Few large sectors have been hit as hard by the coronavirus-related economic fallout as restaurants, bars and coffee shops. Many have closed temporarily. Some have shifted to delivery or to-go orders. An increasing number are closing permanently.

"12 Monkeys" director Terry Gilliam and screenwriters David and Janet Peoples are not taking any credit for predicting a pandemic in their sci-fi classic starring Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt.

When director Justin Pemberton began screening his new documentary at film festivals in 2019, the movie’s warnings of another financial meltdown seemed like a far-off problem. But then the coronavirus pandemic sent the global economy into a tailspin.

Editors’ Note: Deadline’s latest series, Reopening Hollywood, focuses on the incredibly complicated effort to get the industry back on its feet while ensuring the safety of everyone involved. Our goal is to examine numerous sides of the business and provide forum for leaders in Hollywood who have a vision for how production could safely restart in the […]

Updated May 6 with cancellation of Pitchfork Music Festival Worries about the growing coronavirus pandemic, which has so far infected more than 1 million people in the United States and killed at least 58,000 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have dramatically upended what was originally going to be a busy schedule of entertainment, sports and cultural events into a virtually empty slate in the first half of 2020.Click to see updated film, music, television, sports, tech and miscellaneous events. FilmTheaters have closed indefinitely, leading studios to push back release dates or go the direct-to-consumer route.Event: Locarno Film Festival Location: Switzerland Original Date: August 5-15 Rescheduled: No, but launched “Locarno 2020 – Future of Films Initiative“Event: Beijing International Film Festival Location: Beijing Original Date: April 19-26 Rescheduled: Online fest to stream on iQIYI beginning May 1Event: Karlovy Vary Film Festival Location: Czech Republic Original Date: July 3-11 Date canceled: April 27 Rescheduled: July 2-10, 2021Event: Comic-Con Location: San Diego Original date: July 23-26 Date canceled: April 17 Rescheduled? Yes, to July 22-25, 2021Event: Cannes Film Festival Location: Cannes, France Original date: May 12-23 Date rescheduled: April 14 Rescheduled? Yes, TBD time and formatEvent: Cannes’ Directors Fortnight, Critics Week Location: Cannes, France Original dates: May 13-23 Date canceled: April 15 Rescheduled? No, but organizers are “looking at the best way to keep on supporting the films submitted”Event: Annecy Animation Film Festival Location: Annecy, France Original date: June 15-20 Date canceled: April 7 Rescheduled? Event will be digital-onlyEvent: Wondercon Location: Anaheim, California Original date: April 10-12 Rescheduled: Yes, March 26-28, 2021Event: South by Southwest 2020 Location: Austin, Texas Original date: March 13-22 Date canceled: March 6 Rescheduled? No, but films will screen online in AprilEvent: 40th Annual Razzie Awards Location: Los Angeles, Calif. Original date: March 14 Date canceled/postponed: March 14 Rescheduled? No, winners announced onlineEvent: Tribeca Film Festival Location: New York Original date: March 20-22 Date postponed: March 12 Rescheduled? No, select programming debuted onlineEvent: CineEurope Convention Location: Barcelona Date postponed: March 24 Rescheduled: Yes, August 3-6Event: Produced By Conference Location: Los Angeles Original date: June 6-7 Date Canceled: March 20 Rescheduled? NoPostponed Event: AFI Tribute to Julie Andrews Original Date: April 25 Date Canceled: March 7 Rescheduled? New date and air date will be announced in coming weeks MusicBans on large public gatherings have shut down Broadway and concert venues, though artists have begun performing their works online.Event: Pitchfork Music Festival Location: Union Park, Chicago Original Date: July 17-19 Date canceled: May 6 Rescheduled: NoEvent: Elton John “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour Location: North America Original date: May 22-July 8 Date canceled: April 23 Rescheduled: 2021 TBDEvent: Against Me! 2020 spring tours Location: U.S. and Europe Original date: Beginning May 1 Date canceled: April 17 Rescheduled? TBDEvent: Taylor Swift’s “Lover Fest” Shows Location: U.S. and Europe Original date: Summer 2020 Date canceled: April 17 Rescheduled? Yes, for 2021Event: Coachella 2020 Location: Indio, California Original date: April 10-12 and April 17-19 Date canceled: March 10 Rescheduled? Yes, October 2020Event: Stagecoach Country Music Festival Location: Indio, California Original date: April 24-26 Date canceled: March 