© REUTERS/Eric GaillardFrench President Emmanuel Macron addresses the nation about the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, March 16, 2020.
The lockdown begins on Tuesday at noon. At the same time, France's borders with the rest of the Schengen area - much of the EU - will be closed as well, the president announced.
"We are at war," he repeated several times, noting that France's struggle is not against a nation or an army, but the "invisible enemy" of the Covid-19 virus, the rapidly spreading contagion rampaging through the EU.
Anyone defying the restrictions will be punished, Macron noted, without specifying whether the penalties will be civil or criminal.
"Not a single French company will go bankrupt. Not a single French person will go without help."
However, the collection of utility bills - gas, electricity, water, and rent - will also be suspended for the duration, as the Elysee Palace sought to temper the hardship imposed on France.
France has registered at least 6,633 cases of coronavirus as of Monday, with 148 fatalities. Macron said he did not know how long the current situation will go on.
France will deploy 100,000 police officers along fixed checkpoints around the country to enforce President Emmanuel Macron's two-week lockdown order, the latest dramatic measure taken to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
Anyone caught violating the far-reaching restrictions "must be able to justify the reason for their movements," or will face legal penalties, including a fine of up to €135, Castaner said.
"The instruction is clear: stay home"
Some "exceptions may be tolerated," Castaner added, including "travel between home and work, for shopping, for health reasons, for the assistance of vulnerable people, for parents or for short trips."
Pedestrians and drivers will be required to obtain permits to travel, which will be presented to police manning a network of checkpoints throughout France. The minister noted that police and gendarmes only - not military personnel - will enforce the restrictions.
Dow plunges 3,000 points in biggest single-day drop
Dow Jones plummeted nearly 3,000 points (2,997.1, to be exact) at the close of trading on Monday, finishing down 12.93 percent as markets continued to slide despite tripping a circuit-breaker minutes after opening.
© REUTERS/Andrew KellyThe Dow Jones Industrial Average is displayed after closing bell on floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)
While the Federal Reserve has cut rates toward zero in an effort to boost the economy, the continuing closure of schools, restaurants, bars, movie theaters, etc. across the country is affecting the market dramatically, and with no end in sight to the coronavirus panic, it's an unsure market for investors.
Confidence in the markets was not helped by a Monday afternoon press conference in which President Donald Trump said the federal government could be responding to the coronavirus until "July or August," possibly longer.
Precious metals have also been sent into free fall, with gold dropping by 1.3 percent to just over $1,500 an ounce. Silver, platinum, and palladium have seen even steeper declines, each falling by over 12 percent on Monday.
Brent and WTI crude tumbled by 9 and 11.3 percent respectively, taking a toll on petrol giants including Chevron, BP, Royal Dutch Shell, and Suncor Energy, each of which saw more than a 15-percent decline in stock price. Apache was among the worst affected, down by over 30 percent.
Trump urges no gatherings of 10+ people, says peak of coronavirus could carry into 'July or August'
© REUTERS/Joshua RobertsDonald Trump speaks during a briefing on the administration's response to the coronavirus in Washington.
The safety tips released by the White House on Monday include avoiding large public spaces like restaurants, bars, and food courts, which shouldn't be hard since states like New York, Illinois, and others have ordered establishments such as these to only serve takeout and delivery customers.
The elderly, who are most at risk of dying from the coronavirus, are encouraged to "stay home and away from people" in the new guidelines. The handout also asks young, healthy people to do their part and practice social distancing.
"It is critical that you do your part to stop the spread of the coronavirus," it reads.
Trump revealed that a vaccine for the virus is in phase one clinical trials, but said life might not return to normal for US citizens until "July or August," and that it could take even longer than that.
The public has been facing new financial burdens with businesses across the nation shutting down in response to the coronavirus. School closures have also led to the issue of children who rely on free or reduced-price lunches at school not being fed.
Hospitals are bracing for more coronavirus patients as state and federal responses get more serious, with some choosing to cancel elective surgeries to clear up space for coronavirus patients.
Several hospitals in the Seattle area, for instance, have canceled elective surgeries for the next 30 days.
The president said at his briefing that the best thing for the economy is to "get through this crisis." Asked whether we are headed into a recession, he said, "well, yes, we may be."
Shortly after his remarks on the economy, the Dow Jones plunged by nearly 3,000 at the close of trading on Monday. The 13-percent drop marks the worst for the Dow since the infamous Black Monday crash in 1987.
Asked about closing the borders, Trump said he has not yet made a decision, but it is something the administration is "thinking" about.
The president also addressed primary votes being postponed in places like Ohio, where the governor is seeking to push Tuesday's vote to June.
Calling the decision to cancel the vote "tough," the president said it's a decision he will leave in the hands of states, rather than the federal government.
"I'd leave that up to the states, that's a big deal postponing an election," he said.
Arizona, Florida and Illinois also have primary votes on Tuesday.
Putting social distancing into practice, the White House press room sat reporters one seat apart, unusual for a room that is typically crammed shoulder-to-shoulder with people.
Ohio governor vows to delay primary vote over coronavirus emergency despite judge's ruling
© Reuters / Bryan WoolstonFILE PHOTO: A voter wears a mask to prevent exposure to the novel coronavirus while casting his ballot at the Board of Elections office in Cincinnati, Ohio, US, March 14, 2020.
