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U.S. NEWS Friday 24 april 2020
Virus pushes US unemployment toward highest since Depression

Continued from Front virus could kill more than king a second wave of in- keep my family safe, my death toll than other large
300,000 people in Africa fections. In Georgia, gyms, children safe, but every- European countries.
Just in New York City, with and push 30 million into hair salons and bowling thing else around me is “We’re not living in the final
a population of 8.6 million, desperate poverty. alleys can reopen Friday. falling apart,” Simon said. phase of the pandemic,
Health Commissioner Oxiris Huge lines have formed at Texas has reopened its sta- “But they see it, no matter but still at the beginning,”
Barbot said as many as 1 food banks from El Paso, te parks. how much I try to hide my Merkel warned. “It would
million may have been ex- Texas, to the Paris suburbs, Few Americans count on despair.” be a shame if premature
posed. and food shortages are hit- Trump as a reliable sour- Corey Williams, 31, was laid hope ultimately punishes
In Washington, many ting Africa especially hard. ce of information on the off from his warehouse job us all.”
House lawmakers wore At a virtual summit, Europe- outbreak, according to in Michigan a month ago Governments are bearing
face masks and bandan- an Union leaders agreed a survey from The Associ- and saw his rent, insurance that risk in mind with the
nas — and some sat in the to set up a massive reco- ated Press-NORC Center and other bills pile up while onset of Ramadan, the
otherwise vacant visitors very fund to help rebuild for Public Affairs Research. he anxiously awaited his holy month of daytime
gallery to stay away from the 27-nation bloc’s ra- About 23% said they have unemployment benefits. fasting, overnight festivi-
others — as they deba- vaged economies. While high levels of trust in what That finally happened ties and communal prayer
ted a nearly $500 billion no figure was put on the he tells the public, while on Wednesday, and he that begins for the world’s
measure to help busines- plan, officials said 1-1.5 tril- 21% said they trust him a quickly paid $1,700 in bills. 1.8 billion Muslims with the
ses and hospitals weather lion euros ($1.1-1.6 trillion) moderate amount. “It was getting pretty tight, new moon this week. Many
the crisis. The package would be needed. On the economic front, pretty tight,” he said. “It Muslim leaders have clo-
was expected to win final The coronavirus has kil- few experts foresee a was definitely stressful for sed mosques or banned
approval later in the day, led nearly 190,000 people downturn as severe as the last few days.” collective evening prayer
then advance to President worldwide, including more the Depression, when While the health crisis has to ward off new infections.
Donald Trump for his signa- than 100,000 in Europe and unemployment remained eased in places like Italy, The virus has already dis-
ture. about 47,000 in the United above 14% from 1931 to Spain and France, experts rupted Christianity’s Holy
Abroad, there was mixed States, according to a tally 1940, peaking at 25%. But say it is far from over, and Week, Passover, the Muslim
news about the epidemic. compiled by John Hopkins unemployment is conside- the threat of new out- hajj pilgrimage and other
Some countries, including University from official go- red likely to remain eleva- breaks looms large. major religious events.
Greece, Bangladesh and vernment figures. The true ted well into next year and “The question is not Authorities in the capi-
Malaysia, announced ex- numbers are almost cer- probably beyond, and will whether there will be a se- tal of Indonesia, the most
tensions of their lockdowns. tainly far higher. surely top the 10% peak of cond wave,” said Dr. Hans populous Muslim-majority
Vietnam, New Zealand In the U.S., the economic the 2008-09 recession. Kluge, the head of the nation, extended its di-
and Croatia were among consequences of the shut- Janet Simon, laid off as a WHO’s Europe office. “The sease-fighting restrictions
those moving to end or downs have sparked angry waitress at an IHOP restau- question is whether we will to cover all of Ramadan.
ease such measures. rallies in state capitals by rant in Miami, said she has take into account the big- Turkey banned communal
In Africa, COVID-19 ca- protesters demanding that just $200 in her name and is gest lessons so far.” eating during the holiday.
ses surged 43% in the past businesses reopen, and getting panic attacks be- German Chancellor An- Pakistani Prime Minister
week to 26,000, according Trump has expressed im- cause of uncertainty over gela Merkel criticized Imran Khan bowed to the
to John Nkengasong, di- patience over the restric- how she will care for her some German states for country’s clerics, refusing
rector of the Africa Cen- tions. three children. Simon, 33, moving too briskly in try- to close the mosques des-
ters for Disease Control Some governors have be- filed for unemployment a ing to reopen their econo- pite a warning from doc-
and Prevention. The figures gun easing up despite month ago, and her appli- mies. Germany has been tors that such gatherings
underscored a recent war- warnings from health aut- cation is still listed as “pen- praised for its approach could further spread the
ning from the World He- horities that it may be too ding.” to the pandemic and has virus in a country with a fra-
alth Organization that the soon to do so without spar- “I’m doing everything to a much lower reported gile health care system.q

11,000 deaths: Ravaged nursing homes plead for more testing

BERNARD CONDON, that can help isolate the
MATT SEDENSKY AND sick and stop the spread.
JIM MUSTIAN And homes that do man-
Associated Press age to get a hold of tests
NEW YORK (AP) — After often rely on luck and con-
two months and more than tacts. "It just shows that the
11,000 deaths that have longer that states lapse in
made the nation's nursing universal testing of all resi-
homes some of the most ter- dents and staff, we're go-
rifying places to be during ing to see these kinds of
the coronavirus crisis, most stories for a very long time,"
of them still don't have ac- said Brian Lee of the ad-
cess to enough tests to help vocacy group Families for
control outbreaks among Better Care.
their frail, elderly residents. "Once it's in, there's no
Neither the federal gov- stopping it and by the time
ernment nor the leader in you're aware with testing,
nursing home deaths, New too many people have it.
York, has mandated testing And bodies keep piling up."
for all residents and staff. That became clear in some
An industry group says only In this Friday, April 17, 2020, photo, Dr. Gabrielle Beger, left, prepares to take a nose-swab sample of the nation's biggest nurs-
from Lawrence McGee, as she works with a team of University of Washington medical providers
about a third of the 15,000 conducting testing for the new coronavirus at Queen Anne Healthcare, a skilled nursing and ing home outbreaks.
nursing homes in the U.S. rehabilitation facility in Seattle.
have ready access to tests Associated Press. Continued on Page 26