New York Drops Below One New Infection Per Victim, Cuomo Says

New York State’s lockdown has reduced the rate of spread for the coronavirus to under one new infection for every existing one, possibly marking an end to the first outbreak, Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

But even as he credited New Yorkers for altering their behavior, he implored them to continue keeping their distance from one another to prevent a resurgence. He also announced that he was extending the state’s lockdown under the Pause Act at least another month, to May 15.

“What determines the rate of infection? You do and I do,” Cuomo said Thursday at his daily virus briefing. “That rate came down because people changed their behavior. That’s what happened.”

The governor reported 606 new deaths in 24 hours, down from 752 the previous day. That raised the state’s death toll to 12,192. Hospitalizations and intubations are decreasing, Cuomo said.

Stock Alert: Procter & Gamble Slides

Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) shares are trading lower on Thursday morning.
PG is currently at $120.62, down 0.54 percent from its previous close of $121.22.

The shares were up more than $123 on Wednesday, climbing above its 200-day moving average, in response to a dividend announcement.

Pizza Hut Announces Contactless Curbside Pickup

In an effort to keep its customers as well as employees safe, Pizza Hut has started contactless curbside pickup at participating restaurants nationwide.

Customers, who want contactless curbside checkout, are only required to simply check the contactless curbside box at checkout on the website and app, or ask a team member over the phone.

While placing an order, customers can provide details on the vehicle they’re driving, and then pre-pay using a credit or debit card. Once they arrive, they can call the store or look for the curbside attendant. A gloved team member will bring out pizza and place it in their car. As with all orders, Pizza Hut’s process requires that once pizza leaves Pizza Hut’s 400+ degree oven, it slides hands-free into the box without anyone touching the pizza until the box is opened at home.

Pizza Hut will also introduce a new tamper proof safety seals, which will be applied to all medium and large pizza boxes. The new safety seal must be broken by the customer in order to access the food inside.

Pizza Hut is also introducing new recommended safety procedures and by planning to make certain personal protective equipment available to franchisees, team members, and its franchisees’ team members.

Coronavirus: Help Next Door site sees thousands of users asking for, offering help

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Continuum Recalls Lenox Tea Kettles

Continuum has announced recall of Lenox 2.5 quart tea kettles due to risk of burning.

According to the company, the tea kettles can expel hot water during use, posing a burn hazard to consumers. The company said it received 14 reports of tea kettles expelling hot water through the top, including four reports of burn injuries, some of them severe.

The recall recall involves Continuum’s Lenox-branded 2.5 Quart Whistling Stainless Steel Tea Kettle with a three-layered bottom. The tea kettles were sold in a variety of colors, including blue, red, silver, and gold. They have a stainless steel flat bottom that measures approximately 7″ in diameter and has a bent edge that extends approximately 1″ beyond the flat portion of the bottom.

The company has asked customers to immediately stop using the recalled tea kettles and contact Continuum for a full refund.

The products were sold at Burlington, HomeGoods, Home Sense, Marshalls, T.J. Maxx, Tuesday Morning, and Winners stores nationwide from September 2013 through November 2017 for between $30 and $50.

Stock Alert: Rite Aid Corporation Loses 20%

Shares of retail drugstore chain Rite Aid Corporation (RAD) are down more than 20% Thursday morning. The company reported fourth-quarter results today.

Although there was 33% increase in front-end sales in March, due to increased demand for personal care, paper products and OTC medications, the company expects it to decline during the remainder of the first quarter due to social distancing measures taken during the Covid-19 pandemic as well as a moderation in prescription count.

For the fourth quarter, the company reported net loss from continuing operations of $343.5 million, or $6.43 per share compared with loss from continuing operations of $255.6 million, or $4.83 per share a tear ago. Excluding items, loss per share of $0.37 missed average estimate of 4 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters at $0.15 loss per share.

Revenues from continuing operations, however, increased to $5.73 billion from $5.38 billion in the prior year’s quarter. The consensus estimate was at $5.59 billion.

For the full year, adjusted net (loss) income per share is expected to be between a loss of $0.22 and income of $0.19 and revenue to be in the range of $22.5 billion to $22.9 billion. Analysts see earnings of $0.3 on revenue of $22.26 billion for the period.

RAD is currently at $11.13. It has traded in the range of $5.04- $23.88 in the last 52-weeks.

US unemployment surges by 22 million in a month

A staggering number of people are now out of work in the United States as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

A staggering number of people are now out of work in the United States as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The government revealed another 5.2 million people have lost their jobs in a week, taking the total to apply for unemployment benefits in the past month to 22 million.

And, with many states expected to extend orders to stay at home, hourly workers are worried about how they will pay their bills.

Al Jazeera’s Natasha Ghoneim reports from Chicago.