On the heels of Governor Mike DeWine's plea to postpone Tuesday's vote until early June in hopes of stemming the spread of the coronavirus, a pair of elderly voters - who are most vulnerable to the illness - filed a lawsuit on Monday along the lines of the governor's recommendation, calling for a restraining order to keep polling places closed. But Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Richard Frye soon shot down the suit, stating it would set a "terrible precedent" to rewrite the rules a mere 12 hours out from an election.
"There are too many factors to balance in this uncharted territory to say that we ought to take it away from the legislature and elected statewide officials, and throw it to a common pleas court judge in Columbus with 12 [hours] to go to the election," Frye said in his ruling.
"So the application for a temporary restraining order is denied."
The decision was left muddled in some press accounts, however, with CNN initially reporting the primary had indeed been postponed, despite the ruling to the contrary. The glaring error, which reported the exact opposite of the judge's decision, was later corrected, but not before potentially misleading thousands of readers about the fate of the primary.
Media outlets weren't the only ones confused about the status of the upcoming vote, with at least one county election board telling poll workers to stay home in an email, apparently taking the governor's earlier request for a delay as an executive order.
State officials still plan to appeal Frye's decision, according to Kenneth Henning, a representative for the Ohio secretary of state, though it's unclear whether enough time remains before Tuesday to secure another ruling.
Perhaps fueling even more uncertainty around the primary, DeWine announced in a tweet later on Monday night that, despite the judge's refusal, the vote would be put off regardless, stating that the director of the Ohio Department of Health, Amy Acton, would "order the polls closed as a health emergency," while Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose will ask the courts to "extend voting options" in the meantime.
Netanyahu: Israel won't impose total lockdown
© REUTERS / Gali TibbonIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
"The transition of the public sector to the format of the state of emergency, the private sector is switching to a reduced format, state services - in the full format", Netanyahu said. "We do not lock people at home. I'm not talking about a total lockdown, I hope we will not get to this", he announced, adding that a local quarantine was possible.
According to the Israeli Health Ministry, 298 Israelis were diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, the condition of four of them is assessed as serious.
'Very existence' of many pubs under threat as PM Johnson urges Britons to cut 'non-essential' social contact
© Reuters / Henry NichollsFILE PHOTO.
Insights on how to tackle the "fast growth" of the Covid-19 epidemic were shared by Johnson as he spoke live from Downing Street on Monday. While the UK had 1,543 confirmed cases of the disease, including 53 deaths, on that day, the suggested measures were more of a mild recommendation rather than severe steps taken across the channel.
"Last week asked people to stay at home if you had one of two key symptoms. A high temperature or a new and continuous cough - today we need to go further," Johnson said, adding that just washing hands was no longer sufficient.
Johnson urged "everyone to stop non-essential contact and to stop all non-essential travel." Londoners should pay particular attention to the advice, he added, as the capital is expected to hit the peak of the epidemic earlier than other areas.
"We need people to start working from home where they possibly can," he told a news conference. "And you should avoid pubs, clubs, theatres and other such social venues."
While the government has all the necessary tools to enforce such guidelines - and even to ban handshakes - Johnson expressed hopes that the people and venue owners were mature enough to follow the advice without coercion.
"I think most people would accept that we are a mature and grown-up and liberal democracy where people understand very clearly the advice that is given to them," Johnson stated.
Telling the Britons to avoid pubs, however, turned out to be quite scary in itself. Shortly after the PM's calls for avoiding pubs, Chief Executive of the British Beer & Pub Association Emma McClarkin called upon the government to "step in and provide a package of support" for the industry instead as it has already suffered from the outbreak.
"The severity of the Covid-19 crisis has now impacted pubs with devastating effect. The very existence of some pubs is now at threat," McClarkin stated. "Support for pubs now is an investment in the long-term future of communities across the UK and without it we risk losing our community assets forever."
'Unwoke' Peloton stock now roaring back as Americans go stir crazy in coronavirus lockdown
Less than three months after an infamous holiday commercial wiped out $1 billion in Peloton's market value, the company's stock is bouncing back - along with the makers of toilet paper and canned goods - amid Covid-19 lockdowns.
The makers of pricey stationary exercise bikes - and the subscription workout program that comes with them - fell on their face back in December, when their holiday commercial intended to be cute was denounced as misogynist, fat-shaming, sexist, and creepy. Peloton offered a groveling apology and removed the video after their stock took a dive amid the rancor.
© Reuters / Shannon Stapleton
The fitness gear company is not the only one reaping a windfall as millions are holed up at home waiting out the pandemic. With toilet paper inventories nearly wiped clean in some cities after fits of panic buying, the Kimberly-Clark Corporation - maker of several well known toilet paper brands, among other personal hygiene goods - has seen major gains over the last week. Clorox has enjoyed a surge in business, too, with the virus scare driving some to douse everything in sight with the company's disinfectants.
Seeing as bleach and toilet paper cannot be eaten... producers of canned and frozen foods have also seen sales take off amid the lockdowns.
Apparently realizing the good the virus has done for business, Peloton made its fitness app free for the next 30 days, inviting consumers to find a "supportive community" among fellow health nuts as they fend off cabin fever together.
With netizens stuck indoors without much to do - besides exercise, of course - some used their extra free time in the most productive way possible, devising a brand new conspiracy theory that connects the dots between Peloton and the coronavirus outbreak. What do they know, and what are they hiding from us?
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