a crisis go to waste.

The Pelosi pander bill also creates a mandate requiring businesses with 50-500 employees to offer 12 weeks of paid leave for workers who stay home to quarantine. Part of the reason why it’s so dumb to pass something like this so early, even if one is sympathetic to sending people money for time off, is because they haven’t thought through the unintended consequences. For example, in their haste to virtue-signal over helping “small businesses” with under 50 employees, many companies near that cutoff will be incentivized just to lay people off to cut costs.

Then, ironically, the bill drops the mandate for paid leave once a company is larger than 500 employees. So, they exempt the biggest companies but not the small to mid-sized ones, the exact opposite of what Democrats are messaging. The goal of any relief is to keep these small businesses running, yet they are ensuring that there will be no jobs from which to take leave! These are the very companies that have gotten hit by Obamacare spiking the cost of employer-provided insurance plans.

It’s clear that Senate Republicans will pass this bill with just as much panic-driven pandering as House Republicans. But once you are giving the Democrats more welfare spending, why not also demand provisions that actually address the China virus itself? For example, our immigration policies that make us vulnerable to Chinese nationals spreading the virus here like they did in northern Italy, where over 300,000 transient Chinese nationals reside. We must also address what has led to the outsourcing problem that allows China to control our entire supply chain of medicines and other vital goods. Finally, what about working with other countries to punish China for lying about coronavirus and covering up the problem until it was too late?

To that end, Republicans in the Senate should amend the bill as follows:

A provision addressing the future of the 400,000 Chinese students in America who travel back and forth and Chinese migration in general.

Border security has to be a part of this. If this is a national emergency big enough to curtail vital liberties of Americans, then it’s a national emergency big enough to stop admitting and processing illegal aliens and asylum requests at our border. 150,000 illegal aliens from 72 countries with cases of coronavirus have been caught at our border over the first five months of the fiscal year. 1,657 have come from China. We are still not turning them back at the border.

A provision addressing how China is using immigration to suck out all our research and development, a problem recognized in a recent bipartisan Senate committee report.

Pass Josh Hawley’s bill dealing with the medical supply chain monopolized by China.

Chip Roy’s RESULT Act, which requires the FDA to review all applications for approval of new drugs and medical devises that have been approved in comparable countries. We are already seeing the results of the president’s easement of regulations, as a potential vaccine for coronavirus is set to be delivered to a clinic today.

An audit of all regulations that impede the flow of health care and the supply chain of vital goods and services and to empower the president to immediately rectify them.

Sanctions on China for lying to the world about the severity of the virus, causing the world to lose vital weeks in pre-empting the spread of the virus. Shutting off visas from China should be a part of this. Doctors who tried to warn about the virus were made to disappear. The Chinese communists need to be held accountable for it.

If Democrats are going to use this crisis to promote welfare spending they’ve always sought, then Republicans should use this crisis to promote deregulation of supply lines and immigration policies that directly speak to the issue at hand. Also, if we are going to spend all this money, why not cut spending elsewhere? Sen. Rand Paul has a prudent idea of using cuts to foreign aid to aid our own country in a time of need.

Finally, this crisis is a great reminder of why we need to actually cut spending and welfare when the economy is robust, rather than running up the credit card. Public funds need to be conserved for exactly this sort of situation. (For more from the author of “GOP Outsources Wuhan Virus Response to Pelosi. There Is a Better Way” please click HERE)

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As Ordinary Citizen Life Grinds to Halt, Government Still Flying in Refugees From Around the World

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Just how much of a religion is open-borders immigration? Evidently refugee resettlement from around the world, at least as of last week, was continuing.

The great American shutdown has grown so severe that in my community, all funerals have been canceled. Graveside funerals are the only way to burry our dead. New Jersey has already instituted a curfew with business closures at 8:00 p.m. One would think that shutting off international travel and immigration – the very first line of defense that directly addresses the source of importing diseases – would have long been shut down before we begin infringing upon domestic liberties. Not so. If this country shuts down completely, mass migration will continue, at least on some level.

