Egypt tries to reassure tourists as coronavirus spikes

prices could impact the livelihoods of several million Egyptians working in the Persian Gulf and elsewhere who send billions of dollars in remittances back to Egypt, Kaldas noted. There were signs Sunday that those remittances could face more shocks. Large crowds of Egyptians planning to work in Saudi Arabia gathered outside a public laboratory in Cairo to take tests to prove they don’t have the coronavirus, under the kingdom’s new requirements. The death of the German tourist was another blow. He tested positive at a hospital and was placed in intensive care after refusing to be quarantined at another medical facility, the health ministry said. His condition deteriorated Sunday. It was unknown whether he sailed to Luxor last week on the Asara. Authorities struggled Sunday to prevent more infections on the cruise ship. More than two dozen Americans and other foreigners were on day three of a two-week quarantine. American passengers interviewed by telephone and text message said about 50 of the roughly 80 remaining passengers, including French and Indian citizens, attended a morning briefing. “Still a little disorganized but getting better,” said Javier Parodi, 35, a building inspector from Miami. “We were told that if anyone tests positive that the 14-day clock starts again.” Parodi said the U.S. Embassy in Cairo sent him a disclosure form, but he’s not been told anything of substance about his situation. Embassy spokesman Sam Werberg said: “We are in the process of making contact with all American passengers, and will be providing appropriate assistance to the impacted U.S. citizens.” He said the embassy was aware of reports that Americans had tested positive for the virus and were taken to a quarantine hospital in Marsa Matrouh in northern Egypt. “We are working closely with the Egyptian Government to ensure the safety and security of all U.S. citizens,” Werberg said. Passengers on the Asara were advised to stay in their rooms, they told The Washington Post, but many, wearing masks, wandered through the ship’s common areas. In the ornate lobby, with wood-paneled walls and marble floors, blue cardboard boxes of bottled water were stacked nearly to the ceiling. A makeshift medical room was set up in the second-floor library. Passengers were given pillows without cases, they said, and crew disinfected only their cabin floors. To Parodi, it seemed inadequate. “I was in the Air Force many years ago and I’m just used to cleanliness and


Three new coronavirus cases in Md. and Va., while church rector was first case in D.C., bringing region’s total to 9

to “potentially impacted” congregants and visitors. Since the coronavirus outbreak began in the Wuhan province of China, the virus has infected more than 109,000 people globally and has killed more than 3,700. Italy launched a plan Sunday to restrict the movement of 16 million people across northern regions of the country after a surge in cases. Confirmed cases in the United States topped 500 Sunday, with fatalities rising to 21 after the deaths of two more residents of an infection-stricken nursing home in Washington state. To curb the spread of the virus, authorities are urging people to regularly wash their hands, avoid close contact with people who are sick and stay home when ill. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, patients are thought to be the most contagious when they are the most symptomatic, but some spread may be possible before people are visibly sick. In an interview Friday, Dr. Jinlene Chan, Maryland’s assistant health secretary, said there is a lot unknown about the virus and its transmission, including when asymptomatic people could shed infectious virus. That certainly can happen when covid-19 patients are showing symptoms, she said, but it was not as clear when — if at all — during the 14-day incubation period patients who are not showing symptoms could potentially transmit it. Meanwhile, many have questions about who should be tested and when. D.C. resident Maggie McDow, 46, who traveled through the Seoul airport after a trip to Thailand late last month, said she was alarmed when the D.C. Health Department overruled an emergency room doctor treating her Friday at George Washington University Hospital, preventing her from being tested for the virus. She wrote about the experience in a Facebook post shared widely on Saturday. “It’s really worrisome to me when a doctor feels you should have a test and someone’s overruling them,” McDow said in a phone interview Saturday while self-quarantined with achiness and chills. “To me that’s just wrong.” A top health department official said McDow did not qualify for testing because airport exposure, even in a country like Korea with community spread of the disease, does not warrant testing. “We bring a different perspective to that single clinical encounter,” Anjali Talwalkar, senior deputy director for the community health administration at the D.C. Health Department, said at a Saturday evening news conference. “An airport is not considered by CDC to be that


Stanford, others switch to online classes temporarily amid coronavirus fears

Monday and Tuesday and that the university strongly discourages nonessential gatherings of more than 25 people. There are no confirmed cases among Columbia students, faculty or staff, but the Ivy League school’s president wrote that someone had been quarantined and that the suspension of classes will allow the school to prepare for a shift to remote classes for the remainder of the week. Lee C. Bollinger, Columbia’s president, wrote in an email to campus: “Please understand that the decision to suspend classes does not mean that the University is shutting down. All non-classroom activities, including research, will continue in accordance with the new travel and events restrictions announced recently.” Bollinger said more information would follow about remote instruction from Wednesday through Friday, when spring break is scheduled to begin. The decisions, which affect tens of thousands of students and faculty members, will be closely watched as university leaders grapple with how best to fight the outbreak. Stanford’s campus remains open, with health care and other services available, and research continues, according to a message to students from a university official, but students are not required to be there. It’s jarring to make these changes at the end of the quarter, as finals approach, said Courtney Douglas, a senior who was driving home to San Diego on Sunday with friends. She had packed clothing and books the night before, and students choosing to leave campus were essentially saying goodbye, unsure of when they would return, if at all, she said. Seniors’ worries about finishing coursework remotely and being able to graduate to start jobs, Douglas added, are tempered by their understanding of the broader context of a global epidemic. “People are losing their lives to this,” she said. Some students and others have worried that the campus in California was an increasingly unsafe place to be as covid-19 infections, the disease caused by the coronavirus, were reported nearby. An online petition calling for Stanford leaders to take action to prevent the spread of the virus on campus garnered more than 3,700 digital signatures. Another petition urged the university to “protect, inform, and fairly compensate workers” during the outbreak, because of the increased vulnerability of food service workers and custodians in particular. The university’s president announced Thursday that Stanford Medicine was caring for a few patients with covid-19. The Stanford Daily reported that a faculty member in the Stanford School of Medicine


as finals approach, said Courtney Douglas, a senior who was driving home to San Diego on Sunday with friends. She had packed clothing and books the night before, and students choosing to leave campus were essentially saying goodbye, unsure of when they would return, if at all, she said. Seniors’ worries about finishing coursework remotely and being able to graduate to start jobs, Douglas added, are tempered by their understanding of the broader context of a global epidemic. “People are losing their lives to this,” she said. Some students and others have worried that the campus in California was an increasingly unsafe place to be as covid-19 infections, the disease caused by the coronavirus, were reported nearby. An online petition calling for Stanford leaders to take action to prevent the spread of the virus on campus garnered more than 3,700 digital signatures. Another petition urged the university to “protect, inform, and fairly compensate workers” during the outbreak, because of the increased vulnerability of food service workers and custodians in particular. The university’s president announced Thursday that Stanford Medicine was caring for a few patients with covid-19. The Stanford Daily reported that a faculty member in the Stanford School of Medicine had tested positive for the virus, citing an email from a dean to students. Lisa Kim, a spokeswoman for Stanford Health Care and School of Medicine, said in an email that the person had not been in the workplace since experiencing symptoms, that the clinic in question had been closed temporarily for cleaning, and that people who had come in contact with the faculty member had been contacted and asked to isolate themselves to prevent spreading the infection. Provost Persis Drell told the campus that starting Monday, for the last two weeks of the winter quarter, classes at Stanford will no longer meet in person and, as much as possible, they will be taught online. Exams will be administered as take-home tests rather than being given in a classroom setting. Drell acknowledged the sudden change would be a challenge for instructors and said the university is committed to helping them make the transition. Susie Brubaker-Cole, Stanford’s vice provost for student affairs, wrote in an email to students that if they were planning to leave campus now or closer to spring break, “please keep in mind that the covid-19 situation is rapidly evolving, and this will likely continue for the foreseeable


In Seattle, a soccer match during the coronavirus feels both routine and extraordinary

possibilities to weigh. Play, postpone or cancel? Compete in an empty venue? How to send the proper message to athletes, fans and media? How to determine the right thing to do knowing that everything is fluid? “It was an extraordinary week,” said Peter Tomozawa, the Sounders’ president of business operations. “It was anything but normal. We spent an incredible amount of time thinking through all the issues of hosting a game, the permutations and combinations of what might happen, with one thought: public safety. We recognize the responsibility that we have to the community. People are looking at us and how we behave here in Seattle.” The organization seemed to handle the burden responsibly. It provided the public with more than two hours of diversion Saturday. It is normal for the Sounders this time of year, but now it’s a monumental feat. And just because it seemed to work for them on this day, there’s no telling what challenges tomorrow may present. It seems inevitable that, at some point, a major American sporting event — or possibly a grander event such as the Olympics — will have to make the difficult decision to postpone, cancel or play without fans. It could be forced by civic leaders. Or it could be a proactive choice. Whatever the form, history suggests that moment is coming if the spread continues. And the sports world will just have to live with it. It’s better than the dire alternative of more people dying. “In reality, what we’re doing is more of a hobby for everybody,” Sounders midfielder Gustav Svensson said. “We’re very fortunate to have it as a job. We understand that safety comes first.” As he walked through the stadium Saturday, Tomozawa heard positive feedback. The fans who attended were enthusiastic. The precautionary measures, such as extra hand sanitizers and embedded tips to reduce risk for contracting coronavirus into every aspect of the game presentation, could not be ignored. The soccer was good for an early-season game. The Sounders left, at least for the night, without any bad news. “One of the things people would say was: ‘Thank you for hosting this event tonight. It gave us and our city something to cheer about,’ ” Tomozawa recalled. Here in the U.S. epicenter of the outbreak, sports managed to be sports Saturday night. In this time of health crisis, it seemed more remarkable than routine. jerry.brewer@washpost.com


