Coronavirus: Nachrichten zur weltweiten Lage

'Covid Coalition' Government Considered by Senior Conservatives

THE GUARDIAN: George Freeman says Keir Starmer should join ‘unavoidable’ cross-party government if elected

Senior Conservatives are questioning whether Boris Johnson will need a national unity government or emergency cross-party council to share responsibility for the coronavirus crisis if the situation worsens.

George Freeman, a former minister in Johnson’s government, was the first to break cover to say a “Covid coalition” government may be “unavoidable” and some other Tory MPs privately believe the prime minister will need cross-party governing consensus if emergency measures are to continue for months.

Freeman told the Guardian: “The scale of this national emergency – the suspension of usual freedoms and democracy, the economic consequences and the likely loss of tens of thousands of lives – demands a suspension of politics as usual. » | Rowena Mason, Peter Walker and Kate Proctor | Wednesday, March 25, 2020 (?)

Economist Jeffrey Sachs: Trump “Understands Nothing, Listens to Nothing” as Pandemic Surges in US

As #NotDying4WallStreet trends on Twitter, President Trump defies his top scientists and soaring infection rate, saying he will ease restrictions soon to jumpstart the economy. We speak with economist Jeffrey Sachs about the stimulus package that failed to pass again Monday, as Democrats called the measure a slush fund for corporations. Sachs also led the WHO’s Commission on Macroeconomics and Health from 2000 to 2001 and played a key role in conceiving and establishing the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which helped distribute new medicines to fight infectious diseases.

Coronavirus: Update zur weltweiten Lage

Die Welt stemmt sich gegen die Coronavirus Pandemie: besonders schnell kann sich das Virus da ausbreiten, wo viele Menschen auf engstem Raum miteinander in Kontakt sind. In Indien leben fast 1,4 Milliarden Menschen. Die Regierung hat Teilen des bevölkerungsreichen Staates eine Ausgangs-Sperre verordnet. Mehr über die aktuelle Lage in unseren Corona-News.

Coronavirus: Update zur weltweiten Lage

Die Welt in Kampf gegen Corona: China gibt langsam Entwarnung, auch in Südkorea hat sich die Ansteckungsgwschwindigkeit rapide verlangsamt. Dafür ist weiterhin Europa zentral betroffen. Italien schließt Firmen und Fabriken, Spanien will Notstand und Ausgangssperre verlängern. Und in den USA nimmt die Corona-Welle deutlich an Wucht zu: Mit rund 27.000 Infizierten liegen die Staaten jetzt schon auf Platz vier der weltweiten Statistik der US amerikanischen Johns-Hopkins Universität.

Joe Calls for a Government Site to List Mask, Glove Production | Morning Joe | MSNBC

Joe Scarborough calls for a government web site that will list the production of masks, gloves, protective gear, testing and ventilators.

Coronavirus: Italian City’s Warning to the Rest of the World

Bergamo’s streets are empty as it deals with a devastating number of coronavirus-related deaths – and residents have a warning for others. It is the worst-hit city in Italy, the country currently struggling the most with the coronavirus crisis.

'Be Careful': Spain's Last 1918 Flu Survivor Offers Warning on Coronavirus

THE GUARDIAN: José Ameal Peña, 105, is watching on anxiously as a new pandemic sweeps globe

José Ameal Peña was four years old when the 1918 flu tore through his small fishing town in northern Spain, its deadly path narrated by the daily ringing of church bells.

More than a century later, Ameal Peña – believed to be Spain’s only living survivor of a pandemic said to be the deadliest in human history – has a warning as the world faces off against Covid-19. “Be careful,” he said. “I don’t want to see the same thing repeated. It claimed so many lives.”

The 1918 flu, known as the Spanish flu after the country’s press were among the first to report on it, killed between 50 and 100 million people around the world. » | Ashifa Kassam in Madrid | Sunday, March 22, 2020

Italian Doctor on How Virus 'Exploded', Having Coronavirus & How to Fight It

Dr Sylvia Bignamini is the Health Director of San Francesco Clinic in Bergamo, Italy, the city at the epicentre of the country's outbreak

She conducted the first coronavirus test in her nursing home and also caught the virus herself. She is now living and working in isolation at home.

