Reuters: Top News

Single passenger flights: The daily woes of airlines, and the crew still working (Sat, 04 Apr 2020)
When Reuters photographer Carlos Barria boarded American Airlines flight 4511 from Washington Reagan National Airport to New Orleans on Friday for an assignment, he was the only passenger on the 76-seat jet.
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United slashes New York-area flights due to coronavirus (Sat, 04 Apr 2020)
United Airlines said late Saturday it will drastically reduce flights to two New York City airports amid the coronavirus outbreak.
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SRN News

US braces for more virus deaths; Europe hopes crisis peaking (Sun, 05 Apr 2020)
NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. warned of many more coronavirus deaths in the days ahead as the global pandemic muted traditional observances from family grave-cleaning ceremonies in China to Palm Sunday for many Christians. Italy and Spain, the two hardest-hit European nations, expressed hope that the crisis was peaking in their countries, though Italian officials said the emergency is far from over as infections have plateaued but not started to decline. A chaotic scramble for desperately needed medical equipment and protective gear engulfed the United States, prompting intense squabbling between the states and federal government at a moment the nation is facing one of its gravest emergencies. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo praised China for facilitating a shipment of 1,000 ventilators, as President Donald Trump said states are making inflated requests for supplies and suggested he had a hand in the shipment. Cuomo acknowledged asking the White House and others for help negotiating the ventilators. “We have given the governor of New York more than anybody has ever been given in a long time,” Trump told reporters in Washington. Trump warned Saturday that the country could be headed into its toughest weeks, but also said he’s eager to get it reopened and its stalled economy back on track. “There will be a lot of death, unfortunately,” the American president said in a somber start to his daily briefing on the pandemic. “There will be death.” The number of confirmed infections topped 1.2 million globally, and the death toll neared 65,000, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker. The virus causes mild to moderate symptoms such as fever and cough in most patients, who recover within a few weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness such as pneumonia and death. The number of people infected in the U.S. has soared to more than 300,000 as the fatalities climbed past 8,400. Many of the victims are in New York City, but the outbreak is deepening elsewhere too. More than 400 people have died in Louisiana, where state authorities have been sprinting to find ventilators. Michigan has more than 14,000 infections and 500 deaths, mainly in Detroit. New infections have slowed in Italy, with 4,805 new cases registered Saturday to bring its official count to 124,632. The death toll, the highest in the world, rose to 15,362. In Spain, which has a similar number of infections, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said that his nation is “starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.” He said in a televised address that if current trends continue, experts say Spain can begin reducing the outbreak in the coming days. The spread of the disease has largely subsided in China, where the first cases were reported in December, but officials have moved cautiously to reopen public spaces. The Beijing government said Sunday that about 78,000 people had visited cemeteries in the Chinese capital for annual “tomb-sweeping” ceremonies, down 90% over the same period last year. Visitors were required to reserve in advance to limit numbers, and more than 13,000 paid respects to the deceased online through a portal that allows them to light a candle, burn incense and offer wine and flowers, all virtually. For Christians, worries about the coronavirus have triggered widespread cancellations of Holy Week, from Palm Sunday to Easter on April 12. Pope Francis will be celebrating Mass for Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday and Easter in a near-empty St. Peter’s Basilica, instead of the huge square outside filled with Catholic faithful. In his native Argentina, the archbishopric of La Plata encouraged the faithful to use any type of plant at home for a “virtual” blessing during a livestream of Palm Sunday service. Guatemala has prohibited travel, except for work, and banned spending time at the beach during Holy Week, a traditional spring holiday. Sales of alcohol to the public is also being banned. Bulgarian officials have called on the country’s Orthodox Christian majority to stay away from church services during the Easter holidays. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church is resisting calls to close houses of worship, the only denomination in the country to do so. “We urge all Bulgarian citizens not to treat Palm Sunday and Easter as holidays,” said Bulgarian crisis team leader Ventsislav Mutafchiyski. “Do not go anywhere.” Countries with overcrowded prisons are releasing inmates to reduce the coronavirus risk. Britain said it would temporarily release about 4,000 low-risk inmates and give them electronic tags. According to official figures, 88 inmates and 15 prison staff have tested positive for the disease. Britain’s prison population of more than 80,000 is one of the largest in western Europe, and many prisons hold far more inmates than they were designed for. A statement from the Sri Lankan government said that about 2,900 prisoners have been released from overcrowded prisons in the country off India’s southeast coast to contain the spread of the virus. Prisoners have been released on bail within the period from March 17 to April 4. Sri Lanka’s prisons are highly congested, with more than 26,000 inmates in prisons with a total capacity under 10,000. ___ Moritsugu reported from Beijing. Associated Press writers around the world contributed to this report. ___ Follow AP news coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
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Coronavirus pandemic disrupts Appalachian Trail dreams (Sun, 05 Apr 2020)
COSBY, Tenn. (AP) — When Alexandra Eagle first mentioned plans to hike the entire Appalachian Trail alongside her new husband, her sister told her they’d either be divorced in five months or married forever. Eagle, 33, and Jonathan Hall, 36, had just moved out of their Brooklyn apartment when they married on March 2, the third anniversary of the blind date that brought them together. They had talked about the Appalachian Trail in their first conversation and, when it came time to plan a honeymoon, they decided to make the hike. “This was going to be an epic adventure,” Eagle told The Associated Press. The couple spent a year researching, training and saving before setting off on the 2,190-mile (3,525-kilometer) journey seven days after their wedding. They knew about the new coronavirus spreading across the globe but considered themselves lucky to be trading Brooklyn for a tent on the trail, especially as New York fell under restrictions to prevent to the virus’s spread. “We always figured that being out on the trial and seeing a dozen people a day was a fine position to be in,” Hall said. As the pandemic grows, hikers face the difficult decision to postpone their dreams or ignore warnings and forge ahead. Like virtually every other entity in the U.S., the Appalachian Trail Conservancy began issuing COVID-19 safety guidance in March. But social distancing and hand-washing suggestions soon shifted to urging all hikers to leave the trail immediately. Shelters and privies were shut down, and volunteer programs were halted. On Wednesday, the conservancy and 29 other trail-maintaining clubs asked federal officials to close the trail until the end of the month. Though more than 3,000 “thru-hikers” set out to traverse the length of the trail each year, only about 25% successfully make the hike from Georgia to Maine, which typically takes about six months. Eagle and Hall never considered any scenario but finishing. They picked up speed as they moved into the Great Smoky Mountains along the Tennessee-North Carolina border. They woke to sunrise on Clingmans Dome — the trail’s highest point — a view that seemed to sum up exactly what they’d hoped for from their newlywed adventure. At the same time, families across the U.S. braced for lockdowns as COVID-19 spread through cities and towns claiming more lives. Days would pass before Eagle and Hall had enough cellphone service to see just how dire the crisis had become. Fellow thru-hiker Kimberly Selvage was 30 minutes from Hot Springs, North Carolina, when she called a local hostel to confirm her reservation. “He was like, ‘Ma’am, I think you’ve been in the woods too long; the whole world is shutting down,’” she said. That wasn’t exactly the type of solitude Selvage had in mind when she quit her job, rented out her house in Las Vegas and started her hike on Feb. 26. Selvage, 51, said she thrives by herself and set out to hike the trail alone, so when whispers of closures and restrictions started to spread, she wasn’t too concerned and pressed on. With her two kids in college and her parents gone, the Appalachian Trail was home for the time being, and it’s where she believed she was safest. Leaving it would mean a cross-country drive exposing her to far more people than she encounters while hiking, she said. But as more trails closed and communities issued shelter-in-place orders, Selvage decided to throw in the towel for the time being after hiking 470 miles (755 kilometers). “The closures and general virus fear was changing the vibe of my hike,” said Selvage, who started the hike, in part, to experience the culture of trail towns. “I chose to pause to get the full experience when it was less controversial.” Selvage rented an SUV and drove back home to Las Vegas. She slept in the back of the car. Now, she’s renting out a room in a friend’s house until the all-clear is given to hike again. “I still think I was safer on the trail,” Selvage said. For Eagle and Hall, deciding to stay or go was brutal. The couple debated day after day as they hiked over rocks and waterfalls. They hadn’t yet come to terms with their choice when they loaded their backpacks into the trunk of a rental car in Tennessee. “Even right now, I don’t know if we’re doing the right thing,” Eagle said through tears. Their decision came down to the small chance that they might catch and spread the virus, something Eagle said she couldn’t live with. Most people with COVID-19 experience mild to moderate symptoms, but for others it can cause more severe illness or death. For now, they’ll stay with her parents in Louisiana, which has more than 12,000 confirmed cases. “Is that better? That’s hard to say,” she said. They’ll try to stay in shape while they wait for the all-clear. Hall joked about looking into a treadmill sale he saw online. But as the timeline becomes grimmer with each passing day, he thinks they might be saying goodbye to the AT for good. His wife disagrees and sees them starting again in a few months. Until then, she’s trying to keep her disappointment in perspective. “I’m just trying to focus in on the fact that we are in such a better position than most of the world,” she said. ___ Follow Sarah Blake Morgan at www.twitter.com/StorytellerSBM ___ Follow AP news coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
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Reuters: Top News

