COVID-19 4/28 UPDATE

COVID-19 4/28 Update

Global Total cases – 3,083,467 Total deaths – 213,824

United States Positive tests – 1,002,498 (4% increase from prior day) % Positive tests – 18% Total # tests – 5,628,374 (4% increase from prior day) Total deaths – 57,266 (4% increase from prior day)

Administration • The White House issued a 17-page strategy to expand U.S. testing for the coronavirus, after enduring criticism that the outbreak has grown to nearly 1 million Americans in part because the government was slow to develop and roll out a functional diagnostic. o The document the White House issued Monday describes a three-stage process to expand testing, with check marks in the first two stages indicating that they’re complete. The remaining stage calls for coordination with governors “to support testing plans and rapid response programs.” o Read action plan o Read blueprint • Dr. and Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Dr. presented the eight-part plan at a press briefing on Monday. Giroir said the eight parts are grouped into three distinct phases. He said the US has accomplished all parts of the first two phases, and are now working to fulfill stage three by supporting reopening state economies. Here's what the blueprint suggests: o Stage 1: Launch § Build the foundation for diagnostic testing § Mobilize the private sector to develop tests § Issue Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) for tests § Galvanize commercial and research laboratories and professional associations to ramp up testing capacity § Facilitate state efforts to access and utilize all available testing capacity o Stage 2: Scale § Identify and expand public and private-sector testing infrastructure § Strengthen testing supply chain o Stage 3: Support opening up again § Coordinate with governors to support testing plans and rapid response programs § The White House said the federal government should act as the "supplier of last resort" for coronavirus tests as it works with states to ramp up a testing regime that health experts say is necessary before a national reopening. • The administration will also offer a blueprint laying out where it sees the boundaries between federal and state responsibilities. o A White House official said the goal was to help each state reach the ability to test at least 2% of its residents, with a particular focus on vulnerable populations and emergency workers. o The documents will also lay out what the administration has done so far to ramp up testing, including strengthening the US supply chain for supplies and testing kits. • White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett says the administration is weighing the idea of more aid to individuals, possibly adding to the first stimulus package’s $1,200 direct payment per qualified person. o House members also studying this, Hassett tells reporters at White House o “It’s very likely there’ll be a phase-four deal and we’re going to be speaking with the president throughout the week about what he thinks should be in there, and I know that Senator McConnell and Speaker Pelosi are working on that as well,” Hassett tells reporters o Earlier on CNN, Hassett said he sees the U.S. jobless rate at 16%-20% by June o He also says if some estimates are correct in predicting an economic rebound in 2nd half of 2020, it will be due to a strong bipartisan stimulus package • The US Food and Drug Administration authorized a coronavirus antibody test from Abbott Laboratories on Sunday, bringing the total number of FDA-authorized antibody tests to eight. o The Abbott test looks for a class of antibodies – called IgG antibodies – that are produced in the later stages of . Other tests can detect antibodies produced earlier. • President Trump is expected to sign a five-page executive order under the Defense Production Act today that compels meat processing plants to remain open, CNN has learned. o Trump is expected to sign the order after some companies, like Tyson, were considering only keeping 20% of their facilities open. The vast majority of processing plans could have shut down, which would have reduced processing capacity in the country by as much as 80%, an official familiar says. o By signing the order, Trump will declare these plants as a part of critical infrastructure in the US. o The administration is also working with the Labor Department on issuing guidance about which employees should remain home. This is to protect facilities that are required to stay open from liability issues. o Trump previewed the order earlier today during an spray with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, saying that he expects to sign an executive order later in the day related to the food supply chain. • President Trump, Vice President , and members of the coronavirus task force briefed the nation's governors Monday afternoon on a new testing blueprint. o According to audio of the call obtained by CNN, Trump said the US has now completed 5.4 million tests and the number of tests being performed each day has "began to skyrocket," citing more than 200,000 tests performed last Wednesday. He praised governors who have implemented testing strategies and contracted with the public and private sector to get what they need. • Admiral Brett Giroir, director of US coronavirus testing, said the federal government will continue to help states procure supplies for testing, despite new guidelines that describe it as a “supplier of last resort” in obtaining tests. o “It’s very important that I think we don’t interrupt our commercial channels, because they’re very efficient and this is what they do, but we do have to prioritize them,” Giroir told reporters at the White House on Monday. o “Some of the larger companies, the testing companies, we need to make sure that the states that have a certain machine or a certain test are adequately supplied until we get 10 times the amount that we need," he added. o Giroir described supplies like swabs as a “small, fragile ecosystem right now.” o “For the next couple of months, we’re going to procure them at the federal level to make sure they’re distributed to the states,” he said, “but towards the middle or the end of the summer that supply chain will be very robust.” o Starting as early as late next week, Giroir said, “for say, swabs and media, we know what the plan is. • President Trump says he takes no responsibility for a spike in people using disinfectants improperly after he suggested ingesting disinfectant as a cure for coronavirus last week. o When asked about the increase, Trump said, "I can't imagine why." o He answered, “No, I don’t" when asked if he takes any responsibility for the numbers. • President Trump described governors as “as thrilled as they can be” over the administration's response to the coronavirus, hours after a meeting with state leaders on Monday. o “We had a fantastic call with the governors today,” the President said during a Rose Garden briefing. “And I would say that today are as thrilled as they can be considering that to the fact is that there has been so much unnecessary death in this country.” o “It could have been stopped,” Trump added, “and it could've been stopped short, but somebody a long time ago it seems decided not to do it that way, and the whole world is suffering because of it, 184 countries at least.” • President Trump says he is confident there is enough coronavirus testing to reopen the country. o U.S. has more than doubled testing capacity and will double again, Trump says at White House briefing o Trump says he has directed Medicare to make “‘it easier” for seniors to get testing • President Trump met with executives from companies including Walgreens, Walmart, Rite-Aid, CVS, Quest Diagnostics, LabCorp and Thermo Fisher o " President and retailers are expected to announce wider availability of coronavirus tests as his administration seeks to address concerns from states and business leaders that U.S. testing must be more robust for Americans to feel comfortable returning to work. • In pushing to start reopening the country, the White House has fielded broad concerns from business leaders and states that the U.S. doesn’t have sufficient testing to relent on social-distancing practices that have crippled the economy. o At Monday’s event, it isn’t clear whether the president will address shortages of materials needed to expand testing, including swabs to collect samples and chemical media to transport them to labs. • President Trump defended Health and Human Services Secretary , who downplayed the impact of coronavirus in the early stages of the pandemic. o “I think it’s a very unfair question because you have many great professionals, some of them you have great respect for, and you have many people in the other party… that have said the same thing and with even more confidence,” Trump said when asked about Azar's role. “So a lot of people didn’t get that right." • The U.S. Small Business Administration didn’t resume accepting applications for disaster loans on Monday because the additional money authorized by Congress could be exhausted by previous applicants, agency officials confirmed. o “The SBA is unable to accept new applications at this time for COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan- related assistance…based upon available appropriations funding,” said Matt Coleman, a spokesman for SBA’s Region II, which includes New York