Countries Americans Can Travel to Without COVID-19 Testing

SPCB is a Israel company and has been running since 1988, it had good years and bad years, last a few years it didn't do well, but since has changed in 2020, there are some many great news and named a new CEO&President, the future for the company is brighter than any time in its recent history and expect intermediate trends to generate a multi-bag tailwind for shares in Supercom.

From Seeking Alpha：

Summary

We contend the current share price eliminates the downside risk in the story and represents an asymmetric risk/reward profile.
The CEO’s family owns over 28% of the Company and based on our interactions is eager to recreate the value creation that occurred in 2013 and 2014.
While none of its coronavirus tracking pilots have materialized into a formal, large scale contract, news is gaining momentum in the Company’s backyard, Israel.
We view the base level value of the Company to be $7.00 per share based on a multi-year estimate that revenues will rebound back to $35mm.

Sabra Capital Partners, LLC has a high conviction position (33% of portfolio – we do not suggest others follow suit) in Supercom (SPCB; $1.20) after owning a position in this Company at various times over the past decade. We last wrote about Supercom in July 2017 at $3.00 per share, believing it would hit $5 per share. It did at the end of the 2017 but a series of missteps and a disregard for its shareholders created a vacuum of interest by investors leading its stock to a low of $0.25 per share in the aftermath of the covid sell-off last year. However, we believe the future for the company is brighter than any time in its recent history and expect intermediate trends to generate a multi-bag tailwind for shares in Supercom. Fortunately for new investors, liquidity in the stock over the past year has been fairly abundant for a small-cap company so building and exiting a position should not be a barrier to entry. We are comfortable putting on a 33% position for the following reasons: 1) we are highly risk tolerant and arguably foolish in our capital allocation; 2) the Company’s business model and revenues are highly recurring with enviable gross margins; 3) we maintain revenues hit an inflection point in 2020 and will exhibit an impressive growth trajectory over the years to come, providing justification for an expanding valuation multiple; 4) current cheap valuation; and 5) a new CEO who successfully built an impressive U.S. business and is committed to returning to timely reporting at the corporate level. The Company currently trades at a discount to its book value and 2.0x our projected 2021 sales. These valuation levels indicate a company that is out of favor and declining. Conversely, we envision that the next 3 years will be far different than the past 3 years. We expect SPCB to rebuild investor confidence through timely communications and outreach with investors while building value over time through new contracts. As the Company expands its base of business, we believe Supercom will raise shareholder friendly capital to pursue larger contracts thereby creating a virtuous cycle. We view the base level value of the Company to be $7.00 per share based on a multi-year estimate that revenues will rebound back to $35mm. Moreover, the Company’s shift to a higher quality revenue mix from enterprise and developed markets creates more dependable business patterns going forward. We contend the current share price eliminates the downside risk in the story and represents an asymmetric risk/reward profile. In addition, the CEO’s family owns over 28% of the Company and based on our interactions is eager to recreate the value creation that occurred in 2013 and 2014
Our long thesis can be summarized as follows:

Business Segment Details:

Supercom’s IoT division provides electronic offender monitoring and tracking (“EM”). Supercom entered the space with the acquisition of Leaders in Community Alternatives (LCA) on January 1, 2016 for $2.9mm. At the time, this division did $9.0mm in sales and provided the Company a vital presence in California. We note the revenue run-rate of this division was impaired by the staggered shutdown of the courts throughout 2020. Without the courts operating on schedule, there are fewer cases approved for EM. We believe court closures will be less frequent in 2021 and the burgeoning growth prospects for EM in the U.S. will be more apparent. Historically the Company won 65% of bids in Europe despite reduced sales and marketing efforts. The Company’s success rate is due to its superior technology (i.e. longer battery life of 1-3 years compared to 1-2 days for competitors; seamless communication with the phone; biometric authentication) and strong word of mouth. Supercom earns a $3-4 daily rate for its devices depending on configuration and carries a 70% gross margin. The Company also earns a servicing fee of $12-25 per day in California based on an income sliding scale which delivers 30-40% gross margins. We expect the Company to roll-up/acquire more servicing companies in other U.S. geographies to create a fully integrated model/offering. As a note, most of Supercom’s contract wins range between 20-200 units in the initial six months of the contract. With a better capitalized balance sheet, we are optimistic Supercom would be well positioned to successfully bid on large potential contracts with thousands of units in the first stage, creating a paradigm shift for its operations.
The Company’s e-Gov division provides governments with a comprehensive, end-to-end solution for the deployment and management of secure government identity programs (i.e. passports, driver’s license, etc.). Supercom’s solutions are deployed across over 20 countries. The Company has shifted away from this business as all major deployment and implementation projects have been completed. Currently, this division generates a modest level of high margin, recurring revenues through consumable sales, software licenses as well as maintenance and support services. These recurring revenues generally last over ten years from the initial deployment. We do not expect this business to be a meaningful contributor to growth in the foreseeable future.
The Company’s Cyber Security division was created following two acquisitions. Supercom bought Prevision for $1.1mm in November 2015 and Safend for minimal working capital out of bankruptcy in March 2016. The Cyber Security division benefits from synergistic technologies and a shared customer base with its other divisions, creating strong cross-selling opportunities. We expect this business segment to become a greater focus for the company once its EM division matures further given the threats facing data integrity and strategic assets.

Coronavirus Tracking – One Massive Near-term Opportunity Worth Monitoring:

Supercom announced five (5) pilots to countries in the Middle East, Central and South America for coronavirus quarantine home containment in 2020. While none of the pilots have materialized into a formal, large scale contract, news is gaining momentum in the Company’s backyard, Israel. Due to various segments of Israel’s population blatantly disregarding quarantine rules and its inability to contain the virus to-date despite a highly touted vaccination program, the discussion to utilize the Supercom’s technology has intensified. Israelis are known to be avid travelers, bringing variations of the virus back home with them. To combat this problem, Israel has shut its borders to all travelers over the past week, even its own citizens seeking to return. This is clearly not a long-term solution despite Israelis refusing to stay isolated in coronavirus hotels (on the state’s dime) or abide by mandated travel restrictions once home. Many view the GPS tracking option to be a strong alternative to minimize the spread of the virus from abroad and to enforce fines on those travelers disregarding the rules.
It seems like Israel will make a critical decision in the coming weeks whether it will require these devices on returning travelers. If approved, this will represent the biggest contract in Supercom’s history and immediately lift the Company into the stratosphere. To illustrate the magnitude of the opportunity, nearly 5 million travelers passed thru the main airport in 2020, despite the coronavirus pandemic. Given the recent normalization of ties with other countries (i.e. UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, etc.), it seems that Israelis are even more motivated to travel. In the event of approval, we would caution investors that government approval to impose GPS trackers on its citizens would face numerous legal challenges. The government did approve tracing Israelis on their phones in order to alert people who had come into contact with the coronavirus under a temporary special coronavirus surveillance power.

Traditional EM Opportunity:

Excluding corona-related opportunities, the market potential for Supercom’s traditional EM solution is enormous and we expect this business unit to provide a stable, recurring, high-growth engine for the next several years. In the last five weeks of 2020, the Company announced the securing of 4 separate EM projects in the U.S. and the commencement of another project in Latvia. We expect additional contract wins are forthcoming.
The tailwinds for this business are unlikely to abate in the U.S, especially under Democratic leadership, or abroad in the near-future. The primary drivers include prison overcrowding, a shift toward decriminalizing drug use, a reduction in recidivism as well as substantial cost savings for the penal system. One of Biden’s first executive orders was to eliminate the Justice Department’s use of private prisons. We foresee the cost-benefit analysis of shifting toward EM solutions will become a widely supported trend worldwide.
Supercom provides all the essential hardware and software for the EM market including the phone, bracelet and house unit. In Europe, the Company’s customers generally use the house unit whereas in the U.S., the phone is more widely provided. The Company has publicly disclosed contracts in Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Bulgaria, Sweden, Estonia and Latvia in Europe and various local/municipal agencies in the U.S. While the Company has enjoyed early success capturing business in Europe by beating out incumbent providers, the U.S. seems to have the most upside potency for the Company. Either way, provided the current size of the Company, any meaningful contract wins will move the growth needle.

Hyper Growth Ahead:

After a covid impacted 2020, we believe results will bounce back sharply in 2021 and beyond with accelerating results factoring the above discussed tailwinds in its largest business. While the company has impressively rightsized its operations (headcount reductions, etc.) for its current business trends, we expect the Company to capitalize on the burgeoning EM opportunity ahead of it by boosting its manpower and resources. This may create cash flow deficits in the quarters to come. Nonetheless, we have strong confidence investors will reward Supercom with a higher valuation once its strong growth potential/profile becomes more apparent. If successful, the Company will be able to readily tap the capital markets to shore up its balance sheet which will inevitably lead to bigger contract opportunities.
📷
Source: Company Filings and Sabra Capital Research
Note: Excludes share-based compensation and amortization
Given the strong business mix and visibility, the Company’s run-rate revenue is on the cusp of a multi-year revival in our opinion. We conservatively forecast $20.2mm and $27.0mm in revenues for 2021 and 2022, respectively. Pro-forma gross margins will follow the same path and exceed 60% as economies of scale work in the Company’s favor with increased size. We are optimistic Supercom will return to timely reporting which will make a small contribution toward improved investor confidence. Successive reported quarters of accelerating revenue growth will be a larger contributor.

Massive Upside:

We conclude that Supercom’s current trading level provides a compelling entry point considering its improving fundamentals and efforts to regain credibility. For the past three years, investors have been frustrated with an apathetic management team that drifted from standard reporting and regular earnings conference calls. In fact, Supercom has yet to file its annual report on time since 2015. The last two years were especially abhorrent with filings in the last 30 days of the following year. These factors have contributed to a large and persistent discount on its shares to forgotten status. However, we believe the new CEO is energized to resolve these issues promptly and permanently. Provided the Company’s compelling prospects, market positioning and industry tailwinds, we contend the risk at these levels is limited and view the equity as a multi-bag story in its infancy. If management executes on its strategy and the growth story materializes, we are confident investors will reward the Company with significant multiple expansion.
With expanding market multiples across the board, it is difficult to unearth asymmetric opportunities such as Supercom. At 2.0x trough estimated 2021 sales, Supercom is a cheap growth vehicle. Additionally, Supercom has morphed into a predictable business model with recurring revenues and high gross margins. Similar businesses fetch revenue multiples well into the mid-single digits. Based on a similar revenue multiple of 4.5x forecasted 2023 sales of $35mm, Supercom is worth ~$7.00 per share. As investor confidence in the story builds, we would not be surprised with additional multiple expansion. Of course, a large contract would accelerate its path toward our price target and justify a higher price. As such, we are confident in establishing Supercom as a 33% position.

COVID-19 Megathread #5

This post is updated daily.
You can also follow the Reddit Live thread here.

COVID-19 has now infected more than 144,890 people. There have been 5,401 confirmed deaths and 70,252 confirmed recoveries attributed to the virus.

MAJOR UPDATES See more recent updates further down this post.
MARCH 13 - President Trump declared a National Emergency. Watch the announcement here, and read about it here.

Recommended Reading:
A coronavirus cautionary tale from Italy: Don’t do what we did

Recent Updates
Note: These are the updates from the last 48-72 hours.
MARCH 13 -

It’s a ‘false hope’ coronavirus will disappear in the summer like the flu, WHO says. Read more here.
Europe is now the "epicentre" of the global coronavirus pandemic, the head of the World Health Organization says. Read more here.
Spain, which has second-highest number of cases in Europe after Italy, joins other countries in declaring emergency. Read more here.
Canada is warning against all international travel and is limiting inbound flights as part of a series of measures to limit the spread of COVID-19. Additionally, the wife of Prime Minister Trudeau has tested positive for coronavirus. Read more here.
The Masters, which brings together the world's best golfers in April for the year's first major, has been postponed because of concerns about coronavirus. Read more here.
No cruises will be leaving U.S. coasts for a month. President Trump tweeted Friday evening that Carnival, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and MSC were suspending outbound cruises for 30 days, at his request. Read more here.

