content_text: 漫畫「鬼滅之刃」去年改編成動畫之後暴紅，不僅魅力席捲全球，不少粉絲也會Cosplay當中的角色來向作品致敬，日前一名日本網紅就在推特上貼出自己扮成劇中人氣角色「彌豆子」的照片，完美細節搭配可愛顏值被網友大讚是神還原，但當他公佈卸妝照時卻嚇翻眾人。一名日本網紅日前特地Cosplay動漫「鬼滅之刃」中男主角的妹妹「彌豆子」，並在推特上和粉絲分享照片。可以看到他嘴巴咬著竹子，身上穿著和服，從長捲髮上的髮帶和紅色隱形漫畫「鬼滅之刃」去年改編成動畫之後暴紅，不僅魅力席捲全球，不少粉絲也會Cosplay當中的角色來向作品致敬，日前一名日本網紅就在推特上貼出自己扮成劇中人氣角色「彌豆子」的照片，完美細節搭配可愛顏值被網友大讚是神還原，但當他公佈卸妝照時卻嚇翻眾人。一名日本網紅日前特地Cosplay動漫「鬼滅之刃」中男主角的妹妹「彌豆子」，並在推特上和粉絲分享照片。可以看到他嘴巴咬著竹子，身上穿著和服，從長捲髮上的髮帶和紅色隱形眼鏡等小細節都不馬虎，甜美的長相更是神還原彌豆子可愛的模樣，該名網紅也在貼文中寫到「第一次嘗試Cosplay動漫角色」，還大方附上一張卸妝後的素顏照，沒想到超大反差讓眾人全都跌破眼鏡。原來該名網紅可愛的女裝扮相之下，真實身份竟然是一名大叔！據了解，網路上被稱作「ひめにぃ様」（Himeni）的他本名叫做石本隆大，是日本最近火紅的偽娘，原本是將打架當飯吃的不良少年，卻因為女裝魂突然覺醒，成功晉升成網紅，原來就清秀的五官配上神級別的化妝技巧，被粉絲盛讚「比女生還可愛」，而她扮成彌豆子的貼文至今已經有11萬人按讚和2.3萬次的轉發，成功掀起一波話題。

journalist: 陳怡安

title: 他扮彌豆子被讚神還原 卸妝後網嚇歪


content_text: 前陣子掀起一股「真理褲」的熱潮，有許多女性紛紛穿上真理褲曬出美腿，讓路人們大飽眼福。最近，有一名正妹也在網路上分享了自己穿著整套「真理運動服」的照片，超犯規的表情與動作讓網友們都暴動了，然而真相卻讓大家超崩潰。這名網友在《Dcard》中發文，表示女友很喜歡買一些衣服給他穿，而這次購買的就是男人們夢想中的運動服，還感嘆道：「結果自己的夢想原來是要自己達成阿」，只見PO主分享的照片中，有一名長相甜美的正妹前陣子掀起一股「真理褲」的熱潮，有許多女性紛紛穿上真理褲曬出美腿，讓路人們大飽眼福。最近，有一名正妹也在網路上分享了自己穿著整套「真理運動服」的照片，超犯規的表情與動作讓網友們都暴動了，然而真相卻讓大家超崩潰。這名網友在《Dcard》中發文，表示女友很喜歡買一些衣服給他穿，而這次購買的就是男人們夢想中的運動服，還感嘆道：「結果自己的夢想原來是要自己達成阿」，只見PO主分享的照片中，有一名長相甜美的正妹穿著粉紅色與白色相間的真理運動服，擺出了各種性感的姿勢，修長白皙的美腿也一覽無遺，讓不少網友都看得血脈賁張。然而，這名正妹的真實身分其實是一名「男孩」，讓網友們瞬間感到既崩潰又錯亂，紛紛留言：「你不講真的很容易錯亂啊」、「這個顏值這個妝啊斯」、「你也太正！」、「太犯規了～好可愛」、「比女生還女生，刀拿來我先走一步了」、「看完你全部的文章，已錯亂你是男生還女生，太漂亮了啦」、「原PO這麼正讓身為女性的我情何以堪」。

journalist: 賈恩祺

title: 運動服正妹太犯規 網見亮點全崩潰


content_text: 「偽娘」意即女性化打扮的男性，但他們在生理性別和性別認同上，通常仍為男性。日本網紅Puutan(ぷうたん)日前穿校服，po出與畢業證書的合照，模樣相當甜美，並提到「男子高校」一詞，讓不少人驚呼，指他長得比女性還漂亮，根本難以察覺男性身分。日本網紅Puutan現年17歲，經常在Twitter分享生活照，只見她雙眼無辜，時而露出嬌羞靦腆的笑容，因此吸引2.3萬人追蹤，而近日他貼文寫下「這對男高中生來說有點複雜，但我還是順利畢業「偽娘」意即女性化打扮的男性，但他們在生理性別和性別認同上，通常仍為男性。日本網紅Puutan(ぷうたん)日前穿校服，po出與畢業證書的合照，模樣相當甜美，並提到「男子高校」一詞，讓不少人驚呼，指他長得比女性還漂亮，根本難以察覺男性身分。日本網紅Puutan現年17歲，經常在Twitter分享生活照，只見她雙眼無辜，時而露出嬌羞靦腆的笑容，因此吸引2.3萬人追蹤，而近日他貼文寫下「這對男高中生來說有點複雜，但我還是順利畢業了」，隨即也附上穿著制服與畢業證書的合照，獲得1.2萬按讚數。而這事實也讓不少人驚呆，直呼「你不是女高中生嗎？不要騙我哦！」、「果然這麼可愛的，通常都是男孩子」、「身為女生的我，都自嘆不如」，而Puutan也與另一名偽娘在youtube開設頻道，主要內容是美妝、生活等，而當他們開口說話時，也讓人信服真的是男兒身。

journalist: 鄭玉如

title: 逆天高中妹自拍 曝畢業照眾人傻了


content_text: 現在有許多人的化妝技巧十分高超，都可以為整張臉帶來「整容級」的驚人變化。最近，日本一名Coser在推特中分享了自己裝扮前後的對比照，但太過神奇的改變讓不少網友看了都相當震驚。這名Coser麗癒曝光了自己Cosplay前後的照片，只見「她」竟是從一個皮膚微黑，臉上長有鬍子的型男所變身而來，裝扮完的他則變成了皮膚白皙、上圍傲人的美少女，這樣極大的改變讓許多網友都十分震驚，紛紛留言：「完全不敢相信這是同一個人」、「男現在有許多人的化妝技巧十分高超，都可以為整張臉帶來「整容級」的驚人變化。最近，日本一名Coser在推特中分享了自己裝扮前後的對比照，但太過神奇的改變讓不少網友看了都相當震驚。這名Coser麗癒曝光了自己Cosplay前後的照片，只見「她」竟是從一個皮膚微黑，臉上長有鬍子的型男所變身而來，裝扮完的他則變成了皮膚白皙、上圍傲人的美少女，這樣極大的改變讓許多網友都十分震驚，紛紛留言：「完全不敢相信這是同一個人」、「男裝的時候很帥，女裝的時候又很漂亮…」、「真的不是女生嗎？」。此外，也有不少人對他胸前這對「巨乳」感到非常好奇，麗癒便透露其實他為了讓自己身形更像女生，所以穿上了重達10公斤的矽膠緊身衣，再加上他高超的化妝技術，搖身一變成為身材火辣的美女，完全看不出任何破綻。據悉，180公分的麗癒是從高中開始接觸Cosplay的，目前則以女裝活動為主，更有開設YouTube頻道，教大家如何從一個特徵明顯的男性，透過化妝變成可愛美少女的模樣。

title: 正妹Coser身材超火辣 真面目曝網哭了


content_text: 中央流行疫情指揮中心23日公布台灣新增26例新冠肺炎病例，其中25例境外移入、1例本土。境外移入個案為13女12男，年齡由未滿5歲至70多歲，入境日介於3月15至21日，發病日介於2月22日至3月21日。個案發病前分別有美國、西班牙、荷蘭、法國、瑞士、英國等國活動史。指揮中心表示，新增本土病例為30多歲女性（案186），為中研院群聚個案（案168）同住接觸者，3月17日發病，因案124於3月20日確診，且案168曾有症狀，故案186於3月20日中央流行疫情指揮中心23日公布台灣新增26例新冠肺炎病例，其中25例境外移入、1例本土。境外移入個案為13女12男，年齡由未滿5歲至70多歲，入境日介於3月15至21日，發病日介於2月22日至3月21日。個案發病前分別有美國、西班牙、荷蘭、法國、瑞士、英國等國活動史。指揮中心表示，新增本土病例為30多歲女性（案186），為中研院群聚個案（案168）同住接觸者，3月17日發病，因案124於3月20日確診，且案168曾有症狀，故案186於3月20日自行就醫並採檢通報，於23日確診，是中研院群聚第5名確診個案。陳時中籲別隱瞞病情針對台灣疫情越來越嚴峻，尤其連日都是境外移入個案，指揮中心指揮官陳時中提醒，民眾不會因為服退燒藥被處分，他要重申是隱瞞病情才會處分。隱瞞毫無意義，而且機場也會採檢，他呼籲大家要誠實通報。至於台灣出現首宗安養機構的護理人員確診事件，該護理人員第一次就醫時，並沒有採檢，直到10天後，才採檢確診。台灣有專家建議，應對長照機構工作者全面採檢，陳時中23日回應表示，已著手研擬，將針對醫護人員再度放寬採檢標準，研議若有發燒或呼吸道症狀，就可以採檢。該名護理人員第一次就診時，醫師僅給治療流感的克流感藥物，但沒有採檢，直到10天後才採檢並確診。可線上申請防疫補償陳時中表示，該名護理人員是因為以往治療流感，分辨只有加強克流感計畫免快篩可以使用，醫生判斷傾向是流感會先使用基本克流感藥物，第二階段沒有大幅改善才會做大階段的採檢，這是醫師的專業判斷。而第二擴大採檢則是根據旅遊史。與此同時，居家隔離、居家防疫補償開始申請了！衛福部自23日起，正式發布防疫補償申辦網址、申請書表格式、應備文件及受理窗口，並自即日起開放受隔離或檢疫者的防疫補償申請，民眾可採線上、郵寄或臨櫃等方式，向受隔離或檢疫結束時之所在地直轄市、縣市政府申請。

journalist: 本報系鄭郁蓁

countries: 法國 美國 瑞士 英國 荷蘭 台灣 西班牙

things: 長照 防疫

title: 台增26確診 中研院群聚再添1


content_text: 前彰化縣長魏明谷閃辭台水董事長，引發新潮流同志為他抱不平，經濟部低調以對。據了解，接任人選可望近期拍板，不過，在民進黨黨內人士炮口對內，抨擊閣揆蘇貞昌後，是否影響台水董座人事案，引發外界關切。地方人士指出，前嘉義縣長張花冠並無位置安排，若再循前彰縣長出任，翁金珠也可望是人選之一，但以台水系統接任分析，以前董事長陳福田、現任總經理胡南澤呼聲高。對於新潮流人士為自己抱不平，魏明谷表示長官有長官的想法前彰化縣長魏明谷閃辭台水董事長，引發新潮流同志為他抱不平，經濟部低調以對。據了解，接任人選可望近期拍板，不過，在民進黨黨內人士炮口對內，抨擊閣揆蘇貞昌後，是否影響台水董座人事案，引發外界關切。地方人士指出，前嘉義縣長張花冠並無位置安排，若再循前彰縣長出任，翁金珠也可望是人選之一，但以台水系統接任分析，以前董事長陳福田、現任總經理胡南澤呼聲高。對於新潮流人士為自己抱不平，魏明谷表示長官有長官的想法，他是自願請辭，「時間到了」。不過對外界說他的去職是因蘇貞昌禁酬庸，魏明谷說這個大帽子太沉重了，因為董事長是就大方向做出決策，在任期間，他把效率和新氣象帶進台水，「台水24年沒有調漲水價，卻在去年獲利1.94億，還發出4.4個月的年終，這就是經營效能的發揮！」台水董事長的接任人選，原本可望在本周公告，如今新潮流人士朝自己人開槍，會否影響國營事業董總布局，特別是台水董座職缺會否重做考量，再由民進黨派系出任，引發外界關心。不過，行政高層透露，經濟部所屬國營事業在蘇揆內任換上台糖董事長陳昭義後，在這次更換台水董座後，應不會有進一步換人動作。地方派系人士也指出，就熟知內情人士透露，由台水系統人士出任機率較高，被點名的陳福田年紀較長，故又以胡南澤出線機會最大。

