Ivanka Trump’s personal assistant has tested positive for coronavirus, source tells CNN
From CNN's Kaitlan Collins
Ivanka Trump, senior advisor to President Donald Trump, participates in a video conference in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on April 7, in Washington, DC. Doug Mills/Getty Images
Ivanka Trump's personal assistant has tested positive for coronavirus, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
The assistant, who works in a personal capacity for US President Donald Trump’s daughter, has not been around Ivanka Trump in several weeks.
She has been teleworking for nearly two months and was tested out of caution, the source said.
She was not symptomatic. Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner both tested negative on Friday, the person familiar with the matter told CNN.
WHO says world could face "significant alteration to our lifestyles" until a vaccine is developed
World Health Organization health emergencies program executive director Michael Ryan talks during a press briefing at the WHO headquarters in Geneva on March 11. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images
Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization health emergencies program, said the lives of people across the world could face “significant alteration” until a coronavirus vaccine is developed.
“There is a path out, but we must remain ever vigilant. And we may have to have a significant alteration to our lifestyles, until we get to a point where we have an effective vaccine, or an effective treatments," Ryan said at a briefing Friday.
To reopen, “many countries are taking a very careful step-wise approach, relying on the patience and perseverance of their citizens to continue to suffer what is a difficult process both socially psychologically and economically for many people,” he said. “I think everyone is doing that because we want to protect those we love.”
Ryan sees the path out involving partial school openings, partial returns to workplaces and careful measures in high-density areas.
But for events like concerts and sports, he said, “it's going to be much more difficult to make those perfectly safe."
“Life is life,” he said. “There's no zero risk.”
9:30 p.m. ET, May 8, 2020
Trump sought a reopening. But found the virus in the White House instead
From CNN's Kevin Liptak
US President Donald Trump in the State Dining Room at the White House on May 8, in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Two days later, Vice President Mike Pence's press secretary also tested positive -- setting off another round of tests, delaying the vice president's trip to Iowa and causing more hand-wringing inside the White House about who might be infected.
Why this is important: The arrival of coronavirus to the West Wing only served to illustrate the continued spread of the disease months into a pandemic that's taken more than 77,000 American lives and turned a once hot economy to ice. Even the nightly deep cleanings, regular testing and a lot of wishful thinking couldn't prevent the virus from arriving on Trump's doorstep.
As the President agitates for states to loosen their restrictions and allow Americans back into workplaces and businesses, the sight of his aides contracting the disease did little to boost confidence the nation is ready to return to normal, even as jobless claims skyrocket to never-seen-before levels and options for reviving the economy fall short.
At the same time, it had no apparent effect on Trump's willingness to proceed as normal on Friday, when he eschewed a mask while visiting with nonagenarian World War II veterans and invited a large group of lawmakers to the White House for a meeting, all of whom were tested before arriving. Asked the reason his staff weren't wearing masks on Friday, Trump pointed to the one White House official in the room who was: the White House photographer.
It's all part of Trump's business-as-usual approach that's become his default as he looks to move past the outbreak.
Canada records second-highest unemployment rate in its history
From CNN’s Paula Newton in Ottawa
A closed sign in the town of Niagara Falls is seen on April 27 in Niagara Falls, Canada. Tourist attractions across Canada have been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. Emma McIntyre/Getty Images
At least 2 million Canadians lost their jobs in April, adding to the 1 million who were already unemployed through March.
Canada’s unemployment rate stands at 13%, the second-highest ever recorded.
Statistics Canada said the unemployment rate would be even higher -- nearly 18% -- if those who were not actively looking for work were included. Nearly one in three Canadian workers either didn’t work in April or had reduced hours.
“Right now, Canadians are hurting because of this pandemic. Everyone has their own story, but it all boils down to a very difficult time for a lot of people,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said during a news conference in Ottawa on Friday.
Trudeau announced that the emergency wage subsidy program is being extended beyond June, in an effort to encourage more employers to keep staff on payroll or to help more businesses re-hire employees already laid off.
Nearly 100,000 businesses have already been approved for the up to 75% wage subsidy program.
9:05 p.m. ET, May 8, 2020
It's 8.40 p.m. in New York and 8.40 a.m. in Hong Kong. Here's the latest on the coronavirus pandemic
The coronavirus has infected more than 3.9 million people and killed at least 274,000 worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University. If you're just joining us, here's the latest:
Canada records second-highest unemployment rate in its history: At least 2 million Canadians lost their jobs in April, taking the country’s total unemployment rate to 13%.
Lifestyle impact: The lives of people across the world could face “significant alteration” until a coronavirus vaccine is developed, said Dr. Mike Ryan, the executive director of the World Health Organization health emergencies program.
EU allowed China to censor an opinion piece: The European Union has acknowledged it allowed the Chinese government to censor an opinion piece published in the country, removing a reference to the origin of the coronavirus outbreak and its subsequent spread worldwide.
Queen Elizabeth II's VE Day speech: The monarch has likened the British public's response to the coronavirus pandemic with the efforts of its soldiers during World War II, in a televised speech delivered exactly 75 years after her father marked the end of fighting in Europe.
Restrictions in the UK: The UK should not expect a “dramatic overnight change” in coronavirus restrictions when Prime Minister Boris Johnson addresses the nation on Sunday, an official said.