MARCH 12 -

The Australian Grand Prix has been called off, throwing the rest of the F1 season into doubt. Read more here.
Disney is closing Disneyland and California Adventure, its theme parks in Anaheim, California, because of the coronavirus outbreak.Read more here. Disney World in Florida will also be closed. Read more here.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will self-quarantine “out of an abundance of caution” while his wife Sophie Grégoire undergoes testing for novel coronavirus. Read more here. Ontario public schools are also closing for 2 weeks. Read about that here.
The entire country of Norway is 'shutting down'. Read more here.
All three major US indexes closed more than 9% lower. The Dow Jones industrial average, which closed in a bear market on Wednesday, dropped 10%. That marked its biggest single-day decline since Black Monday in 1987. Read more here.
The Federal Reserve on Thursday announced it would inject $1.5 trillion into short-term markets to offset the economic impact of the Wuhan coronavirus. Read more here.
U.S. states have started to close public schools. Ohio and Maryland are the first to do so. Read more here.
More sporting events and seasons are being cancelled and suspended. March Madness has been cancelled, NHL has suspended its season, MLS has suspended its season for 30 days, and MLB has suspended spring training and delayed opening day by atleast 2 weeks.

MARCH 11 -

The World Health Organization has declared the Coronavirus a global pandemic. Read more here.
A U.S. Senate staffer in Sen. Maria Cantwell's D.C. office has been confirmed to have coronavirus. See the tweet here.
The NBA has suspended the rest of its season. See the tweet here.
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have announced that they have tested positive for COVID-19. See his tweet here.
March Madness will hold games without fans. Read the announcement here.
Italy announced that they are expanding their quarantine. All shops will be shuttered except supermarkets, food stores and chemists, and companies must close all their departments that are not essential to production. Services such as hairdressers and beauty parlours will also be closed, along with bars and restaurants that cannot guarantee they can keep a distance of at least one metre between customers. Read more here.
Britain, Italy announce multi-billion dollar war chests to fight coronavirus. Read more here. Canada and the US have also announced funding to fight the coronavirus.
Nationwide school closures in 22 countries have interrupted learning for more than 372 million students from primary to tertiary levels, including 58.6 million in universities and other post-secondary institutions, according to Unesco. The majority are in China. Read more here.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that up to 70% of the country's population - some 58 million people - could contract the coronavirus. Read more here.
Google parent company Alphabet is recommending that all of its North America employees work from home through April 10 due to coronavirus. Read more here.
Major events are being cancelled all over the United States, including E3 and Rodeo Houston.
Ukraine's government decided on Wednesday to ban mass gatherings and close schools for three weeks in a bid to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Read more here.
Hungary’s government declared a state of emergency to help deal with the coronavirus outbreak, closing university campuses and banning large gatherings. Read more here.
13 US states so far have declared states of emergency in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Read more here.
President Trump just addressed the nation from the Oval Office. Watch the address here. During the address, he said all travel from Europe would be suspended for the next 30 days. The new rules will go into effect on Friday at midnight, and the United Kingdom will be exempt. Read more here. President Trump also announced that:

Insurance companies have agreed to waive copays on coronavirus tests and ~~treatments, and to extend coverage to such treatments.~~ Here is a tweet correcting this statement by the President. - Insurance companies have not agreed to extend coverage for treatment or waive those costs.

The tax filing deadline will be extended for some Americans. He did not provide more details.

He also called on Congress to provide Americans with “immediate payroll tax relief.”

He said he would be soon taking emergency action to provide financial relief for workers who are quarantined or caring for others due to coronavirus. Details were also scarce about the specifics of this.

The tax filing extension could provide up to $200 billion of liquidity that the government can make available to impacted businesses in the form of low interest loans.

Read more here. And read the fact check of this speech here.

CDC Recommendations:

People over 60 and those with severe chronic heart, lung, or kidney disease stay at home as much as possible and avoid crowds. Read more here.
Travelers, particularly those who are older and/or have underlying health issues, should “defer all cruise ship travel worldwide”. The CDC also notes that “cruise ship passengers are at increased risk of person-to-person spread of infectious diseases, including COVID-19". Read more here.

Tracking COVID-19

New Countries reporting cases their first cases this week:
Note 1: The list starts fresh each Monday.
Note 2: This list is pulled from the WHO's daily situation reports (linked above).

Bulgaria
Costa Rica
Faroe Islands
French Guiana
Maldives
Martinique
Republic of Moldova
Bangladesh
Albania
Paraguay
Brunei Darussalam
Mongolia
Cyprus
Guernsey
Panama
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)
Jamaica
Burkina Faso
Democratic Republic of the Congo
French Polynesia
Turkey
Honduras
Côte d’Ivoire
Jersey
Réunion
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Cuba
Guyana

Over 100 countries have now reported lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Reputable Sources for Information:

And for those too lazy to click on the University of Chicago Med resource, here are some of the answers to commonly asked questions:

What is a coronavirus? What is a novel coronavirus?

A coronavirus is actually the name for a set of illnesses, including the common cold and other respiratory infections. A novel coronavirus means it’s a new virus that originated in animals, but has jumped to humans. This particular 2019 novel coronavirus from Wuhan is called COVID-19 or 2019-nCoV.

How does the COVID-19 spread?

This virus is really transmissible and can spread easily from person to person even before a person develops symptoms. It’s carried on respiratory droplets when we talk, sneeze, and cough and these can land on surfaces or in someone’s mouth or nose. When it comes to respiratory droplets, 6 feet is the magic distance. That’s how far these tiny, infected droplets can travel. Being within 6 feet of someone who is sick can get you or your personal space contaminated with COVID-19.
When droplets land on surfaces, we can pick them up with our hands and transfer them to our eyes, mouth, and nose when we touch our faces. This is why hand hygiene is so important. Respiratory secretions (like snot and sputum) are also infectious so cover your coughs and sneezes.

What are the symptoms of the virus? Is it deadly?

It typically causes flu-like symptoms. Some patients — particularly the elderly and others with other chronic health conditions — develop a severe form of pneumonia.
Patients develop symptoms like fever, muscle and body aches, cough, and sore throat about 5-6 days after infection. Most people will feel pretty miserable for a week and get better on their own. Some people won’t get as sick, but it’s still important not to be out and about, so as not to spread the disease. A minority of patients will get worse instead of better. This usually happens after 5-7 days of illness and these patients will have more shortness of breath and worsening cough. If this happens, it’s time to contact your doctor again or even go to an emergency room. Be sure to call first so they know you are coming.
The numbers of people who have been diagnosed and how many have died are changing daily. As of early March, there have been over 97,000 confirmed cases, with a death toll of about 3,000 (more than 2,900 in mainland China). But these numbers are just estimates; it’s still unclear how many people have actually been infected worldwide. Most of the deaths have been in adults over 60 years old who had other health concerns.

Are we all at risk for catching this new coronavirus (2019-nCoV)?

Yes. It doesn’t appear anyone is naturally immune to this particular virus and there’s no reason to believe anybody has antibodies that would normally protect them.
The lack of previous experience with this pathogen is part of the reason why public health officials around the globe are working so hard to contain the spread of this particular coronavirus from Wuhan. When viruses come out like this that are both new (which means the population is highly susceptible) and can easily pass from person to person (a high transmission rate), they can be really dangerous — even if here’s a low percentage of people who die from them.

Why do some people with the COVID-19 get sicker than others?

It looks like only about 20% of people who contract this novel coronavirus need to be hospitalized. The other 80% get what feels like a bad cold and recover at home. A lot of this has to do with underlying medical conditions. People who are more vulnerable to any kind of infection — because of their age or chronic health conditions — are more at risk for getting really sick from COVID-19.
That said, some otherwise healthy people do seem to be getting sicker from this infection than we would expect. We don’t understand why that is or what might be different about these patients. If you have COVID-19 and you are getting sicker and sicker instead of better and better, you should contact your doctor or visit an ER. Be sure to call first so they know to expect you.

What kind of medical care do patients with COVID-19 need?

About 80% of people who contract this new coronavirus will feel sick, but ultimately be just fine. It’s the 20% of COVID-19 patients who get really, really sick that worry many of us in the infectious diseases field. A lot of these critically ill patients wind up needing to be hospitalized for their pneumonia-like illnesses. They typically require critical care and ventilation — special machines that help them breathe. And some need to stay on ventilators for weeks at a time. It’s this portion of patients that is most concerning. Depending on how many cases develop here in the U.S., providing that level of care for so many people over a number of weeks runs the risk of overwhelming the nation’s health care system pretty quickly. We can help prevent this kind of “surge” in patients by practicing social distancing (see below for more explanation).

Should people be more concerned about the seasonal flu or COVID-19?

There’s widespread seasonal flu activity going on right now all around the U.S. But there are steps you can take to protect yourself from influenza. You can get an annual flu shot. You can take medication like Tamiflu that protects you from getting influenza after you’ve been exposed. You can cover your mouth and wash your hands to mitigate the spread. And, like clockwork, this year’s influenza strain is going to die out in the spring because it will have run its course.
The challenge with COVID-19 is that we probably can’t contain it and we don’t know if we’re really prepared as a country for a massive coronavirus epidemic. If we are lucky, it will slow down a bit over the summer but the next few months look like they are going to be pretty tough for all of us. We need to be as ready as we can for whatever comes our way and know that we will get through it eventually.

How can I protect myself? Should I wear a facemask?

Take the preventive actions you do for the cold and flu. This includes avoiding close contact with people who are sick; not touching your eyes, nose and mouth; washing your hands thoroughly and frequently; and cleaning and disinfecting objects and surfaces you come in contact with regularly.
The CDC does not recommend you wear a facemask to protect yourself from getting COVID-19 or other respiratory illnesses. Those who have COVID-19 and/or are showing symptoms should wear a mask to protect others from getting the virus. Any healthcare worker taking care of someone infected with COVID-19 also should wear a mask.

Can I take an antibiotic or vaccinate against the virus?

There is no antibiotic (they are designed for bacterial infections, not viral ones) to treat COVID-19. Scientists are already working on a vaccine, but we don’t expect to have a good vaccine until spring of 2021 at the earliest. However, ongoing trials in China suggest that there are some existing antiviral drugs that may be helpful for the sickest patients. In fact, the University of Chicago is part of a multi-institutional team that has mapped a protein of SARS-CoV-2 and found drugs previously in development for SARS could be effective for COVID-19.
For now, doctors can only treat the symptoms, not the virus itself.

COVID-19 Megathread #4

This post is updated daily.

COVID-19 has now infected more than 111,363 people. There have been 3,892 confirmed deaths and 62,375confirmed recoveries attributed to the virus.

Recent Updates
Note: These are the updates from the last 48-72 hours.
MARCH 8 and 9 -

Ireland is expected to cancel all St. Patrick's Day parades/festivities. Dublin and Cork have already canceled. Read more here.
Iran temporarily released about 70,000 prisoners because of the coronavirus contagion, as the death toll rose by 43 new fatalities to 237. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia temporarily suspended land and sea travel to and from Oman, France, Germany, Turkey and Spain for citizens and residents to help stem the spread of coronavirus. Earlier suspensions include the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, South Korea, Egypt, Italy and Iraq. Read more here.
The U.S. death toll reached 21 on Sunday, with 554 confirmed cases across 34 states and the District of Columbia. All but three of the deaths have been in Washington state; two were in Florida and one in California. Read more here.
China reports the fewest number of coronavirus cases since it started tracking the disease in January. Read more here.
France on Sunday banned gathering of more than 1,000 people as the death toll and number of coronavirus infections continued to rise. Read more and see ongoing updates here.
Rick Cotton, head of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs NY’s airports, has tested positive for the new coronavirus. See the tweet here.
President Trump tweeted this on the morning of March 9:

So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on. At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!