10 Rescheduled? Yes, October 10Event: Eurovision Song Contest Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands Original date: May 12-16 Date canceled: March 18 Rescheduled? NoEvent: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2020 Induction Ceremony Location: Cleveland, Ohio Original date: March 20-22 Date postponed: March 12 Rescheduled? Yes (Nov. 7, 2020) and will air 8 p.m. ET on HBOEvent: 55th Academy of Country Music Awards Location: MGM Grand, Las Vegas Original date: April 5 Date postponed: March 17 Rescheduled? September 16, 2020 and will air 8 p.m. ET of CBS and CBS All AccessPostponed Event: CMT Music Awards Original date: June 3 Date Canceled: April 3 Rescheduled? Yes, Oct. 14Event: Boston Calling Festival Location: Boston Original date: May 22-24 Date canceled: March 31 Rescheduled? TBD 2021Event: CMA Fest 2020 Location: Nashville, Tenn. Original date: June 4-7 Date canceled: March 31 Rescheduled? June 10-13, 2021Event: Governors Ball 2020 Location: New York City Original date: June 5-7 Date postponed: March 26 Rescheduled? NoEvent: Lovers & Friends Festival Location: Los Angeles Original date: May 9 Date canceled: March 27 Rescheduled? Yes, August 8Event: Glastonbury Musical Festival Location: Pilton, Somerset, England Original date: June 24-28 Date canceled: March 18 Rescheduled? NoEvent: Billboard Music Awards Location: Las Vegas Original date: April 29 Date postponed: March 17 Rescheduled? TBDEvent: Bonnaroo Location: Manchester, Tennessee Original Date: July 11-14 Date Canceled: March 18 Rescheduled? Yes, September 2020Event: BTS 2020 Tour Location: North America, London, Berlin, Barcelona Original date: April 25-26 in Los Angeles Date canceled: March 26 Rescheduled? TBD, postponedEvent: Pussy Riot North American tour Location: US, Canada Original date: March 17-18 Date canceled: March 12 Rescheduled? TBDEvent: Green Day, “Father of All…” tour, first leg Location: Cities across Asia Original date: March 2020 Date canceled: Feb. 27 Rescheduled? TBAEvent: Ultra Music Festival Location: Miami, Florida Original date: March 20-22, 2020 Date canceled: March 4 Rescheduled? TBDEvent: The National Japan tour Location: Tokyo Original date: March 17-18 Date canceled: March 2 Rescheduled? NoEvent: The Pixies Asia tour Location: Cities in Japan and China Original date: Feb. 24-March 3 Date canceled: Feb. 23 Rescheduled? TBDEvent: Stereolab China Tour Location: Shanghai, Beijing Original date: March 19, 21 Date canceled: Feb. 20 Rescheduled? TBDEvent: Stormzy “Heavy is the Head” Asia Tour Location: China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia Original date: March 20-21, 24, 27, 29 Date canceled: Feb. 13 Rescheduled? Postponed, TBDEvent: Korea Times Music Festival Location: Hollywood Bowl Original Date: April 25 Date Canceled: Feb. 26 Rescheduled? TBDEvent: BTS “Map of the Soul” Tour, South Korea Dates Location: Olympic Stadium in Seoul Original Date: April 11, 12, 18 and 19 Date Canceled: Feb. 27 Rescheduled? TBDEvent: Burning Man Location: Nevada’s Black Rock Desert Original Dates: Aug. 30 to Sept. 7 Date Canceled: April 11 Rescheduled? Organizers plan to hold a virtual online-only event. TelevisionProduction has been suspended or delayed on nearly every show.Event: Television Critics Association 2020 Summer Press Tour Location: Pasadena, Calif. Original date: Late July to mid August Date postponed: May 1 Rescheduled? NoEvent: Kids Choice Awards 2020 Location: Las Vegas Original date: March 22 Date postponed: March 11 Rescheduled? TBDEvent: Edinburgh TV Festival Location: Edinburgh, Scotland Original date: August 26-28 Rescheduled? Event will be digital-onlyEvent: Peabody Awards Location: Los Angeles Original date: June 18 Date postponed: March 25 Rescheduled? Yes (exact date TBD)Event: National Association of Broadcasters’ NAB Show 2020 Location: Las Vegas Original date: April 19-22 Date canceled: March 11 Rescheduled? NoEvent: PaleyFest LA 2020 Location: The Paley Center in Los Angeles Original date: March 13-22 Date postponed: March 11 Rescheduled? TBDEvent: MipTV Location: Cannes, France Original date: March 30-April 2 Date canceled: March 4 Rescheduled? No SportsSports has taken a major hit domestically and internationally. Nearly all events have been canceled or postponed, including the 2020 Olympics.Event: 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan Location: Tokyo Original date: July 24 – Aug 9 Date postponed: March 24 Rescheduled? July 23 – Aug 8, 2021Event: Tour de France Location: France Original date: June 27 – July 19 Date postponed: April 14 Rescheduled: August 29 – September 20Event: Kentucky Derby Location: Churchill Downs Original date: May 2 Date postponed: March 17 Rescheduled? Sept. 