US declares virus 'emergency,' bans travelers from China
Washington: The US said Friday it was declaring a public health emergency and temporarily banning the entry of foreign nationals who had traveled to China over the past two weeks to contain the spread of a deadly new virus.
Sweeping new restrictions will also be imposed on American citizens, with those returning from the province at the disease's epicenter placed in facilities for mandatory 14-day quarantines, said Health Secretary Alex Azar.
US citizens coming from other parts of China will undergo health screening at ports of entry and then be placed under monitored self-quarantine at home.
"I have today declared that the coronavirus presents a public health emergency in the United States," said Azar during a briefing at the White House, adding the directives would take effect on February 2 from 5:00 pm eastern time (2200 GMT).
"Foreign nationals, other than immediate family of US citizens and permanent residents, who have traveled in China within the last 14 days will be denied entry into the United States for this time," he added.
The restrictions apply to people who have traveled to the designated areas in the two weeks prior to their attempted entry.
There have been seven confirmed US cases of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, which originated in a live seafood market in Wuhan, in Hubei province, in December.
The World Health Organization has already declared the epidemic a global emergency, and the Chinese death toll has risen to 259 while total infections reached nearly 12,000, surpassing the SARS epidemic of two decades ago.
Three US airlines, American, Delta and United said they would soon suspend all flights to China.
Earlier, officials imposed mandatory 14-day quarantine orders on 195 Americans who were air evacuated from Wuhan, the first time a federal directive of this kind was issued for more than 50 years. The last case involved a person who was evaluated for smallpox in the 1960s.
A plane carrying the repatriated citizens, who include diplomats and their families, touched down at the March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, California, on Wednesday and officials initially said the passengers would be asked to voluntarily isolate themselves for up to 72 hours.
Early signs were good, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared that none of the individuals showed symptoms of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus.
One of the individuals tried to leave the base and was placed under quarantine by the state of California, said CDC official Marty Citron, before the federal action.
The repatriated group submitted samples for testing at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta -- but officials now say they are not certain about the accuracy of their diagnostic tools.
"We are seeing in the cases that are in the hospital, we've seen people who had detectable virus, and they didn't have the technical virus, and then three days later they had detectable virus," said Robert Redfield, the CDC's director. Given that the extent of asymptomatic transmission was not yet clear, a negative test was not being used as a release criteria.
"It isn't like it's a horrible test, but it is not a test that's absolute," added CDC immunologist Anthony Fauci.
Despite the seemingly drastic actions, the US public "should not let fear or panic guide your actions," said senior CDC official Nancy Messonnier, but instead exercise normal precautions for stopping the spread of respiratory viruses.
These include washing your hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds, disinfecting surfaces, staying home when sick and covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and then throwing it in the trash.
"We do not currently recommend the use of facemasks for the general American public," said Messonnier. "This virus is not spreading in your communities." "Please do not assume that just because someone is of Asian descent that they have this new coronavirus," she added, noting there are four million Chinese Americans in the United States.
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Cong slams Modi govt as 'anti-worker', calls for review of new Labour code
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Friday accused the Modi government of being "anti-worker" and demanded that the new labour code be reviewed, MGNREGA be revived as well as a national minimum wage of Rs 400 per day be established.
On International Labour Day, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge took a swipe at the government and said unemployment in India today is a direct consequence of the 'Hum Do, Hamare Do' policies.
"Driven by the 'Hum Do, Hamare Do' policy, the Modi government implemented an anti-worker Labour Code. As a result, unrest has erupted everywhere - be it in Noida, at the IOCL facility in Panipat, Adani's factory in Raikheda, NTPC Patratu, or the Samsung factory in Sriperumbudur," Kharge said in a post in Hindi on X.
Instead of ensuring job security, this Code promotes policies such as contract labour and 'Hire & Fire' practices, Kharge said and called for a review of the new Labour Code.
The Modi government has effectively dismantled MGNREGA by forcibly pushing legislation through Parliament, he alleged.
"Mr. Modi has shifted 40% of the wage burden onto the State governments. State governments are unable to bear this financial strain and will eventually be forced to stop providing work," he claimed.
The Modi government has compelled workers into a state of unemployment and pushed them towards 'gig work', Kharge said.
Currently, 69% of the workforce is working for wages below the statutory minimum wage, he said.
The Modi government has engineered a crisis of stagnant wages, Kharge alleged.
"When adjusted for inflation, the wages of the majority of India's workers have grown by less than 1% annually over the last decade (from 2014-15 to 2022-23)," he said.
The Modi government has created a massive unemployment crisis among the educated workforce, specifically, among graduates, Kharge claimed and added that jobs have been eliminated through the sale of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).
"The government has refused to fill approximately 30 lakh vacant government positions. Furthermore, the government's policy blunders have led to the decimation of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)," the Congress chief said.
The Congress reiterates its five demands for India's workers including revival of MGNREGA and its expansion to urban areas, Kharge said.
He said a national minimum wage of Rs 400 per day should be established, with MNREGA included within its scope.
Kharged demanded that a 'Right to Health' law must be enacted, providing Universal Health Coverage of up to Rs 25 lakh for laborers and workers.
"'Life Insurance and Accident Insurance' coverage must be provided for all unorganized workers. Preventing the contractualization of employment must be made a core priority of the government, and the new Labour Codes must be reviewed," Kharge asserted.
