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| Covid-19 Live Updates: Even Very Prepared Colleges Face Outbreaks | Covid-19 Live Updates: Even Very Prepared Colleges Face Outbreaks |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, more than 40,000 students take tests twice a week for the coronavirus. They cannot enter campus buildings unless an app vouches that their test has come back negative. Everyone has to wear masks. | At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, more than 40,000 students take tests twice a week for the coronavirus. They cannot enter campus buildings unless an app vouches that their test has come back negative. Everyone has to wear masks. |
| This is one of the most comprehensive plans by a major college to keep the virus under control. University scientists developed a quick, inexpensive saliva test. Other researchers put together a detailed computer model that suggested these measures would work, and that in-person instruction could go forward this fall. | This is one of the most comprehensive plans by a major college to keep the virus under control. University scientists developed a quick, inexpensive saliva test. Other researchers put together a detailed computer model that suggested these measures would work, and that in-person instruction could go forward this fall. |
| But the predictive model included an oversight: It assumed that students would do what they were told to. | But the predictive model included an oversight: It assumed that students would do what they were told to. |
| What the scientists had not taken into account was that some students would continue partying after they received a positive test result. “It was willful noncompliance by a small group of people,” one of the scientists said. | What the scientists had not taken into account was that some students would continue partying after they received a positive test result. “It was willful noncompliance by a small group of people,” one of the scientists said. |
| After a university-imposed lockdown, the number of new cases has dropped again, and the hope is that all students will now take the protocols more seriously. | After a university-imposed lockdown, the number of new cases has dropped again, and the hope is that all students will now take the protocols more seriously. |
| A New York Times survey of more than 1,600 American colleges and universities has revealed at least 88,000 cases and at least 60 deaths since the pandemic began. Most of those deaths were reported in the spring and involved college employees, not students. | A New York Times survey of more than 1,600 American colleges and universities has revealed at least 88,000 cases and at least 60 deaths since the pandemic began. Most of those deaths were reported in the spring and involved college employees, not students. |
| In other education news: | In other education news: |
| In Des Moines, school began this week with local officials openly defying Iowa’s governor and a judge’s order by teaching remotely. The decision puts the district’s funding and administrators’ jobs at risk, and leaves students locked out of athletics and their parents uncertain whether online classes will even count. | In Des Moines, school began this week with local officials openly defying Iowa’s governor and a judge’s order by teaching remotely. The decision puts the district’s funding and administrators’ jobs at risk, and leaves students locked out of athletics and their parents uncertain whether online classes will even count. |
| A new study of hospital patients challenges the notion that young people are impervious. The research letter from Harvard found that among 3,222 young adults hospitalized with Covid-19, 88 died — about 2.7 percent. One in five required intensive care, and one in 10 needed a ventilator to assist with breathing. The study “establishes that Covid-19 is a life-threatening disease in people of all ages,” wrote Dr. Mitchell Katz, a deputy editor at JAMA Internal Medicine. | A new study of hospital patients challenges the notion that young people are impervious. The research letter from Harvard found that among 3,222 young adults hospitalized with Covid-19, 88 died — about 2.7 percent. One in five required intensive care, and one in 10 needed a ventilator to assist with breathing. The study “establishes that Covid-19 is a life-threatening disease in people of all ages,” wrote Dr. Mitchell Katz, a deputy editor at JAMA Internal Medicine. |
| Public schools are obligated to teach millions of students with disabilities. But as learning moves online, many services that parents fought for are at risk. | Public schools are obligated to teach millions of students with disabilities. But as learning moves online, many services that parents fought for are at risk. |
| New research suggests children in multilingual households started using their parents’ native languages more during lockdown, especially among younger kids. | New research suggests children in multilingual households started using their parents’ native languages more during lockdown, especially among younger kids. |
