Coronavirus: U.S. Enters 'Quarantine Life' As Many Schools And Businesses Close
The United States is entering its first week of widespread school closures and restrictions on restaurants, bars and other businesses, as the COVID-19 pandemic remakes daily life for millions of Americans.
People who work in service industries now face the prospect of weeks without pay, while others are working from home. Businesses are watching for ripple effects of unexpected slowdowns and cancelations — and hoping to weather what will likely be a prolonged disruption to normal life.
"This is the defining global health crisis of our time," World Health Organization Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday. The days, weeks and months ahead will be a test of our resolve, a test of our trust in science, and a test of solidarity."
Tedros added, "Crises like COVID-19 tend to bring out the best and worst in humanity."
Coronavirus: quick updates
The New York Stock Exchange plummeted minutes after opening for business Monday, as a drop of more than 2,000 points triggered automatic circuit breakers that halted trading for 15 minutes.
Millions of students are idled for weeks in districts across the nation, kept away from their schools in a bid to slow the coronavirus's spread. In areas where schools are on hiatus, parents are scrambling to find child care and figure out ways to keep up with their kids' educations. Counties and schools are rushing to provide food for children, to ease the burden on families whose schools are shut down.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is advising an 8-week halt to gatherings of more than 50 people, targeting "conferences, festivals, parades, concerts, sporting events, weddings, and other types of assemblies." The advisory does not apply to the daily operation of schools or businesses, the CDC says.
The hashtag #QuarantineLife was trending on Twitter Monday morning, as Americans share their take on a new normal. The tag was used for everything from sharing tips on working from home to acknowledging the difficulties of staying productive while in isolation.
Stock prices tank immediately after open
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell some 2,250 points minutes after trading began, as more dire signs of the coronavirus's economic impact emerge. Prices sank more after trading resumed.
The S&P 500 index has fallen by nearly 11% Monday — far surpassing the 7% increment that triggers a pause in trading. Oil prices also continued their dive, crossing below the $30 level.
The market is staggering despite the Fed's aggressive move to cut interest rates to near zero, in an emergency rate cut that was announced late Sunday.
"This decision, taken together with announcements by other central banks, indicates that global monetary authorities will try to do everything in their power to arrest financial stress," Moody's Associate Managing Director Elena Duggar and Vice President Madhavi Bokil said in a statement sent to NPR. "Nevertheless, the ability of central banks to carry the day is quite constrained compared to a decade ago."
Beyond rate policy, Duggar and Bokil say, the business world is seeking "effective communication on other policy measures, including fiscal measures, to offset the health, economic and financial blow that the coronavirus pandemic has dealt."
Colorado: anyone who skied at resorts in past week should self-isolate
Citing concerns that community transmission is increasing, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment says anyone who visited areas that include the state's most popular ski resorts, such as Vail, Aspen and Breckenride, should self-isolate whether they have COVID-19 symptoms or not.
The recommendation applies to the counties of Eagle, Summit, Pitkin and Gunnison.
"We're seeing extensive outbreaks in these communities," said Rachel Herlihy, State Epidemiologist.
Colorado is one of the few places in the U.S. where people who are concerned about COVID-19 can get a drive-up test for the virus that causes the disease. But because of high demand, that service is shut down Monday; the state says a similar service will open Tuesday, and will require appointments.
U.S. coronavirus cases rise
There are currently more than 3,700 cases of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 in the U.S., according to a dashboard created by the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering. That number is believed to reflect only a fraction of the total number of sick Americans, and the figure is expected to rise as more cities and states gain the ability to test for the virus.
Nearly 70 people have died from COVID-19 in the U.S., including 42 in Washington state and six each in California and New York. Florida is reporting five deaths.
Twelve people in the U.S. have recovered from the viral disease.
The Johns Hopkins dashboard tracks coronavirus data nearly in real time. It has been more up to date than the public tally kept by the CDC, which updates its national map at noon ET each day — using numbers from 4 p.m. the previous afternoon. The CDC maintains a separate count for the nearly 50 infected Americans who were repatriated to the U.S. from Wuhan, China, and Yokohama, Japan.
COVID-19 cases outside China now outnumber those inside
With China reporting 81,000 of nearly 175,000 coronavirus cases globally, the rest of the world now has more cases of the respiratory virus than the country where it was first detected in December.
The inversion comes less than three weeks after the number of new coronavirus cases in the rest of the world first outnumbered the number of new cases in China.
The epicenter of the disease has now shifted to Europe, the World Health Organization says.
"More cases are now being reported [in Europe] every day than were reported in China at the height of its epidemic," WHO Director Tedros said.
The virus has spread most rapidly in Italy, which is now reporting some 25,000 cases and 1,800 deaths. More than 2,300 people in the country have recovered from COVID-19.
Congress considers emergency coronavirus measure
The Senate will convene Monday afternoon to consider a coronavirus relief bill that the House approved late last week, aiming to give new benefits to American workers
"The U.S. Capitol complex is closed to the public. A chief of staff for a Democratic senator told NPR that each office is making up its own policies for how to protect staff," NPR's Susan Davis, Kelsey Snell and Claudia Grisales report.
Coronavirus symptoms and prevention
To prevent the coronavirus from spreading, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or using a hand sanitizer if a sink isn't available. The World Health Organization says people should wear face masks only if they're sick or caring for someone who is.
"For most people, COVID-19 infection will cause mild illness; however, it can make some people very ill and, in some people, it can be fatal," the WHO says. "Older people, and those with pre-existing medical conditions (such as cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease or diabetes) are at risk for severe disease."
The most common symptoms of COVID-19, according to the WHO: fever (in 88% of cases), dry cough (68%), fatigue (38%) and sputum/phlegm production (33%). Shortness of breath occurred in nearly 20% of cases, and about 13% had a sore throat or headache, the WHO said in a report drawing on more than 70,000 cases in China. [Copyright 2020 NPR]