Advice for pregnant women, older people and others about travel during coronavirus outbreak

postponing travel to those areas, because the risk of becoming infected with covid-19 there is believed to be low. Contrary to popular perception, the risk of getting covid-19 on an airplane also is low, as long as one is not seated within six feet of an infected passenger, according to the CDC. “Because of how air circulates and is filtered on airplanes, most viruses and other germs do not spread easily on airplanes,” it says on its website. Cruises, on the other hand, “put large numbers of people, often from countries around the world, in frequent and close contact with each other,” which can spread respiratory viruses. As potential travelers weigh the pros and cons of going ahead with travel plans, here are specific suggestions based on different health statuses. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, pregnant women are not at higher risk than the general population of falling victim to coronavirus. But it should be noted that very little is known about the coronavirus as it relates to pregnant women, the developing fetus or infants, said Kecia Gaither, director of perinatal services at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln in New York City. What is currently known — and this information is continually evolving — is based on knowledge about previous coronavirus outbreaks (MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV) and the small number of covid-19 cases involving pregnant women. Since this is so new and unstudied, Gaither said that it’s still not completely known whether pregnant women may be more susceptible to the risk of disease acquisition (despite what the ACOG said) and associated death. It’s also unclear whether transmission to the fetus occurs, either via the placenta or through breast milk, Gaither said. “From the few case reports out of China, the virus may have adverse effects on the newborns, causing issues such as preterm labor, fetal distress, respiratory distress, low platelets, abnormal liver function tests and thrombocytopenia,” she said. Daniel Roshan, director of Rosh Maternal & Fetal Medicine in New York City, personally advises pregnant women not to fly. “However, if one must fly, I recommend precautions,” Roshan said, suggesting hand washing frequently, hydrating, taking prenatal vitamins and vitamin C, and wearing a mask during the flight. In general, older adults are more susceptible to viral illnesses, including the flu and coronavirus, because their ability to fight off infection is diminished, said Steven Reisman, a cardiologist with New York


they don’t wash their hands as well, they touch their face more often, they do not cover their cough and sneezes as well, and they pick their noses and wipe their nasal secretions more often,” he said. If kids need to travel to a high-risk area (as designated by the CDC), Sanborn recommends that they avoid contact with immune-suppressed friends for two weeks post-travel, especially if they were in direct contact with someone subsequently found to be infected. “If a child traveling internationally becomes sick upon return, it may not be coronavirus, but I would still recommend 14 days of school avoidance if they are coming from an area with covid-19 activity,” he said. Those who have compromised immune systems, perhaps because they are undergoing chemotherapy or are on immunosuppressant medication for a disorder such as Crohn’s disease, are at higher risk of having complications from viral diseases such as coronavirus, Burchett said. The same applies to those with significant poor health, especially chronic lung disease or severe heart failure. “Saying ‘no travel across the board’ is extreme in my opinion, but I would certainly recommend avoiding places with high incidences of corona,” Burchett said. It’s not uncommon to become sick after traveling. In fact, up to 79 percent of those traveling to low- and middle-income countries experience a travel-related health problem, according to the CDC. Fortunately, most illnesses aren’t serious. But depending on where you were traveling, your risk of infection from the coronavirus could limit your movement back home. The CDC is not allowing foreign nationals who have visited China or Iran within the past two weeks to enter the United States (those returning from other highly affected countries including Iran, South Korea and Italy will be heavily screened and may face quarantine measures). American citizens, permanent residents and their families will be allowed to enter, but will have to undergo a health screening that includes being checked for fever, coughing and trouble breathing. They will also have restrictions on their movement for up to 14 days. Travelers returning from Italy and South Korea are undergoing exit screenings in those countries. If you are returning from any area with an outbreak, avoid close contact with anyone in a nursing home or anyone sick just in case: Even if you don’t have symptoms, you could still potentially be contagious if you were exposed to the virus, Elovitz said. travel@washpost.com


Key terms of the coronavirus outbreak, explained: From asymptomatic to zoonotic

With health officials trying to prevent and prepare for the spread of the coronavirus in the United States, there is much panic and confusion and many questions. Here are some key terms and facts to know: Coronavirus: Covid-19: Zoonotic: Community transmission: Outbreak: Epidemic: Pandemic: Fatality rate: Asymptomatic transmission: Isolation: Quarantine: Containment: Mitigation: Vaccine: Anti-viral medicines:


South Korea coronavirus cases surge as Italy confirms first death from the virus

the country would deny anyone showing symptoms of Covid-19. Turkey additionally said it would deny entry to Iranians who had traveled to Qom within the last 14 days. On Thursday, Iraq, which neighbors Iran, suspended visas on arrival for Iranians. That same day Iraq and Kuwait, which is also along the Persian Gulf, both suspended direct flights to and from Iran. Iraq, Turkey and Kuwait are all important business and trading partners with Iran, while Qom is a popular pilgrimage site among Shiite Muslims from all over. Iranian authorities said that no one who tested positive with the disease had recently traveled to China. Minoo Mohraz, an Iranian health ministry official, told Iranian media that the virus “possibly came from Chinese workers who work in Qom and traveled to China,” the Associated Press reported. She provided no further evidence to back up the claim. A solar power plant in Qom is being built by a Chinese company. By: Miriam Berger 8:21 PM: Australia reports two more coronavirus cases from Diamond Princess passengers Two more passengers evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship and repatriated to Australia have tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the number of confirmed cases to six, according to the Austrlian Broadcasting Corp. The announcement comes after Australian health authorities on Friday announced four people from the Diamond Princess has contracted the virus. “We will continue to screen every day and have that very precautionary approach to testing and ensuring that we are picking up early and isolating early anybody who is positive for COVID-19,” Austrailian medical officer Dianne Stephens told ABC. By: Michael Brice-Saddler 8:00 PM: What China’s efforts to contain the coronavirus look like from a satellite The satellite captured how concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, a pollutant released by burning fossil fuels, were down in China during this period – just when the government started to impose quarantines that dramatically cut the use of cars, flights, and freights that rely on coal and other fossil fuels. Weather conditions and seasonal patterns can affect pollution, but Jessica Seddon, an air quality specialist at the Washington-based World Resources Institute, said that’s unlikely the case here given the stark contrast between the two images. Nitrogen dioxide is also quick to decompose, so it’s typically been emitted where the satellite catches it, she said. Seddon said “it’s very plausible the coronavirus would affect” nitrogen dioxide emissions, given the sudden cut


to the Austrlian Broadcasting Corp. The announcement comes after Australian health authorities on Friday announced four people from the Diamond Princess has contracted the virus. “We will continue to screen every day and have that very precautionary approach to testing and ensuring that we are picking up early and isolating early anybody who is positive for COVID-19,” Austrailian medical officer Dianne Stephens told ABC. By: Michael Brice-Saddler 8:00 PM: What China’s efforts to contain the coronavirus look like from a satellite The satellite captured how concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, a pollutant released by burning fossil fuels, were down in China during this period – just when the government started to impose quarantines that dramatically cut the use of cars, flights, and freights that rely on coal and other fossil fuels. Weather conditions and seasonal patterns can affect pollution, but Jessica Seddon, an air quality specialist at the Washington-based World Resources Institute, said that’s unlikely the case here given the stark contrast between the two images. Nitrogen dioxide is also quick to decompose, so it’s typically been emitted where the satellite catches it, she said. Seddon said “it’s very plausible the coronavirus would affect” nitrogen dioxide emissions, given the sudden cut in everyday activities from factory production to transportation. By: Miriam Berger and John Muyskens 6:30 PM: Coronavirus outbreak edges closer to pandemic In South Korea, coronavirus cases quadrupled over two days, as 144 members of a religious sect tested positive. In Singapore, clusters of infection have been traced to two churches, a hotel business meeting, a health products shop and a construction site. In Iran, an outbreak has seeded new cases in Lebanon and Canada — a worrisome sign that the disease could be spreading more widely than was realized. There are outbreaks. There are epidemics. And there are pandemics, where epidemics become rampant in multiple countries and continents simultaneously. The novel coronavirus that causes the disease named covid-19 appears to be on the verge of that third, globe-shaking stage. Amid an alarming surge in cases with no clear link to China, infectious disease experts think the flulike illness may soon be impossible to contain. The World Health Organization has not declared covid-19 a pandemic, and the most devastating effects, including more than 2,200 deaths, are still in China. But the language coming from the organization’s Geneva headquarters has turned more ominous in recent days as the challenge of containment


