Feb 28
Trump administration may use 1950 wartime law to expand mask production
https://www.cnn.com/asia/live-news/coronavirus-outbreak-02-27-20-intl-hnk/index.html
Officials are weighing whether to invoke the Defense Production Act, which would allow the administration to expand the manufacture of products deemed necessary for national security.
Trump administration officials have said they would need a bigger stockpile of masks to prevent the spread of the virus. There have been internal discussions about using the law to require companies to scale up the production of medical masks and other wearable equipment.
No decisions have been made yet, though officials have testified publicly about the shortage of available N95 masks.
The Defense Production Act was first passed in 1950 as a response to the Korean War.
GERMANY
BERLIN: Around 1,000 people were in quarantine in Germany’s most populous state Friday, as the number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in Europe’s biggest economy rose above 50.
The district of Heinsberg in North Rhine-Westphalia said it had to take the step of keeping around 1,000 home as an infected couple had participated in carnival celebrations in mid-February.
Feb 28 - US Military - Central Command
The U.S. is suspending some travel for military and civilian Defense Department personnel to and within the Middle East.
All leave and liberty travel with the Central Command theater is banned until further notice due to concerns over the coronavirus, according to a memo obtained by POLITICO. For example, personnel assigned to a unit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, cannot travel to the United Arab Emirates or Jeddah for the weekend.
The military took the extra step of also banning all non-essential travel specifically within Saudi Arabia, which includes “going to the mall, movies, other crowded venues or recreational facilities/establishments,” according to the memo.
The ban does not extend to “essential travel,”
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/27/coronavirus-updates-latest-news-usa-response-117870