Briefs MCCONNELL UNVEILS ECONOMIC RESCUE PLAN

ON» Senate Majority WASHING T Leader Mitch McConnell unveiled a sweeping economic rescue plan Thursday to pump $1,200 direct checks to taxpayers, $300 billion for small businesses to keep idled workers on payrolls and $208 billion in loans to airlines and other industries.

It’s the initial Republican offer on the biggest legislative package yet to respond to the coronavirus outbreak.

The GOP leader’s effort builds on President Donald Trump’s request for Congress to “go big” as lawmakers race to craft a $1 trillion economic aid and stimulus package amid the pandemic crisis and nationwide shutdown that’s hurtling the country toward a likely recession.

“We need to take bold and swift action as soon as possible,” McConnell, announcing his plan on the Senate floor.

The 247-page McConnell CARES Act puts the leader’s imprint on opening talks with Democrats in Congress as lawmakers prepare to work through the weekend to fast-track perhaps the biggest legislative undertaking since the 2008 financial crisis. Negotiations start Friday.

Trump calls off June G-7 meeting because of virus. ON» President

WASHING T Donald Trump on Thursday called off the

G-7 meeting at Camp David scheduled for June, citing the pandemic.

The leaders of seven major industrial nations — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — will huddle by video conference, White House spokesman Judd Deere said.

Trump spoke with G-7 leaders Monday by video conference in a meeting convened by French President Emmanuel Macron. Deere said Trump, who takes on the leadership of the group this year, would hold those virtual meetings monthly as the world struggles to response to the virus outbreak and its economic repercussions.

Italy passes China as country with most coronavirus deaths. Italy on Thursday surpassed China as the country with the most coronavirus deaths, as its number of fatalities reached 3,405.

With Europe now the epicenter of the outbreak, Italy has 41,035 total cases of the virus, civil protection officials said on Thursday. This includes 4,440 who have recovered from the illness.

Cannes Film Festival postponed. The Cannes Film Festival has been postponed. The event, one of the world’s most important film festivals, was meant to run May 12-23, but organizers said Thursday that could not happen.

“Several options are considered in order to preserve its running, the main one being a simple postponement,” organizers said. That could be a shift to late June or the beginning of July.

Spike Lee had been chosen to lead the festival’s jury this year and would be the first black person to do so in the festival’s 73 years.

Governor, health officer order closures. ENE»

C HE Y Wyoming’s governor and state health officer ordered a two-week closure of a wide range of public places Thursday, and plans were made to cancel commercial flights to and from the state’s biggest city amid the spread of the coronavirus.

The order by Gov. Mark Gordon and Dr. Alexia Harrist applies through April 3 to all schools, and day care centers except those serving essential personnel. All theaters, gyms, conference rooms, museums, bars, nightclubs, coffee shops and employee cafeterias will need to close. The order also prohibits all dine-in restaurant service, self-serve buffets, salad bars and unpackaged self-serve food services. Restaurant curbside take out and drive-through service may continue.

Poll suggests fear of infection is rising. Concern among Americans that they or a loved one will be infected by the coronavirus rose dramatically in the past month, with twothirds of the country now saying they’re at least somewhat concerned about contracting the COVID-19 illness.

That’s up from less than half who said so in February. Still, a new poll from The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that about three in 10 Americans say they’re not worried at all about the coronavirus.

And while the survey found that most say they’re taking at least some actions to prevent the disease from spreading, experts say it also shows the country is not doing all of what’s needed to reduce infections, such as canceling travel.

“Some set of people is still going about their daily lives, and that needs to change pretty rapidly,” said Caroline Pearson, a senior vice president at NORC at the University of Chicago and a health policy expert.

“Now they need to do the hard things, not just the easy things that don’t disrupt their life.”

U.S.-Canada border to close late Friday to nonessential trips. O»

T O R ON T The Canadian government said Thursday the Canada-U.S. border will be closed to all nonessential travel in both directions on Friday night.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also said it will take “weeks to months” for social-distancing measures in his country to be lifted amid the pandemic.

The U.S. and Canada have been in talks in recent days to negotiate a mutual halt to tourism and family visits but leaving the flow of trade intact. Canada relies on the U.S. for 75% of its exports, and about 18% of American exports go to Canada.

Essential cross-border workers like health-care professionals, airline crews and truck drivers will be permitted to cross.

“Trade, which is essential, will continue,” Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said. “Don’t make discretionary trips, and that is what border officials will be enforcing.”