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Tired: There are no libertarians in a pandemic. Wired: There are only libertarians in a pandemic

traveler
© Yichuan Cao/Sipa USA/Newscom
Man, it seems like only a few days ago that the smart set was writing off small-government types (again!) in articles with such snarky headlines as "There Are No Libertarians in a Pandemic."

By now it might be more correct to believe there are only libertarians in a pandemic, including officials who are suddenly willing and able to waive all sorts of ostensibly important rules and procedures in the name of helping people out.

How else to explain the decision by the much-loathed and irrelevant-to-safety Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to allow family-sized jugs of hand sanitizer onto planes? The TSA isn't going full Milton Friedman — it's reminding visitors to its website "that all other liquids, gels and aerosols brought to a checkpoint continue to be allowed at the limit of 3.4 ounces or 100 milliliters carried in a one quart-size bag." But it's a start.

Footprints

Moscow coronavirus hospital: Patient escapes; frustrated chief physician denounces 'ignorant behavior'

Russian hospital
© Sputnik/Vitaly BelousovA hospital complex in Kommunarka settlement, Moscow, Russia.
It appears some Russians really don't like the idea of being quarantined over Covid-19. After a well-publicized hospital breakout in Saint Petersburg last month, a Moscow patient decided to play copycat.

Apparently unconcerned about infecting others around the capital, a woman suspected of having coronavirus escaped from a medical facility, according to Denis Protsenko, the head physician at Moscow's Kommunarka Hospital, who remarked:
"I have to deal with the ignorant behavior of hospitalized patients who do not understand the situation and the danger of spreading Covid-19 in the city. I ask my colleagues to explain the seriousness of the situation to non-medics."
Protsenko also asked Moscow residents to show civic consciousness.
"The worst thing is, from the moment of unauthorized departure to their discovery by the police, such patients pose a biological threat to the spread of the virus. Once again, I urge our patients to be relaxed and [more] conscious, and we will continue to work for you."

Comment: Coronavirus? Social distancing? Partying must go on!
Footage appeared on social media over the weekend of New Orleans police clearing the city's popular party hotspot the French Quarter, after the state's governor banned gatherings of 250 people or more. Revelers on Bourbon Street were defiant, opting instead to twerk at police who were attempting to clear the area.


Police were forced to intervene to clear English tourists off the streets of Benidorm, after they defied a decree from the Valencian government to avoid bars and restaurants, which had already been ordered to shut.


Meanwhile, in the Irish capital Dublin, footage shared online by the country's minister for health sparked widespread outrage, as people flouted social distancing rules prohibiting large gatherings of people by crowding into pubs.


Welsh rockers Stereophonics have been lambasted online for continuing their UK tour despite the potential risk to fans, crew and venue staff alike.


Footage of teenage superstar Billie Eilish performing in Miami on the first date of her US tour has been met with similar criticism after eyewitness video showed her drinking from a water bottle before unceremoniously drenching fans in her immediate area.

Mexican President Obrador defies Covid-19 by embracing and shaking hands with thousands at multiple rallies:



There have been 53 confirmed coronavirus cases in Mexico, with media reporting of at least one death resulting from the pandemic on Mexican soil. Local media reported that businessman Jose Kuri succumbed to the virus after returning from a trip to the US.
Flushed with excitement, TikTok user offers the airline toilet seat licking challenge:
Louise subsequently claimed she disinfected the toilet seat with bleach for 40 minutes prior to filming the video, adding that she has made $4,000 as a result of the video...but didn't specify exactly how.



Footprints

Wuhan returns to work gives hope for US and other nations hit with coronavirus

chinese recoverees
© Xinhua News AgencyChinese in Wuhan Province prepare to leave rehabilitation center after a 14-day quarantine.
Residents of Hubei province, the epicenter of China's coronavirus outbreak, resumed a more normal daily life routine as factories and other businesses reopened Wednesday, possibly offering encouragement to the U.S. and other affected nations.

Health experts around the world are carefully watching the pandemic as it plays out in China, where the virus originated, for clues to how the new COVID-19 coronavirus strain works its way through a target population. At first overwhelmed by new cases and outbreaks, Chinese officials are reporting a sharply declining number of new cases in recent days.