in everyday activities from factory production to transportation. By: Miriam Berger and John Muyskens 6:30 PM: Coronavirus outbreak edges closer to pandemic In South Korea, coronavirus cases quadrupled over two days, as 144 members of a religious sect tested positive. In Singapore, clusters of infection have been traced to two churches, a hotel business meeting, a health products shop and a construction site. In Iran, an outbreak has seeded new cases in Lebanon and Canada — a worrisome sign that the disease could be spreading more widely than was realized. There are outbreaks. There are epidemics. And there are pandemics, where epidemics become rampant in multiple countries and continents simultaneously. The novel coronavirus that causes the disease named covid-19 appears to be on the verge of that third, globe-shaking stage. Amid an alarming surge in cases with no clear link to China, infectious disease experts think the flulike illness may soon be impossible to contain. The World Health Organization has not declared covid-19 a pandemic, and the most devastating effects, including more than 2,200 deaths, are still in China. But the language coming from the organization’s Geneva headquarters has turned more ominous in recent days as the challenge of containment grows more daunting. “The window of opportunity is still there, but the window of opportunity is narrowing,” WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Friday. “We need to act quickly before it closes completely.” If the coronavirus becomes a true pandemic, a large portion of the human population — a third, a half, two-thirds even — could become infected, although that doesn’t necessarily mean they will get sick. The word “pandemic” invokes fear, but it describes how widespread an outbreak may be, not its deadliness. Read more here. By: Carolyn Y. Johnson, Lena H. Sun, William Wan and Joel Achenbach 5:45 PM: First coronavirus death reported in Italy A 78-year-old man who tested positive for coronavirus in Italy died late Friday, according to Corriere Della Sera, the country’s newspaper of record. The death, which reportedly took place in the city of Padua, marks the first in Italy from the virus and comes as confirmed cases in the country continue to climb. The newspaper, as well as the country’s ANSA news agency, reported 16 coronavirus cases in the country by Friday evening. Earlier in the day, ANSA confirmed the first cases of local transmission of coronavirus in Italy. Officials say the


in Cheongdo County. Read more here: South Korean coronavirus spike linked to doomsday sect with messianic leader By: Min Joo Kim 12:55 PM: Tokyo shoots down suggestion London could host Olympics, insists Games will proceed TOKYO — Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said Friday it was inappropriate to suggest that London could host the 2020 Olympics if the coronavirus outbreak forces organizers to look for an alternative site. On Wednesday, Shaun Bailey, the Conservative Party candidate in the London mayoral election, tweeted that London could host the Games, due to be held in the Japanese capital in July and August. “We have the infrastructure and the experience. And due to the #coronavirus outbreak, the world might need us to step up,” he wrote. The International Olympic Committee said last week that it had been advised by the World Health Organization that there was no need for a contingency plan or to consider canceling or moving the Games. Yet the number of cases in Japan has tripled to 92 since then, excluding cases on the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship that are counted separately, and officials said it is impossible to prevent the virus from spreading further. Nevertheless, Japan’s chief government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said Friday the government would continue to prepare to host the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics this summer as planned, adding that the IOC has “confidence” in Japan’s response to the virus. “We will coordinate closely with the IOC, the organizing committee and the Tokyo metropolitan government, and move ahead with preparations to make sure athletes and spectators can feel safe and secure throughout the games,” Suga told a news conference. On Feb. 19, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moved Japan onto a Level 1 watch list, noting the virus had spread to the country, and advising travelers to practice “usual precautions” such as avoiding contact with sick people and washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said nine countries have now placed some “restraint” on their citizens traveling to Japan. Tokyo and Nagoya have both been forced to scale back marathons planned for March, only opening them to elite runners. On Friday, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party postponed a convention scheduled for March 8 at a Tokyo hotel, which was to be attended by about 3,000 party members, Kyodo News reported. Japan’s Health Ministry has asked organizers


chief of Hubei province, Ying Yong, reversed an earlier decision to deduct coronavirus cases that were not confirmed by genetic tests from the total case number, which included diagnoses made by physicians. The order from Ying, the former Shanghai mayor brought in by the Communist Party leadership to take charge in Hubei, reversed an earlier move that allowed the province to report sharply lower numbers as the Chinese government looks to present an image of normalcy slowly returning across the country this week. As a result, Hubei announced a sharp surge in new cases again on Friday to more than 1,000 — as well as the startling revelation that the coronavirus was spreading inside prisons and has infected hundreds of inmates, without the information being disclosed to the public. “Next, we will further strengthen discipline and tighten management to ensure the openness and transparency, timeliness and accuracy of epidemic statistics,” Tu was quoted by Xinhua as saying. A senior-ranking official in the Communist Party’s political and legal apparatus also warned cadres on Friday in a widely disseminated speech that “hiding” cases or manipulating numbers will no longer be tolerated. Inconsistencies in China’s epidemic data, particularly in Hubei, have presented frustrations for biostatisticians trying to gain a crucial understanding of how the outbreak is progressing. Statistics in China are politically sensitive, and Communist Party officials at every level are rewarded or punished based on their performance against certain numerical benchmarks. In one particularly glaring moment that drew ridicule this week, Wuhan, a city with one-sixth the population of Hubei, reported twice the number of new coronavirus cases as the entire province. By: Gerry Shih 5:50 AM: First cases of local transmission of coronavirus confirmed in Italy Six people in a city near Milan have tested positive for coronavirus, marking the first cases of local transmission of the virus in Italy, the country’s ANSA news agency reported. Officials say the first to locally contract the virus was a 38-year-old man in the northern region of Lombardy, who became sick after having dinner with a friend who recently returned from China. He then passed the virus on to his wife and another close friend, according to Reuters. ANSA reported that the man is in serious condition, including respiratory insufficiency, and has been admitted to the intensive care unit at a hospital in Codogno, about 35 miles southeast of Milan. Both other patients have


New figures show decline in number of low-income workers who ride Metro

Center. Indeed, a 2015 census report found that those making $25,000 to $49,999 had made up 29 percent of the workers living within a half-mile of a rail station in Washington between 2006 and 2009. But as housing prices have increased, the percentage of people making that much around rail dropped to 22 percent, between 2011 and 2013. “This has created a terrible imbalance in housing near Metro stations, resulting in people with less means having to go much further than wealthy people to access Metro stations,” said Paul Mackie, research director for Mobility Lab, the research arm of Arlington County commuter services. One who has a long way to go for work is Harry Wright. One midnight recently, Wright got off work as a security guard at Sibley Memorial Hospital’s Grand Oaks Assisted Living facility with an expensive two-hour commute still ahead of him. If the transit system were built for workers like him, he would have taken a short bus ride to Friendship Heights to catch the Metro, then gotten on a Red Line train to Gallery Place, where he would have switched to the Green Line to Greenbelt and finally taken a bus home to Laurel, Md. A long haul to be sure, but warmer, and at $6.45, cheaper than what awaited him. With the train stations long closed, he waited until 12:30 a.m. for the Route D6 bus downtown. At 1 a.m., he was waiting at a lonely bus station at 17th Street Northwest and K Street Northwest for the Route S2 bus. In his backpack was a martial arts stick he carries, just in case. “This kicks my tail,” he said after he got on the next bus 15 minutes later. It was 2 a.m. when he reached the Silver Spring transit center, where the last bus to Laurel had left hours earlier. So he called for a Lyft. He’d like to buy a car to avoid all this, he said. But having to pay $25 for the Lyft to get home makes that hard, he said. And he has a wedding to save up for. Got a story about riding Metro or have a question? Send it to Read more DC Rider: Read more DC Rider: Is masturbating on Metro illegal? It depends. Do women face a transportation ‘pink tax’ in D.C.? DC Rider’s Answer Line: What happened to the music at Metro stations


Italy’s coronavirus lockdown upends the most basic routines and joys

ROME — Italy on Tuesday was a country in quiet emergency: little chatter, few hugs, few cars, no sports, empty piazzas, vacated restaurants and a deepening sense that a prolonged period of social isolation was the only way to slow the coronavirus. The Italian government announced more than 10,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and more than 600 deaths as of Tuesday evening. There were fewer new cases reported than in previous days, but the new figures show the largest single daily jump in deaths. The government’s historic ordering of a nationwide lockdown — limiting the movement of 60 million people — has transformed Italy into a testing ground for not only what it might take to control the virus, but how much a democracy is willing to upend life’s most basic routines and joys. In Rome on Tuesday, the city was moving at a crawl. People tele-worked or didn’t work at all; they wore masks or wrapped scarves around their mouths; they kept a suspicious distance from others. They tried to drop the habits that seemed suddenly dangerous — the kiss greeting; the chat at the cafe counter — even as depression and deep financial pain seemed like unavoidable side effects of the lockdown. “I’m mostly sealed indoors,” said Ivano Canni, 49, a newsstand owner, describing his sense, building for many other Italians as well, that any social contact carries a risk. “I’m trying to stand two meters apart from others. I open my door to let fresh air in for half an hour or so, then close it back.” Italy’s initial response to the coronavirus outbreak had been to try to preserve normalcy and limit the economic sacrifices. But as active cases have accelerated, the approach has changed dramatically, leading to restrictions on movement unprecedented by a democracy and new moves by Italy’s neighbors to tighten or close borders. On the first day of the nationwide lockdown, Italians appeared to be largely heeding orders, following the pleas of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who said Italy’s health system was at risk of being overwhelmed if people continued to move freely and spread the virus. Describing all of Italy as a “protected zone,” Conte on Monday night ordered a decree to essentially keep Italians in place, with any travel — abroad or across regions — requiring a signed declaration and checks from police. Some leaders in the north, the epicenter


of the outbreak, suggested Tuesday that Italy should go even further in tightening the restrictions, stopping all nonessential business and transportation. Italy’s strategy against the virus has moved quickly only because the disease has grown exponentially. Sixteen days ago, it had some 100 total cases. Ten days ago it had 1,000. On Tuesday, it had more than 8,500 active cases; another 1,000 people had recovered, and 631 had died. The country, with the world’s second-highest proportion of seniors, is particularly vulnerable to a disease that has proved deadliest for older people. Most who have died of the coronavirus were in their 70s or older. If Italy’s measures work to slow the spread, other countries with escalating outbreaks, including Germany and France, could attempt to use similar tactics. But in the meantime, other European countries have tried to limit the movement of Italians across the continent’s often-celebrated open borders. Austria on Tuesday announced a ban on all Italians seeking to enter the country without a special medical certificate. Later in the day, Slovenian authorities announced they were following Austrian example. The island nation of Malta, to the south, has suspended all flights and passenger ships between itself and Italy — effectively blocking its Mediterranean neighbor. And Spain’s cabinet banned direct flights between Italy and Spanish airports. Switzerland, which shares a border with Italy but is not a member of the European Union, tightened its border to Italian tourists. But on Tuesday Italian workers were still allowed to cross into Switzerland as long as they could provide documentation of their employment, according to the Swiss government. Several other European countries, including Britain and Croatia, are asking anyone arriving from Italy to self-isolate for 14 days. Britain also issued a travel advisory on Monday discouraging all but essential travel to Italy. And British Airways announced the temporary cancellation of flights to and from Italy. France’s border with Italy, meanwhile, remained open on Tuesday. Air France announced a reduced service that would still allow passengers to access each Italian destination in the airline’s network. Italy’s lockdown is nowhere near as absolute as the one instituted in January in China, whose authoritarian Communist government has used smartphone apps to track citizens and in some instances limited people to their apartment complexes. In Rome, people were able to move around the city freely. But the changes were noticeable. In the center of the city, a popular