Italien fährt Wirtschaft größtenteils herunter

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: In Italien sollen Unternehmen, die keine lebenswichtigen Güter oder Dienstleistungen produzieren und anbieten, die Arbeit einstellen. Rapide steigende Sterbezahlen zwingen die drittgrößte Volkswirtschaft der EU zu diesem Schritt.

Italien schließt angesichts immer weiter steigender Totenzahlen durch die Coronavirus-Pandemie die gesamte nicht lebensnotwendige Produktion. Davon seien Supermärkte, Banken, Post und Apotheken ausgenommen, sagte Ministerpräsident Giuseppe Conte am Samstagabend. „Es ist die schwerste Krise für das Land seit dem Zweiten Weltkrieg.“ Nun werde jede produktive Tätigkeit eingestellt, „die nicht entscheidend und unerlässlich dafür ist, uns essenzielle Güter und Dienstleistungen zu garantieren“. Diese drastische Maßnahme in der drittgrößten Volkswirtschaft der EU soll zunächst bis 3. April gelten.

Das Land hatte am Samstag an nur einem Tag fast 800 Tote vermeldet und damit so viele wie nie seit dem Ausbruch des Virus im Land. Bisher starben 4825 Menschen, teilte der Zivilschutz in Rom mit. Das waren 793 mehr als am Vortag. Besonders stark betroffen ist die nördliche Region Lombardei, wo das Virus Ende Februar ausgebrochen war und die Krankenhäuser mittlerweile vor dem Kollaps stehen. Die wirtschaftlichen Schäden für das hoch verschuldete Land sind jetzt schon unermesslich. » | Quelle: dpa | Sonntag, 22.März 2020

So reagiert Söder auf den weinenden Bäcker aus Hannover

Ein deutscher Bäcker bringt mit seinem Video zur Corona-Krise, ein ganzes Land zum Weinen.

Brexit geht in die Verlängerung

DIE PRESSE: Längere Übergangsfrist bis 2021/2022 zeichnet sich ab

. London/Brüssel. Die Verhandlungen über das künftige Verhältnis zwischen Großbritannien und der EU stehen momentan unter keinem guten Stern – und das hängt nicht ausschließlich mit der Tatsache zusammen, dass EU-Chefverhandler Michel Barnier am Donnerstag mit dem Coronavirus diagnostiziert und umgehend in die häusliche Quarantäne geschickt wurde. Die Herausforderungen, die Europäer und Briten im Zusammenhang mit der Pandemie bewältigen müssen, sind massiv – und schränken die inhaltliche Bandbreite der Institutionen in Brüssel und London ein.

Am Freitag bot Kommissionspräsidentin Ursula von der Leyen Großbritannien eine Verlängerung der Brexit-Übergangsfrist an. Diese Frist läuft am 31. Dezember ab – bis dahin werden die Briten wie Mitglieder des Binnenmarkts behandelt, an den Grenzen zwischen Großbritannien und der EU finden keine Zollkontrollen statt. London könne jederzeit um Verlängerung ansuchen, „das muss die Regierung von Boris Johnson selber entscheiden“, sagte von der Leyen. » | ag./la | Freitag, 20. März 2020

’Everything Is Uncharted’: New Yorkers Confront Life Amid a Coronavirus Shutdown

With restrictions tightened on businesses and daily activity, residents are grappling with uncertainty about resources, health care and their paychecks.

Opinion: We Should All Be More Like the Nuns of 1918

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The sisters of Philadelphia were lifesavers during the Spanish flu epidemic. They are an inspiration today.

A few years ago, I set out to research my grandmother’s early childhood in Philadelphia, looking for clues about what the world was like in the first precarious years of her life. I knew that she was born in October 1917, that she had lived through the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 as a baby, but I was unprepared for the harrowing details I uncovered in my search.