State. o “Applicants who have already submitted their applications will continue to be processed on a first come, first serve basis,” he said on Monday. • Any small business program loan over $2m will receive a full review before being forgiven, Treasury Sec. Steven Mnuchin says on CNBC. o “It was not a program designed for public companies” with liquidity, Mnuchin says, adding the rules were very clear o “I really fault the borrowers who made these certifications,” he says of some cos. receiving loans inappropriately. “It’s the borrowers who have criminal liability who make this certification and it’s not true” • Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said states that had poorly managed budgets before the Covid-19 outbreak sent their economies reeling should not be rescued by the federal government. o “This isn’t just going to be a federal bailout of the states,” Mnuchin said early Tuesday on CNBC. “States that had specifically large expenses because of the coronavirus, like New York and New Jersey, it was the right thing that the federal government gave them money.” o He approves of local governments using coronavirus funding to enforce public safety through law enforcement, but not for revenue lost because of the economic shutdown or “states that were mismanaged” before the pandemic hit. o Mnuchin said he has emptied the $150 billion funding from Congress for states and territories established to help cope with a public health emergency crushing local budgets. • The Small Business Administration will require lenders to enter small-business relief loan applications manually instead of using robots, a move aimed at slowing down the flow of applications into the agency’s system that was overwhelmed Monday when the program relaunched. o SBA says starting today they may not use Robotic Processing Automation to submit Paycheck Protection Program loans into SBA’s E-Tran loan system o Without RPAs, loan processing will be more “reliable, accessible, and equitable for all small businesses,” SBA says in email o NOTE: The relaunch of the PPP got off to a rocky start Monday, with lenders reporting being shut out of the overwhelmed SBA system flooded with applications • As of 3:30 p.m. on Monday (4/27), the SBA said it had processed 100,000 loans submitted by 4,000 lenders, but didn’t say how much of the $310 billion had been allocated through these loans. • The White House is urging businesses to open their doors again in hopes of triggering a swift revival of the U.S. economy, despite warning signs that nationwide reopenings may be premature. o Kevin Hassett, an economic adviser to President Donald Trump, said Monday the White House has data showing that essential businesses over the past four weeks have begun to operate without major coronavirus flare-ups. He said it is likely safe for non-essential businesses to reopen as well. o “It looks like people have figured out how to get back to work and to do so safely,” Hassett said during an interview with CNBC. “We’ll figure out what practices we need to engage in in order to operate safely • The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, a panel of two dozen federal inspectors general charged with coordinating work to investigate the coronavirus relief effort, named Robert Westbrooks, a veteran inspector general as the committee's executive director on Monday. • Treasury Sec. Steven Mnuchin tells Fox Business Network that he and Energy Sec. are “looking at providing liquidity” to the oil industry, but it “won’t be a bailout.” o Oil is critical to U.S. energy independence and we are determined to protect that independence: Mnuchin • Trump suggested that schools might be among the first institutions to reopen given the lower vulnerability of youngsters to the coronavirus. “I think you’ll see a lot of schools open up,” the president said yesterday. “Young people seem to do very well.” Trump said he expected some schools to restart even if there are only a few weeks left in the school year. “Even if it’s for a very short period of time,” Trump said. “I think it would be a good time • Attorney General directed top Justice Department prosecutors to take legal action against state and local officials if their coronavirus restrictions go too far, saying “the Constitution is not suspended in times of crisis.” Barr tapped the head of the department’s civil rights division, Eric Dreiband, and U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider “to oversee and coordinate our efforts to monitor state and local policies” related to coronavirus and “take action to correct them” if necessary, according to a department-wide directive issued yesterday • Turkey is sending medical supplies to to help its fight against the coronavirus pandemic, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, speaking on Monday in Istanbul after chairing a virtual cabinet meeting. o The supplies, which include masks, disinfectants and bodysuits, will be sent via military aircraft on Tuesday • Centers for Disease Control and the Department of Labor issue guidance for the meat and poultry processing industry due to the coronavirus pandemic. o “I am directing each of our United States Attorneys to also be on the lookout for state and local directives that could be violating the constitutional rights and civil liberties of individual citizens,” Attorney General William Barr says in memo. o Link to document • Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said all loans of more than $2 million or more in a government relief program for small businesses will be audited to ensure they were justified after large public companies and big chains sparked outrage by taking funds. o Mnuchin said the loans of as much as $10 million meant to keep workers on payrolls under the Paycheck Protection Program were intended for small firms that lacked access to other capital, and the U.S. Small Business Administration will check that borrowers who took large loans properly certified it was needed because of the coronavirus outbreak. o “I want to be very clear it’s the borrowers who have criminal liability if they made this certification and it’s not true,” Mnuchin said Tuesday on CNBC. • I’m very optimistic about the convalescent plasma,” FDA Chief Stephen Hahn tells Fox Business. o “There are some good preliminary data to suggest that it is a benefit, this is a therapy that we’ve been scaling up over the last two months” o “That also can be used to create something called hyper-immune globulin, which is a shot of concentrated antibody that can also provide a treatment benefit and can also potentially be used as a prophylactic, for those who haven’t been exposed to the virus” o On Gilead and its drug remdesivir, he says: “We’ve been in very close contact with the company and are working closely with them to look at what those data show” o “When those data from the randomized trial -- and you probably know there’s a big randomized trial that’s being sponsored by the National institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease -- when those data come back to us, I think we’ll have a good sense of where remdesivir might or might not fit into the treatment paradigm for COVID-19” • Top US infectious disease doctor said today "I'm almost certain it will come back" when he was asked about the possibility of a second wave of Covid-19 hitting later this year. o "In my mind, it's inevitable that we will have a return of the virus," Fauci said while speaking to the Economic Club of on a call. • The Small Business Administration said yesterday a wave of demand for loans from the latest coronavirus stimulus package passed by Congress last week was causing a slowdown of Paycheck Protection Program processing systems. “Currently, there are double the number of users accessing the system compared to any day during the initial round of PPP,” the agency said in a statement. “SBA is actively working to ensure system security and integrity while loan processing continues.” o and US Bancorp were among ten lenders sued for failing to share Paycheck Protection Program loan fees with the lawyers and consultants that prepared applications for small businesses. Three firms sued the banks yesterday claiming they violated the Small Business Administration guidance for the emergency loans by either refusing to pay any so-called agent fees or by only agreeing to pay half the required amount. The banks that have helped distribute the federal emergency loans to help s mall businesses survive the Covid-19 pandemic were previously accused of prioritizing larger loans that earn them bigger fees and dealing with their existing clients before others o JPMorgan Chase stopped taking new applications from small businesses seeking loans under the PPP before the initiative relaunched yesterday. The bank told customers that it wasn’t accepting new applications for the rescue loans because it was trying to work through a backlog of requests already in its pipeline, Jennifer Roberts, chief of the consumer unit’s business-banking division, said in a note to clients yesterday, expanding on a message it gave last Thursday. • The Federal Reserve expanded the scope and duration of the Municipal Liquidity Facility, a $500 billion emergency lending program for state and local governments enduring the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. central bank lowered the population thresholds under which counties