Photos: The full ‘worm’ supermoon dazzles over Washington

Following Washington’s warmest day of 2020, March’s full moon beamed in the evening sky Monday. According to some definitions, the full moon met the criteria of a supermoon since it occurred near the closest point in its orbit around the Earth, known as perigee. March’s full moon earned the nickname “worm” moon because it occurs when the ground is softening and earthworms and grubs emerge from dormancy, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. This month’s supermoon is the second in a row and among four that will occur this year. February’s “snow” moon also met supermoon criteria, and so will another moon in March and one in April. NASA says supermoons can appear up to 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than moons that are farthest away from Earth in their orbits. Taking advantage of the balmy weather, photographers captured gorgeous views of the plump moon rising in the eastern sky. See a selection from the Washington region and other areas below. And here are some more photos from other locations …


The two reasons administration officials and Trump allies are linking the coronavirus to China

Early Tuesday, President Trump shared with his 73.5 million followers on Twitter a message from Charlie Kirk, the head of a pro-Trump organization for college students. Kirk’s central point was that “now, more than ever, we need the wall” on the U.S.-Mexico border, given the spread of the novel coronavirus across the world and within the United States. “With China Virus spreading across the globe,” Kirk wrote, “the U.S. stands a chance if we can control of our borders.” “Going up fast,” Trump added. “We need the Wall more than ever!” When it comes to coronavirus, Mexico may find a wall more useful than we do. There have been more than 800 recorded cases in the United States but only seven in Mexico. Asked about the utility of implementing border checkpoints to try to control the spread of the virus during a hearing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, indicated that he hadn’t seen much use in such efforts. He was also asked about the use of terms such as Kirk’s “China Virus” formulation. He rejected the idea that it was appropriate to use that descriptor to refer to the virus. A month ago, the World Health Organization announced that it would refer to the disease caused by the virus as “covid-19." “We had to find a name that did not refer to a geographical location, an animal, an individual or group of people, and which is also pronounceable and related to the disease,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said then. “Having a name matters to prevent the use of other names that can be inaccurate or stigmatizing. It also gives us a standard format to use for any future coronavirus outbreaks.” Yet in recent days, a number of administration officials and allies of the president’s have used descriptors including “Chinese coronavirus” and “Wuhan virus,” referring to the metropolitan area in China were the outbreak first emerged. Although media outlets such as CNN used terms such as “Wuhan coronavirus” before the World Health Organization named the disease, Fox News has in recent days used the “Chinese” descriptor in referring to the virus. Fox News host Tucker Carlson received some praise for accurately conveying the threat posed by the virus, but both on-air and in a tweet promoting the segment, he insisted on calling it the “Chinese coronavirus.” There are two


If Trump doesn’t like the coronavirus news now, he’ll hate what comes next

Covid-19 is unhappy news. Presidents never like unhappy news, especially during an election year. And Donald Trump is president. Therefore, President Trump does not like news of covid-19. Totally understandable. What’s dangerous is the fact that Trump and his media antagonists have trained a significant number of Americans to view all news that the president doesn’t like as manufactured, distorted or fake. The unhappy news of covid-19 is none of those things, but if Trump supporters persist in believing so, the impact of this public health emergency will be amplified. Why is covid-19 a big deal? After all, it seems a lot like influenza — a nothingburger for some, an unpleasant experience for many, and a deadly threat to the elderly and vulnerable. We live with flu, so why are people getting their knickers twisted over this? An epidemic of Trump Derangement Syndrome, perhaps? No. Covid-19 is different from influenza because it is new. And any new stress on the health-care infrastructure is a potential national emergency. You see, developed societies such as the United States have a certain number of doctors and nurses staffing a certain number of hospitals and clinics. These resources (whether allocated by a centralized government health service or by the wisdom of the marketplace) reflect expectations about the number and type of illnesses and injuries the society will face at any one time. You don’t have to trust me on this. Just look around your own neighborhood. You won’t see many empty hospitals full of doctors and nurses and medical supplies, just waiting for some new virus to emerge. Actually, should you visit a hospital or clinic at this time of year, you will likely find the staff already quite busy treating — among other maladies — influenza. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, flu season places a large burden on the U.S. health-care infrastructure: more than 10 million visits to health-care providers in an average year and hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations. Flu season is to the health-care industry what Mardi Gras is to the cheap plastic bead business. With this in mind, imagine that you are a public health official and someone tells you there’s another flu in town. You’re maxed out treating the flu cases you already have. You will want to do everything in your power to make the outbreak as small as possible. This unexpected strain on


The Health 202: Here’s a simple way for Congress to fight coronavirus: Fund community health centers

ignoring the upward trend in coronavirus cases, while downplaying the deadliness of the disease, The president is also using coronavirus as an chance to tout his efforts to expand the border wall with Mexico: — Yesterday, federal officials announced a crackdown against companies selling products claiming to prevent, treat or cure covid-19, the disease caused by the new “The Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission sent warning letters to seven companies accusing them of marketing illegal, unapproved drugs and making deceptive or scientifically unsupported claims,” Laurie writes. “It was the first time the agencies took such action involving products being touted for the coronavirus.” — Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) both slammed Trump over his coronavirus response while campaigning in Michigan. “Donald Trump does not have a natural ability to understand the coronavirus, and his reckless statements are confusing people in this country and all over the world,” Sanders said. Both men are continuing to campaign throughout the virus outbreak, saying they’re “listening” to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Scott Bixby, national reporter for the Daily Beast: CNN’s Sarah Mucha: — Just over half of Americans have confidence in the federal government to handle the response to the spread of the coronavirus, — Some hospitals have dwindling supplies of respirator masks, unable to get new shipments from Chinese manufacturers facing an explosion of new orders, — Our colleagues want to hear from you: Post data reporter Christopher Ingraham: You are reading The Health 202, our must-read newsletter on health policy. AHH: The second person to be declared cured of HIV revealed his identity in an interview with the New York Times. Adam Castillejo, 40, said he wants to be an “ambassador of hope,” one year after scientists announced he had been cured of the virus that causes AIDS “after receiving a bone-marrow transplant for his lymphoma,” the New York Times’s Apoorva Mandavilli reports. “The donor carried a mutation that impeded the ability of H.I.V. to enter cells, so the transplant essentially replaced Mr. Castillejo’s immune system with one resistant to the virus.” It was a novel and case-specific approach, she adds. It was “intended to cure his cancer and is not a practical option for the widespread curing of H.I.V. because of the risks involved.” His decision to publicize his identity came recently, in part because his doctors are now more sure


Wuhan officials tried to cover up covid-19 — and sent it careening outward

the outbreak. Between Dec. 31 and Jan. 20, China’s National Health Commission (NHC) dispatched three teams of experts to Wuhan. The first two teams struggled to gather evidence that the novel coronavirus was transmittable from human to human. They were stymied by local interests intent on keeping the epidemic under wraps so that their political bosses could hold their annual meetings in a calm atmosphere. 2. Local officials silenced whistleblowers The punishment meted out to Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist, and others who shared information about local transmission had a chilling effect on doctors. Ai Fen, a physician who shared the “SARS-like” lab results with Li, was head of emergency care at Wuhan Central Hospital. Based on the cases she saw in late December, she concluded the disease was probably human-to-human contagious and alerted the hospital authority. But the hospital’s Supervision Department admonished her for “spreading rumors and causing trouble … and causing social panic.” A Hubei Health Commission official also called a company that did the viral sequencing and directed the company to stop the sequencing from Wuhan — although these tests would have been a useful indicator of the spread of the novel coronavirus that causes the disease covid-19. 3. Local officials kept the expert groups in the dark On Jan. 3, the Wuhan municipal health commission (WHC) announced that the national and Hubei provincial health commissions had sent expert teams to Wuhan to offer their guidance. Interviews with the experts reveal that senior WHC officials and hospital administrators chaperoned the expert groups closely. Reportedly, the experts were not free to talk to doctors in the emergency care and infectious diseases wards, which would probably have revealed valuable insights on the new virus, including the number of infected health-care workers. Li Wenliang was already hospitalized on Jan. 10 — which would have offered powerful evidence of human-to-human transmission. We now know about a cluster of infections at Union Hospital, where a doctor and 13 nurses involved in one operation became infected by the patient and began to show symptoms around Jan. 12. Members of the second expert group “always suspected” human-to-human transmission. But when they visited hospitals and inquired about medical staff infections, hospital leadership and the doctors they met invariably told them there were none. Wang Guangfa 4. The WHC restricted the diagnostic criteria On the surface, the WHC deferred to national authorities and the Beijing/Hubei experts’ joint