Reading about the fall of 1918 left me grappling with a series of images of the outbreak as it was experienced locally: hushed streets, shut doors, bodies piled up in basements and on porches because the morgues had run out of coffins. Businesses and public spaces citywide were shuttered, including churches, schools and theaters. In a single day, on Oct. 16, more than 700 people in Philadelphia died from influenza.

But as I read the first alarming headlines about the coronavirus in January, what came to mind from my family research was one particular document, an oral history published in 1919 by the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia to preserve living memories of the Spanish flu. “Facts unrecorded are quickly lost in the new interests of changing time,” its author began; here, he meant to “gather information for the future.” Within these unassuming pages, I found the story of an extraordinary act of generosity and compassion, carried out at the height of a pandemic. Titled “Work of the Sisters During the Epidemic of Influenza, October 1918,” within this document was evidence of the enormous human capacity for personal sacrifice in the name of public good. » | Kiley Bense | Friday, March 20, 2020

1918 Pandemic (H1N1 virus) »

Spanish flu »

Coronavirus Death Toll in Italy Officially Surpasses China | MSNBC

Over 3,400 people have died from the coronavirus in Italy, officially surpassing the death toll from the virus in China.

Germany Shuts Down Far-Right Clubs That Deny the Modern State

THE NEW YORK TIMES: In a first, the federal government banned two clubs with allegiance to the old German Reich. Police raids on members’ homes found weapons, propaganda and narcotics.

BERLIN — The German government on Thursday banned two clubs linked to an anti-Semitic movement that refuses to recognize the modern German state, with the Interior Ministry ordering raids on the homes of the groups’ leaders in 10 states as part of a crackdown on Germany’s far right.

“We relentlessly continue the fight against right-wing extremism even in times of crisis,” Horst Seehofer, Germany’s interior minister, said in a statement. “We are dealing with an association that distributes racist and anti-Semitic writings and thus systematically poisons our liberal society,” Mr. Seehofer added.

After years of focusing on threats from Islamist extremists, the German authorities have started to train their resources on combating homegrown far-right extremists. There have been three major attacks in the last nine months, including the killing of a politician, a failed attack on a synagogue and the killing in February of nine Germans with immigrant backgrounds, all three of which were carried out by far-right extremists.

“Far-right terror is the biggest threat to our democracy right now,” Christine Lambrecht, the country’s justice minister, said after the February attacks. On Thursday, she said the decision to ban the clubs brought the fight against far-right extremism and racism to the “highest political level.” » | Christopher F. Schuetze | Thursday, March 19, 2020

The President Is Lying About Coronavirus

A Message from Her Majesty The Queen

The Queen has just shared this message to the country:

As Philip and I arrive at Windsor today, we know that many individuals and families across the United Kingdom, and around the world, are entering a period of great concern and uncertainty.

We are all being advised to change our normal routines and regular patterns of life for the greater good of the communities we live in and, in particular, to protect the most vulnerable within them.

At times such as these, I am reminded that our nation’s history has been forged by people and communities coming together to work as one, concentrating our combined efforts with a focus on the common goal.

We are enormously thankful for the expertise and commitment of our scientists, medical practitioners and emergency and public services; but now more than any time in our recent past, we all have a vitally important part to play as individuals - today and in the coming days, weeks and months.

Many of us will need to find new ways of staying in touch with each other and making sure that loved ones are safe. I am certain we are up to that challenge. You can be assured that my family and I stand ready to play our part.

ELIZABETH R

Read it here »

Billionaire Petition

Coronavirus Outbreak in Belgium: "Brussels, a Very Quiet City"

Coronavirus in Belgium: FRANCE24's correspondent in Brussels Dave Keating tells us more about the situation of the pandemic in the country.

Calls for UK Basic Income Payment to Cushion Coronavirus Impact

THE GUARDIAN: MPs, peers and others say the money for all citizens would help them through crisis

The government is facing cross-party calls from MPs, charities and thinktanks to start paying swathes of the population a basic income to cushion the economic shock of the coronavirus outbreak.

