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Nebraska reports first two deaths linked to COVID-19 Nebraska health officials on Friday reported what are thought to be the first two deaths in the state associated with the coronavirus illness COVID-19. The Douglas County Health Department said in a statement that a man in his 50s "who also suffered from serious underlying health conditions" and had contact with a known case out of state died. The Central District Health Department also said Friday that it had a COVID-19-related death involving a woman in her 60s who had been hospitalized in Hall County. The department said that she had underlying health issues. Nebraska has had 89 people test positive for COVID-19 as of Friday evening, according to the state health department, and a little more than half of those are in Douglas County, which is in the eastern part of the state and is where Omaha is located. Share this -







New Orleans turning convention center into makeshift hospital NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans rushed to build a makeshift hospital in its convention center Friday as troubling new outbreaks bubbled in the United States. “We are not through this. We’re not even halfway through this,” said Joseph Kanter of the Louisiana Department of Health, which has recorded more than 2,700 cases, more than five times what it had a week ago. New Orleans’ sprawling Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, along the Mississippi River, was being converted into a massive hospital as officials prepared for thousands more patients than they could accommodate. The preparations immediately conjured images of another disaster, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when the convention center became a squalid shelter of last resort in a city that has braved a string of storm hits, not to mention great fires and a yellow fever epidemic in centuries past. Share this -







33,000 Americans abroad struggling to get home The State Department has helped more than 15,000 U.S. citizens get home from abroad since the coronavirus outbreak - but about 33,000 Americans are still struggling to return, officials said Friday. About 15,440 U.S. citizens from more than 40 countries have been repatriated, and the State Department's call center has fielded more than 11,000 inquiries since March 21, according to Ian Brownlee, who heads the department's repatriation task force. Still, more than 33,000 Americans are abroad and trying to get home, Brownlee said. Read full story here. Share this -







L.A. partners with UPS to deliver, pick up COVID-19 tests Los Angeles is teaming up with UPS to become the first city in the U.S. to offer delivery of coronavirus test kits, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Friday. UPS will pay for, deliver and pick up thousands of tests a day starting next week, Garcetti said. "I want to thank you UPS, for standing up and delivering," he said during a news conference. Garcetti also confirmed the city's first case of COVID-19 in a person experiencing homelessness. Advocates in Los Angeles, which has the nation's highest number of people living on the streets, warned earlier this week that some 1,200 homeless people could die from coronavirus, NBC LA reported. Share this -







San Francisco to use convention center for homeless San Francisco Mayor London Breed on Friday announced plans to open a portion of the city's convention center so homeless people in crowded shelters and transitional housing centers could have temporary living space with proper social distancing. "At a time when we’re encouraging everyone who can to stay home and stay six feet apart when they do go out, it’s important that our shelters and navigation centers also have the space to follow the public health requirements," Breed said in a statement. Homeless people will be placed in Moscone Center West, which is expected to open be available next week, she said. San Francisco has also leased more than 300 hotel rooms to house coronavirus patients or those believed to have the virus, the city said in a statement. The idea is that the patients could be isolated without taking up rooms at crowded hospitals. Share this -







'You don’t know who doesn’t have it': Biden would recommend national lockdown Joe Biden said Friday night that if he were the president leading a response to the coronavirus pandemic, he would recommend a national lockdown for at least two weeks to help contain the outbreak. Biden, asked during a CNN virtual town hall whether he would institute such a plan, said he would. “For the time being, I would, yes. Here is the point … You don’t know who doesn’t have it. You don’t know who doesn’t have the virus,” Biden said. "Two weeks, in what is going to be a long fight to deal with this, is a small price to pay." “Why would we not err on the side of making sure we are not going to have a repeat,” Biden said. Share this -







Panama Canal denies passage to Holland America ship Authorities Friday said a roughly 1,800-passenger cruise ship with coronavirus patients aboard could not use the Panama Canal. Four older guests died on the Holland America Zaandam, where two people have tested positive for the virus and 53 guests and 85 staff members are sick, the British–American-owned cruise line company said Friday. The Panama Canal said in a statement that on orders of Panama's Ministry of Health, it could not allow transit of any vessel carrying people with the virus. Officials said the canal's boarding officers, line handlers and pilots routinely board vessels that use the waterway and thus could be exposed. The ship departed Buenos Aires, Argentina, on March 7 and was scheduled to end in Chile on March 21 before illness intervened. It is currently off the Panamanian coast, where the sick were expected to remain in isolation and healthy passengers were to be taken off and put on a sister ship. Share this -







Utah issues stay-at-home order Utah Gov. Gary Herbert issued a statewide stay-at-home order Friday in effect for at least two weeks. Residents should leave home only to perform essential duties such as visiting the grocery store or a doctor's office. He encouraged people to work from home. In a series of tweets, Herbert urged people to exercise outside but cautioned against congregating at trailheads or parks. He also instructed employers not to require sick notes for employees who call out from work as a result of coronavirus. We are in the throes of a very challenging time. All of us are making difficult adjustments, some big, and some small, to our daily lives. Today I'm issuing a "Stay Safe, Stay Home" directive to all Utahns. — Gov. Gary Herbert (@GovHerbert) March 27, 2020 Share this -