5Event: NASCAR Indy 500 Location: Indianapolis Original date: May 24 Date postponed: March 26 Rescheduled? Aug. 23Event: Wimbledon Location: London Original date: June 29-July 12 Date canceled: April 1 Rescheduled: June 28 – July 11, 2021Event: World Surf League March events Location: Global Original date: Throughout March Date postponed: March 12 Rescheduled? TBDEvent: XFL 2020 Inaugural Season Location: Nationwide Date Canceled: March 20 Rescheduled? NoEvent: Little League World Series Location: Williamsport, Pennsylvania Original Date: Aug. 20-30 Date Canceled: April 30 Rescheduled? No MiscellaneousEvent: NYC Pride Location: New York City Original date: June 14-28 Date canceled: April 20 Rescheduled? NoEvent: Anime Expo Location: Los Angeles Original date: July 2-5 Date canceled: April 17 Rescheduled? July 2-5, 2021Event: White House Correspondents’ Dinner Location: Washington, D.C. Original date: April 25 Date postponed: April 13 Rescheduled? August 29, 2020Event: Cannes Lion Festival Location: Cannes, France Original date: June 22-June 26, rescheduled for October 26-30 Date canceled: April 3 Rescheduled? June 21-25, 2021Event: Edinburgh Fringe Festival (and also Edinburgh Art Festival, Edinburgh International Book Festival, Edinburgh International Festival and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo) Location: Edinburgh, Scotland Original date: August 7-31 Date canceled: March 31 Rescheduled? TBD 2021Event: RuPaul’s DragCon Location: Los Angeles Original date: May 1-3 Date canceled: March 10 Rescheduled? NoEvent: Gridiron Dinner Location: Washington, D.C. Original date: March 14 Date canceled: March 10 Rescheduled? NoEvent: LA Pride Parade and Pride Month events Location: West Hollywood, Calif. Original date: June 2020 Rescheduled? NoEvent: Beijing and Shanghai Fashion Weeks Location: Beijing, Shanghai Original date: March 25-31 Date canceled: February 10 Rescheduled? TBDEvent: Art Basel Hong Kong Location: Hong Kong Original date: March 19-21 Date canceled: February 6 Rescheduled? No, online viewings insteadPostponed Event: Just for Laughs Comedy Festival Original Date: July Date Canceled: April 3 Rescheduled? Yes, September 29 – October 11Event: Los Angeles Times Festival of Books Location: Los Angeles Original date: April 18-19 Date canceled: March 10 Rescheduled? Yes, postponed to October 3-4Event: Exploding Kittens’ “Burning Cat” convention Location: Portland, Oregon Original date: May 16-17 Date canceled: March 10 Rescheduled? Postponed until further noticeEvent: Scripps National Spelling Bee Location: Washington, D.C. Original date: May 28 Date Canceled: April 21 Rescheduled? No TechEvent: GDC Summer Conference Location:  San Francisco Original date: August 4-6 Date postponed: April 30 Rescheduled? Now an online-only eventEvent: Esports World Open Location: Tokyo Original date: July 22-24 Date postponed: April 17 Rescheduled? NoEvent: E3 2020 Location: Los Angeles Convention Center, Downtown Original date: June 11-13 Date canceled: March 11 Rescheduled? NoEvent: Game Developers Conference Location: San Francisco Original date: March 16-20 Rescheduled? No, digital-only with a summer event planned August 4-6Event: Riot Games 2020 Mid-Season Invitational Location: Global Original date: May Date canceled: March 10 Rescheduled? Yes, postponed to July 3-19Event: Microsoft Build conference Location: Seattle, Washington Original date: May 19-21 Rescheduled: Will now be digital-onlyEvent: FMX Visual Effects Conference Location: Stuttgart, Germany Original date: May 5-8 Date canceled: March 3 Rescheduled? NoEvent: Google I/O Conference Location: Mountain View, California Original date: May 12-14 Date canceled: March 3 Rescheduled? NoEvent: 24th Annual Webby Awards Location: New York City Original date: May 11 Date Canceled: March 19 Rescheduled? No, but winners will be announced online via an “Internet celebration”Event: Mobile World Congress Spain Location: Barcelona Original date: February 24-27 Date canceled: February 12 Rescheduled? NoEvent: Facebook’s F8 Location: San Jose Original date: May 5-6 Date canceled: February 27 Rescheduled? TBD, events onlineEvent: ESL One LA (Esports match) Location: Shrine Auditorium, Downtown LA Original date: May 2 Date postponed: March 12 Rescheduled? TBDEvent: Apple: Worldwide Development Conference Location: San Jose, California Original date: June Rescheduled: Will now be digital-onlyEvent: Burning Man Festival – Build of Black Rock City Location: Black Rock Desert, Nevada Original date: Aug. 30 to Sept. 7 Rescheduled: Will be virtual on a date TBDRead original story Coronavirus: The Canceled and Postponed Events in Tech, Media, Sports and Entertainment (Updating) At TheWrap