diagnosing VPUE cases “were so strict, not a single patient met [them].” A doctor at a major Wuhan hospital who overrode the stringent criteria and submitted the probable cases received “stern criticism” from hospital leadership. Barricaded behind the restrictive criteria and with doctors too afraid to speak up, the WHC effectively made the coronavirus outbreak disappear while Hubei provincial leaders held their “two sessions” on Jan. 11-17. Beginning on Jan. 11, WHC announced “zero” new cases. These zeros, repeated daily, had a powerful soothing effect. Xu Jianguo, head of the first NHC expert group to Wuhan, predicted in mid-January: “This epidemic is limited and will end if there are no new cases next week.” Pronouncements like this lulled the public as well as most medical staff into a false sense of security. Most doctors in Wuhan failed to take precautions even though they saw a growing number of patients with symptoms of the new pneumonia-like virus, resulting in high numbers of medical staff infections. What are the real lessons from China? China’s governance system has prized growth while maintaining stability — but central-local tensions and bureaucratic shortfalls complicate this picture. The threat of instability — like this outbreak — tends to see local authorities deploy a combination of carrots and sticks to control information and restore order. But when central-local interests diverge, as was the case with the covid-19 outbreak, the tensions produced feigned compliance, distortion and subterfuge. Since Jan. 20, China’s leadership has launched an unprecedented national campaign to contain the novel coronavirus. This enormously costly drive seems to be paying off, and reported new cases in China have dwindled. But China, along with the rest of the world, is paying a huge price for these initial delays. Don’t miss anything! Sign up to get TMC’s smart analysis in your inbox, three days a week. Dali L. Yang is the William C. Reavis Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago. Read more: Covid-19 reveals how China’s internal politics now affect the whole world Does the World Health Organization have the freedom to do what it needs to do about covid-19? China’s early warning system didn’t work on covid-19. Here’s the story. The novel coronavirus is about to hit Africa. Here are the big challenges. Why China’s politics makes it easier — and harder — to control disease outbreaks Is China ready for this major global health challenge?


How much will Saudi Arabia’s oil price slash hurt its neighbors?

Saudi Arabia’s decision to increase production and sell oil at sharply discounted prices at a time of declining oil demand has sent shock waves through oil markets and stock markets. Increased production comes at a moment when the covid-19 outbreak has seized business and tourism activity globally — essentially creating a simultaneous demand and supply shock. There will probably be severe economic effects on both sides of the Persian Gulf, as well as in Pakistan and countries in the Middle East and Horn of Africa that rely on the Gulf Arab states for financial support. Other Middle East oil producers will be forced to sell their crude at the Saudi price, posing a heavy blow to fiscal plans. Here’s how this may play out across the region. 2020 was already looking like a difficult year Few producers will be able to bear the pain until either Russia agrees to production cuts — which looks unlikely for now — or a political crisis threatens the availability of oil transferring through the Strait of Hormuz or Bab al-Mandeb, bumping up oil prices. Neither is a longer-term solution to get back to steady, if low, growth. For Iraq, without a new government in place, the timing is terrible. For Iran, there appears to be no bottom to the list of problems. Iran’s capacity for oil production and export is crippled by sanctions, and basic governance is halted by internal turmoil related to covid-19. With oil prices forecast by the Energy Information Administration in February to stay in the $60-per-barrel range, 2020 was already a difficult year across the gulf. Depending on the country, fiscal break-even prices ranged from $40 a barrel to over $100 a barrel. Many oil exporters faced low growth projections around 1 percent of gross domestic product, just hovering above recession levels. The Saudi government’s own budget forecast a fiscal deficit at 6.5 percent of GDP for 2020, to be filled with reserves, loans or bond issues. Gulf nations spend more than they earn S&P Global has estimated that the Gulf Cooperation Council states will need as much as $300 billion in external funding to meet 2018-2022 spending needs. New funding needs may dwarf those estimates, should the price war drag out through the year. Access to debt capital markets has been good for the six members of the GCC — Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain


D.C. street closures for St. Patrick’s Day parade Sunday

D.C. police announced street closures Tuesday ahead of the city’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday. Ahead of the 12 p.m. parade, the following streets will be posted as “Emergency No Parking” from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.: — Seventh Street between Pennsylvania Avenue NW and Independence Avenue SW — Constitution Avenue from Pennsylvania Avenue to 23rd Street NW — Ninth Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and Constitution Avenue NW — 10th Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and Constitution Avenue NW — Virginia Avenue between Constitution Avenue and 19th Street NW — 18th Street between Constitution Avenue and E Street NW The following streets will be closed for the parade from about 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.: — Seventh Street between Pennsylvania Avenue NW and Independence Avenue SW — Constitution Avenue from Pennsylvania Avenue to 14th Street NW The following streets will be closed for the parade from about 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.: — 12th Street between Pennsylvania Avenue NW and Independence Avenue SW — SE/SW Freeway-Access to 12th Street Tunnel from I-395 ramp — Constitution Avenue from 14th Street to 23rd Street NW — 14th Street between Pennsylvania Avenue NW to Independence Avenue SW — Inbound I-395, or the 14th Street Bridge (all traffic will be sent eastbound on I-395 SW Freeway) — 15th Street between Pennsylvania Avenue NW and Independence Avenue SW All street closures and listed times are subject to change, police said, and motorists might wish to consider alternate routes. In other cities across the world, including Boston, Dublin and San Francisco, St. Patrick’s Day parades have been canceled because of concerns about the spreading coronavirus.


The eerie emptiness in a world facing the coronavirus

Italian piazzas empty from the Alps to the Mediterranean. Highways without cars in China. A professional baseball game in Tokyo played with no fans to watch. The global battle against the coronavirus outbreak is also a struggle to adapt to a world with new rhythms and rules. No one can predict how long it may take for life to return to the patterns before the coronavirus first flared in China late last year. Many images may endure as symbols of the epidemic: the quarantine of the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama, Japan, or Chinese work crews building a hospital from nothing in about 10 days in Wuhan, the city where the virus was detected. But something else will be remembered — the unfamiliar silence in thousands of places from lockdowns, cancellations, school and university closures, and other events held under special restrictions. The United Nations estimated that education has been disrupted for nearly 363 million students worldwide — a number that is growing by the day. At Tokyo’s Zozo Marine Stadium, a home run ball hit by Seiya Inoue of the Chiba Lotte Marines bounced among deserted seats. “It’s sad that nobody is watching,” he told Kyodo News. He went ahead and did a home run celebration anyway. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands called on citizens to stop shaking hands to prevent spreading the coronavirus. Then he forgot his own appeal and shook hands with the head of the infectious diseases department of the nation’s public health institute.


Walmart, Apple and Olive Garden are among major employers updating sick leave policies as coronavirus cases spread

employees, the company said, will receive paid sick time for the hours they’ve worked over the past six months. The Orlando-based company has 180,000 employees. “As we continue to make investments in our employees, we strengthen our greatest competitive edge — because when our team members win, our guests win,” Gene Lee, Darden’s chief executive, said in announcing the new policy. Ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft were among the first to announce coronavirus-related sick pay for affected drivers, who are technically independent contractors and have not previously qualified for paid leave or benefits. Uber this weekend said it will provide 14 days of sick pay for any drivers or delivery workers who are sick with the coronavirus or are required to be isolated, though it did not offer details on how it could calculate that pay. “We are supporting drivers and delivery people who are diagnosed with COVID-19 or placed in quarantine by a public health authority,” Andrew Macdonald, a senior vice president at Uber, said in a statement announcing the policy Saturday. “We believe this is the right thing to do." Lyft, meanwhile, says it will “provide funds to drivers” who become ill with the virus or are put under quarantine, but did not elaborate. “This helps support drivers financially when they can’t drive, while also protecting our riders’ health,” the company said on its website. Apple this week said it will begin providing unlimited paid leave to hourly employees, including those at its retail stores, who become sick with cold or flu symptoms similar to covid-19. The company is also urging corporate employees to work from home, and said it has “increased cleaning protocols” at its stores. A worker at Apple’s European headquarters in Dublin tested positive for the coronavirus Tuesday. That employee has been quarantined, and some others have been asked to stay home, the company said. App-based grocery delivery service Instacart said it would offer up to 14 days of paid leave for any employee or contractor diagnosed with covid-19 or under mandatory quarantine by public health authorities. The company has more than 200,000 shoppers around the country, the vast majority of them independent contractors, who do not qualify for other types of paid sick leave. The company said it will also begin offering sick pay to its in-store shoppers — a small segment of its workforce that picks groceries but does not deliver them. Those


On the coronavirus, don’t freak out; do get facts

There is a run on hand sanitizer, and people are putting masks on their cats. This is your guide to not panicking about covid-19.


Can we quarantine the economy?

Chico Harlan with a dispatch from Italy under a country-wide lockdown. Heather Long answers your questions about the coronavirus outbreak’s impact on the markets. And, Ben Guarino on the audacious efforts to reforest the planet to fight climate change.


Why hasn’t Trump been tested for the coronavirus?