Sen. Ted Cruz interacted with person who has tested positive for coronavirus. Cruz said he feels fine and is not showing symptoms of the coronavirus, but will self-quarantine out of an abundance of caution. Read more here.

MARCH 7 -

Italy is set to lock down at least 16 million people in the region of Lombardy and in 11 other provinces in the north and east of the country. The mandatory quarantine will last until early April. Read more here.
Iranian official who took part in 1979 Iran hostage crisis dies of coronavirus. He is the sixth politician or government official to be killed by the virus in Iran. Read more here.
About 70 people were trapped after a hotel being used as a coronavirus quarantine facility in the Chinese city of Quanzhou collapsed. Read more here.
Authorities in the United States have reported 434 cases of the coronavirus and 19 deaths, according to data compiled by NBC News. Several states have declared emergencies in response to the virus, including California, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Utah and Washington. Pennsylvania has issued a disaster declaration and the city of Austin, Texas has issued a local disaster declaration. Read more here.
CPAC attendee tests positive for coronavirus. Read more here.

CDC Recommendations:

People over 60 and those with severe chronic heart, lung, or kidney disease stay at home as much as possible and avoid crowds. Read more here.
Travelers, particularly those who are older and/or have underlying health issues, should “defer all cruise ship travel worldwide”. The CDC also notes that “cruise ship passengers are at increased risk of person-to-person spread of infectious diseases, including COVID-19". Read more here.

Tracking COVID-19

New Countries reporting cases their first cases this week:
Note 1: The list starts fresh each Monday.
Note 2: This list is pulled from the WHO's daily situation reports (linked above).

Bulgaria
Costa Rica
Faroe Islands
French Guiana
Maldives
Martinique
Republic of Moldova

Over 100 countries have now reported lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Reputable Sources for Information:

And for those too lazy to click on the University of Chicago Med resource, here are some of the answers to commonly asked questions:

What is a coronavirus? What is a novel coronavirus?

A coronavirus is actually the name for a set of illnesses, including the common cold and other respiratory infections. A novel coronavirus means it’s a new virus that originated in animals, but has jumped to humans. This particular 2019 novel coronavirus from Wuhan is called COVID-19 or 2019-nCoV.

How does the COVID-19 spread?

This virus is really transmissible and can spread easily from person to person even before a person develops symptoms. It’s carried on respiratory droplets when we talk, sneeze, and cough and these can land on surfaces or in someone’s mouth or nose. When it comes to respiratory droplets, 6 feet is the magic distance. That’s how far these tiny, infected droplets can travel. Being within 6 feet of someone who is sick can get you or your personal space contaminated with COVID-19.
When droplets land on surfaces, we can pick them up with our hands and transfer them to our eyes, mouth, and nose when we touch our faces. This is why hand hygiene is so important. Respiratory secretions (like snot and sputum) are also infectious so cover your coughs and sneezes.

What are the symptoms of the virus? Is it deadly?

It typically causes flu-like symptoms. Some patients — particularly the elderly and others with other chronic health conditions — develop a severe form of pneumonia.
Patients develop symptoms like fever, muscle and body aches, cough, and sore throat about 5-6 days after infection. Most people will feel pretty miserable for a week and get better on their own. Some people won’t get as sick, but it’s still important not to be out and about, so as not to spread the disease. A minority of patients will get worse instead of better. This usually happens after 5-7 days of illness and these patients will have more shortness of breath and worsening cough. If this happens, it’s time to contact your doctor again or even go to an emergency room. Be sure to call first so they know you are coming.
The numbers of people who have been diagnosed and how many have died are changing daily. As of early March, there have been over 97,000 confirmed cases, with a death toll of about 3,000 (more than 2,900 in mainland China). But these numbers are just estimates; it’s still unclear how many people have actually been infected worldwide. Most of the deaths have been in adults over 60 years old who had other health concerns.

Are we all at risk for catching this new coronavirus (2019-nCoV)?

Yes. It doesn’t appear anyone is naturally immune to this particular virus and there’s no reason to believe anybody has antibodies that would normally protect them.
The lack of previous experience with this pathogen is part of the reason why public health officials around the globe are working so hard to contain the spread of this particular coronavirus from Wuhan. When viruses come out like this that are both new (which means the population is highly susceptible) and can easily pass from person to person (a high transmission rate), they can be really dangerous — even if here’s a low percentage of people who die from them.

Why do some people with the COVID-19 get sicker than others?

It looks like only about 20% of people who contract this novel coronavirus need to be hospitalized. The other 80% get what feels like a bad cold and recover at home. A lot of this has to do with underlying medical conditions. People who are more vulnerable to any kind of infection — because of their age or chronic health conditions — are more at risk for getting really sick from COVID-19.
That said, some otherwise healthy people do seem to be getting sicker from this infection than we would expect. We don’t understand why that is or what might be different about these patients. If you have COVID-19 and you are getting sicker and sicker instead of better and better, you should contact your doctor or visit an ER. Be sure to call first so they know to expect you.

What kind of medical care do patients with COVID-19 need?

About 80% of people who contract this new coronavirus will feel sick, but ultimately be just fine. It’s the 20% of COVID-19 patients who get really, really sick that worry many of us in the infectious diseases field. A lot of these critically ill patients wind up needing to be hospitalized for their pneumonia-like illnesses. They typically require critical care and ventilation — special machines that help them breathe. And some need to stay on ventilators for weeks at a time. It’s this portion of patients that is most concerning. Depending on how many cases develop here in the U.S., providing that level of care for so many people over a number of weeks runs the risk of overwhelming the nation’s health care system pretty quickly. We can help prevent this kind of “surge” in patients by practicing social distancing (see below for more explanation).

Should people be more concerned about the seasonal flu or COVID-19?

There’s widespread seasonal flu activity going on right now all around the U.S. But there are steps you can take to protect yourself from influenza. You can get an annual flu shot. You can take medication like Tamiflu that protects you from getting influenza after you’ve been exposed. You can cover your mouth and wash your hands to mitigate the spread. And, like clockwork, this year’s influenza strain is going to die out in the spring because it will have run its course.
The challenge with COVID-19 is that we probably can’t contain it and we don’t know if we’re really prepared as a country for a massive coronavirus epidemic. If we are lucky, it will slow down a bit over the summer but the next few months look like they are going to be pretty tough for all of us. We need to be as ready as we can for whatever comes our way and know that we will get through it eventually.

How can I protect myself? Should I wear a facemask?

Take the preventive actions you do for the cold and flu. This includes avoiding close contact with people who are sick; not touching your eyes, nose and mouth; washing your hands thoroughly and frequently; and cleaning and disinfecting objects and surfaces you come in contact with regularly.
The CDC does not recommend you wear a facemask to protect yourself from getting COVID-19 or other respiratory illnesses. Those who have COVID-19 and/or are showing symptoms should wear a mask to protect others from getting the virus. Any healthcare worker taking care of someone infected with COVID-19 also should wear a mask.

Can I take an antibiotic or vaccinate against the virus?

There is no antibiotic (they are designed for bacterial infections, not viral ones) to treat COVID-19. Scientists are already working on a vaccine, but we don’t expect to have a good vaccine until spring of 2021 at the earliest. However, ongoing trials in China suggest that there are some existing antiviral drugs that may be helpful for the sickest patients. In fact, the University of Chicago is part of a multi-institutional team that has mapped a protein of SARS-CoV-2 and found drugs previously in development for SARS could be effective for COVID-19.
For now, doctors can only treat the symptoms, not the virus itself.

Which countries still have basic freedoms? Trying to decide where to go to

Does anyone know of any countries right now that still have basic freedoms and aren't enforcing draconian rules?

Japanlife Coronavirus Megathread VI

Japan COVID-19 Tracker	Another tracker, at city level.	Tokyo Metro. Gov. Covid-19 Tracker

Coronavirus Megathread I II III IV V
The main body will be updated with mainly news and advisory from embassies. The thread will be re-created once it goes past roughly 1k comments or on moderators' request.
What you can do:

Avoid travel to affected countries. You will not be able to return.
Avoid going outdoors unless necessary. Less contact you have with people, the less chance you have to catch it or spread it. You might be an asymptomatic carrier. If you have to go out, wear a mask. Minimise eating out if possible and avoid going out to socialise. Avoid going to supermarkets during rush hour etc.
Wash hands (with SOAP) frequently and observe strict hygiene regimen. Avoid touching your face and minimise touching random things (like door handles, train grab holds). Avoid hand-dryers.
Avoid hoarding necessities such as toilet paper, masks, soap and food.
Minimise travel on crowded public transportation if possible.
If your employer has made accomodations for telework or working from home, please do it.
If you show symptoms (cough, fever, shortness of breath and/or difficulty breathing) or suspect that you have contracted the virus, please call the coronavirus soudan hotline or your local hokenjo(保健所) here. They will advise you on what to do. Do not show up at a hospital or clinic unannounced, call ahead to let them know.
Avoid spreading misinformation about the virus on social media. This includes stories about home remedies like 36 hour water fasts or how "people with onions in their kitchens catch fewer diseases" etc.

News updates

Date
04/10	Kyoto announces state of emergency request
	Osaka reduces train frequency this weekend
04/09	JMA starting coronavirus soudan hotline for foreign languages from 04/10 (see below for details)
04/07	Abe declares state of emergency
04/05	Abe to declare state of emergency over COVID-19 covering Tokyo, Osaka and five other prefectures
04/05	Patients with light symptoms will be moved to hotels from April 7th, Koike
04/04	WHO opens door to broader use of masks to limit spread of coronavirus
04/03	All foreigners(incl. PRs) will be denied entry if they have travel history to affected areas, MOJ See PDF for details
04/02	Announcement from Fukuoka City about public elementary, middle, and special needs schools closure and related information.
	Japan education officials divided on reopening schools amid COVID-19 outbreaks (Chiba has reopened their schools)
04/01	Effective on April 3, 2020, Japan will bar admission to travelers who have recently visited any country that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has designated “Level 3” for infectious disease concerns. (see link for full list)
	Tokyo Gov. Koike starts uploading video updates on Youtube
03/31	Tokyo public schools closed until after Golden Week
03/28	Japan set to ban entry from the U.S. as early as next week
	Immigration is extending the validity of residence cards expiring in March and April by 1 month (Japanese)
03/27	Japan considering entry ban for foreigners coming from USA (Japanese)
03/26	Japan to impose entry ban on 21 European countries, Iran
03/25	Tokyo governor urges people to stay indoors over the weekend as capital becomes new focus of outbreak
03/24	Govt. unveils guidelines for reopening schools
	Olympic postponement of 1 year confirmed
03/21	Abe says schools to reopen after spring break; remains cautious about big events
	Health agencies: No evidence ibuprofen worsens coronavirus
03/22	US Embassy: Global Level 4 Health Advisory – Do Not Travel
03/19	Official notice from Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the new visa restrictions. list of new countries inside.