Republican-controlled legislatures are increasingly trying to strip Democratic governors of their executive authority to close businesses and schools, a power grab by lawmakers that channels frustration over the economic toll of the coronavirus pandemic but could come with long-term consequences for how their states fight disease. The efforts to undermine Democratic governors who invoked stay-at-home orders are most pronounced in states such as Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, all three of which have divided government and are key to President Donald Trump's path to reelection. Democratic governors there face lawsuits, legislation and other moves by Republicans trying to seize control of the response to the virus.

Clashes erupt after people complain about a perceived failure to help the poor during the pandemic.

The world is nearing 4 million cases of the coronavirus. More COVID-19 news Saturday.

(Bloomberg) -- New York reported the fewest new coronavirus cases in seven weeks. The first antigen test won U.S. approval for emergency use. The federal government reversed course and will let states distribute remdesivir to hospitals.Italy had the fewest cases in four days. Germany and Spain are ready to lift some restrictions. Russia’s largest gold mine in Siberia has 89 sick workers as the nation registered more than 10,000 infections for a seventh day.The head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is in a two-week quarantine after coming into contact with an infected person.Key Developments:Virus Tracker: cases pass 3.9 million; deaths exceed 276,000Half-empty bar feels like a win after Georgia reopensBrazil is new virus hotspot as infections triple in two weeksMass shootings in the U.S. have plungedLessons from Ebola prepared Africa for coronavirusAuto industry to raise $100 billion from banks for virus reliefSubscribe to a daily update on the virus from Bloomberg’s Prognosis team here. Click VRUS on the terminal for news and data on the coronavirus. See this week’s top stories from QuickTake here.Musk: Tesla to Quit California (1 p.m. NY)Elon Musk said on Twitter he is moving Tesla’s headquarters and future programs to Texas and Nevada “immediately” after a California county blocked plans to open an assembly plant shut during the pandemic.He had earlier tweeted he was suing Alameda County for “acting contrary to the Governor, the President, our Constitutional freedoms & just plain common sense!” The county on Friday said Tesla’s sole U.S. plant in Fremont, California, didn’t meet the criteria to reopen. Musk told staff he aimed to restart the factory Friday.Canada Gets China Medical Gear (12:50 p.m. NY)Canada is securing large amounts of personal protective equipment on daily flights of goods from China and elsewhere, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.So far, about 23 flights from China have brought millions of PPE items. In order to gradually restart the economy, Canada needs enough equipment to ensure people can work in safe environments, he said. Equipment arriving from other countries will be tested before being sent out to front-line workers.Africa Seeks Debt Relief, Stimulus (12:40 p.m. NY)African nations needs a two-year debt standstill to give governments the fiscal space to fight the pandemic, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said.A $100 billion injection of emergency economic stimulus is also required to combat the impact of the disease and almost half of that could come from waiving interest payments, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.African finance ministers are discussing debt-relief proposals, including a special-purpose vehicle to exchange their sovereign debt for new concessional paper to avoid having to use funds needed to battle the virus to pay private creditors.Italy Has Fewest Cases Since May 5 (12:20 p.m. NY)Italy registered 1,083 new cases on Saturday -- the fewest since May 5 -- compared with 1,327 a day earlier. Confirmed cases now total 218,268. Daily fatalities fell to 194 from 243 on Friday, with a total of 30,395.With the government cautious on easing measures after an initial relaxation on Monday, an Ipsos survey published in newspaper Corriere della Sera on Saturday showed 58% of Italians want all economic sectors to restart as soon as possible.N.Y. Has Fewest Cases in 7 Weeks (11:50 a.m. NY)New York reported 572 new infections on Saturday, the fewest since late March, which Governor Andrew Cuomo called “welcome news.” The state reported 2,938 infections on Friday.New deaths were 226, the same as five days ago and an increase from 216 reported on Friday. The rate of hospitalizations fell again.FDA Chief in Self-Quarantine (11:45 a.m. NY&)Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn has quarantined himself after coming into contact with someone who tested positive. Hahn, a member of the White House virus task force, notified staff of his decision in a note Friday, according to an emailed statement from the agency.