journalist: 王莫昀、吳敏菁

people: 張花冠 魏明谷 蘇貞昌 翁金珠

taiwan-subdivisions: 嘉義縣 彰化縣

title: 台水董座職缺 派系有異見


content_text: 大陸廣西一名男醫師遭到同院女護士殺害的消息在微信朋友圈瘋傳，當地的報社記者證實此事，消息指死者在兇嫌的租屋處被殺害後，還被一片一片切碎煮熟相當駭人。網友指，死者是廣西玉林第一人民醫院脊柱外科的副主任醫師，而殺人的是一名因賭博積欠了許多債務的美貌女護士，她因為欠了許多高利貸而向死者借錢，但之後不知道為何就發生了殺人案件，據說護士把醫生的肉割下來後烹煮再丟進馬桶，隔天什麼都沒發生一樣的照常上班，而事大陸廣西一名男醫師遭到同院女護士殺害的消息在微信朋友圈瘋傳，當地的報社記者證實此事，消息指死者在兇嫌的租屋處被殺害後，還被一片一片切碎煮熟相當駭人。網友指，死者是廣西玉林第一人民醫院脊柱外科的副主任醫師，而殺人的是一名因賭博積欠了許多債務的美貌女護士，她因為欠了許多高利貸而向死者借錢，但之後不知道為何就發生了殺人案件，據說護士把醫生的肉割下來後烹煮再丟進馬桶，隔天什麼都沒發生一樣的照常上班，而事情會曝光是因為別的住戶因為馬桶堵塞而請工人來維修，事情才曝了光。南國早報報導，多個訊息源頭都證實這起事件是真的，且女護士與男醫生年齡相差非常大，兩人都在玉林市第一人民醫院工作。不過院方目前沒有給予回覆，而護士已經被警方帶走。

journalist: 湯萱樂

title: 陸醫師遭碎屍烹煮 爛賭美女護士殺人隔天照常上班


content_text: 新冠疫情籠罩全球，無薪假浪潮持續擴大，新北市勞工局統計，3月初共10家企業、335人申報無薪假，迄今短短3周內倍增，達36家企業、共842人，再加上未依法通報者，實際數字恐更多；勞工局表示，已啟用線上宣導機制，提供勞資雙方無薪假參考依據，確保勞方權益不受損。新北市勞工局統計，截至3月23日，新北累計36家企業申報無薪假、共842人，其中27家企業、697人已通過備查，正在實施中，其餘的9家企業、145人仍在審查，通過才可實新冠疫情籠罩全球，無薪假浪潮持續擴大，新北市勞工局統計，3月初共10家企業、335人申報無薪假，迄今短短3周內倍增，達36家企業、共842人，再加上未依法通報者，實際數字恐更多；勞工局表示，已啟用線上宣導機制，提供勞資雙方無薪假參考依據，確保勞方權益不受損。新北市勞工局統計，截至3月23日，新北累計36家企業申報無薪假、共842人，其中27家企業、697人已通過備查，正在實施中，其餘的9家企業、145人仍在審查，通過才可實施。勞工局勞資關係科長賴彥亨分析，申請無薪假企業類別中，以餐飲業、KTV娛樂產業、飯店業列居前3多，有些電腦零組件等製造業，因國際物流中斷、原物料斷貨等因素，同樣受衝擊，另有1家零售業者，為販賣國際網卡的商家，也因旅客銳減重創業績。賴彥亨說明，欲申報實施無薪假企業，除了需要取得勞工書面同意外，勞工局也會檢視當月營收報表，確認與去年同期相比，業績明顯下滑，才會予以通過，審查程序約10天不等，若有企業違規，勞工可向勞工局申訴，查證屬實，將依法裁罰雇主2萬至100萬元。賴彥亨補充，因應新冠疫情擴大，無薪假申報數量有增無減，勞動部已加碼實施「充電再出發計畫」、「安心就業計畫」，實施無薪假勞工可2擇1適用。

journalist: 許哲瑗、新北

taiwan-subdivisions: 新北 新北市

title: 創新高 無薪假暴增 新北通報842人


content_text: 新冠肺炎疫情正迅速擴散，被視為準救命藥的瑞德西韋，台灣已開始臨床試驗，不過根據法國最新研究，抗瘧疾老藥「奎寧」加上抗生素「日舒」，號稱5天可清除100%病毒，國內醫師透露，檢視感染研究中心的臨床報告後發現，這兩藥的數據好到不可思議，彷彿又看到抗病毒的一線曙光！現任三樹金鶯診所體重管理主治醫師、美國運動醫學會健身教練講師蕭捷健在臉書發文表示，法國研究發現，奎寧可以抑制病毒濃度，加上抗黴漿菌藥物日舒使用新冠肺炎疫情正迅速擴散，被視為準救命藥的瑞德西韋，台灣已開始臨床試驗，不過根據法國最新研究，抗瘧疾老藥「奎寧」加上抗生素「日舒」，號稱5天可清除100%病毒，國內醫師透露，檢視感染研究中心的臨床報告後發現，這兩藥的數據好到不可思議，彷彿又看到抗病毒的一線曙光！現任三樹金鶯診所體重管理主治醫師、美國運動醫學會健身教練講師蕭捷健在臉書發文表示，法國研究發現，奎寧可以抑制病毒濃度，加上抗黴漿菌藥物日舒使用，第五天竟可完全清除病毒。而被寄予厚望的瑞德西韋，最近發表的初期結論都只展現了50%左右的治癒率，和標準治療相差無幾。蕭捷健解釋，奎寧主要用於治療瘧疾、狼瘡及類風濕性關節炎，而日舒主要拿來治療黴漿菌肺炎和小兒久咳等。在呼吸道中，日舒可以攻擊呼吸道中躲在生物膜裡面的細菌，並且預防感染。在法國這個小型研究中，包含沒有症狀者6人、有上呼吸道症狀者22人、有肺炎症狀8人，經過氯奎寧與日舒的治療後發現，單獨使用奎寧的病人，在第五天可使病毒量降到一半，使用奎寧合併日舒的人，在第五天竟100%清除病毒。蕭捷健說，如果大規模研究證實，這兩個老藥都有效果，那真是「踏破鐵鞋無覓處，救命藥就在倉庫裡」，雖然實際上還是需要評估臨床改善的程度，但是治療的確出現了曙光。但蕭捷健也強調，大家千萬不要自己去買這個藥服用，因為副作用相當大，恐造成視網膜受損，而且在小兒身上服用也是禁忌。

journalist: 尉遲佩玉、何立雯、影音、吳梓鍹

countries: 台灣 法國 美國

title: 比瑞德西韋更強？醫曝奎寧抗肺炎數據驚人


content_text: 疾病也許是名人最見不得人的事情之一，隱瞞則似乎是他們的傳統。希特勒無法自主控制的顫抖、席維斯史特龍的面無表情、史達林清晨起床卻走不出臥室、晚年的莫內再也畫不出繽紛色彩…這些名人到底怎麼了？善於為古人看診把脈的譚健鍬醫師將再次發揮抽絲剝繭的深厚功力，在《世界史聞不出的藥水味》一書中，帶領我們穿越時空，回到獨裁政治家、藝術家、文學家們的醫療現場！【精彩書摘】史達林雖有高血壓病，但去世前的血壓並不糟糕疾病也許是名人最見不得人的事情之一，隱瞞則似乎是他們的傳統。希特勒無法自主控制的顫抖、席維斯史特龍的面無表情、史達林清晨起床卻走不出臥室、晚年的莫內再也畫不出繽紛色彩…這些名人到底怎麼了？善於為古人看診把脈的譚健鍬醫師將再次發揮抽絲剝繭的深厚功力，在《世界史聞不出的藥水味》一書中，帶領我們穿越時空，回到獨裁政治家、藝術家、文學家們的醫療現場！【精彩書摘】史達林雖有高血壓病，但去世前的血壓並不糟糕。俄國檔案發現，史達林在溫泉療養時常做體檢。「一九五○年九月四日。洗浴前脈搏每分鐘七十四次，血壓 140/80mmHg。洗浴後脈搏每分鐘六十八次，搏動均勻，血壓 138/75mmHg。」「一九五二年一月九日。脈搏每分鐘七十次，正常有力。血壓 140/80mmHg。」當時他身患嚴重流感，高燒未退。但如此說來，七十多歲、血壓控制良好的史達林死於中風，又該如何解釋？歸根結柢，血壓並非中風的唯一因素。糖尿病或長期抽菸者的腦血管內壁會出現不可逆的損傷，引起血小板聚集，是腦血栓形成的重要原因。在此基礎上，酗酒、高血脂、情緒激動、天氣轉冷等因素更易誘發病情惡化，繼而爆發腦出血。史達林是土生土長的高加索人，酒量很大，吃飯時喜歡喝自釀的葡萄酒，這也是他一生的愛好。他的別墅裡存有各種葡萄酒和伏特加，也常用飛機把美酒從高加索空運到莫斯科。在私人場合，史達林常常自行把各種紅白酒按照一定比例兌在一起喝。他也喜歡喝香檳，宴席經常持續到凌晨三、四點，而且往往就是在只有少數人參加的酒席上做出一些重大決策。出事之前，他剛和領導層「四架馬車」暢飲，血液裡積累了不少酒精，對腦血管、心血管都有不良的刺激作用！史達林的菸癮也非常大，抽菸史達半個世紀以上，有人說，他的菸斗是其政治生涯中唯一不被猜疑的伴侶。他往往口含菸斗在房裡踱來踱去，旁若無人地一邊說話一邊吞雲吐霧，這時的他思想高度集中，顯示出領袖風範。史達林的上衣口袋經常裝著菸斗和火柴，他喜歡掰開香菸，從中取出菸絲，再裝入菸斗裡抽。除了菸酒，據他的祕書所言，史達林的生活方式很不健康，「老是坐著」、「從來不運動」、作息無規律，飲食無節制。從三○年代到四○年代，「他經常出現嚴重的心律失常、血管痙攣」和頭痛。一九四九年底甚至出現短暫的語言障礙，以至拖延了與中國代表團的談判。這些都是腦中風的前兆，但「鋼鐵巨人」史達林毫不在意，依然頑固地拒絕詳細體檢，愈到晚年甚至愈猜疑醫師。有人曾撰寫回憶錄稱，出事前那個晚上，史達林在赫魯雪夫等人離開後單獨召見貝利亞，當時貝利亞帶了一位陌生女子同來，讓女祕書扮成女醫師。史達林昏倒後，她在藥物中混入毒劑，弄死了史達林。這類故事雖然跌宕起伏，但真實性極低。既然貝利亞已經失寵，已經被史達林有計畫地收拾中，多疑的史達林還會單獨約他談話，並讓一位陌生女子留在自己的別墅？從史達林的死亡過程看，三月一日清晨出事，三月五日夜間死亡，過了五天半才斷氣，不像是身中劇毒的急性死亡，畢竟劇毒會加速損害心肝腎，在當時落後的醫療條件下，根本拖不了這麼久。況且醫師在整個診治過程中，沒有實施太多有效的救治手段，無非吸氧、注射普通藥品（腎上腺素、葡萄糖酸鈣等）而已，發病過程又很突然，之前史達林的身體一直看似健康，根本沒有每況愈下的病懨懨。史達林的死亡過程幾乎每一步都符合腦中風的發病規律，說不定世界上有某種毒素可以模擬得非常相似？驗屍報告懷疑的中毒跡象都是一些間接數據和表象，根本沒有直接發現毒物─比如光緒皇帝的屍骨上直接檢測出來的超量砒霜。再者，凶手如果投毒，肯定是二月二十八日到三月一日之間，但凶手有可能是誰呢？按照那天晚上出席宴會的名單及史達林核心圈的人物地位排名，以下「同志」進入嫌疑人名單：馬林科夫，時任部長會議副主席（部長會議主席相當於總理，為政府首腦，時由史達林兼任），史達林的內定繼承人，在其死後短暫執政，繼任總理和中央書記處第一書記；貝利亞，內務部部長，長期掌控祕密警察機關和核武器製造，史達林死後擔任副總理，是僅次於馬林科夫的第二號人物；布爾加寧，部長會議副主席兼武裝力量部部長；赫魯雪夫，莫斯科黨委書記，名望不是最高但工於心計。有沒有可能是幾個核心決策層的人聯合謀殺呢？答案是否定的。這些人的利益並不完全一致，而且互相牽制，任何一個人都不敢把自己的非分之想告訴別人。坊間傳聞，貝利亞的嫌疑最大，因為史達林晚年對這位老鄉很不滿意，已動手翦除他的羽翼。貝利亞擔心自己有可能像他的前任那樣─「飛鳥盡，良弓藏，狡兔死，走狗烹」，畢竟他知道的祕密太多，史達林不會永遠對他放心。這個說法看似成立。但貝利亞不可能單獨行動，也不會信任其他幾位領導人，更無法借助史達林的侍衛，因為所有人都警惕他，都在找他毛病，都有落井下石、整他的意向。史達林死後不久，貝利亞即被同志剷除，雖然判下來的罪名羅列如山，唯獨沒有謀殺最高領導人這一項。赫魯雪夫會不會是凶手？雖然他對史達林很不滿，但矛盾沒有激化，且領袖這個時候死，他排名不高，不會是最大收益者，不值得冒險，再說他只是莫斯科市委書記，不算最能接近史達林的人，下手難度極大。馬林科夫的嫌疑不大，因為史達林有恩於他，正在著力培養他接班，且其時他羽翼未豐，還需繼續借助「慈父」的威望為自己夯實基礎。至於布爾加寧，此人野心不大，與史達林無糾葛恩怨，嫌疑更小。然而，在史達林刻意製造的恐怖高壓下，所有人都活得噤若寒蟬，包括他的戰友。這讓史達林最需要救治的時候，當事者全部變得遲鈍麻木、無動於衷。綜上所述，最符合歷史真相的情形是貝利亞、赫魯雪夫等人並沒有直接謀害史達林的計畫，但三月一日夜間，當他們發現史達林突發腦中風時，依據常識判斷，意識到史達林已在劫難逃，集體放棄了一切積極措施，故意延緩救治時間，目的只有一個，讓可怕的領袖盡快墜入深淵、一睡不醒。他們深知這種疾病的危險，即使神醫也回天乏術，更深知史達林的冷酷個性和一貫讓人不寒而慄的作風，與其殘存渺茫的生還機會，還不如讓他的靈魂早早離去，與其戰戰兢兢活在偉大的「慈父」陰影下，與其看著蘇聯的政治生態圈日漸變得像一座巨大的集中營，還不如選擇新陳代謝！於是，這些人在祕密商議後，決定了用消極的辦法搪塞，用時間和自然規律結束史達林的生命。這何嘗不是變相的謀殺？這難道不是史達林這位縱橫捭闔的巨人做夢都沒想到的悲劇收場嗎？(本文摘自《世界史聞不出的藥水味》/時報出版 提供)

