Florida governor refuses to shut down beaches amid spread of coronavirus
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis refused to issue an order to close the state's beaches, despite fears regarding that spread of coronavirus.
He instead signed an order that would limit parties on the beach to 10 people per group and forced any businesses authorized to sell liquor to reduce occupancy by half, DeSantis told reporters Tuesday.
"What we’re going to be doing for the statewide floor for beaches, we’re going to be applying the CDC guidance of no group on a beach more than 10 and you have to have distance apart if you’re going to be out there," DeSantis said. "So that applies statewide."
A video posted Monday by NBC affiliate WFLA showed people packed together on Clearwater Beach. The state has 192 confirmed coronavirus patients and five deaths due to COVID-19, the disease associated with coronavirus.
Tom Hanks provides update from home: 'No fever but the blahs'
Tom Hanks provided fans yet another update on his condition a week after he and his wife Rita Wilson tested positive for coronavirus.
Hanks and Wilson were released Monday from the Australia hospital where they were under medical supervision to self-quarantine at home.
"Good News: One week after testing Positive, in self-isolation, the symptoms are much the same. No fever but the blahs," Hanks said.
The bad news is apparently that Wilson is sweeping the floor with him during games of Gin Rummy. But Hanks continued his message of calm in his latest update."I travelled here with a typewriter, one I used to love," Hanks said. "We are all in this together. Flatten the curve."
Michael Cohen asks to finish prison sentence at home amid coronavirus outbreak
WASHINGTON — Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer and fixer, is requesting to serve the remainder of his three-year prison sentence at home due to unsafe prison conditions caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
In a letter to Judge William Pauley on Tuesday, Roger Bennet Adler, Cohen’s attorney, argued that Cohen’s sentence should be modified “as a consequence of the Bureau of Prison being demonstrably incapable of safeguarding and treating B.O.P. inmates who are obliged to live in close quarters and are at an enhanced risk of catching coronavirus.”
Prisons and correctional facilities can be overcrowded and unhygienic, making inmates particularly vulnerable to an outbreak of the virus. The tight living quarters can make it hard to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidelines on social distancing, and in many facilities, disinfectants such as hand sanitizer are not allowed due to the alcohol content.
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Navajo Nation confirms first case of coronavirus
The Navajo Nation on Tuesday reported its first case of the coronavirus: A 46-year-old tribal member with a recent travel history, leaders said. The person was taken to a hospital in Phoenix, and family members and other contacts were being isolated.
Leaders of the Navajo Nation, the largest tribal reservation in the United States with 350,000 members, have been warning in recent weeks of the virus' spread into Indian country and the need for more testing and medical supplies.
"We call upon our Navajo people to do their best to remain calm and make good decisions by staying home to prevent the spread of the virus among our communities," tribal President Jonathan Nez said in a statement.
E.U. announces sweeping 30-day ban on most nonessential incoming travel
LONDON — The European Union on Tuesday announced a sweeping 30-day ban on most non-essential travel into the 27-country bloc.
There is still a need to guarantee passage of medicine, food stamps and citizens must be able to travel to home countries, European Council President Charles Michel said.
“We are ready to do everything that is required. We will not hesitate to take additional measures as the situation evolves," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
Brooklyn Nets say 4 players tested positive for coronavirus
Four unidentified Brooklyn Nets players have tested positive for coronavirus, according to a press release Tuesday.
Only one of the four NBA players is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, the disease associated with coronavirus, and all four are under the care of team doctors, the Nets said. All players and traveling staff are isolating themselves while staying in contact with medical staff.
"The health of our players and staff is of the highest priority to the organization and the team is doing everything within its power to ensure that those affected receive the best care possible," the team said.
The NBA season was suspended Wednesday after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive.
U.S. hospital association warns of ventilator shortage
The largest national hospital organization is pleading with Americans to abide by precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, warning it's the only way to avoid running out of ventilators or otherwise overwhelming the health care system.
"There are limited supplies of ventilators and hospital beds, which is why hospitals and public health officials all across the country are urging the public to follow the guidance of the CDC and other public health leaders on social distancing and other actions," Nancy Foster, vice president for quality and patient safety policy at the American Hospital Association, which represents nearly 5,000 hospitals and other health care organizations, said in a statement to NBC News.
New Jersey coronavirus patient gives hospital fake name, address — and then leaves
A woman who tested positive for coronavirus at a New Jersey hospital provided workers with a fake name and false address in Newark and then left — leading to Mayor Ras Baraka to plead with her to come forward.
Baraka said at a press conference on Tuesday that the woman went to East Orange General Hospital on Saturday and received a test for the coronavirus, which came back positive, but the woman had already left. When health officials went to an address she gave to the hospital, they learned it was not correct.
The mayor said the woman posed a "public health risk" to not only herself but the community, and urged her to come forward. She was later found Tuesday afternoon.
Dow closes with gain of 1,000 points on news of $1 trillion stimulus package
Stock markets surged on Tuesday, after the government doubled down on its economic response to the coronavirus outbreak, ramping up financial assistance for affected businesses, and floating a $1 trillion stimulus package that includes putting cash in the hands of Americans.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the day with a gain of around 1,000 points, bouncing firmly back after its worst day since 1987. The S&P and Nasdaq rose by around 6 percent each. The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield also rallied, rising back above 1 percent.