In Latin America, pandemic leaves household maids with no safety net
MEXICO CITY — The coronavirus pandemic has upended the lives of many of Latin America’s household maids, leaving them without work or government assistance or effectively trapping them inside the homes of their employers because of government-ordered lockdowns.
Millions of domestic servants are woven into the fabric of family life throughout the region, where even lower middle-class families often have hired help. They are paid as little as $4 per day, under the table, with no benefits.
Servants frequently care for their employers’ children as much or more than they can care for their own, as depicted in the 2018 Oscar-winning movie “Roma.” Maids sometimes live in rooms on the roofs of their employers’ homes or rent rooms atop tenement apartment buildings.
Oxford University scientists say coronavirus vaccine could be ready by year’s end
The faster timetable, they say, is because their vaccine has been in development for decades in an effort to stop other coronaviruses. Now it’s been adjusted for COVID-19 and tested on six monkeys, who did not get sick after exposure to the virus.
Which companies are returning their PPP loan? Here's the list.
Facing public backlash, government warnings, and private misgivings, more than a dozen publicly traded companies and big businesses have so far announced they have returned, or intend to return, small-business coronavirus relief loans issued by the Small Business Administration.
Under the Paycheck Protection Program launched midnight April 3, businesses can apply for loans with their banks to help them shore up payroll and fund essential expenses, such as rent and utilities. If the businesses follow certain rules, such as using the bulk of the funds to keep employees hired and paid, the loan turns into a forgivable grant.
More than 17,000 now dead in New York City, but daily deaths remain lower
New York City reached another grim milestone in the pandemic — while also showing signs of the coronavirus' slowing spread, health officials said Tuesday.
There have been at least 11,820 confirmed deaths connected to COVID-19 and another 5,395 probable fatalities tied to outbreak by 2 p.m. ET, crossing a threshold of more than 17,000 total victims, according to a rolling tally by the city's health department.
The city first started reporting "probable" deaths on April 14, and the total of confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths had been spiking by more than 400 per 24 hours. But the last two reporting days showed daily coronavirus deaths remain lower, at 279 from Monday to Tuesday and 263 from Sunday to Monday.
Streaming-only films will be eligible for next Oscars
For the first time in history, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will allow movies that debuted on streaming services to be eligible for an Oscar.
The historic — but temporary — change, announced Tuesday, recognizes that filmmakers have been unable to screen movies in theaters, since most locations have been shuttered since mid-March as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Previously, movies had to have been screened in a theater in Los Angeles County for seven consecutive days to qualify. That had enabled Netflix to enter movies such as Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman.”
The Academy also said this would be the last year it would accept DVDs, CDs or print materials including invitations for its judging process, in order to enforce sustainability practices.
"The historically tragic COVID-19 pandemic necessitates this temporary exception to our awards eligibility rules," said Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson in a joint statement.
The Oscars will be held on February 28, 2021 on ABC.
Few diners return in Georgia, Tennessee, according to OpenTable data
Restaurants in Georgia and most of Tennessee can legally reopen for dine-in service this week, but that doesn’t mean the restaurants will — or that customers will immediately return.
On Monday, the number of seated diners at restaurants in Georgia was still down 98 percent from a year earlier, according to OpenTable, a dining app that publishes daily data for restaurants in its network. The numbers include both diners with reservations and walk-ins.
Many restaurants in the state are choosing to offer only to-go orders for now, despite Gov. Brian Kemp’s decision to allow dine-in service during the coronavirus pandemic.
In Tennessee, where restaurants could reopen Monday in 89 of the state’s 95 counties, the tally of seated diners was down 97 percent from a year earlier, OpenTable said.
California Gov. Newsom unveils road to reopening economy
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday unveiled a four-phase plan to reopening the state's struggling economy that could begin within weeks — not months — as many residents and businesses feared.
Newsom did not give specific dates for when the stages might kick in and warned that resuming old habits too soon could be dangerous. He asked residents to remain both patient and vigilant as the state's COVID-19 cases continue to increase.
“Politics will not drive our decision-making. Protests won’t drive our decision making. Political pressure will not drive our decision making,” he said.
Newsom said the first businesses to open under the roadmap would include manufacturing, retail stores where curbside pick up is possible and public spaces including some parks. Schools offering summer classes and childcare facilities could be included in this phase, he said.
The next phase would involve movie theaters and other entertainment venues where maintaining physical distance is possible, personal care services such as hair and nail salons and gyms and churches and other houses of worship.
The final stage would involve opening the highest-risk businesses like live concert and sports venue and convention centers.
White House Coronavirus Task Force directs FEMA to ship PPE to more than 15,000 nursing homes
The White House Coronavirus Task Force is directing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate shipments of a week's supply of personal protective equipment to more than 15,000 nursing homes throughout the country, according to an internal FEMA email obtained by NBC News.
The shipments are expected to begin the first week of May on a rolling basis, and will be completed by mid-June, according to the email, which announced the plan to FEMA's state directors. They will include gloves, gowns, eye protection and surgical masks. Due to the number of nursing homes in the country, it is unlikely facilities will know in advance when their shipment arrives.
It's unclear if FEMA is coordinating this effort with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that has oversight over nursing homes. Neither FEMA nor CMS responded to a request for comment from NBC News.
Only nursing homes certified by CMS will receive the shipments, a decision made "based on input from the American Health Care Association" — the for-profit nursing home industry's trade organization — the email said.
North Carolina anti-lockdown activist stuck inside with coronavirus
A North Carolina woman active in a movement demanding that businesses in her state be allowed to reopen was reportedly in quarantine after testing positive for coronavirus.
Audrey Whitlock, a moderator on the Facebook page "Reopen NC," missed the group's first two rallies in Raleigh, fellow organizer Ashley Smith told NBC affiliate WRAL.
Whitlock tested positive three weeks ago, according to Smith.
Trump to order meat processing plants to stay open amid coronavirus pandemic
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is expected to use the Defense Production Act on Tuesday to compel meat processing plants to stay open amid the coronavirus pandemic and will provide liability protections, according to three sources familiar with the plan.
“The reason for this EO is there were discussions among certain processing companies (Tysons, for example) to keep only 20% of facilities open. The vast majority of processing plans could have shut down, reducing processing capacity in the country by as much as 80%,” an administration official explained to NBC News.