“Per CDC guidelines, he is now in self-quarantine for the next two weeks,” the FDA said. “He immediately took a diagnostic test and tested negative.”The FDA didn’t identify the infected person, but Hahn’s Covid-19 exposure comes as several aides working in the White House have the virus. Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary, Katie Miller, tested positive Friday, a day after a positive test was reported for a member of the military who works as a valet to President Donald Trump.U.K. Urges Cycling, Walking (11:30 a.m. NY)The U.K., the European country hardest hit by the outbreak, plans to spend 2 billion pounds ($2.5 billion) to encourage people to cycle and walk to work and help relieve pressure on transport systems.Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that the U.K. has passed the peak of the outbreak, and limiting travel on public transit will help curb the risk of a second wave of infections, said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. The government will also spend more on electric-car charging points and extend trials of e-scooters and permit their rentals.Daily deaths rose by 346, Shapps said Saturday, down from 626 on Friday and the lowest since May 4. Total deaths reached 31,587, surpassed only by the U.S., with total infections at 215,260.U.S. Can’t Wait for End of Outbreak: Carson (11:25 a.m. NY)America’s economic infrastructure could be destroyed if the nation waits too long to reopen closed businesses, said White House coronavirus task force member Ben Carson, who also is secretary of Housing and Urban Development.The nation has to learn to live with the coronavirus before it can be eradicated, Carson said on Fox News. “If we wait until it’s all gone before we come out, our economy will be gone also.”Carson, who also heads the president’s revitalization council, stressed that it’s possible to resume activity, guided by “data and evidence” from regions that reopened first.Collapse of Travel Demand Scuttles Deal (10:50 a.m. NY)Carlyle Group Inc. and Singapore sovereign-wealth fund GIC Pte. Ltd. are backing out of a deal to buy a stake in American Express Global Business Travel, hit hard by the pandemic. The parties were in talks on terms of the deal, which was set to close this week, but couldn’t reach an agreement, people familiar with the matter said. The deal valued the American Express Co. unit at $5 billion with debt.U.S. Ships Gilead’s Drug to States (10:40 a.m. NY)The U.S. is sending Gilead Sciences Inc.’s remdesivir to Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan and New Jersey after doctors raised questions about the federal allocation of the drug to treat Covid-19 patients.State health agencies -- rather than the federal government -- will distribute doses to the hospitals, the Department of Health and Human Services said Saturday. Illinois and New Jersey each get more than 100 cases, with the other states receiving from 10 to 40 cases. Each case has 40 vials.After remdesivir won U.S. approval for emergency use, the federal government said it would decide which hospitals got the drug. Doctors then raised questions about the opaque process for getting the therapy to U.S. hospitals.FDA Clears Antigen Test (9:39 a.m. NY)The FDA issued the first emergency use authorization for a Covid-19 antigen test. The diagnostic tests quickly detect fragments of proteins found on or within the virus by testing samples collected from the nasal cavity using swabs, Quidel Corp. said in a statement that linked to a letter from the FDA. The authorization was issued late Friday for its Sofia 2 SARS Antigen FIA.Belarus Holds Military Parade, Russia Cancels (9:30 a.m. NY)Alexander Lukashenko, the authoritarian president of Belarus, defied warnings about the risks of letting the coronavirus spread by holding a military parade marking victory in World War II.Amid an average of about 800 new infections a day, Lukashenko summoned troops to the capital, Minsk, for the parade. Neighboring states including Russia changed their plans as gatherings of thousands of spectators will inevitably spread the disease.Portugal Cases Moderate (9:12 a.m. NY)Portugal reported the smallest increase in new confirmed cases in six days and the number of patients in intensive care units fell for a third day. There were 138 new cases in a day, taking the total to 27,406, the government said. The total number of deaths rose by 12 to 1,126.Information is “encouraging” after the country allowed some small stores to reopen on Monday, Health Minister Marta Temido said at a press conference on Saturday.Germany Plans Stimulus for Arts, Cities (7:30 a.m. NY)Germany will broaden its economic aid, the Tagesspiegel newspaper cited Finance Minister Olaf Scholz as saying in an interview.