US eyes new outbreaks as infections worldwide top 575,000
NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans rushed to build a makeshift hospital in its convention center Friday as troubling new outbreaks bubbled in the United States, deaths surged in Italy and Spain and the world warily trudged through the pandemic that has sickened more than a half-million people.
Virus test results in minutes? Scientists question accuracy
MADRID — Some political leaders are hailing a potential breakthrough in the fight against COVID-19: simple pin-prick blood tests or nasal swabs that can determine within minutes if someone has, or previously had, the virus.
Pope prays for ‘fragile’ humanity needing help in pandemic
VATICAN CITY — Praying in a desolately empty St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis on Friday likened the coronavirus pandemic to a storm laying bare illusions that people can be self-sufficient and instead leaves “all of us fragile and disoriented” and needing each other’s help and comfort.
Trump signs $2.2T stimulus after swift congressional votes
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an unprecedented $2.2 trillion economic rescue package into law Friday, after swift and near-unanimous action by Congress to support businesses, rush resources to overburdened health care providers and help struggling families during the deepening coronavirus epidemic.
Stocks drop, but hold on to weekly gains after a big rally
Wall Street closed lower Friday but still notched big gains for the week as investors held out hope that a $2 trillion rescue package will cushion businesses and households from the economic devastation being caused by the coronavirus.
As virus toll mounts in NY, more hospitals sought
NEW YORK — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is seeking 4,000 more temporary hospitals beds across New York City and ordered schools closed statewide for two more weeks. President Donald Trump and elected leaders in New York are clashing again over the depth of the state’s coronavirus crisis. Meanwhile, the outbreak is taking its toll on the state’s civil servants.
Hopkins to research blood plasma therapy uses against virus
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A public-private initiative will provide $4 million to a Johns Hopkins University-led team to study therapeutic uses of blood plasma recovered from COVID-19 patients, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Gov. Larry Hogan, and Johns Hopkins University announced Friday.
Canada to cover up to 75 percent of salaries for businesses
TORONTO — Canada is increasing a payroll subsidy to small- and medium-sized businesses to now cover up to 75 percent of salaries as the country braced for a shutdown that a top health official said will last months.
Trump seeks to force General Motors to produce ventilators
DETROIT — President Donald Trump issued an order Friday that seeks to force General Motors to produce ventilators for coronavirus patients under the Defense Production Act.
4 passengers dead aboard cruise ship anchored off Panama
PANAMA CITY — Four passengers have died aboard a cruise ship now anchored off the coast of Panama and two people aboard the ship have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the cruise line said Friday, with hundreds of passengers unsure how long they will remain at sea.
Tourism-dependent Hawaii hit by unemployment during pandemic
HONOLULU — Chef Lee Anne Wong had to make a choice: Keep her Hawaii restaurant employees working during the pandemic or close Koko Head Cafe in order to keep paying their health insurance for one more month.
Honolulu police arrest boyfriend in killing of woman, infant
HONOLULU— Honolulu police arrested a man identified as a victim’s boyfriend in connection with the homicide of a 23-year-old woman and a 6-month-old boy.
Virus clouds prospects for Hawaii’s mental health reforms
HONOLULU — Among the business Hawaii lawmakers left unfinished when they abruptly suspended the Legislature to help slow the spread of the coronavirus were proposals to improve psychiatric care for the state’s mentally ill.
Travelers landing in Hawaii find tough quarantine rules
HONOLULU — Travelers landing in Hawaii Thursday found a new requirement that they hole up in hotel rooms or their homes for 14 days to fight the spread of the coronavirus.
‘Terrified’ South Africa nears lockdown; cases almost 1,000
JOHANNESBURG — South Africa’s president appeared in full military uniform for the first time since the end of apartheid and told troops to be a “force of kindness” as a three-week lockdown begins at midnight and they ensure that 57 million people stay home. The mission is the “most important in the history of our country” as coronavirus cases near 1,000, the highest in Africa.
Stocks surge again after relief bill passed; indexes up 6%
NEW YORK — Stocks marched higher for a third straight day Friday as a massive coronavirus relief bill moved closer to passing Congress and Wall Street took some historically bad unemployment figures in stride.
Deaths, hospitalizations up in stark sign of virus’ reach
NEW YORK — New York once again saw a spike in the number of deaths and hospitalizations related to the coronavirus, a bleak trend for the epicenter of the U.S.’s outbreak of the fast-spreading virus.
Canada urges US not to put troops at border during pandemic
TORONTO — Canada has told the Trump administration that a proposal to put troops at the U.S.-Canada border amid the pandemic is entirely unnecessary and would damage relations between the two longtime allies.
World leaders vow to coordinate virus response in video call
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The head of the United Nations told leaders of the world’s 20 major industrialized nations during an emergency virtual summit Thursday that “we are at war with a virus — and not winning it” despite dramatic measures by countries to seal their borders, shutter businesses and enforce home isolation for well over a quarter of the world’s population.
Flatter or fight? Governors seeking help must navigate Trump
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — At first, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker tried to play nice. He limited criticisms of the federal government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and asked for medical supplies through official channels.