Swiss coronavirus cases top 10,000, with 161 deaths

ZURICH (Reuters) – Switzerland has 10,714 confirmed coronavirus infections and 161 people have died of the disease, the Federal Office of Public Health said on Thursday.

The numbers were up to date as of 0715 GMT, it said.

Coronavirus: Kingston, Ont. closes playgrounds and parks

According to the City of Kingston, all playgrounds and park amenities are now closed until further notice.

The decision was made at the recommendation of KFL&A Public Health and follows the Ontario city’s declaration of a state of emergency Thursday, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Disney closes theme parks indefinitely amid coronavirus pandemic

Disney is keeping the doors to its US resorts firmly shut amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The Mouse House said Friday that it will keep the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., and Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla., closed until “further notice.”

“While there is still much uncertainty with respect to the impacts of COVID-19, the safety and well-being of our guests and employees remains The Walt Disney Company’s top priority,” the company said in a statement.

The company, which announced the closure of both parks on March 12, said it has been paying its cast members ever since then. In light of the extension of the closures, Disney said it will extend paying hourly parks and resort cast members through April 18.

On Wednesday, MoffettNathanson analyst Michael Nathanson estimated that Disney theme parks in the US could face a potential $3.4 billion revenue loss this year due to ongoing coronavirus closures and an ensuing recession.

“Putting it all together, despite the fall in Disney’s stock price to date, we think the combination of COVID-19 impacts and an ensuing recession will cause unprecedented pain here,” Nathanson said.

UK flight brings back stranded citizens from Peru

LONDON, March 26 (Reuters) – The first British-government chartered British Airways flight from Peru landed on Thursday, bringing back stranded citizens, Foreign Minister Dominic Raab said.

Brazil's central bank sells $610 million in spot market intervention

BRASILIA, March 27 (Reuters) – Brazil’s central bank sold $610 million in a spot foreign exchange market auction on Friday, it said in a statement, bringing total spot market interventions so far this year to more than $10 billion.

The real was down more than 2% against the dollar at 5.1050 per dollar on Friday, meaning it has lost 21.5% of its value against the dollar so far this year.

UK Health Minister Hancock tests positive for coronavirus, after PM Boris Johnson found infected

LONDON (REUTERS) – British Health Minister Matt Hancock said on Twitter on Friday (March 27) he has tested positive for coronavirus and is self-isolating at home with mild symptoms.

Less than two hours earlier, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that he too had tested positive for the virus.

Chris Cuomo Names The Donald Trump Character Traits That Are ‘Literally Making Us Sick’

Donald Trump’s “two defining flaws” are “literally making us sick” amid the coronavirus pandemic, CNN’s Chris Cuomo argued Friday night.

The “Cuomo Prime Time” host broke down why Trump’s ignorance and arrogance are compromising the federal response to the public health crisis that nationwide has sickened more than 100,000 people and killed almost 1,700.

Cuomo scorned Trump’s expressed wish to reopen shuttered businesses by Easter, calling it “asinine” and noting “no expert anywhere says anything like it.”

“In a world of doubt, here is a sure thing,” said Cuomo. “If the federal government and the states don’t get it together better, you will see sickness and death in this country like you never have before.”

“And while there are a growing number of mayors and governors in need, there is one persistent problem at the top, Trump,” he added. “His two defining flaws are on flagrant display. They are literally making us sick.”

 Check out the clip here:

Twitter Users Point Out Major Flaw With Donald Trump’s Coronavirus Bill Photo Op

President Donald Trump on Friday signed a $2 trillion emergency spending bill into law that aims to mitigate the devastating effect the coronavirus pandemic is having on the U.S. economy.

But Twitter users were quick to point out a major problem with how the signing of the bill was staged.

For the photo op, Trump sat in the Oval Office with 15 people (senior GOP lawmakers and members of his administration) close behind him and each other. None were adhering to social distancing rules.

Horror writer Stephen King and former Republican congressman Joe Walsh were among those to notice:

Anthony Fauci Debunks The Biggest Coronavirus Myths For Lilly Singh

Anthony Fauci separated fact from fiction about the coronavirus in a lengthy myth-busting interview with Lilly Singh.

In a 17-minute segment that Canadian YouTuber-turned-late night host Singh shared online Friday, Fauci debunked common misconceptions and rumors about the strength and spread of the virus that has now sickened more than half a million people worldwide.

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, also discussed the development of a vaccine which he said was “not going to be available for at least a year, or a year and a half.”

And he cautioned there is still “no definitely proven drug that is effective against this disease,” despite President Donald Trump’s claims to the contrary.

Check out the full clip here: