One in four Americans told to stay home as Congress nears $1 trillion stimulus
Skip to main content
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Splash
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Long Read
  • Games
  • Epaper
  • More
    • COVID-19
    • Bangladesh
    • Infograph
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Thoughts
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Subscribe
    • Archive
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
    • Supplement
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard
SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2022
SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2022
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Splash
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Long Read
  • Games
  • Epaper
  • More
    • COVID-19
    • Bangladesh
    • Infograph
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Thoughts
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Subscribe
    • Archive
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
    • Supplement
  • বাংলা
One in four Americans told to stay home as Congress nears $1 trillion stimulus

Coronavirus chronicle

Reuters
22 March, 2020, 08:35 pm
Last modified: 22 March, 2020, 08:37 pm

Related News

  • China relaxes some Covid test rules for US, other travellers
  • US reopens embassy in Kyiv after closure forced by war
  • Monkeypox cases are on rise in Europe and US, here is why
  • US to suggest tariffs on Russian oil as alternative to embargoes
  • US Air Force says it conducted successful hypersonic weapon test

One in four Americans told to stay home as Congress nears $1 trillion stimulus

Governors in other states urged citizens to avoid large gatherings, even if restrictions were not in place

Reuters
22 March, 2020, 08:35 pm
Last modified: 22 March, 2020, 08:37 pm
A view of Aegis Living at Marymoor, an assisted living facility linked to several cases of coronavirus, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Redmond, Washington, US March 21, 2020. REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson
A view of Aegis Living at Marymoor, an assisted living facility linked to several cases of coronavirus, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Redmond, Washington, US March 21, 2020. REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson

Nearly 1 in 4 Americans were under orders to close up shop and stay at home on Saturday, as lawmakers in Washington neared a deal that could pump a record $1 trillion into the economy to limit the economic damage from the coronavirus.

New Jersey's governor followed four other states - California, New York, Illinois and Connecticut - that have imposed unprecedented restrictions to slow the spread of infections, which have risen exponentially.

Governors in other states urged citizens to avoid large gatherings, even if restrictions were not in place.

"It's like we are all lost in a movie that we can't relate to in any way," West Virginia Governor Jim Justice said, as he urged residents of his state to take the threat more seriously.

At least 23,941 cases of the novel coronavirus have been reported in the United States and 306 people have died from the COVID-19 disease as of Saturday evening, according to a Reuters tally of state and local government websites.

In Washington, Republican and Democratic leaders appeared to be nearing a deal to pump more than $1 trillion into the economy, adding to the hundreds of billions of dollars in fiscal and monetary stimulus that has already been deployed to prop up the world's largest economy.

"I think we're clearly going to get there," said Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who scheduled a vote for Monday.

Hard-hit airlines are pressing for $29 billion in cash, promising in return not to furlough employees before September. But lawmakers said they were inclined to offer loans instead.

Two members of the US House of Representatives have tested positive, and US Vice President Mike Pence and his wife tested negative after an unidentified aide was diagnosed with the virus. Pence staffers said the aide had mild symptoms and had not had close contact with Pence or President Donald Trump.

Trump tested negative for the virus last week, according to his doctor.

READINESS

As hospitals braced for an influx of patients, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the US government's top infectious disease expert, urged Americans to postpone non-essential surgeries to keep beds available.

The Trump administration has struggled to line up tests to diagnose the disease, masks to slow its transmission, and medical equipment to treat those who have contracted it.

The US Food and Drug Administration approved a test that can deliver a result in 45 minutes, rather than days, according to Cepheid, its maker.

At the White House, officials said they were delivering more tests and equipment where they were needed, but declined to say whether they had met benchmarks they had laid out earlier in the week.

State and local officials say they are scrambling for supplies.

"We've gotten no help from the federal government, or limited help," Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said at a news briefing.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the state had identified 6,000 ventilators to help sick patients keep breathing, but needed 30,000 more. He said the state is sending 1 million N95 respirator masks to New York City - short of the 3 million city officials are seeking.

"We are literally scouring the globe for medical supplies," Cuomo said.

In New York City, where more than 6,000 cases have been diagnosed, about a dozen people waited for a test in the parking lot of the Brooklyn Hospital Center.

"That's insane," city council member Mark Levine said in a phone interview. "If they're well enough to stand in a line, they should be home resting, they don't need a test, and they need to get out of the way."

Federal authorities briefly stopped flights arriving at New York City-area airports after a trainee at an air traffic control center tested positive.

Neighboring New Jersey became the latest state on Saturday to adopt a statewide directive requiring residents to remain indoors except for trips to grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations and other "essential businesses."

