24 TSA Screening Officers Positive For Virus

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The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected more than 350,000 people and killed over 15,000. The COVID-19 illness causes mild or moderate symptoms in most people, but severe symptoms are more likely in the elderly or those with existing health problems. More than 98,800 people have recovered so far, mostly in China.

TOP OF THE HOUR:

— TSA says 24 screening officers at 10 airports test positive for the coronavirus.

— Puerto Rico passes record $777 million financial package for economic impact of virus

— Boeing suspends operations at its Seattle area facilities.

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WASHINGTON -- The Transportation Security Administration is reporting that 24 screening officers at 10 airports around the country have now tested positive for the coronavirus.

It also says an additional five employees who have limited interaction with travelers have also tested positive. Those numbers from Monday are up from just seven employees a week earlier.

Hardest hit is New York City’s John F. Kennedy Airport where five screening officers have tested positive.

TSA says security lanes remain open there are fewer passenger than have ever been counted by the agency at U.S. airports.

In addition to both New York City airports, officers have tested positive at airports in Newark, New Jersey; Washington, D.C.; New York City; Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Florida; Atlanta; Cleveland; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; and San Jose, California.

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico has announced a record $777 million financial package to help alleviate the economic impact of the coronavirus in the U.S. territory.

The package is the biggest so far compared to any U.S. state.

Gov. Wanda Vázquez said Monday there will be a 90-day moratorium for mortgages as well as car, personal and commercial loans. She also announced a flurry of bonuses including ones ranging from $2,000 to $4,000 for nurses, police and other emergency workers.

The announcement comes amid a 13-year recession on an island that is still struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria and a string of recent strong earthquakes that together caused billions of dollars in losses.

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SEATTLE — Boeing is suspending operations at its Seattle area facilities due to the spread of the coronavirus in the area.

Operations would be reduced beginning Wednesday and production would be suspended for a two weeks.

“This necessary step protects our employees and the communities where they work and live,” said Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun.

The aerospace ginat employs more than 60,000 people in Washington state.

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BRUSSELS — European Union finance ministers agreed Monday to activate an “escape clause” in the rules underpinning the euro single currency to give countries the budgetary flexibility they need to protect their economies from the ravages of the coronavirus.

The ministers insist that they remain committed to the rules, known as the Stability and Growth Pact, but that the escape clause allows them to take measures “departing from the budgetary requirements” so they can more effectively tackle the economic consequences of coronavirus.

It would allow EU countries to support their health and civil protection systems with steps such as further discretionary stimulus and coordinated actions.

Increasingly worried about the economic fallout of the global shutdown, EU member nations and Britain have announced major rescue packages worth billions of euros.

The EU’s executive arm, the European Commission, has also temporarily eased state aid rules so countries can help sectors at risk. (edited)

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INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb on Monday ordered state residents to remain home for two weeks starting Wednesday.

Exceptions are allowed for workers in essential industries or to go outside for groceries and medicine.

Holcomb’s order mirrors orders in adjacent states and runs until April 6 but could be extended if needed. It directs the state’s 6.8 million residents to stay at home.

Holcomb said that the next two weeks “are critical if we are to slow the spread of COVID-19.”

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WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Mark Esper said at the Pentagon he has put five military field hospitals, with equipment and medical personnel, on “prepare-to-deploy” orders and expects two of them to go to Seattle and New York City this week.

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UNITED NATIONS —U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Monday for an immediate cease-fire in conflicts around the world to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

The U.N. chief said: “It is time to put armed conflict on lock down and focus together on the true fight of our lives.”

Guterres said people caught in armed conflicts, which are raging around the world, are among the most vulnerable and “are also at the highest risk of suffering devastating losses from COVID-19.”

He told reporters from U.N. headquarters in New York that it’s time to silence guns, stop artillery, end airstrikes and create corridors for life-saving aid.

“End the sickness of war and fight the disease that is ravaging our world,” the secretary-general said.

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BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Slovakia’s prime minister said the new Slovak government is planning to increase testing for the coronavirus

Prime Minister Igor Matovic said on Monday that the number of tests should reach 3,000 a day “as soon as possible.”

Until now, the country was averaging about 300 tests daily. It’s one possible reason the country has only 186 reported cases of COVID-19.

The four-party coalition government led by Matovic’ populist center-right Ordinary People group was sworn in on Saturday after it won February’s parliamentary election.

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GENEVA — The head of the World Health Organization says the coronavirus outbreak is accelerating but insists “we can change the trajectory of this pandemic.”

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that COVID-19 has now been reported in nearly every country in the world.

He said it 67 days from the first reported case to reach the first 100,000 cases; 11 days for the second 100,000 cases and just four days for the third 100,000 cases.

Tedros said he would speak with heads of state and government from the G20 countries, saying he would ask them to help increase production, avoid export bans, and ensure fair distribution of “lifesaving tools” that are facing a growing shortage.