The former Conservative business secretary Greg Clark urged the government to act immediately to prevent mass job losses by allowing the taxpayer to subsidise companies’ wage bills. Forty-six opposition MPs and peers also wrote to Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak demanding a basic income payment for all citizens to see them through this crisis. » | Robert Booth and Heather Stewart | Thursday, March 19, 2020

France May Refuse Entry to Britons If No Strict Lockdown Is Imposed in UK

THE GUARDIAN: French PM says UK citizens may not be allowed in as part of measures to fight coronavirus

France has warned it may start turning travellers from Britain away unless the UK adopts a similar near-total lockdown to those in place in other European countries.

With EU governments including Italy, Spain and France requiring citizens to stay at home to curb the coronavirus, and Rome threatening to tighten restrictions further, the French prime minister, Édouard Philippe, has said that if the UK does not follow suit soon, arrivals from Britain could be refused entry.

“Everyone in the EU must adopt logical methods and processes to fight against the epidemic,” Philippe said. “It’s obvious that if neighbouring states like the UK leave it too long, we would have difficulty allowing British citizens who are moving freely around their country to come to France.” » | Jon Henley, Europe correspondent, and Kim Willsher | Thursday, March 19, 2020

Corona-Krise: Merkel: Es ist ernst!

Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel fordert die Menschen in Deutschland auf, beim Kampf gegen die Ausbreitung des Coronavirus mitzuhelfen. „Es ist ernst. Nehmen Sie es auch ernst“, sagt Merkel in einer Fernsehansprache. „Seit dem Zweiten Weltkrieg gab es keine Herausforderung an unser Land mehr, bei der es so auf unser gemeinsames, solidarisches Handeln ankommt.“ Außerdem: „Wir müssen das Risiko, dass der eine den anderen ansteckt, so begrenzen wie wir können.“ Alle sollen sich an die Abstandsregeln halten, bittet sie die Bevölkerung. Zwar hätte Deutschland ein gutes Gesundheitssystem: „Aber auch unsere Krankenhäuser wären völlig überfordert, wenn in kürzester Zeit zu viele Patienten eingeliefert würden, die einen schweren Verlauf der Coronainfektion erleiden."

Es ist das erste Mal in ihrer Amtszeit, dass sich Merkel außerhalb der Silvester-Ansprache im Fernsehen direkt an die Bevölkerung wendet.

Coronavirus Update: Europe Starts Closing Down Borders | DW News

Travel into Europe, the current epicenter of the coroanvirus pandemic, is being severely restricted. European Union leaders have agreed on a 30-day ban on travellers entering the bloc. The decision will affect most non-citizens and non-residents of the European Union - with some exceptions. It will be up to each member state to implement the new regulations. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the EU would do what's necessary to protect the public's health and the economy. European countries aren't the only ones clamping down on their borders. The United States and Canada, which share the world's longest land frontier, are working out the details of banning all non-essential travel between the two countries. Australia has declared its first-ever 'human biosecurity emergency.' Prime Minister Scott Morrison has advised Australians not to travel abroad. Saudi Arabia, which holds the rotating chair of G-20 countries, says it will convene a video summit next week to coordinate the coronavirus response among the world's biggest economies. And Japan's deputy prime minister says holding the Summer Olympics would make 'no sense' if countries can't send athletes.

Europe Shuts Out Visitors to Slow Coronavirus

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Even as European countries erect barriers between one another, the E.U. announced a coordinated ban on nearly all travelers from the rest of the world.

BRUSSELS — European leaders agreed on Tuesday to close off their territory to almost all visitors, shutting the door to most travelers for at least 30 days as they struggled to arrest the rapid spread of the coronavirus on the continent.

The leaders, meeting by teleconference, agreed to close off a region encompassing at least 26 countries and more than 400 million people — setting out on a long stretch of isolation unlike almost anything seen in modern European history.

