The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.
By The Associated Press
The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.
TOP OF THE HOUR:
Brazil’s health minister for the first time has said that lockdowns will be needed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
— Trump says he did wear mask at Honeywell plant “for a period of time”.
— U. K. has become second country to record more than 30,000 deaths as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
— Former CDC director: US will reach 100,000 virus deaths by the end of May.
— Republican-led Michigan Legislature suing Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
___
BRASILIA, Brazil — Brazil’s health minister for the first time has said that lockdowns will be needed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Latin America’s most populous country, where deaths have hit a new high of more than 600 two days in a row.
Nelson Teich told reporters that lockdowns will be important for parts of the country with high infection rates and crowded hospitals with more patients arriving. He didn’t name any specific cities or states.
Teich’s comments stood in stark contrast to comments over the past two months from President Jair Bolsonaro, who has called the virus a “little flu” and criticized business shutdowns ordered by governors as more damaging to the country’s economy than the virus itself.
Teich took office last month as virus cases started surging in Brazil. He pledged to save both lives and the economy and said at the time that he and Bolsonaro saw eye to eye.
Brazil is the hardest hit country in Latin America by the coronavirus. Experts fear that the situation will get worse, especially in the teeming slums called favelas where more than 11 million people live in cramped conditions.
___
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said that schools should re-open in most of the country but that it would be understandable if older teachers with health issues stayed home.
Trump was asked about schools in the Oval Office during an appreciation ceremony for and with nurses.
Most schools around the country shut down in March and have shifted to remote learning through the end of the academic year. Reopening them is considered key to getting the economy moving again.
It was the second time in as many weeks Trump has endorsed the idea, citing how children have fared during the coronavirus pandemic.
On a call with governors last week, he said states should “seriously consider” reopening schools before the end of the academic year.
“It’s incredible,” he said Wednesday. “We realize how strong children are. Their immune system is maybe a little bit different, maybe it’s just a little bit stronger or maybe it’s a lot stronger. Could be a lot stronger. We’ve learned a lot by watching this monster.”
The comments have provoked backlash from teachers unions and others who say reopening too early would be dangerous for students and staff.
___
HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut’s colleges and universities may open at their discretion, in a phased-in way between May 20 and September 1, with mass COVID-19 testing of students living on residential campuses, under a package of recommendations submitted to Gov. Ned Lamont.
The plan, however, depends on certain benchmarks being met, such as a steady decline in hospitalizations in Connecticut and colleges and universities having adequate supplies of tests, face masks and personal protective equipment.
Approximately 190,000 students are enrolled in higher education institutions across Connecticut. They employ about 45,000 people.
“For residential institutions, we are recommending that a screening of everyone, testing of everyone, when they come in the fall, and isolating those who test positive and depending on what the public health thinking is at that time,” said Rick Levin, former president of Yale University and co-chairman of the higher education subcommittee of Lamont’s reopening advisory committee.
Levin said there may be a second round of testing and more random screenings during the course of the school year.
___
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has asked the Justice Department to investigate allegations of potential market manipulation and possible price fixing by meatpackers during the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump told reporters at the White House that he’s asked the Justice Department to launch an investigation.
Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec confirmed the president has asked the agency to investigate potential antitrust issues. Officials said the department has also received a number of inquiries from members of Congress about the matter.
Attorneys general for 11 Midwestern states also asked the Justice Department to pursue a federal investigation. They noted in a letter to William Barr on Tuesday that the domestic beef processing market is highly concentrated, with the four largest beef processors controlling 80 percent of the industry.
They said the meat market could be “particularly susceptible to market manipulation” especially during the coronavirus pandemic.