Stay-at-home orders now apply to 84 million people in states that account for a third of the nation's economy. Other states encouraged residents to reduce activity but did not put restrictions in place. Missouri went in a different direction, allowing child-care providers to take on more children.

The state directives were for the most part issued without strict enforcement mechanisms to back them up.

Cuomo said New York would fine and close businesses that defy the order. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said police would "admonish" people to go home.

In Ridgefield, Connecticut, where six new cases were reported on Saturday, town official Rudy Marconi said he would dispatch the police to break up a teenagers' basketball game.

"We have no other tools in our toolbox. We have to rely on the social distancing," he said.

US

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • Policies on cards to pave way for private heliports, helipads
    Policies on cards to pave way for private heliports, helipads
  • Concerns over india's wheat export ban
    Tough conditions get in way of Indian wheat import
  • Zahid Hussain/TBS Sketch
    Our problematic macroeconomic duo

MOST VIEWED

  • A man checks phone at Lujiazui financial district in Pudong, Shanghai, China March 14, 2019. Photo :Reuters
    Shanghai inches towards Covid lockdown exit, Beijing plays defence
  • North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivers opening remarks during the 2nd Conference of Secretaries of Primary Committees of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), in this photo released on February 27, 2022 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERS/File Photo
    N Korea reports over 200,000 fever cases for 5th day amid Covid wave
  • A worker disinfects a vehicle carrying medical oxygen, in Pyongyang. Photo: Collected
    North Korea using traditional medicine to fight Covid
  • Ryu Yong Chol, an official at North Korea's state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters, speaks during a daily coronavirus program on state-run television KRT, in this still image obtained from KRT footage released on May 20, 2022. REUTERS TV/KRT via REUTERS
    North Korea's Dr Fauci? Health official emerges as face of Covid campaign
  • Workers in protective suit spray disinfectant at a community, during the lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Shanghai, China, April 5, 2022. REUTERS/Aly Song
    Shanghai detects new infections after five days of 'zero Covid'
  • Volunteers carry out temperature screening during an anti-virus campaign in Pyongyang, North Korea in this image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on March 4, 2020. KCNA via REUTERS/File Photo
    North Korea hails 'good results' on Covid as fever cases pass 2 million

Related News

  • China relaxes some Covid test rules for US, other travellers
  • US reopens embassy in Kyiv after closure forced by war
  • Monkeypox cases are on rise in Europe and US, here is why
  • US to suggest tariffs on Russian oil as alternative to embargoes
  • US Air Force says it conducted successful hypersonic weapon test

Features

Green-backed Heron on a tilting stalk. Photo: Enam Ul Haque

Green-backed Heron: Nothing but a prayer to catch a fish  

30m | Panorama
Illustration: TBS

‘High logistics cost weakens Bangladesh’s competitiveness’

2h | Panorama
Every morning is a new beginning for all

Seashore

3h | In Focus
2023 Rolls-Royce Phantom debuts with new illuminated grille

2023 Rolls-Royce Phantom debuts with new illuminated grille

1h | Wheels

More Videos from TBS

Ways to retain body fragrance

Ways to retain body fragrance

22h | Videos
Gazipur restaurant that serves 150 food items

Gazipur restaurant that serves 150 food items

1d | Videos
How to prepare for a job

How to prepare for a job

1d | Videos
Putin's strategies to face Nato

Putin's strategies to face Nato

1d | Videos

Most Read

1
Tk100 for bike, Tk2,400 for bus to cross Padma Bridge
Bangladesh

Tk100 for bike, Tk2,400 for bus to cross Padma Bridge

2
A packet of US five-dollar bills is inspected at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington March 26, 2015. REUTERS/Gary Cameron
Banking

Dollar hits Tk100 mark in open market

3
The story of Bangladesh becoming a major bicycle exporter
Industry

The story of Bangladesh becoming a major bicycle exporter

4
PK Halder: How a scamster rose from humble beginnings to a Tk11,000cr empire
Crime

PK Halder: How a scamster rose from humble beginnings to a Tk11,000cr empire

5
Representative Photo: Pixabay.
Bangladesh

Microplastics found in 5 local sugar brands

6
Mushfiq Mobarak. Photo: Noor-A-Alam
Panorama

Meet the Yale professor who anchors his research in Bangladesh and scales up interventions globally

The Business Standard
Top
  • Home
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • About Us
  • Bangladesh
  • International
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Economy
  • Sitemap
  • RSS

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - oped.tbs@gmail.com

For advertisement- sales@tbsnews.net

Copyright © 2022 THE BUSINESS STANDARD All rights reserved. Technical Partner: RSI Lab