Europe’s Virus Death Toll Passes 100,000
Protests Rise in U.S. as Trump, Governors Clash
WASHINGTON (Dispatches) -- As Europe’s coronavirus death toll passed 100,000 on Sunday, protesters took to the streets of several U.S. state capitol buildings this weekend, to demand an end to shutdown orders.
In Texas some of the demonstrators brandished signs with phrases like, "This is tyranny, not quarantine” and "Open now!” While others, in Maryland, marched or drove their cars carrying placards against the encroachment of personal liberties.
Meanwhile, other U.S. states began preparing to ease restrictions related to the outbreak. Residents in Florida returned to the beach Saturday and three northeastern states reopened boatyards and marinas for personal use only.
More than 38,000 deaths have been recorded in the U.S. as of Sunday, according to an NBC News tally.
In Los Angeles county officials announced 81 new deaths from the virus on Saturday, its highest daily death toll since the outbreak began. California has 30,762 confirmed cases, according to the NBC News count, although the number of deaths continued to slow in the country’s epicenter New York.
A number of state governors have sought to temper regional expectations about lifting lockdowns and have warned about moving too fast in the face of unresolved issues, like a lack of mass testing.
Governors in U.S. states hardest hit by the novel coronavirus sparred with President Donald Trump over his claims they have enough tests and should quickly reopen their economies as more protests are planned over the extension of stay-at-home orders.
"The administration I think is trying to ramp up testing, they are doing some things with respect to private labs,” said Republican Governor Larry Hogan of Maryland during a CNN interview. "But to try to push this off, to say the governors have plenty of testing and they should just get to work on testing, somehow we aren’t doing our jobs, is absolutely false.”
Democratic Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia told CNN that claims by Trump and Vice President Mike Pence that states have plenty of tests were "just delusional.”
The region of Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C. is still seeing increasing cases even as the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, New York, has started to see declines. Boston and Chicago are also emerging hot spots with recent surges in cases and deaths.
Several states, including Ohio, Texas and Florida, have said they aim to reopen parts of their economies, perhaps by May 1 or even sooner, but appeared to be staying cautious.
Trump’s guidelines to reopen the economy recommend a state record 14 days of declining case numbers before gradually lifting restrictions. Yet the Republican president appeared to encourage protesters who want the measures removed sooner with a series of Twitter posts on Friday calling for them to "LIBERATE” Michigan, Minnesota and Virginia, all run by Democratic governors.
The United States has by far the world’s largest number of confirmed coronavirus cases, with more than 730,000 infections and over 39,000 deaths.
Demonstrations to demand an end to stay-at-home measures that have pummeled the U.S. economy have erupted in a few spots in Texas, Wisconsin and the capitols of Ohio, Minnesota, Michigan and Virginia. More than 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits in the past month.
Trump had touted a thriving economy as the best case for his re-election in November.
On Saturday, protesters gathered in the Texas capital of Austin chanting "USA! USA!” and "Let us work!”
In Brookfield, Wisconsin, hundreds of demonstrators cheered as they lined a main road and waved American flags to protest at the extension of that state’s "safer at home” order.
The demonstrators mostly flouted the social-distancing rules and did not wear the face masks recommended by public health officials.
Meanwhile, the death toll continued to rise in Europe and surpassed 100,000 on Sunday, according to John Hopkins University.
In Britain, fast becoming the European epicenter of the pandemic, deaths surpassed 15,000 on Saturday, as healthcare workers raised concerns about shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gowns and face shields.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson continues to recuperate from COVID-19 after he left hospital a week ago, while Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is leading in his place.
However, in Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said his government would begin easing lockdown measures and allow children under 12 to go outdoors for short periods of time. The country’s lockdown will remain in place until at least May 9, as he warned "the goals we’ve achieved so far are fragile.”
In Texas some of the demonstrators brandished signs with phrases like, "This is tyranny, not quarantine” and "Open now!” While others, in Maryland, marched or drove their cars carrying placards against the encroachment of personal liberties.
Meanwhile, other U.S. states began preparing to ease restrictions related to the outbreak. Residents in Florida returned to the beach Saturday and three northeastern states reopened boatyards and marinas for personal use only.
More than 38,000 deaths have been recorded in the U.S. as of Sunday, according to an NBC News tally.
In Los Angeles county officials announced 81 new deaths from the virus on Saturday, its highest daily death toll since the outbreak began. California has 30,762 confirmed cases, according to the NBC News count, although the number of deaths continued to slow in the country’s epicenter New York.
A number of state governors have sought to temper regional expectations about lifting lockdowns and have warned about moving too fast in the face of unresolved issues, like a lack of mass testing.
Governors in U.S. states hardest hit by the novel coronavirus sparred with President Donald Trump over his claims they have enough tests and should quickly reopen their economies as more protests are planned over the extension of stay-at-home orders.
"The administration I think is trying to ramp up testing, they are doing some things with respect to private labs,” said Republican Governor Larry Hogan of Maryland during a CNN interview. "But to try to push this off, to say the governors have plenty of testing and they should just get to work on testing, somehow we aren’t doing our jobs, is absolutely false.”
Democratic Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia told CNN that claims by Trump and Vice President Mike Pence that states have plenty of tests were "just delusional.”
The region of Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C. is still seeing increasing cases even as the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, New York, has started to see declines. Boston and Chicago are also emerging hot spots with recent surges in cases and deaths.
Several states, including Ohio, Texas and Florida, have said they aim to reopen parts of their economies, perhaps by May 1 or even sooner, but appeared to be staying cautious.
Trump’s guidelines to reopen the economy recommend a state record 14 days of declining case numbers before gradually lifting restrictions. Yet the Republican president appeared to encourage protesters who want the measures removed sooner with a series of Twitter posts on Friday calling for them to "LIBERATE” Michigan, Minnesota and Virginia, all run by Democratic governors.
The United States has by far the world’s largest number of confirmed coronavirus cases, with more than 730,000 infections and over 39,000 deaths.
Demonstrations to demand an end to stay-at-home measures that have pummeled the U.S. economy have erupted in a few spots in Texas, Wisconsin and the capitols of Ohio, Minnesota, Michigan and Virginia. More than 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits in the past month.
Trump had touted a thriving economy as the best case for his re-election in November.
On Saturday, protesters gathered in the Texas capital of Austin chanting "USA! USA!” and "Let us work!”
In Brookfield, Wisconsin, hundreds of demonstrators cheered as they lined a main road and waved American flags to protest at the extension of that state’s "safer at home” order.
The demonstrators mostly flouted the social-distancing rules and did not wear the face masks recommended by public health officials.
Meanwhile, the death toll continued to rise in Europe and surpassed 100,000 on Sunday, according to John Hopkins University.
In Britain, fast becoming the European epicenter of the pandemic, deaths surpassed 15,000 on Saturday, as healthcare workers raised concerns about shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gowns and face shields.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson continues to recuperate from COVID-19 after he left hospital a week ago, while Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is leading in his place.
However, in Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said his government would begin easing lockdown measures and allow children under 12 to go outdoors for short periods of time. The country’s lockdown will remain in place until at least May 9, as he warned "the goals we’ve achieved so far are fragile.”