journalist: 譚健鍬、李珮雲

title: 變相謀殺？史達林死因比下毒還可怕


content_text: 近期疫情衝擊，民眾偏向吃更健康、負擔少的食物，吃素不再單純為了宗教上的原因，而是對於自身健康，和環境永續的觀念漸增，也成為超商繼咖啡「黑金」、蕃薯「黃金」後，近期必爭的「綠金」商機。據外部統計，台灣素食人口高達330萬人，素食人口占比世界第2，一年商機也達600億元。　　7-11日前在醫院、住宅商圈與廟宇周遭的56家門市，所推出的蔬食專櫃也少見有「全素糖果」上架；即起更在鮮食首創「素食與蔬食辨識LOGO」，是否近期疫情衝擊，民眾偏向吃更健康、負擔少的食物，吃素不再單純為了宗教上的原因，而是對於自身健康，和環境永續的觀念漸增，也成為超商繼咖啡「黑金」、蕃薯「黃金」後，近期必爭的「綠金」商機。據外部統計，台灣素食人口高達330萬人，素食人口占比世界第2，一年商機也達600億元。　　7-11日前在醫院、住宅商圈與廟宇周遭的56家門市，所推出的蔬食專櫃也少見有「全素糖果」上架；即起更在鮮食首創「素食與蔬食辨識LOGO」，是否為素食專用產線生產，會在包裝上揭露，讓素食客群可依需求辨識。此外，7-11線上預購平台也首推「OmniPork新豬肉」，為以香菇、碗豆、非基改大豆等全植物製作而成，訴求零膽固醇、低脂低熱量，另有南門市場的梅干素東坡肉等，滿足養生長青族群，而鮮食素、蔬食新品上市後，兩周已帶動7-11相關業績成長5成以上。公關更表示，素食人口增加，加上疫情造成近期自煮風潮盛行，民眾多購買生鮮蔬菜回家煮，2月以來已帶動相關業績成長近6成。全家繼去年首度於超商販售「Beyond Meat未來漢堡排」後，看準植物肉商機，推出植物肉起司堡、植物肉蕃茄義大利麵新品，以植物性蛋白製造，訴求除了美味，也達到友善環境目的。另也與標榜綠色飲食文化的Green Monday合作，推出泰式打拋燴飯、韓式炸醬麵等冷凍杯裝商品，以OmniPork植物新豬肉為食材，甫上市帶動相關業績成長約1成。萊爾富的Hi-Kitchen香椿炒飯便當，向來深受素食者買單，而近3個月的銷售和去年同期相比，也明顯成長2成，又以國道服務區、學校和交通轉運站等門市銷售最佳。本月再推出可拆袋即食的黃金玉米棒，保留當季玉米的精華鮮甜，提供素食者隨拆即食的輕食尚概念。

journalist: 吳奕萱

countries: 義大利 台灣

title: 超商新口味嘗鮮潮 綠金帶動成長 輕食尚 玩聯名


content_text: 新冠肺炎後遺症令人聞風喪膽，台大兒科醫師吳其穎在YouTube影片中分享，肺部纖維化唯一的根治方法只有「換肺」一途，但就目前資料來看，僅3至5%的患者會出現此後遺症，但大家仍要好好保護自己。吳其穎在YouTube頻道《蒼藍鴿的醫學天地》指出，新冠肺炎的後遺症「肺部纖維化」是因肺部受病源體感染，產生嚴重發炎反應，身體的免疫系統會派出白血球來攻擊新冠病毒，但兩軍交戰的過程，無論誰輸誰贏，做為戰場的肺部，都會變成斷垣新冠肺炎後遺症令人聞風喪膽，台大兒科醫師吳其穎在YouTube影片中分享，肺部纖維化唯一的根治方法只有「換肺」一途，但就目前資料來看，僅3至5%的患者會出現此後遺症，但大家仍要好好保護自己。吳其穎在YouTube頻道《蒼藍鴿的醫學天地》指出，新冠肺炎的後遺症「肺部纖維化」是因肺部受病源體感染，產生嚴重發炎反應，身體的免疫系統會派出白血球來攻擊新冠病毒，但兩軍交戰的過程，無論誰輸誰贏，做為戰場的肺部，都會變成斷垣殘壁，被炸的坑坑疤疤。蒼藍鴿提到，當肺部重傷以後，會召喚「纖維母細胞」來修復受損的地方，可是纖維細絲缺乏彈性，製造太多、堆積在肺泡之中，便會影響換氣功能，可能爬幾層階梯就氣喘吁吁，出現心肺功能下降的後遺症。蒼藍鴿說，但最驚悚的是肺部纖維化是不可逆的疾病，唯一的根治方式就是「肺臟移植」，但即便成功移植了，未來一輩子都要服用抗排斥藥物，因此不幸罹患這個後遺症，真的是件非常麻煩的事情。蒼藍鴿表示，根據現在的資料顯示，這波病毒造成的肺部纖維化的機率約3到5%，不過新冠肺炎是個新興疾病，其研究數據會不斷更新變化，因此大家還是要密切注意、防範，避免染病。

journalist: 何立雯

events: 新冠肺炎 新冠病毒

taiwan-subdivisions: 成功 新興

title: 病毒攻肺致纖維化  醫曝要根治只能換肺


content_text: 國內最近出現衛生紙搶購潮，雲林縣北港鎮1家衛生紙工廠23日強調衛生紙原物料充足，不缺貨也不會漲價，而且還可以買面紙來代替，面紙雖然價格較高，但每盒張數較多，算起來並沒有貴很多，不過面紙較不易溶於水，請不要丟進馬桶。國內部分賣場出現衛生紙搶購潮，引發相關單位著手調查，雲林縣北港鎮1家衛生紙工廠近日訂單不斷，全力趕工生產，除了供應國內各家知名衛生紙公司，也開放零售讓民眾購買，1箱80包只要890元，買8箱還送2國內最近出現衛生紙搶購潮，雲林縣北港鎮1家衛生紙工廠23日強調衛生紙原物料充足，不缺貨也不會漲價，而且還可以買面紙來代替，面紙雖然價格較高，但每盒張數較多，算起來並沒有貴很多，不過面紙較不易溶於水，請不要丟進馬桶。國內部分賣場出現衛生紙搶購潮，引發相關單位著手調查，雲林縣北港鎮1家衛生紙工廠近日訂單不斷，全力趕工生產，除了供應國內各家知名衛生紙公司，也開放零售讓民眾購買，1箱80包只要890元，買8箱還送2箱，價廉物美吸引許多民眾聞風而來。衛生紙工廠負責人吳品峰表示，2年前也曾發生「衛生紙之亂」，當初是因為原物料價格上漲，民眾為了省錢引發搶購潮，此次則是因疫情民眾擔心買不到衛生紙，其實近年來國際衛生紙原物料供貨與價格都很穩定，根本不用擔心買不到衛生紙。吳品峰認為近日搶購衛生紙主要是民眾的預期心理，看到別人買自己若不買，會感到不安心，目前只有特定幾家賣場因補貨不及買不到衛生紙，大多數賣場都還有衛生紙，民眾只要多跑幾家就能買到，若是沒時間採購，可以打電話到工廠訂購，要買多少有多少。吳品峰指出，民眾也可買面紙取代衛生紙，以他生產的面紙而言，1盒約20元，衛生紙1盒約9元，但面紙約200抽，衛生紙約100抽，算起來每抽價格不會相差太多，不過面紙較不易溶於水，使用後請丟到垃圾桶不要丟進馬桶。

journalist: 張朝欣、雲林

taiwan-subdivisions: 北港 雲林縣

title: 原物料足 衛生紙工廠籲不用搶


content_text: 台灣連日新冠肺炎病例大增，民眾到各賣場瘋衛生紙，逼得廠商祭出每人限購一包。有民眾目擊大媽搶購衛生紙的狠勁，她自備購物入店，裝好裝滿9大包衛生紙和廚房紙巾，完全不留給別人。網友在臉書社團痛批，到底是怎樣，一粒卡臣需要這麼多衛生紙？原PO在《爆怨公社》分享大媽掃光衛生紙的現場觀察。只見照片中一名大媽自備手推車，下面疊了4箱，還繼續狂放9袋衛生紙及廚房紙巾，堆得比人還高。後來發現，衛生紙區架上空空如也，其台灣連日新冠肺炎病例大增，民眾到各賣場瘋衛生紙，逼得廠商祭出每人限購一包。有民眾目擊大媽搶購衛生紙的狠勁，她自備購物入店，裝好裝滿9大包衛生紙和廚房紙巾，完全不留給別人。網友在臉書社團痛批，到底是怎樣，一粒卡臣需要這麼多衛生紙？原PO在《爆怨公社》分享大媽掃光衛生紙的現場觀察。只見照片中一名大媽自備手推車，下面疊了4箱，還繼續狂放9袋衛生紙及廚房紙巾，堆得比人還高。後來發現，衛生紙區架上空空如也，其他人完全沒得買。氣得他上網幹譙，「到底？到底？到底？他X的搶衛生紙到底要幹嘛？沒有衛生紙會怎樣？暴怒！」看到堆得比人高的衛生紙，網友超傻眼，「這是多數呆丸郎的天性--悲哀啊！」、「搶來吃的吧！萬一封城時，能煮衛生紙粥喝」、「請原諒智商像小孩一樣的人」、「搶完衛生紙，再搶口罩跟酒精，然後換罐頭，米，泡麵，再回頭搶衛生紙，無限循環……」、「一粒卡臣需要9大包衛生紙，太誇張了」、「搶衛生紙代表著台灣文盲還真不少，這個大媽妳成為笑柄了。」

journalist: 徐秀娥

references: 網友 爆怨公社 臉書社團

title: 大媽手推車凶搶衛生紙 網傻眼：一粒卡臣要9大包？


content_text: 美國陸軍特種部隊綠扁帽4名成員於去年10月，在非洲國家尼日遭到IS恐怖組織遭到極端組織「伊斯蘭國」（IS）埋伏攻擊身亡。IS近4日更是向外界公布了這個過程的影片，這段影片是由其中一名陣亡美軍士兵的頭盔攝影機拍攝，影片中可見美軍在遭受猛烈攻擊，最後不敵對方多達人數優勢，最後4人紛紛倒地。據《BBC》報導，美陸軍特種部隊綠扁帽成員去年10月4日與約30名尼日士兵，正在執行邊境巡邏任務，遇上50名手持機關槍及火箭彈的IS恐美國陸軍特種部隊綠扁帽4名成員於去年10月，在非洲國家尼日遭到IS恐怖組織遭到極端組織「伊斯蘭國」（IS）埋伏攻擊身亡。IS近4日更是向外界公布了這個過程的影片，這段影片是由其中一名陣亡美軍士兵的頭盔攝影機拍攝，影片中可見美軍在遭受猛烈攻擊，最後不敵對方多達人數優勢，最後4人紛紛倒地。據《BBC》報導，美陸軍特種部隊綠扁帽成員去年10月4日與約30名尼日士兵，正在執行邊境巡邏任務，遇上50名手持機關槍及火箭彈的IS恐怖分子突襲，最後造成4名美軍士兵陣亡，而這段過程的影片也在4日被IS曝光。這段影片是由在這場行動中陣亡的美軍士兵約翰森（La David Johnson）的頭盔攝影機所拍下，在他陣亡後身上裝備被IS分子奪走。從影片中可見，美軍4名綠扁帽成員遭到IS恐怖分子猛烈攻擊，隨隊的尼日士兵也已經不見蹤影。剩下的美軍士兵包括士兵約翰森也開火反擊，還不時以汽車做為掩護並在一旁開火，約翰森還一度想就一名中槍倒下的同袍，但他隨後也被擊中，並發出慘叫後毫無任何動靜。影片最後還可見，持槍的IS恐怖分子走到約翰森旁邊，並對他補開多槍。

