Race to Reopen
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
MIDEAST FOOTBALL VIDEO GAMES Taliban reject Afghan NFL Draft looks RE3 stands out offer for cease-fire normal despite with fast pacing, during Ramadan being held online superb design Page 3 Back page Page 14 Online: Get the latest news on the virus outbreak » stripes.com/coronavirus Volume 79, No. 5A ©SS 2020 CONTINGENCY EDITION SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020 stripes.com Free to Deployed Areas USS Kidd CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK 2nd Navy warship hit by outbreak BY COREY DICKSTEIN Stars and Stripes WASHINGTON — At least 18 sailors aboard the USS Kidd have tested positive for the coro- navirus, Pentagon officials said Friday in announcing the Navy’s second outbreak aboard a de- ployed warship. One sailor aboard the guided- missile destroyer was evacuated from the ship Thursday after developing symptoms consistent with the coronavirus and later tested positive at a medical treat- ment facility in San Antonio, said Jonathan Hoffman, the chief spokesman for the Pentagon. That sailor was stable Friday and receiving medical attention, the Navy said in a statement. The Navy on Friday rushed a medical evaluation team to the destroyer, which is part of a coun- ternarcotics mission in waters under U.S. Southern Command’s responsibility, the Navy said. The ship will be sent to an undis- closed port where its crew will be CURTIS COMPTON, ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION/AP offloaded and isolated, and the Brian Lambert, owner of Scoops, a coffee and sweets shop, opens up the windows of his business across the street from the Forsyth ship would be cleaned. Courthouse as he gets ready to reopen next week, in Forsyth, Ga., on Wednesday. “We are taking every precau- tion to ensure we identify, isolate, and prevent any further spread RELATED COVERAGE onboard the ship,” said Rear Adm. Trump signs $484B bill Don Gabrielson, commander U.S. Race to reopen Naval Forces Southern Command to aid employers, hospitals SEE OUTBREAK ON PAGE 6 under pandemic stress Amid anxiety and a rise in statewide virus cases, Page 8 ‘ The good news is that Georgia lets some businesses resume operations Georgia, many business owners planned to because of the fact remain closed in spite of Gov. Brian Kemp’s BY RUSS BYNUM AND DAVID CRARY we’ve seen outbreaks deaths in the United States surpassed 50,000, assurance that hospital visits and new cases Associated Press according to a tally compiled by John Hopkins have leveled off enough for barbers, tattoo on some of the naval University from government figures. The ac- artists, massage therapists and personal SAVANNAH, G a. — Barber shops, nail tual death toll is believed to be far higher. trainers to return to work with restrictions. vessels in the past … salons, gyms and a few other businesses re- Even though limited in scope, the reopen- Kemp’s timeline to restart the economy I think there is a high opened in Georgia on Friday as the Repub- ings in Georgia and at least two other states proved too ambitious even for President lican governor eased a monthlong shutdown marked a symbolic milestone in the debate level of attention to the Donald Trump, who said Wednesday he “dis- despite warnings from health experts of a po- raging in the United States — and the world agreed strongly” with the fellow Republi- issue from the Navy. ’ tential new surge of coronavirus infections. — as to how quickly political leaders should Jonathan Hoffman As some customers ventured back to these lift economically damaging lockdown orders. can’s plan. chief spokesman for the Pentagon venues, the confirmed number of COVID-19 With deaths and infections still rising in SEE REOPEN ON PAGE 8 PAGE 2 •STARS AND STRIPES• Saturday, April 25, 2020 BUSINESS/WEATHER EXCHANGE RATES Military rates Thailand (Baht) .....................................32.43 Euro costs (April 27) ............................ $1.05 Turkey (Lira) .........................................6.9789 Big companies urged to return loans Dollar buys (April 27) ....................... €0.9036 (Military exchange rates are those British pound (April 27) .......................$1.20 available to customers at military banking Japanese yen (April 27) .....................105.00 facilities in the country of issuance Associated Press a company can prove it was truly gram’s first round. According to South Korean won (April 27) ........ 1,204.00 for Japan, South Korea, Germany, the eligible for a loan, the money data compiled and analyzed by Commercial rates Netherlands and the United Kingdom. For NEW YORK — Big public com- Bahrain (Dinar) ....................................0.3781 nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., panies that received loans under should be returned by May 7. AP, through Wednesday at least British pound ....................................