| In an opinion column published in USA Today on Thursday, eight top regulators at the Food and Drug Administration promised to uphold the scientific integrity of their work and defend the agency’s independence. The column warned that “if the agency’s credibility is lost because of real or perceived interference, people will not rely on the agency’s safety warnings.” | In an opinion column published in USA Today on Thursday, eight top regulators at the Food and Drug Administration promised to uphold the scientific integrity of their work and defend the agency’s independence. The column warned that “if the agency’s credibility is lost because of real or perceived interference, people will not rely on the agency’s safety warnings.” |
| The pledge by career scientists in the federal government came amid mounting concerns over the role the White House has played in emergency approvals for coronavirus therapies, including convalescent plasma and the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, which the agency later revoked. | The pledge by career scientists in the federal government came amid mounting concerns over the role the White House has played in emergency approvals for coronavirus therapies, including convalescent plasma and the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, which the agency later revoked. |
| The specter of political arm-twisting has grown as several drugmakers entered large late-stage vaccine trials this summer. President Trump told reporters on Monday that “we’re going to have a vaccine very soon, maybe even before a very special date.” | The specter of political arm-twisting has grown as several drugmakers entered large late-stage vaccine trials this summer. President Trump told reporters on Monday that “we’re going to have a vaccine very soon, maybe even before a very special date.” |
| That timeline, framed around Election Day, has been widely challenged by the administration’s top health officials, who have said that a vaccine approval by early November was improbable. | That timeline, framed around Election Day, has been widely challenged by the administration’s top health officials, who have said that a vaccine approval by early November was improbable. |
| The statement in USA Today was written in large part because of fears over political influence on the F.D.A., including from the White House, according to senior administration officials familiar with the effort. | The statement in USA Today was written in large part because of fears over political influence on the F.D.A., including from the White House, according to senior administration officials familiar with the effort. |
| Long before the pandemic swept into her village in the rugged southeast of Afghanistan, Halima Bibi knew the gnawing fear of hunger. It was an omnipresent force, an unrelenting source of anxiety as she struggled to nourish her four children. | Long before the pandemic swept into her village in the rugged southeast of Afghanistan, Halima Bibi knew the gnawing fear of hunger. It was an omnipresent force, an unrelenting source of anxiety as she struggled to nourish her four children. |
| Her husband earned about $5 a day, hauling produce by wheelbarrow from a local market to surrounding homes. Most days, he brought home a loaf of bread, potatoes and beans for an evening meal. | Her husband earned about $5 a day, hauling produce by wheelbarrow from a local market to surrounding homes. Most days, he brought home a loaf of bread, potatoes and beans for an evening meal. |
| But when the coronavirus arrived in March, taking the lives of her neighbors and shutting down the market, her husband’s earnings plunged to about $1 a day. Most evenings, he brought home only bread. Some nights, he returned with nothing. | But when the coronavirus arrived in March, taking the lives of her neighbors and shutting down the market, her husband’s earnings plunged to about $1 a day. Most evenings, he brought home only bread. Some nights, he returned with nothing. |
| “We hear our children screaming in hunger, but there is nothing that we can do,” said Ms. Bibi, speaking by telephone from a hospital in Kabul, where her 6-year-old daughter was being treated for severe malnutrition. “That is not just our situation, but the reality for most of the families where we live.” | “We hear our children screaming in hunger, but there is nothing that we can do,” said Ms. Bibi, speaking by telephone from a hospital in Kabul, where her 6-year-old daughter was being treated for severe malnutrition. “That is not just our situation, but the reality for most of the families where we live.” |
| As the global economy absorbs the most punishing reversal of fortunes since the Great Depression, hunger is on the rise. Those confronting potentially life-threatening levels of so-called food insecurity in the developing world are expected to nearly double this year to 265 million, according to the United Nations World Food Program. | As the global economy absorbs the most punishing reversal of fortunes since the Great Depression, hunger is on the rise. Those confronting potentially life-threatening levels of so-called food insecurity in the developing world are expected to nearly double this year to 265 million, according to the United Nations World Food Program. |
| The largest numbers of vulnerable communities are concentrated in South Asia and Africa, especially in countries that are already confronting trouble, from military conflict and extreme poverty to climate-related afflictions like drought, flooding and soil erosion. | The largest numbers of vulnerable communities are concentrated in South Asia and Africa, especially in countries that are already confronting trouble, from military conflict and extreme poverty to climate-related afflictions like drought, flooding and soil erosion. |