It’s now self-evident that had we shut off international travel earlier and had we suspended all immigration, visas, and travel from China and Iran in December, this problem would be much more manageable. Yet, in Orwellian fashion, it looks like elements of immigration might be the last activity standing in this county. Ann Corcoran of the Refugee Resettlement Blog observes today that, at least as of last week, the State Department was bringing in refugees at the same clip as before and the Office of Refugee Resettlement was still settling them in our communities.

According to Corcoran, 1,768 refugees arrived in the U.S. between February 15 and yesterday. She noted that 488 have arrived even over the last seven days; 109 were brought in on Thursday. Those numbers might not sound like a lot, but remember Trump had already curtailed the numbers in general. One has to wonder if we’d continue the normal pace had Trump not reduced the numbers for other reasons. The existing pace has not slowed down at all.

A search of the State Department database shows the following countries as the largest sources of refugees over the past 30 days: Congo (728) followed by Ukraine (278), Burma(136), Iraq, (130) and Pakistan (50).

Shockingly, Washington state is the second most common destination of resettlement over the past month. That is the hardest-hit state by coronavirus, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the national fatalities from the virus.

Even if the government is more carefully screening refugees for health concerns, why would we strain our services and create a logistical problem to bring in more immigrants at a time when we are shutting down many aspects of ordinary life for Americans?

“Consider that right now we are bringing in the largest numbers of refugees being processed through Ukraine and through Malaysia, which has seen a recent spike in coronavirus cases,” said Corcoran in an interview with CR. “Those refugees, including the large numbers coming in through Africa, are traveling through airports on three continents. American volunteers working for resettlement agencies are then contractually required to meet the arriving refugees in airports across the country and take them to their new apartment, thus exposing even more Americans to possible contact with the COVID-19 virus. Seems insane to me as the government is telling us to put our lives on hold and stay home.”

As Corcoran pointed out in her blog post, Malaysia is one of the largest processing countries for the refugees we admit from Burma and other countries. Just this Sunday, there were nearly 200 more coronavirus cases reported after 16,000 people congregated in a mosque near Kuala Lumpur.

It’s also shocking how one of the biggest sources of refugee resettlement over the past year is Congo, a country that only this week finally shut down the deadly Ebola outbreak.

Meanwhile, as of last week, we were still processing asylum claims at our border, including for Chinese nationals, rather than turning them around. One has to wonder if, absent the Supreme Court stay on the Ninth Circuit’s order to bring in caravans, the DHS would blithely have brought them in.

Orwell could not have written a script like this.

It appears that the religion of open borders is contagious throughout the world. Evidently, according to the Jerusalem Post, Germany didn’t suspend flights even from hard-hit Iran until today, after the public voiced outrage! Ezra Levant, the head of Rebel News in Canada, has been tracking flights in real time still arriving in Vancouver from China itself! Finally, in this eleventh hour, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has shut off travel – several months too late.

It is self-evident that with any “coronavirus response” from Congress, we need legislation requiring the president to immediately shut off all travel and visas from other countries as soon as our government is aware of a contagious and deadly outbreak. We should also suspend all elective immigration, such as refugee and asylum, from any country until the epidemic has subsided.

In early January, I called for a suspension of all travel from countries with coronavirus cases. I often saw responses on Twitter suggesting that such action would be too disruptive. Well, now we are going to learn the hard way what real disruption looks like. Meanwhile, refugee and asylum immigration might never be disrupted. (For more from the author of “As Ordinary Citizen Life Grinds to Halt, Government Still Flying in Refugees From Around the World” please click HERE)

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Hillary Makes ‘Desperate’ Appeal to Avoid Testifying About Emails — Says She’s Too Important

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Hillary Clinton asked an appeals court on Friday to overturn a judge’s order that she appear for a sworn deposition about her handling of classified emails and the 2012 Benghazi attack as secretary of state.

U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth on March 2 ruled Clinton must answer questions under oath from Judicial Watch as part of a 2014 Freedom of Information Act lawsuit brought by Judicial Watch.

Clinton, a former secretary of state and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, and some of her aides have previously answered questions in writing. But this would be the first time she provides sworn in-person testimony.

The Clinton legal team responded to Lamberth’s ruling by filing an 83-page petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. They asked the court to undo the order, which they suggested was out of line.