$ 1.2332 purchasing British pounds in Germany), The PPP, which launched April 147 publicly traded companies Canada (Dollar) .................................. 1.4080 check with your local military banking a government program intended China (Yuan) ....................................... 7.0771 facility. Commercial rates are interbank 3, is intended to help small busi- disclosed receiving $555 million Denmark (Krone) ................................6.9065 rates provided for reference when buying to help small businesses devastat- currency. All figures are foreign currencies Egypt (Pound) ....................................15.7903 ed by the coronavirus outbreak nesses with fewer than 500 em- since the program opened April to one dollar, except for the British pound, ployees stay afloat. The program’s 3. Some had market values well Euro .........................................$1.0797/0.9262 which is represented in dollars-to-pound, could be forced to return it. Hong Kong (Dollar) .............................7.7504 and the euro, which is dollars-to-euro.) The Small Business Adminis- initial $349 billion in funds ran over $100 million. Many had ex- Hungary (Forint) .................................329.33 Israel (Shekel) .....................................3.5132 tration issued an advisory Thurs- out last week. ecutives that were paid millions Japan (Yen) ........................................... 107.53 day clearly aimed at companies Earlier this week, an Associ- each year. Kuwait (Dinar) ..................................... 0.3107 ated Press investigation docu- Given that public companies Norway (Krone) .................................10.6476 INTEREST RATES like restaurant chains Ruth’s Philippines (Peso)................................ 50.79 Chris Steak House and Potbelly mented how dozens of publicly have access to capital markets, Poland (Zloty) ......................................... 4.20 Prime rate ................................................3.25 that received loans under the listed companies collectively re- the SBA says it is unlikely they Saudi Arabia (Riyal) ...........................3.7608 Discount rate ..........................................0.25 Singapore (Dollar) ..............................1.4255 Federal funds market rate ...................0.05 Paycheck Protection Program. ceived hundreds of millions of “will be able to make the required South Korea (Won) ...........................1233.55 3-month bill ............................................. 0.15 30-year bond ...........................................1.20 The guidelines imply that unless dollars of loans from the pro- certification in good faith.” Switzerland (Franc)............................ 0.9744 WEATHER OUTLOOK SATURDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST SATURDAY IN EUROPE SUNDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 53/48 Kabul 69/47 Seoul 59/40 Baghdad 91/71 Kandahar 87/56 Osan Tokyo Mildenhall/ Drawsko 60/42 70/44 Lakenheath Pomorskie Busan 57/43 51/41 61/45 Iwakuni 60/56 Kuwait Bahrain Zagan Sasebo City 86/78 Brussels 53/43 Guam 90/72 55/42 Ramstein 60/55 83/79 Lajes, 58/41 Riyadh Doha Azores Stuttgart Pápa 99/71 101/75 62/57 61/47 64/53 Aviano/ Vicenza 64/47 Naples 64/54 Morón Okinawa 71/57 67/64 Sigonella The weather is provided by the 68/52 Djibouti Rota Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 87/80 64/60 61/56 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. T O D A Y IN STRIPES American Roundup ..... 15 Comics ...................... 17 Crossword ................. 17 Health and Fitness .... 11 Opinion ..................... 16 Sports .................. 19-24 Video Games ........ 12-14 Saturday, April 25, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• PAGE 3 MIDEAST Taliban reject calls for Ramadan cease-fire BY PHILLIP WALTER WELLMAN U.S. officials have said. Trump Stars and Stripes administration officials have said secret annexes to the deal outline KABUL, Afghanistan — The a reduction in violence and other Taliban have rejected calls for specifics of implementation, but a cease-fire during the Muslim U.S. lawmakers who have seen holy month of Ramadan, despite those documents have disputed warnings from U.S. and Afghan those claims. officials that the coronavirus out- Under the terms of the Feb. 29 break in the country would wors- deal — which was reached with- en if violence continues. out Kabul’s input — up to 5,000 A cease-fire would not be “ra- Taliban fighters and up to 1,000 tional and convincing” before prisoners held by the insurgents thousands more Taliban prison- should have been released by ers are released from govern- March 10 as a confidence-build- ment jails, Taliban spokesman ing measure ahead of talks be- Suhail Shaheen said on Twitter tween the Taliban and Afghan Thursday. officials, which were supposed to A prisoner release by the gov- start on the same date. ernment and the