Virus Outbreak, ADVISORY
The world’s economic pain was on full display as Europe and the United States released more figures showing just how devastating the impact has been from coronavirus lockdown measures. The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits soared past 30 million, worsening a crisis unmatched since the 1930s and heightening pressure on political leaders to lift restrictions that are hamstringing the economy. The European economy shrank a record 3.8% in the first quarter as hotels, restaurants, construction sites and manufacturing were frozen by coronavirus shutdowns. It was the biggest drop in the eurozone since statistics began in 1995. France’s economy also shrank an eye-popping 5.8%, the biggest quarterly drop since 1949.
AP’s coronavirus podcast, “Ground Game: Inside the Outbreak,” today is about efforts to reopen hard-hit France and Spain following their respective lockdowns. Listen to the podcast after 3 p.m. at https://appodcasts.com/category/ground-game/. Embed code is available on AP Coverage Plan.
The AP plans the following coverage. For up-to-the minute information, visit AP Newsroom’s coverage hub at https://newsroom.ap.org/page/Coronavirus Find AP Virus Alerts here
ONLY ON AP:
AP POLL-VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUST: Americans are grappling with an essential question as they try to get the information they need to stay safe during the coronavirus crisis: Whom do you trust? With AP POLL-VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUST-GLANCE.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MENTAL HEALTH-POLL: A new survey examines the emotional toll the coronavirus pandemic has taken on Americans’ mental health and stress levels, nationwide as well as in 10 states and eight metropolitan areas. SENT: 1000 words, photos.
SENT/DEVELOPING:
VIRUS-OUTBREAK: Bleak new figures Thursday underscored the worldwide economic pain inflicted by the coronavirus: The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits has climbed past a staggering 30 million, while Europe’s economies have gone into an epic slide. SENT; developing. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST and VIRUS OUTBREAK-WHAT'S HAPPENING.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS: More than 3.8 million laid-off workers applied for unemployment benefits last week as the U.S. economy slid further into a crisis that is becoming the most devastating since the 1930s. SENT; developing. With CONSUMER SPENDING: Consumer spending plunged 7.5% in March.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-EUROPE-JOBLESS: Europe’s employment aid keeps jobs from vanishing — for now. SENT: 980 words, photos. With EUROPE-ECONOMY: The European economy shrank by a record 3.8% in the first quarter.
FINANCIAL-MARKETS: Stocks fell on Wall Street Thursday as more grim news piled up revealing the grave economic damage being caused by the coronavirus outbreak. SENT; developing. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-BUSINESS FALLOUT.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-WORKER ANXIETY: Some of the millions of American workers laid off because of the COVID-19 pandemic are beginning to face a tough choice — return to work and risk infection, or stay home and risk losing unemployment payments. SENT: 860 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SOLDIERS HOME: Outrage is building among family members of the dead at a Massachusetts home for aging veterans who say leadership allowed the coronavirus to spread unchecked and failed to protect their loved ones. SENT: 910 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRAZIL’S NEIGHBORS: Brazil’s virtually uncontrolled surge of COVID-19 cases is spawning fear that construction workers, truck drivers and tourists from Latin America’s biggest nation will spread the disease to neighboring countries. SENT: 870 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLOMBIA VIOLENCE: Colombia has been in lockdown – but the scourge of violence against former guerrillas continues. Thus far, 23 ex-combatants who surrendered their weapons as part of Colombia’s historic peace deal have been gunned down this year – nearly twice as many during the same point in 2019. SENT: 990 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-LAST-NORMAL-MOMENT: The days, weeks, and now the months, have blurred and stretched as talk of reopening the world has taken over for millions waiting and wondering at home. SENT: 1,750 words, photos, video. An abridged version of 760 words is also available.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP-DEATH COUNT: President Donald Trump predicted the U.S. death count from the coronavirus pandemic would come in at about 60,000, but the reported toll has now edged past Trump’s marker. SENT: 960 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-JAPAN-NOT STAYING HOME: Under Japan’s coronavirus state of emergency, people have been asked to stay home. Many are not. