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The use of face masks on healthy people during the coronavirus pandemic has been a major point of contention and confusion among scientists and the public. On Friday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that all Americans wear face masks when they are in public. But new guidance from the World Health Organization released on Monday says healthy people don't need to wear face masks and that doing so won't provide added protection from the coronavirus. WHO also said community masking could lead to a "false sense of security" and cause people to ignore other evidence-based measures...

Originally performed and live streamed in 2014 on The Guardian website, this unique recording of Wonderland returns as part of the Hampstead Theatre At Home series. Thank you to the whole company for kindly allowing us to share this incredible play again. Wonderland is available to watch on demand from Monday 6 April until Sunday 12 April.

COVID-19 projections assuming full social distancing through May 2020

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The 11-year-old brindle boxer trotted out of the winery, bottles tucked into each pocket of his harness-like vest. Outside in the parking lot, a white Hyundai SUV was waiting. Its driver crouched down on the pavement, coaxing the dog to come closer. When the furry delivery boy reached the passenger-side door, the customer bent over and collected her purchase from his pack. While plenty of businesses are turning to curbside pickup or contactless delivery, Stone House Urban Winery may be the first to enlist a dog to help with social distancing. In mid-March, as fears about the novel coronavirus intensified,...

As far back as late November, U.S. intelligence officials were warning that a contagion was sweeping through China’s Wuhan region, changing the patterns of life and business and posing a threat to the population, according to four sources briefed on the secret reporting. Concerns about what is now known to be the novel coronavirus pandemic were detailed in a November intelligence report by the military's National Center for Medical Intelligence (NCMI), according to two officials familiar with the document’s contents. The report was the result of analysis of wire and computer intercepts, coupled with satellite images. It raised alarms because...

How false-negatives in diagnostic testing lead to the release of infected people, motivate extreme containment measures have been implemented, explain why official figures are too low. The COVID-19 outbreak, explained with Bayes’ Rule.

It's not entirely Joe Biden's fault that he'll likely be the Democratic Party's next loser in a presidential race but it's a fate that, like many of us, he may have already accepted. There's a pandemic going on that has placed an indefinite hold on normal campaign activity, so the former vice president is at an unusual disadvantage. Still, in an interview Tuesday with Chris Cuomo on CNN, he was particularly rudderless. Asked about that anticlimactic phone call he had with President Trump this week, he said he had nothing new to offer because he had agreed to keep the...

Suspected slavery surges in the U.K. with a record 10,000 reports in one year "We need to think about how the system is working in practice for the people it was set up to identify and help," said Kate Roberts. The National Crime Agency building in Westminster, London.Dan Kitwood / Getty Images April 2, 2020 By Thomson Reuters Foundation The U.K. has seen a surge in suspected slavery cases https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/actor-ashton-kutcher-trying-end-modern-day-slavery-n721356 with more than 10,000 people referred to the British government for help in 2019, official data showed Thursday - a record rise of 52 percent in year. Amid fears coronavirus will worsen abuse, anti-slavery...

President Trump has fired a Pentagon official who was supposed to oversee the implementation of the $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package......A panel of inspectors general tapped Glenn Fine, the acting Pentagon watchdog, to lead the group responsible for overseeing the coronavirus funds, but Trump removed Fine from his post on Monday, Politico reported. Trump named an inspector general at the Environmental Protection Agency to serve as the temporary watchdog at the Pentagon.

Officers recovered nearly 200 rolls of toilet paper from a vehicle that had been reported stolen, the Beverly Hills Police Department said Tuesday. A photo posted to the agency’s social media accounts showed that police pulled over the white SUV near the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and Rexford Drive, right in front of the police station. When officers searched the vehicle, they found 192 rolls of toilet paper inside, according to police. “Gives ‘They saw me rollin’…’ a whole new meaning,” the department wrote on Twitter. Toilet paper has been a hot commodity amid the coronavirus pandemic, with the...

Those who watch the press briefings from the White House Coronavirus Task Force are familiar with response coordinator Deborah Birx. Often the only woman on the stage, Birx was assigned to the task force on February 26 and draws on years of experience fighting HIV/AIDS globally. In fact, she served as the Ambassador-at-Large and US Global AIDS Coordinator from 2014 to 2020. From time to time, Birx discusses her personal life on stage, with references to her husband of many years, former Clinton advance man, Paige Reffe. https://heavy.com/news/2020/04/deborah-birx-husband-paige-reffe/

MADISON, Wis. (AP) - If Wisconsin was a test case for voting in the age of coronavirus, it did not go well for many voters. Thousands were forced to congregate for hours in long lines on Tuesday with no protective gear. Thousands more stayed home, unwilling to risk their health and unable to be counted because requested absentee ballots never arrived. Voters reported being afraid, angry and embarrassed by the state’s unwillingness to postpone their presidential primary elections as more than a dozen other states have already done. Neither Joe Biden nor Bernie Sanders will be declared a winner at...

DELAWARE - On Tuesday, firefighters surrounded several Bayhealth locations to let health care workers there know that they appreciate them as they continue to fight against the coronavirus. “We’re trying to brighten their day,” said David Carey, assistant chief at the Dover Fire Department. “The lights and the sirens, showing that someone actually cares and they are just not there dealing with this on their own,” said Carey, “We’re all dealing with it together.” With more and more coronavirus cases popping up in Delaware these healthcare workers are having to risk their own lives to save others. So, we are...

Attorney General William Barr will head a newly established committee that will review national security concerns arising from foreign-owned companies who wish to participate in the U.S. telecommunications network..... Its main purpose is to review licensing applications and licenses from companies under foreign-based companies to determine national security and law enforcement risks. Along with Barr, the committee will also consist of Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, Acting Homeland Security Director Chad Wolf, and other heads of agencies or department the president deems appropriate. Earlier this year, Barr raised concerns about the threat of China’s dominance in the global 5G infrastructure...

Singapore (AFP) - Here are the latest developments from Asia related to the novel coronavirus pandemic: - Joy as exodus from Wuhan begins - Voicing joy and excitement from behind face masks, tens of thousands of people fled Wuhan after a 76-day travel ban was lifted on the Chinese city where the coronavirus first emerged. Previously quiet train and bus stations bustled as an exodus began from the city of 11 million, with some passengers wearing hazmat suits. Up to 55,000 people are expected to leave Wuhan on Wednesday just by train, according to government estimates. - Markets drop after...

Viruses that jump from animals to people, like the one responsible for COVID-19, will likely become more common as people continue to transform natural habitats into agricultural land, according to a new Stanford study. *** shocking ***

A 26-year-old Saugus man was in custody Tuesday for allegedly punching his mother during a fight over the family's toilet paper supply. Deputies were called to the residence near Plum Canyon Road and Mirabelle Lane in Saugus about 3 a.m. Monday, according to Shirley Miller of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station. The son had accused the mother of hiding the family's toilet paper, which has become a hot commodity nationwide amid the coronavirus pandemic. The argument escalated and he allegedly punched her, according to Miller. The woman later told deputies she hid toilet paper from her son, adding that...

Some Californians trying to renew driver licenses and car registrations online say the Department of Motor Vehicles is shutting them out, an NBC4 I-Team investigation has found. Two weeks ago, the DMV closed its 176 field offices across the state to the public, in the wake of an I-Team report that those often crowded offices might be breeding grounds for the coronavirus. An internal memo obtained by the I-Team says there have now been 15 cases of COVID-19 in the DMV. At the time, the DMV promised to expand its "virtual field office" so people could renew licenses and registrations...

San Bernardino County on Tuesday mandated residents cover their faces when leaving home while also ordering all faith-based services be conducted online as officials ramped up attempts to tamp down the spread of the novel coronavirus. The formal orders go into effect at midnight and were issued as the county reported a total of 530 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 16 deaths linked to the virus. Whenever residents leave home, they must cover their mouth and nose with something that secures to the ears or back of the head, according to a news release from the county. Bandanas and handkerchiefs,...