| For now, the unfolding tragedy falls short of a famine, which is typically set off by a combination of war and environmental disaster. Food remains widely available in most of the world, though prices have climbed in many countries, as fear of the virus disrupts transportation links, and as currencies fall in value, increasing the costs of imported items. | For now, the unfolding tragedy falls short of a famine, which is typically set off by a combination of war and environmental disaster. Food remains widely available in most of the world, though prices have climbed in many countries, as fear of the virus disrupts transportation links, and as currencies fall in value, increasing the costs of imported items. |
| Rather, with the world economy expected to contract nearly 5 percent this year, households are cutting back sharply on spending. Among those who went into the pandemic in extreme poverty, hundreds of millions of people are suffering an intensifying crisis over how to secure their basic dietary needs. | Rather, with the world economy expected to contract nearly 5 percent this year, households are cutting back sharply on spending. Among those who went into the pandemic in extreme poverty, hundreds of millions of people are suffering an intensifying crisis over how to secure their basic dietary needs. |
| The families came together to honor loved ones at the site where their lives were stolen. The names of the victims resounded across the plaza, and the bells tolled in New York City as they have in years past, sounding a peal of collective mourning for those killed on one of the darkest days in American history. | |
| Yet the somber, solemn rituals held at the Sept. 11 memorial to mark a tragedy that brought New York and the nation to its knees were unmistakably altered at a time of another crisis — one also marked by devastating loss. | |
| Some of America’s most notable politicians were in attendance, including Vice President Mike Pence and Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic candidate for president. All of them wore masks in addition to their customary memorial ribbons and lapel pins. They exchanged elbow bumps, then distanced themselves six feet apart as they stood for the national anthem. | |
| There was no stage in front of them on Friday, and no speeches given to the mourners gathered at the site known as ground zero — two hallmarks of past memorials that were removed in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. | |
| It has been 19 years since passenger jets hijacked by terrorists slammed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pa. Nearly 3,000 lives were lost, some 2,700 of them in New York, in the deadliest attack in the country’s history, a blow to America’s psyche. | |
| Now, the United States confronts a far deadlier calamity. During the coronavirus pandemic, the United States has exceeded the death toll of Sept. 11, 2001, by many orders of magnitude. In New York City alone, more than 23,000 people have died of the virus. | Now, the United States confronts a far deadlier calamity. During the coronavirus pandemic, the United States has exceeded the death toll of Sept. 11, 2001, by many orders of magnitude. In New York City alone, more than 23,000 people have died of the virus. |
| Having transformed so many aspects of daily life, the pandemic thus affected one of the city’s most sacred and solemn moments. The family members gathered at the Sept. 11 memorial’s eight-acre site in Lower Manhattan were asked to stay socially distant, and others were discouraged from gathering near the spot known as ground zero. | |
| There was no platform where readers took turns at a microphone, honoring the victims by reciting their names. The list this year was read and recorded in advance, then broadcast online and at the plaza. | |
| The changes were not without controversy. Last month, the memorial said it would do away with its annual Tribute in Light, in which two blue beams of light are projected over the city. | The changes were not without controversy. Last month, the memorial said it would do away with its annual Tribute in Light, in which two blue beams of light are projected over the city. |
| The decision was reversed after it provoked outrage from some victims’ relatives, elected leaders and police and firefighter unions. | The decision was reversed after it provoked outrage from some victims’ relatives, elected leaders and police and firefighter unions. |
| global roundup | global roundup |
| Myanmar has locked down half of its largest city, Yangon, and halted travel between regions in an effort to halt the rapid spread of the coronavirus. | Myanmar has locked down half of its largest city, Yangon, and halted travel between regions in an effort to halt the rapid spread of the coronavirus. |
| Myanmar’s civilian leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who has suspended election campaign appearances because of the virus, has urged the public to follow health protocols as the new restrictions go into force. | Myanmar’s civilian leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who has suspended election campaign appearances because of the virus, has urged the public to follow health protocols as the new restrictions go into force. |
