April 18 coronavirus news

Alaska has become the latest state to discuss plans to reopen after the coronavirus epidemic, with Gov. Mike Dunleavy saying leaders will be talking over the weekend about how to restart the economy. 

They will reveal their plan for the retail sector next week. “In terms of when we’re going to open that up, we’ll talk about that on Monday," he said at a press conference Friday.

Dunleavy said the state had enough information and experience with Covid-19 to handle any flare-ups in cases that could happen when emergency orders begin to be lifted.

"We're going to be looking at Alaska almost as if it's its own country,” he added, noting that many communities in the state are already very isolated. 

The state already announced that residents will be allowed standard doctor visits from Monday, with major elective medical procedures to follow on May 4.

The total number of confirmed coronavirus infections in Singapore has reached 5,000, according to the country's Ministry of Health, after another 623 cases were reported on Friday.

Singapore has experienced a rapid rise in cases after a second wave of infections brought back from other parts of the world.

There are now at least 5,050 infections and 11 deaths from the virus, according to the government.

Just one of the new cases on Friday was an imported infection, showing the disease is now being spread through the community.

"We are particularly concerned that it is increasingly difficult to link the new cases and identify the source of infection," the Ministry of Health said in the press release.

"In fact, the number of unlinked cases in the community has increased slightly, from an average of 19 cases per day in the week before, to an average of 22 per day in the past week."

Among the new cases reported, 558 are foreign workers residing in dormitories, the ministry said.

Last week, Singapore announced it would move foreign workers into alternative living arrangements such as military camps and vacant government apartments amid a spike in cases.

From next week, Walmart – the largest retailer in the US – will require all of its workers to wear face coverings. 

In a message from the CEOs of Walmart and its Sam’s Club wholesale stores, the company said, “We will begin requiring that associates wear masks or other face coverings at work. This includes our stores, clubs, distribution and fulfillment centers, as well as in our corporate offices.”

The statement says customers will also be encouraged to cover their faces, although it will not be mandatory.

Walmart says it will provide all employees with a face covering, or they can provide their own. The new policy goes into effect Monday.

Abba Kyari, chief of staff to Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, died Friday after testing positive for the novel coronavirus, according to a statement from the office of the presidency.

According to Johns Hopkins University, Nigeria has 493 reported coronavirus cases and 17 deaths. However testing for the virus has not been widespread.

Chicago’s biggest jail has released more than 20% of its total population in just four weeks due to coronavirus-related precautions — bringing its population to an all-time low, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.

The drop comes as county officials have worked to release those awaiting trial or low-level nonviolent offenders in an attempt to mitigate the risk of rapid coronavirus spread. At one point, Cook County Jail was the largest known source for coronavirus infections in the country.

The jail's population was over 5,000 in mid-March. The number of detainees is now roughly 4,276, according to information provided by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

The country's largest single-site jail: Cook County Jail is the largest single-site jail in the United States. It once had a population of about 10,000 detainees, and was often cited for overcrowding. Years of reform, including changes in bail requirements, cut the jail’s initial population swell almost in half. 

Ten nurses were placed on administrative leave from a California hospital for demanding they be given N95 masks while treating Covid-19 patients, two of the nurses told CNN.

Two nurses at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California, told CNN that they, along with eight other nurses, were suspended with pay after refusing to enter coronavirus patient rooms on April 9 without N95 masks.

The hospital said no N95 masks were available and insisted they wear surgical masks instead, the nurses said​ — even though other health care workers there were provided N95 masks.

In a photo shared with CNN, taken after nurses refused to enter Covid-19 patient rooms inside the facility, eight nurses are seen, with seven raising their fists inside PSJHC.

The hospital says the nurses were provided surgical masks, which it says are appropriate personal protection equipment according to CDC and WHO policies.

Read more here.

Three inmates in the Alabama prison system have tested positive for coronavirus, according to the state Department of Corrections.

The cases — two at the St. Clair Correctional Facility and one at the Bullock Correctional Facility — are the first detected in the state's corrections system.

One of the St. Clair inmates, a 66-year-old terminally ill man, had been receiving treatment for preexisting conditions and died on April 16. 

The second inmate who tested positive at St. Clair, a 52-year-old male serving a 17-year sentence for manslaughter, has been transferred to a local hospital for treatment.

The Bullock inmate, a 33-year-old serving a 10-year sentence for theft of property, is being treated.  

Canada’s Minister of Transport Marc Garneau announced new measures Friday requiring all airline passengers in the country to have a non-medical mask or face covering over their mouth and nose during travel from Monday.

Travelers will be asked to cover their mouth and nose at Canadian airport screening checkpoints, as well as when they cannot physically distance from others, when directed by airline employees, and when directed by public health officials, according to a release from Transport Canada.

Passengers who fail to show that they have a face covering during the boarding process will not be allowed to fly.

The measures go into effect on Monday.