According to Clinton’s team, a reversal of the lower court’s ruling “is warranted because Judicial Watch’s impending depositions of Secretary Clinton and Ms. Mills are inappropriate, unnecessary, and a clear abuse of discretion.” (Read more from “Hillary Makes ‘Desperate’ Appeal to Avoid Testifying About Emails — Says She’s Too Important” HERE)

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Pro-Gun Software Developer Was Asleep at Home When Police Killed Him in Gun Bust, Family Says

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A Maryland software developer was asleep in his bedroom when police opened fire from outside the house and shot him dead, according to his family.

The Montgomery County Police Department said in a news release Friday that Duncan Socrates Lemp, 21, “confronted” police who were executing a “high risk” search warrant at the Potomac home early Thursday. They said a tactical unit member fatally shot Lemp around 4:30 a.m.

According to police, the officers were “following up on a complaint from the public that Lemp, though prohibited, was in possession of firearms.” . . .

Friends said they never heard Lemp espouse any anti-government rhetoric. Sandler said Lemp was not a part of any anti-government or militia-type group.

“He was pro-America and supported wholeheartedly all the protections of the Constitution,” she said. (Read more from “Pro-Gun Software Developer Was Asleep at Home When Police Killed Him in Gun Bust, Family Says” HERE)

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Here’s What Every State in America Is Doing to Combat the Spread of the Coronavirus; U.S. Death Toll Raises to 69; The CDC Said Gatherings of More Than 50 People Should Be Canceled

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By Daily Caller. States across America are beginning to take various measures in an effort to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus. . .

ALABAMA : All K-12 schools closed for two weeks; state of emergency issued

ALASKA: Public schools closed for two weeks; State Capitol in Juneau, Alaska closed to the public as well as all government buildings; several public spaces shut down by the Municipality of Anchorage (the Brett Ice Arena, borough libraries, swimming pools, municipal recreation centers, ice rinks, museum); limited visiting allowed for Pioneer Homes, the state-run assisted living facilities

ARIZONA: All K-12 schools, including charter and private schools, are closed until March 27; child care centers are not included

ARKANSAS : All schools will suspend on-site lessons starting Tuesday

(Read more from “Here’s What Every State in America Is Doing to Combat the Spread of the Coronavirus” HERE)

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New York City to Limit Restaurants and Bars to Take-Out and Delivery, Movie Theaters to Shut

By CNBC. New York City will limit restaurants, bars, and cafes to serve only take-out and delivery, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. Nightclubs, movie theaters and small theater houses as well as concert venues have been ordered to close. Those measures will go into effect starting March 17 at 9 a.m. local time.

“The virus can spread rapidly through the close interactions New Yorkers have in restaurants, bars and places where we sit close together. We have to break that cycle,” de Blasio said in a statement.

“This is not a decision I make lightly,” he added. “These places are part of the heart and soul of our city. They are part of what it means to be a New Yorker. But our city is facing an unprecedented threat, and we must respond with a wartime mentality.”

The city’s public school system will also begin temporarily shutting down this week to help combat the spread of infection. (Read more from “New York City to Limit Restaurants and Bars to Take-Out and Delivery, Movie Theaters to Shut” HERE)

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With U.S. Death Toll at 69, Health Officials Set to Ramp up Testing; CDC Offers New Guidance; Fed Cuts Rate to Zero

By USA Today. The race to get home was in full swing Sunday for Americans abroad while millions of students at home were facing a Monday without school as the coronavirus crisis continued its dangerous spiral around the world.

The U.S. death toll rose to 68 across 12 states on Sunday, with the total number of confirmed cases surging to 3,774. The worldwide death toll topped 6,500.

Anxiety and action were on the rise. Thousands of schools for kindergartners to doctoral candidates will be closed nationwide, and no one knows for sure when they will reopen. Stores and supermarkets were curbing hours or shutting down altogether. Cities and states were recommending or requiring mass closure, even mass self-isolation.

The CDC on Sunday issued further guidance, encouraging social distancing and recommending against gatherings of 50 or more people for the “next eight weeks.”