Exceptions will be made for European citizens and residents coming home, although some countries were asking them to self-isolate for two weeks, in some cases away from their families. Medical professionals and scientists will also be exempt.

Britain said it was not planning to participate in the measure, said the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. » | Matina Stevis-Gridneff | Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Trump Now Claims He Always Knew the Coronvirus Would Be a Pandemic

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The president tried to rewrite his history with advising Americans about the coronavirus. His own words prove him wrong.

WASHINGTON — For weeks, President Trump has minimized the coronavirus, mocked concern about it and treated the risk cavalierly. On Tuesday he took to the White House podium and made a remarkable pronouncement: He knew it was a pandemic all along.

“I felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic,” Mr. Trump told reporters.

Here is what Mr. Trump actually said from the beginning of the pandemic. » | Katie Rogers and Maggie Haberman | Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Who can lie like Trump? What a load of BS this is! – Mark

Donald Trump, l’anti-européen

LE MONDE: Editorial. Le président américain a décidé, jeudi 12 mars, d’interdire l’accès aux Etats-Unis pendant un mois aux personnes venant des 26 pays membres de l’espace Schengen, sous prétexte d’empêcher la propagation du coronavirus. Une décision aberrante.

Editorial du « Monde ».Le coronavirus a permis à Donald Trump de réaliser enfin son rêve : mettre l’Europe en quarantaine. En décidant, jeudi 12 mars, de fermer la porte du territoire des Etats-Unis pendant un mois aux personnes venant des 26 pays membres de l’espace Schengen, sous prétexte d’empêcher la contamination de ses compatriotes par ce qu’il appelle « un virus étranger », le président américain a trahi, une fois de plus, son hostilité viscérale à l’égard de l’Union européenne.

Cette décision est pitoyable à plusieurs égards. Dans sa forme, d’abord : prise sans la moindre concertation avec les gouvernements des pays concernés et mise en œuvre dans un délai de moins de quarante-huit heures, elle a semé le chaos dans les aéroports, les compagnies aériennes, déjà lourdement mises à l’épreuve, les représentations consulaires, sur les places boursières et parmi des centaines de milliers de voyageurs. » | Samedi 14 mars 2020

Macron Declares France ‘at War’ With Virus, as E.U. Proposes 30-Day Travel Ban

THE NEW YORK TIMES: President Emmanuel Macron commanded the French to stay at home for at least 15 days, joining other European leaders who are taking measures never before seen in the postwar West.

BRUSSELS — Adopting martial language, President Emmanuel Macron ordered the French to stay at home for at least the next 15 days, as France put in place some of the most severe measures in Europe to try to curb the raging coronavirus.

The aggressive move by France came as other countries in the region introduced measures that their leaders described as unprecedented in postwar Europe, and as the European Union proposed a 30-day shutdown of all nonessential travel into the bloc from other countries.

The movement of French citizens will be tightly restricted, starting from midday on Tuesday and lasting through at least the end of the month, with people expected to stay home, leaving only for essential activities like food shopping. Anyone violating the order faces punishment.

“We are at war," Mr. Macron said in an address to the nation Monday night. “The enemy is invisible and it requires our general mobilization.”

The French army will deploy to transport the sick to hospitals, and a military hospital with 30 intensive care beds will be set up in the eastern region of Alsace, where one of the largest infection clusters has erupted.

Mr. Macron was responding to severe warnings from doctors about an increasingly dire situation. Jérôme Salomon, a top official at France’s health ministry, told France Inter radio on Monday that the situation in France was “deteriorating very quickly.” » | Steven Erlanger | Monday, March 16, 2020

Coronavirus: How Spaniards Aren't Going to Let Life under Lockdown Get Them Down

Spaniards were ordered into lockdown this weekend as the country struggled to control a spiralling coronavirus outbreak – but residents weren’t going to let it get them down.

Told they would only be allowed to leave their homes for essential business – such as to buy food or medical supplies – for the next 15 days, people sprung [sic] into action to keep neighbourhood morale high.