“The arts and culture need their own stimulus program, we want to massively help people here,” Scholz said. “We also have to do something for hotels and restaurants, which are severely weakened. Thirdly, the municipalities also need massive support.”Germany will also have to pursue an “incredible modernization push” in order to maintain and expand its wealth without using fossil fuels, the newspaper cited Scholz as saying.Saudi Arabia Relaxes Some Restrictions (7:12 a.m. NY)Saudi Arabia is relaxing restrictions on six neighborhoods in Medina, state-run Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday, citing an official at the Ministry of Interior. Movement will be unrestricted from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.The Saudi government has reported 35,432 cases including 229 fatalities. It has imposed a 24-hour lockdown and said it will fine and jail those who violate the rules. The kingdom has eased restrictions on some areas in recent weeks.Russia’s Biggest Gold Mine Has 89 Cases (6:53 a.m. NY)Almost 90 workers at Russia’s largest gold mine, operated by Polyus PJSC, have contracted the coronavirus, the state-run Tass news service reported, citing the public health agency.The Olimpiada mine in the Siberian province of Krasnoyarsk recorded 82 new cases of the deadly virus in the past day, Tass cited the press service of the regional branch of Rospotrebnadzor as saying.Earlier, Russia said its number of new infections rose by 10,817 to 198,676, the seventh straight day cases have risen by more than 10,000.Spain Continues Unwinding (5:50 p.m. HK)Spain reported 179 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, according to health ministry data. The country reported 604 new daily cases as the total number rose to 223,578.As of Monday, 51% of the Spanish population will move to the so-called phase 1 as limitations are relaxed across wide swathes of the country. A major exception is the Madrid region, the epicenter of Spain’s coronavirus outbreak.Under phase 1, shops of a size of less than 400 square meters will be able to open with restrictions while bars and restaurants will be able to operate “terraces” but with only 50% of their previously authorized number of tables, according to a government order published in the official gazette. Hotels can open but their public areas will stay closed.Indonesia Reports Most Cases in a Day (5:44 p.m. HK)Indonesia reported an increase in new cases, with the death toll nearing 1,000 as the world’s fourth-most populous nation struggles to contain the spread of the virus.Tests confirmed 533 new infections in the past 24 hours, taking the total to 13,645, Achmad Yurianto, a spokesman for the government task force on Covid-19, said at an online briefing on Saturday. Sixteen patients succumbed to the virus, taking the overall number of fatalities to 959, the third highest in Asia after China and India, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.Faroe Islands Free of Virus (5:30 p.m. HK)The Faroe Islands is now free of the coronavirus after all its 187 confirmed cases were declared to be healthy, the North Atlantic archipelago said on Saturday.The country, which has 52,000 inhabitants and is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, hasn’t registered any deaths from the virus. Denmark’s toll stands at 522 fatalities from more than 10,400 cases.Belgian Daily Tests Exceed 25,000 (5:26 p.m. HK)Belgium reported 585 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, down from 591 the prior day. The country carried out 25,410 tests, the most for a single day since the start of the outbreak and in line with its stated daily capacity of 25,000.Additional fatalities of 76 compare with 107 the prior day. The seven-day average of reported deaths, the measurement favored by Belgian virologists, declined by 4% to 5% a day in the past week. The total death toll in the country of 11.4 million now stands at 8,581.Seoul Nightclubs Linked to Spike (4:19 p.m. HK)A potential second wave of infections could be possible in South Korea after confirmed cases suddenly increased following a lull, with a surge tied to nightclubs in Seoul.The total number of cases linked to nightclubs in the Itaewon neighborhood visited by a 29-year-old patient earlier this month increased to 40 as of noon Saturday, the city’s Mayor Park Won-soon said in a briefing. Park ordered the closing of all nightclubs, discos, hostess bars and other similar nightlife establishments in the capital.Virus Cases Decline Across Several Parts of Asia (3:30 p.m. HK)Virus cases declined in several Asian economies on Saturday, with Hong Kong and Taiwan reporting zero. Countries including China and Thailand reported fewer than 10 new infections, with Australia adding 16.Singapore, one of the last countries in the region to close schools and implement strict containment measures, confirmed 753 new cases on Saturday, down from 768 tallied by Johns Hopkins University Friday. The vast majority are migrant workers living in crowded dormitories.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