At a Sunday evening press briefing at the White House with members of the Coronavirus Task Force, health officials said they are planning to ramp up coronavirus testing by tens of thousands of additional people a week, beginning this week. (Read more from “With U.S. Death Toll at 69, Health Officials Set to Ramp up Testing; CDC Offers New Guidance; Fed Cuts Rate to Zero” HERE)

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The CDC Said Gatherings of More Than 50 People Should Be Canceled Because of the Coronavirus

By BuzzFeed News. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Sunday said that all gatherings — including weddings, religious services, and concerts — should be canceled as the US battles the coronavirus pandemic.

“Examples of large events and mass gatherings include conferences, festivals, parades, concerts, sporting events, weddings, and other types of assemblies. These events can be planned not only by organizations and communities but also by individuals,” the CDC said.

The cancelations should happen for the next 8 weeks, the CDC said.

There’s a lot we still don’t know about the coronavirus outbreak. Our newsletter, Outbreak Today, will do its best to put everything we do know in one place — you can sign up here. Do you have questions you want answered? You can always get in touch. And if you’re someone who is seeing the impact of this firsthand, we’d also love to hear from you (you can reach out to us via one of our tip line channels).

(Read more from “The CDC Said Gatherings of More Than 50 People Should Be Canceled Because of the Coronavirus” HERE)

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Trump Considering ‘Full’ Pardon for Michael Flynn

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President Donald Trump said Sunday he is considering a full pardon for former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about dealings with Russia’s ambassador before Trump took office.

Flynn attempted to withdraw the guilty plea in January, saying federal prosecutors had acted in “bad faith” and broke their end of the bargain when they sought prison time for him.

“I am strongly considering a Full Pardon!” Trump tweeted. The president also cited an unspecified report that the Justice Department had lost records related to Flynn’s case. In response, Flynn’s lawyer, Sidney Powell, tweeted, “Thank you, Mr. President” and said “the persecution” of his client “is an egregious injustice.”

(Editor’s note – Please watch this insightful interview on Gen. Flynn from last week:)

Prosecutors had initially said Flynn was entitled to avoid prison time because of his extensive cooperation, but the relationship with the retired Army lieutenant general grew increasingly contentious after he hired a new set of lawyers.

Flynn is one of six Trump aides and associates charged in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into ties between the Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign. (Read more from “Trump Considering ‘Full’ Pardon for Michael Flynn” HERE)

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Why Is Toilet Paper Vanishing From Supermarkets? (VIDEO); Tom Cotton: Anyone Who Casts ‘Wuhan Virus’ as Xenophobic Is a ‘Politically Correct Fool’; Fox News Host Says U.S. Should Remember ‘the Wuhan Virus That Poisoned the World’ When Trading With China

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By Fox Business. You might notice something unusual, not to mention unfortunate, next time you try to stock up on bathroom supplies at your local grocery store.

Not just the bare shelves where hand sanitizer and cleansing wipes were plentiful only a few weeks ago, but the empty aisles where toilet paper usually abounds in quantities from single rolls to packages of more than a dozen. . .

One is reason is that people are going to extremes because of conflicting messages, Steven Taylor, a clinical psychologist and author of “The Psychology of Pandemics,” told CNN. . .

The second reason: They aren’t receiving clear direction from the government. . .

Social media has heightened the tension, as have visits to stores where other shoppers are stockpiling with abandon. (Read more from “Why Is Toilet Paper Vanishing From Supermarkets?” HERE)

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Tom Cotton: Anyone Who Casts ‘Wuhan Virus’ as Xenophobic Is a ‘Politically Correct Fool’

By Washington Examiner. Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton defended the use of the phrase “Wuhan Virus” from critics who complain it is xenophobic.

The Republican was prompted to react to media disapproval of labeling the coronavirus in such a way that identifies its widely believed origin in Wuhan, China, by Fox News host Jesse Watters on his Saturday evening show, Watters’ World.

“Anyone who complains that it’s racist or xenophobic to call this virus the Chinese coronavirus or the Wuhan virus is a politically correct fool,” Cotton said.

Moments earlier, Watters showed a tweet from MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, who said: “Just astoundingly gross to call it the Wuhan Virus.”

The senator said these critics should be ignored, particularly talking about the spread of the deadly illness. (Read more from “Tom Cotton: Anyone Who Casts ‘Wuhan Virus’ as Xenophobic Is a ‘Politically Correct Fool'” HERE)

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Fox News Host Says U.S. Should Remember ‘the Wuhan Virus That Poisoned the World’ When Trading With China

By Newsweek. On Friday, Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade stated that the U.S. should remember the novel coronavirus as “the Wuhan virus that poisoned the world,” when participating in trade deals with China.

