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BUSINESS Tuesday 24 March 2020
Hunt for medical gear to fight virus becomes all-consuming

By LORI HINNANT and Princess cruise ship died,
FOSTER KLUG bringing to 10 the number
Associated Press of deaths from a ship that
PARIS (AP) — The hunt for had over 700 infections
masks, ventilators and oth- and stands as a prime ex-
er medical supplies con- ample of how not to con-
sumed the U.S. and Europe tain an outbreak.
on Monday, as new coro- With weddings and other
navirus infections soared large gatherings banned
and political paralysis in many places, an untold
stalled efforts for a quick number of burials are go-
aid package from Con- ing forward with nothing
gress. more than a minister, a fu-
On the financial markets, neral home staffer and one
U.S. futures jumped and loved one to bear witness.
global stock benchmarks Republican Rand Paul of
trimmed their losses Mon- Kentucky became the first
day after the U.S. Federal U.S. senator to announce
Reserve said it will lend to he was infected, joining the
small and large businesses likes of celebrities like opera
and local government to superstar Plácido Domingo.
help them cope with the German Chancellor An-
economic damage cre- gela Merkel put herself into
ated by the outbreak. quarantine after a doctor
In New York, where a near- who gave her a pneumo-
lockdown took effect Staff inspect medical equipments at an emergency hospital set up amid the new coronavirus nia vaccine tested positive.
statewide over the week- outbreak in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, March 23, 2020. Japanese Prime Minister
end amid fears the city Associated Press Shinzo Abe acknowledged
could become one of the that postponing this year's
world's biggest hot spots, ID-19 cases, has also be- quick economic relief ness, including pneumonia. Summer Olympics could
the mayor warned that come critical, as has a lack package from Congress Over 100,000 people have be unavoidable. Canada
hospitals are 10 days away of test kits to comply with faltered. The U.S. Senate recovered, mostly in China. and Australia added to the
from shortages in "really the World Health Organiza- voted against advancing Authorities kept up their pressure on Olympic orga-
basic supplies" needed to tion's exhortations to test as the nearly $2 trillion plan. push to get people to stay nizers by suggesting they
protect health care work- many people as possible. Democrats argued it was home, but some were wouldn't send athletes to
ers and patients alike. In the United States, a tilted toward corporations clearly not listening. Tokyo this summer. The In-
"If we don't get the equip- fierce political battle over rather than workers and Photos showed long lines ternational Olympic Com-
ment, we're literally going ventilators has emerged, health care providers. An- of parked cars as hundreds mittee said it would exam-
to lose lives," Mayor Bill de especially after President other vote was expected walked up the remote ine the situation over the
Blasio told CNN. Donald Trump told state Monday. mountains of Snowdonia next few weeks.
The risk to doctors, nurses governors that they should The delay shook investors, National Park in Wales, "If it is difficult to hold in a
and others on the front lines find their own medical as has the accumulation which saw "its busiest-ever complete way, a decision
has become plain: Italy has equipment if they think of canceled events large visitor day" on Saturday. of postponement would be
seen at least 18 doctors they can get it faster than and small, the soaring num- British Health Secretary unavoidable," Abe said.
with coronavirus die. Spain the U.S. government. bers of unemployed and Matt Hancock described While other countries strug-
reported that more than China has been the one a widespread pullback in those ignoring the govern- gled to contain the virus,
3,900 health care workers nation to counter this spending. ment's social distancing the central Chinese city
have become infected, trend, sending planeloads Worldwide, nearly 350,000 recommendations as "very of Wuhan, where the virus
accounting for roughly 12% of equipment like masks, people have been in- selfish" and warned that outbreak first emerged,
of the country's total cases. gloves and protective gear fected and 15,000 have stricter rules might be com- said Monday it is now al-
British health workers as well as doctors to coun- died from the virus that first ing soon. lowing residents limited
pleaded for more gear, tries across Europe, includ- emerged in central China "If people go within 2 me- movement as its months-
saying they felt like "can- ing hard-hit Italy, France late last year. As cases in ters of others who they long lockdown gradually
non fodder." In France, and Spain as well as places China ebbed, the dan- don't live with, then they're eases.
doctors scrounged masks with weaker medical sys- gers to Europe and the helping to spread the virus," Scientists in London pre-
from construction workers, tems like Bulgaria, Greece U.S. have grown exponen- he said. "And the conse- dicted that the pandemic's
factory floors, an architect. and Serbia. tially, although Germany quences of that costs lives." death toll could easily top
"There's a wild race to get "The U.S. is completely on Monday cautiously re- Italy's infections contin- 1 million people in the U.S.
surgical masks," François wasting the precious time ported some flattening of ued to spike, hitting 59,000 alone.
Blanchecott, a biologist that China has won for the its infection curve. cases and 5,476 deaths, But Trump suggested that
on the front lines of test- world," said Geng Shuang, After just a few weeks, the and India's prime minister the remedies to fight the
ing, told France Inter radio. the Chinese Foreign Minis- U.S. has more than 33,000 asked, with mixed results, pandemic — including
"We're asking mayors' offic- try spokesman. cases and more than 400 his nation of 1.3 billion peo- worldwide financial pain —
es, industries, any enterpris- Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S deaths. ple to stay home. The arriv- may be more harmful than
es that might have a store government's top infec- For most people, the new al of the global pandemic the outbreak itself and
of masks." tious-disease expert, prom- coronavirus causes only in Syria as well as the Gaza vowed to reassess govern-
Health care workers say ised that medical supplies mild or moderate symp- Strip has raised concerns it ment restrictions after the
they are being asked to re- are about to start pouring toms, such as fever or could run rampant in some 15-day mark of the U.S.
use and ration disposable in and will be "clearly di- coughing. But for some old- of the most vulnerable ar- shutdown.
masks and gloves. A short- rected to those hot spots er adults and people with eas in the Mideast. "WE CANNOT LET THE CURE
age of ventilators, crucial that need it most." existing health problems, it Two former passengers of BE WORSE THAN THE PROB-
for treating serious COV- Meanwhile, efforts for a can cause more severe ill- the virus-infected Diamond LEM ITSELF," he tweeted.q