journalist: 蔡萱

countries: 尼日 美國

title: IS曝光殘忍影片！美軍4綠扁帽遭50人埋伏擊斃


content_text: 法國頂級保養品牌Sisley於1976年由修伯特多納諾、伊莎貝爾多納諾創立後，以植物美容學經驗及創新科技，在名媛貴婦圈屹立不搖，針對防疫時期，品牌也發表，奢華防疫保養新對策。Sisley觀察，防疫時期口罩成每日必備配件，長時間配戴口罩肌膚悶熱潮濕的環境中，加上鼻子呼吸的熱氣和嘴巴說話的濕氣，汗水和油脂黏附在臉上，據此，Sisley認為，防疫期間要做到深層清潔肌膚，保持油水平衡維持肌膚的潔淨舒適感，才是保養關鍵，品牌祭法國頂級保養品牌Sisley於1976年由修伯特多納諾、伊莎貝爾多納諾創立後，以植物美容學經驗及創新科技，在名媛貴婦圈屹立不搖，針對防疫時期，品牌也發表，奢華防疫保養新對策。Sisley觀察，防疫時期口罩成每日必備配件，長時間配戴口罩肌膚悶熱潮濕的環境中，加上鼻子呼吸的熱氣和嘴巴說話的濕氣，汗水和油脂黏附在臉上，據此，Sisley認為，防疫期間要做到深層清潔肌膚，保持油水平衡維持肌膚的潔淨舒適感，才是保養關鍵，品牌祭出「沁嫩淨化調理潔面凝露」、「沁嫩淨化調理面膜」搶攻市場。

journalist: 吳娮翎

title: 法國保養專家Sisley 祭防疫保養對策


content_text: 高雄巿長韓國瑜率民政、工務、新聞等一級主管與會，20日到大寮區公所舉辦里業務會報，他說，自己專程搭捷運到大寮，除了看防疫工作，也看環境。未來大寮農業要採取攻擊型，不管內銷還外銷，都要強力促銷。韓國瑜說，除了81期重劃相當重要，大寮區的淹水也很嚴重，在水患的部分預計2至3年，全高雄水患都要治好，治水是個大學問，所以請水利專家李鴻源來把脈，第1年能做的都做了，抓到了68個淹水點，今年開始要繼續衝刺。韓國瑜也高雄巿長韓國瑜率民政、工務、新聞等一級主管與會，20日到大寮區公所舉辦里業務會報，他說，自己專程搭捷運到大寮，除了看防疫工作，也看環境。未來大寮農業要採取攻擊型，不管內銷還外銷，都要強力促銷。韓國瑜說，除了81期重劃相當重要，大寮區的淹水也很嚴重，在水患的部分預計2至3年，全高雄水患都要治好，治水是個大學問，所以請水利專家李鴻源來把脈，第1年能做的都做了，抓到了68個淹水點，今年開始要繼續衝刺。韓國瑜也提到，說起紅豆大家都講到萬丹，為什麼沒有人講大寮的紅豆？因為品牌沒有打出去，除此之外，大寮的米也是很好的，所以未來大寮的農業，要採取攻擊型的農業，不管是內銷還是外銷，都要強力的促銷。對於區里業務會報，他跟里長講，把心裡的話都講出來，每一項都要列管，清楚的跟大家報告，現場包括立委林岱樺以及藍、綠巿議員都出席與會。韓國瑜也到和發產業園區與業者座談，園區簡報表示，受新冠肺炎衝擊，製造業、食品業因原物料進出口管制等影響，訂單數量削減，員工可能面臨無薪假。韓國瑜則說明，高巿府會做廠商們的後盾來協助。他舉例像香港村，去年在沒有宣傳的情況下，就已經有130餘戶香港人來買房地產。如果有更多的宣傳，可望有更多香港人或其他國際人才來高雄置產、定居、投資，相信屆時會有很多人才湧入。

journalist: 曹明正、高雄

people: 韓國瑜 林岱樺

taiwan-subdivisions: 大寮 萬丹 高雄 大寮區

title: 韓視察大寮農業 籲採攻擊促銷


content_text: 正值澎湖冰花盛產期，礙於新冠肺炎疫情衝擊嚴重滯銷，農戶佛心來著，主打開心農場招牌開放民眾採收，100元體驗農村樂還吃飽飽，上萬元高級食材俗俗賣。俗稱「鑽石花」的冰花不是花，是高經濟價值蔬菜，原產於南非，像似仙人掌的多肉植物；外表枝葉長滿了一顆顆亮晶晶水囊泡，彷彿冰晶包覆著而得名。物稀為貴，冰花尤其怕熱，所以多以無塵室栽種，這即摘即食的健康有機無毒蔬菜早年價格昂貴，1公斤喊價上萬元，多進口高級餐廳的美正值澎湖冰花盛產期，礙於新冠肺炎疫情衝擊嚴重滯銷，農戶佛心來著，主打開心農場招牌開放民眾採收，100元體驗農村樂還吃飽飽，上萬元高級食材俗俗賣。俗稱「鑽石花」的冰花不是花，是高經濟價值蔬菜，原產於南非，像似仙人掌的多肉植物；外表枝葉長滿了一顆顆亮晶晶水囊泡，彷彿冰晶包覆著而得名。物稀為貴，冰花尤其怕熱，所以多以無塵室栽種，這即摘即食的健康有機無毒蔬菜早年價格昂貴，1公斤喊價上萬元，多進口高級餐廳的美食。近年來澎湖科技大學引進溫室栽種，縣府大力推廣，冰花暴紅變成澎湖特色農產品，價格更平民化每斤500元，人人吃得起。這次疫情重創澎湖觀光，連坐冰花產業也遭殃，餐廳生意門可羅雀，冰花更乏人問津嚴重滯銷，農民叫苦連天慘兮兮。農夫突發奇想拉抬買氣，大方開放農場歡迎來採收，降低成本、節省人力、創造商機，一舉數得還炒熱話題，周末假日人潮搶搶滾，大夥來嘗鮮。農夫說，天氣逐漸轉熱，冰花採收季即將尾聲，這次不計成本1人100元開放農場冰花之旅招攬人氣，看著小朋友們灰頭土臉好快樂，大人們吃得過癮並且滿載而歸，今年物超所值的冰花值得了。

journalist: 陳可文、澎湖

title: 澎湖冰花 農場開放採收


content_text:
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Test of the statement released Tuesday by the International Olympic Committee postponing the Tokyo Olympics to 2021:
 ___
 THE PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE (IOC), THOMAS BACH, AND THE PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN, ABE SHINZO, HELD A CONFERENCE CALL THIS MORNING TO DISCUSS THE CONSTANTLY CHANGING ENVIRONMENT WITH REGARD TO COVID-19 AND THE OLYMPIC GAMES TOKYO 2020.
 They were joined by Mori Yoshiro, the President of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee; the Olympic Minister, Hashimoto Seiko; the Governor of Tokyo, Koike Yuriko; the Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission, John Coates; IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper; and the IOC Olympic Games Executive Director, Christophe Dubi.
 President Bach and Prime Minister Abe expressed their shared concern about the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, and what it is doing to people’s lives and the significant impact it is having on global athletes’ preparations for the Games.
 In a very friendly and constructive meeting, the two leaders praised the work of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and noted the great progress being made in Japan to fight against COVID-19.
 The unprecedented and unpredictable spread of the outbreak has seen the situation in the rest of the world deteriorating. Yesterday, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that the COVID-19 pandemic is “accelerating.” There are more than 375,000 cases now recorded worldwide and in nearly every country, and their number is growing by the hour.
 In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community.
 The leaders agreed that the Olympic Games in Tokyo could stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times and that the Olympic flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present. Therefore, it was agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan. It was also agreed that the Games will keep the name Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.

journalist: By Associated Press

title: Text of IOC statement postponing Tokyo Olympics to 2021


content_text:
BERLIN (AP) — The European Space Agency said Tuesday that it is putting eight of its spacecraft into hibernation as it scales down operations during the coronavirus outbreak.
 The agency said it is further reducing the already limited number of staff working on site at its mission control in Darmstadt, Germany. As a result, the instruments and data collection on some space probes are being temporarily stopped.
 They include the Cluster mission, consisting of four probes launched in 2000 to investigate Earth's magnetic environment and how it is affected by solar wind; the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter launched in 2016 to investigate the red planet’s atmosphere; Mars Express, launched in 2003 and which has been capturing images of the surface of Mars; and the Solar Orbiter mission launched last month to observe the sun.
 The eight spacecraft are among 21 currently flown from Darmstadt. The agency said one staff member there has tested positive for COVID-19.
 “Our priority is the health of our workforce, and we will therefore reduce activity on some of our scientific missions, especially on interplanetary spacecraft, which currently require the highest number of personnel on site,” ESA’s director of operations, Rolf Densing, said.
 He said putting the probes into hibernation would have “a negligible impact” on their missions.
 The European Space Agency recently said it was postponing the launch of its joint Mars rover mission with Russia’s Roscosmos until 2022, in part due to travel restrictions resulting from the pandemic.
 NASA has also temporarily suspended work on the James Webb Space Telescope in California due to the coronavirus, putting its spring 2021 target launch date in jeopardy.

title: 8 European spacecraft put in hibernation amid virus lockdown


content_text:
HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — A federal judge issued a ruling prohibiting a U.S. prosecutor from entering a district courthouse in Guam because of concerns over the spread of the coronavirus.
 Federal Public Defender John Gorman requested that U.S. Attorney Shawn Anderson be barred from entering the court in Hagatna, Pacific Daily News reported Monday.
 Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood ordered that anyone who has traveled outside of Guam over the previous 14 days should not be allowed in the courthouse.
 Gorman said Anderson recently returned to the U.S. territory from a vacation trip to Thailand, which the judge's ruling noted Anderson did not deny.
 "He has by now, gone into the U.S. Attorneys office and/or met with various U.S. Attorneys staff. He has willfully broken the quarantine and potentially infected that entire office," Gorman wrote in his request.
 Anderson did not have contact with any staff members and was prepared to work remotely, he said, adding that he did not travel to a “high-risk country” and does not have any symptoms of COVID-19.
 For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. But for the elderly and people with existing conditions, it can cause more severe illness. The vast majority of those who are infected recover.
 Guam had 29 confirmed cases of the virus and one death as of Monday, officials said.
 The judge denied Gorman's request that Anderson's staff be banned from the court building, where the U.S. attorney's office is located.
 “There is no legal or medical basis to quarantine our entire staff," Anderson wrote in response to the request. “No USAO employee has had personal contact with me since my return to Guam.”
 The judge also placed a court prohibition on people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19, those who have had contact with an infected person, people who have flu-like symptoms and anyone who has been asked to self-quarantine.

title: Judge bars US prosecutor from entering Guam court over virus


content_text:
Construction workers wearing face masks seen through safety fencing work near London Bridge in London, Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Britain's Prime Minist...
 Construction workers wearing face masks seen through safety fencing work near London Bridge in London, Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday imposed its most draconian peacetime restrictions due to the spread of the coronavirus on businesses and gatherings, health workers begged for more gear, saying they felt like "cannon fodder." For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

 Construction workers wearing face masks seen through safety fencing work on a site near London Bridge in London, Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Britain's Pr...
 Construction workers wearing face masks seen through safety fencing work on a site near London Bridge in London, Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday imposed its most draconian peacetime restrictions due to the spread of the coronavirus on businesses and gatherings, health workers begged for more gear, saying they felt like "cannon fodder." For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

 A bus passes by an otherwise deserted Bank of England in London, Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday imposed its...
 A bus passes by an otherwise deserted Bank of England in London, Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday imposed its most draconian peacetime restrictions due to the spread of the coronavirus on businesses and gatherings, health workers begged for more gear, saying they felt like "cannon fodder." For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

 A few people gather outside an otherwise deserted Bank of England in London, Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday...
 A few people gather outside an otherwise deserted Bank of England in London, Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday imposed its most draconian peacetime restrictions due to the spread of the coronavirus on businesses and gatherings, health workers begged for more gear, saying they felt like "cannon fodder." For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

 A view of a closed Sports Direct store next to an open Pets at Home store, the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown to help c...
 A view of a closed Sports Direct store next to an open Pets at Home store, the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. Sports Direct has said it will close its stores in a major U-turn after initially calling for its workers to continue selling essential sports and fitness equipment in the face of the coronavirus outbreak, in Telford, England, Tuesday March 24, 2020. For some people the COVID-19 coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, but for others it causes severe illness. (Nick Potts / PA via AP)

 People keep a distance as they walk dogs on the Long Walk at Windsor Castle, England Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson o...
 People keep a distance as they walk dogs on the Long Walk at Windsor Castle, England Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday imposed its most draconian peacetime restrictions due to the spread of the coronavirus on businesses and gatherings. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

 People use social distancing as they queue to enter a supermarket in Windsor, England Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson ...
 People use social distancing as they queue to enter a supermarket in Windsor, England Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday imposed its most draconian peacetime restrictions due to the spread of the coronavirus on businesses and gatherings. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

 Messages of support are seen in a shop window in Windsor, England Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday imposed it...
 Messages of support are seen in a shop window in Windsor, England Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday imposed its most draconian peacetime restrictions due to the spread of the coronavirus on businesses and gatherings. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