Videos circulated online showed neighbours performing music to each other from their balconies, playing bingo between windows, and even offering exercise tutorials from their courtyards.

Historic: New York Grinds to a Halt

New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have ordered the closure of bars, restaurants and movie theaters in an attempt to stem the growing number of COVID-19 coronavirus infections. The once-teeming streets of New York City have become still. RT America’s Trinity Chavez reports from coronavirus-stricken New York City.

Boris Johnson Tells UK Public to Avoid Non-essential Contact and Travel

Prime Minister Boris Johnson updates the UK on the latest coronavirus advice after a Cobra meeting.

Jetzt live: Schweiz: Bundesrat erklärt Notstand, riegelt das Land ab, mobilisiert Armee

TAGES ANZEIGER: Die Landesregierung informiert in diesen Minuten über den aktuellen Stand in Sachen Coronavirus. Wir berichten laufend.

Bundespräsidentin Simonetta Sommaruga hat sich mit klaren Worten an die Bevölkerung gewandt. «Wir müssen jetzt, sofort, handeln.» Es müsse ein Ruck durch Land gehen, ansonsten könne die Ausbreitung des Virus nicht verlangsamt werden.

Das Umsetzen der drastischen Massnahmen sei «im Interesse von uns allen», sagte Sommaruga am Montagabend vor den Bundeshausmedien. Jeder Einzelne müsse sich daran halten. Wenn es keine Reaktion gebe, wenn zu viele Menschen erkrankten, dann komme es in den Spitälern zu einem Engpass. » | red/sda | Montag, 16. März 2020

Coronavirus Update: Spain on Lockdown, Germany Shuts Borders | DW News (15.03.20)

Galloway | Is MBS's Public Executing & War Funding Not Enough to Stop Leaders from Bowing to Him?

Galloway’s take on Saudi Arabia’s atrocities, as well as Western politicians’ habit of looking the other way.

Notstand in Spanien: Ausgangssperren gelten ab Montag

Der Notstand gilt ab Montagmorgen und dauert zunächst 15 Tage an. Bürger dürfen dann das Haus nur noch verlassen, um zur Arbeit zu gehen oder um lebensnotwendige Besorgungen zu machen. Viele Straßen und öffentliche Orte in Spanien waren aber schon am Samstag weitgehend leergefegt.

Spaniens Ministerpräsident Pedro Sánchez stellte die einzelnen Vorkehrungen am Samstagabend auf einer Pressekonferenz vor: Das öffentliche Leben wird stark eingeschränkt, Menschen sollen ihr Haus nur verlassen, wenn sie einkaufen, zur Apotheke, zum Geldautomaten oder zum Arzt müssen. Auch der Weg zum Arbeitsplatz und zurück nach Hause ist erlaubt. Allerdings sind die Menschen angehalten, nach Möglichkeit von zu Hause aus zu arbeiten. Einen Spaziergang machen oder Freunde besuchen, ist damit tabu. Nur Besuche bei Älteren und Minderjährigen, körperlich geschwächten Personen und Behinderten sind erlaubt. Spanien hat in den vergangenen Tagen einen besonders dramatischen Anstieg der Infektionen erlebt. Nach offiziellen Angaben waren bis Samstag mehr als 6000 Menschen am Coronavirus erkrankt, mehr als 190 sind an den Folgen der Krankheit gestorben.

The Sick Joke of Donald Trump's Presidency Isn't Funny Any More

THE GUARDIAN: The coronavirus outbreak has revealed the full stupidity, incompetence and selfishness of the president to deadly effect

For three long years the world has been treated to the sick joke of Donald Trump’s presidency. Some days were more sick than others. But now the joke is over.

So is the entire facade of the Trump White House: the gold-plated veneer of power and grift will be stripped bare by a global pandemic and recession.

Of all the obituaries we’ll read in the next several weeks, every one will be more meaningful than the political end of a former reality-TV star.

