FOOD: Coronavirus turning VIDEO GAMES many into cooks Page 19 Nintendo broadens horizons of new Animal Crossing, MUSIC: Pearl Jam back achieves pleasing results to vital form Page 33 Pages 20-21 HEALTH: Could isolation Commentary: Time to take improve self-care? Page 36 gaming seriously, Page 22 stripes.com Volume 78, No. 250 ©SS 2020 FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2020 $1.00 CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK US applications for jobless aid near 10 million in 2-week span BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER Associated Press WASHINGTON — More than 6.6 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week — doubling a record set just one week earlier — a sign that layoffs are accelerating in the midst of the coronavirus. The stunning report Thurs- day from the Labor Department showed mounting job cuts against the backdrop of economies in the U.S. and abroad that have almost certainly sunk into a severe re- cession as businesses close across the world. Applications for unemployment benefits generally reflect the pace of layoffs. Combined with last week’s report that 3.3 million people sought unemployment aid two weeks ago, the U.S. economy has now suffered nearly 10 mil- JOHN MINCHILLO/AP lion layoffs in the past several weeks — far exceeding the figure A body wrapped in plastic is loaded onto a refrigerated truck Tuesday at Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York. The Federal Emergency for any corresponding period on Management Agency has asked for the Pentagon’s help in securing body bags with deaths expected to soar from COVID-19. record. SEE JOBLESS ON PAGE 9 RELATED Navy working to remove crew from DOD is asked for 100K USS Roosevelt Page 8 Feds: Man wrecked train intentionally body bags for civilians near hospital ship Page 10 BY ANTHONY CAPACCIO AND ARI NATTER Agency has requested 100,000 body bags, spokesman, said in a statement Thursday con- Bloomberg News known as Human Remains Pouches, through firming a Bloomberg News report. an interagency group that directed it to the He said “the Department of Defense and Go online to read WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is seeking Defense Department. the Defense Logistics Agency have a long- to provide as many as 100,000 military-style The Defense Logistics Agency “is currently standing arrangement with FEMA to procure the latest news on body bags for potential civilian use as the U.S. responding to FEMA’s prudent planning ef- key commodities from DLA’s industrial part- the virus outbreak warns that deaths could soar in the coming forts for 100,000 pouches to address mortu- ners during crisis response operations.” weeks from the coronavirus pandemic. ary contingencies on behalf of state health stripes.com/coronavirus The Federal Emergency Management agencies,” Lt. Col. Mike Andrews, a Pentagon SEE CIVILIANS ON PAGE 10 PAGE 2 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Friday, April 3, 2020 BUSINESS/WEATHER EUROPE GAS PRICES EXCHANGE RATES Country Super E10 Super unleaded Super plus Diesel Military rates Switzerland (Franc)............................0.9722 Germany $2.268 $2.736 $2.979 $2.849 Azores -- -- $3.092 -- Euro costs (April 3) ............................... $1.07 Thailand (Baht) ..................................... 33.02 Change in price -11.5 cents -10.7 cents -10.1 cents -7.3 cents Change in price -- -- No change -- Dollar buys (April 3 ...........................€0.8922 Turkey (Lira) .........................................6.6642 British pound (April 3) .........................$1.21 (Military exchange rates are those Netherlands -- $3.219 $3.424 $3.524 Belgium -- $2.834 $2.086 $2.252 Japanese yen (April 3) .......................105.00 Change in price -- -10.6 cents -10.5 cents +6.9 cents Change in price -- +7.2 cents -94.9 cents -67.8 cents available to customers at military banking South Korean won (April 3) ...........1,210.00 facilities in the country of issuance U.K. -- $2.646 $2.889 $2.759 Turkey -- -- $2.780 $2.765* Commercial rates for Japan, South Korea, Germany, the Change in price -- -10.7 cents -10.1 cents -7.3 cents Change in price -- -- -10.1 cents No change Bahrain (Dinar) ....................................0.3770 Netherlands and the United Kingdom. For British pound .....................................$1.2369 nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., Canada (Dollar) ...................................1.4256 purchasing British pounds in Germany), China (Yuan) ........................................ 7.0967 check with your local military banking PACIFIC GAS PRICES Denmark (Krone) ................................6.8806 facility. Commercial rates are interbank Egypt (Pound) ....................................15.7498 rates provided for reference when buying Country Unleaded Super unleaded Super plus Diesel Euro ........................................ $1.0852/0.9215 Japan -- $2.769 -- $2.639 South Korea $2.089 -- $2.559 $2.669 Hong Kong (Dollar) .............................7.7524 currency. All figures are foreign currencies Change in price -- -10.0 cents -- -7.0 cents Change in price -11.0 cents -- -10.0 cents -7.0 cents Hungary (Forint) .................................335.40 to one dollar, except for the British pound, Israel (Shekel) .....................................3.6548 which is represented in dollars-to-pound, Okinawa $2.059 -- -- $2.639 Guam $2.069** $2.539 $2.779 -- and the euro, which is dollars-to-euro.) Change in price -11.0 cents -- -- -7.0 cents Change in price -11.0 cents -10.0 cents -10.0 cents -- Japan (Yen) ........................................... 107.30 Kuwait (Dinar) .....................................0.3122 INTEREST RATES Norway (Krone) .................................10.4718 * Diesel EFD ** Midgrade Philippines (Peso).................................50.93 Prime rate ................................................3.25 Poland (Zloty) ..........................................4.22 Discount rate ..........................................0.25 For the week of April 3-9 Saudi Arabia (Riyal) ...........................3.7627 Federal funds market rate ...................0.08 Singapore (Dollar) ..............................1.4348 3-month bill .............................................0.09 South Korea (Won) ..........................1,233.24 30-year bond ...........................................1.29 WEATHER OUTLOOK FRIDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST FRIDAY IN EUROPE SATURDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 61/37 Kabul 66/43 Seoul 55/31 Baghdad 84/60 Kandahar 79/55 Osan Tokyo Mildenhall/ Drawsko 55/31 69/49 Lakenheath Pomorskie Busan 51/37 47/32 66/40 Iwakuni 66/43 Kuwait Bahrain Zagan Sasebo City 86/71 Brussels 50/33 Guam 86/67 52/35 Ramstein 63/47 87/78 Lajes, 54/31 Riyadh Doha Azores Stuttgart Pápa 96/65 88/72 62/56 52/37 60/34 Aviano/ Vicenza 61/42 Naples 62/45 Okinawa Morón 69/62 68/49 Sigonella Rota 55/52 The weather is provided by the Djibouti Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 87/79 66/55 67/59 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. T O D A Y IN STRIPES American Roundup ............ 16 Classified .........................44 Comics ..................38, 42-43 Crossword .............38, 42-43 Faces ............................... 39 Opinion .......................40-41 Sports .........................50-56 Weekend ..................... 17-38 Friday, April 3, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 3 MILITARY Pentagon steps up counternarcotics effort BY CAITLIN M. KENNEY “We came upon some intelli- Americans and we will marshal on responding to the coronavirus trafficking by the United States, Stars and Stripes gence some time ago that the drug whatever assets are required to outbreak, Trump said, and Amer- with a $15 million reward for my cartels, as a result of [the corona- prevent your entry into this coun- ica needs to return to stopping the capture, having the U.S. Navy WASHINGTON — The Penta- virus], were going to try to take try to kill Americans,” Milley flow of drugs. conducting anti-drug operations gon has deployed several ships, advantage of the situation and try said. “I don’t think we’re losing off my coast would be some- aircraft and thousands of troops to infiltrate additional drugs into Esper pointed to Venezuelan ground, but we don’t want to lose thing I would worry about,” said to strengthen counternarcotics our country,” Milley said. leader Nicolás Maduro’s govern- ground. That’s why we’re doing it. Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Re- operations in the Caribbean Sea Thousands of personnel from ment for using the illicit drug I don’t want to lose ground. It’s a publican who has been among and eastern Pacific Ocean and the Navy, Marines, Air Force, trade to keep hold of its power. big fight,” Trump said. those calling for a tougher stance help prevent drugs from coming Army, and Coast Guard are now “These enhanced counternar- Esper would not say how long against Maduro. into the United States, Defense under the leadership of Adm. cotic operations that are now un- the operation would last, only that Maduro’s communications Secretary Mark Esper announced Craig Faller, the commander of derway will further disrupt the it would be run “for some matter minister, Jorge Rodriguez, called Wednesday. U.S. Southern Command, for the flow of illicit drugs to America, of time.” the deployment a “desperate at- Esper made the announcement operation, Milley said. Ships and deny our adversaries the finan- The enhanced mission has tempt to distract attention from at the White House alongside aircraft involved in the operation cial resources they depend on and been months in the making but the tragic humanitarian crisis” in President Donald Trump, Gen. include several