 A shopper walks up an empty street near Windsor Castle in Windsor, England Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday i...
 A shopper walks up an empty street near Windsor Castle in Windsor, England Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday imposed its most draconian peacetime restrictions due to the spread of the coronavirus on businesses and gatherings. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

 LONDON (AP) — Confusion rippled through Britain Tuesday, a day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered a three-week halt to all non-essential activity to fight the spread of the new coronavirus.
 Streets were empty but some subways were full. Hairdressers were closed but construction sites were open. Divorced parents wondered whether their children could continue to see them both.
 The government has ordered most stores to close, banned gatherings of three or more people who don't live together and told everyone apart from essential workers to leave home only to buy food and medicines or to exercise.
 “You must stay at home,” Johnson said in a somber address to the nation on Monday evening.
 But photos showed crowded trains on some London subway lines Tuesday morning amid confusion about who was still allowed to go to work.
 Julia Harris, a London nurse, said her morning train to work was full.
 “I worry for my health more on my commute than actually being in the hospital," she said.
 Sporting goods chain Sports Direct said its shops would remain open, arguing that selling exercise equipment was an essential service. It reversed course after an outcry from the public and officials.
 Many building sites remained open, with construction workers among those crowding onto early-morning subways.
 Electrician Dan Dobson said construction workers felt “angry and unprotected,” but felt they had to keep working.
 "None of them want to go to work, everyone is worried about taking it home to their families,” he said. "But they still have bills to pay, they still have rent to pay, they still have to buy food.”
 British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak defended keeping construction sites open, insisting it could be done safely.
 But London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted: “I cannot say this more strongly: we must stop all non-essential use of public transport now. Employers: please support your staff to work from home unless it's absolutely necessary. Ignoring these rules means more lives lost.”
 Many families were also confused by the new rules.
 After Johnson said people should not mingle outside of their household units, separated parents asked whether their children could still travel between their homes. In a series of television and radio interviews, Cabinet minister Michael Gove initially said children should not move between households, before clarifying that it was permitted.
 The restrictions are the most draconian ever imposed by a British government in peacetime. But they don’t go as far as lockdowns in Italy and France, where people need a document authorizing their movements.
 The government said police would have powers to break up illegal gatherings and fine people who flout the rules. But some expressed doubts about whether the lockdown could be enforced.
 Britain has lost thousands of police officers during a decade of public spending cuts by Conservative-led governments. Johnson has promised to recruit 20,000 more police officers, but those efforts are still in the early stages. Unlike some other European countries, Britons do not carry ID cards, another factor complicating enforcement efforts.
 "There is no way really that the police can enforce this using powers. It has got to be because the public hugely support it,” Peter Fahy, former chief constable of Greater Manchester Police, told the BBC.
 For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever or coughing. But for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. Hospitals in Italy and Spain have been overwhelmed by the critically ill.
 Britain has recorded 6,650 coronavirus cases and 335 deaths. Intensive care departments in London, the hardest-hit city, are being inundated with COVID-19 patients. Johnson warned that the National Health Service could be overwhelmed within weeks unless people took the lockdown seriously.
 Critics say British authorities have acted too slowly to avert an Italy-scale crisis. Schools were closed less than a week ago, and pubs and restaurants were only shuttered on Friday.
 Andrea Collins, Senior Clinical Lecturer in Respiratory Medicine at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, said the new restrictions were welcome but didn’t go far enough.
 “The ‘absolutely’ necessary to go to work is still being used by some when it is not required — I think we need permits across controlled areas to go to a workplace,” she said. “Home working is hard for many but it is possible, we just need to adapt to a new way of being.”
 ___
 Associated Press writers Danica Kirka and Pan Pylas contributed to this story,

journalist: By JILL LAWLESS , Associated Press, Associated Press

title: UK clamps down to fight virus, but confusion still reigns


content_text:
This Tuesday, March 17, 2020 photo shows the Lazarettos complex, called Lazareti in Croatian, in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Just outside the majestic walls o...
 This Tuesday, March 17, 2020 photo shows the Lazarettos complex, called Lazareti in Croatian, in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Just outside the majestic walls of Croatia’s medieval citadel city of Dubrovnik lies a cluster of small stone houses that today serve as an art and clubbing hub. But as the coronavirus spreads across the globe, many are being reminded of the Lazareti complex's original use as an ancient quarantine area that helped keep infectious diseases away. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

 This Tuesday, March 17, 2020 photo shows the Lazarettos complex, called Lazareti in Croatian, in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Just outside the majestic walls o...
 This Tuesday, March 17, 2020 photo shows the Lazarettos complex, called Lazareti in Croatian, in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Just outside the majestic walls of Croatia’s medieval citadel city of Dubrovnik lies a cluster of small stone houses that today serve as an art and clubbing hub. But as the coronavirus spreads across the globe, many are being reminded of the Lazareti complex's original use as an ancient quarantine area that helped keep infectious diseases away. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

 This Tuesday, March 17, 2020 aerial photo shows the old town harbor and the Lazarettos, called Lazareti in Croatian, of Dubrovnik, in Dubrovnik, Croat...
 This Tuesday, March 17, 2020 aerial photo shows the old town harbor and the Lazarettos, called Lazareti in Croatian, of Dubrovnik, in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Just outside the majestic walls of Croatia’s medieval citadel city of Dubrovnik lies a cluster of small stone houses known as the Lazzarettos of Dubrovnik, today an art and clubbing hub and a tourist attraction. But the coronavirus spreads worldwide, some are recalling their original purpose centuries ago as an isolation zone for arrivals who might be carrying infectious diseases. Dubrovnik, on the Adriatic coast, was the first city in Europe to set up a quarantine system, in 1377, as protection from leprosy. The Lazzarettos complex was built in the 17th century when authorities decided to set up the quarantine area closer to the harbor. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

 This Tuesday, March 17, 2020 aerial photo shows roofs and the atrium of the Lazarettos, called Lazareti in Croatian, of Dubrovnik, in Dubrovnik, Croa...
 This Tuesday, March 17, 2020 aerial photo shows roofs and the atrium of the Lazarettos, called Lazareti in Croatian, of Dubrovnik, in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Just outside the majestic walls of Croatia’s medieval citadel city of Dubrovnik lies a cluster of small stone houses known as the Lazzarettos of Dubrovnik, today an art and clubbing hub and a tourist attraction. But the coronavirus spreads worldwide, some are recalling their original purpose centuries ago as an isolation zone for arrivals who might be carrying infectious diseases. Dubrovnik, on the Adriatic coast, was the first city in Europe to set up a quarantine system, in 1377, as protection from leprosy. The Lazzarettos complex was built in the 17th century when authorities decided to set up the quarantine area closer to the harbor. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

 This Tuesday, March 17, 2020 aerial photo shows the old town of Dubrovnik, Croatia. Just outside the majestic walls of Croatia’s medieval citadel city...
 This Tuesday, March 17, 2020 aerial photo shows the old town of Dubrovnik, Croatia. Just outside the majestic walls of Croatia’s medieval citadel city of Dubrovnik lies a cluster of small stone houses known as the Lazarettos, called Lazareti in Croatian, of Dubrovnik, today an art and clubbing hub and a tourist attraction. But the coronavirus spreads worldwide, some are recalling their original purpose centuries ago as an isolation zone for arrivals who might be carrying infectious diseases. Dubrovnik, on the Adriatic coast, was the first city in Europe to set up a quarantine system, in 1377, as protection from leprosy. The Lazzarettos complex was built in the 17th century when authorities decided to set up the quarantine area closer to the harbor. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

 This Tuesday, March 17, 2020 photo shows the door of the Lazarettos complex, called Lazareti in Croatian, in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Just outside the maje...
 This Tuesday, March 17, 2020 photo shows the door of the Lazarettos complex, called Lazareti in Croatian, in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Just outside the majestic walls of Croatia’s medieval citadel city of Dubrovnik lies a cluster of small stone houses that today serve as an art and clubbing hub. But as the coronavirus spreads across the globe, many are being reminded of the Lazareti complex’s original use as an ancient quarantine area that helped keep infectious diseases away. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

 This Tuesday, March 17, 2020 photo shows mansards of the Lazarettos complex, called Lazareti in Croatian, in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Just outside the maje...
 This Tuesday, March 17, 2020 photo shows mansards of the Lazarettos complex, called Lazareti in Croatian, in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Just outside the majestic walls of Croatia’s medieval citadel city of Dubrovnik lies a cluster of small stone houses that today serve as an art and clubbing hub. But as the coronavirus spreads across the globe, many are being reminded of the Lazareti complex’s original use as an ancient quarantine area that helped keep infectious diseases away. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

 DUBROVNIK, Croatia (AP) — Just outside the majestic walls of Croatia’s medieval citadel city of Dubrovnik lies a cluster of small stone houses, the Lazarettos of Dubrovnik, best known as an art and clubbing hub and a tourist attraction.
 But as the coronavirus spreads across the globe, many are being reminded of their original purpose centuries ago as an isolation zone for arrivals to port city who might be carrying infectious diseases.
 “We gave the Lazareti complex over to the artists for cultural manifestations,” said Ana Bakija-Konsuo, a physician and one of the authors of a book about the compound, using the local term for the complex.
 “It is interesting that we wrote that infectious diseases no longer pose a threat," she said. “Life has proven us wrong, like many times before.”
 Normally packed with tourists all year long, the streets of Dubrovnik are now deserted and its otherwise bustling airport has been shut down. Throughout Croatia, restrictive measures have been introduced to try to limit the sway of the new coronavirus.
 Worldwide efforts to stop the COVID-19 infections have prompted countries to close down borders and introduce quarantine for for people coming from affected areas and later isolation for whole populations.
 Several cases have been recorded in Dubrovnik, known as a UNESCO heritage site and a filming location for the “Game of Thrones" series.
 Bakija-Konsuo said that Dubrovnik, on the Adriatic coast, was the first city in Europe to set up a quarantine system, in 1377, as protection from leprosy, a bacterial illness that affects the nerves, skin and the respiratory organs. Initially, newcomers were kept on nearby islands in wooden huts that were later burned down.
 “This was very modern compared to Venice, for instance, which banned absolutely all ships from its harbor, or the Milan laws which ordered building walls around the homes of those infected,” she said. “How those who were infected felt, it’s hard to even imagine nowadays.”
 Historian Ivan Vigjen said the Lazarettos complex was built in the 17th century when authorities decided to set up the quarantine area closer to the harbor. The complex at the time was “the biggest state investment in public health,” he explained.
 “They (authorities) were very effective in keeping the diseases away even before they entered the soil of Dubrovnik," a sea power at the time, he said. “Throughout history, the rules of quarantine were unchanged.”
 Those rules envisaged that travelers and tradesmen coming from regions affected with leprosy, plague or other diseases must stay at least 20 days in isolation. The time limit later was extended to 40 days, or ‘quaranta’ in Italian, giving the practice its future name.
 Vigjen said the idea has been the same all along — that isolation would keep the disease out of the way. Unfortunately, he said, sometimes the effect was just the opposite, as many people were packed into a small area.
 In the Lazarettos, people always were kept separate from the goods, everyone was registered and all their belongings listed, said Vigjen. There were 10 halls, separated by courtyards and surrounded by walls, with their own sewage system and a manager.
 “Inside the quarantine, there was a lot of business going on because you had many travelers and many tradesmen at the same place so they were exchanging information, they were writing letters, playing cards and so on,” said Vigjen. “We know it was actually like a very big place for doing business.”
 Centuries later, quarantine-like measures have been reintroduced across the globe, but Bakija-Konsuo said there is one huge difference.
 “People didn’t know in the past. They believed it was God’s wrath, the Almighty is angry. They didn’t know how it (disease) spreads or how they could protect themselves,” she said. “Today it seems, with all this, if we behave in a responsible manner, each and every one of us, it will be all right.”
 ___
 The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

journalist: By DARKO BANDIC , Associated Press, Associated Press

title: Croatia's Dubrovnik, home to ancient quarantine facilities


content_text:
A countdown clock for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics is photographed in Tokyo, Monday, March 23, 2020. The IOC will take up to four weeks to consider postpon...
 A countdown clock for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics is photographed in Tokyo, Monday, March 23, 2020. The IOC will take up to four weeks to consider postponing the Tokyo Olympics amid mounting criticism of its handling of the coronavirus crisis that now includes Canada saying it won't send a team to the games this year and the leader of track and field, the biggest sport at the games, also calling for a delay. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

 LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — How the debate over postponing the 2020 Tokyo Olympics changed this year during the coronavirus outbreak:
 Jan 11
 "We are aware of the reports on the outbreak of pneumonia in Wuhan. As it stands, the WHO (World Health Organization) have indicated that the Chinese authorities have confirmed that SARS and MERS Coronaviruses have been ruled out, and that there is no convincing evidence of human to human transmission.” — IOC statement about an Olympic boxing qualifying tournament scheduled in Wuhan.
 Feb 15
 “Certainly the advice we’ve received externally from the WHO is that there’s no case for any contingency plans or cancelling the games or moving the games.” — John Coates, head of IOC inspection team for 2020 Olympics, at news conference in Tokyo.
 Feb 18
 “Way too far away” (to advise on changing Tokyo Olympics plans). — WHO emergencies program director Mike Ryan.
 Feb 25
 “You could certainly go to two months out if you had to” (before postponing the July 24-Aug. 9 games). — IOC senior member Dick Pound in an interview with Associated Press.
 "This is the new war and you have to face it. In and around that time, I'd say folks are going to have to ask, ‘Is this under sufficient control that we can be confident about going to Tokyo, or not?'” -- Pound.
 “All indications are at this stage that it will be business as usual. So keep focused on your sport and be sure that the IOC is not going to send you into a pandemic situation." — Pound.
 “It's a big, big, big decision and you just can't take it until you have reliable facts on which to base it. There's so many moving parts, so many countries and different seasons, and competitive seasons, and television seasons. You can't just say, we'll do it in October.” — Pound.
 Feb 27
 “For the time being, the situation of the coronavirus infection is, admittedly, difficult to predict, but we will take measures such that we’ll have a safe Olympic and Paralympic Games.” — Tokyo organizing committee CEO Toshiro Muto.
 Feb 28
 “The preparations … are continuing with a view to having successful Olympic Games this summer in Tokyo and to reassure the athletes and to encourage them to go ahead full steam with regard to their training and their preparations for what we expect to be very successful Olympic Games.” — IOC president Thomas Bach in a call with Japanese media.
 “I'm not ready to add fuel to the flames of speculation there in any way. It is about now, not about speculation.” -- Bach
 March 3
 “We are going to have the games on the 24th of July,” — IOC spokesman Mark Adams after first day of an executive board meeting.
 March 4
 “Neither the word cancellation nor the word postponement was even mentioned.” — Bach at news conference after the board meeting.
 “I will not take part in any way of such kind of mere speculations.” -- Bach, when asked if WHO declaring a pandemic would change the IOC’s position. (WHO declared a pandemic on March 11)
 March 12
 “I would say maybe they postpone it for a year. I like that better than having empty stadiums all over the place.” — US President Donald Trump at White House.
 March 13
 “The IOC and the organizing committee are not considering cancellation or a postponement — absolutely not at all.” — Japan's Olympic minister Seiko Hashimoto at a news conference in Tokyo.
 March 13
 “All Lausanne staff will work from home starting Monday, March 16 until further notice, with the exception of some essential functions. It has been decided to close The (Olympic) Museum from Monday … for two weeks.” — IOC statement.
 March 17
 “The IOC remains fully committed to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and with more than four months to go before the games there is no need for any drastic decisions at this stage; and any speculation at this moment would be counter-productive.” — IOC statement after conference calls with Olympic sports governing bodies.
 “The IOC encourages all athletes to continue to prepare for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 as best they can.” — IOC statement.
 “I think the IOC insisting this will move ahead, with such conviction, is insensitive and irresponsible given the state of humanity.” — IOC member Hayley Wickenheiser, a four-time Olympic ice hockey gold medalist.
 March 18
 “We will keep acting in a responsible way in the interests of the athlete.” — Bach after conference call with athletes representing national Olympic committees.
 “I’m sorry Mr Bach but this is tone deaf. The instinct to keep safe (not to mention obey govt instructions to lock down) is not compatible with athlete training, travel and focus that a looming Olympics demands of athletes, spectators organisers etc. Keep them safe. Call it off.” — Matthew Pinsent, 4-time Olympic gold medalist in rowing.
 March 19
 “We are not living in a bubble or on another planet. Of course we are considering different scenarios.” — Bach in interview with New York Times.
 “We also have seen athletes are very creative to bridge this gap for training at home and other training methods. It is a unique exceptional situation, which requires exceptional solutions.” — Bach to New York Times.
 "The most infuriating part of this whole thing is it feels like the IOC is going to do what they want, regardless of what the athletes think.” — Sandi Morris, Olympic silver medalist in pole vault.
 March 20
 “We'd concur with them to say we need more expert advice than we have today. And we don't have to make a decision. The games are four months from now.” — Susanne Lyons, chairman of the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
 March 22
 “There is a dramatic increase in cases and new outbreaks of COVID-19 in different countries on different continents. This led the (board) to the conclusion that the IOC needs to take the next step in its scenario-planning.” — IOC statement after an emergency board meeting.
 "The IOC will, in full coordination and partnership with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the Japanese authorities and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, start detailed discussions to complete its assessment of the rapid development of the worldwide health situation and its impact on the Olympic Games, including the scenario of postponement. The IOC is confident that it will have finalised these discussions within the next four weeks.” — IOC statement.
 March 23
 “It’s clear the games can’t be held in July." — Ian Chesterman, leader of Australia's Olympic team, telling athletes to prepare for the Tokyo Games in 2021 .
 “The games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know.” — IOC member Dick Pound, in interview with USA Today.
 March 24
 “President Bach said he will agree ‘100%,’ and we agreed to hold the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in the summer of 2021 at the latest. In order to hold the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in a complete form as a proof of a victory by human beings against the coronavirus infections.” — Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
 ___
 More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

title: A timeline of the debate to postpone the Tokyo Olympics


content_text:
Volunteers Keshia Link, left, and Dan Peterson unload boxes of donated gloves and alcohol wipes from a car at a drive-up donation site for medical sup...
 Volunteers Keshia Link, left, and Dan Peterson unload boxes of donated gloves and alcohol wipes from a car at a drive-up donation site for medical supplies at the University of Washington to help fight the coronavirus outbreak Tuesday, March 24, 2020, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

 Malaysia's medical glove factories, which make most of the world's critical hand protection, are operating at half capacity just when they're most needed, The Associated Press has learned.
 Health care workers snap gloves on as the first line of protection against catching COVID-19 from patients, and they're crucial to protecting patients as well. But medical-grade glove supplies are running low globally, even as more feverish, sweating and coughing patients arrive in hospitals by the day.
 Malaysia is by far the world’s largest medical glove supplier, producing as many as three out of four gloves on market. The industry has a history of mistreating migrant workers who toil over hand-sized molds as they're dipped in melted latex or rubber, hot and exhausting work.
 The Malaysian government ordered factories to halt all manufacturing starting March 18. Then, one by one, those that make products deemed essential, including medical gloves, have been required to seek exemptions to reopen, but only with half of their workforce to reduce the risk of transmitting the new virus, according to industry reports and insider sources. The government says companies must meet domestic demand before exporting anything. The Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association this week is asking for an exception.
 “Any halt to the production and administrative segments of our industry would mean an absolute stoppage to glove manufacturing and it will be disastrous to the world,” said association president Denis Low in a statement released to Malaysian media. He said their members have received requests for millions of gloves from about 190 countries.
 U.S. imports of medical gloves were already 10% lower last month than during the same period last year, according to trade data complied by Panjiva and ImportGenius. Experts say greater declines are expected in coming weeks. Other countries making gloves including Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Turkey and especially China are also seeing their manufacturing disrupted due to the virus.
 U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Tuesday it was lifting a block on imports from one leading Malaysian medical glove manufacturer, WRP Asia Pacific, where workers had allegedly been forced to pay recruitment fees as high as $5,000 in their home countries, including Bangladesh and Nepal.
 The CBP said they lifted the September order after learning the company is no longer producing the medical gloves under forced labor conditions.
 “We are very pleased that this effort successfully mitigated a significant supply chain risk and resulted in better working conditions and more compliant trade,” said CBP’s Executive Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Trade Brenda Smith.
 The Southeast Asian medical glove manufacturing industry is notorious for labor abuses, including demanding recruitment fees that send impoverished workers into crushing debt.
 “Most of the workers who are producing the gloves that are essential in the global COVID-19 endemic are still at high risk of forced labor, often in debt bondage,” said Andy Hall, a migrant workers rights specialist who has been focusing on conditions in Malaysian and Thai rubber glove factories since 2014.
 In 2018, workers told several news organizations they were trapped in factories and grossly underpaid while working overtime. In response, importers, including Britain's National Health Service, demanded change, and companies promised to end recruitment fees and provide good working conditions.
 Since then, advocates like Hall say there have been improvements, including recent food handouts at some factories. But workers still suffer long, arduous shifts, and receive little pay to make medical gloves for the world. Most of the workers in the Malaysian factories are migrants, and live in crowded hostels at the factories where they work. Like everyone in Malaysia, they're now locked down because of the virus.
 “These workers, some of the invisible heroes of modern times in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, deserve much more respect for the essential work they do,” said Hall.
 Gloves are just one of many types of medical equipment now in short supply in the U.S.
 The AP reported last week that imports of critical medical supplies including N95 masks have sharply declined in recent weeks due to factory closures in China, where manufacturers had been required to sell all or part of their supply internally rather than export to other countries.
 Rachel Gumpert, director of communications and membership services for the Oregon Nurse's Association said hospitals in the state are "on the edge of crisis."
 "Across the board there’s not enough of anything," she said. They're mostly lacking adequate masks right now, she said, but “in two weeks we'll be in a very bad place in terms of gloves.”
 In the U.S., concerns about a shortage have prompted some stockpiling and rationing. And some locales were asking for public donations.
 In response, the FDA is advising medical providers whose stocks are dwindling or already gone: don’t change gloves between patients who have the same infectious disease, or use food grade gloves.
 Even with adequate supplies, the agency said that under present circumstances: “Reserve use of sterile gloves for procedures in which sterility is required."
 Last week an Italian doctor died after testing positive for novel coronavirus. In one of his last interviews, he told broadcaster Euronews he had had to treat patients without gloves.
 “They have run out,” he said.

journalist: By JULIET LINDERMAN and MARTHA MENDOZA , Associated Press, Associated Press

title: Key medical glove factories cutting staff 50% amid virus


content_text:
FILE - In this Monday, March 2, 2020 file photo, Gilead Sciences CEO Daniel O'Day speaks at a meeting with President Donald Trump, members of the Coro...
 FILE - In this Monday, March 2, 2020 file photo, Gilead Sciences CEO Daniel O'Day speaks at a meeting with President Donald Trump, members of the Coronavirus Task Force, and pharmaceutical executives in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington. Gilead, the pharmaceutical giant that makes remdesivir, a promising coronavirus drug, has registered it as a rare disease treatment with U.S. regulators on Monday, March 23, 2020, a status that can potentially be worth millions in tax breaks and competition-free sales. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

 FILE - In this July 9, 2015, file photo, a man walks outside the headquarters of Gilead Sciences in Foster City, Calif. Gilead, the pharmaceutical gia...
 FILE - In this July 9, 2015, file photo, a man walks outside the headquarters of Gilead Sciences in Foster City, Calif. Gilead, the pharmaceutical giant that makes remdesivir, a promising coronavirus drug, has registered it as a rare disease treatment with U.S. regulators on Monday, March 23, 2020, a status that can potentially be worth millions in tax breaks and competition-free sales. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

 WASHINGTON (AP) — The pharmaceutical giant that makes a promising coronavirus drug has registered it as a rare disease treatment with U.S. regulators, a status that can potentially be worth millions in tax breaks and competition-free sales.
 What that specialty status will actually mean for the marketing or profitability of the Gilead Science's experimental drug remdesivir isn't clear. The drugmaker did not immediately respond Tuesday to requests for comment.
 Experts who have studied the so-called “orphan drug” program say the company's request — and the Food and Drug Administration's decision to grant it — seem inappropriate given the rapidly expanding threat of the viral outbreak.
 A financial analyst, though, called Gilead's request “pretty standard.”
 The FDA granted the status on Monday, according to the agency's website. If approved for coronavirus, Gilead Sciences would receive seven years of exclusive U.S. marketing for the drug and tax credits on its research and development costs.
 Congress created the orphan drug program more than 35 years ago to encourage companies to develop drugs for niche diseases and conditions that might not otherwise be profitable. But since then, filing for orphan status has become a standard pharmaceutical industry tactic to extend the profitability of drugs and block competitors. Orphan drugs are also typically eligible for other special programs that speed up FDA reviews for approval.
 The FDA defines a rare disease as one with fewer than 200,000 patients in the U.S. In a statement Tuesday, the agency said COVID-19 fit that criteria when the request was made. There are more than 50,000 cases in U.S. but many more expected in the coming weeks and months.
 “It seems like a misuse of the Orphan Drug Act, even though technically it’s within the bounds of the law,” said Dr. Aaron Kesselheim, a Harvard Medical School health policy expert. “There’s no expectation here that this drug wouldn’t be able to generate appropriate revenue for the manufacturer.”
 Kesselheim said a number of the early AIDS drugs also received orphan drug status in the 1980s and 1990s, but then went on to generate billions in sales.
 But Tyler Van Buren, a senior research analyst at the financial services firm Piper Sandler, called Gilead's filing “pretty standard.”
 “It says nothing about profiting off of the pandemic, but it does provide protection if remdesivir turns into a business in subsequent years," he said.
 In recent years the orphan drug program has come under scrutiny from the media, Congress and government inspectors amid concerns that it is being misused to protect six-figure prices on specialty drugs. Roughly half of the 48 new drugs approved by the agency last year received orphan drug designation. Many were priced well above $100,000 for a year's supply, including drugs for cancer, muscular dystrophy and other genetic disorders.
 The nonprofit Public Citizen group said in a statement that the U.S. government should be “urgently concerned” with the affordability of remdesivir.
 Gilead's chairman and CEO, Daniel O'Day has previously said the company hasn’t discussed with any governments how much remdesivir will cost.
 “The topic of pricing comes up once you know the medicine works,” he said.
 Remdesivir, given through an IV, is being tested in at least five separate experiments, and Gilead also has provided it to several hundred severely ill COVID-19 patients in the U.S, Europe and Japan under "compassionate use" provisions. The company said Sunday it was halting that program due to an unmanageable number of requests.
 The drug interferes with virus reproduction and has shown some promise in lab and animal studies against other coronaviruses that cause similar diseases, MERS and SARS. It was also used briefly in some Ebola patients in Congo.
 For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover.
 Day said earlier this month at a press conference with other drug industry executives that his company has been working on the drug's development for a decade. He said Gilead has spent “really billions of dollars” developing the drug and plans to spend even more to scale up manufacturing facilities at Gilead and its partners.
 Gilead didn’t respond to questions seeking more details about the company’s spending on remdesivir, including whether the figures used by O’Day included the U.S. government money spent on research by federal scientists and grants to universities.
 ___
 The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

journalist: By MATTHEW PERRONE and RICHARD LARDNER , Associated Press, Associated Press

title: Potential coronavirus treatment granted rare disease status


content_text:
A mannequin head with a scarf around the nose and mouth is placed on a tripod in the window of a hairdressing salon in Antwerp, Belgium, Monday, March...
 A mannequin head with a scarf around the nose and mouth is placed on a tripod in the window of a hairdressing salon in Antwerp, Belgium, Monday, March 23, 2020. After Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes announced that hairdressers would still be able to operate, while many other stores were required to be closed during the coronavirus epidemic, some thought it was a bad Belgian joke. Fearing for their health, some hairdressers now are calling on the government to order the closure of all salons without delay. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