and cities would be eligible to sell short-term debt to the facility. The new levels were at least 500,000 for counties and 250,000 for cities, down from 2 million and 1 million. The effort would no w cover many of the nation’s large cities that were previously excluded, including Atlanta, Miami, Baltimore, Boston and , according to Brookings Institution Fellow Aaron Klein, a critic of the original guidelines • A group of American Indian tribes persuaded a judge to bar the Trump administration—at least for now—from doling out coronavirus relief money to for-profit tribal corporations in Alaska. Congress allocated the money, part of the $2 trillion Cares Act, for “tribal governments” to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. Eighteen tribes sued to challenge Treasury’s decision that Alaska native corporations in Alaska would also be eligible for the cash, stating they feared giving money to the corporations wou ldn’t leave enough for federal-recognized tribes, including those in Alaska, to address the pandemic. The Alaska corporations, established by Congress in 1971 as part of a settlement with Alaska Natives, own some of the state’s largest enterprises and are among its biggest employers. • Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is launching competitive grant programs offering more than $307 million in response to the coronavirus crisis. A $180 million grant program for K-12 schools, announced yesterday, will seek proposals aimed at virtual education. State education agencies can use the money to provide microgrants to families to pay for classroom technology. Agencies also can use the funds to develop online education programs • President Donald Trump suggested that schools might be among the first institutions to reopen given the lower vulnerability of youngsters to the coronavirus. o “I think you’ll see a lot of schools open up,” the president said Monday at a White House press briefing. “Young people seem to do very well.” • The president is urging states to restart their economies, and he stressed Monday that safety must be the key consideration. But he also said he expected some schools to restart even if there are only a few weeks left in the school year. o “Even if it’s for a very short period of time,” Trump said. “I think it would be a good time.” • Having private retailers such as CVS and Walgreens offer Covid-19 testing will help bring more tests to communities across the United States, White House coronavirus task force response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said during an appearance on Fox & Friends this morning. o "We've really understood that you've got to bring the tests to the community — whether it's drive-thru, whether it's walk-thru — the community has to feel like tests are available to them," Birx said. "Just having it at hospitals or clinics was not going to be enough and so that part of this is critically important to expand community testing." • Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus task force response coordinator, said people should wear masks during social gatherings to avoid the spread of coronavirus. o "If there is virus in the community, or you are gathering people from different areas of a state where there may be still residual virus and no virus, if everybody wears a face mask, then you are protecting the other person," Birx said during an appearance on Fox & Friends this morning. • President Trump says at White House that aid to states would need to be related to the coronavirus and not for mismanagement. o Trump says there is a big difference in states that are run well and those that are not • President Donald Trump said he’s issuing an executive order aimed at Tyson Foods Inc.’s liability amid reports of coronavirus outbreaks at meat-processing plants that are disrupting the food supply chain. o Trump, speaking Tuesday at the White House, said Tyson faces a “unique circumstance” in terms of its liability. He didn’t elaborate. o Asked about the supply of food to the country, Trump said: “There’s plenty of supply.” • President Trump says at White House that JetBlue’s plan to require customers to wear face coverings sounds like a good idea. • President Donald Trump said he’s considering requiring people arriving in the U.S. aboard international flights to be tested for coronavirus infection. o The government is “looking at it very closely,” he said in a White House meeting with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a fellow Republican. Asked whether he meant temperature checks of arriving passengers or diagnostic tests, he said “both.” o DeSantis said he’d like airlines to screen passengers arriving from coronavirus hotspots but doesn’t endorse “necessarily cutting them off.” o Trump invited DeSantis to recommend countries that should be “cut off” from traveling to the U.S., specifically mentioning Brazil. “You’ll let us know,” he told the governor. • The U.S. Department of the Treasury and IRS today announced significant enhancements to the “Get My Payment” app to deliver an improved experience for Americans eligible to receive Economic Impact Payments. (HERE) • The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Federal Reserve Board today announced that they will extend, by 30 days, the comment period for the agencies' proposed guidance for resolution plans submitted by certain large foreign banks. The extension will allow interested parties additional time to analyze the issues and to comments through June 4, 2020. In light of the challenges arising from the COVID-19 emergency, the agencies are reviewing and may adjust other upcoming deadlines associated with the resolution planning process. (HERE) • The Federal Reserve Board announced an expansion of the scope and duration of the Municipal Liquidity Facility. The facility, which was announced on April 9 as part of an initiative to provide up to $2.3 trillion in loans to support U.S. households, businesses, and communities, will offer up to $500 billion in lending to states and municipalities to help manage cash flow stresses caused by the coronavirus pandemic. (HERE) • HUD is addressing tenant concerns due to COVI-19. This brochure applies to assisted and insured housing programs administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Multifamily Housing Programs. This brochure does not apply to the Public Housing Program, the Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation Program (except for multifamily housing properties insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA)), or the Housing Choice Voucher Program (except when a voucher is used in a multifamily housing property with an FHA-insured mortgage). (HERE) • The Department of Labor continued its efforts to keep America’s workers safe, support states and territories as they deliver unemployment benefits to eligible individuals, and ensure all workers have access to new paid leave benefits. By the end of the week, 48 states and territories were providing the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act’s enhanced $600 additional weekly benefit. (HERE) • The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have released joint coronavirus-related interim guidance for meatpacking and meat processing workers and employers – including those involved in beef, pork and poultry operations. The guidance includes recommended actions employers can take to reduce the risk of exposure to the coronavirus. (HERE) • The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued interim enforcement guidance on reusing disposable N95 filtering face piece respirators (N95 FFRs) that have been decontaminated. The action marks the Department’s latest step to ensure the availability of respirators, and follows President Donald J. Trump’s Memorandum on Making General Use Respirators Available. (HERE) • Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), launched a new COVID-19 Uninsured Program Portal, allowing health care providers who have conducted COVID-19 testing or provided treatment for uninsured COVID-19 individuals on or after February 4, 2020 to submit claims for reimbursement. Providers can access the portal at COVIDUninsuredClaim.HRSA.gov. (HERE) • The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced Friday that grants have been awarded to increase access to and to improve the quality of community mental and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment services through the expansion of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC). The Fiscal Year 2020 CCBHC Expansion Grants include $200 million in annually appropriated funding and $250 million in emergency COVID-19 funding. (HERE) • Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration provided an update on its efforts to ensure the availability of alcohol-based sanitizer to help meet the demand for hand sanitizer during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the agency’s significant flexibility, more than 1,500 additional manufacturers have registered with the agency to produce hand sanitizer. At the same time, the agency is addressing safety concerns related to products being sold that are not in line with the FDA’s policy and others being marketed with unproven claims. (HERE) • The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it is reevaluating the amounts that will be paid under its Accelerated Payment Program and suspending its Advance