Tag: quarantine

Why contact tracers are key to unlocking economy

The Hill logoA robust network of “contact tracers” is needed to control the spread of the coronavirus and eventually reopen the country, experts say, a massive undertaking for a public health system that has been understaffed and underfunded for decades.

State and local health departments are lobbying Congress for billions of dollars to hire at least 100,000 contact tracers — workers responsible for tracking down people who have been exposed to confirmed coronavirus cases and asking them to self-quarantine.

The goal is to break the chains of transmission within communities and prevent outbreaks before they happen, especially when a second wave of the virus hits in the fall.  Continue reading.

Pence urged Israel not to target U.S. with coronavirus quarantine: “Go global”

Axios logoVice President Mike Pence personally asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to target Israel’s newly announced coronavirus quarantine at only visitors from the U.S., but to “go global,” senior Israeli officials tell me.

Why it matters: On Monday, Netanyahu announced a new policy of self-quarantine for a period of 14 days for anyone who enters Israel regardless of their country of origin — thus implementing Pence’s request, made during a call on Sunday. Israeli officials say Pence’s request significantly influenced Netanyahu’s decision.

Behind the scenes: Pence stressed to Netanyahu that he understands Israel’s concerns about a coronavirus outbreak, but said the Trump administration would not look favorably on a policy that only affected the U.S. and several European countries, like Italy. Continue reading.

Live updates: Israel requires two-week quarantine for international arrivals; N.Y.-N.J. Port Authority head tests positive

Washington Post logoA new oil price war sparked by the coronavirus sent shock waves through financial markets, with stocks tumbling around the world as more countries implemented measures to contain the outbreak and the United States’ tally of known infections passed 500.

In New York, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) said on Monday that the head of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Rick Cotton, tested positive for the virus and was being placed on quarantine.

In Israel, the government announced that anyone entering the country from abroad will be quarantined for 14 days. Continue reading.

Italy to lock down Milan, Venice and more to contain coronavirus; U.S. cases pass 400

Washington Post logoTo contain coronavirus, Italy will limit movement across much of its northern region, including the cities of Milan and Venice. The measures, the most drastic outside of China, place significant restrictions on 16 million people in a broad area that is Italy’s economic engine.

The virus also continued to spread in the United States, with cases surpassing 400 and reaching more than 30 states, as well as Washington, D.C.

An attendee at the Conservative Political Action Conference — a major annual right-wing gathering held in Maryland in February and attended by President Trump and Vice President Pence — tested positive Saturday for the virus, the host organization said, as the U.S. death toll rose to 19.  Continue reading.

More than 11,800 people in China have been diagnosed with coronavirus, the country’s health experts confirm; U.S. to deny entry to foreign nationals who recently visited China and quarantine returning Americans

Washington Post logoThe United States announced Friday it would be taking new measures to combat a coronavirus outbreak, including denying entry to foreign nationals who had recently visited China and imposing 14-day quarantines on American citizens returning from mainland China.

More than 11,800 people have been diagnosed with the rapidly spreading virus. More than 250 have died, all of them in China. The State Department told Americans not to travel there and advised those who are already there to consider leaving.

Following a quarantine order issued Friday, which government officials said was last used in the 1960s, evacuees held at a base in California will have their movements tightly controlled for 14 days after they left China because health experts are still uncertain about how readily the virus spreads. Continue  reading.