 A barber wearing a mouth mask speaks with a client outside his shop in Antwerp, Belgium, Monday, March 23, 2020. After Belgian Prime Minister Sophie W...
 A barber wearing a mouth mask speaks with a client outside his shop in Antwerp, Belgium, Monday, March 23, 2020. After Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes announced that hairdressers would still be able to operate, while many other stores were required to be closed during the coronavirus epidemic, some thought it was a bad Belgian joke. Fearing for their health, some hairdressers now are calling on the government to order the closure of all salons without delay. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

 A hairdresser puts on his protective mask in front of a mirror prior to cutting a client's hair at a hair salon in the Matonge Quarter of Brussels, Mo...
 A hairdresser puts on his protective mask in front of a mirror prior to cutting a client's hair at a hair salon in the Matonge Quarter of Brussels, Monday, March 23, 2020. After Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes announced that hairdressers would still be able to operate, while many other stores were required to be closed during the coronavirus epidemic, some thought it was a bad Belgian joke. Fearing for their health, some hairdressers now are calling on the government to order the closure of all salons without delay. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

 BRUSSELS (AP) — When the Belgian government announced last week that hairdressers would still be able to operate during the coronavirus epidemics, many in the profession were dumbfounded and furious.
 Fearing for their health and bereft of the same financial benefits as other businesses which have been forced to close, angry hairdressers across the country have since been calling on the government to order the closure of all salons.
 “It was a criminal decision," Foty Kyriakakis, one of the many Brussels hairdressers who have opted to close anyway, told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “Obviously there is a risk of virus transmission. We touch our clients."
 During the crisis, hairdressers are entitled to a nearly 1,300-euros ($1,400) monthly replacement income through the unemployment system. But because they have not been forced to shut down, they can't claim the same level of compensation offered to other businesses if they decide to close their shops.
 For instance, while a restaurant forced to close in the French-speaking Walloon region will receive a 5,000-euro ($5,400) indemnity, hairdressers will only get 2,500 euros ($2,700) for the loss of activity.
 “Hairdressers are faced with this choice: keep their business open with the risk of getting sick, or closing their doors and losing money," Mitch Mues, spokesman for Coiffure.org, the federation of Belgian hairdressers, told The Associated Press in a phone interview.
 Although hair salons were only allowed to stay open by appointment with one client at a time, the government's decision has left health professionals gobsmacked.
 “Close hairdressers, now," said the famed Leuven University virologist Marc Van Ranst in a message posted on Twitter.
 The hairdressers exception came as other stringent lockdown measures were ordered, including for Belgian residents to stay at home and avoid contact outside of their family as much as possible. Authorities have repeatedly urged social distancing and said people should keep at least 1.5 meters (5 feet) from others.
 According to the Belgian union, which represents 20,000 hairdressers, respecting such guidelines does not make sense in their trade.
 “It's basically impossible to leave a space of 1.5 meters between the hairdresser and the customer," Mues said. “If a customer coughs, the hairdressers can't protect themselves."
 For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and there are more than 17,000 deaths worldwide confirmed so far.
 Pierrot Corthouts, who manages a Jacques Dessange parlor in Brussels, said he sent all employees home after the brand decided to close all its franchises in France and Belgium,
 “Frankly I don't understand that some of us have decided to keep on working as usual," he told the AP. “We are too close, it's not safe, for both the hairdresser and the customer."
 In neighboring Germany, hair salons were closed Monday as part of the latest restrictions. In Spain, they were initially listed along with supermarkets, tobacco shops and gas stations as exceptions from an order to stop most commercial activity. The argument at the time was that hair salons were a matter of basic hygiene. But authorities reversed that exception almost immediately following protests from hairdressers’ unions.
 ___
 Geir Moulson in Berlin and Aritz Parra in Madrid contributed to this report
 ___
 The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
 ___
 Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

journalist: By SAMUEL PETREQUIN , Associated Press, Associated Press

title: Too close for comfort: Belgian hairdressers seek shutdown


content_text:
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. speaks to reporters outside the Senate chamber after Democrats blocked a coronavirus aid package on Capi...
 Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. speaks to reporters outside the Senate chamber after Democrats blocked a coronavirus aid package on Capitol Hill, Monday, March 23, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. arrives to read a statement outside her office on Capitol Hill, Monday, March 23, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/...
 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. arrives to read a statement outside her office on Capitol Hill, Monday, March 23, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool)

 Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, March 23, 2020, as the Senate is working to pass a corona...
 Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, March 23, 2020, as the Senate is working to pass a coronavirus relief bill. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. speaks outside her office on Capitol Hill, Monday, March 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool)
 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. speaks outside her office on Capitol Hill, Monday, March 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool)

 President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Briefing Room, Monday, March 23, 2020, in Washington, as Attorney General Willi...
 President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Briefing Room, Monday, March 23, 2020, in Washington, as Attorney General William Barr and Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, listen. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. speaks outside her office on Capitol Hill, Monday, March 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool)
 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. speaks outside her office on Capitol Hill, Monday, March 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool)

 Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. walks to the Senate Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, March 23, 2020, as the Senate is work...
 Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. walks to the Senate Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, March 23, 2020, as the Senate is working to pass a coronavirus relief bill. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

 Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, third from left, and White House Legislative Affairs Director Eric Ueland, left, walk to a meeting with Senate Mino...
 Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, third from left, and White House Legislative Affairs Director Eric Ueland, left, walk to a meeting with Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of N.Y. in his office on Capitol Hill, Monday, March 23, 2020, in Washington. The Senate is working to pass a coronavirus relief bill. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

 Vice President Mike Pence, left, and Attorney General William Barr hold binders as President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus in the James Br...
 Vice President Mike Pence, left, and Attorney General William Barr hold binders as President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Briefing Room, Monday, March 23, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

 Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Briefing Room, Monday, March 23, 2020,...
 Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Briefing Room, Monday, March 23, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

 WASHINGTON (AP) — Top congressional and White House officials say they expect to reach a deal Tuesday on a nearly $2 trillion measure aimed at easing the economic damage inflicted by the coronavirus pandemic.
 Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said they had spoken by phone with President Donald Trump during the long night of negotiations. While the two sides have resolved many issues in the sweeping package, some remain.
 Ahead of the resumption of talks Tuesday morning, U.S. futures rose sharply after the leaders signaled resolution was in sight.
 “We look forward to having a deal tomorrow,” Mnuchin told reporters after exiting Schumer's office late Monday.
 “The president is giving us direction," Mnuhcin said. "The president would like to have a deal, and he's hopeful we can conclude this.”
 Moments later, Schumer agreed that a deal was almost within reach. “That's the expectation — that we finish it tomorrow and hopefully vote on it tomorrow evening," he said.
 The long evening of shuttle negotiations came after a long day trying to close the deal. The massive package is a far-reaching effort to prop up the U.S. economy, help American households and bolster the health care system amid the growing crisis.
 Tensions had flared Monday as Washington strained to respond to the worsening coronavirus outbreak, with Congress arguing over a nearly $2 trillion economic rescue package and an impatient Trump musing openly about letting the 15-day shutdown expire next Monday, March 30.
 As the U.S. braces for an onslaught of sick Americans, and millions are forced indoors to avert a spike that risks overwhelming hospitals, the most ambitious federal intervention in modern times is testing whether Washington can act swiftly to deal with the pandemic on the home front.
 “It’s time to get with the program, time to pass historic relief,” said an angry Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell earlier in the day as he opened the chamber after a nonstop weekend session that failed to produce a deal. “This is a national emergency.”
 Fuming, McConnell warned Democrats — pointedly House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — to quit stalling on “political games,” as he described Democratic efforts to steer more of the aid toward public health and workers, and push other priorities.
 Trump, who has largely been hands off from the negotiations, weighed in late Monday from the White House briefing room, declaring that Congress should vote “for the Senate bill as written," dismissing any Democratic proposal.
 “It must go quickly," Trump said. “This is not the time for political agendas."
 Trump sounded a note of frustration about the unprecedented modern-day effort to halt the virus' march by essentially shutting down public activities in ways that now threaten the U.S. economy.
 Even though Trump's administration recommended Americans curtail activities starting a week ago, the president said: “We cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself. At the end of the 15-day period, we will make a decision as to which way we want to go.”
 “Let's go to work," he said. “This country was not built to be shut down. This is not a county that was built for this.”
 Trump said that he may soon allow parts of the nation's economy, in regions less badly hit by the virus, to begin reopening, contradicting the advice of medical and public health experts across the country, if not the globe, to hunker down even more firmly.
 Pelosi assailed Trump's idea and fluctuating response to the crisis.
 "He's a notion-monger, just tossing out things that have no relationship to a well-coordinated, science-based, government-wide response to this," Pelosi said on a health care conference call. "Thank God for the governors who are taking the lead in their state. Thank God for some of the people in the administration who speak truth to power.”
 With a wary population watching and waiting, Washington labored under the size and scope of a rescue package — larger than the 2008 bank bailout and 2009 recovery act combined.
 Democrats are holding out as they argue the package is tilted toward corporations and should do more to help suddenly jobless workers and health care providers with dire needs.
 In particular, Schumer, D-N.Y., wants constraints on the largely Republican-led effort to provide $500 billion for corporations, which Democrats have called a “slush fund.” Schumer wants the bill to limit stock buy-backs, CEO pay and layoffs.
 Yet, he said, “We're very close to reaching a deal." Even so, another attempt to move the package forward snagged, blocked as Democrats refused to quit negotiating.
 Democrats won one concession — to provide four months of expanded unemployment benefits, rather than just three as proposed, according to an official granted anonymity to discuss the private talks. The jobless pay also would extend to self-employed and so-called gig workers.
 But Republicans complained Democrats were holding out for more labor protections for workers, wanting assurances that corporations taking federal aid will commit to retaining their employees.
 Pelosi came out with the House Democrats' own sweeping $2.5 trillion bill, which would provide $1,500 directly to the public and $200 billion to the states, as governors are pleading for aid. She urged Senate negotiators “to move closer to the values” in it.
 Trump has balked at using his authority under the recently invoked Defense Protection Act to compel the private sector to manufacture needed medical supplies like masks and ventilators, even as he encourages them to spur production. “We are a country not based on nationalizing our business,” said Trump, who has repeatedly railed against socialism overseas and among Democrats.
 From his home, Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden criticized Trump for stopping short of using the full force of emergency federal authority .
 “Trump keeps saying he’s a wartime president,” Biden said in an online address. “Well, start acting like one.”
 Central to the economic rescue package is as much as $350 billion for small businesses to keep making payroll while workers are forced to stay home. The package also proposes a one-time rebate of about $1,200 per person, or $3,000 for a family of four, as well as extended unemployment benefits.
 Hospitals would get about $110 billion for the expected influx of sick patients, said Mnuchin. But Democrats are pushing for more health-care dollars for the front-line hospitals and workers.
 The urgency to act is mounting, as jobless claims skyrocket and financial markets are eager for signs that Washington can soften the blow of the health-care crisis and what experts say is a looming recession.
 For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.
 ___
 Bev Banks contributed. Associated Press writers Jill Colvin, Colleen Long, Hope Yen, Mary Clare Jalonick, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Alan Fram and Padmananda Rama contributed to this report.