Payment Program to Part B suppliers effective immediately. The agency made this announcement following the successful payment of over $100 billion to healthcare providers and suppliers through these programs and in light of the $175 billion recently appropriated for healthcare provider relief payments. (HERE) • FEMA awarded grants to fund crisis counseling services for residents struggling with stress and anxiety as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training program is funded by FEMA and overseen by FEMA in coordination with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The program assists individuals and communities in recovering from the psychological effects of natural and human caused disasters through community-based outreach and educational services. (HERE) • The Defense Department has heard the challenges and the many questions about how the men and women of the military will be compensated during this crisis. Over the last several weeks, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs has issued military personnel guidance and further supplemental guidance addressing special policies and procedures implemented to ensure continuing financial security for our members and their families, and guidance on use of leave. (HERE) • U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced today more than $300 million in discretionary grant funds will be available for states to use to create adaptable, innovative learning opportunities for K-12 and postsecondary learners in response to the COVID-19 national emergency. The grants will be funded through the Education Stabilization Fund (ESF), authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, signed into law by President Donald J. Trump. (HERE) • The Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Education today announced efforts to promote the use of $16 billion in funding from the recently enacted Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act’s Education Stabilization Fund for remote learning. The agencies will work with governors, states, and local school districts as they leverage funding to best help students learning from home during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. (HERE)

Capitol Hill • The U.S. House won’t return to Washington next week after all, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters Tuesday, citing the continued risk from the spread of the coronavirus in the Washington area. o Hoyer said leaders made the decision after consulting with the House physician, who said infection numbers in Washington were still rising and that the region still had “hot spots.” o He also said there was no need to press for a return in part because the next phase of coronavirus aid legislation won’t be ready for action. o Hoyer had told House Democrats on a conference call Monday that the House would be in session next week and that votes may be held. • The Senate plans to reconvene May 4 and will work on the next steps of coronavirus relief, which Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said must include liability protections for business owners who reopen. o McConnell said the Senate will modify its routines “in ways that are smart and safe” so members can “conduct critical business in person.” o “If it is essential for doctors, nurses, health care workers, truck drivers, grocery-store workers, and many other brave Americans to keep carefully manning their own duty stations, then it is essential for senators to carefully man ours and support them,” he said in a statement. • McConnell said health care workers and business owners could end up with years of lawsuits over their efforts to cope with the virus. o “Our response must not be slowed, weakened, or exploited to set up the biggest trial lawyer bonanza in history,” he said. o He also warned against partisan wish lists and “left-wing daydreams” as part of the next virus response package. • Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said today there would likely be more money approved for state and local government relief in the next legislative package Congress passes to address the coronavirus outbreak. o That’s a shift in the messaging for McConnell who last week said he wasn’t sure if more money was needed and indicated he was reluctant to provide billions to some state governments he believes have mismanaged their debt. o Getting funding to state and local governments has been a key priority for Democrats and many Republicans. o “There probably will be another state and local funding bill,” McConnell conceded in an interview with Radio, “but we need to make sure that we achieve something that will go beyond simply sending out money.” o The GOP leader also defended his remarks last week that laws should be changed so states can declare bankruptcy to help the shed some of their debt. • Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser said that while the nation's capital is not ready to open businesses yet, she supports members of Congress returning to DC because they are essential workers. o “We know essential workers and hospitals and grocery stores, our sanitation workers are all reporting to work because they have essential jobs to do. And the work of the Congress is essential, especially now,” Bowser told CNN’s John Berman. “When workers need relief, when small business need relief, and when state and local governments need relief. So the Congress has to get to work.” • Senate Democrats say they will demand the next round of coronavirus aid include work authorization extensions for 200,000 DACA recipients and 130,000 people with temporary protected status who are in essential jobs fighting the pandemic. o Those people are working in the health-care industry and other key sectors, they say o Democrats also will fight to give them equal access to testing in the next stimulus package, Senators , Dick Durbin and tell reporters • Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee have asked Interior Secretary to lay out a detailed plan for reopening national parks. Citing concerns about visitor and employee safety in light of the coronavirus pandemic, the lawmakers asked for a schedule of reopenings, documentation laying out safety protocols, and the agency’s plans to consult with its scientists and other employees. • Sen. (R-Colo.), 22 senators and 17 representatives sent a letter to House and Senate leadership yesterday urging them to add S. 2661, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, into the next coronavirus stimulus package. The bill has a bipartisan House companion (H.R. 4194). The bills would designate 9-8-8 as a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline. “The creation of this three-digit dialing code is essential in order to address the growing suicide crisis across the United States,” the lawmakers wrote. • Farmers will have to kill tens of thousands of pigs a day because of closed processing facilities across the country, House Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson said Monday. o Peterson said the nation's pork supply is now at serious risk because of the coronavirus pandemic. o With three of the nation's largest pork processing plants temporarily shut down, Peterson said that farmers now have a massive oversupply of pigs that must be euthanized — estimating that there are roughly 60,000 to 70,000 pigs a day that need to be killed in order to make space at farms. • Senate Democrats said Education Secretary Betsy DeVos improperly advised colleges that undocumented students are ineligible for emergency coronavirus relief provided last month and called on her to reverse the decision. o Democrats led by Sens. Michael Bennet (Colo.) and. Robert Menendez (N.J.) told DeVos in a letter Monday that students facing economic hardship—such as undocumented youths—are exactly who those funds were designed to help. The DACA program shields from deportation undocumented individuals who were brought to the U.S. as children. o “During this Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, DACA recipients attending institutions of higher education across the country face challenges like other students, many with the added burden of supporting their parents and siblings or being the first in their families to attend college,” they wrote. o The Democrats said because the CARES Act isn’t Title IV funding, the Education Department can’t impose Title IV restrictions on the money. And they said the document contradicted the department’s own previous guidance to colleges offering broad discretion for distributing the money. • Sens. Elizabeth Warren and are asking medical wholesalers about their involvement in the Trump administration’s coronavirus medical supply chain project. o In letter to Cardinal Health, Concordance, Henry Schein, McKesson, Medline, and Owens and Minor, the senators say there have been “reports of political favoritism, cronyism, orders seized by the federal government and price gouging” in the project • Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Brian Schatz ask credit reporting agencies Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax to ensure consumers’ credit scores aren’t affected if they take advantage of pandemic relief under the CARES Act o Lawmakers request responses by May 1 o Link to statement and letters here • House Democratic leaders said on caucus call there will be a vote next week on a plan to allow remote