The latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic for April 18, 2020
NEW YORK - FOX 5 NY is updating this blog with the latest developments on the coronavirus outbreak so you can get the information in one spot.
11:37 PM: A Michigan prisoner who declined to be paroled earlier this year after decades behind bars has died from COVID-19 complications.
William Garrison died at a hospital after nearly 44 years in prison. The coronavirus outbreak has infected more than 500 inmates in Michigan prisons and killed 17.
11:30 PM: Hundreds of people denouncing pandemic lockdown measures opposed by President Jair Bolsonaro snarled traffic in major Brazilian cities on Saturday.
11:15 PM: South Korea has reported eight more cases of the coronavirus over the past 24 hours, the first time for a daily jump in the country to drop to a single digit in about two months.
11:00 PM: Japanese health ministry said Sunday that 568 new cases of the coronavirus were reported the day before, bringing a domestic total to 10,361. A combined total including 712 others from a cruise ship quarantined near Tokyo earlier this year came to 11,073, with 174 deaths.
7:59 PM: As of April 18, there have been 126,368 positive coronavirus cases reported in New York City. The number of confirmed deaths is now 8,448, while another 4,264 people have been listed as probable deaths.
7:57 PM: Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says that the total number of positive coronavirus tests in his state has risen to 17,550, while the death toll now stands at 1,086.
7:55 PM: While the Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach may be canceled this year, officials on Long Island say they're hoping they can figure out a way to reopen beaches while continuing to enforce social distancing.
7:32 PM: While tens of millions of Americans throughout the U.S. received their economic impact payments this week, some have reported glitches – including members of the U.S. military.
USAA, a financial company that caters to military members and veterans, has suspended a policy that had resulted in members having their stimulus checks used to offset existing debts.
7:02 PM: Disgraced comedian Bill Cosby will not be walking out of prison anytime soon despite the recent uptick of offenders being granted early release due to the coronavirus.
6:30 PM: As of April 18, 5,324 uniformed members of the NYPD are out sick, accounting for 14.7 percent of the Department's uniformed workforce, down from a high of 19.8 percent. To date, 4,347 members of hte force have tested positive for coronavirus. 2,089 members of the NYPD have returned to work full-duy after recovering from a positive coronavirus test and 1,855 uniformed members plus 375 civilian members are still out sick after coronavirus diagnoses.
5:54 PM: All Walmart employees will be required to wear face masks to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus starting Monday, the company announced.
5:28 PM: Trump says the nation’s coronavirus testing capacity is robust enough to begin reopening the nation.
5:19 PM: Trump says that states have tremendous unused testing capacity that is being unused.
5:18 PM: Trump says that coronavirus testing per capita in New York is higher than in Singapore and South Korea.
5:16 PM: Trump says that the coronavirus pandemic is having a disproportionate impact on African-American and Hispanic communities.
5:14 PM: Trump says that the paycheck protection program has been completely drained and that lawmakers must replenish the program without delay.
5:12 PM: Trump says that several states are beginning to take concreate steps towards reopening the nation.
5:09 PM: President Donald Trump says that the United States has produced dramatically better health outcomes in response to the coronavirus than other nations, with a far lower mortality rate than the UK, Italy, Spain and several other European nations.
4:53 PM: Governor Andrew Cuomo tweeted Saturday that he had issued an executive order allowing New Yorkers to obtain marraige licenses remotely.
4:31 PM: Researchers in Spain believe they have discovered another coronavirus symptom — lesions on feet.
3:45 PM: As a clearer picture emerges of COVID-19’s deadly toll on black Americans, leaders are demanding a reckoning of systemic policies they say have made many African Americans far more vulnerable to the virus. Data shows that nearly one-third of those who have died from the coronavirus are African American, even though black people make up only about 14% of the population in the areas covered in the analysis.
2:27 PM: One 12-year-old boy in New Jersey is being lauded for using his birthday to gather pasta and non-perishable foods to donate to those in need due to food insecurity.
1:43 PM: Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli says that 40 percent of the coronavirus deaths in the state are currently related to some kind of long-term care.
1:22 PM: Murphy encourages New Jersey residents who are not healthcare workers but are still looking to give back to visit COVID19.nj.gov/help
1: 16 PM: Murphy says there is not significant momentum in congress to create direct state aid, which he says would be disastrous. He says the state needs both financial assistance and bonding flexibility.
1:13 PM: Murphy reminds NJ residents that COVID-19 is not “just the flu,” and that in just six weeks, over 4,000 New Jersey residents died of coronavirus, more than the number who died of the last three flu seasons in the state, according to the CDC.
1:05 PM: New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy says that 3,026 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in New Jersey on April 17, bringing the state's total to 81,420. He also reported an additional 231 deaths, bringing the state’s total for 4,070.
1:01 PM: Youth sports leagues are bracing for even bigger financial losses with no end in sight for the shutdown of activity because of the new coronavirus outbreak.
12:30 PM: Public health experts are becoming concerned that people will use their partisan identification to decide which officials to believe whenever parts of the country start edging back to a new normal.
12:08 PM: Cuomo says there are still not enough tests being performed for any group anywhere in New York, which is why testing needs to be brought to scale across the board.
12:03 PM: In response to a question to reopening upstate New York, Cuomo says that New York is in the planning phase and that different parts of the state will have different strategies to reopen.
12:01 PM: Cuomo says that President Trump is right to leave reopening up to each state and their own specific needs.
11:58 AM: Cuomo reminds New Yorkers to wear a mask in public when they are in public and unable to observe social distancing rules.
11:55 AM: Cuomo says that politicizing the coronavirus crisis and partisan division will only make the situation worse.
11:54 AM: Cuomo says that the federal government sent 1.5M cloth masks to New York State that they will distribute to the public.
11:52 AM: Cuomo says New York needs funding from the federal government for airlines, small businesses and also the state government itself in order to reopen.
11:45 AM: Cuomo says that New York is testing more than any other state in the nation, with over half a million tests performed so far. Despite that, he says that it is only a fraction of what the state needs.
11:40 AM: Cuomo again underlines the importance of testing to monitor the rate of infection and that it is the most important factor in reopening.
11:38 AM: Cuomo says that another 540 people died of coronavirus on April 17. 504 of the vicims were in hospitals, 36 were in nursing homes.
11:35 AM: Governor Andrew Cuomo says that total hospitalizations and intubations are down in New York but that the state still saw 2,000 new people hospitalized due to coronavirus on April 17.
11:13 AM: From the NYC Office of Emergency Management: 311 is experiencing high call volume. Visit NYC.gov/311, use the 311 mobile application, or call 311 after 7 p.m. or during the weekend.
10:43 AM: Teachers have begun recording classes at home, using whatever technology they can, for television in places including New Jersey, Nebraska and New Mexico, where officials have partnered with broadcasters to help students feel connected and to overcome hurdles with access to the technology needed for distance learning.
MORE: https://www.fox5ny.com/news/classes-on-tv-in-new-jersey-drawing-students
10:30 AM: @NYGovCuomo
9:55 AM: NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo announces that he will hold a news briefing at 11:30 a.m.
9:30 AM: Members of the Delaware National Guard and different medical groups at a hospital in Wilmington blew off some steam with a coordinated dance break.
MORE: https://www.fox5ny.com/news/national-guard-healthcare-workers-take-a-dance-break
8:50 AM: During the pandemic, dinner and a movie from a bygone era is making a comeback in a California restaurant parking lot. “It’s like a drive-in, it’s a great idea,” said San Bernardino resident Karla Ruiz.
MORE: https://www.fox5ny.com/news/restaurant-offers-old-time-movie-and-dining-experience