| A massive stockpile of 39 million N95 masks is being sold to American hospitals — around 27 million more than the US government's emergency stockpile Posted: 26 Mar 2020 02:58 PM PDT  The Service Employees International Union said in a statement, circulating on Twitter, that it's selling 39 million masks to hospitals around the country.
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| Student loan stimulus: Suspended payments, plus coronavirus relief from collections Posted: 25 Mar 2020 02:34 PM PDT  The coronavirus stimulus package suspends student loan payments, but does not have loan forgiveness. The feds also have stopped collections efforts.
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| Coronavirus: Malaria drug has no impact on treating Covid-19 patients, Chinese study finds Posted: 25 Mar 2020 01:34 PM PDT  The malaria drug hydroxychloroquine might not be effective in treating patients with Covid-19, a new study finds.The report published by the Journal of Zhejiang University in China tested if coronavirus patients who received the medication were more likely to recover than those who didn't, and it found that was not the case.
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| Senate Virus Stimulus Deal Drops Airline Carbon Emissions Limits Posted: 25 Mar 2020 08:55 AM PDT |
| Family concludes former FBI agent Robert Levinson died in Iran Posted: 25 Mar 2020 04:01 PM PDT  They said they didn't know how or when he died, "only that it was prior to the COVID-19 pandemic."
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| One chart shows how much cash you should expect from the coronavirus stimulus based on your salary Posted: 26 Mar 2020 01:34 PM PDT  The stimulus bill that was passed by the Senate includes checks for most Americans. The amount is based on your tax-filing status and income.
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| AP PHOTOS: Virus accentuates isolation of Spain's homeless Posted: 25 Mar 2020 12:26 AM PDT  While Spanish authorities tell the public that staying home is the best way to beat the coronavirus pandemic, some people are staying out because home has come to mean the streets of Madrid and Barcelona. Spain, which ranks fourth worldwide among the countries with the most virus cases, is under a government-imposed lockdown that has closed stores, emptied office buildings and left cities largely deserted, day and night. In typically bustling Barcelona, figures with boxes and blankets, mattresses or tents, punctuate the eerie emptiness.
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| Airlines owe you a refund when they cancel a flight. So why is United balking during coronavirus crisis? Posted: 26 Mar 2020 01:58 PM PDT  Airlines are supposed to refund flyers' money if they cancel a flight. United has introduced more restrictive policies during the coronavirus crisis.
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| U.S. playing dangerous game, China says, after warship sails through Taiwan Strait Posted: 25 Mar 2020 05:43 PM PDT |
| North Korea Seeks International Help for Virus Testing, FT Says Posted: 25 Mar 2020 06:23 PM PDT |
| At first, I was unsure if lockdowns are a good idea. But now I'm convinced we'll come through for the better. Posted: 25 Mar 2020 11:59 AM PDT  Opinion | The lockdowns in place to control the coronavirus pandemic are tough on the economy, but necessary to control the disease.
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| What grocery store employees want you to know about shopping right now Posted: 26 Mar 2020 08:48 AM PDT  The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has put grocery store workers on the front lines of an unprecedented situation.
