The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Countries start thinking about easing up on virus restrictions
NEW YORK » Even as coronavirus deaths mount across Europe and New York, the U.S. and other countries are starting to contemplate an exit strategy and thinking about a staggered and carefully calibrated easing of the restrictions designed to curb the scourge.
“To end the confinement, we’re not going to go from black to white; we’re going to go from black to gray,” top French epidemiologist Jean-François Delfraissy said in a radio interview.
At the same time, politicians and health officials warn that the crisis is far from over despite signs of progress, and a catastrophic second wave could hit if countries let down their guard too soon. Deaths, hospitalizations and new infections are leveling off in places like Italy and Spain, and even New York has seen encouraging signs amid the gloom.
“We are flattening the curve because we are rigorous about social distancing,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “But it’s not a time to be complacent. It’s not a time to do anything different than we’ve been doing.”
In a sharp reminder of the danger, New York state on Wednesday recorded its highest one-day increase in deaths, 779, for an overall death toll of almost 6,300.
“The bad news is actually terrible,” Cuomo lamented. Still, the governor said that hospitalizations are decreasing and that many of those now dying fell ill in the outbreak’s earlier stages. In other developments: — Stocks shot 3.4% higher on Wall Street amid the encouraging signs about the outbreak’s trajectory. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 780 points.
— U.S. researchers opened another safety test of an experimental COVID-19 vaccine, this one using a skin-deep shot instead of the usual deeper jab. A different vaccine candidate began safety testing in people last month in Seattle.
— British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spent a second night in intensive care but was improving and Under the proposed guidance, sitting up in bed, authorities said. aimed at workers in critical fields,
— Saudi Arabian officials announced such people would be allowed that the Saudi-led coalition back on the job if they take their fighting Shiite rebels in Yemen temperature twice a day and wear will begin a cease-fire starting a mask, said a person who was familiar Thursday. They said the two-week with the draft but was not truce was in response to U.N. calls authorized to discuss it and spoke to halt hostilities around the world on condition of anonymity. amid the epidemic. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s
In China, the lockdown of Wuhan, top infectious-diseases expert, the industrial city of 11 million said that the Trump administration where the global pandemic has been working on plans began, was lifted after 76 days, to eventually reopen the country allowing people to come and go. amid “glimmers of hope” that social
Wuhan residents will have to use distancing is working to stop asmartphoneappshowingthatthey the virus’s spread. are healthy and have not been in recentcontactwithanyoneconfirmed “That doesn’t mean we’re going to do it right now,” he said on Fox to have the virus. Schools remain News. “But it means we need to closed, people are still checked for be prepared to ease into that. And feverwhentheyenterbuildingsand there’s a lot of activity going on.” masks are strongly encouraged. Vice President Mike Pence
In the U.S., with over 14,000 warned Philadelphia was emerging deaths and 400,000 infections, the as a potential hot spot and Centers for Disease Control and urged residents to heed social distancing Prevention was considering changing guidelines. Pence said he self-isolation guidelines to make spoke to Pennsylvania Gov. Tom it easier for those exposed to someone Wolf and said that Pittsburgh was with the virus to return to work also being monitored for a possible if they have no symptoms. rise in cases.