But make no mistake. The humanitarian crisis about to unfold will consume what’s left of this president and the Republican party that surrendered its self-respect and sense of duty to flatter his ego and avoid his angry tweets.

Trump was right about one thing, and only one thing, as the coronavirus started to spread across the world. The sight of thousands of dead Americans will hurt him politically. It will also hurt many thousands of Americans in reality. » Richard Wolffe | Friday, March 13, 2020

Coronavirus : les « lieux recevant du public » non essentiels fermés dès minuit

LE POINT: Edouard Philippe a annoncé samedi soir la fermeture dès minuit et « jusqu'à nouvel ordre » de tous les « lieux recevant du public non indispensables à la vie du pays », appelant les Français à « plus de discipline » face à la pandémie de coronavirus. Restaurants, bars, discothèques, cinémas sont appelés à fermer leurs portes. Les commerces sont aussi touchés, à l'exception des magasins alimentaires, pharmacies, banques, bureaux de tabac ou encore stations-essence, a précisé le Premier ministre. En revanche, le premier tour des élections municipales se déroulera dimanche « comme prévu ». Le directeur général de la Santé Jérôme Salomon a annoncé que 830 nouveaux cas de patients infectés par le nouveau coronavirus avaient été détectés en France, pour un total de 4 500 depuis le début de l'épidémie qui a fait pour l'heure 91 morts dans le pays. » | Par LePoint.fr (avec AFP) | Samedi 14 mars 2020

Be Careful. Trump May Exploit the Coronavirus Crisis for Authoritarian Ends

THE GUARDIAN: When he no can longer lie or deny, he’ll blame immigrants, journalists, people of color, liberals and other enemies

Donald Trump’s Oval Office address on coronavirus was terrifying because it revealed a man completely unmatched to the moment. Even though he was reading from a teleprompter, the president got the details of his major policy announcements wrong. He attempted no emotional connection with or comfort of the tens of millions of Americans whose lives are being upended by the threat of the disease. He didn’t even have anything useful to say about what his own top scientist has described as America’s “failing” testing regime, which has screened about as many people all year as South Korea does in a day. In a presidency accustomed to lows, this one was quite literally sickening. » | Andrew Gawthorpe* | Saturday, March 14, 2020


* Andrew Gawthorpe is a historian of the United States at Leiden University

Coronavirus: US to Extend Travel Ban to UK and Ireland

BBC: The US is to extend its European coronavirus travel ban to include the UK and Republic of Ireland.

The ban will begin at midnight EST on Monday (04:00 GMT Tuesday), Vice-President Mike Pence announced. » | Saturday, March 14, 2020

Italians Sing Patriotic Songs from Their Balconies During Coronavirus Lockdown

THE GUARDIAN: Neighbours from Naples to Tuscany make harmonies across empty streets to lift spirits and pass the time during quarantine

Italians have been singing from their balconies across the country, in an effort to boost morale during its nationwide lockdown that began this week, due to Covid-19.

Videos of Italian neighbours singing together have been appearing on social media after Italy’s prime minister Giuseppe Conte announced the restrictions that shut down virtually all daily life, and leftonly grocery stores, banks, and pharmacies open. » | Christine Kearney | Saturday, March 14, 2020



Italians Cope with Quarantine by Singing on Their Balconies »

Rom zu Zeiten von Corona - "La Dolce Vita" in Quarantäne | ARTE

Der Coronavirus breitet sich weiter aus. Immer mehr Städte sind in Quarantäne. Rom in Zeiten von Corona: Einen Espresso im Bistro zu bestellen, ist in Italien zu einem Akt des Widerstandes geworden. Denn um die Covid-19 Epidemie einzudämmen, hat der Ministerpräsident drastische Maßnahmen ergriffen: Schulen und Geschäfte wurden geschloßen, Fußballspiele und andere Menschenansammlungen abgesagt. Der italienische Alltag beschränkt sich fortan (fast) auf die eigenen vier Wände. Mit unserem Korrespondenten tauchen wir in das Leben unter Quarantäne ein.

