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A26 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 2 april 2020
Why health experts aren't warning about coronavirus in food

By CANDICE CHOI rather than anything you
AP Food & Health Writer eat. It’s why stores are lim-
NEW YORK (AP) — Chicken iting the number of people
with salmonella can make they let in, asking custom-
you sick. So can romaine ers to practice social dis-
lettuce with E. coli and buf- tancing and using tape to
fets with lurking norovirus. mark how far apart people
So why aren’t health offi- should stand.
cials warning people about The new virus can survive
eating food contaminated on some surfaces, so ex-
with the new coronavirus? perts say to keep your
The answer has to do with hands to yourself as much
the varying paths organ- as possible and to avoid
isms take to make people touching your face when
sick. Respiratory viruses like shopping. After unpacking
the new coronavirus gener- your groceries at home,
ally attach to cells in places the CDC suggests washing
like the lungs. Germs like your hands.
norovirus and salmonella “It’s a porous surface. The
can survive the acid in chances of anything surviv-
stomachs, then multiply af- ing or coming out of it are
ter attaching to cells inside small,” said Alison Stout,
people’s guts. A worker, wearing a protective mask and gloves against the COVID-19 coronavirus, stocks an expert in infectious dis-
“Specializing in what tissues produce before the opening of Gus's Community Market, Friday, March 27, 2020, in San Francisco. eases and public health at
to attach to is typically part Health experts say there's no evidence the new coronavirus is spread through food. That's because Cornell University.
of the disease’s strategy to organisms take different biological paths to sicken people. As for the coronavirus being
cause illness,” according to (AP Photo/Ben Margot) Associated Press found in the stool of infect-
the U.S. Centers for Disease detected in the feces of in- saliva. Germs that make stay home when they are ed people, the CDC notes
Control and Prevention. fected people. people sick through food sick with digestive illnesses: that it's not known whether
The CDC and other experts How these germs spread cause symptoms like diar- There’s a big risk the restau- the germs found there can
note that the virus is new also differs. rhea. In some cases, germs rant could end up sicken- actually sicken someone.
and still being studied. But Respiratory viruses like the in the feces can capitalize ing lots of people. Stout said the presence of
they say there’s no evi- flu and the new coronavirus on poor hygiene to jump When it comes to food and the virus in the stool is more
dence yet that COVID-19 spread mainly through per- from people's hands to COVID-19, experts say the likely a reflection of system-
sickens people through son-to-person contact and whatever else they touch. biggest risk is contact in ic infection, rather than its
their digestive systems, air droplets from cough- That’s why it’s so impor- grocery stores with other ability to survive the diges-
though the virus has been ing, sneezing or other flying tant for food workers to customers and employees, tive tract.q

States largely have authority over when to shut down, reopen

reopening the U.S. econ- schools are being made public activities. Doesn't
omy. Trump was moved by governors and local of- that amount to a national
by public health experts ficials. Those same officials order?
who showed him death will make the call about A. No. The guidelines are
tolls of 100,000 with strict when to ease up. Trump's voluntary, and they under-
measures in place, and comments “are just advi- score the limits on Trump's
hundreds of thousands of sory," said John Malcolm of powers. He can use daily
deaths more without. Ini- the Heritage Foundation. briefings and his Twitter
tially, concerns were over An increasing number of account to try to shape
states unwilling to open up states have ordered all public opinion, and he has
by Easter, but now, the fric- nonessential businesses not been reluctant to do
tion is over certain states and schools to close at so. “When Donald Trump
unwilling to issue shutdown least until the end of April. selects a narrative and
orders and calls for the "This battle is going to be begins to advance it, es-
president to issue a nation- much harder, take much pecially through his Twit-
President Donald Trump gestures to a chart as he speaks about wide lockdown. longer, and be much ter account, it has a re-
the coronavirus with Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus ___ worse than almost anyone markable effect on those
response coordinator, left, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of
the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, right, Q. Does the president have comprehends. We have who trust him," said Robert
in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, the authority to override never faced anything like Chesney, a University of
Tuesday, March 31, 2020, in Washington. state and local orders? this ever before, and I con- Texas law professor wrote
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Associated Press A. No. Under our constitu- tinue to urge the people of on the Lawfare blog. Flor-
By MARK SHERMAN the coronavirus. The Con- tional system, states have our state to stay in place ida Gov. Ron DeSantis has
Associated Press stitution largely gives states the power and responsibil- at home and stay safe," resisted calls to shut down
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pres- the authority to regulate ity for maintaining public Maryland's Governor Larry the entire state, issuing
ident Donald Trump has their own affairs. order and safety. As we've Hogan said recently. orders only in four Florida
the biggest megaphone, Trump has left guidelines seen since the outbreak ___ counties, and said during
but it's governors and local limiting social interaction began, decisions about Q. But the president has a news conference Tues-
officials who will decide in place until the end of limiting social interactions set a period until the end day he'd consider a stay
what type of restrictions this month, after initially by ordering people to of April in which all Ameri- at home order if it were
to impose on their citizens pushing April 12, Easter, shelter in place, closing cans are being urged to specifically recommend-
to try to slow the spread of as as the date to begin businesses and shutting drastically scale back their ed by the White House.q