AP PA Headlines 4/10/20
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania schools will remain shuttered for the rest of the academic year because of the coronavirus pandemic under a new state order. Gov. Tom Wolf’s education secretary signed the closure order Thursday. The decision affects more than 1.7 million students in public and private K-12 schools. It means children will spend the rest of the academic year learning remotely. Wolf says it wasn’t an easy decision, but calls it “a critical step” to protect as many people as possible. He had previously closed schools indefinitely. Pennsylvania has more than 18,000 confirmed COVID-19 infections and 338 deaths.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Thousands of utility customers in Pennsylvania are still without power a day after severe thunderstorms knocked trees and utility lines and spawned two small tornadoes. The storms containing heavy rains, hail, lightning and strong winds caused damage across the state. especially in western Pennsylvania where winds tore the roofs off of a church and a brewery in New Kensington and blew away a hanger at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. The National Weather Service confirmed two small tornadoes touched down in the area early Wednesday _ one near Tarentum and another in Lower Burrell. No injuries were reported. Roughly 13,000 utility customers were still without power early Thursday.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A federal judge is giving the final OK to a settlement between Pennsylvania death row prisoners and the state Corrections Department to make broad changes to their confinement rules. The deal Judge John Jones signed off on Thursday gives the death-sentenced inmates the same conditions as inmates in general population, although they’ll continue to be segregated in special units.
Five prisoners sued the corrections secretary in 2018 to challenge practices that kept them isolated most of the time, conditions they argued were inhumane. The state prison system currently has 131 inmates with pending death sentences, although Gov. Tom Wolf is maintaining a moratorium on executions.
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Features
UNDATED (AP) – A staggering 16.8 million Americans have been thrown onto the unemployment rolls in just three weeks, underscoring the terrifying speed with which the coronavirus outbreak has brought world economies to a near standstill. Meanwhile, a spike in deaths in Britain and New York and surges of reported new infections in Japan and India’s congested cities make it clear that the struggle is far from over.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been moved out of intensive care, where he was treated for three days with COVID-19, his office said Thursday. Here are some of AP’s top stories Thursday on the world’s coronavirus pandemic. Follow APNews.com/VirusOutbreak for updates through the day and APNews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak for stories explaining some of its complexities.
WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY:
— The coronavirus pandemic will push the global economy into the deepest recession since the Great Depression, with the world’s poorest countries suffering the most, the head of the International Monetary Fund said Thursday.
— About a half billion people could be pushed into poverty as a result of the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic unless richer countries take “urgent action” to help developing nations, a leading aid organization warned Thursday. Oxfam has urged richer countries to step up their efforts to help the developing world or risk setting back the fight against poverty by a decade and by as much as 30 years in some areas, including Africa and the Middle East.
— U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Thursday that the coronavirus pandemic “is having devastating social and economic consequences for women and girls” that could reverse limited progress toward gender equality over the last 25 years.
— Oil-producing countries including those of the OPEC cartel and Russia are trying to strike a global deal to pump less crude in a bid to limit a crash in prices that, while welcome for consumers, has been straining government budgets and pushed energy companies toward bankruptcy. Late Thursday OPEC and Russia reportedly had reached a tentative deal to cut production by 10 million barrels per day for two months.
— With the federal stockpile drained of protective gear, states are turning to each other, private industries and anyone who can donate in a desperate bid to get respirators, gloves and other supplies to doctors, nurses and other front-line workers. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services confirmed Wednesday that the federal cupboard is officially bare at least through this month after it was able to fulfill just a sliver of states’ requests.
— At the holiest time of year for Christians, churches are wrestling with how to hold services amid the coronavirus outbreak, and in some cases, that has set up showdowns with local governments over restrictions that forbid large gatherings.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover.
One of the best ways to prevent spread of the virus is washing your hands with soap and water. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends first washing with warm or cold water and then lathering soap for 20 seconds to get it on the backs of hands, between fingers and under fingernails before rinsing off.
You should wash your phone, too. Here’s how.
TRACKING THE VIRUS: Drill down and zoom in at the individual county level, and you can access numbers that will show you the situation where you are, and where loved ones or people you’re worried about live.
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ONE NUMBER:
— 6.6 MILLION: With a startling 6.6 million people seeking jobless benefits last week, the United States has reached a grim landmark: Roughly one in 10 workers have lost jobs in just the past three weeks.
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IN OTHER NEWS:
— SIGNS OF HOPE: High schools across the country are turning on stadium lights at night in a sign of hope amid closures due to the coronavirus. The movement has been fueled by social media with the hashtag #BeTheLight — across the country.
— SERIOUS ABOUT SAFETY: Nova Knight is 5 and very serious about keeping others safe during the coronavirus outbreak. The Fairbanks, Alaska, resident has made a video that’s been viewed more than 18,000 times and drawn the praise of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
— YESTERDAY’S SKILLS: Millions of people who are trying to stay home are being driven by necessity — or boredom — to relearn some old household skills. That means things like mending clothes, cutting hair, baking bread and fixing a dripping faucet.
— WIPED OUT: Finding toilet paper in a global pandemic is a struggle. That’s because it’s part of a very tight supply chain.
NEW YORK (AP) — Liberty University in Virginia is pressing trespassing charges against two journalists who worked on stories questioning the evangelical college’s decision to remain partially open during the coronavirus epidemic. The university is run by Jerry Falwell Jr., a prominent supporter of President Donald Trump. Liberty says it is following social distancing guidelines and conducting courses online, but remaining open for international students and those who don’t have anywhere else to go. The journalists are a photographer working for The New York Times and a reporter from ProPublica. It wasn’t clear on Thursday whether either journalist will end up being prosecuted for any crime.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Saturday Night Live” will be back on the air this weekend with a show that abides by social distancing rules. NBC says the comedy sketch show will include a “Weekend Update” news segment and original content from “SNL” cast members. The material will be produced remotely, in compliance with efforts to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Part of the pandemic’s fallout was a shutdown of movie and TV production that included “Saturday Night Live.” Its last original episode aired March 7. It will air at 11:30 p.m. Eastern, but NBC hasn’t yet said how it will handle the show’s trademark guest host and musical guest.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Questions from journalists often irk President Donald Trump at his White House press briefings. But the White House is now taking steps to make sure no one at the briefing infects the president. Yesterday, reporters at the press briefing were tested for COVID-19 before the session. It was the same kind of quickie test President Trump took recently. The move follows a report that a reporter at the White House on Tuesday experienced symptoms consistent with the virus. The White House Press Correspondents Association says the reporter tested negative — and is feeling better. The White House said last week anyone expected to be in “close proximity” to Trump and Vice President Mike Pence would get a COVID-19 test.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska youngster’s heartfelt message about the new coronavirus has gone, well, viral. The message is from 5-year-old Nova Knight — and in her video, the Fairbanks youngster combines compassion and tough love to her fellow kids — and their parents. In the clip she says, “I’m sorry if you can’t go to your play dates,” before adding, “Don’t go anywhere. And wash your hands. I’m serious.” Nova’s message, posted last month, has already been viewed more than 18,000 times — and has even drawn praise from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
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