ENTRY BAN RELATED INFORMATION:
Ｑ＆Ａfrom MHLW
Q&A from MOFA
Bans on foreign Travelers Entering Japan if they have visited the below places in last 14 days:

Country	Area (as of 2nd April)
China	Hubei province / Zhejiang province
Republic of Korea	Daegu City / Cheongdo County in North Gyeongsang Province / Gyeongsan / Andong / Yeongcheon City, Chilgok / Uiseong / Seongju / Gunwei County in North Gyeongsang Province
Europe	Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Vatican (effective 3rd April)
Middle East	Iran (effective 00:00 hours 27th March) Bahrain, Israel, Turkey (effective 3rd April)
North America	Canada, USA (effective 3rd April)
Latin America	Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Dominica, Ecuador, Panama (effective 3rd April)
Africa	Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Mauritius, Morocco (effective 3rd April)
Oceania	Australia, New Zealand (effective 3rd April)
South East Asia	Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam

14 day quarantine upon arrival (including Japanese)

	Country
North America	United States of America (effective 00:00 hours 26th March), Canada (effective 3rd April)
Latin America	Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Dominica, Ecuador, Panama
Asia	China (incl. Hong Kong, Macao), Republic of Korea, Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan
Oceania	Australia, New Zealand
Europe	Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Vatican (effective 3rd April)
Middle East	Bahrain, Iran, Israel, Qatar (effective 00:00 hours 28th March), Turkey (effective 3rd April)
Africa	Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Mauritius, Morocco (effective 3rd April)

Information on travel restrictions for travelers from Japan (Japanese)

FAQ:
Can someone clarify whether these entry bans apply to permanent resident card holders?
Foreign language hotline for coronavirus soudan centre
Regarding how to get tested:
You can't get tested on demand. You will likely only be tested if you had direct contact with a known patient, have travel history to a hotspot, or are exhibiting severe symptoms. Only a doctor or coronavirus soudan centre has the discretion to decide if you are to be tested.**
**Testing criteria might be changing, Japan seems to be loosening the requirements for testing. Will update this as we know more.

P.S. I appreciate the platinums for the past threads, but I hope there won't be anymore as I do not wish to be seen as milking the threads for karma or awards. Thank you.

Japanlife Coronavirus Megathread V

Japan COVID-19 Tracker	Another tracker, at city level.	Tokyo Metro. Gov. Covid-19 Tracker

Coronavirus Megathread I II III IV
The main body will be updated with mainly news and advisory from embassies. The thread will be re-created once it goes past roughly 1k comments or on moderators' request.
What you can do:

Avoid travel to affected countries. You will not be able to return.
Avoid going outdoors unless necessary. Less contact you have with people, the less chance you have to catch it or spread it. You might be an asymptomatic carrier. If you have to go out, wear a mask. Minimise eating out if possible and avoid going out to socialise.
Wash hands (with SOAP) frequently and observe strict hygiene regimen. Avoid touching your face and minimise touching random things (like door handles, train grab holds)
Avoid hoarding necessities such as toilet paper, masks, soap and food.
Minimise travel on crowded public transportation if possible.
If your employer has made accomodations for telework or working from home, please do it.
If you show symptoms (cough, fever, shortness of breath and/or difficulty breathing) or suspect that you have contracted the virus, please call the coronavirus soudan hotline or your local hokenjo(保健所) here. They will advise you on what to do. Do not show up at a hospital or clinic unannounced, call ahead to let them know.
Avoid spreading misinformation about the virus on social media. This includes stories about home remedies like 36 hour water fasts or how "people with onions in their kitchens catch fewer diseases" etc.

News updates

Date
04/05	Abe to declare state of emergency over COVID-19 covering Tokyo, Osaka and five other prefectures
04/05	Patients with light symptoms will be moved to hotels from April 7th, Koike
04/04	WHO opens door to broader use of masks to limit spread of coronavirus
04/03	All foreigners(incl. PRs) will be denied entry if they have travel history to affected areas, MOJ See PDF for details
04/02	Announcement from Fukuoka City about public elementary, middle, and special needs schools closure and related information.
	Japan education officials divided on reopening schools amid COVID-19 outbreaks (Chiba has reopened their schools)
04/01	Effective on April 3, 2020, Japan will bar admission to travelers who have recently visited any country that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has designated “Level 3” for infectious disease concerns. (see link for full list)
	Tokyo Gov. Koike starts uploading video updates on Youtube
	Oita urges residents to stay indoors for 1 week
03/31	Tokyo public schools closed until after Golden Week
03/29	Tokyo govt. to keep stay-at-home request
03/28	Japan set to ban entry from the U.S. as early as next week
	Abe warns Japanese to prepare for prolonged coronavirus battle
	Immigration is extending the validity of residence cards expiring in March and April by 1 month (Japanese)
03/27	Tokyo Disney Resort extends closure until April 20th (Japanese)
	Japan considering entry ban for foreigners coming from USA (Japanese)
03/26	Japan to impose entry ban on 21 European countries, Iran
03/25	Tokyo governor urges people to stay indoors over the weekend as capital becomes new focus of outbreak
03/24	Govt. unveils guidelines for reopening schools
	Olympic postponement of 1 year confirmed
	Japan to ban entry from 18 European nations and Iran in toughest move yet
03/23	Tokyo governor says lockdown not unthinkable
	Japan to ask arrivals from US to self-quarantine
	Team Canada will not send athletes to Games in summer 2020 due to COVID-19 risks
03/22	5 test positive after returning from Europe The woman from Okinawa was told by a quarantine official at Narita Airport to wait until her test result comes out. But she already went back home by aircraft and bus.
03/21	Abe says schools to reopen after spring break; remains cautious about big events
	Health agencies: No evidence ibuprofen worsens coronavirus
03/22	US Embassy: Global Level 4 Health Advisory – Do Not Travel
03/20	Japan to not extend school closures
03/19	All incoming people from Europe, Iran, Egypt (38 countries in total) will be made to go into two weeks of quarantine.
	Official notice from Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the new visa restrictions. list of new countries inside.
03/18	~~Avoid taking ibuprofen for Covid-19 symptoms: WHO~~ Health agencies: No evidence ibuprofen worsens coronavirus
	Japan to expand entry restrictions
	Hokkaido to lift state of emergency over coronavirus on Thurs.
03/17	Japan to expand entry ban to more European regions
	Quarantine office at Narita Airport, has suspended PCR tests since Mar. 11 due to the accidental mistakes of officers (in Japanese)

ENTRY BAN RELATED INFORMATION:
Ｑ＆Ａfrom MHLW
Q&A from MOFA
Bans on foreign Travelers Entering Japan if they have visited the below places in last 14 days:

Country	Area (as of 2nd April)
China	Hubei province / Zhejiang province
Republic of Korea	Daegu City / Cheongdo County in North Gyeongsang Province / Gyeongsan / Andong / Yeongcheon City, Chilgok / Uiseong / Seongju / Gunwei County in North Gyeongsang Province
Europe	Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Vatican (effective 3rd April)
Middle East	Iran (effective 00:00 hours 27th March) Bahrain, Israel, Turkey (effective 3rd April)
North America	Canada, USA (effective 3rd April)
Latin America and the Caribbean	Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Dominica, Ecuador, Panama (effective 3rd April)
Africa	Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Mauritius, Morocco (effective 3rd April)
Oceania	Australia, New Zealand (effective 3rd April)
South East Asia	Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam

14 day quarantine upon arrival (including Japanese)

	Country
North America	United States of America (effective 00:00 hours 26th March), Canada (effective 3rd April)
Latin America and the Caribbean	Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Dominica, Ecuador, Panama
Asia	China (incl. Hong Kong, Macao), Republic of Korea, Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam (effective 00:00 hours 28th March)
	Taiwan (effective 3rd April)
Oceania	Australia, New Zealand
Europe	Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Vatican (effective 3rd April)
Middle East	Bahrain, Iran, Israel, Qatar (effective 00:00 hours 28th March), Turkey (effective 3rd April)
Africa	Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Mauritius, Morocco (effective 3rd April)

Information on travel restrictions for travelers from Japan (Japanese)

FAQ:
Can someone clarify whether these entry bans apply to permanent resident card holders?
Regarding how to get tested:
You can't get tested on demand. You will likely only be tested if you had direct contact with a known patient, have travel history to a hotspot, or are exhibiting severe symptoms. Only a doctor or coronavirus soudan centre has the discretion to decide if you are to be tested. Please call the coronavirus soudan hotline, explain your symptoms and enquire if you should be tested. They will be able to assess and advise you on what to do better than we can.**
**Testing criteria might be changing, Japan seems to be loosening the requirements for testing. Will update this as we know more.

P.S. I appreciate the platinums for the past threads, but I hope there won't be anymore as I do not wish to be seen as milking the threads for karma or awards. Thank you.

Trip Report: Crete, Greece (August 2020)

On entering Croatia and lockdowns

Instituionalised quarantine in Bulgaria?

Why are some countries not as a affected as others even without measures in place?

Covid-19 update Friday 13th March

Good morning from the UK. Things just got even more real over here; we have a suspected case in our office of 29 people. The employee in question had a fever and cough and was immediately sent home with instructions to call 111 (the dedicated NHS phone number) to get a test and let us know how they get on. I will continue to frequently wash my hands with soap until I've finished singing happy birthday twice, then rinse them and dry them off.

Virus Statistics as of 10am UK time today

Region	Today	Yesterday	% change
Global	132,567	124,518	+6.5%
China	80,981	80,980	Negligible
Italy	15,113	12,462	+21.3%
Iran	10,075	9,000	+11.9%
South Korea	7,979	7,869	+1.4%
Spain	2,965	2,140	+38.6%
France	2,860	2,269	+26.0%
Germany	2,369	1,567	+51.2%
USA	1,663	1,312	+26.8%
Switzerland	858	645	+33.0%
Japan	675	620	+8.9%
Denmark	674	615	+9.6%
Sweden	620	461	+34.5%
Netherlands	614	503	+22.1%
United Kingdom	594	N/A	Cannot quantify, no data on WHO site for UK for yesterday
...
San Marino	63	0	N/A
Iceland	109	0	N/A

San Marino and Iceland I've included as a statistical quirk because of their populations of 33,400 and 350,000 respectively, meaning their infection per capita are now the highest in the world. 109 in Iceland is equivalent to 95,000 people having it in the US.

All other countries with under 500 identified infections not listed Total countries infected worldwide = 123, an increase from yesterday of 5. Source: The WHO dashboard (Link), except for USA where I'm using the John Hopkins University dashboard (Link). (Personal note: Western countries infection counts are increasing each day much faster than Asian countries but that may be due to cultural differences or it may be that they're doing my testing, if anyone can shed light on this please do).
Reminder, these are identified case counts and medical experts are reporting this virus has a long incubation period with people being infections despite displaying no symptoms; the true infection figures are likely to be much higher.

Virus reaction

Trump blames Obama for shortcomings in the US response to the virus outbreak - I can't link tweets, so C&P: "For decades the @CDCgov looked at, and studied, its testing system, but did nothing about it. It would always be inadequate and slow for a large scale pandemic, but a pandemic would never happen, they hoped. President Obama made changes that only complicated things further....." ".... Their response to H1N1 Swine Flu was a full scale disaster, with thousands dying, and nothing meaningful done to fix the testing problem, until now. The changes have been made and testing will soon happen on a very large scale basis. All Red Tape has been cut, ready to go!" (Personal note: A quick google suggests 12,000 Americans died from H1N1.)

Coronavirus: China’s first confirmed Covid-19 case traced back to November 17 - The South China Morning Post reports the first case is traced back as far as November 17 with 266 in total identified with the disease in 2019 raising questions why it took so long to inform the world health organisation.

Sports

The virus is causing havoc with professional sport schedules around the world; I thought I'd list some examples because in some cases these are $1bn+ USD value sports and there will be economic impacts as a result. A detailed BBC link is here, but some choice excerpts are below (source = BBC unless stated otherwise)
- All champions league and Europa league football games in Europe are postponed for next week (Source: Today's Guardian live blog). In the UK, the Premier league, Football league (next one down) and professional Women's league are suspended until 3rd April. Real Madrid, Arsenal and Everton's first teams have all been quarantined while a Chelsea first team player has tested positive and without overly doxxing myself, some players from my local city's premiership team here in England are also now in quarantine.
- In the US, the NBA, NHL and MLS are all suspended whilst MLB has postponed the start of its season for at least two weeks. College basketball has also been suspended. American football is in the off season (the draft starts late April) and thus unaffected at present.
- All rugby games in France (it's a popular sport there) are cancelled.
- Golf: The Players Championship in Florida is cancelled after one round with the PGA Tour suspending all play until 2 April.
- The Australian Formula 1 race has been called off hours before fans started to arrive for practice day. The next race in Bahrain was already cancelled. Formula-E has been cancelled for the next two months.
- Multiple cricket games have been called off including England v Sri Lanka (both top tier teams).