| “You all need to follow the rules and if not, we will take action by law,” she said Thursday in a nationally televised address. “The law is not to punish people. It’s to protect the stability of society.” | “You all need to follow the rules and if not, we will take action by law,” she said Thursday in a nationally televised address. “The law is not to punish people. It’s to protect the stability of society.” |
| Skyrocketing infection rates have worried health officials in Myanmar. The number of confirmed cases has gone up fivefold in less than three weeks, reaching 2,265 on Friday morning, according to government figures. The number of deaths has more than doubled over the past eight days, to 14. | Skyrocketing infection rates have worried health officials in Myanmar. The number of confirmed cases has gone up fivefold in less than three weeks, reaching 2,265 on Friday morning, according to government figures. The number of deaths has more than doubled over the past eight days, to 14. |
| The chief of Yangon General Hospital, Dr. Maw Maw Oo, said that beds would soon be at capacity and that health care workers were having to quarantine after exposures. | The chief of Yangon General Hospital, Dr. Maw Maw Oo, said that beds would soon be at capacity and that health care workers were having to quarantine after exposures. |
| “If the rate continues to increase like this, I don’t think we will be able to control it,” he said. | “If the rate continues to increase like this, I don’t think we will be able to control it,” he said. |
| In other developments around the world: | In other developments around the world: |
| India on Friday reported a record 96,551 new coronavirus cases, pushing the country’s total caseload above 4.5 million, according to a New York Times database. More than 76,000 deaths have been linked to Covid-19. | India on Friday reported a record 96,551 new coronavirus cases, pushing the country’s total caseload above 4.5 million, according to a New York Times database. More than 76,000 deaths have been linked to Covid-19. |
| France, which is battling a resurgence of the virus, reported a daily record for new cases on Thursday. The French Health Ministry said there had been 9,843 cases in the past 24 hours. Hospital admissions were also up, with 5,096 patients being treated for the virus, more than 600 of them described as having life-threatening infections. | France, which is battling a resurgence of the virus, reported a daily record for new cases on Thursday. The French Health Ministry said there had been 9,843 cases in the past 24 hours. Hospital admissions were also up, with 5,096 patients being treated for the virus, more than 600 of them described as having life-threatening infections. |
| The U.S. extradition hearing in London for Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, will resume on Monday, Reuters reported. The hearing was postponed on Thursday over fears that a lawyer involved in the case may have come into contact with someone with the coronavirus, but the lawyer tested negative. | The U.S. extradition hearing in London for Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, will resume on Monday, Reuters reported. The hearing was postponed on Thursday over fears that a lawyer involved in the case may have come into contact with someone with the coronavirus, but the lawyer tested negative. |
| What’s the fairest expectation of how bad the pandemic should have been in the United States? | What’s the fairest expectation of how bad the pandemic should have been in the United States? |
| In his Morning newsletter, David Leonhardt spoke with Donald McNeil, the New York Times reporter who has frequently appeared on “The Daily” podcast to talk about the coronavirus. | In his Morning newsletter, David Leonhardt spoke with Donald McNeil, the New York Times reporter who has frequently appeared on “The Daily” podcast to talk about the coronavirus. |
| Mr. Leonhardt writes: | Mr. Leonhardt writes: |
| When the coronavirus pandemic hit, Americans vastly scaled back on preventive health, and there is little sign that this deferred care will be made up. | When the coronavirus pandemic hit, Americans vastly scaled back on preventive health, and there is little sign that this deferred care will be made up. |
| Vaccinations dropped by nearly 60 percent in April, and almost no one was getting a colonoscopy, according to new data from the nonprofit Health Care Cost Institute. | Vaccinations dropped by nearly 60 percent in April, and almost no one was getting a colonoscopy, according to new data from the nonprofit Health Care Cost Institute. |
| The data, drawn from millions of health insurance claims, shows a consistent pattern, whether it was prostate screenings or contraceptives: Preventive care declined drastically this spring and, as of late June, had not yet recovered to normal levels. Many types of such care were still down by a third at the start of this summer, the most recent data available shows, as Americans remained wary of visiting hospitals and medical offices. | The data, drawn from millions of health insurance claims, shows a consistent pattern, whether it was prostate screenings or contraceptives: Preventive care declined drastically this spring and, as of late June, had not yet recovered to normal levels. Many types of such care were still down by a third at the start of this summer, the most recent data available shows, as Americans remained wary of visiting hospitals and medical offices. |
