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‘COVID chat’: Officials urge Americans to stay home over holiday

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By Susan Heavey, Maria Caspani

(Reuters) – U.S. health officials and politicians pleaded with Americans on Tuesday to stay at home over the Thanksgiving holiday and abide by constraints placed on social and economic life as record coronavirus caseloads pushed hospitals to their limits.

The chorus of public appeals intensified heading into a holiday weekend expected to further fuel an alarming surge of infections nationwide, while the daily U.S. death toll climbed above 2,000 – at least four deaths every three minutes. It marked the highest 24-hour loss of life from the pandemic since early May.

“We are on fire with COVID,” Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said on CNN, defending unpopular restrictions he ordered last week that included new limits on retail activity and school closures. “We’re just trying to do the right thing.”

More than half the nation’s governors have imposed – or reimposed – statewide measures this month

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27 veterans die in Covid outbreak at Illinois VA home

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A registered nurse, talks to a ventilated patient as medical professionals treat people infected with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Houston, Texas, November 12, 2020.

Callaghan O’Hare | Reuters

State officials are investigating a coronavirus outbreak at a veterans nursing home in rural Illinois that has infected nearly 200 residents and staff and killed 27 veterans.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office and the state’s Department of Veterans Affairs are attempting to determine what caused the outbreak at the state-run LaSalle Veterans Home in LaSalle, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) southwest of Chicago.

The department on Tuesday requested an independent probe into the facility, which was the focus of a state Senate committee virtual hearing on the outbreak.

“The tragedy of what has unfolded at the veterans’ home cannot be understated,” said state Sen. Sue Rezin, who represents the district where the home is located. “I’m glad that the director has

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Los Angeles to consider stay-home order as COVID cases rise

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LOS ANGELES — Officials in the nation’s largest county will discuss a possible stay-home order just days before Thanksgiving after a spike of coronavirus cases surpassed a threshold set by Los Angeles public health officials to trigger one.

An “impressive and alarming surge” of more than 6,000 new cases put Los Angeles County over a five-day average of 4,500 cases per day, Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Monday. She declined to take action until county supervisors meet Tuesday.

If the county orders residents to stay home, it would be the first such action since mid-March when Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom followed the lead of several counties and issued a statewide order that closed schools and severely restricted movement, except for essential workers and for people buy groceries or pick up food.

Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations have been rapidly rising across California in November. The state recorded its highest day

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Students going home for Thanksgiving could bring Covid with them

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Thanksgiving is always the final Thursday in November, but this year the timing could not be worse. As the holiday approaches, thousands of college students are going back home for the winter as schools close their campuses, end their semester, or move classes online. What they won’t be ending is the spread of Covid-19.



a large lawn in front of The Rotunda: Photograph: Harrison McClary/Reuters

© Provided by The Guardian
Photograph: Harrison McClary/Reuters

Cases in the US have risen exponentially over the last few weeks, with daily new cases close to 200,000 and current hospitalizations reaching 80,000. Unlike the previous two waves of cases in the spring and summer, the rise in cases is not concentrated in a single region. Cases are rising in most parts of the country.

Yet many college students are still packing up their suitcases and heading home. Some will be coming from campuses that have lower rates of infection than their home towns. Others will be

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Covid and Brexit could see UK manufacturers bringing it all back home

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UK factories could be making up to £4.8bn more goods for British retailers in the next 12 months as the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit prompt businesses to bring home production.



a man flying through the air while riding a skateboard: Ted Baker announced its new Made in Britain range this month.

© Ted Baker
Ted Baker announced its new Made in Britain range this month.

The additional orders, largely of food and fashion but potentially including DIY products and homewares, would be equivalent to the country’s entire current clothing manufacturing output, according to a report by advisory firm Alvarez & Marsal and research group Retail Economics.

Signs of the trend have already emerged with online fashion site Asos making its new lower-priced AsYou range at approved factories in Leicester, and Ted Baker announcing its Made in Britain range this month.

Retail businesses are making changes after the pandemic highlighted structural weaknesses in global supply chains – which can be slow to adapt to sudden increases or drops in demand caused by

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A swab, a swirl, 30 mins: the at-home COVID test

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Reuters Now

Posted

[NFA] Dr. John Chou of Sutter Health explains how the newly approved at-home COVID-19 test gets you a result without ever leaving the house. Conway G. Gittens reports.