Other virus news in brief

- Madrid is considering whether to shut down whilst 70,000 in the Barcelona municipality area have been ordered to remain at home for two weeks
- New countries who have also recently decided to declare emergencies: Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Portugal.
- Multiple petitions have been launched in the UK calling for Universities to stop classes and move online. Already multiple universities in other countries have done so, particularly in the US (UCLA, NYU, Yale and Princeton rank among those who have done so).
- Nepal has closed all access to their highest mountains including Everest and K2. Climbing permits are required to ascend their highest mountains raising approx. $4m USD per year for the government. Access to Everest from the Chinese side was suspended yesterday.
- A Philippine member of the UN has tested positive in NYC, the first infection to impact the UN.
- All catholic churches in Rome have been closed indefinitely by the Vatican
- Canadian PM Justin Trudeau's wife has tested positive and is exhibiting mild symptoms forcing him to go into self isolation
- The Australian share market closed 4.4% up after falling almost 7% on opening.
- Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Paris Resort announced they would close through the end of the month, starting at the close of business Sunday.
- Disney's postponed the release of live action remake Mulan due to the situation.
- British travel group Saga says it is suspending its cruise operations until early May, at an estimated cost of about £10m - £15m ($12.5m - $18.8m).
- Japan is still insisting the Olympics will go ahead despite Trump suggesting otherwise (it opens 24th July)

Economics

JP Morgan forecasts a US recession for 2020 - Forexlive reports that the investment bank sees the US economy falling into a recession this year. An economy is said to be in a recession when the GDP growth rate is negative for two consecutive quarters or more.

US airline Jetblue CEO says drop off in passenger demand worse than post 9/11 - Boston's public radio station has an article (link) quoting the airline's CEO as saying that passenger drop off is even worse than it was after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines are all cutting back on the number of domestic and international flights as bookings decline. United says ticket sales have fallen 25%, while Delta reports a 25% to 35% drop in bookings over the past two weeks. JetBlue decreased 5% of its capacity for April and is reviewing further cuts, Hayes says. It took US airlines 2 years to recover passenger volumes back to pre 9/11 levels.

Supply chain

Industry disputes Trump statement that Europe air travel ban exempts freight (personal note: It's likely trans-Atlantic airfreight prices will jump soon) - Freightwaves says (link) that the banning of foreign nationals for entry into the US if they've been in the Schengen zone in the past 14 days will have a severe impact on trans-Atlantic cargo availability because a considerable majority of the cargo on this tradelane is carried by passenger airlines. Whilst US and diplomatic personnel will still be able to fly into the US from the Schengen zone (as well as UK and Irish citzens from the UK and Ireland), it is expected to significantly reduce the amount of airlines flying. The Europe-North American market, which includes Canada, accounted for 6.3% of world air cargo tonnage in 2017, according to the Boeing Co.’s World Air Cargo Market Forecast that was published the following year. About 200,000 flights were scheduled during 2019 between the U.S. and the Schengen Area, equal to about 550 flights per day, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Approximately 46 million passengers flew on those routes last year, IATA said. Rates on the tradelane are expected to rapidly triple in the next few weeks as a result of significantly reduced passenger flight frequency.

Dachser expanding Shanghai airfreight service in ‘volatile’ coronavirus times - Freightwaves reports (link) that it's launching a new airbridge from the US / Latin America via its Frankfurt gateway to Shanghai. Beginning Monday, Dachser Air & Sea Logistics will offer an air bridge among the United States, Latin America and its airfreight gateway in Frankfurt, Germany, for deliveries to Shanghai. The charter flight rotation initially is scheduled to operate through the end of March. Dachser, the Germany-headquartered global logistics provider, said in an announcement Thursday that it was adding to its existing charter service between Frankfurt and China because the worldwide coronavirus pandemic is “having a serious impact on capacity in the airfreight market.” “Because the situation is so volatile, capacity planning is becoming a real challenge,” the announcement said. Dachser said it will charter 747s and integrate them into the rotation of flights from Frankfurt to Shanghai and vice versa.

Coronavirus spawns worldwide box-repositioning challenge - Freightwave reports that availability of empty containers is likely to become an issue in Asia causing problems with exports. Normally, container ships bring loaded containers on headhaul runs to the U.S. and Europe. The boxes are emptied and then used for backhaul export cargoes from the U.S. and Europe. The blanked (industry term meaning cancelled) sailings slashed the number of boxes arriving on headhaul (mainly Asia to Western consumer country) routes, and at the same time, impaired the ability to return empties via the backhaul routes. The problem therefore is that full containers heading from Western countries to Asia will begin to compete for space on ships with empty containers that need to return for a new load. This is likely to cause a spike in backhaul rates; the rate from Northern Europe to China is up 55% since Feb. 18, and the rate from the Mediterranean to China is up 70%. US to China rates have not moved. The container-repositioning equation hinges on how quickly Asian manufacturing gets back to normal on one hand, and how import demand in Europe and the U.S. is affected by coronavirus on the other.

Liners warned to brace for 17m teu drop in volumes this year - Splash247 is reporting a well known analyst's note that he expects container volumes to drop by 10% this year (Link). Lars Jensen from Copenhagen-based SeaIntelligence Consulting wrote on LinkedIn yesterday of the potential 17m teu loss for liners and a consequent 80m teu loss for the world’s container terminals. Jensen made his forecast based on the industry suffering a 10% drop in business, as it did in the wake of the global financial crisis from 2008. Andy Lane from CTI Consultancy backed the potential 10% shortfall, but reckoned the 80m teu figure for ports was around 10m too high. Also citing the 2008 financial crisis, Lane suggested the bounce back next year could be phenomenal. “What we saw after 2008 was a huge spike in growth in 2010 to well beyond 2007 levels, and the effects of this current issue will ease faster,” Lane predicted, adding: “So it will be a tough year in 2020 for all, but maybe a nice 2021 ahead.”

China-US airfreight rates still going up - Supplychaindive says that airfreight links on the important China-US tradelane continue to rise (Link). Airfreight rates from China to the U.S. increased by 27% between Feb. 24 and March 9 to reach $3.49 per kilogram, according to the latest numbers from the TAC Index. Air cargo rates within Asia are also increasing, an indication that factories are beginning to restock, according to a note from Freightos. Flight cancellations out of China have removed 5,100 tons of capacity from China per day on average causing a shortage in airfreight capacity.

62% of procurement, supply chain managers experiencing supplier delays from China - Supplychaindive reports that 62% percent of procurement and supply chain managers across a range of manufacturing and non-manufacturing industries are experiencing supplier delays out of China. "We saw a spike in companies looking for alternate sources outside of China for suppliers [in 2019]," Thomas Derry, CEO of ISM, told Supply Chain Dive in an interview. "Those companies are definitely much better positioned today, because the other side of the same data we collected showed that there were a lot of companies that took a wait and see approach to monitoring the situation. Those companies today, by and large, are in a really tough place right now as lead times have doubled.

Supply chain managers - If you use Maersk to move your cargo and are struggling to shift it given current constraints, they have launched a web page listing their alternative solutions - see https://www.maersk.com/stay-ahead.

Wuhan Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Info [Megathread #2]

Lost in the Sauce: Trump properties reopen while Trump campaign fundraises on lockdowns

Welcome to Lost in the Sauce, keeping you caught up on political and legal news that often gets buried in distractions and theater… or a global health crisis. The title refers to sections "Trump properties" and "Trump campaign"
TLDR pinned at top of comments
Housekeeping:

HOW TO SUPPORT: I know we are all facing unprecedented financial hardships right now. If you are in the position to support my work, I have a patreon, venmo, and a paypal set up. No pressure though, I will keep posting these pieces no matter what.
NOTIFICATIONS: You can signup to receive notifications when these coronavirus-centric posts are done and/or the weekly political-legal posts (Lost in the Sauce) are done.

Oversight slowly getting started

Select Committee

Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appointed the remaining Democratic members to the newly-created House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis. Led by Majority Whip James Clyburn (SC), the panel includes: Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (NY) Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters (CA), Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia Velazquez (NY), Jamie Raskin (MD), Bill Foster (IL), and Andy Kim (NJ).
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) can appoint five Republicans to serve on the committee, but it is unclear if he will do so. On Thursday, McCarthy called the panel a political exercise, saying: “I’m not convinced that we even participate in something like this.”

CARES Oversight Commission

There is a separate committee - the five-person Congressional Oversight Commission - that is also meant to keep tabs on how the CARES Act is implemented. There is significant confusion around how this panel differs from the Select Committee created by Pelosi.
The Oversight Commission still lacks a chair, meant to be chosen jointly by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker Pelosi. The other four members: Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA), chosen by McConnell; Rep. French Hill (R-AR), chosen by McCarthy; former Elizabeth Warren advisor Bharat Ramamurti, chosen by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer; Rep. Donna Shalala (D-FL), chosen by Pelosi.
Pelosi’s pick, Rep. Shalala, recently came under harsh criticism for failing to disclose stocks that she sold as she was preparing to enter Congress in 2019. Pelosi has no intention of removing her from the commission.

Shalala said she had been in the process of placing her assets into a blind trust when the trades were made. The trust still has not been finalized, the Herald reports, so the disclosures were still required...under the 2012 STOCK Act, regulation meant to prevent congressional insider trading.

IG Committee

The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) is a panel of 21 inspectors general mandated “to promote transparency and support and conduct oversight of the funds provided to address the pandemic response by the CARES Act, the Paycheck Protection Program,” and other related legislation. The committee exists as part of the Committee of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) and is therefore under the purview of the chair of that committee, DOJ IG Michael Horowitz.
The CIGIE had chosen Pentagon IG Glenn Fine to chair PRAC, but at the beginning of April, Trump replaced Fine with a different acting official within the Pentagon, thereby preventing Fine from leading the coronavirus oversight effort. PRAC pushed forward regardless last week, revealing a new website to keep the public informed on its activities. Horowitz lists himself as the acting-chair, with no replacement for Fine yet appointed.
The CIGIE named its executive director, last week, as well: Robert Westbrooks, the current inspector general of a massive federal retirement benefit program called the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.

Other oversight actions

Watchdog group Accountable US is trying a new tactic to investigate the Trump administration’s failure to provide states with adequate testing and other support to respond to the pandemic, filing nearly 200 public records requests across all 50 states seeking communications between state officials and the federal government.

Since states tend to be faster and more responsive to public records requests, the approach may offer a quicker path toward transparency and accountability than document requests to the federal government — or congressional investigations.

...
The House Foreign Affairs Committee, led by Chairman Eliot Engel, is investigating the Trump administration’s decision to withhold funding to the World Health Organization. “The Administration’s explanation for this decision is inadequate, and the Committee on Foreign Affairs is determined to understand the reasons behind this self-defeating withdrawal from global leadership,” the chairman wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Engel set a May 4 deadline - today - for fulfilling a variety of documents requests. If the administration does not comply, "the Committee will consider all other measures at its disposal to compel their production."

Semi-related: The president announced the nomination of an inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services, who, if confirmed, would replace an acting official whose report embarrassed Mr. Trump.

The never-ending list of problems

From the perspective of average Americans, there were a great many problems with the CARES Act passed at the end of March. Individuals and entities who needed assistance the least ended up receiving the most.