journalist: By LISA MASCARO, ANDREW TAYLOR and JONATHAN LEMIRE , Associated Press, Associated Press

title: Congress closing in on nearly $2 trillion virus aid package


content_text:
In this Sunday, March 22, 2020, photo, provided by Christina Hunter, Briana Danyele sews cloth face masks that say "We Got This!" in her mother's livi...
 In this Sunday, March 22, 2020, photo, provided by Christina Hunter, Briana Danyele sews cloth face masks that say "We Got This!" in her mother's living room in Greer, S.C., which will be sent to health care workers. Legions of everyday Americans are sewing masks for desperate hospitals, nursing homes and homeless shelters amid the expanding coronavirus pandemic. (Christina Hunter via AP)

 In this Sunday, March 22, 2020, photo, provided by Christina Hunter, Briana Danyele sews cloth face masks that say "We Got This!" in her mother's livi...
 In this Sunday, March 22, 2020, photo, provided by Christina Hunter, Briana Danyele sews cloth face masks that say "We Got This!" in her mother's living room in Greer, S.C., which will be sent to health care workers. Legions of everyday Americans are sewing masks for desperate hospitals, nursing homes and homeless shelters amid the expanding coronavirus pandemic. (Christina Hunter via AP)

 In this Sunday, March 22, 2020 photo, Bill Purdue, left, cuts pieces of fabric while Mike Rice sews them into face masks in Rice's autobody and uphols...
 In this Sunday, March 22, 2020 photo, Bill Purdue, left, cuts pieces of fabric while Mike Rice sews them into face masks in Rice's autobody and upholstery shop in Washington, Ind. They will deliver the masks this week to Deaconess Health System in Evansville, Indiana, which asked community members to sew cloth masks for health care workers who may face a shortage amid the coronavirus pandemic. They're among legions of everyday Americans making face masks for desperate hospitals, nursing homes and homeless shelters that could run out of personal protective equipment.(photo courtesy of Robin Rice via AP)

 In this Sunday, March 22, 2020 photo, Bill Purdue, left, cuts pieces of fabric while Mike Rice sews them into face masks in Rice's autobody and uphols...
 In this Sunday, March 22, 2020 photo, Bill Purdue, left, cuts pieces of fabric while Mike Rice sews them into face masks in Rice's autobody and upholstery shop in Washington, Ind. They will deliver the masks this week to Deaconess Health System in Evansville, Indiana, which asked community members to sew cloth masks for health care workers who may face a shortage amid the coronavirus pandemic. They're among legions of everyday Americans making face masks for desperate hospitals, nursing homes and homeless shelters that could run out of personal protective equipment.(photo courtesy of Robin Rice via AP)

 In this Sunday, March 22, 2020 photo, Bill Purdue, left, cuts pieces of fabric while Mike Rice sews them into face masks in Rice's autobody and uphols...
 In this Sunday, March 22, 2020 photo, Bill Purdue, left, cuts pieces of fabric while Mike Rice sews them into face masks in Rice's autobody and upholstery shop in Washington, Ind. They will deliver the masks this week to Deaconess Health System in Evansville, Indiana, which asked community members to sew cloth masks for health care workers who may face a shortage amid the coronavirus pandemic. They're among legions of everyday Americans making face masks for desperate hospitals, nursing homes and homeless shelters that could run out of personal protective equipment.(photo courtesy of Robin Rice via AP)

 In this Sunday, March 22, 2020, photo, provided by Christina Hunter, Briana Danyele sews cloth face masks that say "We Got This!" in her mother's livi...
 In this Sunday, March 22, 2020, photo, provided by Christina Hunter, Briana Danyele sews cloth face masks that say "We Got This!" in her mother's living room in Greer, S.C., which will be sent to health care workers. Legions of everyday Americans are sewing masks for desperate hospitals, nursing homes and homeless shelters amid the expanding coronavirus pandemic. (Christina Hunter via AP)

 CHICAGO (AP) — Bill Purdue waterproofs basements for a living, but he has spent the past few days in his buddy's Washington, Indiana, auto trim and upholstery shop cutting rectangles of cotton fabric that his friend sews into face masks.
 Fashion designer Briana Danyele left Italy last month to return to her mother's Greer, South Carolina, home, where she has turned the living room into a mini sewing factory, making masks that she embroiders with the words, "We Got This!"
 They're among scores of people answering pleas from hospitals, doctors and nurses so desperate for personal protective equipment amid the viral pandemic that they've turned to the public, saying do-it-yourself face masks are better than nothing.
 And for those sitting at home worrying as the virus strains hospitals and the economy teeters, sewing masks makes them feel less helpless.
 “Whatever it takes to get the job done, that's what I want to do,” said Purdue, 57, whose daughter works at the women's hospital in Evansville, Indiana. He and his friend Mike Rice responded to a Facebook post last week from Deaconess Health System in Evansville asking the public for help.
 The efforts mirror those in other countries, including Spain, where mask-making volunteers include a group of nuns and members of the Spanish Air Force. Around 500 masks a day are coming off sewing machines at the Paratroop School in Murcia, in the country’s southeast, according to the Air Force’s Twitter account.
 In Belgium, what began as a one-woman operation about a week ago grew to a small army of home-sewing mask-makers within days.
 For most people, the new virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority recover.
 But the virus is spreading rapidly and starting to max out the health care system in several cities.
 Deaconess spokeswoman Pam Hight said the hospital system realized it could face a shortage if local infections skyrocket like they have elsewhere. So officials produced and posted a how-to video that has being shared across the country.
 “We had people who wanted to ship them to us from all over the United States and we started saying, ‘Please, please use them in your communities,'" she said. “It makes your heart warm; people are so good.”
 She said Deaconess expects to collect thousands of masks this week at an off-hospital site and sanitize them before distributing them to nurses and doctors or sending them to local nursing homes and homeless shelters.
 In a similar effort, Providence St. Joseph’s Health in the hard-hit Seattle area is putting together kits using special material and distributing them to people willing to sew them together as part of a 100-million mask challenge.
 Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, New Hampshire’s largest hospital, is preparing kits with fabric and elastic and encouraging volunteers to sew face masks for patients, visitors and staff so medical-grade protective equipment can be conserved for front-line health care workers.
 Federal officials had previously advised hospital workers to use surgical masks when treating patients who might be infected with coronavirus amid reports of dwindling supplies of fitted and more protective N95 respirator masks.
 “If nurses quit or become too fatigued or even become ill themselves, then we don't have a front line anymore,” said Wendy Byard of Lapeer, Michigan. She began organizing friends to make masks after learning her daughter, a nurse at a suburban Detroit hospital, was told to wear the same mask all day.
 Last week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quietly updated its guidance, saying hospitals that run low on surgical masks should consider ways to reuse them or to use them through an entire shift. And if hospitals run out out, the CDC said, scarfs or bandanas could be used ”as a last resort,” though some health officials warned cloth masks might not work.
 Mary Dale Peterson, president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists and chief operating officer at a Corpus Christ, Texas, children’s hospital, said she declined volunteers’ offers to make masks. She said construction and manufacturing industries instead should donate or sell the high-grade masks they have to hospitals.
 “It would be only an extremely, extremely last resort that I would have my staff” wear homemade masks, she said. “I really hope it doesn’t get to that point in the U.S.”
 At the Missouri Quilt Museum in Hamilton, Missouri, board members asked local hospitals if masks were needed and “they emphatically said yes,” said director Dakota Redford. Soon other health care providers, including ambulance crews and nursing homes, were requesting masks.
 “This has been a true grassroots effort that has exploded across the country in the quilting world,” she said.
 Businesses also are stepping up.
 Crafts chain Joann Stores is making all of its 800-plus stores available for up to 10 people at each location to sew masks and hospital gowns, offering sewing machines and supplies, spokeswoman Amanda Hayes said.
 Hayes said the number of people allowed in the stores adheres to CDC guidelines, the sewing stations will be six feet apart and staff will continuously sanitize the work areas and materials. The company also has special kits for customers who want to make masks at home.
 “We’re enabling people to feel like they are contributing at a time when we don't have control,” Hayes said.
 In Baltimore, almost 160 volunteers with 414 3D printers between them are making plastic face shields for Johns Hopkins and other area hospitals and dropping them off at a maker space called Open Works. Executive Director Will Holman, who organized the effort, said he laid off 21 part-time employees last week because of the virus but has rehired some to assemble, sterilize and package the shields.
 Danyele, the South Carolina fashion designer, said she made about 200 masks bound for a local nursing home and hospitals in Florida, Georgia, Indiana and Illinois.
 “If I'm one person creating 200 masks, imagine what we all could do," said Danyele, 24. "It's super sad that we’re at this point, but this is encouraging.”
 ___
 Durbin reported from Detroit and D'Innocenzio from New York. Associated Press writers Jeff McMillan and Michael Stobbe in New York; Martha Bellisle in Seattle; Fares Akram in Gaza City, Gaza Strip; Barry Hatton in Lisbon; and Virginia Mayo in Atwerp, Belgium, contributed to this report.

journalist: By TAMMY WEBBER, DEE-ANN DURBIN and ANNE D'INNOCENZIO , Associated Press, Associated Press

references: Facebook Twitter

title: Volunteers sew masks for health workers facing shortages


content_text:
A young boy rides his bike past a deer wandering around the shopping area in Nara, Japan, Thursday, March 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
 A young boy rides his bike past a deer wandering around the shopping area in Nara, Japan, Thursday, March 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

 A man is disinfected inside a cubicle before entering local the city hall to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus in Manila, Philippines on Tuesd...
 A man is disinfected inside a cubicle before entering local the city hall to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus in Manila, Philippines on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. For most people the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, but for some it can cause more severe illness. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

 Two people waring masks stand at the top of a bank of escalators in London's Waterloo Station in London, Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Britain's Prime Mini...
 Two people waring masks stand at the top of a bank of escalators in London's Waterloo Station in London, Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday imposed its most draconian peacetime restrictions due to the spread of the coronavirus on businesses and gatherings, health workers begged for more gear, saying they felt like "cannon fodder." For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

 Daily wage workers left jobless due to travel restrictions aimed at containing the coronavirus, wait their turn to receive free food in Rawalpindi, Pa...
 Daily wage workers left jobless due to travel restrictions aimed at containing the coronavirus, wait their turn to receive free food in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Tuesday, March 24, 2020. According to the World Health Organization, most people recover from the virus in about two to six weeks, depending on the severity of the illness. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

 An almost empty Westminster Bridge normally a very busy river crossing as the sun rises in London, Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Britain's Prime Minister B...
 An almost empty Westminster Bridge normally a very busy river crossing as the sun rises in London, Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday imposed its most draconian peacetime restrictions due to the spread of the coronavirus on businesses and gatherings, health workers begged for more gear, saying they felt like "cannon fodder." For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

 A desperate race to find medical equipment continues as the World Health Organization warns that the outbreak is accelerating and calls on countries to take strong, coordinated action.
 And as virus deaths accelerate in the U.S., President Donald Trump has gone against the advice of scientists and top health experts, claiming he will reopen the country and its ailing economy in weeks, not months.
 Here are some of AP's top stories Tuesday 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:
 — A series of missteps at America's top public health agency created a critical shortage of reliable tests for the coronavirus. Those stumbles at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hobbled the federal response as the pandemic spread across the nation.
 — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will propose a one-year postponement for the Tokyo Olympics during talks with IOC President Thomas Bach, Japan’s NHK public television reported Tuesday.
 — A Phoenix-area man has died and his wife is in critical condition after the couple took an additive used to clean fish tanks known as chloroquine phosphate, similar to the drug used to treat malaria.
 — Some experts don’t rule out a downturn in the United States that rivals the magnitude of the 1930s Depression.
 — The virus and the nation's crashing economy are scrambling the themes both political parties thought would carry them to victory in November. Gone are the hopes of Trump and GOP candidates to run on a strong economy. And Democrats must see if they can attack Trump's competence when many Americans crave a return to normalcy.
 — Low-income families still need food. Homeless people need beds. For decades, American nonprofits have relied on volunteers to help the country's neediest. Now they aren’t able to show up.
 — In the debut episode of "Ground Game: Inside the Outbreak," host Ralph Russo talks to News Director for Greater China Ken Moritsugu about the lessons the rest of the world can learn from Asia to stem the spread of COVID-19.
 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
 For most people, the virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover.
 Here are the symptoms of the virus compared with the common flu.
 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.
 Misinformation overload: How to separate fact from fiction and rumor from deliberate efforts to mislead.
 ___
 ONE NUMBER:

 100 MILLION: There are more than 100 million people in Egypt, which is now under a two-week, 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew, to help fight the spread of the virus.
 ___
 IN OTHER NEWS:
 VIRUS BOT: While other industries struggle, Liu Zhiyong says China’s virus outbreak is boosting demand for his knee-high, bright yellow robots to deliver groceries and patrol malls looking for shoppers who fail to wear masks. Liu, CEO of ZhenRobotics Corp., is among millions of entrepreneurs who are gradually getting back to work after China declared victory over the coronavirus that shut down the world’s second-largest economy.
 ___
 The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
 ___
 Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

journalist: By The Associated Press, Associated Press

title: What you need to know today about the virus outbreak