| Americans continued seeking care they couldn’t avoid — hospital admissions for childbirth, for example, held steady — but avoided care they could put off. More invasive preventive procedures, such as mammograms and colonoscopies, showed the greatest decline. | Americans continued seeking care they couldn’t avoid — hospital admissions for childbirth, for example, held steady — but avoided care they could put off. More invasive preventive procedures, such as mammograms and colonoscopies, showed the greatest decline. |
| Colonoscopies, which are generally used to screen for colon cancer, declined by 88 percent in mid-April and were still 33 percent lower than normal at the end of June. Mammograms, which fell 77 percent at the height of the pandemic, are still down 23 percent. | Colonoscopies, which are generally used to screen for colon cancer, declined by 88 percent in mid-April and were still 33 percent lower than normal at the end of June. Mammograms, which fell 77 percent at the height of the pandemic, are still down 23 percent. |
| Critical childhood vaccinations for hepatitis, measles, whooping cough and other diseases also declined significantly, a trend that had already begun to worry pediatricians earlier in the pandemic. Of particular concern, measles vaccinations fell 73 percent in mid-April and were still down 36 percent at the end of June. | Critical childhood vaccinations for hepatitis, measles, whooping cough and other diseases also declined significantly, a trend that had already begun to worry pediatricians earlier in the pandemic. Of particular concern, measles vaccinations fell 73 percent in mid-April and were still down 36 percent at the end of June. |
| But one preventive service stayed relatively steady through the pandemic: pregnancy-related ultrasounds. Those declined slightly in March and April but never fell more than 20 percent below 2019 levels. Insertions of IUDs, one of the most effective birth control methods, declined like other preventive care — raising the possibility of an increase in pregnancies in coming months. | But one preventive service stayed relatively steady through the pandemic: pregnancy-related ultrasounds. Those declined slightly in March and April but never fell more than 20 percent below 2019 levels. Insertions of IUDs, one of the most effective birth control methods, declined like other preventive care — raising the possibility of an increase in pregnancies in coming months. |
| Halsey Beshears, Florida’s secretary for the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, announced on Twitter on Thursday that the state would allow bars to operate at half capacity starting Monday. He rescinded an executive order from June that had banned drinking at bars as the state experienced a coronavirus surge. | Halsey Beshears, Florida’s secretary for the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, announced on Twitter on Thursday that the state would allow bars to operate at half capacity starting Monday. He rescinded an executive order from June that had banned drinking at bars as the state experienced a coronavirus surge. |
| Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, had hinted earlier on Thursday that his administration would not only soon allow the reopening of bars and restaurants but also forbid future closures. | Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, had hinted earlier on Thursday that his administration would not only soon allow the reopening of bars and restaurants but also forbid future closures. |
| “I think that we probably need to just have it that everyone knows they’ll be able to operate,” he said. “The closures are just totally off the table, because it’s hard to plan if you think you have the sword of Damocles hanging over your head.” | “I think that we probably need to just have it that everyone knows they’ll be able to operate,” he said. “The closures are just totally off the table, because it’s hard to plan if you think you have the sword of Damocles hanging over your head.” |
| Bars, however, seem likely to remain closed in Miami-Dade, the state’s most populous county and where the virus has hit hardest. Mayor Carlos Gimenez said Wednesday that bars and nightclubs, which have been shut down by county order since March, would remain shuttered. | Bars, however, seem likely to remain closed in Miami-Dade, the state’s most populous county and where the virus has hit hardest. Mayor Carlos Gimenez said Wednesday that bars and nightclubs, which have been shut down by county order since March, would remain shuttered. |
| “The activities there are not conducive to maintaining a six-feet separation,” he said. “I don’t foresee us opening bars and nightclubs here for the foreseeable future — until we get a vaccine.” | “The activities there are not conducive to maintaining a six-feet separation,” he said. “I don’t foresee us opening bars and nightclubs here for the foreseeable future — until we get a vaccine.” |