Food processors, manufacturers and other businesses essential for providing daily necessities in Wuhan, the city in the province where the coronavirus emerged in December, can reopen, the Hubei provincial government announced. Construction also has gradually resumed on housing and public infrastructure projects in China as the country tries to bring employees back to work while still containing the epidemic.

Even though embarrassing information is tightly controlled by the Beijing government, experts say there are some glimmers of hope.

Shopping Bag

Martial law? Stockpile everything? Washington debunks hoax coronavirus messages

empty shelves
© Reuters/Gavino GarayNearly empty shelves, Washington DC, March 15, 2020
Americans have been bombarded with fake messages stating that President Donald Trump will declare martial law in days. The government had to intervene to prevent a wave of panic.

The seemingly unstoppable spread of coronavirus has already led the government to declare a national emergency over the deadly disease that has so far claimed 41 lives nationwide, and infected more than 1,600 people across the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

However, certain unsavory characters apparently decided to exploit the already tense situation to stoke more fear in the hearts of Americans and provoke real panic. People across the US received text messages claiming the president is about to impose martial law in a day or two, while urging people to stockpile supplies. This comes as many shops have already reportedly run out of toilet paper among other things.

Comment: See also:

'Just take it easy, just relax': Trump warns against HOARDING over coronavirus as VIDEOS of shoppers cleaning out stores go viral


Health

They were older or unhealthy: The first 48 deaths from coronavirus in USA, listed by state

life care center
© Getty Images/John MooreKirkland, Washington: Nursing home where most US deaths from coronavirus were reported.
As Americans spend their first full day under a presidentially declared national state of emergency, many are wondering about the profile of those who have succumbed to the coronavirus so far.

The number of U.S. deaths has been growing since the first one reported in Washington state on Feb. 29. The victim's name was not released, nor were details of his circumstances. But officials said he lived in King County, was in his 50s, and had "underlying health conditions."

As of Friday, the total number of U.S. deaths attributed to coronavirus stood at 48. All but 11 of the deaths were in Washington state. Of the total deaths reported through March 13, more than half (25) were from the Life Care Center nursing facility in Kirkland, Wash., where a serious outbreak occurred.

U.S. health officials said the early pattern of deaths suggests those most at risk are the elderly and those with more serious health issues like diabetes, lung disease or coronary ailments.

Document

DPR emergency statement describes latest Ukrainian war crimes in Gorlovka

soldier w gun
© FRN
Text of an urgent statement by the official representative of the People's Police (NM) of the DPR:
The Ukrainian side continues trying to destabilize the situation in the Donbass, provoking NM divisions to aggravate the situation.
"Tonight at 1:35 am militants of the 58th brigade, on the orders of a war criminal, Kashchenko fired at the mine settlement named after Gagarin from 122-mm artillery, firing 10 shells at the village."
As a result of the shelling, a high-voltage power line in the village of Kurgan was damaged. More than 1000 subscribers were left without electricity, boiler rooms No. 13.14 and 15 were de-energized. Emergency services are working to restore electricity.

According to updated data, as a result of shelling the area mine them. Gagarin, Gorlovka from 122-mm artillery, three civilians were injured : a man born in 1952, a woman born in 1959, and also a fourteen-year-old teenager.
"The victims were taken to the city hospital No. 2 of Gorlovka, where they were provided with qualified medical care. Currently, nothing threatens their life and health."
The cynicism of Ukrainian militants has crossed all borders. The ongoing genocide of the civilian population of Donbass should not go unnoticed by international observers and the world community. In this regard, we urge the leaders of Western countries to exert influence on the Ukrainian leadership to stop criminal acts against the Republic, and the Armed Forces command to curb their subordinates, for whom the killing of civilians has become the norm.

Comment: A long-running conflict, more on past encounters between Ukraine and the city of Gorlovka:


Syringe

Russia to launch $4 billion anti-crisis fund to stabilize economy

moscow
© Pixabay.com
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced on Monday the establishment of a 300-billion-ruble anti-crisis fund in order to support the country's economic sectors and citizens amid the global coronavirus pandemic.

"We have developed a number of priority measures, and I think it is necessary to take a number of actions today to prevent the negative impact of coronavirus on the country's economy and people's lives," said Mishustin, who has headed the government's Coordinating Council to combat the spread of Covid-19.