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-IMMIGRANT-HELPERS: Some immigrants who used to do construction or clean homes but lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic go out each day to deliver food to families in need. SENT: 920 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-THAILAND-GROUNDED-GIGS: Faced with grounded flights and pay cuts, crews of Thailand’s airlines have formed a car and motorbike delivery service. SENT: 650 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ISRAEL-PERFECTING PROTESTS: Thousands of people have gathered in perfect geometric patterns in Tel Aviv’s central square to comply with social distancing rules as they express their anger over the continued rule of a prime minister charged with serious crimes. SENT: 920 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-DIARY-RUNNING FROM HOME: Amid the coronavirus pandemic, going for a run has become an endorphin-rich routine that clears the mind for the day ahead. But this new normal also means new questions. SENT: 630 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-BROADWAY: Theaters are shuttered, but somehow, Brian Stokes Mitchell has found a way to keep singing on Broadway. SENT: 600 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN: The British government has acknowledged that it may miss its self-imposed goal of conducting 100,000 tests for coronavirus a day by the end of Thursday. SENT; developing.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-GERMANY: Politicians and scientists in Germany pushed back against calls for a rapid relaxation of pandemic restrictions as new figures released Thursday showed that businesses have applied for state aid to avoid slashing 10 million jobs because of the economic downturn. SENT: 650 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-WASHINGTON: The nation’s top infectious disease expert says new cases of the coronavirus are a certainty as states begin to roll back restrictions. SENT; developing.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-PENCE-MASK: This time, he wore a mask. Vice President Mike Pence donned a face covering as he toured a General Motors/Ventec ventilator production facility in Indiana on Thursday. SENT; developing.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-INTELLIGENCE: U.S. intelligence agencies are debunking a conspiracy theory, saying they have concluded that the new coronavirus was “not manmade or genetically modified.” SENT; developing.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says state and local governments are seeking up to $1 trillion for coronavirus costs. SENT; developing.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-HOSPITAL SHIP-FEW PATIENTS: The giant Navy hospital ship docked off Los Angeles was brought in to relieve pressure on hospitals expecting a surge of coronavirus patients. But hospitals did not become overwhelmed, and now the USNS Mercy has only nine patients for its 250 beds. SENT: 1000 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-SYRIA: The U.N. humanitarian chief says that more than 40 cases of COVID-19 and at least three deaths have been reported in Syria, signaling that “tragedy beckons” after nine years of war that has left the country’s health care system decimated. SENT: 730 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA: The Australian Capital Territory becomes the first of the country’s eight states and mainland territories to declare itself free of all known cases of the coronavirus. SENT: 910 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-AFRICA: The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Ghana has surged above 2,000 — rising 24% in just a matter of days. SENT: 440 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-FEDERAL PRISONS: The response from the federal Bureau of Prisons to the growing coronavirus crisis raises alarm among advocates and lawmakers about whether the agency is doing enough to ensure the safety of the nearly 150,000 inmates serving time in federal facilities. SENT: 990 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MEAT PLANTS: The world’s largest pork producer has told a judge in Missouri that it’s working as quickly as it can to comply with federal guidelines that seek to slow the spread of the coronavirus. SENT; developing.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CALIFORNIA: A memo sent to California’s police chiefs says Gov. Gavin Newsom intends to close all beaches and state parks starting Friday in the wake of a weekend that saw a crush of people at open seashores. SENT; developing.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-GEORGIA: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is extending his emergency powers to June 12 and telling the elderly and medically fragile to shelter in place until then. SENT: 670 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-RURAL KANSAS: A family physician in northwest Kansas would like the state to remain under a stay-at-home order even as the governor contemplates how to gradually reopen the economy. SENT: 780 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MICHIGAN-YOUNG VICTIM: Hundreds of people tuned in to a livestream of funeral services for a 5-year-old Detroit girl who was Michigan’s youngest victim of the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 690 words.
UNEMPLOYED-NEW YORK RESTAURANTS: The restrictions on businesses from the coronavirus have thrown New York City’s vibrant restaurant culture into turmoil. SENT: 865 words, photos.