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| After Putin's Big Fail, Russia Braces for COVID-19 Onslaught Posted: 26 Mar 2020 03:18 AM PDT  Only days after the Kremlin assured the Russians that the coronavirus pandemic was under control, Moscow's Mayor Sergei Sobyanin told Russian President Vladimir Putin that "the momentum is high and a serious situation is unfolding." Contrary to the previously reported low rate of infection, "the real number of those who are sick is significantly higher," Sobyanin said. He added that the number of tests conducted to date has been extremely low "and no one on earth knows the real picture."Russia Swore It Whipped the Virus, and Fox and CNN Bought ItOn Wednesday, officially released statistics listed 658 coronavirus infections and no deaths. To date, there have been at least 3 known deaths of coronavirus patients in Russia, but they are being attributed to other causes and thereby deceptively omitted from government reports. The official bulletin about the coronavirus, released by Russia's federal agency Rospotrebnadzor on March 24, states that more than 112,074 people remain under medical supervision.Concerned Russian doctors sounded the alarm that potential coronavirus cases are being ascribed to pneumonia and seasonal flu without testing. For example, the city of St. Petersburg experienced a sharp jump of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) virus cases. During just one week in March, 63,000 SARS cases and 406 cases of pneumonia have been recorded, according to Interfax. The city's administration emphasized that the incidence of SARS is at the epidemiological threshold. The Interfax news report did not point out that the official name of the novel coronavirus is SARS-CoV-2.In light of the Kremlin's pandemic propensity for lying, the public disregarded initial claims that the government successfully curtailed the spread of the coronavirus. Panic buying ensued, leading to the rising prices of sugar, buckwheat, produce and other food items.As the coronavirus curve keeps on climbing, President Putin is on a mission to demonstrate his leadership. He postponed a nationwide vote on pending constitutional changes, which are meant to secure his lifelong presidency. The voting may take place later in the year and possibly be conducted by mail. The decision is being left solely to Putin.Putin Worries Coronavirus Could Screw Up His Constitutional 'Coronation'In a televised address to the nation Wednesday, Putin announced a sweeping array of measures, which he said were designed to prevent "what is happening today in many Western countries, both in Europe and overseas" from becoming Russia's future. Starting on March 28, Russians are getting one week of paid leave to stay home, in an attempt to "flatten the curve" of the pandemic. With exception of the Russians trying to return from abroad, Russia stopped all international flights.Russian pundits and medical experts described the fight against the coronavirus pandemic as a rehearsal for biological warfare. Vladimir Putin has ordered the Russian army to carry out drills designed to increase its readiness to fight the novel coronavirus. The drills will include specialist medical units and nuclear, biological and chemical protection troops. Discussions are underway as to the potential cancellation of the Victory Day parade in May of this year, but final determination will be made depending on the efforts to curtail the spread of the coronavirus. There is a possibility the parade, commemorating the surrender of the Nazis in WWII, may be held without spectators. U.S. National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien is currently set to attend the event, in lieu of Donald J. Trump. Kremlin-controlled state TV shows are taking unprecedented measures to protect some of their most cherished assets: the hosts, whose full-throated support of Vladimir Putin is especially important during these challenging times. Popular Russian info-talk show 60 Minutes is now filming its segments without audiences. After the host Olga Skabeeva could be heard coughing during a commercial break, she was separated from her husband and co-host Evgeny Popov. The married couple are now hosting 60 Minutes separately, on different days. Likewise, they are staying apart during the off-work hours, because even if one of them falls ill, the show must go on.Speaking of performance art, Vladimir Putin embarked on a visit to Moscow's hospital for monitoring suspected coronavirus patients. Unlike U.S. President Donald J. Trump, who frequently claims that the threat of coronavirus is widely overblown, Vladimir Putin is an old Chekist who believes in science, facts and bio-warfare. Taking no chances, Putin donned a hazmat suit and visited only one patient— Dmitry Garkavi, who is a doctor and a social media influencer. The drop-in was not particularly risky, since Garkavi was hospitalized with pneumonia, and tested negative for coronavirus—twice. In his social media posts, Garkavi remarked that he communicated with Vladimir Putin for all of "10-15 seconds." After the brief exchange, Putin observed other patients through the glass of the hospital's control room, was helped out of his outfit and promptly left the building. The hazmat suit sported by the Russian leader was distinctly different than the protective attire worn by hospital workers. It was purchased for the Russian president by his staff especially for his hospital visit. Putin's yellow jumpsuit is now in high demand, but is completely sold out at the store where it was bought.Vladimir Putin's coronavirus photo op promptly made the rounds on Russian state television. During his show, The Evening with Vladimir Soloviev, the host beamed with pride when he pointed out: "Out of all of the world leaders, only [China'a President] Xi Jinping and [Russian President] Vladimir Putin went to visit the sick." For contrast, Soloviev introduced a clip of the U.S. President Donald J. Trump rapidly moving away from the White House's coronavirus task force response coordinator, Dr Deborah Birx, as soon as she mentioned her low grade fever.In spite of Russia's own issues with coronavirus testing, widespread shortages of medical equipment and protective medical gear, the Kremlin is posturing by offering to help other countries in fighting the coronavirus pandemic. Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov offered to help Washington in the fight against the outbreak of the novel coronavirus and complained about "rude" American media trying to switch the focus to other countries (like Russia).State TV host Vladimir Soloviev pompously predicted: "I have a feeling that we will end up saving humanity—again, like we've done more than once," an apparent reference to Russia's sacrifices defeating the Nazis in World War II. Russian state media are framing the failure by the Trump administration to offer help to its European allies in their fight against the deadly pandemic as the defeat of the United States, the end of NATO, and the virtual nonexistence of transatlantic unity. Russian experts believe that the outcome of the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic will change the entire balance of power in the world. Russian state media outlet Vesti described the course chosen by the administration of the U.S. President Donald J. Trump as "indecisive," "poorly coordinated" and hesitant to implement the tough measures recommended by the experts in curtailing the deadly pandemic.Vesti argued that "coronavirus will determine the winner in the rivalry between China and the United States." But the stakes are much higher. Kremlin-controlled media believe that on a larger scale, "the success or failure of the United States will form a global view of the effectiveness of democracy compared to autocracy. This, in turn, will affect America's global position, its ability to attract vacillating allies into its orbit from China's sphere of influence, and possibly determine the global geopolitical leader for years to come."Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| S&P 500 rallies for second day as investors await $2 trillion aid package Posted: 25 Mar 2020 02:35 AM PDT  Wall Street trimmed hefty gains late in the session after reports raised doubts about how quickly the bill might pass, but the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average still ended up more than 1% and 2%, respectively. Boeing surged 24%, bringing its gain over the past three sessions to almost 70%, as investors bet on government support for the aerospace industry as well as airlines. American Airlines Group , United Airlines Holding and Delta Air Lines each jumped more than 10%.
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| Biden: ‘I think we’ve had enough debates’ Posted: 25 Mar 2020 12:13 PM PDT  When former Vice President Joe Biden was asked if he believes there should be more Democratic primary debates, he said he believes that there have been enough.
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| Mexican governor prompts outrage with claim poor are immune to coronavirus Posted: 26 Mar 2020 01:06 PM PDT  Miguel Barbosa's comments reflect almost conspiratorial response of many Mexican politicians to pandemic * Coronavirus – latest updates * See all our coronavirus coverageA Mexican state governor has prompted incredulity and outrage by claiming that poor people are immune to Covid-19, as the government attempts to promote physical distancing and cancels non-essential services.Miguel Barbosa, the governor of Puebla, was apparently commenting on reports that a significant proportion of Mexico's coronavirus cases is made up of wealthy people who had travelled abroad.Officials say three-quarters of Mexico's 475 confirmed cases are related to international travel, including several people who reportedly caught the virus on skiing trips to Italy or the US."Most of them are wealthy people," Barbosa said. "If you are rich you are at risk. If you are poor you are not. The poor, we're immune."default His comments set off a firestorm in a country, where nearly half of the population are poor and the majority work in the informal economy.They also reflected the almost conspiratorial response of many Mexican politicians toward Covid-19, which threatens to wreck the government's agenda of mega-projects and expanding social programmes.The country's president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, whose administration has promised to "put the poor first", has responded with breezy optimism to the crisis. He told reporters on Tuesday that Mexico would be past the "worst of it" within a month.López Obrador has resisted stiffer measures such as quarantine and border closures, on the grounds that poor Mexicans are unable to afford not to work."The economy is in a nosedive and his base, the poor, is getting the short end of the stick," said Esteban Illades, the editor of Nexos magazine, of the president's motives. "A weak economy means his legacy is compromised."Mexico has entered phase II of the coronavirus pandemic, meaning community spreading has started. There have been six deaths in the country so far.Covid-19 has struck at a tough time for Mexico. The economy slumped in 2019 and forecasts for 2020 suggested continued stagnation even before the pandemic.López Obrador swept to power with an overwhelming majority in 2019, but recent polls suggest his support is slipping. One survey showed his approval rating below 50% for the first time.The president's supporters have rallied around him and tried to downplay the dangers of the coronavirus.Analysts say the pandemic is the most recent in a string of crises, including outbreaks of drug violence and growing fury over gender-based violence, which López Obrador and his supporters see as personal attacks rather than issues requiring urgent attention and resources."They're looking at how coronavirus will affect their so-called 'fourth transformation", as the president refers to his administration, "and how their dreams of transforming the country are now on the backburner," Illades said. "It happens every presidential term. Reality always gets in the way of dreams."