He noted measures put in place to slow the spread of the virus may be exacerbating shortages of essential protective gear and the materials.

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GRAND TURK, Turks and Caicos Islands — The Turks and Caicos Islands has confirmed its first case of COVID-19.

Health officials said Monday the patient had no recent travel history but offered no other details.

The island was one of only a handful in the Caribbean that had not reported any coronavirus cases.

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ATHENS, Greece — Greece has registered two more COVID-19 deaths, bringing the total to 17.

Authorities say they registered 71 new cases Monday, compared to 94 Sunday, bringing the country’s total to 695 cases.

Out of those infected, 114 people are hospitalized, 35 of whom in intensive care. Another 29 have been discharged.

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WARSAW, Poland — The 18th Frederic Chopin International Piano Competition in Poland has moved eliminations to the iconic event to September as part of efforts to stop the spread the coronavirus.

The competition has launched world careers for young pianists and is scheduled to be held through most of October at the National Philharmonic in Warsaw.

The eliminations were originally scheduled for late April but have been moved because the government has temporarily banned all mass events and advised people to stay home.

The eliminations will select 80 pianists to participate in the competition out of 164 candidates from 33 nations. The eliminations have never been rescheduled but were extended in 2010 when volcanic ash from Iceland temporarily grounded planes in Europe.

Held since 1927, the competition draws crowds from across the world. It has launched into stardom, among others, Argentina’s Martha Argerich, Italy’s Maurizio Pollini, Garric Ohlsson from the U.S. and Poland’s Krystian Zimerman.

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TORONTO — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says “enough is enough. Go home and stay home.”

Trudeau says staying at home is a duty and the government will enforce it if necessary.

Trudeau says he would rather not enforce it but says those who are not doing their part are putting at risk everyone else including the eventual recovery of the economy and the well being of millions of Canadians.

He says images of people out enjoying the sunshine in large groups is “extremely concerning.”

Trudeau also says the decision by the Canadian Olympic Committee to not send athletes to the Tokyo Olympics unless they’re postponed for a year is clearly the right decision.

He also says Canada has won approval to send more planes to bring Canadians home from Peru, Morocco, Spain, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.

Trudeau made the comments outside his residence while in self isolation after his wife tested positive for the virus.

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BERLIN — Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman says the German leader has tested negative for the coronavirus.

Spokesman Steffen Seibert told news agency dpa on Monday that “further tests will be conducted in the coming days.”

Merkel went into quarantine at home on Sunday evening after being informed that a doctor who had administered a vaccine to her had tested positive for the coronavirus.

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NEW YORK — Harvey Weinstein is one of two inmates at a New York state prison facility that tested positive for the coronavirus.

The head of the state correctional officers union said Monday that Weinstein was diagnosed and quarantined just days after being transferred to Wende Correctional Facility near Buffalo, New York.

Michael Powers is president of the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association. He says five officers and two supervisors at Wende were also placed in isolation because of possible exposure to the virus.

The 68-year-old former film producer is serving a 23-year sentence for rape and sexual assault. He was previously locked up at New York City’s notorious Rikers Island jail complex, which has had a spate of coronavirus cases.

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ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s education minister issued an apology after an animated film shown to children on the first day of online schooling featured the execution of a former prime minister.

The animated film depicting Adnan Menderes’ execution by hanging caused an uproar on Twitter. The film was broadcast on state TV a week after schools closed over the coronavirus outbreak.

Education Minister Ziya Selcuk took to Twitter to acknowledge that the hanging scene was not suitable for children and expressed sadness that Monday’s first day of remote schooling was marred by the film.

Menderes was hanged following a military coup in 1960.

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ATLANTA — Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Monday urged President Donald Trump to use the full force of federal authority in the fight against the coronavirus.

Biden gave an online address from his Delaware home imploring Trump to “start acting like” the wartime president Trump claims to be.

The former vice president also chided Republicans on Capitol Hill for pushing an economic stabilization bill that he said contains a “$500 million slush fund” for big corporations, rather than prioritizing workers.

Biden’s remarks were the first of what his campaign describes as regular updates and commentary Biden will give as a counter to Trump’s appearances in the White House briefing room.

The 77-year-old Biden complimented Trump for activating the National Guard in New York, California and Washington.

Biden said Trump also should call up the military’s medical reserve forces and activate more state guards to erect temporary hospitals around the country.

He also criticized Trump’s apparent reluctance to use the Defense Production Act to compel American firms to meet certain supply shortages, especially masks, gloves and respirators.

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BRUSSELS — The European Union is urging the United States to make clear that its sanctions on Iran and Venezuela do not target any humanitarian aid that might be delivered to them.

After chairing a video-conference between EU foreign ministers Monday, foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that the bloc is appealing to the International Monetary Fund on behalf of Iran and Venezuela to secure them financial assistance.

