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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has recommended that the city’s 4 million people wear masks when going outside amid the spreading coronavirus. Garcetti on Wednesday said people in the nation’s second-largest city who are performing essential tasks such as food shopping should wear homemade, non-medical face coverings, or even bandannas, as people in other countries hard-hit by the COVID-19 virus have done. But Garcetti says residents shouldn't use medical-grade masks, which are needed for healthcare workers. He also says people should still stay home as much as possible.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Grand Canyon National Park has closed indefinitely to visitors, joining other national parks seeking to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The park made the announcement Wednesday. Staff at the Grand Canyon had been shutting down visitors services piecemeal as the federal government initially rebuffed the park's request to shutter completely. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said he finally approved the park's request at the recommendation of a local health official. Grand Canyon spokeswoman Joelle Baird said the closure is a relief to a lot of people in the park and to community members. The park said this week that a resident who worked at a lodge tested positive for COVID-19.
NEW YORK (AP) — The number of coronavirus deaths in New York state more than doubled in 72 hours to 1,941. And Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday that projections show the outbreak worsening through the month. The governor said he would close New York City playgrounds to slow the spread of the virus, leaving green spaces open. And he said overburdened hospitals in hard-hit downstate areas have begun transferring patients north to the Albany area. New York City's Health Department reported late Wednesday that nearly 1,400 people have died of the virus in the city.
NEW YORK (AP) — More evidence is emerging that coronavirus infections are being spread by people who have no clear symptoms. The findings complicate efforts to gain control of the pandemic. A study by researchers in Singapore is the latest to estimate that around 10% of infections are sparked by people who are infected but not yet showing symptoms. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reacted to the recent research Wednesday by changing how it defines the risk of infection for Americans. The agency now says anyone exposed to the disease may be a considered a carrier, whether that person has symptoms or not.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations says the global economy could shrink almost 1% this year due to the new coronavirus, a sharp reversal from the pre-pandemic forecast of 2.5% growth. A report issued Wednesday by the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs warns that the decline could be even deeper if restrictions on economic activities extend into the third quarter and if fiscal stimulus efforts don't support income and consumer spending. By comparison, it says, the world economy contracted 1.7% during the global financial crisis in 2009. The report says negative effects of current economic restrictions in richer developed nations will soon spill over into developing countries, which will see lower trade and investment.
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