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Coronavirus Watch: New York City gets a 'big, big boost'

Paste BN

President Donald Trump extended social distancing guidelines to April 30, and a Navy hospital ship complete with 1,000 beds made an anticipated arrival Monday in New York City, the U.S. epicenter for the coronavirus. 

This is Monday's Coronavirus Watch, from the Paste BN Network. 

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  • President Trump on Sunday announced social distancing guidelines will be implemented until April 30, an extension on the original 15-day period that would have ended Tuesday. Trump previously said he hoped to open up the country by Easter, which falls on April 12. 
  • A Navy hospital ship, the USNS Comfort, arrived in the New York harbor Monday and could be ready to host patients on Tuesday. The ship, which has 1,000 beds and 12 operating rooms, will take in non-coronavirus patients to ease the strain on area hospitals. “We got a big, big boost," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said of the ship. 
  • The U.S. death toll has eclipsed 2,500, while the confirmed infection count is over 148,000, per the Johns Hopkins coronavirus database. The U.S. has nearly 50,000 more confirmed cases than any other country.
  • Worldwide, there are more than 755,000 confirmed cases of the virus and 36,000 deaths, according to the dashboard.
  • Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said Monday that the $2 trillion stimulus package passed last week should be able to carry the U.S. through financial hardship for the next two to three months. The $350 billion in small business loans are expected to be ready for distribution by Friday, he told Stuart Varney of Fox Business.
  • Employees at an Amazon warehouse in New York City were planning a walkout on Monday in a demonstration aimed at getting better pay and increased health protection. The strike will continue until the facility is cleaned, said employee and walkout coordinator Chris Smalls. 
  • Prince Charles, who tested positive for the coronavirus last week, is out of self-isolation, Clarence House said. The heir to the British throne was under self-isolation for 7 days.
  • Shops and malls reopened in Wuhan on Monday after a two-month period that forced residents to stay home. Customers, however, were scarce.
  • After the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan were postponed last week, a spokesman with the International Olympic Committee announced Monday that the Games will begin July 23, 2021, roughly one year after the original start date. 

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– Jay Cannon, Paste BN Network and Wires Editor, @JayTCannon on Twitter

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