UNEMPLOYED-NEW YORK-TOURISM: The hordes of travelers who pack into New York City’s Times Square are long gone. So are the thousands of jobs catering to the tourists who make it the nation’s most visited city. SENT: 860 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRAL QUESTIONS-RELIEF CHECK: How do I get money from the US coronavirus relief deal? SENT: 170 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW ORLEANS MUSIC: The coronavirus and the social-distancing measures designed to fight it have nearly silenced the New Orleans music scene. SENT: 915 words, photos.
ALSO:
VIRUS OUTBREAK-WEST POINT-GRADUATION The Army’s top leaders are defending their decision to bring 1,000 cadets back to the Military Academy at West Point for graduation, where President Donald Trump is slated to speak. SENT: 500 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-FUNERAL HOME: State officials are investigating a New York City funeral home that resorted to storing dozens of bodies on ice in rented trucks after it was overwhelmed by coronavirus deaths. SENT: 400 words.
FEDERAL RESERVE-SUPPORT PROGRAMS: The Federal Reserve says it is expanding a major lending program to provide support for businesses struggling to cope with the economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 190 word.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CRUZ ON NYC: Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz is urging the Justice Department “to closely monitor New York City” for potential religious discrimination amid the pandemic after its mayor singled out “the Jewish community” following the breakup of a large gathering of Orthodox Jews. SENT: 530 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ORTHODOX EASTER: Authorities in Bosnia’s semi-autonomous Serb-run territory have conceded that a failure to enforce social distancing over Orthodox Easter has led to a spike in newly registered coronavirus cases. SENT: 310 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-GUATEMALA DEPORTEES: Guatemala says a planeload of 92 Guatemalan deportees scheduled to arrive Thursday all tested negative for the coronavirus before boarding their flight from Texas. SENT: 410 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-RUSSIA: Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin says he has tested positive for the new coronavirus and told President Vladimir Putin he will self-isolate. SENT: 570 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SERBIA PROTEST: A group of Serbian opposition leaders have staged a protest during an evening curfew to voice their criticism of the populist government’s measures against the new coronavirus. SENT: 270 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MEMORIAL DAY: PBS’ annual Memorial Day weekend concert, which draws tens of thousands of people to the U.S. Capitol grounds in Washington, has been turned into a pre-recorded TV event because of the coronavirus. SENT: 440 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-RAMADAN-PHOTO GALLERY: Images of Ramadan during the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 500 words.
INTERACTIVES/GRAPHICS:
-US cases county-by-county. Embed code can be found in Coverage Plan. A static graphic also will be available in AP Newsroom.
-Interactive breakdown of unemployment filings by state with time scale for each (going back as far as 2000)
-Virus Europe Spread (map): An auto updating European map tracking the total confirmed cases, recoveries and deaths from coronavirus.
Additional graphics and interactives include:
- Flattening the Coronavirus Curve (Chart): Chart compares the cumulative cases over time in some of the hardest hit countries by coronavirus.
-Virus Global Spread (table): Table of countries which have confirmed cases of the virus. Table also includes when the virus was initially reported and the number of deaths by country.
-Virus Global Spread (Map): Map of countries which have confirmed cases of the virus. Map also includes when the virus was initially reported and the number of deaths by country.
-Virus Cases Compared Inside and Outside of China (Chart): Chart shows the number of confirmed cases in China over time and compares them to cases confirmed outside of China.
-Virus US State Map: State by state count of confirmed cases in the U.S.
-Virus US State Table: Table tracks the number of cases, recoveries and deaths for the US including its territories.
-Status of Cases Worldwide: Auto-updating once a day, this chart tracks the levels of active cases and deaths from COVID-19 around the world over time.
-Hospitality Workforce in the US: Coronavirus precautions have struck many U.S. business industries hard, especially the hospitality and service industry, where more than 16 million Americans work for support their livelihoods. This U.S. map highlights the number of hospitality workers and their average annual income by county along with the number of hospitality businesses. It is helpful in illustrating the potential impact of job loss to so many across the nation.
PHOTOS:
AP photos have moved from Britain, Spain, India, Italy, Indonesia, Philippines, Switzerland, Sweden, Malaysia, Israel, South Korea, Germany, various US and Latin America locations.
VIDEO:
AP video has moved from Hong Kong, Germany, WHO, Thailand, Kenya, Brazil, Britain, Spain, Italy, various US and Latin America locations.