Lobbyists: At least 25 former officials who once worked for the Trump administration, campaign, or transition team are now registered as lobbyists for clients with novel coronavirus needs.
- One firm in particular, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, emerged as the first quarter lobbying winner, receiving more than $11 million from clients. That's a 21% increase over last year’s first quarter revenue. 52% of the firm’s new clients registered with the firm solely for pandemic-related legislation.
More than a month after the CARES Act was passed, the Treasury Department has yet to disburse $8 billion in coronavirus relief funds to Native tribes. Tribes are suing the department for missing its April 26 deadline to distribute funds.
More than a dozen Native American tribes have brought a second lawsuit against the Treasury for its plan to give for-profit Native corporations (ANCs) a share of the $8 billion fund. Last week, US District Judge Amit Mehta ruled in favor of the tribes, concluding that there is no evidence that ANCs are actually providing public services during the pandemic. Judge Mehta’s order did not force the Treasury to disburse the funds, however, so it is still not known when tribes will receive the aid.
In the last four weeks, the billionaire class has added $308bn to its wealth. Eight of those billionaires have seen their net worth surge by over $1bn each, including the Amazon boss, Jeff Bezos, and his ex-wife MacKenzie Bezos; Eric Yuan, founder of Zoom; the former Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer; and Elon Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX technocrat.
The mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, has alleged that none of the island’s eligible residents have received their expected stimulus payments from the federal government. The direct deposits will be released to some of Puerto Rico’s residents after the U.S. Treasury approves of Puerto Rico’s distribution plan, Francisco Parés, Secretary at the Puerto Rico Treasury Department, said last week.
Tiny airports rake in big cash after botched stimulus formula: Airports with little or no debt and a decent amount of cash on hand were entitled to receive a relatively large share of the money. But that inherently benefited small airports because they don’t have the huge amounts of debt associated with capital projects at larger airports. For example, a tiny airport in Devils Lake, N.D., scored enough money under the federal stimulus law to cover its expenses for 50 years. JFK International in New York, got barely enough aid to make it through three months of operations.

Small business loans

Dallas billionaire Monty Bennett - a major Trump donor - became the largest recipient of funds from the Paycheck Protection Program. Last week, his company Ashford Inc. was defiant, saying it would be keeping the $126 million in forgivable loans. Then Saturday, Ashford backtracked, saying it will return all funds “due to the [small business] agency's recently changed rules and inconsistent federal guidance that put the companies at compliance risk.”
Elite private schools were approved for and accepted small business loans, including schools with endowments exceeding tens of millions of dollars. St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Maryland, attended by Trump’s son Barron, is planning on keeping the small business loan it secured. Sidwell Friends, the alma mater of President Obama’s daughters, also intends to keep its loan, as does Brentwood School in LA, attended by Treasury Secretary Mnuchin’s two children.
In addition to the Trump-connected companies identified in my previous post, three more have been identified: Capstone Turbine Corp., got $2.6 million in loans; Continental Materials received $5.5 million in loans; Easypost, whose CEO is a Trump donor, obtained an unspecified loan as well.
The Center for Responsible Lending warned that “Roughly 95% of Black-owned businesses, 91% of Latino-owned businesses, 91% of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander-owned businesses, and 75% of Asian-owned businesses stand close to no chance of receiving a PPP loan through a mainstream bank or credit union.”
The first round of coronavirus aid to small businesses was a boon to rural states that backed President Donald Trump but haven’t been hit as hard by the pandemic as Democratic strongholds on the coasts. Of the 10 states that had the largest shares of approved loans as a portion of eligible payrolls in the aid program, eight of them backed President Donald Trump in the last election.

McGahn case

On Tuesday, the full D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in the House’s case to enforce a subpoena for the testimony of former White House Counsel Don McGahn.

Throughout the three-hour teleconference argument, judges raised concerns about whether cutting off the courts to Congress would remove any incentive for future presidents to cooperate or negotiate with lawmakers trying to check executive power.
Most of the nine judges who joined in the rare en banc session Tuesday seemed receptive to the House’s concerns, with one judge musing the Trump administration was so intent on sidelining the courts that the public would be left only with "revolution" as an alternative.

Note: Judges Gregory Katsas and Neomi Rao did not participate Tuesday. Both were nominated by the president and previously held high-level positions in the Trump administration.

Border wall case

The full D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals also heard a case about Trump’s border wall spending:

The House lawsuit claims Trump violated the Constitution by ignoring the spending limits imposed by Congress and diverting more than $6 billion allocated for other purposes to fund the wall… Justice Department lawyers told the appeals court Tuesday a single chamber of Congress cannot sue the administration because the power to appropriate federal funds is assigned to Congress as a whole.
Judge Thomas B. Griffith appeared to embrace that argument, asking the House lawyer: “Isn’t it pretty clear that you need to have the Senate with you right now to bring this suit?”

Mueller grand jury case

The DC Circuit Court of Appeals gave the Justice Department 10 days - until May 11 - to turn over Mueller’s grand jury materials to the House Judiciary Committee or file for an injunction with the Supreme Court, teeing up yet another dispute at the high court.

Flynn case

On Wednesday, Michael Flynn’s attorneys made public FBI investigation notes related to the probe that led to Flynn’s indictment, guilty plea, and recent attempt to take back his plea. Trump supporters seized on a handwritten note from then-FBI counterintelligence director Bill Priestap, discussing how agents should approach a critical 2017 interview with Flynn about his contacts with Russia’s ambassador to the United States before Trump took office.
Flynn & Trump supporters argue the documents show that Flynn was railroaded into pleading guilty, with his lawyers saying it is “stunning” evidence that their client was “set up and framed by corrupt agents at the top of the FBI.”

"What's our goal? Truth/Admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?" Priestap wrote. "If we get him to admit to breaking the Logan Act, give facts to DOJ & have them decide. Or, if he initially lies, then we present him [redacted] & he admits it, document for DOJ, & let them decide how to address it."

Chuck Rosenberg, a former U.S. attorney who also served as Comey’s chief of staff, said the notes do not make a case for entrapment.

“It is not a close call,” said Rosenberg. “In this situation, Flynn had three options: tell the truth, lie or refuse to talk. The FBI did not plant a lie, urge him to repeat the lie, record him in the lie, and then prosecute him for lying. That might be entrapment. Here, Flynn was predisposed to lie, chose to talk, and then lied. That’s not entrapment.”
“Even if the government knows you’re lying, lying to the government is a crime,” Harry Sandick, a defense attorney who previously worked in the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office, said. False statements, even if the government knows they’re false, are still criminal as long as their material to the investigation.

It is very unlikely that the courts will dismiss Flynn’s case because of these documents. Instead, it is more likely that the documents provide cover for Trump to issue a pardon to Flynn. Since the release, Trump has tweeted about Flynn’s case numerous times, saying in one instance: “What happened to General Michael Flynn, a war hero, should never be allowed to happen to a citizen of the United States again!”

Fox News also took up Flynn’s case, with Hannity saying the FBI forced Flynn to lie and Lindsey Graham saying that Michael Flynn was railroaded.
Further reading: “White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany promised at her first press briefing Friday that she will "never lie" but she did mislead in an answer about fired national security adviser Michael Flynn.”

A Flynn connection

Scott Stedman has done some great reporting on Circles Bulgaria - a hacking/surveillance firm under the control of the infamous Israeli spyware company NSO Group. Circles has tools to hack civilians and track their location, read their messages, emails, and listen in to their calls covertly. Their tech has been sold to Ecuador, Mexico, UAE, and elsewhere.
Circles is owned by a firm that worked with Michael Flynn. In other words, a US Lieutenant General and former National Security Advisor to Trump works with firms using spyware on citizens.

Former Trump adviser Michael Flynn, who pled guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations with the Russian Ambassador before withdrawing his guilty plea in January by claiming entrapment, advised Circles’ parent company OSY Technologies in 2016 and 2017, receiving just over $40,000.

Full disclosure: I write for Forensic News, so I'm a bit biased when I say we do great work

Roger Stone disclosures

Newly-released documents from the FBI reveal that Roger Stone had extensive contact with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange during Trump’s 2016 campaign.

In the missives, Stone and Assange discussed the origin of damaging information on Hillary Clinton that U.S. officials believe was hacked by Russians and handed to WikiLeaks. In a direct message on Twitter cited by the FBI, Stone told Assange “as a journalist it doesn’t matter where you get information only that it is accurate and authentic,” adding, “If the US government moves on you I will bring down the entire house of cards.”
After Stone congratulated Assange on “the trumped-up sexual assault charges” being “dropped,” an apparent reference to a sexual-assault investigation by Swedish authorities, Assange replied: “Between CIA and DoJ they’re doing quite a lot. On the DoJ side that’s coming most strongly from those obsessed with taking down Trump trying to squeeze us into a deal.” Stone wrote back that he was doing everything possible to “address the issues at the highest level of Government.” (DB)

Trump tweeted: Does anybody really believe that Roger Stone, a man whose house was raided early in the morning by 29 gun toting FBI Agents (with Fake News @CNN closely in toe), was treated fairly. How about the jury forewoman with her unannounced hatred & bias. Same scammers as General Flynn!

Trump properties

WaPo: The Secret Service rented a room at President Trump’s Washington hotel for 137 consecutive nights in 2017 — paying Trump’s company more than $33,000 — so it could guard Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin while he lived in one of the hotel’s luxury suites
During a phone call with governors, Trump - who owns a hotel on the Las Vegas Strip - asked Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, a Democrat, whether he had made a decision on opening his state "and the Strip, etc., etc., with all your hotels." A Las Vegas re-opening, Trump said, "will be a big thing."
CNN: Several Trump Organization golf properties previously closed to comply with various business restrictions related to the coronavirus outbreak have reopened... Trump National Doral Miami Golf Club reopened for members on Friday and as of Saturday, guests of the hotel are also able to golf… Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, has been open only to members since Wednesday. And Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, reopened Saturday, also to members only. Trump National Golf Club Washington, DC, in Potomac Falls VA, is open Saturday.
Salon: On the same day that President Donald Trump ordered a temporary halt on some green cards, his second son promoted Trump-branded "quarantine wine" on social media. Though he initially vowed to "temporarily suspend" all immigration to the country, the president ultimately signed a more limited order. The ban did not suspend the visas for agricultural workers from which Trump Vineyards benefits.

Trump campaign

WSJ: President Trump’s reelection campaign has placed an order for “red, Trump-branded face masks for supporters… Campaign officials have discussed giving away the masks at events or in return for donations.” ...Along with selling the masks, the campaign is planning a TV blitz and several events focused on older voters.
- The Trump administration initially intended to manufacture millions of cloth face masks to give to Americans to survive the coronavirus pandemic. The idea was ultimately scrapped over worries about logistics.
NPR: From Puzzles To Plastic Straws: Merch Plays A Key Role In Trump's Fundraising. At a time when jigsaw puzzles may be harder to come by than toilet paper, the hot new item in the Trump campaign online store is a 200-piece puzzle, featuring a faintly smiling President Trump standing in front of an American flag, giving two thumbs up. The $35 puzzle is just the latest example of the campaign capitalizing on in-the-moment merchandise.
- Those of us keeping track of Trump campaign emails have noticed an uptick in the promotion of other lockdown-friendly merch like “Trump-Pence Pint Glasses” and “Trump-Pence 2020 Playing Cards.”
Daily Beast: Trump Victory, a joint fundraising committee between the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee, and the RNC itself, have paid the Pluvious Group, a GOP consultancy in Los Angeles, nearly $2 million since Trump became the nominee in 2016...Pluvious [was] part of a federal criminal investigation in late 2018 into “whether foreigners contributed money to the Trump inaugural fund and PAC by possibly using American intermediaries.”... [and] was part of a money laundering scheme in California that allowed donors to hide their identities in filings to work around contribution limits

Voting rights

Dallas News: Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton said that election officials in Texas who offer mail ballots to people who normally wouldn't qualify but are afraid of catching the coronavirus could be subjected to criminal punishment. Paxton’s guidance to county election officials comes two weeks after a state judge in Travis County ruled that Texas voters who fear catching the coronavirus could vote by mail.
Texas voters sue over age restrictions for mail-in ballots: The voters — all between the ages of 18 and 28 — want the courts to rule that the state's age restriction for voting by mail, which limits eligibility to those 65 and older, violates constitutional protections.
A federal judge has ruled against a conservative group’s lawsuit that sought to block [Nevada’s] planned all-mail primary election in June.
Louisiana lawmakers remotely voted by mail to roll back an expansion of vote by mail for voters concerned about the coronavirus.
AP: A federal appeals court panel ruled Wednesday that Kansas can’t require voters to show proof of citizenship when they register, dealing a blow to efforts by Republicans in several states who have pursued restrictive voting laws as a way of combating voter fraud.
“California Republicans Sue to Stop Collection of Ballots Amid Pandemic,” Courthouse News
Kansas City Star: In a Capitol hearing room that was nearly empty because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Missouri Republicans took another step Thursday evening toward repealing redistricting changes enacted by voters in 2018.