Switzerland Imposes Sweeping Measures to Contain Coronavirus

SWISS INFO: Switzerland has closed schools throughout the country and imposed a ban on public gatherings of more than 100 people. The government pledged CHF10 billion ($10.6 billion) in emergency aid to support the economy and re-introduced in principle border checks with neighbouring countries.

The package of measures was announced at a news conference attended by four of the seven government ministers on Friday.

The ban on gatherings will last until at least the end of April while schools will be closed until April 4 (some cantons have bans until April 30). The border with Italy will remain open but further restrictions will be applied. Furthermore, border controls with other European countries have been tightened with a suspension of the single border agreement. Switzerland is not a member state of the European Union but is included in the Schengen zone.

The CHF10 billion ($10.6 billion) aid package is aimed at helping companies survive the economic downturn caused by coronavirus. » | Urs Geiser and Matthew Allen | Friday, March 13, 2020

Coronavirus: US Travel Ban on Europe Begins as Many Countries Step Up Containment

THE GUARDIAN: Saudi Arabia suspends all international flights, New Zealand introduces quarantine for almost all arrivals

The travel ban from Europe to the United States has come into force, as a growing number of countries across the world ramp up their efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

President Trump’s travel ban on the 26 countries of the Schengen area began as part of stepped up efforts by his administration to tackle the growing Covid-19 outbreak, including the declaration of a national emergency, freeing up $50bn in federal funding and promising a screening website and drive-through tests.

The travel ban excludes the UK and Ireland, but Donald Trump has said the UK could be added to the list of European countries included.

Many other countries also stepped up their fight against the virus, including Saudi Arabia which suspended all international flights for two weeks, starting on Sunday. The period will be considered as an exceptional official holiday for citizens and residents who are unable to return due to the suspension of flights or if they face quarantine after their return to the Kingdom, state news agency, SPA, cited the official as saying. The country has reported 86 coronavirus cases.

In New Zealand, the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, announced that she would introduce “the widest-ranging and toughest border restrictions of anyone in the world”, also from midnight on Sunday. » | Rebecca Ratcliffe | Saturday, March 14, 2020

Will the Coronavirus Pandemic Cause a Global Recession? I Inside Story

Stock markets around the world have had a turbulent week with some of the worst losses in over 30 years. It's the world's biggest health emergency. The coronavirus outbreak is now a pandemic, and there are fears it can lead to a catastrophic global economic crisis.

Sweeping containment measures have disrupted markets around the world - including in the US. A travel ban on 26 European countries came into effect on Friday and the unprecedented move sent stocks crashing to their worst losses in over 30 years.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average sank 10 percent on Thursday -- its biggest plunge since the Black Monday crash of 1987. While European markets showed some signs of recovery on Friday. So, what's the economic fallout?

Presenter: James Bays | Guests: Pedro Da Costa - Senior Reporter at Market News International; Hosuk Lee-Makiyama - Director of the European Centre for International Political Economy; Gareth Leather - Senior Economist who specialises in Asian and emerging markets at the firm Capital Economics

Coronavirus: WHO Accuses Governments of 'Alarming Levels of Inaction' | DW News

The World Health Organisation has declared the coronavirus a pandemic and accused governments of "alarming levels of inaction". The WHO says it hopes using the word 'pandemic' will shock lethargic governments into taking more decisive measures. One of the worst-hit countries, Italy, has announced another wave of restrictions. Now, all shops, except food stores and pharmacies, will be closed to try to halt the spread of the disease. US President Donald Trump has banned nearly all travel from Europe to the United States starting at midnight on Friday. The ban will last for 30 days, but excludes the UK and Ireland and a few other countries outside the Schengen passport-free travel area. Trump said clusters of coronavirus infections in the US were traceable to people coming from Europe. He blamed the European Union for failing to act quickly enough to prevent the spread of the disease.

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In der Corona-Krise kommt jetzt eine Ansprache von Kanzlerin Merkel an alle in Deutschland.