President has not received COVID-19 testing because he has neither had prolonged close contact with any known confirmed COVID-19 patients, nor does he have any symptoms,” the statement read. “President Trump remains in excellent health, and his physician will continue to closely monitor him.” “Per current CDC guidelines,” it continued, “medical professionals should base testing decisions on patient symptoms and exposure history.” It’s fair to note that Trump hasn’t shown symptoms of the illness and that he hasn’t had prolonged close contact with confirmed patients. (He did have prolonged contact with Gaetz, it seems, but Gaetz probably wasn’t infected.) It’s also the case that tests can return a false negative, which “does not exclude the possibility of COVID-19,” as an FDA advisory suggests. What’s strange, though, is that the White House hasn’t proactively had Trump tested anyway. The CDC guidelines for testing have been criticized broadly as being too restrictive, limiting the number of tests that were performed and, therefore, the number of people who have been confirmed to have been infected. Given Trump’s demonstrated interest in limiting the number of proved cases and calming investors, it’s worth wondering whether avoiding a test is focused more on playing down the threat than ensuring Trump’s health. That should be a concern. On Monday, Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, held a briefing in which she identified the specific risks to older Americans posed by the coronavirus. Messonnier focused on age 60 as an apparent pivot point in the risks posed by the illness, recommending Americans above that age be prepared with food and medicine in the event of infection. Trump is significantly older than that at 73, the second-oldest president in history. At the news briefing that spurred the questions about Trump having been tested, the surgeon general stated the average age of death for those who had contracted covid-19 was 80. Most of the deaths from the disease in the United States occurred at a nursing home near Seattle. Tim Killian, the public information liaison for the facility, told reporters the rate at which patients were overcome by the illness was alarming. “We have seen some results that have frankly concerned us with how quickly symptoms have shown, become acute and led to, even, death in some cases within our residents,” Killian said. Again, there’s no indication that Trump has been exposed to the


MLB, MLS, NBA and NHL to close locker rooms to reporters, citing coronavirus concerns

Press Sports Editors, Baseball Writers’ Association of America, North American Soccer Reporters, Pro Football Writers of America, Professional Basketball Writers Association, Professional Hockey Writers Association and U.S. Basketball Writers Association. The PBWA said in a separate statement, “We understand the NBA’s decision to temporarily close locker rooms to everyone but players and essential team personnel with the NBA’s promise that once the coronavirus crisis abates, the league will restore full access to the journalists who cover the league. … Locker room access is essential to good sports journalism.” Covid-19, the disease caused by a new strain of the virus that originated in China, has infected more than 100,000 people worldwide and has caused several thousand deaths. In the United States, more than 600 cases in 35 states, plus the District of Columbia, have been confirmed thus far, with 22 deaths. Sports leagues have begun instituting practices to try to slow the spread of the disease, including making hand sanitizer widely available at games, as well as encouraging fans to wash their hands frequently and advising them to avoid close contact with people who appear ill. Nevertheless, an NBA executive told The Washington Post that the league may be “forced to play games in empty arenas at some point.” Another executive described recent comments by LeBron James, who declared he would not play if no fans were in attendance, as “shortsighted” and “not helpful.” The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced Monday that it had postponed a media summit scheduled for next week in Los Angeles. There were 109 athletes confirmed to appear, as of Monday afternoon, including track stars Allyson Felix, Christian Coleman and Galen Rupp; basketball players Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi and Elena Delle Donne; swimmer Ryan Lochte; soccer star Carli Lloyd; and golfer Danielle Kang. “As we weighed this decision, we relied on the expert opinion of our USOPC medical staff, our Infectious Disease Advisory Group, [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] professionals and local leaders, and came to the joint conclusion that the potential of spread or infection, however remote or unlikely, could have a real impact on the athletes of Team USA,” USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland wrote in an email to athletes. “With 136 days to the opening of the Olympic Games, and 168 to the opening of the Paralympic Games, that simply isn’t a risk worth taking.” The Post’s Thomas Floyd contributed to this report.


Feds charge horse racing trainers, veterinarians over ‘widespread, corrupt’ doping scheme

More than two dozen horse racing industry employees were charged Monday with participating in “a widespread, corrupt” doping scheme, the latest black eye for the troubled sport. Federal prosecutors brought charges against 27 people in a far-reaching operation involving performance-enhancing drugs, alleging that racehorse trainers, veterinarians and others manufactured, distributed and received “adulterated and misbranded PEDs and … secretly [administered] those PEDs to racehorses,” according to the charging documents. The investigation found that the trainers and vets were able to deceive horse racing regulators by administering PEDs that were “difficult or impossible to detect in anti-PED tests,” some of them unapproved and administered using methods “that can injure and, in extreme cases, kill the horse.” The drugs also masked the horses’ ability to feel pain, causing the animals to overexert themselves during exercise. “These substances stimulated endurance, deadened nerves, increased oxygen intake and reduced inflammation,” William F. Sweeney Jr., assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York field office, said Monday at a news conference. “What actually happened to the horses amounted to nothing less than abuse.” The indictments were handed down amid a time of increased scrutiny on the industry, which has seen a rise in fatal racehorse injuries over the past year. In January, a House of Representatives committee heard testimony from supporters of the Horseracing Integrity Act, which would establish an independent, private nonprofit corporation that would administer an anti-doping program for racehorses. Graham Motion, who trained 2011 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom and is an advocate for the act, wrote Monday on Twitter that it was “a sad day for racing but a long time coming." “If it happened in any sport it would be disappointing, and when you’re talking about horses being put at risk, it’s even more troubling,” Motion said in a telephone interview. “Look, it’s a sad day for the sport because it’s sad to know that there are people who are prepared to go to these lengths to cheat in our sport,” Motion added. “Let’s face it. It’s like any sport. We’re no different than any other sport in that respect. It’s a shame that it’s taken this long to catch these guys, who clearly, according to the indictments, have been using some pretty dramatic medications.” Among those charged was trainer Jason Servis, who was accused of “orchestrating a widespread scheme of covertly obtaining and administering adulterated and misbranded PEDs” to


A veteran wanted to see his canine partner again. A congressman stepped in to help.

“He was really more interested in things for Jacky,” she recalls. On March 13, 2013, Jacky and De La Rosa were returning to base after a patrol when their Stryker, an over-18-ton, boat-shaped armored infantry vehicle, hit an IED. “Everything went white,” De La Rosa recalls. Photos show how the bomb punctured the vehicle, twisting its cagelike anti-rocket armor so that it resembled a melting clock in a Salvador Dalí painting. Both De La Rosa and Jacky were shaken, but after a 24-hour rest, they were back on duty. “She just wanted to work. She just wanted to get back out there,” says De La Rosa, who now receives disability payments in part because of injuries from that incident. When their deployment ended later that year, handler and dog returned stateside, where the military contracting company responsible for Jacky asked De La Rosa to hand her over on the tarmac so she could train with a new handler for redeployment. “It was pretty much, we took the dog to go use the bathroom after the flight from Germany, and then they pretty much just took our leashes and the dog,” recalls De La Rosa. “That dog was my best friend.” He struggled with the abruptness of their separation and hoped to eventually adopt her and bring her to Wisconsin, where he now lives and works as a state corrections officer. Then in 2014, the Army suddenly ended the program he and Jacky had participated in, Tactical Explosive Detection Dog (TEDD), leading to confusion over where some of the dogs went. (A 2018 Department of Defense inspector general’s report criticized the hasty wind-down.) Troops from the program formed a group, Justice for TEDD Handlers, and tried to track down the dogs and alter policy so handlers could adopt them more easily. The first few years after he came home, De La Rosa got sporadic updates about Jacky, who after another tour in Afghanistan landed with the U.S. Capitol Police. A junior handler there had emailed him out of the blue for advice on how to work with her. Still hoping to adopt Jacky, De La Rosa started to worry when the updates stopped. So Pelzer began contacting the Capitol Police about Jacky, too, and in 2016 was told they weren’t open to the idea of a reunion for Jacky and De La Rosa out of concern that it might interrupt her


‘Forget about rope lines’: Secret Service faces unique challenge of protecting Trump from coronavirus exposure

former agent in the Presidential Protection Division who left in 2014. He said the agency and White House would be wise to keep Trump at least 6 to 10 feet from the public — on rope lines and at rallies or other public events — which is approximately the distance public health experts said the virus can travel through airborne particles. But Wackrow acknowledged that implementing such restrictions can be difficult given that the president has competing incentives. Concerned about the effect on the economy of widespread shutdowns, Trump has sought to demonstrate confidence that public routines should not be widely disrupted, despite warnings from health experts aimed at limiting public gatherings. And he is ramping up his reelection campaign. On Monday, Trump departed Orlando Sanford International Airport for a campaign fundraiser with 300 donors at a private residence. Restricting access to Trump “could be wishful thinking on service’s part, at the end of the day, especially with this president, who will do whatever he wants to do,” Wackrow said. “You can yell and scream as much as you want to articulate risk, but if the president feels it’s necessary to do it, the president is going to do it. It’s the Service’s role at that point to make the environment as safe as possible.” White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement that the president’s doctor, the Secret Service and the White House operations division “has been working closely with staff and various agencies to ensure every precaution is taken” to keep Trump, his family and the White House complex “safe and healthy.” “As we are all doing, Americans should continue to follow the CDC’s guidance on travel and public gatherings,” Deere added, “which includes staying home if you feel ill, as well as frequently washing your hands with soap and water.” Various news reports, citing anonymous White House aides, suggested that behind the scenes the president was alarmed about potential exposure to the virus. But press secretary Stephanie Grisham issued a statement declaring that reports that the White House had instructed all presidential aides to limit “in-person interactions” was “completely false.” The White House’s determination to project a sense of business as usual for the president conflicts with precedent. In May 2009, President Barack Obama’s White House instructed aides to stay home if they were sick after an administration official, who had been in meetings with Obama


Hundreds of D.C.-area students returning from studying abroad are told to spend two weeks in isolation