Environment

Bloomberg: The Federal Reserve revamped its Main Street Lending Program in ways that will allow battered oil companies to qualify for the aid after industry allies lobbied the Trump administration for changes… Environmentalists blasted the shifts they said rewarded oil companies that took on too much debt and were overproducing crude even before the coronavirus pandemic caused demand to plunge.
The 12 member energy panel on Trump’s so-called “Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups” panel, advising how to reopen the economy, includes 8 oil and gas executives who have collectively made more than $4.2 million in political contributions since Trump launched his presidential bid in June 2015. The energy group includes no one from the renewable energy world.
Guardian: US fossil fuel companies have taken at least $50m in taxpayer money they probably won’t have to pay back, according to a review of coronavirus aid meant for struggling small businesses...A total of $28m is going to three coal mining companies, all with ties to Trump officials…
Reuters: As the United States pressed Saudi Arabia to end its oil price war with Russia, President Donald Trump gave Saudi leaders an ultimatum: Cut oil supply or lose U.S. military support.

Immigration

“Trump renews threats to withhold federal funds from sanctuary cities amid pandemic,” CNN
Chicago Tribune: President Donald Trump’s Justice Department can’t withhold federal grants from sanctuary cities such as Chicago that extend protections to undocumented immigrants, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday.
Kera News (local Texas news): The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t stopped the Trump administration from building miles of border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. Advocates say the administration is ramping up lawsuits against South Texas landowners to take their land for border wall construction and is accelerating the approval of construction contracts.
Federal judges in Ohio and Florida have ordered ICE to release some additional detainees due to the risk of contracting COVID-19. While the Ohio order only applied to a couple of detainees with medical conditions, the Miami judge ordered hundreds to be released, citing conditions that amount to ”cruel and unusual punishment.”
“Internal ICE Reviews Of Two Immigrant Deaths Stoke Fears About COVID-19 Care,” NPR
Miami Herald: At least 60% of immigration detainees who have been tested nationwide have the virus that causes COVID-19… [however] the numbers from ICE reveal that only 1.38% of its detainees have been tested.

Jails, nursing homes, and meat plants

I didn't have time to add this to the coronavirus response post on Friday - I'm going to tack it on here because I think it is important: jails/prisons, nursing homes, and meat-packing plants make up the top 10 biggest coronavirus clusters in the U.S. This fact illustrates who America (as a nation) believes is expendable in society: prisoners, the elderly, and low-wage workers (this is an oversimplification, but you get my point).

The number of reported coronavirus cases at a Tyson Food plant in Indiana soared to nearly 900 last week. The plant has since suspended production while allowing for additional cleaning services, but will reopen under Trump’s executive order.
WaPo op-ed: I work at Smithfield Foods. I’m suing them over putting our lives at risk for your dinner. Meat processing plants can do more to protect us from the coronavirus
The Bureau of Prisons is releasing hundreds of inmates to home confinement in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. But the process is murky. Wealthy inmates are walking out the door, while the poor remain behind bars.
- Note: sparking concerns of political interference, Michael Cohen’s release from jail was postponed without explanation
A medical expert alleges that a federal jail in Brooklyn, New York, [Metropolitan Detention Center] that houses roughly 1,700 people is destroying medical records as part of a deliberate effort to obscure the number of incarcerated people infected with the coronavirus and to avoid providing them adequate care
CBS: More than 1,300 people in the New York City jail system have tested positive for the virus, according to the city's Department of Corrections. Three inmates have died, along with 10 staffers.
"Florida prison operator with worst COVID-19 safety record [GEO Group] is money tree for politicians," Miami Herald
USA Today: More than 16,000 residents and staff of nursing homes and long-term care facilities have died in the U.S., roughly a quarter of the nation’s overall deaths… In New Jersey, where the virus has reached 86% of the state’s 575 long-term care facilities, outbreaks at two veterans’ homes have left 97 dead. In multiple states, including Kentucky, Colorado and Pennsylvania, more than half of the state’s fatalities are from nursing homes.