voting, whether or not there is a deal with Republicans, CNN reports, citing unidentified sources who were on the call. • Senate backers of a plan to allow remote voting in times of emergency announced they are holding a roundtable Thursday to collect input from experts on changing the Senate’s voting rules. Sens. Rob Portman (R- Ohio) and Tom Carper (D-Del.), chairman and ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations said they will hold the session to look into remote voting via videoconferencing. o The session will examine the possibility of amending the standing rules of the Senate to allow senators to vote remotely during a national crisis. Portman and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) are also sponsoring a resolution to allow remote voting if Senate leaders or their designees agree an emergency exists. In such an instance, remote voting would be allowed for up to 30 days and the Senate would have to vote to renew the procedure after that. o CNN reported yesterday House Democratic leaders said on a caucus call there will be a vote next week on the plan, whether or not there is a deal • The New Democrat Coalition Chair is urging U.S. House leaders to hold a vote next week on a resolution that would allow remote voting and virtual committee proceedings. o The group, which is made up of 104 Democrats focused on fiscal responsibility, writes letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other leaders asking for a resolution to be brought to the chamber floor no later than the week of May 4 • Two hours into second round of program, the average size of PPP loan sought “is less than 1/2 of what it was in first round,” Sen. Marco Rubio says in tweet. • Sen.Elizabeth Warren and Rep.Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are working together on a proposal to suspend mergers and acquisitions for big companies during the pandemic, NBC News reports. o The Democratic lawmakers plan to announce the proposal Tuesday and introduce the measure after Congress returns to session o Warren and Ocasio-Cortez cite reports that private equity companies, big technology firms and Rite Aid are weighing deals as the pandemic batters the economy, according to summary of the proposal reviewed by NBC News o Here’s a link to the summary of forthcoming bill from Sen.Elizabeth Warren and Rep.Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez, aiming to suspend mergers and acquisitions for big companies during the pandemic. • Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) and Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) are asking for additional resources and powers, including invoking the Defense Production Act, to keep the state’s pork production viable amid the coronavirus pandemic. Action is required to “ensure that safe, affordable and abundant food remains available in this crisis,” they wrote in a letter to Vice President Mike Pence and members of the coronavirus task force, • One hundred forty-four Democrats in the Senate and House are asking FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to coordinate with the Agriculture and Health and Human Services departments to help make sure that millions of newly struggling households that are becoming eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Medicaid are made aware of the FCC's Lifeline subsidy program for low-income consumers. • Senators from both parties are calling for chambers of commerce and business trade associations to have access to small business rescue loans, a request that's likely to meet resistance because of lobbying and political activities associated with the largest groups," o "In a letter to congressional leaders, 18 lawmakers led by Sens. (R-La.) and (D- W.Va.) said they endorsed the idea of letting groups organized under the tax code as nonprofit 501(c)(6)s apply for so-called Paycheck Protection Program loans. ... Many of the organizations that could benefit from the request are powerful Washington trade associations that lobby policymakers on behalf of business interests. The senators in their letter instead highlighted local groups, including regional chambers of commerce, nursing professional organizations, state restaurant associations and tourism leagues." The idea is to make the loans available to trade groups in the next coronavirus relief bill. • A bipartisan group of lawmakers is pressing the Trump administration to let payday lenders gain access to small business rescue money, going to bat for companies that have been accused of engaging in predatory behavior toward lower-income people. The move comes as officials try to quell public criticism by stopping hedge funds and publicly traded companies from benefiting from the program, which is designed to avert massive job losses and resumes on Monday after running out of funds because of high demand. "In a letter signed by 24 House Republicans and four Democrats, lawmakers asked the Treasury Department and Small Business Administration to open up Paycheck Protection Program loan applications to "small-size nonbanks," including installment lenders and so-called community development financial institutions, which focus their lending on underserved populations. Payday lenders weren't explicitly mentioned, but a spokesperson for Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.), one of the lawmakers who led the letter, confirmed the intent was to include them in the request." • Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) said he would broaden the Trillion Trees Act (H.R. 5859) from its current focus on planting and conserving forests to include incentives for homeowners and homebuilders to use low-carbon building materials, energy-efficient appliances, and more insulation. o Westerman in an interview said the coronavirus pandemic forced him and other members of Congress to focus on massive legislative packages for unemployed workers and shuttered businesses, but also to reconsider their own bills to address the broader demand to stimulate the economy. Lawmakers are flooded with constituent calls amid passage of four economic aid packages. o “The pandemic has taken all the of the oxygen out of the room,” Westerman said. o But he said now he is starting to have discussions about how to improve the trees bill to provide more immediate economic benefits. State/Local • Indiana residents can now access free mental health resources online that have been vetted by experts, Gov. Eric Holcomb announced today. o The resources will be on a new website, BeWellIndiana.org, launched by the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, and are designed to help with anxiety, depression and other mental health issues caused by the pandemic. It includes information for people experiencing first-time issues as well as existing mental health concerns. • Georgia Gov. announced Monday the state's shelter-in-place remains in effect until April 30. o "Bars, night clubs, operators of amusement park rides and live performance venues will remain closed, and the shelter-in-place order remains in effect through April the 30th, 2020," Kemp said at a news conference. o Some businesses, including hair and nail salons, tattoo parlors and bowling alleys, were allowed to reopen on last Friday. Restaurants and movie theaters were allowed to open Monday. • Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp called on residents to "take advantage" of the state's resources and get tested. o Kemp said Monday that they've "given a total of 127,169 tests." While Kemp acknowledged an increase in their testings numbers, he said, "We realize we have to continue to do more." • Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said in statement the state's stay-at-home order will be extended until May 15 o He added that the state does not meet the White House's criteria for phase one of reopening. • Illinois has processed about 10 times the number of unemployment claims it did this time last year, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said at a news conference Monday. o The state has processed about 800,000 unemployment claims, he said. • Gun stores and golf courses got the green light to reopen yesterday in one city in New Mexico, where the mayor is bucking state directives that aim to prevent the spread of the outbreak. Grants, population roughly 9,000, at first “played along” with public health orders that shuttered everything but stores and activities deemed essential, Mayor Martin “Modey” Hicks said. The cooperation ended when Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) said the state would extend the orders until at least May 15, he said. “We’re not doing it no more,” Hicks (D) said yesterday in an interview • Students at the University of and the California State University System are suing for the balance of their campus fees, according to court papers filed in Los Angeles and Oakland yesterday. • Lawmakers in six rural northern California counties say they’re ready to get back to work and are asking the governor to lift the state’s stay-home orders. o While the stay-home directive could be extended in the state’s more populous areas, the lawmakers say the rural counties in the state’s northern interior have reached benchmarks that make it worthy of getting back to business. o In a letter sent to the Gov. ’s office on Saturday, mayors, county supervisors, and state legislators from Butte, Glenn, Tehama, Yuba, Sutter, and