| In Puerto Rico, Gov. Wanda Vázquez eased some of the island’s tight restrictions on Thursday, citing a recent drop in coronavirus cases. Ms. Vázquez lifted a lockdown that had forced people to stay home on Sundays, and reopened beaches to everyone. She also authorized the reopening of gyms, movie theaters and casinos at 25 percent capacity. | In Puerto Rico, Gov. Wanda Vázquez eased some of the island’s tight restrictions on Thursday, citing a recent drop in coronavirus cases. Ms. Vázquez lifted a lockdown that had forced people to stay home on Sundays, and reopened beaches to everyone. She also authorized the reopening of gyms, movie theaters and casinos at 25 percent capacity. |
| Bars and nightclubs remain closed, and a nightly curfew will remain in effect. | Bars and nightclubs remain closed, and a nightly curfew will remain in effect. |
| The British government announced on Friday that a new coronavirus contact-tracing app would be introduced in England and Wales on Sept. 24. The government had previously been criticized over the long delay in launching an application after earlier versions of the tracing app were scrapped months ago. | The British government announced on Friday that a new coronavirus contact-tracing app would be introduced in England and Wales on Sept. 24. The government had previously been criticized over the long delay in launching an application after earlier versions of the tracing app were scrapped months ago. |
| The new application will allow people to scan QR codes when they visit hospitality venues and will use Apple and Google’s technology for detecting other smartphones in the vicinity. | The new application will allow people to scan QR codes when they visit hospitality venues and will use Apple and Google’s technology for detecting other smartphones in the vicinity. |
| Matt Hancock, Britain’s health secretary, said in a statement on Friday that the app would be a vital tool for containing the spread of the coronavirus. | Matt Hancock, Britain’s health secretary, said in a statement on Friday that the app would be a vital tool for containing the spread of the coronavirus. |
| “We need to use every tool at our disposal to control the spread of the virus including cutting-edge technology,” he said. “The launch of the app later this month across England and Wales is a defining moment and will aid our ability to contain the virus at a critical time.” | “We need to use every tool at our disposal to control the spread of the virus including cutting-edge technology,” he said. “The launch of the app later this month across England and Wales is a defining moment and will aid our ability to contain the virus at a critical time.” |
| Prospects for any additional stimulus to address the coronavirus pandemic’s devastating toll before the election darkened considerably on Thursday, when a whittled-down Republican plan failed in the Senate on a partisan vote. | Prospects for any additional stimulus to address the coronavirus pandemic’s devastating toll before the election darkened considerably on Thursday, when a whittled-down Republican plan failed in the Senate on a partisan vote. |
| Democrats voted unanimously to block the proposal from advancing, calling it inadequate to meet the mounting needs for federal aid, in the latest indication of a lack of political will to reach an agreement, even as critical federal aid for individuals and businesses has run dry. | Democrats voted unanimously to block the proposal from advancing, calling it inadequate to meet the mounting needs for federal aid, in the latest indication of a lack of political will to reach an agreement, even as critical federal aid for individuals and businesses has run dry. |
| It was a nearly party-line vote whose outcome was never in doubt. The proposal amounted to a fraction of the $1 trillion plan Republicans had offered in negotiations with Democrats, who in turn are demanding more than twice as much. | It was a nearly party-line vote whose outcome was never in doubt. The proposal amounted to a fraction of the $1 trillion plan Republicans had offered in negotiations with Democrats, who in turn are demanding more than twice as much. |
| A failure to compromise would leave millions of jobless Americans in potentially dire straits, as they exhaust jobless benefits and states run out of additional funds that President Trump steered to the unemployed by executive order last month. It would also strand a wide swath of small business owners who have endured steep drops in revenue, with little prospect of a return to normal levels for months to come. | A failure to compromise would leave millions of jobless Americans in potentially dire straits, as they exhaust jobless benefits and states run out of additional funds that President Trump steered to the unemployed by executive order last month. It would also strand a wide swath of small business owners who have endured steep drops in revenue, with little prospect of a return to normal levels for months to come. |
| “Along with a pandemic of Covid-19, we have a pandemic of politics,” Senator Pat Roberts, Republican of Kansas, said. “Looking to the House — and for that matter, our colleagues across the aisle — it’s a sort of a dead-end street.” | “Along with a pandemic of Covid-19, we have a pandemic of politics,” Senator Pat Roberts, Republican of Kansas, said. “Looking to the House — and for that matter, our colleagues across the aisle — it’s a sort of a dead-end street.” |