“The next time someone signs up for their Belt and Road program or for Huawei, they should keep on the Wuhan virus that poisoned the world,” Kilmeade said. “That’s what you get when you get Chinese trade and that’s what the American companies should keep in mind when they cut these deals.”

Kilmeade’s comments come as the show was discussing Chinese officials blaming the U.S for the coronavirus with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Their discussion stemmed from a recent tweet by Lijian Zhao, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry, where he suggested that the U.S. brought the novel coronavirus to Wuhan, and not that it originated in the city. (Read more from “Fox News Host Says U.S. Should Remember ‘the Wuhan Virus That Poisoned the World’ When Trading With China” HERE)

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The U.S. May Have to Target the IRGC in Iran to Stop Iraq Base Attacks

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Escalating Iranian-orchestrated attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq are unlikely to stop until President Trump orders limited retaliation against Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets on Iranian soil.

The growing challenge is obvious following two significant rocket attacks this week on the U.S. military’s Camp Taji.

The first attack killed two U.S. service members and one British soldier. A second attack on Saturday morning wounded three Americans and two Iraqis. Both attacks were carried out by Iran’s Kata’ib Hezbollah militia proxy, under direction from Iran’s IRGC. But what makes these attacks particularly concerning is that they are designed to kill. That might seem obvious, but the use hereof numerous rockets targeting areas of Camp Taji where soldiers congregate stands these incidents apart from other rocket attacks, which are primarily designed to harass. . .

Well, retaliating against Kata’ib Hezbollah, as following the first attack this week, is inadequate. Iran clearly didn’t view that retaliation as serious, or it wouldn’t have allowed this second attack to occur. Kata’ib Hezbollah is the sideshow here, Iran is the key problem. But the U.S. has alternate options.

At the top-line level, the loss of two Americans this week shows an imminent and continuing threat. So Trump does not need congressional authority to take limited action against the IRGC inside Iran. And that’s important because the U.S. could likely restore deterrent balance by targeting one or several IRGC military sites. The catastrophic impact that the coronavirus is wreaking on Iranian civil society means that the regime is under immense pressure. This pressure is exacerbated by U.S. efforts to support the growing protest movement. And while these attacks and Iranian escalations on the nuclear front are designed toward coercing the U.S. into sanctions relief, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cannot risk an escalatory showdown with the U.S. The supreme leader won’t admit it, but he knows it’s a showdown he can’t win. (Read more from “The U.S. May Have to Target the IRGC in Iran to Stop Iraq Base Attacks” HERE)

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Here’s When Coronavirus Is Most Contagious; Over 70s to Be Told to Self-Isolate for Months Even If Not Ill

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By Science News. As sweeping efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic go into effect around the globe, researchers are starting to get hints of just when patients are most contagious.

People infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes the disease, may test positive for the virus both before and after they have symptoms. But a new study of nine people who contracted the virus in Germany suggests that people are mainly contagious before they have symptoms and in the first week of the disease.

Infectious viruses were isolated from about 17 percent of nose and throat swabs and more than 83 percent of phlegm samples during that first week, researchers report March 8 in a study posted at medRxiv.org.

Patients produced thousands to millions of viruses in their noses and throats, about 1,000 times as much virus as produced in SARS patients, Clemens Wendtner, director of infectious disease and tropical medicine at Munich Clinic Schwabing, a teaching hospital, and his colleagues found. That heavy load of viruses may help explain why the new coronavirus is so infectious. . .

After the eighth day of symptoms, the researchers could still detect the virus’s genetic material, RNA, in patients’ swabs or samples, but could no longer find infectious viruses. That’s an indication that antibodies that the body’s immune system makes against SARS-CoV-2 are killing viruses that get out of cells, Wendtner says. (Read more from “Here’s When Coronavirus Is Most Contagious” HERE)

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Over 70s to Be Told to Self-Isolate for Months Even If Not Ill

By Mirror UK. People in Britain aged over 70 will be instructed soon by the government to stay in strict isolation for four months as part of a planned response to coronavirus, broadcaster ITV’s political editor said.

