Page 25 - bon-dia-aruba-20200326

A25
U.S. NEWS Thursday 26 March 2020
Some U.S. leaders take ‘do as I say, not as I do’ virus stance

Continued from Front separating a bit more on Paul said he thought it
those press conferences.” “highly unlikely” he was sick
Even as the country has Several senators, scolded before getting the test re-
largely hunkered down, Paul, R-Ky., for refusing to sults and had no symptoms
heeding the guidance of self-quarantine after he’d of the illness. He said he
health experts and the di- been tested. The doctor did not have contact with
rectives of state leaders, overseeing the govern- anyone who tested posi-
some powerful people in ment’s coronavirus respon- tive for the virus or was sick.
Washington have defied se suggested that Paul’s He was at the Senate gym
preventative measures ai- actions fell short of model Sunday morning, though
med at curbing the spread. “personal responsibility.” Paul’s staff says he left the
Their business-as-usual ac- More than two dozen sena- Senate once he received
tions are at odds with the tors are in their 70s and 80s, the results.
restrictions everyday Ame- putting them at high risk if Asked about Paul, Debo-
ricans find themselves un- exposed. rah Birx, the coordinator of
der, and with the govern- In this March 23, 2020, file photo Nebraska Senators Tony Vargas Still, despite risk to senators the White House coronavi-
ment’s own messaging. of Omaha, left, and Mark Kolterman of Seward, bump elbows at and the fact that gyms rus task force, said people
Some human behavior ex- the State Capitol in Lincoln, Neb. across the country have can spread the virus while
perts say the “do as I say, Associated Press been closed as a precau- being asymptomatic, so
not as I do”’ ethos see- nounced trip — coming because Pompeo’s move- tion, Paul and other sena- social distancing is impe-
mingly on display is com- amid a near-global travel ments on the trip were con- tors were able to continue rative. She noted that she
mon among powerful offi- shutdown — was necessary trolled. going to the Senate gym, herself stayed home over
cials, who may be inclined and urgent because of po- For most people, the new using a keypad for access. the weekend when she felt
to think they don’t have to litical turmoil in Afghanistan coronavirus causes mild or Paul went into quarantine ill. She took a coronavirus
follow rules for the general that U.S. officials fear could moderate symptoms, such Sunday after learning his test that came back nega-
public in the same way or threaten a recent U.S.- as fever and cough that results. His announcement tive. “These are the kinds of
who can easily dissociate Taliban peace deal that clear up in two to three led Utah’s two GOP se- things that we have to do
their own actions from what calls for American troop weeks. For some, especially nators, Mike Lee and Mitt for one another. This is the
they say is best for others. withdrawals. Pompeo left older adults and people Romney, to place themsel- personal responsibility that
“When we have high po- Kabul on Monday without with existing health pro- ves into quarantine. I’m talking about that we
wer, we think of ourselves being able to secure a po- blems, it can cause more Sen. Sherrod Brown, D- all have to practice,” Birx
as exceptional as if the wer-sharing deal. severe illness, including Ohio, said in an interview said.
rules don’t apply to us,” People traveling with Pom- pneumonia and death. with Newsy, an online and Trump raised eyebrows
said Maurice Schweitzer, a peo had their tempera- Some of the behavior by streaming news site, that among public health spe-
professor at the Wharton tures taken and were gi- other officials has drawn re- Paul’s actions were “irres- cialists when he shook the
School of the University of ven bags containing a bukes. ponsible” and that sena- hands of retail and health
Pennsylvania who has re- face mask, hand sanitizer, Asked in a Science Maga- tors in general have been industry specialists at a Rose
searched behavior and bleach wipes and mini-dis- zine interview about Trump acting as if they were so- Garden news conference
decision-making. “We’re posable thermometers. A shaking hands, Dr. Anthony mehow immune to getting two weeks ago. He ac-
much more prone to do State Department medical Fauci, the director of the sick. Brown cited what he knowledged Monday that
what we want because we official told reporters Pom- National Institute of Allergy said was a “photo opp” shaking hands has been
don’t feel constrained in peo and his staff would not and Infectious Diseases, for senators held over the a hard habit to break, ha-
the way that less powerful be quarantining themsel- said he tells White House weekend. ving become accustomed
people do.” ves because Afghanistan staff that “we should not “I think that senators must as president to doing so
In Pompeo’s case, the State is not considered a high-risk be doing that. Not only that think that they’re invinci- with “literally thousands of
Department says the unan- country for the virus and — we should be physically ble,” Brown said. people a week.” q

U.S. Justice Department: Don’t treat trans athletes as girls

By PAT EATON-ROBB the gender with which those women of the single-
AP Sports Writer they identify, arguing it is sex athletic competitions
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — following a state law that that are one of the mar-
The U.S. Justice Depart- requires high school stu- quee accomplishments of
ment is getting involved in dents be treated accord- Title IX."
a federal civil rights lawsuit ing to their gender identity. The lawsuit was filed in
that seeks to block trans- It also argues the policy is February by runners Selina
gender athletes in Con- in accordance with Title IX, Soule, a senior at Glaston-
necticut from competing the federal law that allows bury High School; Chelsea
as girls in interscholastic girls equal educational Mitchell, a senior at Can-
sports.Attorney General opportunities, including in ton High School; and Al-
William Barr signed what is athletics. anna Smith, a sophomore
known as a statement of The Justice Department, in at Danbury High School,
interest Tuesday, arguing its filing, disagrees. against the conference
against the policy of the "Under CIAC's interpreta- In this Feb. 7, 2019 file photo, Bloomfield High School transgender and several local boards
athlete Terry Miller, second from left, wins the final of the
Connecticut Interscholas- tion of Title IX, however, 55-meter dash over transgender athlete Andraya Yearwood, of education.
tic Athletic Conference, schools may not account far left, and other runners in the Connecticut girls Class S indoor They argue they have
the board that oversees for the real physiologi- track meet at Hillhouse High School in New Haven, Conn. been deprived of wins,
the state's high school ath- cal differences between Associated Press state titles and athletic op-
letic competitions. men and women. Instead, ly, those who publicly males," Barr and the other portunities by being forced
The conference allows schools must have certain identify as female — com- department officials write. to compete against trans-
athletes to compete as biological males — name- pete against biological fe- "In so doing, CIAC deprives gender athletes.q