Coronavirus Watch: $320B for small businesses
The House is expected to give final approval Thursday to legislation that would pump $320 billion into the Paycheck Protection Program, which is designed to keep small businesses from shuttering and their workers from going on unemployment.
The bill also provides $75 billion for hospitals, $25 billion for testing and $60 billion for emergency disaster loans and grants. The Senate approved the bill Tuesday and President Donald Trump says he will sign it.
It's Thursday, and this is Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network.
Here's the latest news, as of 2 p.m. ET:
- More than 845,000 people have tested positive for the virus in the U.S., and more than 47,000 have died. See a map of confirmed cases here.
- Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, appeared to contradict Trump's notion that the coronavirus may not reappear in the fall. "We will have coronavirus in the fall," Fauci said.
- A Health and Human Services official helping to develop a coronavirus vaccine said Wednesday that he was removed from his post because he questioned the value of drugs being pushed by the president.
- Trump on Wednesday was critical of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp's decision to move quickly to reopen parts of the state's economy but said the final call belongs to the governor.
- Random testing of 3,000 New Yorkers revealed that nearly 14% were infected with the coronavirus and developed an antibody.
- Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has volunteered to help develop and implement a three-state contact tracing program for Connecticut, New Jersey and New York.
- Two pet cats in New York state have tested positive for the coronavirus, marking the first confirmed cases in companion animals in the U.S., federal officials said Wednesday.
- More than 26 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits over the past five weeks. About 4.4 million people filed for unemployment benefits last week, the Labor Department said Thursday.
Keep sending us your coronavirus questions through this form and we'll continue to answer them! Jill from Haines City, Florida, asks: When the country starts to reopen, how will interstate travel be handled?
Though there is no federal travel ban, many states require or recommend travelers from other states to self-quarantine for two weeks, effectively discouraging interstate travel. A report from the National Governors Association released Wednesday suggested that states establish regional partnerships to address questions of interstate travel and support consistency, especially in metro areas that straddle state lines.
Thinking of travelling domestically?
- Research whether your destination has a requirement to self-quarantine.
- Research stay-at-home orders in your destination state. Even if you don't have to self-quarantine, restaurants and other businesses might be closed, effectively leaving travelers with little to do and few options for meals.
- If you're driving, find out if there will be checkpoints along the way.
As always, thank you for subscribing and trusting the Paste BN Network with this important information.
— Grace Hauck, Breaking News Reporter, @grace_hauck