Colusa counties point out that of the 500,000 residents in the area, there are only 69 confirmed cases and 50 of those people have recovered, with just one person still in an intensive care unit. • Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said Tuesday the current stay-at-home order will not be extended beyond Thursday, April 30. o Ivey said she will instead issue a safer-at-home order that will go into effect at 6 p.m. ET Thursday. o Under the new order, all employers, retail stores and beaches will be allowed to open subject to good sanitation and rules, the governor said. • Arizona is planning to test 10,000 to 20,000 people for coronavirus each Saturday for the next three weekends. o The state is working with more than a half-dozen testing sites and offering online registration for people who think they may have been exposed as part of its “testing blitz.” • North Carolina will hire 250 people to help with contact tracing in its fight against coronavirus, according to state Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. Mandy Cohen. o The Carolina Community Tracing Collaborative program will hire people at the local level to help health departments in contact tracing, Cohen said at a news conference today. o The new hires will double the number of tracers in the state. o Cohen said special consideration will be given to the unemployed and those with community engagement experience. • New York Gov. said he wants to make a decision about schools by end of week. o He said he wants the decision to be in coordination with New Jersey and Connecticut. Cuomo said he spoke with state representatives this morning on the issue. o Speaking on WAMC radio, Cuomo said there are two decisions hanging in the balance: whether schools will reopen before the end of the academic year and how to address summer school. • Texas Gov. announced today that he will allow his stay-at-home order for Texas to expire on April 30. o Abbott's new executive order, which supersedes local orders, allows businesses like retail stores, malls, restaurants and theaters to reopen May 1 but limits occupancy to 25%. The order will also allow libraries and museums to open. o The governor said he wants barbershops, salons, gyms and bars open "as soon as possible" and expects them to open no later than mid-May. • When talking about the reopening plans laid out for the state today, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said, "ultimately, the decision is my decision, and I take full responsibility for the decision.” o DeWine announced earlier today that Ohio will be reopening some health care services on May 1, saying all health procedures or operations that do not require an overnight stay in a hospital can move forward. o Manufacturing, distribution, and construction companies, as well as general offices will be allowed to open on May 4. o In a third step, consumer, retail and other services will be allowed to reopen on May 12, DeWine said. • Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said May 4 is "too early” to reopen after the Massachusetts governor promised "clarity" on reopening the state on that date. o “I would have serious concerns if we start relaxing some of the measures we have taken in Boston and the Commonwealth on May 4, especially If it is done without a clear and thoughtful plan," Walsh said. • California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state is "just weeks away, not months away, from making meaningful changes to our stay-at-home order.” o He warned the public about the need to continue to abide by social distancing guidelines and chastised beachgoers in Ventura and Orange County for flocking to the coastlines on Saturday in particular. o “This virus doesn’t take the weekends off. This virus doesn’t go home. We have to manage and augment our behavior,” Newsom said. “The only thing that will set us back is people stopping practicing physical distancing.” o There were no citations issued, but some people were given warnings for defying stay-at-home orders. Newsom warned that more aggressive enforcement could come if the guidelines and procedures are flouted. • Key West, Florida, will reopen parks, beaches and recreational facilities to local residents effective today, according to a letter from City Manager Greg Veliz posted on the city’s official Facebook page. o “Although we are currently under a restrictive order as it pertains to businesses, we do understand the need to begin to allow our residents to resume some sense of normalcy while exercising personal responsibility and social distancing,” Veliz wrote. o Veliz added that the city is monitoring any reopening announcements made by Gov. Ron DeSantis so the city can respond to the needs of Key West. o The Florida Keys have been closed to visitors since the coronavirus outbreak. The closure is enforced with a checkpoint. • Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced today that 77 of the state's 99 counties can reopen restaurants, fitness centers, retail stores and enclosed malls at 50% capacity beginning May 1. o Reynolds also said that she is lifting the ban on religious gatherings of more than 10 people. o This approach takes "a targeted approach to loosening restrictions" and focuses on counties "where there is no virus activity or where virus activity has been consistently low and shown a downward trend," Reynolds said. • An additional $130 million in funding will be allocated to Massachusetts' nursing homes and long-term care facilities to implement coronavirus precautions, Gov. Charlie Baker said. o The money will be used for additional staff, personal protective equipment and cleaning and disinfecting of the facilities, he said. • New Jersey Gov. said while it’s too early to tell whether reopening will be on a regional or statewide basis, he prefers the latter. o “My bias will be leaning toward making state decisions — statewide decisions," he said, adding “unless we see a real unique reason to do otherwise, or unless we see a really bifurcated reality in terms of the virus and its impact on the state.” o The reopening will begin in work places and venues where the state has a “high degree of confidence” that social distancing and other related norms can be effectively executed. o While Murphy did not have a clear picture of what would come back online first, he mentioned the “food chain” and other essential elements. He added that as much as he loves music, concerts are not going to be coming back “anytime soon.” • While some states are already allowing certain businesses to reopen, Wisconsin extended its stay-at-home order until May 26. o "Part of the criteria [to reopen] is making sure we have adequate testing so we can get about 80,000 tests per week," Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes said. "We don't have that yet. o With this testing capacity, the state can build contact tracing and find out where the concentration of outbreaks are. This would help get the virus under control, Barnes said. • New York does not have enough money to pay for unemployment as more and more people continue to file for benefits, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at a news briefing Monday. o “We’re out of money now,” Cuomo told a reporter when asked when the state would run out of money to provide unemployment benefits. “We are now running a $10 to 15 billion deficit, so we’re out of money now," he added. • As unemployment skyrockets across the country, an increasing number of Americans are reliant on food banks. To address this demand, New York is providing $25 million from the state's Special Public Health Emergency Fund for food banks and providers impacted by coronavirus, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday. o There is about a 200% increase in demand at food banks in Westchester County, a 100% increase in New York City, a 40% in Long Island and a 60% in upstate in New York, Gov. Cuomo said. o He also asked philanthropies to help with funding. • New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he spoke to President Trump about keeping open temporary medical facilities that the federal government built. o Cuomo said four temporary facilities, which were built by the Army Corps of Engineers to increase hospital capacity during the surge, would stay open through the fall. The governor said this decision was made in part out of caution in case there is a possible second wave. o "We're now talking about the possibility of a second wave of the Covid virus or Covid combining with the regular flu season in September, which could be problematic again for the hospital capacity," Cuomo said. "So the facilities that were built, I spoke to the President about leaving them in place until we get through the flu season." • The US state of Missouri’s restrictions on businesses will be lifted on May 4, following a new plan put in place by Gov. Mike Parson. o In a news conference Monday, the governor said the state will be ready to begin reopening the economy next week. • Florida’s three most populous counties are reopening parks, marinas and golf courses on Wednesday in a limited capacity, according to coordinated announcements by their local governments. o Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach rolled out a series of rules to ensure limited contact as park- goers, golfers and boaters return. In Miami-Dade, Florida’s biggest county by