Football players who share a name with their Head of State

So we're deep into quarantine and the shitposts are getting more immersive, though I wouldn't call this one a shitpost, more a work of art. What I did is went into a Wikipedia journey, and dug up all the heads of state of each and every country, or more presicely, "leaders whose offices constitutionally administer the executive or legislature of their respective state/government" and then took all the football players who share a name with them. I used both active and retired players, and only players from that respective nation can be used. Also there's only one player for every country. Oh, and in parentheses are the heads of state, not the footballers.
Albania - Valdet Rama (Edi Rama): Out of the two Ramas I found, Valdet is the better one, having played for the likes of Valladolid and Ingolstadt. I think Edi Rama would be quite pleased.
Angola - Luís Lourenço (João Lourenço): Luis played in abunch of European countries, ranging from England to Greece, though he recently retied, last playing in Atletico. No, not Madrid, Atletico Clube de Portugal. Pretty decent for a country like Angola I'd say.
Antigua and Barbuda - Rhys Browne (Gaston Browne): Never really having played outside of England, Rhys is still the pick for Antigua's representative considering there weren't any other Brownes who play football (or so says Wikipedia).
Argentina - Federico Fernández (Alberto Fernández): As you could guess, there are many Fernandezes (or whatever the plural is) in Argentina, so I just typed Fernandez in Google and the first option that it gave me was Federico. Well he's a decent choice, especially compared to the rest, having played in Napoli, Swansea and currently at Newcastle. Pretty good.
Austria - Karl Kurz (Sebastian Kurz): So the only person who I found sharing the name of Austria's leader is older than the Chancellor himself, given that he was born in 1898. So fair to say he's not active currently. Nonetheless he played Austria Wien, among others, so he gets to be here.
Azerbaijan - Nazim Aliyev (Ilham Aliyev): Aliyev is a pretty common surname in Azerbaijan so as with Argentina I had to go and find the first Aliyev google gives me. and it's Nazim. He played in all the big Azeri clubs and even was the top goalscorer one season, but thats all the wiki provided me with.
Bahrain - Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa (Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa): Well this is an interesting one. As it turns out he’s actually the president of the AFC, and he is a member of Bahrain’s royal family. He did play in Riffa Club in the 80s, so he has that going for him. Aside from all the oil money.
Belarus - Fedor Lukashenko (Aleksandr Lukashenko): From Belarus we have Fedor, representing big man Aleksandr. He never played outside of Belarus, but there he won 2 titles and 2 cups.
Bhutan - Karma Shedrup Tshering (Lotay Tshering): Not much do I know about this fellow but he does play in what seems to be Bhutan’s two biggest clubs, and as such he brings honor to his Prime Minister.
Bolivia - Óscar Añez (Jeanine Áñez): Although Jeanine is an interim president, she still gets to be represented by a footballer, and now it’s Óscar Añez, who you probably never heard of unless you’re Bolivian. Not really the best of picks for Bolivia now is it.
Brunei - Faiq Bolkiah (Hassanal Bolkiah): Born into a wealthy life, Faiq is the nephew of Hassanal. Faiq is one of the few players on this list who plays or has played for a Premier League side, just that it’s Leicester’s reserves. Still, I’m sure his uncle’s really proud of him.
Bulgaria - Boyko Borisov (Boyko Borisov): Yeah I went a bit too lazily with this one. Boyko is, of course, Bulgaria’s Prime Minister, but he also played a bit during his 50s for lower league side Vitosha Bistritsa, having scored 27 goals there. Maybe he’s not the best, but he still makes the cut.
Burkina Faso - Charles Kaboré (Roch Marc Christian Kaboré): A pretty good pick, this one. Charles Kabore spends his playing days in Russia and France currently at Dynamo Moscow, and has become the most capped player for Burkina Faso. Definitely a good choice among the Burkinabe players.
Cabo Verde - Lorenzo Fonseca (Jorge Carlos Fonseca): Fonseca is amongst the youngest players on this list, mostly due to the fact no other Lorenzos play football in Cabo Verde. He’s currently in Sparta, having been in the Netherlands his whole career, and already with a cap for his NT.
Colombia - Jefferson Duque (Iván Duque): The Duque of Colombia isn’t really a special player as far as I’m concerned, having played in both Mexico and his home of Colombia, currently at Atletico. Not Madrid, Atletico Nacional.
Costa Rica - Vladimir Quesada (Carlos Alvarado Quesada): What’s up with Latin American countries and Slavic names? Anyway, Vlad is retired, though as it looks he’s been a Saprissa legend. Not any day you get 412 caps. He spent a bit of time as manager, but currently he’s doing nothing.
Denmark - Jan Frederiksen (Mette Frederiksen): I honestly don’t know why, I thought there’d be some better players for Frederiksen. But alas, what we have for Denmark is a 37 year old player with no caps for the senior NT, currently at FC Græsrødderne. Good luck pronouncing that.
East Timor - José Guterres (Francisco Guterres): As you may have guessed, East Timor isn’t really an incredible country football-wise, so this shouldn’t come as a surprise that their best Guterres, which is a fairly common surname there, is a man who played 4 times for the NT.
Equatorial Guinea - Pedro Obiang (Teodoro Obiang): Representing Equatorial Guinea's dictat- errr I mean president is Pedro Obiang, a player some of you Englishmen should be familiar with. This lad grew up in Atletico's academy (yes it's Madrid's), though then moved to play for Sampdoria, and now is at Sassuolo.
Gambia - Mo Barrow (Adama Barrow): I think we at last return to somewhat more better known players with Mo Barrow, who shares a surname with his president. He’s played at Swansea and Reading, currently at loan in Turkey, in Denizlispor.
Germany - Pierre Merkel (Angela Merkel): I was close to including Alexander Merkel instead, but he declared for Kazakhstan instead, so he isn’t an option and instead we have Pierre, who plays in non-league German football, but he did have a period in Braunschweig.
Grenada - Kairo Mitchell (Keith Mitchell): Kairo, named after the great Egyptian city, spends his playing days in wherever Coalville is. He was born in Leicester, actually, and as such played a bit in Leicester, however he decided to declare for Grenada.
Guinea - Sékou Condé (Alpha Condé): So first of all I find it pretty interesting that Guinea’s president is called Alpha, but other than that Sekou Conde played a bit in Russia, Ukraine, Israel and currently in France. Also this picture of him is amazing in my opinion.
Guinea-Bissau - Carlos Embaló (Umaro Sissoco Embaló): I’m actually not sure what their president’s surname is, might be Sissoco, but in any case he is 25 years of age, and has mostly played at Palermo, where they sent him to loan almost every year, but he’s currently at Eupen, yet to get his first game.
Honduras - Eddie Hernández (Juan Orlando Hernández): As you can guess Hernandez is a really common surname in Latin American countries so I had to google Honduran players named Hernandez. So I get Eddie, who played in what seems to be every continent of the world except Oceania.
Hungary - Willi Orbán (Viktor Orbán): Back to well known players (as much as they get), Willi Orban has a pretty nice career so far, currently at Leipzig, though I don’t think he currently starts for Leipzig (well, obviously not now, but in general). Also, from what I found Viktor Orban did play professionally with Felcsút, who currently are at Hungary’s second tier, but not much info is given about this.
(Edit: he is actually RB Leipzig's captain and started every game before he got an injury so I'm really wrong about this one)
Indonesia - Rudi Widodo (Joko Widodo): This is probably a name that you’ve heard of only if you’re Indonesian. Throughout his 17-year career, he switched clubs 16 times, so it’s almost 1 club each year. Didn’t even go to loans. Insane.
Italy - Antonio Conte (Giuseppe Conte): Well this is quite interesting, isn’t it? Antonio Conte, although he may be better known for his managerial prowess, is probably the best Conte who’s from Italy and has played football. After all, 13 years as a player in a club like Juventus, arguably during their peak times is pretty impressive.
Ivory Coast - Ahmed Ouattara (Alassane Ouattara): This is a bit old, as Ahmed is currently 50 and has retired after playing 13 years, so it was a relatively difficult find. He did however have a nice time playing in Switzerland, and spent a bit in Sporting and Extremadura.
Jamaica - Omar Holness (Andrew Holness): His Holness (sorry) has played mostly in America as I am writing this, having spent a while in Real Salt Lake though currently he is playing in Darlington from England. Well, playing is a bit of an overstatement.
Japan - Hiroki Abe (Shinzo Abe): As it turns out, Abe is a pretty common surname in Japan, and Hiroki is one of many Abes that play football. It’s quite difficult to say he’s the best of all of them, but a quick google search gave me him first, and he’s currently actually at Barcelona’s reserves, so that’s not bad at all.
Liberia - George Weah (George Weah): This is probably the easiest one of all of them here. Also the man who inspired me to do this thing. I mean, it’s all pretty convenient, isn’t it? Played in PSG, AC Milan and Marseille among others, became the only African so far to win the Ballon d’Or and then pursues a political career and becomes president. Pretty comfortable pick for Liberia, no need to check for any other Weahs to know he’s the best one.
Mali - Seydou Keita (Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta): Ah we were pretty close on having Naby Keita here if he would've been Malian… But on second thought Seydou has a much better career for him. He spent 4 years in Barcelona, which I’m pretty sure might be the only one here? He also had stints in Rome, Valencia and Sevilla, so he’s a really good choice for Mali.
Mongolia - Khishigdalain Battulga (Khaltmaagiin Battulga): Look, neither of us know anything about him. I could tell you he scored a gazillion goals in Mongolia’s second division and you could believe me. I could tell you he won the Mongolian Puskas award 5 times in a row and you’d believe me. But in reality he’s a 45 year old guy who has played in Khangarid since 2003.
Montenegro - Darko Marković (Duško Marković): Darko and Dusko. This feels like some twins or something. Darko spent most of his career playing in various countries in Eastern Europe. But recently in 2019 he finally made his breakthrough - he moved out, to Melaka United in Malaysia. By the way, anyone knows why is half of Melaka United’s squad is Ethiopian? And when I click on links to them it gives me famous Ethiopian politicians?
Namibia - Nelson Geingob (Hage Geingob): Fun fact, Germany once colonized Namibia and therefore all the surnames sound German. Anyway wikipedia doesn’t provide me with a plethora of information about Nelson, but I can safely tell you he plays currently for either Chief Santos or for Fysal Oshakati City FC. Oh, and he retired in 2010.
Niger - Alhassane Issoufou (Mahamadou Issoufou): It does require quite a deep search if you find an African player who never played outside of Africa (well, technically, as he never made any caps for Lokeren). He is 39 but it appears he is still active, playing for Wydad de Fès.
North Korea - Kim Jong-song (Kim Jong-un): Surprisingly I managed to find a player from North Korea that fits the bill. He played a bit in Japan and he played for the National Team, and before you ask I couldn’t find him being related to the Supreme Leader.
North Macedonia - Metodije Spasovski (Oliver Spasovski): Although Metodije is 74 and you probably don’t know much about him he’s still had a decent career, playing for hometown club Vardar, then moving to Germany to play for Saarbrucken (who, mind you, were decent back then).
Norway - Nicolay Solberg (Erna Solberg): Doesn’t look like Solberg left Norway ever, though his best period would probably be in UllensakeKisa, where he scored 71 goals as a midfielder. Currently he’s in Fredrikstad and their badge absolutely looks like the flag of Greenland.
Pakistan - Kaleemullah Khan (Imran Khan): Down to place 200 in FIFA rankings we go to meet Kaleemullah, who played in every place you can imagine, ranging from Bishkek, to Iraq and up to Tulsa. Quite a career there, though he’s still active.
Paraguay - Miguel Ángel Benítez (Mario Abdo Benítez): Miguel is retired, however during his career he managed to make a joy out of it. He played a bit in Olimpia and Espanyol, and even in Atletico (this time it is in Madrid). During the three years he played for the National Team, he got 11 goals and 30 caps.
Portugal - Rui Costa (António Costa): Was tempted to go with Helder Costa only to remember Rui Costa exists, and he’s had a longer and better career. Starting his career in Benfica, he moved to Fiorentina and then Milan where he got 240 caps, and he played in the Euro 2004 final, after which he retired from the NT. So Portugal get a really good player, even if it’s no Ronaldo or Figo.
St. Kitts and Nevis - Atiba Harris (Timothy Harris): This man actually did have a decent career in the MLS, playing in Denver, Vancouver and San Jose, and even playing earlier in Cadiz, though currently he’s in Oklahoma City. Actually, I think there might be a chance he’s among their best ever players.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines - Kenlyn Gonsalves (Ralph Gonsalves): So the representative for St Vincent is a 44 year old retired strikes called Kenlyn Gonsalves, who’s representing his country. Unfortunately for Ralph Gonsalves, St. Vincent’s president, he has only ever played in Stubborn Youth and Pastures United, both clubs so shite they don’t get a wikipedia page.
Senegal - Abdou Sall (Macky Sall): I didn’t expect to find a Sall in here, but in any case Abdou Sall is a Senegalese defender, uncapped for the NT who played a while in Forest Green Rovers and Kidderminster Harriers, and made two appearances for St. Pauli.
Spain - Quique Sánchez Flores - (Pedro Sánchez): Honestly, there are many Spanish players called Sanchez so I might’ve missed someone obvious, but what google gave me was Quique Sanchez Flores. Now a manager of course, but he had a rich career with Valencia, and a couple of seasons in Real Madrid. He was last seen managing Watford.
Turkey - Yusuf Erdoğan (Recep Tayyip Erdoğan): Actually, Erdoğan the president did play for a while in a semi-pro team (and if things hadn’t gone a certain path, he’d be known better due to football rather politics), but our best football player called Erdogan is Yusuf, currently at Kasimpasa, having played earlier at Trabzonspor and Bursaspor, never having left Turkey.
United Kingdom - Glen Johnson (Boris Johnson): Similarly to Spain there are many Johnsons who play football from the UK so I might’ve again missed someone, so a quick google search gave me Glen Johnson. Well, actually it gave me Adam Johnson but he’s a cunt so we’re going with Glen Johnson instead, who played all across England, though mostly concentrated at London, eventually moving to Portsmouth, Liverpool and Stoke where he finished off his career. He also participated in the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, and in the 2012 Euros. Not a bad one overall.
Vietnam - Lee Nguyen (Nguyen Phu Thong): Surname-wise this wasn’t hard, Nguyen is by far the most common surname in Vietnam, and as such it is quite common in the world as well. But we’re not here to talk surnames (sort of), we’re here for football, and Vietnam’s representative is Lee Nguyen, who started out in PSV where he didn’t cut it through, went back to Vietnam, and then went to the US, where he mostly starred for New England Revolution.
Zambia - Chisamba Lungu (Edgar Lungu): For our last country we go to Zambia and it’s Chisamba Lungu, who played at the likes of Ural Yekaterinburg, Alanyaspor, and of course, how not, Buildcon, Zambia’s best football team (oh wait they’re in the relegation spots)
And now let's see who's the best football player, if we replace the heads of state with the football players who share their name! It's George Weah. After that I guess it's either Rui Costa or Glen Johnson and maybe Antonio Conte.

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Bulgaria has updated its entry and quarantine requirements. Bulgaria has reopened its borders to travelers from most European countries. All travelers must present a medical certificate with a negative PCR test result issued within 72 hours prior to arrival. Location: Bulgaria Event: Health Alert: Ministry of Health Order Update and Extension The January 26, 2021 Ministry of Health announcement revises and extends entry restrictions and quarantine requirements through April 30, 2021, and introduces a negative PCR test requirement for persons entering Bulgaria. Travellers can find more information on entry regulations and testing requirements on the website of the Federal Ministry of Health. Quarantine regulations In Germany, the individual Länder are Bulgaria Latest News: Updated entry and quarantine requirements through 30 April (OSAC, 28.01.2021) Government to make all incoming travelers take COVID-19 tests (Yahoo News, 25.01.2021). Bulgarian government to permit resumption of flights from the U.K. from 23 December (Reuters, 23.12.2020). Limited transportation options are available, and some businesses are operating, usually with significant restrictions. Quarantine measures or entry restrictions are in place for certain U.S. citizen travelers. Visit the Embassy's COVID-19 page for more information on COVID-19 in Bulgaria. Read the country information page. Americans are allowed into Serbia without testing or quarantine requirements at this Bulgaria or Romania will need to provide a negative COVID-19 PCR test result from a test taken within the Follow any entry requirements or restrictions at your destination which might include testing, quarantine, and providing contact information. If you test positive on arrival, you might be required to isolate. You might be prevented from returning to the United States as scheduled. If you get sick in Bulgaria, you might need medical care. Bulgarian citizens, residents, and their immediate family members may opt to undertake a mandatory 10-day quarantine period upon arrival to Bulgaria in lieu of providing evidence of a negative PCR... From 2 February 2021, the 10 day quarantine on arrival, in lieu of a PCR test for people legally resident in Bulgaria, can be shortened if they present a negative PCR test performed within 24 3. Passengers could be subject to a Coronavirus (COVID-19) PCR test and quarantine for 10 days upon arrival. 4. All national ID cards issued to nationals of Bulgaria and which have expired between 13 March 2020 and 31 January 2021, are considered valid with a prolongation of 6 months. 5.

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The 10 BIGGEST Travel Mistakes TO NOT MAKE - YouTube

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Countries Americans Can Travel to Without COVID-19 Testing

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COVID-19 Megathread #5

COVID-19 Megathread #4

Which countries still have basic freedoms? Trying to decide where to go to

Does anyone know of any countries right now that still have basic freedoms and aren't enforcing draconian rules?

Japanlife Coronavirus Megathread VI

Japanlife Coronavirus Megathread V

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Wuhan Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Info [Megathread #2]

General info

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Lost in the Sauce: Trump properties reopen while Trump campaign fundraises on lockdowns

Oversight slowly getting started

Select Committee

CARES Oversight Commission

IG Committee

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The never-ending list of problems

McGahn case

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Mueller grand jury case

Flynn case

A Flynn connection

Roger Stone disclosures

Trump properties

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Jails, nursing homes, and meat plants

Football players who share a name with their Head of State

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The 10 BIGGEST Travel Mistakes TO NOT MAKE - YouTube