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| Pelosi reacts to coronavirus stimulus deal, hints at possible voice vote Posted: 25 Mar 2020 05:48 PM PDT  The chamber has adjourned until Thursday and it is likely there would be no action until then.
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| Islamic State Claims Bold Raid on Strategic Mozambique Town Posted: 25 Mar 2020 12:06 AM PDT |
| 5 reasons the coronavirus hit Italy so hard Posted: 26 Mar 2020 05:09 AM PDT  Italy is one of the nations worst hit by the global coronavirus pandemic. As a scholar in the field of security and emergency management who has studied and worked in Italy, I have determined that there are at least five major reasons why the country is suffering so much. 1\. Lots of old peopleItalians have the sixth-longest life expectancy in the world – 84 years old. That means lots of Italians are elderly: In 2018, 22.6% of its population was 65 or over, among the highest proportions in Europe.Medical researchers have said the coronavirus poses a more serious threat to older people than to younger ones. Older people are more likely to contract the COVID-19 disease and, mostly, to have a more severe case of it. That can also increase the demand for hospitals' intensive-care units.Many older Italians may have been also exposed to the virus in the workplace; in 2019 the average Italian retirement age was expected to be 67, at least two years later than average retirees in other Western developed nations. 2\. Close proximityItalians aren't used to social distancing. They are very physically affectionate people: Hugs and cheek-kisses are common not just among family members but also friends and even work colleagues.Even when they're just chatting, Italians are closer together than many other people, because their culture's psychological perception of personal space is smaller than in other countries. Large social gatherings, formerly common in public areas, were banned by Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte at the beginning of March 2020. 3\. Dense populationThere isn't a lot of space in Italy for people to spread out in. Italy is a densely populated country, with an average density of 533 people per square mile. In comparison, Germany has a population density of 235 people per square mile while the U.S. has 94.Two-thirds of Italians live in urban areas that are even more dense. Rome has 5,800 people per square mile, and Milan packs more than 19,000 people into every square mile. That's almost twice the density of Berlin and Washington, D.C. 4\. Northern Italy is a business hubMilan, in northern Italy, is the country's financial capital, and has close trade and educational connections with China. The whole region of northern Italy is home to offices for many multinational corporations. Workers travel from all over the world to attend meetings and conventions in northern Italy. An infected person not only could infect others, but those people could rapidly spread out across the entire country. 5\. Massive number of casesAs of March 25, China is the only country registering more COVID-19 cases than Italy. With far fewer people, Italy's infection rate is much higher than China's. No other country has a truly comparable set of circumstances.A key factor in emergency management is learning lessons from others in similar circumstances – but there is no one for Italy to learn from at this stage of the crisis. Chinese experts have traveled to Italy to help – but many of the lessons they are bringing only became clear after Italy's outbreak began, so the Italians are behind where other countries, with more recent outbreaks, may be.The Italian government has progressively worked to contain the disease, including declaring a total national lockdown on March 10. More than two weeks later, the country may finally be seeing a decline in the number of new cases. Italy has struggled – and is continuing to fight – against an unprecedented crisis that found dangerously fertile ground in elements of the country's demographics, business, geography and culture. But its people haven't lost their social habits – just adapted them, and created perhaps a temporary new national motto: "Distanti ma uniti." Distant, but united.[You need to understand the coronavirus pandemic, and we can help. Read our newsletter.]This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.Read more: * In battling the coronavirus, will 'optimistic bias' be our undoing? * How can we prepare for the coronavirus? 3 questions answeredSara Belligoni does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
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| Delta, American, and other airlines are parking planes on closed runways at major airports as carriers struggle to store grounded airliners Posted: 26 Mar 2020 10:20 AM PDT  Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, normally the busiest airport in the US, closed an entire runway to store Delta Air Lines aircraft.
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| Factbox: Germany's anti-coronavirus stimulus package Posted: 25 Mar 2020 06:56 AM PDT |
| Letters to the Editor: The obvious vice presidential pick for Joe Biden is Michelle Obama Posted: 26 Mar 2020 03:00 AM PDT  The former first lady is admired by liberals and conservatives. Putting her on the ticket would make defeating Trump easy.
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| Coronavirus checks, direct deposits are coming. Here's everything you need to know. Posted: 26 Mar 2020 08:48 AM PDT  Who qualifies? How much is being sent? When? How will I get the money? Questions and answers.