RT @VanityFair: Trumpworld's campaign to blame China for creating the coronavirus is ramping up—even as the U.S. intelligence community and WHO insist otherwise

r/Coronavirus: In December 2019, a novel coronavirus strain (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in the city of Wuhan, China. This subreddit seeks to monitor the …

In an age of trolls, economic insecurity and social isolation, mixed martial arts gives fans a rush of harsh reality.

Joan Wong On March 27, as the U.S. topped 100,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, Donald Trump stood at the lectern of the White House press-briefing room and was asked what he’d say about the pandemic to a child.

The critic Raymond Williams once wrote that every historical period has its own “structure of feeling.” How everything seemed in the nineteen-sixties, the way…

via Health News - The New York Times https://nyti.ms/2WLL65m

Blimey. They didn’t hold back on this. —Read, if for no other reason than the incredibly detailed timeline of #coronavirus.

Democrat and former presidential candidate Mayor Bill de Blasio "said the police had used enforcement authority properly," @nytimes reports:

NYC subway conductor returning to work after recovering from COVID: “The conditions created by the pandemic drive home that essential workers keep social order from sinking into chaos. Yet we‘re treated with the utmost disrespect, like we’re expendable.”

So @jimtankersley talked to Kevin Hassett about the whole "cubic model" mess, and long story short, I'm pretty sure Hassett owes @NateSilver538 $538.

All your questions about the pandemic, answered. Sort of. Mr. Eggers is a novelist and journalist. via Pocket

Clear, calming writing about how to interpret recent reports

Het is de maand van de meta-communicatie. Door het coronavirus vertellen we niet meer wat we doen, maar hoe we dat doen. Hoe moeten we thuiswerken met kinderen? Hoe kunnen we een online teammeeting inplannen? Hoe blijven we effectief in deze tijd? Deze vorm van communicatie heeft een naam: meta-communicatie. Wat is meta-communicatie precies? Wat […]

Afghan farmers claim to have “no other choice” but to illegally grow poppies – a lucrative opium crop that fuels the country’s Taliban terror group – amid the economic downturn caused by the Chinese coronavirus pandemic, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported on Friday.

Acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli says border crossers are being almost immediately returned to Mexico after their crossing into the United States. 

Amnesty advocates are working overtime to portray illegal migrants as heroic essential workers in the national campaign to contain China's coronavirus.

On Friday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “All In,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) stated that vote by mail provisions “will be a very important part of the legislation that we’re going to put forward, and we are going to fight

A Chechen migrant was arrested in the commune of Montereau-Fault-Yonne after dragging a police officer 60 feet with his vehicle while trying to escape a Wuhan coronavirus lockdown checkpoint.

An Italian nurse working on the frontline against the Chinese coronavirus was brutally sexually assaulted by an African migrant after finishing her shift and heading to her home.

Friday on Fox News Channel's "Your World," Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) argued when determining how and whether or not China was responsible for coronavirus global pandemic, it was undeniable China allowed the virus to spread beyond its borders.

Pressure is increasing on Gov. Tom Wolf (D) to reopen Pennsylvania, even among Democrats, as it is revealed that the vast majority of recent coronavirus deaths in the state occurred at nursing homes or personal care facilities, the Morning Call revealed this week.

Mexican health officials admitted to surpassing 3,100 COVID-19 related-deaths as cases continue to rise nationwide. The reports come despite repeated accusations of the government downplaying the true scope of the coronavirus pandemic

Kenya's regional governors are calling on national authorities to close the country's borders as illegal migration from surrounding countries has caused an increase in imported coronavirus cases, Kenyan newspaper the Nation reported on Thursday.

LONDON (AP) - From resounding applause to ostracization and isolation. That's essentially the journey Lt. Cmdr. Robert Embleton, who served 34 years in Britain's Royal Navy...

Data released from the California Departments of Health and Social Services on Friday show that nursing home deaths represent almost half of the coronavirus fatalities in the state.

Physician and Rep. Gregory Murphy said on SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Daily that “draconian” lockdowns are no longer needed in many places.

Nearly three-fourths of U.S. adults say China bears responsibility for American coronavirus deaths, a Morning Consult tracker poll released Friday revealed.

By Rob Stein, Carmel Wroth, Alyson Hurt

To safely phase out social distancing measures, the U.S. needs more diagnostic testing for the coronavirus, experts say. But how much more?

The Trump administration said on April 27 that the U.S. will soon have enough capacity to conduct double the current amount of testing for active infections. The country has done nearly 248,000 tests daily on average in the past seven days, according to the nonprofit COVID Tracking Project. Doubling that would mean doing about 496,000 a day.