Washington-area universities are telling hundreds of students returning from study-abroad programs in nations stricken with coronavirus outbreaks to spend two weeks in isolation before coming back to campus. In most cases, the directive applies to students returning from China, Iran, Italy and South Korea. People returning from countries affected by widespread cases of covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, have been instructed to stay home, out of class and away from work. “Our ideal is that they go home for those 14 days and get tested,” said Lawrence J. Morris, Catholic University’s chief of staff. Officials recently had about 100 students return from all of the school’s study-abroad programs, about one-third of whom were studying in Italy. The self-quarantine policy applies only to students returning from high-risk countries. Campuses last week also announced plans to temporarily ban school-sponsored international travel, preventing mission trips to the Dominican Republic and spring break excursions in Northern Ireland. “We know this is both an inconvenience and a disappointment to many who had upcoming international travel plans, but the ongoing uncertainty of the covid-19 situation in many parts of the world requires us to take the appropriate steps to safeguard our students, faculty and staff,” leaders at American University said in an email to the campus. University administrators are planning for a future that could include more online coursework and relaxed attendance policies. Updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will affect at least 56 students from American University and about 40 students from George Washington University, according to the schools. Those students have been instructed to avoid the public and monitor their symptoms in their homes away from campus. Two Howard University students who were studying in Italy have been relocated to London, and a third student opted to go home for the rest of the semester, said Alonda Thomas, a campus spokeswoman. The novel coronavirus, first identified in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, has moved across the globe and infected more than 100,000 people, according to Johns Hopkins University. China, Iran, Italy and South Korea are among the hardest-hit nations — more than 3,700 people have died in those countries of complications related to the virus. In the United States, more than 600 cases of the disease have been reported in more than 30 states and the District, with 22 deaths. Italy is one of the most


and staff,” leaders at American University said in an email to the campus. University administrators are planning for a future that could include more online coursework and relaxed attendance policies. Updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will affect at least 56 students from American University and about 40 students from George Washington University, according to the schools. Those students have been instructed to avoid the public and monitor their symptoms in their homes away from campus. Two Howard University students who were studying in Italy have been relocated to London, and a third student opted to go home for the rest of the semester, said Alonda Thomas, a campus spokeswoman. The novel coronavirus, first identified in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, has moved across the globe and infected more than 100,000 people, according to Johns Hopkins University. China, Iran, Italy and South Korea are among the hardest-hit nations — more than 3,700 people have died in those countries of complications related to the virus. In the United States, more than 600 cases of the disease have been reported in more than 30 states and the District, with 22 deaths. Italy is one of the most popular study-abroad destinations for U.S. students: 36,945 Americans participated in programs in Italy during the 2017-2018 school year, an increase of more than 4 percent from the year before, according to data from the Institute of International Education. About 11,600 students studied in China, and 3,900 studied in South Korea that school year. More than 130 students from the University of Maryland at College Park are leaving programs in Italy. “Emotionally, it’s so hard,” said Sarah Sabet, a sophomore and public health science major who recently returned from Italy. In a matter of hours, she was uprooted from her Italian apartment, rushed onto an airplane and directed into self-isolation in her Bethesda home. She sends daily updates to university staff that include temperature readings. “I can’t see my friends,” she said. The aftermath will bring more challenges as students try to recover academically — from missing days of classes — and financially. Sabet said she will not be reimbursed the $4,800 she paid to live in Rome until May. The university’s priorities are to bring students back to the United States and to make sure they finish the semester on time, said Natifia Mullings, a U-Md. spokeswoman. But issues regarding


A look inside coronavirus preparations at a major U.S. hospital

a patient tested, and how long it took to get a result. When Biddinger and his colleagues met Friday morning, only three people across Massachusetts had tested positive for the virus. But another three out-of-state residents had just fallen ill with it after attending a meeting held in Boston by the biotech company Biogen, according to company officials. Others who had attended the 175-person company meeting were feeling sick. The hospital’s experts have been planning and practicing their response to dangerous infectious diseases since at least 2002-2003, when the emergence of SARS — severe acute respiratory syndrome — awakened the world to the potential for deadly new coronaviruses. Mass General is one of 10 medical centers across the nation federally funded to handle patients infected by Ebola and other special pathogens. When covid-19 began spreading from China earlier this year, Mass General officials wrote a handbook for preparing and coping with the disease that has been used and adapted by hospitals in the United States and abroad. Even with that foundation, as hospital leaders repeated in sessions with staff, there is much that lies beyond the direct control of doctors and nurses and administrators, from the messaging out of the White House to the availability of tests, protective gear, and negative-pressure rooms designed to contain contagions. And there is much unknown about the disease, including how long the virus can live on surfaces, how frequently it is transmitted by people who haven’t yet developed symptoms, and its mortality rate in the United States. During a midweek town hall for Mass General’s 27,000 employees, Biddinger promised the hospital would be transparent about its challenges but also underscored the rapidly changing circumstances they all faced, sometimes hour by hour. Don’t print any coronavirus information from the hospital intranet, he said, including information about which patients should be tested or what protective gear is required when treating them. “Printing things and taping them up on the wall, much as that’s a hospital time-honored tradition, is not really the way to go,” said Biddinger, who is director of the hospital’s Center for Disaster Medicine. “In two, three, four days, it will be out of date.” He was right. Between Wednesday morning and nightfall Friday, the federal government issued the new rules governing who should be tested. Five more people from the Biogen meeting tested positive for covid-19, according to state health officials, and 113


White House to the availability of tests, protective gear, and negative-pressure rooms designed to contain contagions. And there is much unknown about the disease, including how long the virus can live on surfaces, how frequently it is transmitted by people who haven’t yet developed symptoms, and its mortality rate in the United States. During a midweek town hall for Mass General’s 27,000 employees, Biddinger promised the hospital would be transparent about its challenges but also underscored the rapidly changing circumstances they all faced, sometimes hour by hour. Don’t print any coronavirus information from the hospital intranet, he said, including information about which patients should be tested or what protective gear is required when treating them. “Printing things and taping them up on the wall, much as that’s a hospital time-honored tradition, is not really the way to go,” said Biddinger, who is director of the hospital’s Center for Disaster Medicine. “In two, three, four days, it will be out of date.” He was right. Between Wednesday morning and nightfall Friday, the federal government issued the new rules governing who should be tested. Five more people from the Biogen meeting tested positive for covid-19, according to state health officials, and 113 more needed evaluation, according to Ann Prestipino, the hospital’s incident commander for the outbreak. Half of them would be coming to Mass General. Workers from across the hospital descended to the ambulance bay to set up a makeshift clinic to examine and potentially test dozens who had attended the tech company meeting. A sister hospital across town, Brigham and Women’s, was getting the others. The bay space buzzed. A clutch of nurses and doctors planned how to efficiently and safely move patients in and out of the negative-pressure room where they would be swabbed for testing. Others rolled in hand-sanitizer stations and computers on wheels, stocked a cart with masks and gowns, and adjusted pink curtains to wall off a private space for taking patients’ vital signs. Two men set up folding black chairs, snapping the yellow measuring tape they used to ensure that seats were placed at six-foot intervals — the spacing the CDC recommends as safe distancing in crowds. The pop-up clinic could evaluate and test about four patients per hour, and so the meeting attendees would be seen Friday night and Saturday morning, Prestipino said. And the clinic may stay open to accommodate a surge in the


number of people who need evaluations. As of Monday, of the state’s 41 confirmed or presumptive cases of covid-19, 32 were associated with the Biogen conference, the Massachusetts health department announced. Beyond the pop-up clinic, Mass General health-care workers who encounter a patient with fever, cough and other symptoms of covid-19 can call a “biothreats” pager at the hospital for advice and help determining whether that patient should be tested. On Tuesday, the pager buzzed about 20 times, according to Erica Shenoy, an infectious diseases doctor and associate chief of infection control. By Thursday afternoon, the buzzes sounded every 10 minutes and had become a full-time job for Amir Mohareb, a young infectious-diseases doctor who fielded calls from a desk in a medical office building. His job was to help determine whether to seek a test, and then to discuss each case with state public health officials, who ultimately make the call on whether to approve a testing request in accordance with CDC guidance. When the coronavirus first hit the United States, the CDC’s testing guidelines were so stringent that they made it impossible to test some of the patients who hospital officials suspected of having been exposed. A person who was ill with symptoms, for example, and who had recently returned from one of the then five countries with serious outbreaks — China, South Korea, Iran, Japan and Italy — could not get tested unless they were so sick that they had to be hospitalized. “Some cases I thought would get tested were declined,” Mohareb said. An inability to test has been a key problem nationwide. As of Thursday, only 25 patients had been tested across Massachusetts, including a handful at Mass General. The strict CDC criteria accounted for some of the low numbers, but so did a nationwide shortage of tests. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health had the capacity to test only 100 individuals as of the end of February, according to hospital officials who work closely with the state agency. Vice President Pence at one point said that 1.5 million tests would be ready by this past weekend. But by Friday, public health labs had received tests for up to 75,000 people, and more than 1.1 million tests had been shipped to nonpublic health labs, including academic medical centers and commercial laboratories, federal officials said. Testifying before Massachusetts legislators on Wednesday, Larry Madoff, an official at


Olympic torch to be lit without spectators; Indian Wells tennis canceled over coronavirus

