10 things you need to know today: March 30, 2020

1. Trump extends social distancing guidelines as outbreak intensifies

President Trump on Sunday extended federal social distancing guidelines until the end of April, just days after saying he hoped to lift them and restart the economy by Easter, April 12. Trump said his aim for Easter was "just an aspiration," and it now appears that the outbreak in the U.S. will be peaking about that time. "Nothing would be worse than declaring victory before the victory is won," Trump said. "That would be the greatest loss of all." Trump's comments came after Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the COVID-19 coronavirus could kill 100,000 to 200,000 Americans, with millions of infections. The number of infections in the U.S. rose above 143,000 by early Monday, with more than 2,500 deaths.

The Washington Post CNN

2. Governors in hot spots warn hospitals running out of supplies

The governors of New York, Michigan, and Louisiana warned on Sunday that hospitals in their states, all hot spots in the coronavirus pandemic, were facing supply shortages and overwhelming surges in COVID-19 cases. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said local hospitals "have enough supplies to get to a week from today, with the exception of ventilators, we're going to need at least several hundred more ventilators very quickly." Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) said the state's hospitals were already stretched to capacity and the number of cases was "climbing exponentially." Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) said New Orleans would run out of ventilators by April 4, and fill all of its hospital beds a week after that.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The New York Times CNBC

3. 1st plane in medical-supply airlift arrives from China

The first of 51 planes bringing in medical supplies from other countries, including China, arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Vice President Mike Pence said Sunday during the White House briefing on the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic. The first plane in the federal airlift brought material from Shanghai to be used in New York, which has the most infections in the U.S., as well as neighboring New Jersey and Connecticut. The plane's 80 tons of cargo included 130,000 N95 masks, nearly 1.8 million surgical masks and gowns, and more than 10.3 million gloves. The White House's "Project Airbridge" is moving supplies to hot spots in partnership with large U.S. health-care distributors such as McKesson Corp., Cardinal, Owens & Minor, and Medline and Henry Schein Inc.

Reuters The Washington Post

4. 11 Liberty U. students report COVID-19 symptoms after returning to campus

As of Friday, at least 11 students at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, were experiencing symptoms suggesting they have the COVID-19 coronavirus, Dr. Thomas Eppes Jr., the physician in charge of student health services, told The New York Times on Sunday. Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. came under fire last week when he reopened the campus to students at the end of their spring break, despite public health officials warning against it and Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) banning gatherings of more than 100 people in the state. Falwell on Sunday said 1,900 students returned to campus last week, and more than 800 have since left. Falwell demanded the Times correct its story, saying only three off-campus students had enough symptoms to qualify for COVID-19 testing.

The New York Times WSET

5. Trump brags about his briefing TV ratings as pandemic worsens

President Trump touted the TV ratings of his coronavirus news briefings in a series of tweets on Sunday. Trump first posted that his high ratings were driving the "lamestream media" crazy. He then cited a four-day-old New York Times report that noted that Trump's daily White House briefings and coronavirus updates were attracting an average audience of 8.5 million on cable news, roughly matching the viewership of the season finale of The Bachelor, or Monday Night Football. "President Trump is a ratings hit," he posted, quoting the Times article. Critics slammed Trump for the tweets. "People are dying and everyone is scared," said former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett. "This is not about your ratings, Mr. President!"

USA Today The New York Times

6. U.K. government warns anti-coronavirus measures could last months

British authorities warned Sunday that some of the lockdown measures imposed to combat the coronavirus outbreak could last for months. And even once the spread of the virus slows the restrictions on normal activities will be lifted gradually. "The important thing is this is a moving target," Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jenny Harries said. The news came as the number of confirmed infections reached around 20,000, with a one-day increase of 209 deaths bringing the country's toll to 1,228. Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote to 30 million British households urging everyone to obey the government's rules to avoid overwhelming the country's National Health Service. "We know things will get worse before they get better," he said.

Reuters

7. Air ambulance catches fire in Philippines, killing 8

A light jet being used as an air ambulance in the Philippines' battle against the COVID-19 coronavirus burst into flames as it was taking off from Manila's airport on Sunday, killing all eight people on board. The plane was carrying a doctor, a nurse, a flight medic, an American passenger, a Canadian passenger, the pilot, and two crew members. The aircraft was supposed to fly to Japan, although it wasn't immediately clear whether the passengers were being airlifted due to coronavirus infections. The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, the Philippine agency spearheading the fight against the virus, uses chartered aircraft to ferry medical workers and supplies to provinces across the country.

The New York Times

8. Amazon, Instacart workers demand more coronavirus protection

Amazon employees at a Staten Island, New York, warehouse plan a walkout on Monday to demand greater precautions against coronavirus infections. The employees say the online retail giant shouldn't have kept the facility open after a confirmed case of the COVID-19 coronavirus there last week, said Christian Smalls, an assistant manager at the facility who is leading the protest. Smalls said as many as seven workers there have been diagnosed with the virus. An Amazon spokesperson said Sunday that the company's top priority is worker health and safety. Employees of grocery delivery service Instacart are going on strike demanding more safety precautions and "hazard pay" for every delivery.

CNN Vice

9. 'Grim Sleeper' serial killer dies in California prison

Convicted serial killer Lonnie Franklin Jr., who was known as the "Grim Sleeper," has died in prison, California prison officials said Sunday. He was 67. Franklin was found dead in his cell on San Quentin State Prison's death row. He was unresponsive. Prison medical staff tried to revive him and called an ambulance, but he was pronounced dead about 20 minutes later. "There were no signs of trauma," California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokeswoman Terry Thornton said. "They don't know why he died." Franklin was sentenced to death in 2016 for murdering 10 women over 23 years, starting in 1984. "I won't say I'm pleased he died but at the end there was justice for all the bad things he did in his life," Diana Ware, stepmother of victim Barbara Ware, told People magazine. "We can now be at peace."

People

10. John Prine critically ill, on ventilator with COVID-19

Singer-songwriter John Prine, one of folk and country music's most influential artists, is critically ill under treatment for COVID-19-type symptoms, his family said Sunday. Prine, 73, has been placed on a ventilator. He was hospitalized on Thursday, and his condition got worse on Saturday. Prine's family said the news was hard to share, but they wanted to let fans know to "give you the chance to send on more of that love and support now." Prine's wife and manager Fiona Whelan Prine said earlier in March that she had tested positive for coronavirus, and she and her husband were quarantined, isolated from each other. Grammy winning country singer Joe Diffie, whose hits included "Pickup Man" and "Bigger Than the Beatles," died Sunday of coronavirus complications.

The Associated Press