Will that be enough? What benchmark should states try to hit?

One prominent research group, Harvard's Global Health Institute, proposes that the U.S. should be doing more than 900,000 tests per day as a country. This projection, released Thursday, is a big jump from its earlier projection of testing need, which had been between 500,000 and 600,000 daily.

Harvard's testing estimate increased, says Ashish Jha, director of the Global Health Institute, because the latest modeling shows that the outbreak in the United States is worse than projected earlier.

"Just in the last few weeks, all of the models have converged on many more people getting infected and many more people [dying]," he says.

But each state's specific need for testing varies depending on the size of its outbreak, explains Jha. The bigger the outbreak, the more testing is needed.

On Thursday, Jha's group at Harvard published a simulation that estimates the amount of testing needed in each state by May 15. In the graphic below, we compare these estimates with the average numbers of daily tests states are currently doing.

Two ways to assess whether testing is adequate

To make their state-by-state estimates, the Harvard Global Health Institute group started from a model of future case counts. It calculated how much testing would be needed for a state to test all infected people and any close contacts they may have exposed to the virus. (The simulation estimates testing 10 contacts on average.)

"Testing is outbreak control 101, because what testing lets you do is figure out who's infected and who's not," Jha says. "And that lets you separate out the infected people from the noninfected people and bring the disease under control."

This approach is how communities can prevent outbreaks from flaring up. First, test all symptomatic people, then reach out to their close contacts and test them, and finally ask those who are infected or exposed to isolate themselves.

Our chart also shows another testing benchmark for each state: the ratio of tests conducted that come back positive. Communities that see about 10% or fewer positives among their test results are probably testing enough, the World Health Organization advises. If the rate is higher, they're likely missing a lot of active infections.

What is apparent from the data we present below is that many states are far from both the Harvard estimates and the 10% positive benchmark.

Just nine states are near or have exceeded the testing minimums estimated by Harvard; they are mostly larger, less populous states: Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Several states with large outbreaks — New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut, among others — are very far from the minimum testing target. Some states that are already relaxing their social distancing restrictions, such as Georgia, Texas and Colorado, are far from the target too.

Jha offers several caveats about his group's estimates.

Estimates are directional, not literal

Researchers at the Global Health Initiative at Harvard considered three different models of the U.S. coronavirus outbreak as a starting point for their testing estimates. They found that while there was significant variation in the projections of outbreak sizes, all of the models tend to point in the same direction, i.e., if one model showed that a state needed significantly more testing, the others generally did too.

The model they used to create these estimates is the Youyang Gu COVID-19 Forecasts, which they say has tracked closely with what's actually happened on the ground. Still, the researchers caution, these numbers are not meant to be taken literally but as a guide.

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If social distancing is relaxed, testing needs may grow

The Harvard testing estimates are built on a model that assumes that states continue social distancing through May 15. And about half of states have already started lifting some of those.

Jha says that without the right measures in place to contain spread, easing up could quickly lead to new cases.

"The moment you relax, the number of cases will start climbing. And therefore, the number of tests you need to keep your society, your state from having large outbreaks will also start climbing," warns Jha.

Testing alone is not enough

A community can't base the decision that it's safe to open up on testing data alone. States should also see a consistent decline in the number of cases, of two weeks at least, according to White House guidance. If their cases are instead increasing, they should assume the number of tests they need will increase too.

And, Jha warns, testing is step one, but it won't contain an outbreak by itself. It needs to be part of "a much broader set of strategies and plans the states need to have in place" when they begin to reopen.

In fact, his group's model is built on the assumption that states are doing contact tracing and have plans to support isolation for infected or exposed people.

"I don't want anybody to just look at the number and say, we meet it and we're good to go," he says. "What this really is, is testing capacity in the context of having a really effective workforce of contact tracers."

The targets are floors, not goals

States that have reached the estimated target should think of that as a starting point.

"We've always built these as the floor, the bare minimum," Jha says. More testing would be even better, allowing states to more rapidly tamp down case surges.

In fact, other experts have proposed that the U.S. do even more testing. Paul Romer, a professor of economics at New York University, proposed in a recent white paper that if the U.S. tested every resident, every two weeks, isolating those who test positive, it could stop the pandemic in its tracks.

Jha warns that without sufficient testing, and the infrastructure in place to trace and isolate contacts, there's a real risk that states — even those with few cases now — will see new large outbreaks. "I think what people have to remember is that the virus isn't gone. The disease isn't gone. And it's going to be with us for a while," he says.

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Daniel Wood contributed to this report.