Robert Peston said the government was likely to enforce a “wartime-style” mobilisation effort in the next five to 20 days.

Other measures being planned include hotels and other building being used as temporary hospitals, privately-run hospitals being converted into emergency medical care centres and commissioning several companies to make respirators that can keep acutely ill victims alive.

New rules would see pubs, bars and restaurants shut their doors temporarily and schools would close for a few weeks but children of key workers will be allowed to continue attending as skeleton staff will be providing childcare.

A senior government source told ITV News, the belief that the government are reluctant to make difficult and costly decisions to battle the virus is untrue. (Read more from “Over 70s to Be Told to Self-Isolate for Months Even If Not Ill” HERE)

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Newt Gingrich: I Am in Italy Amid the Coronavirus Crisis. America Must Act Now—and Act Big; Italy Reports 3,590 More Coronavirus Cases, Its Biggest One-Day Increase; Austria Announces Major Restrictions on Movement

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By Newsweek. The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic poses two threats: public health and economic. . .

I have watched first-hand as the Italian government has worked hard to contain the coronavirus by imposing strong public health measures to try to get the epidemic under control. These measures will lead to significant economic challenges. . .

These steps are not an overreaction. The coronavirus is out of control of in Northern Italy. As of 6 p.m. local/1 p.m. EST on March 10, there were 15,113 total cases in Italy, with 12,839 active cases, 1,016 deaths and 1,258 recoveries. And there were 162 total cases here in Rome.

The hardest-hit region around Milan has had to improvise as its health system has been deeply stressed by the sheer number of patients. In Milan and Brescia, field hospitals have been set up in the fairgrounds as the local hospitals have been drowned in patients.

Because the demand for respirators and intensive care has been beyond any previous planning, doctors have been forced into the kind of triage thinking developed for intense battlefield casualty situations. There are reports that emergency room doctors are allotting respirators to those with higher life expectancy due to the limited equipment in the hardest hit areas of the province. If you are older or have other illnesses, you may simply not be eligible for treatment. (Read more from “Newt Gingrich: I Am in Italy Amid the Coronavirus Crisis. America Must Act Now—and Act Big” HERE)

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Italy Reports 3,590 More Coronavirus Cases, Its Biggest One-Day Increase

By The Hill. Italy on Sunday reported its biggest one-day increase in cases and deaths during the coronavirus outbreak.

Italy recorded 3,590 cases and 398 deaths in a 24-hour period, Italy’s Civil Protection chief, Angelo Borrelli, announced Sunday, The Associated Press reported. In total, the country has confirmed more than 24,700 cases and more than 1,800 deaths.

The country, which has been on lockdown since last week, reports that almost 2,000 people have recovered from the coronavirus in the nation.

Italy’s previous record number of deaths in a 24-hour period was 250, which was announced Friday.

Italy’s national health institute chief, Silvio Brusaferro, said it is unclear if Italy is reaching its peak number of cases, meaning it could soon decline, according to the AP. (Read more from “Italy Reports 3,590 More Coronavirus Cases, Its Biggest One-Day Increase” HERE)

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Austria Announces Major Restrictions on Movement Over Coronavirus

By Reuters. Austria’s chancellor announced major restrictions on movement in public places on Sunday, banning gatherings of more than five persons and urging Austrians to self-isolate, as well as putting further limits on who can enter the country.

The restrictions on public movement and gatherings will come into force on Monday, while restaurants are ordered closed from Tuesday, when new restrictions on entering the country will also take effect, a government spokesman said.

“Austrians are being summoned to isolate themselves,” Chancellor Sebastian Kurz’s office said in a statement. “That means only making social contact with the people with whom they live.”

People should only leave the house for work that could not be postponed, to buy necessary food supplies and to help others, it said.

The western region of Tyrol, home to popular ski resorts where Austria’s first cases were reported and where 245 cases had been confirmed as of Sunday morning, announced a total lockdown on Sunday, with its governor saying the region found itself in “the most difficult situation we’ve ever faced in the post-war years”. (Read more from “Austria Announces Major Restrictions on Movement Over Coronavirus” HERE)

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