population, Mayor Carlos Gimenez told reporters that he would sign an order later in the day making the move official. o Gimenez said the county had hired 400 security workers to ensure compliance with rules, including a prohibition on organized sports at parks, with the exception of singles tennis. • California Governor Gavin Newsom said there will likely be “meaningful” changes to the state’s stay-in-place orders in weeks, while the six major counties in the San Francisco Bay area said they will extend their restrictions through May. o Newsom, in his daily briefing, said a relaxing of orders depends on new cases continuing to flatten and ongoing social distancing. He warned residents against becoming lax in their measures, noting that several beaches were crowded this weekend and data show more people on the move. He plans to lay out some details about how California will “phase in” businesses on Tuesday. o “The only thing slowing down our ability to reopen the economy is people not practicing physical distancing,” Newsom said. “It will be weeks, not months, if the curve continues where it’s been.” • In the Bay Area, stay-at-home orders will largely be kept in place and extended through May, the region’s counties said in a press release. They said a new order will be issued this week allowing for limited easing of restrictions for “a small number of lower-risk activities.” • Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said his strategy for reopening the economy may differ by region as three of the state’s 67 counties -- Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach, all in the southeast -- account for 60% of the state’s 32,138 confirmed Covid-19 cases. o “Pretty much the rest of the state has really handled this very well,” DeSantis told reporters Monday in Tampa. “I think that is something that you take into consideration.” o DeSantis’s stay-at-home order is set to expire Thursday, and he hasn’t provided details of how he intends to proceed. Phase one of the reopening would be “a baby step,” he said, and his approach would be “very slow, methodical and data-driven.” • and are joining California, and Washington in what is coming to be known the , a bloc coordinating policies and strategies to combat the pandemic. o “There’s no silver bullet that will solve this pandemic until there is a cure so we must have a multifaceted and bold approach in order to slow the spread of the virus, to keep our people safe and help our economy rebound,” Colorado Governor said in a news release. • D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is recruiting high-profile individuals including Michelle Obama and celebrity chef Jose Andres to assist in coronavirus response efforts, Washington Post reports. o Obama, the former first lady, has recorded robocalls and radio ads reminding Washingtonians to stay at home to limit the spread of the virus, says Bowser o The group will be led by Susan Rice, who was ’s national security adviser; Andres will chair the restaurant committee of the group that will advise when it’s safe to reopen businesses, schools, and other establishments • Nonessential businesses in Massachusetts will stay closed until May 18, Gov. Charlie Baker announced today at a news conference. o “We are extending the timeline for all nonessential businesses to keep the physical workplaces and facilities closed to all workers, customers and the public until May 18, and the state-at-home advisory also remains in place during this time," Baker said. o Baker said the ban on gatherings of 10 or more people will also be extended until May 18. o In the meantime, the state is forming a reopening advisory board to create a phased plan. o The state's lieutenant governor and the secretary of housing and economic development will lead the board, the governor announced. o The advisory board has been asked to produced their plan by May 18. • New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state will be measuring two key data points while reopening businesses in the coming weeks. o One of the "danger signs" is if hospitals exceed 70% capacity. o "Don't overwhelm the hospital system," Cuomo said at a news conference today. "If you ever hit 70%, you can expect the number to go up for the next two weeks as people who just got infected actually get ill and some of them come into the hospital." o The other sign the state will monitor during reopening is the rate of transmission of the virus. International • France will begin to ease lockdown restrictions on May 11, after the country's prime minister said they will have enough masks to meet the need. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said Tuesday: o “We are proposing a very gradual reopening of kindergartens and elementary schools from May 11, everywhere on the territory and on a voluntary basis. In a second step, we can consider reopening the colleges (intermediary schools), starting with 6th and 7th grade (11-12 year-olds). We will make a decision in early June for high schools.” o After an initial easing of lockdown measures on May 11, there will be a second monitoring phase from May 11 to June 2, Philippe added. France will make a decision on the opening of bars, cafes and restaurants at the end of May. • Portugal will end its current state of emergency on Saturday, the country’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa announced on Tuesday. o “It is expected that it won’t be necessary in the future to again resort to the state of emergency – if it is, it will be weighted," Rebelo de Sousa told journalists during a press conference on Tuesday. • Ireland shouldn’t lift its coronavirus restrictions right now, according to the nation’s chief medical officer, , even as the country reported its lowest number of deaths since April 12. There were 18 more confirmed coronavirus deaths, with 386 new cases. o “I’m more firmly of that view” not to lift restrictions now “given what we’re seeing,” Holohan said. Intensive-care admissions remained “persistent,” he added. Ireland, which is under a virtual lockdown until May 5, has 19,648 coronavirus cases, with 1,102 deaths. • Argentina on Monday banned all commercial flight ticket sales until September, one of the toughest coronavirus travel bans in the world, prompting an industry outcry that the new measure will put too much strain on airlines and airports. o While the country’s borders have been closed since March, the new decree, signed by the National Civil Aviation Administration, goes further by banning until Sept. 1 the sale and purchase of commercial flights to, from or within Argentina. • Greece will start to gradually ease lockdown restrictions starting Monday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced in a televised speech Tuesday. o Starting Monday, the restrictions on the movement of citizens will be lifted, Mitsotakis said. However, citizens will still not be allowed to commute outside their county of residence for at least two weeks. o Some businesses — such as bookstores, electronic and sporting goods stores, as well as hair salons — will be allowed to reopen on Monday. Other retail stores can resume business on May 11, except for shopping malls which will open on June 1, according to the prime minister. o There will be certain restrictions that will limit the amount of customers, Mitsotakis added, including that other strict measures will be taken to protect workers. Bars and restaurants are set to reopen on June 1 but under new rules. o Mitsotakis also announced that schools will gradually reopen on May 11, but only for students on the last year of high school. The rest of high school and junior high classes will follow a week after. o Primary schools and kindergartens will remain closed. “They might reopen on June 1 and only if we are absolutely sure that the course of the epidemic is going downhill,” the Greek Prime Minister said. • Professional sports will not continue the 2019-2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on Tuesday. o "The 2019-2020 season of professional sports, especially football, will not be able to resume," Philippe told the French National Assembly. • Scotland's government is recommending that people wear face coverings in situations where maintaining social distancing is difficult, such as on public transportation or inside food shops, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Tuesday. o Speaking at the daily coronavirus briefing, Sturgeon acknowledged that evidence on the benefits of face coverings was not "overwhelming," but said there may be "some benefit" to wearing them in enclosed spaces. • Australia’s New South Wales state, home of Sydney, is easing coronavirus lockdown restrictions and starting Friday will allow people to visit other households. o Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters that two adults at a time would be allowed to enter other homes, lifting a restriction that’s seen people largely confined to the bubble of their own household. Online learning resumes this week and the state is hopeful that face-to-face teaching will be taking place full-time by the end of this term, she said. • Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has extended the country’s coronavirus lockdown in three major states —Abuja, Lagos and Ogun — for another week until May 4. o In a national address Monday evening, Buhari said the country will phase into an eased lockdown period, with some