April 18 coronavirus news

The number of new coronavirus cases in North Dakota have increased significantly several days in a row, Gov. Doug Burgum said during a press conference on Saturday.

Burgum said new case counts have nearly doubled the past few days. There were 28 new cases reported Thursday, 46 new cases reported Friday and 90 new cases reported Saturday, he said.

The state has 528 positive cases and nine deaths, according to Burgum.

A total of 183 people have recovered and 13 people are currently hospitalized, Burgam said. At least 47 people have been hospitalized in the state, according to the North Dakota Health Department website.

Hospitals are prepared to handle the increased number of patients, Burgum said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that K-12 schools will continue with distance learning for the duration of the school year, saying "it’s not the ideal situation" at a press conference Saturday afternoon.

"We've got pretty good momentum for distance learning, it's obviously not the ideal situation, but given where we are in the school year, we felt that that was the best, best decision to go forward," DeSantis said.

President Donald Trump went into the weekend frustrated after a week of calls with industry leaders, governors and lawmakers who raised questions on whether the country was ready to be reopened, specifically whether or not there was adequate testing to reopen the economy and send people back to work, a senior administration official told CNN.

Even allies told President Trump that to move forward there would need to be some sort of readily available mass rapid testing system in place.

President Trump has expressed annoyance to those around him at the coverage of the White House reopening guidelines issued Thursday, this administration official said, and doesn’t understand why the narrative isn’t more positive.

A separate source in contact with the President described him as "chomping at the bit" and eager for the pandemic to be over and for businesses to reopened. The source added that for the first time, the President has seemed excited, believing he sees a light at the end of the tunnel.

Adding to Trump's frustration is that while White House medical experts have told him the country is on track for a phased reopening, those experts and Trump are not in sync on the timing of the relaxation, including whether his target date of May 1 for parts of the country can be met.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to begin gradually easing the restrictions to combat the spread of Covid-19 beginning Sunday, with the goal of increasing the number of employees allowed in any workplace from 15% to 30%.

The updated guidelines still need government approval, which is expected late Saturday night. The reduced restrictions will be evaluated for two weeks before any further decisions are made, Netanyahu said.

Industrial and high-tech workplaces, as well as certain stores, will be allowed to reopen under health and social distancing restrictions. Employers must check the temperature of their workers upon arrival and limit the number of people in a room; maintaining at least 2 meters (6 feet) between each person.  

Employers must document who enters offices and stores must document customers who enter. Employees must sign a health declaration before entering their workplace.

The new rules notwithstanding, Netanyahu still encouraged employees to continue to work from home as much as possible.

Stores that will be allowed to reopen include those selling furniture, household appliances, electronics, and communication devices.

If an employee tests positive for coronavirus, the workplace will be required to close until it receives permission from the Health Ministry to reopen.

Those over 67 years old, or with an existing health condition, should not return to work, said Health Ministry Director-General Moshe Bar Siman Tov.

Israelis must remain within 100 meters (about 330 feet) of their residences, though they may travel up to 500 meters (1,640 feet) for exercise. Citizens are still required to wear face masks in public spaces and maintain a 2-meter (6-foot) distance from others.

Schools and universities will remain closed, except for special needs education, which can be conducted in small groups, Netanyahu said. Beaches and parks remain closed, as do malls and restaurants.

Outdoor prayer is permitted in groups of up to 10 people, provided worshipers remain 2 meters (6 feet) apart. 

Israel has had a total of 13,265 confirmed cases of coronavirus cases and 164 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health, a mortality rate of 1.2%.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says his government plans to extend Spain’s state of alarm for 15 more days. The state of alarm was to end on April 26, but the planned extension calls for it to end on May 9.

The plan extends Spain’s strict lockdown to a total of eight weeks.

"Today it is not possible to lift the containment measures and go to phase two of de-escalation," Sanchez said at a news conference.

The state of alarm was introduced March 14 and placed severe restrictions on movement and business. The extension will be presented to Parliament in the coming week.

However, Sanchez said with the advice of experts, the government will lift the confinement of children as of April 27. He said the exception would "be limited and subject to conditions to avoid contagion."

Sanchez said after May 9, a "cautious and progressive" de-escalation would take place.

"We will be guided by a series of markers that will tell us of the spread of the virus and of the vigor of our health system, so that we know how the pandemic is evolving in each region," he said.

The de-escalation may proceed at different rates in different regions, he said. But if any risk is detected, Sanchez said the de-escalation would be suspended.

The state of alarm was slightly relaxed last Monday to allow some four million Spaniards to return to work in jobs like construction and manufacturing. But nonessential retail outlets, bars, cafes and other places of entertainment have remained closed, and Spain’s lucrative tourism business remains halted.

The National Police and Civil Guard continue to enforce a ban on all nonessential movement, and traffic on Spain’s major roads is down by about 80% on pre-crisis levels.

Coronavirus "growth is slowing" in Illinois, state Health Director Ngozi Ezike said Saturday.

The state reported 1,585 new cases and 125 new deaths Saturday, Ezike said.

Illinois has 29,160 positive cases and 1,259 deaths from coronavirus statewide, according to Ezike.

Ezike said despite the new cases officials are "cautiously optimistic" that "growth is slowing."

The Iowa Department of Corrections reports that an inmate at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center (IMCC) tested positive for coronavirus late Friday night, according to a press release from the Iowa Department of Corrections.

The inmate was newly processed to IMCC, and arrived from Henry County on Thursday, the statement read. The individual is currently undergoing a 14-day quarantine to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The inmate is currently in medical isolation, and a thorough contact tracing is taking place to identify any individuals that may have been exposed to him since his arrival, the statement read.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a press conference on Saturday that the state has secured 10,974 hotel rooms and 5,025 rooms from Motel 6 in 19 counties for homeless residents during the coronavirus pandemic.

"We had an audacious goal a few weeks back of identifying 15,000 hotel rooms that would be made available as a subset of our larger homeless strategy to get people off the streets," Newsom said, adding that "4,211 individuals are now inside off the streets, out of our shelters, representing roughly 38% of all those hotel rooms now being occupied."

Gen. James McConville, the current US Army chief of staff, joined Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker at the Boston Hope Field Medical Station Saturday where he called the coronavirus an "invisible enemy."

"We are in a war against an invisible enemy. The Covid-19 virus," McConville said.

McConville was later asked how he felt about the deaths of the veterans at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home and he said, "The loss of life is absolutely terrible. We don’t want to lose anybody."

When asked if he has a message to health care workers as they fight this enemy, McConville said he was in Afghanistan when the Boston Marathon bombing happened. He said he was proud of the response by Boston and the commonwealth, then and now, because the community became "Boston strong, they became Massachusetts strong and they will defeat this virus."

Baker noted that tumultuous events like the Boston Bombing are usually visible, unlike the current fight against the coronavirus.

The governor said that dealing with this virus is "a different kind of battle than one you can actually see what you are up against."

This "will, in some extent, be a marathon for us as well," the governor said.