MUSIC: Bass star Thundercat NFL DRAFT back from the bottom Page 30 Clemson linebacker Simmons is built DINING: Putting takeout to thrive against pizza to the test Page 23 high-powered HEALTH: Strange dreams? modern offenses You’re not alone Page 21 Back page stripes.com Volume 78, No. 260 ©SS 2020 FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2020 $1.00 VIRUS OUTBREAK Claims for jobless aid in US reach 22 million BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER Associated Press WASHINGTON — The wave of lay- offs that has engulfed the U.S. economy since the coronavirus struck forced 5.2 million more people to seek unemploy- ment benefits last week, the government reported Thursday. Roughly 22 million have sought job- less benefits in the past month — the worst stretch of U.S. job losses on record. It means that roughly one in seven work- ers have lost their jobs in that time. The grim figures point to an econo- my that is tumbling into what appears to be a calamitous recession, the worst in decades. The nation’s output could shrink by roughly 10.5% before it starts to rebound, according to Ryan Sweet, an economist at Moody’s Analytics. Force protection SEE JOBLESS ON PAGE 10 Army parachute riggers, civilians in Kaiserslautern improvise face masks BY JENNIFER H. SVAN livery Company soldiers have produced about Spc. Robert Walker, a Stars and Stripes 150 a day since Monday, as part of an effort to parachute rigger with the 5th contain the spread of the coronavirus. Quartermaster-Theater Aerial KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Sewing The first batches of masks have been distrib- Delivery Company at Rhine RICK BOWMER/AP machines continue to hum inside the work- uted to cooks, gate guards, postal workers and Ordnance Barracks, Germany, A sign reflecting the bleak state of shop at Rhine Ordnance Barracks, where U.S. finance specialists — essential workers in jobs holds up one of the masks he business hangs in the window of Army parachute riggers who normally mend where social distancing is difficult, soldiers and fellow parachute riggers Locust Tattoo on Tuesday in Salt Lake torn canopies have taken up a new project: face said this week. made this week from bed sheets City. Millions of Americans are newly masks. and parachute rigging. unemployed because of coronavirus- The 5th Quartermaster-Theater Aerial De- SEE PROTECTION ON PAGE 8 JENNIFER H. SVAN/Stars and Stripes related shutdowns. RELATED 6th USS Theodore Roosevelt sailor Base in South Korea Get the latest news Millions of relief checks STORIES with coronavirus taken to hospital aims to ease restrictions on the virus outbreak delayed by glitches Page 6 Page 7 stripes.com/coronavirus Page 10 PAGE 2 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Friday, April 17, 2020 BUSINESS/WEATHER EUROPE GAS PRICES EXCHANGE RATES Country Super E10 Super unleaded Super plus Diesel Military rates Switzerland (Franc)............................0.9666 Germany $2116 $2.579 $2.825 $2.770 Azores -- -- $2.992 -- Euro costs (April 17)............................. $1.06 Thailand (Baht) .....................................32.63 Change in price -7.1 cents -7.6 cents -7.3 cents -4.1 cents Change in price -- -- -6.0 cents -- Dollar buys (April 17) .........................€0.895 Turkey (Lira) .........................................6.9402 British pound (April 17) .......................$1.22 (Military exchange rates are those Netherlands -- $3.123 $3.329 $3.494 Belgium -- $2.834 $2.086 $2.252 Japanese yen (April 17) .....................104.00 Change in price -- +2.3 cents +2.5 cents +2.6 cents Change in price -- No change No change No change available to customers at military banking South Korean won (April 17) .........1,196.00 facilities in the country of issuance U.K. -- $2.489 $2.735 $2.680 Turkey -- -- $2.626 $2.571* Commercial rates for Japan, South Korea, Germany, the Change in price -- -7.6 cents -7.3 cents -4.1 cents Change in price -- -- -7.3 cents -4.1 cents Bahrain (Dinar) ....................................0.3773 Netherlands and the United Kingdom. For British pound .....................................$1.2507 nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., Canada (Dollar) ...................................1.4108 purchasing British pounds in Germany), China (Yuan) ........................................ 7.0734 check with your local military banking Denmark (Krone) ................................6.8590 PACIFIC GAS PRICES facility. Commercial rates are interbank Egypt (Pound) ....................................15.7842 rates provided for reference when buying Country Unleaded Super unleaded Super plus Diesel Euro ........................................ $1.0879/0.9192 Hong Kong (Dollar) .............................7.7506 currency. All figures are foreign currencies Japan -- $2.619 -- $2.559 South Korea $1.939 -- $2.649 $2.589 to one dollar, except for the British pound, Change in price -- -7.0 cents -- -4.0 cents Change in price -7.0 cents -- -7.0 cents -4.0 cents Hungary (Forint) .................................322.06 Israel (Shekel) .....................................3.5870 which is represented in dollars-to-pound, Okinawa $1.909 -- -- $2.559 Guam $1.919** $2.379 $2.629 -- Japan (Yen) ........................................... 107.45 and the euro, which is dollars-to-euro.) Change in price -7.0 cents -- -- -4.0 cents Change in price -7.0 cents -8.0 cents -7.0 cents -- Kuwait (Dinar) ..................................... 0.3114 INTEREST RATES Norway (Krone) .................................10.4563 Philippines (Peso)................................. 51.07 Prime rate ................................................3.25 * Diesel EFD ** Midgrade Poland (Zloty) ..........................................4.17 Discount rate ..........................................0.25 Saudi Arabia (Riyal) ...........................3.7571 Federal funds market rate ...................0.05 For the week of April 17-23 Singapore (Dollar) ..............................1.4279 3-month bill ............................................. 0.15 South Korea (Won) ......................... 1,226.38 30-year bond ...........................................1.27 WEATHER OUTLOOK FRIDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST FRIDAY IN EUROPE SATURDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 54/38 Kabul 55/50 Seoul 59/46 Baghdad 85/60 Kandahar 63/57 Osan Tokyo Mildenhall/ Drawsko 57/46 57/49 Lakenheath Pomorskie Busan 53/44 52/37 60/51 Iwakuni 59/56 Kuwait Bahrain Zagan Sasebo City 76/71 Brussels 55/40 Guam 83/64 69/48 Ramstein 58/54 82/79 Lajes, 67/37 Riyadh Doha Azores Stuttgart Pápa 85/63 82/62 61/58 68/48 71/46 Aviano/ Vicenza 62/41 Naples 63/50 Okinawa Morón 71/67 69/54 Sigonella Rota 70/44 The weather is provided by the Djibouti Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 85/80 65/55 59/54 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. T O D A Y IN STRIPES American Roundup ............38 Classified ......................... 39 Comics .................. 36, 40-41 Crossword ............. 36, 40-41 Faces ............................... 37 Opinion .......................40-41 Sports .........................45-52 Weekend ..................... 15-36 Friday, April 17, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 3 MILITARY Navy: Russian jet maneuver risked collision BY JOHN VANDIVER “Unsafe actions increase the risk of mis- The latest incident with the Russians if you will, at a time of crisis,” Milley said. Stars and Stripes calculation and potential for midair colli- comes one week after U.S. Air Force F-22 “That would be a terrible and tragic mis- sions,” NAVEUR said. “The U.S. aircraft fighter jets intercepted a pair of Russian take if they thought that.” STUTTGART, Germany — A Russian was operating consistent with interna- maritime patrol planes 50 miles off the Navy crews operating in Europe are fighter jet risked a midair collision when it tional law and did not provoke this Russian western coast of the Aleutian Islands, in taking precautionary measures to guard intercepted a Navy aircraft at close range activity.” what military officials said at the time was against the coronavirus, the service said. over the Mediterranean Sea on Wednes- In Europe, risky encounters with Rus- a test of U.S. capabilities amid the corona- This week, Rota, Spain-based destroyers day, U.S. military officials said. sian military aircraft have occurred on virus pandemic. maneuvered in the Black and Baltic seas, A U.S. P-8A Poseidon aircraft, used for occasion in recent years, most notably in And on Wednesday, 11 Iranian military while the P-8A Poseidon flew its Mediter- tracking submarines, was flying in inter- the Black Sea. But the latest action also vessels moved dangerously close to several ranean mission. national airspace when a Russian SU-35 comes as the U.S. military contends with American ships conducting operations in “U.S. 6th Fleet remains at sea, ensuring performed a high-speed, inverted maneu- the coronavirus. the northern Persian Gulf, the Navy said. maritime security and demonstrating our ver 25 feet in front of the Navy plane, U.S. The U.S. has been forced to cancel nu- Last week, as coronavirus cases surged continued ability to operate in concert with Naval Forces Europe-Africa said in a merous military exercises and training in the ranks, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. allies and partners across the European statement. plans because of the virus, raising con- Mark Milley issued a warning to rivals. theater,” Vice Adm. Lisa Franchetti said in The encounter with the Russian fighter, cerns that adversaries could use the crisis “I wouldn’t want any mixed messages a statement Tuesday. which caused turbulence aboard the P-8A, as an opportunity