Borell says American sanctions that prevent Iran and Venezuela from selling their oil are ravaging economies as the countries try to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.

Iran has been particularly badly hit by the coronavirus and Borrell says the EU hopes to distribute about 20 million euros ($21.6 million) in aid to Iran in coming weeks.

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WASHINGTON — Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar says husband John Besser has tested positive for the coronavirus.

The former presidential candidate said Besser began feeling sick when she was in Minnesota and he was in Washington. She said he immediately quarantined himself.

She said he sought a test and chest X-ray after he began coughing up blood, and was checked into a Virginia hospital with “very low oxygen levels which really haven’t improved.” She said he now has pneumonia and is on oxygen but not a ventilator.

Klobuchar said her doctor had advised her not to get a test.

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ST. PAUL, Minn. — The lieutenant governor of Minnesota says her brother has died in Tennessee of complications of COVID-19.

Lt. Gov Peggy Flanagan posted on Instagram that her brother, Ron Golden, died Saturday. She said her brother had been diagnosed with cancer several weeks ago and his immune system was compromised.

He was put in a medically induced coma and placed on a ventilator.

She praised the former Marine, who died almost exactly two months after the family buried her father. Flanagan cited her brother’s case as a reason citizens should socially distance and stay home.

Golden was the second recorded death in Tennessee from COVID-19.

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ATHENS, Greece — Greece’s Aegean airline is suspending all international flights starting Thursday through April 30 because of increasing travel restrictions aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus.

Aegean will continue running a limited number of weekly flights between Athens and Brussels to maintain the country’s connectivity with the administrative center of the European Union.

Aegean will continue to carry out domestic flights on a reduced frequency to assist in the movement of people and goods for basic necessities. It will also continue repatriation flights if asked by the Greek government.

The airline said it has already carried out repatriation flights from Morocco, Spain, the Czech Republic, Poland, Serbia and Georgia, and one flight from London to Larnaca, Cyprus, on behalf of the Cypriot government.

Aegean flies to 124 international destinations in 44 countries, and 31 domestic destinations carried out along with its subsidiary Olympic Air.

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LONDON — The auto industry, idled by the coronavirus pandemic, is converting some of its unused capacity to help respond to the emergency.

In letter to employees, Fiat Chrysler CEO Mike Manley said that the automaker was converting a plant in Asia to make face masks.

’’We are working through the protocols to start production in the coming weeks and ultimately produce over a million face mask per month to donate to first responders and health care providers,” Manley said Monday.

Fiat Chrysler is also continuing to operate its parts supply department with workers who volunteer in order to ensure that the vehicles used by first-responders, health workers and other critical transport stays mobile.

Luxury sportscar maker Ferrari is helping Siare Engineering, which is one of the few companies making respirators, to double productivity.

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NEW ORLEANS — A federal report shows that Louisiana, New York and Georgia lead the nation in the number of nursing homes with coronavirus cases.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency found there are at least seven homes in each of the three states where confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases have been detected.

Current or suspected cases of COVID-19 have been found in at least four nursing homes in each of three other states: Washington, Illinois and New Jersey.

The FEMA report breaks out the total number of nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities dealing with the virus.

In a separate category tracking assisted living facilities, the report shows that Washington state and New Jersey have some of the highest numbers of confirmed or suspected cases in those types of facilities.

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ATHENS, Greece — Fourteen police officers in Greece have been placed in precautionary home quarantine after the arrest of a 26-year-old man who claimed he had the coronavirus.

Police said the incident occurred after the Greek man was stopped early Monday while smashing mirrors on parked cars. The suspect allegedly spat at officers involved in his apprehension.

It was later discovered that he had violated a quarantine order after recently traveling to Athens from the U.K.

Thirteen other arrests were announced Monday for alleged quarantine violations, an offense that carries a fine of 5,000 euros. Three people have been arrested, including a Greek Orthodox priest, for violating a ban on holding church services for the public. Two women were arrested for playing tennis on an empty private court on the day that a general circulation ban was imposed nationwide.

Separately, police say they have made 238 arrests since March 12 for violations of business operating restrictions.

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ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey has threatened to raid companies that produce face masks if they don’t agree to sell them to the government.

The threat comes as Turkey scrambles to ensure health workers are sufficiently equipped to deal with the coronavirus outbreak.

The state-run Anadolu Agency quoted Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu as saying Monday that the would not “shy away” from seizing factories if the producers don’t sign contracts with Turkey’s health ministry.

Soylu also said authorities had carried out simultaneous raids on warehouses belonging to companies suspected of hoarding face masks.

The country has also enlisted some vocational training schools to produce face masks.

 

By The Associated Press - Mar 23. 2020 - 1:17 PM ET

AP

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The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

 
 

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