| He spoke after the measure failed on a 52-to-47 vote, falling short of the 60 it would have needed to advance. | He spoke after the measure failed on a 52-to-47 vote, falling short of the 60 it would have needed to advance. |
| North Korea has deployed crack troops along its border with a shoot-to-kill order to prevent smugglers from introducing the coronavirus into its isolated and malnourished population, the United States’ top general in South Korea said on Thursday. | North Korea has deployed crack troops along its border with a shoot-to-kill order to prevent smugglers from introducing the coronavirus into its isolated and malnourished population, the United States’ top general in South Korea said on Thursday. |
| North Korea insists that it has not confirmed a single case of Covid-19. But outside experts are skeptical, citing the country’s decrepit public health capabilities and the long border it shares with China, where the epidemic first erupted. More than 90 percent of the North’s external trade normally goes through its land and sea borders with China. | North Korea insists that it has not confirmed a single case of Covid-19. But outside experts are skeptical, citing the country’s decrepit public health capabilities and the long border it shares with China, where the epidemic first erupted. More than 90 percent of the North’s external trade normally goes through its land and sea borders with China. |
| North Korea shut its borders with China in late January, as fear of the virus spread. As an added precaution, it has also deployed special forces troops to create “a buffer zone, one or two kilometers up on the Chinese border,” said Gen. Robert B. Abrams, commander of the American military in South Korea. | North Korea shut its borders with China in late January, as fear of the virus spread. As an added precaution, it has also deployed special forces troops to create “a buffer zone, one or two kilometers up on the Chinese border,” said Gen. Robert B. Abrams, commander of the American military in South Korea. |
| “They’ve got shoot-to-kill orders in place,” General Abrams said during an online conference on Thursday, organized by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. “This is fundamentally about preventing Covid from getting into North Korea.” | “They’ve got shoot-to-kill orders in place,” General Abrams said during an online conference on Thursday, organized by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. “This is fundamentally about preventing Covid from getting into North Korea.” |
| Given the North’s poor medical systems and its chronically malnourished population, “a very large outbreak could be devastating,” he said. | Given the North’s poor medical systems and its chronically malnourished population, “a very large outbreak could be devastating,” he said. |
| As United Nations sanctions have choked North Korea’s economy in recent years, illegal smuggling across the border with China has increasingly become a lifeline. But fear of Covid-19 has curbed smuggling as well as legal trade. | As United Nations sanctions have choked North Korea’s economy in recent years, illegal smuggling across the border with China has increasingly become a lifeline. But fear of Covid-19 has curbed smuggling as well as legal trade. |
| Covid-19 “has accelerated the effect of sanctions on North Korea,” General Abrams said. | Covid-19 “has accelerated the effect of sanctions on North Korea,” General Abrams said. |
| North Korea’s trade with China has plummeted this year, according to official numbers. To make things worse, the North was hit by three typhoons in rapid succession that caused extensive damage to homes, farmland, roads, bridges and mines. | North Korea’s trade with China has plummeted this year, according to official numbers. To make things worse, the North was hit by three typhoons in rapid succession that caused extensive damage to homes, farmland, roads, bridges and mines. |
| In a series of emergency meetings of the ruling Workers’ Party in recent weeks, the North’s leader, Kim Jong-un, has admitted that his five-year plan to rebuild the economy failed. But he has ordered the government to undertake recovery efforts without accepting outside aid and instructed the military to lead the recovery work. | In a series of emergency meetings of the ruling Workers’ Party in recent weeks, the North’s leader, Kim Jong-un, has admitted that his five-year plan to rebuild the economy failed. But he has ordered the government to undertake recovery efforts without accepting outside aid and instructed the military to lead the recovery work. |
| Reporting was contributed by Kenneth Chang, Choe Sang-Hun, Emily Cochrane, Abdi Latif Dahir, Michael Gold, Peter S. Goodman, Sophie Hardach, Sarah Kliff, David Leonhardt, Dan Levin, Patricia Mazzei, Richard C. Paddock, Saw Nang, Roni Caryn Rabin, Karan Deep Singh, Megan Specia, Jim Tankersley, Kate Taylor and Noah Weiland. | Reporting was contributed by Kenneth Chang, Choe Sang-Hun, Emily Cochrane, Abdi Latif Dahir, Michael Gold, Peter S. Goodman, Sophie Hardach, Sarah Kliff, David Leonhardt, Dan Levin, Patricia Mazzei, Richard C. Paddock, Saw Nang, Roni Caryn Rabin, Karan Deep Singh, Megan Specia, Jim Tankersley, Kate Taylor and Noah Weiland. |