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| Top scientist: Coronavirus could be seasonal Posted: 26 Mar 2020 09:29 AM PDT  Anthony Fauci, who leads research into infectious diseases at the National Institutes of Health, said there is a strong chance the new coronavirus could return seasonally.
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| Pressure Builds on Boris Johnson Over the U.K.’s Lag in Virus Testing Posted: 25 Mar 2020 12:39 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Boris Johnson's top medical adviser said the U.K. must learn from other countries' experience of coronavirus testing as he warned the National Health Service may be overwhelmed by the pandemic.The admission came after days of criticism from politicians and the media that Britain's test regime is lagging behind other nations', including Germany and South Korea. Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said the U.K. is being hobbled by global supply chain bottlenecks, and he dampened optimism that home test kits could be available within days. "What we need to do is look at those countries that have actually got more testing than us and work out how to do it the way they're doing it as best we can in our own system, using our own testing systems," Whitty said at a joint press conference with Johnson on Wednesday.The issue carries significant political risk for Prime Minister Johnson because testing is seen by medical experts, the World Health Organization and even his own advisers as crucial in the absence of a vaccine. Without knowing how many people have been infected it's impossible to know how best to tackle the outbreak -- or to judge when to end an economy-sapping lockdown.The admission that the U.K. needs to learn from other countries is also potentially damaging for the government, which has faced repeated criticism for acting more slowly than other countries to curb movement of people, close schools, and ban gatherings in public. 'Extraordinary Speed'Standing next to Johnson and Whitty at a press conference in London, the U.K.'s Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance acknowledged the government has no idea how widely the virus has spread in the population. "The scale of this is something which has obviously occurred at extraordinary speed," Whitty said, when asked why the U.K. was not able to match other countries' rate of testing. "That's just a practical reality."The lack of testing capacity is having an immediate impact on the state-run NHS's capacity to cope, because many front-line workers showing symptoms -- or in households with other people who are -- are self-isolating to avoid the risk of infecting their patients. But not all of these medical workers would have to stay at home if they could be tested and given the all-clear.The U.K. had conducted just over 90,000 tests as of March 24, typically at a rate of 5,000-6,000 day. That's still well short of the immediate goal of 10,000 daily tests and far from the 25,000 target it wants to hit in the coming weeks.U.K. Says 3.5 Million Coronavirus Home Tests Coming SoonClose Run"This is going to be a close-run thing, we all know that," Whitty said, when asked if the NHS will be overwhelmed in the next three weeks. If people adhere to the lock down rules, the outbreak will "probably be manageable, but we can't guarantee that," he said.Johnson decided to stop widespread testing, instead choosing to limit tests to patients who were taken to hospital showing likely symptoms.That policy was driven by the pursuit of so-called herd immunity -- the point at which enough people have had an illness, and gained protection from it, that it won't be transmitted to those who haven't been infected. Vallance said at the time that 60% of the U.K. population would need to catch the disease for it to work.The government abandoned that strategy when scientific modeling made clear the NHS didn't have enough critical care beds to cope with the expected numbers needing treatment.It is now in a phase of trying to suppress the outbreak with intensifying measures aimed at reducing social interactions. On Monday, Johnson said the country would be in a lock down for at least three weeks.The strategy had many critics including Jeremy Hunt, the U.K.'s longest-serving health secretary from 2012 to 2018, who told the BBC on Wednesday the decision to stop testing in the community was "very worrying.""When the view was that you were happy for 60% of the population to get this, then testing becomes less important," he said. "The key -- if we want to avoid long periods of lock down -- is to have very, very comprehensive testing so that we actually track down and break the chain of transmission."For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Why companies like Goldman Sachs, Apple, and Facebook had all of those N95 masks to donate in the first place Posted: 24 Mar 2020 09:36 PM PDT  Some companies began stockpiling masks after the avian flu 15 years ago because they believed it would protect people from respiratory illnesses.
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| Judge: Tekashi 6ix9ine probably belongs at home, not jail Posted: 25 Mar 2020 04:19 PM PDT  The judge who sentenced the rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine to prison said Wednesday he would have ordered home confinement instead if he had known about the coronavirus in December. U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer commented in a written order even as he rejected a lawyer's request that the 23-year-old performer, whose real name is Daniel Hernandez, be confined at home for the remaining four months of his two-year prison term. Engelmayer said he "could not have known that the final four months of Mr. Hernandez's sentence would be served at a time of a worldwide pandemic to which persons with asthma, like Mr. Hernandez, have heightened vulnerability."
