TASK DEFINITION: Given a paragraph, generate a claim that is supported by the given paragraph. 1) The claim must contain information from within the paragraph. 2) A sentence within the paragraph can be used as a claim. 3) The claim should not have contradictions within the paragraph. 4) The claim should be at most one sentence long.
PROBLEM: The shutdown began in late March in the Pacific nation of about 5 million, and a state of national emergency was declared to stifle local transmissions of the respiratory disease. "No one goes home, everyone goes into a managed facility," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said, adding that 14 days spent in a government-approved facility would be a prerequisite for all foreign travellers. "Even one person slipping through the cracks and bringing the virus in can see an explosion in cases, as we have observed with some of our bigger clusters," she told a media briefing in Wellington on Thursday. Ardern added that her cabinet would decide whether to extend the nationwide curbs on April 20, two days before the lockdown is set to end. The lockdown has reduced domestic transmissions, authorities said, with a steady fall this week in the daily rise in infections. The tally of infections rose by 29 to stand at 1,239 on Thursday, for the lowest daily rise since March 21, a sign the epidemic could be on the retreat since the lockdown began 15 days ago. Overnight, 35 people were declared to have recovered. New Zealand, like neighbouring Australia, has fewer infections than many countries and the pace of infections in both nations has slowed dramatically in the past week. Despite some signs of a plateau in infections, the government said it had no plans to relax the curbs over the Easter weekend and warned of hefty fines for non-essential travel then. Police will step up activity around holiday spots during the Easter holidays, authorities said, with some roadblocks planned. Interactive graphic tracking global spread of coronavirus: open tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser.

SOLUTION: New Zealand orders quarantine for returning citizens in coronavirus battle.

PROBLEM: Collins, a Republican, introduced the proposal with Democratic Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith. It's also designed to beef up prevention, diagnostics and treatment for tick-borne diseases, and it's headed to the full Senate next. The proposal's named the Kay Hagan Tick Act in honor of former Sen. Kay Hagan of North Carolina who died in October of complications from Powassan virus, a tick-borne infection. Cases of Lyme disease nearly doubled in Maine from 2010 to 2018. Collins describes the surge of tick-borne diseases as a "burgeoning public health crisis." The proposal would require the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop a national strategy about the diseases.

SOLUTION: Collins bill to combat Lyme and other tick diseases moves on.

PROBLEM: Whether asbestos in the talc supply in Johnson & Johnson's Baby Powder caused cancer has been the subject of litigation for years. The lawmakers, Senator Jeff Merkley and Representative Suzanne Bonamici, did not mention Johnson & Johnson by name but expressed "deep concern" about Friday's Reuters report, according to a copy of their letter dated Dec. 19 and reviewed by Reuters. Read the Reuters investigation reut.rs/2rAz2TO In their letter, the two lawmakers asked the EPA how it was regulating potentially unsafe asbestos-containing products. J&J has disputed the Reuters report, calling it a "misrepresentation." The company says its talc is safe and has never contained asbestos, adding that decades of studies and regulatory assessments confirm the safety of its product. Representatives for the EPA did not be respond to an email or a telephone call seeking comment on the congressional letter. Asked about the lawmakers' letter, J&J spokesman Ernie Knewitz declined to comment but said the Reuters report was "one-sided, false and inflammatory." According to the Reuters report, documents as well as deposition and trial testimony showed that from at least 1971 to the early 2000s the company's raw talc and finished powders sometimes tested positive for small amounts of asbestos. Most internal J&J asbestos test reports Reuters reviewed did not find asbestos. The company has defended its products in recent days with a series of full-page newspaper advertisements and a television interview with its chief executive. Shares of the company have fallen about 12.5 percent since the Reuters report on Friday. Merkley and Bonamici also asked the EPA to detail what steps it was taking to help prevent vulnerable populations such as pregnant women and infants from being exposed to products containing asbestos, including other products with talc, a mineral. Although baby powder is subject to regulation under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, other talc products sold to consumers would be within the purview of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and thus the responsibility of the EPA, they wrote in the letter. Democratic U.S. Senator Edward Markey separately called on the FDA to investigate the findings in the Reuters report in a letter on Friday. The FDA could not immediately be reached for comment. "Asbestos is a known carcinogen, and one for which there is no controlled use or safe level of exposure," Merkley and Bonamici wrote. "Fifty-five countries have already banned asbestos. Unfortunately, the United States still permits the use of asbestos."

SOLUTION:
Two lawmakers question EPA on asbestos after Reuters report.