The prime minister said that the government will soon launch a single hotline and an online alert system for citizens (including through social networks) to provide them with the latest information on the spread of coronavirus.

Comment: Russia is not the only country resorting to massive financial injections, but it is considered to be one of the best prepared for a global recession:


Handcuffs

Japanese man who killed 19 at centre for disabled sentenced to death by hanging

Satoshi Uematsu
© Jiji Press/EPASatoshi Uematsu has been sentenced to death for the killing of 19 people with disabilities at a care home in Japan.
A man who stabbed to death 19 residents at a care home in Japan for people with disabilities has been sentenced to death.

Satoshi Uematsu, a former employee of the Tsukui Yamayuri En (Tsukui Lily Garden) facility in Sagamihara, south-west of Tokyo, carried out the attack in 2016, in which residents were targeted as they slept.

Twenty-four other residents and two care workers were injured in what is one of post-war Japan's worst mass killings.

The 30-year-old admitted to the rampage during hearings at Yokohama district court but pleaded not guilty on the grounds of diminished responsibility, with his lawyers claiming he was suffering from a psychiatric disorder at the time of the attack.

Comment: See also:


Corona

Covid craziness updates: Iran reports record single-day death numbers, Serbia declares state of emergency

iranian health workers
© ReutersHealth workers on motorbikes fumigate as a preventive measure against the coronavirus along a street in Hyderabad, Pakistan, on March 15.
A roundup of the latest news on the coronavirus crisis in RFE/RL's broadcast countries:

Iran

Iran says the COVID-19 illness has killed 129 more people, a single-day record high for one of the countries worst hit by the coronavirus outbreak.

During a televised news conference on March 16, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur appealed to the public to drastically curb outings, especially intercity trips.

"Our plea is that everyone take this virus seriously and in no way attempts to travel to any province," Jahanpur said.

The deaths bring the overall toll to 853 fatalities since February 19, when the government announced Iran's first two deaths from the COVID-19 disease sparked by the coronavirus.

Jahanpour also reported 1,053 confirmed new cases of infection in the past 24 hours, raising the total to 14,991.

Iran has the third-most registered cases after China and Italy.

Comment: France's top health official warns the situation is "extremely worrying" as cases are doubling every few days. France's borders remain open, though "tighter controls" are being implemented with Germany, who will crack down on "non-essential travel". Border checks have been established with five countries. German Police President said "We don't close borders; North Korea does." Ursula von der Leyen says it's of the "utmost importance to keep our common ... market going." The European Commission has recommended restricting all non-essential travel to the EU for 30 days. Spain and Portugal have locked down their borders.

Over in the U.S., Health and Human Services faced a cyber attack , assumed to be from a "hostile foreign actor" (blame Russia!). 950 tested positive in New York, with 7 deaths. Casinos, gyms, theaters are closing, and gatherings with 50+ people are banned. The number of cases and deaths outside China now exceeds the numbers within China. Keep in mind, though, that we still do not know the extent of asymptomatic and extremely mild symptomatic cases. Those figures will push the death rate down. So far, Covid-19 isn't even in SARS and MERS league in that department.

See also:


Bulb

Evicting migrants from Danish inner-city ghettos is NOT racism, it's common sense - and immigrants will benefit the most

Protest
© Getty Images/NurPhoto/Aleksander KlugProtest in Aarhus, Denmark, 2018 in defiance of the Danish Governments ban on the burka and niqab.
Evicting migrant tenants from culturally isolated inner-city ghettos and insisting they learn a new language might not appeal to liberal commenters, but Denmark insists its "social experiment" is what the nation needs.

The Scandinavian country is pressing ahead with tough plans to clear and rebuild its troubled and increasingly Islamicized inner-city ghettos, in a move that, predictably, is being condemned by the United Nations and other liberal organizations.

But this is not some cruel social engineering - or the "social experiment" as the Danish media have dubbed it - designed to force generations of immigrants onto the back foot: it is good common sense that can only benefit everyone concerned.

And it's not just Danish society as a whole that stands to gain but, crucially, the immigrants themselves. Not that the United Nations sees it that way.