Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY

A2 UP FRONT
Tuesday 17 March 2020

Continued from front provide sick leave to work-
The guidelines, which ers kept home because of
would rewrite the norms of it. It went into recess before
American society for half adopting the measure,
a month, were released as however. The measure is
the U.S. government tried likely to pass the Senate this
to blunt the impact of an week, though the timing is
expected surge of corona- uncertain. The 100 sena-
virus cases, racing to bolster tors, with a few exceptions,
testing and aid even as the were expected to gather
financial markets tumbled. Monday evening, despite
Among the new recom- the federal public-health
mendations: Over the next guidelines prohibiting large
15 days, Americans should gatherings.
not gather in groups of more Talks are already underway
than 10 people, schooling on another bill to try to blunt
should be at home and dis- the damage the virus is do-
cretionary travel and social ing to the economy. Sen-
visits should be avoided. ate Majority Leader Mitch
If anyone in a household McConnell said it will focus
tests positive for the virus, on direct financial help to
everyone who lives there individuals, help for busi-
should stay home. The ad- nesses such as the airline in-
ministration did not define In this April 22, 2019 file photo, Chloebella Frazier, 4, of Washington, takes part in the annual White dustry, and further steps to
what an an older American House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. support the health system.
was in terms of the recom- Associated Press Nearby, the Supreme Court
mendation to stay home. said it is postponing argu-
"We will rally together as cel the primary elections gate the pandemic. that. ments for late March and
one nation and we will de- ahead. Two weeks ago, Italy had And on Monday, national early April because of the
feat the virus," Trump said. Without providing details, 1,700 cases of coronavi- security officials said there coronavirus, including a
"We can turn the corner he said "we're going to rus and had reported 34 had been a cyber attack round over subpoenas for
and turn it quickly." back the airlines 100%," a deaths. Now, Italy is report- involving the computer Trump's financial records.
The president, in an ap- note of reassurance for an ing an estimated 25,000 networks of Health and The last time oral argu-
pearance in the White industry crippled by travel cases and more than 1,800 Human Services, but the ments were postponed
House briefing room, when bans and fears of spread- deaths. About 3,800 cases networks were operating was in 1918, due to the
asked when the pandemic ing the virus. have been reported in the normally. They didn't detail Spanish flu epidemic. In
would subside, said that "if The expansive guidelines United States and so far, the nature or scope of the 2001, they were relocated,
we do a really good job" were issued on a day of more than 65 people have problem or identify the for- but not postponed, after
the crisis could pass by the fast-moving developments died from coronavirus. Al- eign entity. an anthrax scare.
height of summer. That was in a capital resplendent in though the numbers may On Fox News, Adams Larry Kudlow, director of the
a far less optimistic take cherry blossoms but awash not be directly compara- claimed the U.S. has National Economic Coun-
than in his earlier predic- in anxiety. ble, the trajectory is, as Ad- "turned the tide" on testing, cil, said the White House is
tions that it could be over Congress convened to try ams sees it. a critical part of tracking working toward $800 billion
within weeks. He also ac- to finish an aid package The administration also al- and containing pandem- in fiscal relief, with about
knowledged that the virus, and consider another one leged that a foreign disinfor- ics, but whether that is true half of that having been
which has battered the behind it. The Supreme mation campaign was un- remains to be seen. The U.S. approved through execu-
global markets, may send Court postponed oral ar- derway aimed at spread- effort has been hobbled by tive actions and legislation
the nation's economy into guments for the first time ing fear among Americans a series of missteps, includ- and much of the remain-
a recession, a potentially in over a century. And the already spooked by the ing flaws with the testing der being sought through
brutal blow for an incum- U.S. surgeon general said pandemic. kits first distributed by the a payroll tax cut that has
bent in an election year. that the United States is On Sunday, federal officials federal government and been met coolly by both
Trump was unusually som- about where Italy was two began confronting what bureaucratic hurdles that parties in Congress.
ber about the matter after weeks ago in the corona- they said was a deliberate held up testing by private The Federal Reserve said
playing it down for weeks. virus struggle, a sign that effort by a foreign entity to laboratories. Sunday it was taking emer-
He acknowledged the infections are expected to make Americans think the On Capitol Hill, a nearly gency action to slash its
pandemic was "not under rise. "When you look at the government was going to empty House met to adopt benchmark interest rate
control" in the United States projections, there's every impose a nationwide quar- a resolution to make what to near zero. But the Fed's
or globally but said he did chance that we could be antine. Agencies took co- were described as techni- move did not calm mar-
not yet plan to call for do- Italy," Surgeon General Dr. ordinated action Sunday cal changes to polish off a kets. The Dow Jones In-
mestic travel restrictions Jerome Adams told Fox evening to assure Ameri- coronavirus response mea- dustrial Average finished
and said he was reluctant News. Yet he said the U.S. cans that the government sure designed to speed Monday down nearly 3,000
to advise states to can- has opportunities to miti- was not planning to do testing for the virus and points.q