businesses and sectors being allowed to open after the total lockdown period ends on May 4. After this date, there will also be overnight curfews from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time in the three states. • Paraguay President Mario Abdo Benitez announced Monday that in-person classes will remain closed through December. o Benitez said that although there is “scientific evidence suggesting children are less vulnerable to the virus,” the government has a “constitutional obligation” to care for the health of its citizens. • Austria's lockdown restrictions won't be extended when they end on Thursday, the country's health minister Rudolf Anschober said at a news conference today. o The measures include citizens only being permitted to leave their homes for a limited number of reasons such as shopping or exercise. • Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced that civil servants will start returning to work and public services will resume next Monday. o The government will also begin loosening some Covid-19 anti-epidemic measures, after the city reported no new confirmed cases for the fourth time in eight days on Monday. o In a news conference today, Lam described the approach of handling the pandemic as a “suppress and lift” policy. Other • Boeing will resume its 787 operations at its South Carolina operations with most teammates returning on May 3 or May 4. o The return includes all operations that were temporarily suspended on April 8 in response to the Covid- 19 pandemic. o Senior leaders will return on April 30, and managers will return on May 1 to prepare for the operations resumption. • A coalition of automakers and others is asking Congress for $150 billion in stimulus funding for non-polluting cars, including the extension of a popular consumer tax credit for electric vehicles. o The Transportation Electrification Partnership, which includes automakers BMW, Audi, and Nissan, sent request to congressional leaders Monday o Group outlines plan for $25 billion for zero-emission vehicle manufacturing; $85 billion for zero-emission infrastructure investment, such as charging stations; $25 billion for zero-emission transit; and funding for workforce development training and clean tech startups • More than 450 businesses and industry groups are urging the Trump administration to defer the collection of all import duty payments and cover all imports in May and June. The groups' ask builds on the Trump administration's move earlier this month to grant U.S. importers a three-month postponement on duty collection for some goods imported in March and April. o Delaying all duty payments and covering May and June imports "would immediately free up billions of dollars of working capital for American companies — like those listed below — to pay suppliers, employees, service providers and other critical stakeholders," the companies wrote in a letter to Trump organized by Americans for Free Trade. o It would also allow companies to "stay open, preserve U.S. jobs and reopen their doors from a position of strength." • Monday, CVS Health announced plans to offer drive-thru testing at up to 1,000 locations across the country by the end of May, with the goal of processing up to 1.5 million tests per month. • Walgreens on Monday announced plans to expand its drive-thru testing locations to 49 states and Puerto Rico. Walgreens has already opened 18 drive-thru testing locations across 11 states. • The U.S. Chamber of Commerce opposes calls for new regulations as states prepare to reopen from coronavirus lockdowns. o “Those in favor of a regulatory approach envision government bureaucrats enforcing a rule book of regulations,” said the nation’s largest business group in a letter Monday to President Donald Trump, state governors and other local officials. o The letter, which comes as business groups begin outlining their preferences for reopening, suggested the government shouldn’t be setting detailed standards for health and safety enforcement, which it said could make it more difficult for firms to operate and adjust to developments involving the virus. The chamber opposes many forms of regulation. o The letter cited fear of “fines when they find a sneeze guard out of place, an employee using the wrong mask, or two employees five feet ten inches apart, not the mandated six feet” and instead lauded businesses that “have improvised and innovated in critical ways to protect the health of their employees and customers.” o The group also said that guidance on reopening “should be generally consistent across federal, state, and local governments.” • CalAmp said it initially received $10 million as part of the Paycheck Protection Program. Based on new guidance that creates uncertainty regarding the qualification requirements for a PPP loan, “out of an abundance of caution and in light of the new guidance”, the board determined to repay the principal and interest on the PPP loan. • Face masks will be required for flight attendants during every mainline and regional flight starting May 1, American Airlines said in a statement Monday. o The airline will also begin distributing personal protective equipment, including sanitizing wipes or gels and a face mask to customers in early May “as supplies and operational conditions allow.” • US airline JetBlue will require all passengers to wear a face covering during travel starting on May 4, according to a statement from the airline. o It is the first major US airline to take such a step, according to a major flight attendants' union. o “Wearing a face covering isn’t about protecting yourself, it’s about protecting those around you,” said Joanna Geraghty, president and chief operating officer of JetBlue. “This is the new flying etiquette. Onboard, cabin air is well circulated and cleaned through filters every few minutes but this is a shared space where we have to be considerate of others. We are also asking our customers to follow these CDC guidelines in the airport as well.” • The Los Angeles Lakers received and repaid an approximately $4.6 million Payroll Protection Program loan, a source told CNN. o The L.A. Lakers qualify as a small business because the organization only has 303 part-time and full-time employees. o The organization repaid the loan "within days" of receiving it after realizing that the government's funds had been depleted. • The National Basketball Association announced today that it is targeting a date no earlier than May 8 to allow individual workouts at NBA team facilities in cities not subject to government restrictions. o The May 8 date is a week later than ESPN reported over the weekend. o The NBA informed its teams of the decision today, according to a statement from the league. For cities where government restrictions remain in place, the league will work with teams to identify alternatives. • Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori says if the pandemic is not over by next summer, the Games will be canceled, according to an interview published Tuesday in Nikkan Sports. o It is the strongest statement so far on the possibility of canceling the Games from the organization, which has routinely said it was focusing on plans to hold the Olympics next year as the outbreak of Covid-19 grew into a pandemic. o The Olympic and Paralympic Games originally planned for this summer in Tokyo were rescheduled to start from July 23, 2021. • Federal courts across the United States are beginning to consider guidelines for reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic, contingent on local decision-making. o The Administrative Office of the US Courts has distributed guidelines to courts "for restoring operations that rely heavily on conditions in local communities and on objective data" from public health officials, according to a news release Monday. o A group of chief judges and court executives has also been created to develop protocols for how to safely resume grand jury and trial proceedings. o The guidelines come as more states plan phased reopenings of businesses and other gathering places. In response to the pandemic, courts across the country have suspended juries because of the difficulty of impaneling representative samplings of the communities. • When the Supreme Court hears arguments next month by phone for the first time in the court's history, the justices will change their normal protocol and try to avoid their familiar interruptions. o The justices will ask their questions in order of seniority, with Chief Justice John Roberts going first, the court announced today. o Under normal circumstances, the court is considered a "hot bench," with justices frequently interrupting each other and the lawyers before them. Roberts has had to step in as a kind of traffic cop at certain times. o Under the new system that will be in place for arguments beginning on Monday, a justice will get the chance to exhaust his or her line of questioning before the next justice begins. o If there is time, according to a release from Kathy Arberg, the Court's public information officer, any remaining questions can be asked after the first round is over. o Arberg said the changes were made in "keeping with public health guidance in response to Covid-19." o In all, the court will hear 10 cases over the next two weeks. The most noteworthy cases fall on May 12 concerning President Trump's bid to shield his financial records from release.