Single passenger flights: The daily woes of airlines, and the crew still working (Sat, 04 Apr 2020)
When Reuters photographer Carlos Barria boarded American Airlines flight 4511 from Washington Reagan National Airport to New Orleans on Friday for an assignment, he was the only passenger on the 76-seat jet.
>> Read more

United slashes New York-area flights due to coronavirus (Sat, 04 Apr 2020)
United Airlines said late Saturday it will drastically reduce flights to two New York City airports amid the coronavirus outbreak.
>> Read more

Reuters: World News

Australia optimistic over slowing virus spread, urges vigilance (Sat, 04 Apr 2020)
Several Australian health officials said on Sunday they were cautiously optimistic about the slowing spread of coronavirus in the country but warned social distancing restrictions are to stay in place for months.
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Brazil lawmakers pass 'war budget' as coronavirus cases top 10,000 (Sat, 04 Apr 2020)
Brazil's lower house of Congress approved a constitutional amendment for a "war budget" to separate coronavirus-related spending from the government's main budget and shield the economy as the country surpassed 10,000 confirmed cases.
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Audio News – SRN News

SRN Hourly News 04-05-20 – 12:00 AM CDT (Sun, 05 Apr 2020)
Top News Stories Apr 05, 2020 – 12:00 AM CDT Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
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SRN Hourly News 04-04-20 – 11:00 PM CDT (Sat, 04 Apr 2020)
Top News Stories Apr 04, 2020 – 11:00 PM CDT Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
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