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| Dyson Goes From Vacuums to Ventilators In Just 10 Days Posted: 26 Mar 2020 02:43 PM PDT  The company is one in a growing list that's joining COVID-19 relief efforts.
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| Grocery store throws out $35K worth of food after woman's 'twisted prank' Posted: 26 Mar 2020 09:48 AM PDT  The store's co-owner said he was "sick to my stomach" about the food loss. "When so many people are worried about the security of our food supply, it is even more disturbing."
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| Whoopi Goldberg Confronts Newt Gingrich for Suggesting Nurses Will Abandon Coronavirus Patients Posted: 26 Mar 2020 10:21 AM PDT  Newt Gingrich joined The View live from Rome on Thursday morning where he has been quarantined for weeks with his wife, U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican Calista Gingrich. And yet despite living in the horror that could be America's near future, the former Republican Speaker of the House had only mild criticism for the way President Donald Trump has handled the coronavirus crisis. Gingrich acknowledged that the president and his task force should probably be "social distancing" during their daily press briefings. And he threw some cold water on Trump's promise to get the economy up and running again by Easter. "I think the president's direction is right, but probably the speed won't happen as fast as he wants it to," he said diplomatically. But the most contentious part of the interview came when co-host Sunny Hostin asked Gingrich to weigh in on the $2 trillion stimulus package passed by the Senate Wednesday night. Joe Biden Blasts Trump on 'The View': We Can't Just 'Let People Die'"Several Republican senators are worried unemployment benefits will be so enticing that people will stop working," Hostin said. "Senator Graham even implied that the benefits would incentivize well-trained nurses to stay home and collect a check." She was citing a joint statement from Senators Lindsey Graham, Ben Sasse, and Tim Scott that read, "If the federal government accidentally incentivizes layoffs, we risk life-threatening shortages in sectors where doctors, nurses, and pharmacists are trying to care for the sick, and where growers and grocers, truckers and cooks are trying to get food to families' tables." "Do you share their concern?" Hostin asked."Sure, as a practical matter you have to," Gingrich replied. "As I understand it, there's one part of this where you can actually make more money not working. That's not a very good incentive." Of course, the unemployment relief in the stimulus package would only benefit workers who are laid off due to the economic crisis—not doctors and nurses who are needed more than ever in this moment. As he continued talking, Whoopi Goldberg could be heard off-screen saying, "That's so disrespectful!" She added later, "Lindsey Graham should be ashamed of himself." "It just seems to me the suggestion that nurses who are on the front line are not going to work and sacrifice the way that they have because they're going to be making a few hundred dollars more is ludicrous," Hostin told Gingrich, "but that's just my opinion." "It's insulting! It's insulting!" Goldberg added. She repeated, "Lindsey Graham should be ashamed of himself to say something like that in the middle of all of this." Fox News Host Martha MacCallum Nails Kellyanne Conway for Rewriting Trump's Coronavirus HistoryRead more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| India Delays Plan for Population Register Citing Coronavirus Posted: 25 Mar 2020 06:01 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has postponed indefinitely plans to begin surveys leading to its next census and a comprehensive population register as it grapples with the spread of coronavirus infections. The process was to have begun in April.The population registry plan was seen as a precursor to a national citizens register that, along with a new citizenship law, had led to angry protests across India since December. Door-to-door surveys to record the census and start creating a population register were delayed keeping in mind the coronavirus outbreak, the government said in a statement on Wednesday.India has recorded 512 cases of COVID-19 infections and nine deaths.The delay in the exercise could help temporarily calm protests and reassure some state governments, especially states ruled by opposition parties, including Kerala and West Bengal. The two states had already halted all work related to the population register citing a possibility the data collected during the exercise could be used for a citizen's registry. The federal government, which on Tuesday announced a 21-day national lockdown to fight the outbreak, will need to states' cooperation to manage the pandemic.Census data is collected once in a decade in India. The population register is to gather data that can help the government reach benefits to targeted beneficiaries. The surveys to register residents of India had been scheduled to run April through September. (Adds more details in fourth paragraph)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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