Good morning, I’m Molly Blackall with today’s key stories.
$2tn economic stimulus package agreed
US Senate leaders have reached a deal with the White House on a stimulus package of almost $2tn to support the economy during the coronavirus outbreak. The announcement came just before 1am after days of around-the-clock negotiations, and is thought to mark the largest-ever US economic stimulus measure.
On Tuesday, Trump told reporters that he intended to open “large sections of the country” by at the latest Easter. This attracted widespread criticism from health experts, including skepticism from Dr Anthony Fauci who was back on the podium, and contrasted with the measures taken by other countries around the world.
Deaths exceed 800. The US now has 55,225 confirmed cases of coronavirus, but the true number is likely to be much higher. The death toll reached 802 on Wednesday morning, with a total of 354 people recovered.
US may become centre of coronavirus pandemic, says WHO
The rapid increase in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the US means that the country could become the next centre of the global pandemic, the World Health Organization warned on Tuesday. Some have suggested that a lack of preparation, led by a president who repeatedly shunned public health warnings, alongside a dysfunctional healthcare system, is responsible for the steep rise.
New York. Anyone who has left New York has been advised to self isolate for two weeks, as governor Andrew Cuomo warned that the infection was increasing much more rapidly than anticipated in the state and that hospitals were struggling to cope. The state had more than 25,000 cases as of Tuesday morning, with 210 deaths so far. 14,776 of the cases were in New York City alone.
California. The Golden State has begun preparation for a 90-day surge in coronavirus cases, the California governor, Gavin Newsom, said. The preparation requires 50,000 new hospital beds, and has seen leaders scrambling to acquire 1bn sets of gloves, alongside hundreds of millions of gowns, face shields and surgical masks.
Jerry Falwell Jr reopens Liberty University despite public health advice
Up to 5,000 students will be allowed to return to the campus of Liberty University in Virginia when it reopens this week. The conservative Christian school’s president, Jerry Falwell Jr, wrongly claimed that young people “don’t have the conditions that put them at risk” and that the decision to reopen would protect students by bringing them together on campus. The move by Falwell Jr, one of Donald Trump’s most prominent and loyal supporters, came two days after Virginia’s governor, Ralph Northam, announced that all state schools would close for the remainder of the academic year.
Greta Thunberg. The Swedish climate activist said it is “extremely likely” she has had coronavirus, revealing that she had been in self-isolation with her father after a trip around central Europe two weeks ago. She warned young people around the world to take the pandemic seriously.
Brazil’s President slams coronavirus measures
The far-right Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, has attacked efforts to halt the spread of coronavirus as the country’s two biggest cities went into widespread quarantine on Tuesday night. In a television address to the nation, Bolsonaro described containment measures as “scorched earth” tactics and insisted he “wouldn’t feel anything” if he became infected with coronavirus. Bolsonaro has faced widespread criticism for dismissing coronavirus as a media “hysteria” which his political enemies are using to “trick” citizens.
Meanwhile, Mexico’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, said citizens should “keep living life as usual” and continue eating out.
Spain. The Spanish healthcare system is struggling to cope after 514 people died in a single day. Healthcare workers account for more than 13% of the country’s coronavirus cases, which have reached 42,058 with 2,991 deaths.
And in other news…
The Great Barrier Reef has suffered from ‘severe’ coral bleaching - its third such event in five years. Corals bleach when they live in water that is too hot, and often die when these temperatures are sustained. The temperature increase has come in large part from global heating, caused by escalating atmospheric greenhouse gases.
Sixty-four Ethiopians have been found dead in a freight container attached to a truck in Mozambique. The bodies were discovered with 14 survivors in the north-west province of Tete on Tuesday. An official said the victims were illegal immigrants from Malawi, and are thought to have suffocated.
Woody Allen has written in his new memoir that he would “welcome” his adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow “with open arms if she’d ever want to reach out”. In 1992 he was accused of sexually assaulting her, then seven years old, by her mother, Mia Farrow - claims which Dylan Farrow renewed in 2014. Allen was not charged after two investigations, and continues to deny the allegation.
The discovery of a sexual blackmail ring which lured at least 58 women and 16 girls into “virtual enslavement” in South Korea has led to calls for authorities to take a tougher approach to online sexual offences. The ring operated on the app Telegram and blackmailed victim into sending degrading and violent sexual images of themselves, which users paid up to 1.5m won ($1,200) to view.
Must reads
Art during a pandemic
As museums and galleries shut around the world, American artists have taken to the streets, and this feature explores the coronavirus street art appearing across the US. Meanwhile, the Guardian’s art critic Adrian Searle takes you through the best online galleries to give you an armchair tour of the world’s greatest museums.
Stories from the frontline
Doctors across North America are being forced to jeopardise their family’s health to care for coronavirus patients, as a surge in cases and lack of personal protection equipment puts them at risk of contracting the virus and passing it to loved ones. Christina Frangou talks to doctors in Canada and the US working on the frontline of the battle against the virus.
The hunt for a female vice-president
After Biden confirmed he would seek out a female running mate, Lauren Gambino examines the role of women in Democratic politics, and the fight for greater female representation in the top echelons of political leadership.
Coronavirus triggers mass unemployment
The US is undergoing an unprecedented increase in unemployment rates, as the coronavirus pandemic forces industries across the country to shut down. Amanda Holpuch meets those hit by job losses.
Opinion
Uber drivers in the US are being forced to chose between starvation or sickness, write Veena Dubal and Meredith Whittaker. The company has defied the law in their refusal to give their workers basic benefits and security measures, and has forced them into an impossible dilemma.
Uber and Lyft refuse to treat drivers such as Ahmed as employees, let alone as people worthy of care and protection.
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