Two prestigious sports events — the Olympic torch lighting ceremony and a tennis tournament that attracts the world’s top stars — have been altered because of concerns about the coronavirus, while an NHL team faces a major decision about how to stage its upcoming games. Thursday’s torch lighting ceremony for this summer’s Tokyo Olympics will be the first in more than 35 years to be held without spectators, organizers said this week. Meantime, the annual BNP Paribas tournament in Indian Wells, Calif., was called off just before it was set to begin, becoming the largest sports event in the United States to be canceled or postponed because of the coronavirus epidemic. This is the first time since the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics that the torch-lighting ceremony will be held without spectators lining on the slopes of the ancient stadium in the tiny Peloponnesian town of Olympia, where the games originated. “Only 100 invited and accredited guests” will be allowed to attend the lighting of the Olympic flame, the Greek Olympic Committee said in a statement, according to Reuters. “The dress rehearsal on March 11 will be closed to spectators and media.” After the torch lighting, there will be a seven-day relay, ending with a handover ceremony March 19 in Greece. The Japanese leg of the torch relay will begin March 26 in Fukushima as it begins a four-month journey through Japan’s 47 prefectures. As with the Olympics, the decision about Indian Wells came late, with players already arriving for a tournament considered just a tier below tennis’s four Grand Slam events. Qualifying matches were to begin Monday, with the women’s main draw starting Wednesday and the men’s Thursday. “We are here and still deciding what’s next. So sad for all that is happening around the world with this situation,” Rafael Nadal, the world’s second-ranked player, tweeted. “Hopefully soon solutions from the authorities. Stay all well and safe.” The event, which normally attracts as many as 450,000 fans, was set to feature 19 of the top 20 men’s players, including Nadal, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, and defending champion Dominic Thiem. (Roger Federer was already out because of knee surgery.) The women’s draw was equally star-studded, including the likes of Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff. “We are very disappointed that the tournament will not take place, but the health and safety of the local community, fans, players, volunteers, sponsors,


Amherst College switches to online learning, as universities nationally scramble to respond to covid-19 outbreak

nation’s college and university presidents abruptly scrapped an annual conference it was planning to hold for 1,500 higher education leaders starting next weekend in San Diego. “Our first priority is the safety and well-being of our staff and attendees,” the American Council on Education said in a statement, noting that California, New York and Washington state have all declared states of emergency, and that coronavirus cases have been confirmed in more than half the states. “It seems inevitable that the news will get worse in this regard.” At Princeton, the new policies intended to increase social distancing will be in place through April 5, according to university officials, and will be reassessed as that date approaches. The measures were adopted even though, so far, no one associated with the university has tested positive for covid-19. “While much remains unknown about COVID-19’s epidemiology and impact, our medical advisers tell us that we should proceed on the assumption that the virus will spread more broadly and eventually reach our campus,” the university’s president, Christopher L. Eisgruber, wrote in a letter to campus Monday. “They also tell us that the best time to put in place policies to slow the spread of the virus is now, before we begin to see cases on our campus, rather than later.” Acting now will also allow students to meet their academic requirements remotely, Eisgruber wrote. “We encourage students to consider staying home after Spring Break,” Eisgruber wrote. Princeton will also limit the number and size of campus gatherings, and restrict university-sponsored travel, as multiple other universities have done in recent days. Any lectures, seminars and precepts that can be taught virtually will be, he wrote, beginning March 23 when the school’s spring break has ended. “Though we recognize that a personal, ‘high touch’ educational environment is one of Princeton’s great strengths,” Eisgruber wrote, “we also recognize that these are extraordinary times that require exceptional measures to deal with a health risk that affects us all.” Eisgruber spoke to the difficult choices university leaders must make in the face of the rapidly evolving outbreak, acknowledging “that these measures impose significant restrictions and costs on projects that matter tremendously to each of us. …” People have different views about how to respond to the risks and uncertainties but, he wrote, “I ask all of you to join in supporting these policies, which address a threat affecting us all.”


The coronavirus isn’t another Hurricane Katrina. It’s worse.

— that overwhelms the theory of local control. Coronavirus is likely to be this kind of problem. As America moves to the mitigation stage of the outbreak, social distancing measures — such as closing schools, ending mass gatherings and restricting travel — are the next line of defense. But the problem with such measures is that they tend to be imposed too late and/or lifted too early. And the current implementation of social distancing by states and localities can best be called spotty. All the elements now exist for a swiftly unfolding emergency, on a scale that dwarfs Katrina. Because of the early absence of adequate tests, we have very little idea how prevalent the disease is in the country and little idea of how fast it is spreading. Dangerously and absurdly, political leaders have been using the low number of confirmed cases as the evidence of success when it is actually a measure of our blindness. While administration officials were speaking the word “contained,” the virus was spreading unhindered in some places for weeks. And if sickness begins to come in a sudden rush, it will swamp the health-care system, leading to shortages of masks, hospital beds, ventilators and personnel (as it has in northern Italy). “The glaring risk today,” as J. Stephen Morrison of the Center for Strategic and International Studies told me, “is that the elderly and those with fragile health suffer extreme illness but are unable to access life-sustaining care and die in large numbers.” In just 18 days, Italy went from three confirmed cases of coronavirus to imposing nationwide internal travel restrictions. In a similar circumstance, the United States would need an assertive, active, early federal role in encouraging mitigation, readying the health-care system and helping states and localities bear the cost of the crisis. Agencies would have to aggressively use their power to influence, because there is no time for Congress to give them the real power to act. Some logistical role for the military may even be helpful. I can imagine the objections. Some may argue that this would trample on the authority of states and localities, and that the administration would own whatever follows. But an unprecedented emergency may require going beyond traditional thinking and traditional roles. And the administration owns the situation already. michaelgerson@washpost.com Read more from Michael Gerson’s archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook


Ethiopia’s first shot at real democracy could be derailed before elections are held

JIMMA, Ethiopia — On a busy back street in the hometown of Ethiopia's prime minister, Nobel Prize-winner Abiy Ahmed, two men sipping coffee and chewing khat tried out a new pastime: having a heated political disagreement in public. Africa’s second-most-populous country is heading into its first multiparty campaign season after Abiy lifted a ban on opposition parties, dissolved his ruling party that controlled life here with an iron fist for nearly three decades and scheduled elections for August. Abiy’s promise to transform Ethiopia into a full-fledged democracy has earned him widespread praise abroad — and is why some Ethiopians aren’t as worried as they once were that speaking critically of the government could lead to a knock on their door by the intelligence services. But the openness has also laid bare a deeply polarized country, riven by political and ethnic rivalries entrenched by Abiy’s predecessors. Rather than uniting the country, democratic politics could derail violently right at their outset in Ethiopia, especially if Abiy’s government denies the opposition space to campaign openly. The elections are a high-stakes gamble for Ethiopia’s future. Despite widespread poverty, unemployment and ethnic violence that has uprooted millions from their homes, Ethiopia remains stable enough to broker regional peace agreements — including with neighboring Eritrea — and Abiy’s promise of new economic policies has landed the country billions of promised dollars in foreign loans and investment. Major political violence would scuttle those ambitions. In an attempt to preempt such violence, officials say, the government has begun to dispatch security forces to clamp down on opposition gatherings and restrict Internet service, phone access and physical movement across a vast opposition stronghold where people have been detained in droves and some killed in custody. Critics see the makings of a crackdown on dissent. Rights groups and journalists have reported cases of arrests and disappearances of vocal opposition leaders and supporters. In speeches, Abiy has forcefully rejected ethnic politics and re-christened his party the Prosperity Party — an anomaly in a sea of coalition and opposition members whose names explicitly denote ethnicity. (Ethiopia is split into nine semiautonomous ethnic regions.) The power of the Prosperity Party “in the coming election will draw on the fear of ethno-nationalism, for people’s personal well-being — and even the survival of the nation,” said Abel Abate, an Ethiopian political analyst. “But there is lots of nervousness, lots of tension, lots of suspicion toward


Even with coronavirus spreading, your phone probably won’t make you sick (but you should clean it)

devices regularly, you’re basically sharing microbes with yourself and aren’t likely to get sick, Eisen said. However, your risk increases when you’re in environments with other people who might be sick and if you’re touching objects they are touching, because not everyone is diligent about washing their hands and covering their coughs and sneezes. An object such as a subway handrail or computer keyboard can harbor microbes including pathogens — infectious organisms that cause disease, such as covid-19 — but those pathogens can only make you sick in the right environment and with the right transmission method. For example, if someone sneezes into their hand and touches a subway pole, and then you touch the pole and use that hand to scratch your eye, you could become infected. If you have to touch something you can’t clean first, Eisen said, wash your hands afterward and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Ebenezer Tumban, a molecular virologist and associate professor of biological sciences at Michigan Technological University, recommends daily cleaning for public or shared phones and computers, and cleaning your personal device if someone sneezes or coughs nearby without covering their mouth, plus staying home if you are ill. “If someone is infected, they should stay in their home or wherever they are because it prevents them from coming in contact with other people and contaminating surfaces others can come in contact with,” he said. Little is known about covid-19, but studies of other coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome) found they can remain on surfaces such as metal, glass or plastic for up to nine days, according to a recent paper in the Journal of Hospital Infection. Another study, which looked at the role surfaces played in a SARS outbreak at a hospital in Hong Kong, found that although the primary route of transmission was airborne, the surfaces route “played a non-negligible role.” The paper from the Journal of Hospital Infection, which analyzed the results of 22 studies, found some coronaviruses, such as SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, could be inactivated by disinfecting hard surfaces with between 62 and 71 percent ethanol, 0.5 percent hydrogen peroxide or 0.1 percent sodium hypochlorite. Many antimicrobial cleaning agents contain these proportions; check the ingredients and follow package instructions. Wiping won’t be as effective for non-smooth surfaces, Eisen said. Both experts said ultraviolet light can inactivate viruses