Welcome to Fresh Start.
This is People’s Daily app.
Here are today’s picks from our editors.
China faces mounting pressure of imported COVID-19 cases: official
China must shore up its preventive measures against imported cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as infections are soaring overseas, a health official said Monday.
Since China reported no new domestic cases for the first time on March 18, there have been reports of sporadic domestic cases, said Mi Feng, a spokesperson for the National Health Commission (NHC), at a press conference in Beijing.
Mi urged solid implementation of prevention and control measures against a resurgence in domestic COVID-19 cases and underscored the importance of community-level efforts. (Xinhua)
Trump defends extending virus guidelines as spread continues
Siding with public health experts’ dire projections, US President Donald Trump on Monday defended his decision to extend restrictive social distancing guidelines through the end of April, while bracing the nation for a coronavirus death toll that could exceed 100,000 people.
In the face of stark projections from his team and searing images of overwhelmed hospitals in his native New York City, Trump on Sunday extended to April 30 the social distancing guidelines, which had been set to expire Monday.
Trump’s impulse to reopen the country, driven by pleas from business leaders, met a sober reality check from health experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, who on Sunday said the US could experience between 100,000-200,000 deaths and millions of infections from COVID-19. (AP)
US Navy hospital ship arrives in NYC to back up health systems
A US Navy hospital ship with 1,000 beds arrived Monday morning in New York City to help relieve the coronavirus crisis gripping the city’s hospitals.
The USNS Comfort, which was sent to New York City after 9/11, will be used to treat non-coronavirus patients while hospitals treat people with COVID-19.
Governor Andrew Cuomo told reporters the ship will relieve stress on city hospitals as the massive white vessel pulled into a cruise ship terminal off Manhattan. In addition to the 1,000 beds, the Comfort has 12 operating rooms that could be up and running within 24 hours. (AP)
Macy’s to furlough majority of its 130,000 workers
Leading US department store chain Macy's said Monday it would stop paying tens of thousands of employees who were thrown out of work when the retail chain closed its stores in response to declining sales amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The majority of its 130,000 employees will still collect health benefits, but the company said that it is transitioning to an “absolute minimum workforce” needed to maintain basic operations. Macy’s has lost the bulk of its sales due to the temporary closing of all 500 of its stores on March 18. (AP)
EU pushes Britain to extend Brexit talks over virus outbreak
The European Union expects Britain to seek an extension of its status quo post-Brexit transition period beyond the end of the year, diplomats and officials said on Monday, as negotiations on trade have ground to a halt amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"The EU has always been open to extending the transition period. The ball is now clearly in the British court ... So far, the UK government has constantly rejected such an option. Under the current circumstances, London should carefully re-examine a prolongation," said David McAllister, a conservative German EU lawmaker who chairs the European Parliament's Brexit group. (CGTN)
Tokyo Olympics to be held next summer
The Tokyo Olympic Games will be held from July 23 to August 8, 2021, almost a year after the original schedule, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Monday.
The Games was scheduled to start on July 24 this year but was postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Paralympics will be held from August 24 to September 5 in 2021. (Xinhua)
Dutch museum says van Gogh painting stolen in overnight raid
A Dutch museum that is currently closed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus said Monday a painting by Vincent van Gogh on loan for an exhibition was stolen in a raid overnight.
The Singer Laren museum east of Amsterdam says "Spring Garden" by the Dutch master was taken in the early hours of Monday.
Museum director Evert van Os said the institution that houses the collection of American couple William and Anna Singer is "angry, shocked, sad" at the theft of the painting. (AP)
Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.
And now for the Question of the Day:
The average human body contains how many pints of blood?
(Answer: Nine.)
Today’s quote is from English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822).
"There is no real wealth but the labor of man."
(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Ryan Yaoran Yu, Lance Crayon, and Elaine Yue Lin. Music by Eugene Loner.)