Reuters Now

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Victoria ends mandatory mask-wearing outdoors and eases Covid restrictions on home gatherings

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As Victoria marked its 23rd consecutive day of no new Covid-19 cases and no additional deaths, the state’s premier, Daniel Andrews, announced the end of mandatory mask-wearing outdoors and increased visitor limits in homes, and increased capacity in restaurants, pubs, and gyms.



a man wearing a suit and tie talking on a cell phone: Photograph: Erik Anderson/AAP

© Provided by The Guardian
Photograph: Erik Anderson/AAP

From Monday, for the first time in more than three months, Victorians will no longer be required to wear masks when outside at all times, under the new rules announced on Sunday. Instead, people will only be required to wear mask when indoors and on public transport, or in places outside where social distancing is not possible.



a man wearing a suit and tie talking on a cell phone: Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews leaves after a press conference in Melbourne on Sunday

© Photograph: Erik Anderson/AAP
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews leaves after a press conference in Melbourne on Sunday

Related: Coronavirus Australia: the week at a glance

“If you go to Bunnings and you are inside the store, you are wearing a mask. If you

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Family members returning home bring higher COVID risk for Thanksgiving gatherings

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At a time when Americans are pondering how to celebrate Thanksgiving safely amid the country’s worst surge in coronavirus cases, many families will be faced with yet another complicating factor: the return home of students.

8 items you need to have Thanksgiving dinner outside

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Public health experts are discouraging nonessential travel and gatherings of multiple households for Thanksgiving, fearing those activities may further spread a virus that has sickened more than 11.5 million and killed in excess of 251,000 in the U.S. On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended against traveling for Thanksgiving.



a group of stuffed animals sitting on top of a building: The Thanksgiving turkey leads off the parade on Central Park West at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York.

© Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY
The Thanksgiving turkey leads off the parade on Central Park West at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York.

Colleges and universities have reported 252,000-plus cases since the pandemic began, according to a New York Times tracker. Returning students – whether they lived

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Nearly 75 Percent of Americans Say They Plan to Stay Home This Thanksgiving Amid Surge of COVID Cases: Poll

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Nearly three in four Americans say they plan to stay home this Thanksgiving amid a surge in COVID-19 cases across the country, according to a new poll.



a person sitting in a room: Medical staff members sort lines and pipes connected to a patient in the COVID-19 intensive care unit (ICU) at the United Memorial Medical Center on November 19, 2020 in Houston, Texas. According to reports, Texas has reached over 1,140,000 cases, including over 20,600 deaths.

© Go Nakamura/Getty
Medical staff members sort lines and pipes connected to a patient in the COVID-19 intensive care unit (ICU) at the United Memorial Medical Center on November 19, 2020 in Houston, Texas. According to reports, Texas has reached over 1,140,000 cases, including over 20,600 deaths.

The poll, which was conducted by Monmouth University, found 74 percent of Americans saying they plan to stay home on Thanksgiving. Among the remaining percentages, the poll found 10 percent saying they plan to travel overnight, 13 percent saying they plan to drive to another place and back in the same day and 3 percent said they didn’t know.

COVID-19 Pandemic: Where Coronavirus Cases And A Vaccine Stand After 2020 US Election

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Sen. Rick Scott tests positive for Covid, says he has mild symptoms

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U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) speaks after the Senate Republican GOP leadership election on Capitol Hill in Washington, November 10, 2020.

Erin Scott | Reuters

Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said Friday he has tested positive for the coronavirus and is working from home until he can safely return to Washington.

Scott, 67, is the second Republican senator in a week to test positive for Covid-19: 87-year-old Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa announced his own diagnosis three days earlier.

Republicans hold a 53-47 edge in the Senate.

Just a week earlier, Scott had campaigned in Georgia for GOP Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, both of whom face runoff elections in January that could determine which party controls the Senate.

During that trip, Scott appeared in a crowded restaurant and spoke without wearing a mask before a crowd in which mask-wearing was reportedly minimal.

Despite his own recent actions,

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