Virus Outbreak, ADVISORY

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, is warning Congress and the nation of what he calls “really serious” consequences of suffering, death and deeper economic damage if state and local officials lift stay-at-home orders too quickly. His warning on Tuesday came even as President Donald Trump pushes states to ease restrictions as soon as it is safe to right a free-falling economy. Underscoring the seriousness of the nation’s situation, Fauci and other health experts testified by videoconference from their homes. Committee chairman Lamar Alexander chaired the hearing from his cabin in Tennessee.

AP’s coronavirus podcast, “Ground Game: Inside the Outbreak,” today looks at how the Trump administration shelved a document created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that contained step-by-step advice for local authorities on how and when to reopen public places during the COVID-19 pandemic. Listen to the podcast at https://appodcasts.com/category/ground-game/. Embed code is available on AP Coverage Plan.

The AP plans the following coverage. For up-to-the minute information, visit AP Newsroom’s coverage hub at https://newsroom.ap.org/page/Coronavirus Find AP Virus Alerts here

ONLY ON AP:

VIRUS OUTBREAK-DAY AT THE MORGUE: One of the nation’s busiest morgues is facing an unprecedented surge in deaths because of the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 1100 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-COUNTERFEIT MASKS: Counterfeit face masks that provide inadequate COVID-19 protection have been distributed to frontline health care workers across the country, an Associated Press investigation finds. SENT: 1850 words, photos. A 950-word abridged has moved.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-IRAN-DOCTORS: They are regarded as heroes, their fallen colleagues as martyrs. But for doctors and nurses still dealing with Iran’s growing number of coronavirus infections, such praise rings hollow. While crippling sanctions imposed by the U.S. government left the country ill-equipped to deal with the fast-moving virus, some medical professionals say government and religious leaders bear the brunt of the blame for allowing the virus to spread — and for hiding how much it had spread. SENT: 1,930 words, photos. An abridged version of 1,110 words is also available.

SENT/DEVELOPING:

VIRUS OUTBREAK: Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, warned bluntly Tuesday of “really serious” consequences of suffering, death and deeper economic damage if state and local officials lift stay-at-home orders too quickly, even as President Donald Trump pushes them to act to right a free-falling economy. SENT; developing. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST, VIRUS OUTBREAK-HEARING-THE LATEST and VIRUS OUTBREAK-WHAT'S HAPPENING.

FINANCIAL MARKETS: Wall Street fell to its biggest loss since the start of the month on worries about the downside of reopening the economy too soon. SENT; developing. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-BUSINESS FALLOUT.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE NEWLY INFECTED: Even as President Donald Trump urges getting people back to work and reopening the economy, thousands of new coronavirus infections are being reported daily, many of them job-related. SENT: 1060 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-HOSPITAL MATCHMAKING: As the pandemic stretches on, a new type of internet matchmaking is helping hospitals get scarce supplies they desperately need. SENT: 790 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN-BREXIT FARMERS: Britain’s fruit and vegetable farmers have long worried that the exit from the European Union would keep out the tens of thousands of Eastern European workers who come every year to pick the country’s produce. Now, the coronavirus pandemic has brought that feared future to the present. SENT: 950 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-EUROPE BORDERS: Concern is mounting that border restrictions introduced to stop the spread of the coronavirus could end free travel across Europe if they’re not lifted soon. SENT: 615 words, photos.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-FUTURE-OF-THE-OFFICE: Office jobs are never going to be the same. When workers around the world return to their desks, they’ll find many changes spurred by the pandemic. SENT: 1000 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-FRAUD: Federal officials say the coronavirus outbreak has unleashed a wave of fraud. An arm of the Department of Homeland Security has opened more than 300 cases in recent weeks that include counterfeit products and medicines as well as fake tests for the virus. SENT: 960 words, photos.

CONSUMER PRICES: U.S. consumer prices fell 0.8% in April, the biggest decline since the 2008 financial crisis, with the declines led by a huge drop in gasoline prices and in sectors most affected by the coronavirus shutdowns. SENT: 865 words, photos. With EUROPE-ECONOMY and AUSTRALIA-ECONOMY.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-KIDS RARE SYNDROME: A 9-year-old boy in an upstate New York region with relatively few cases of coronavirus is recovering from a rare inflammatory syndrome thought to be related to the virus. SENT: 780 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW YORK.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SKOREA-HOMOPHOBIA: As South Korea grapples with a new spike in coronavirus infections thought to be linked to nightspots in Seoul, including several popular with gay men, it’s also seeing rising homophobia that’s making it difficult for sexual minorities to come forward for diagnostic tests. SENT: 680 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-RUSSIA: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has been hospitalized with the coronavirus, the latest in a series of setbacks for President Vladimir Putin as Russia struggles to contain the growing outbreak. SENT: 850 words. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-RUSSIA-FIRE: Russian health officials on Tuesday announced an investigation into the safety of ventilators at two hospitals.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRAZIL HOMELESS: Brazil’s biggest homeless population has begun succumbing to COVID-19, and activists warn the worst is yet to come as colder weather bears down and shelters risk becoming hotbeds for infection. SENT: 530 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRAZIL: With Brazilian hospitals overwhelmed by coronavirus patients, the country’s state and city governments are lurching forward with mandatory lockdowns against the will of President Jair Bolsonaro. SENT: 995 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NICARAGUA: Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega’s government has stood out for its refusal to impose measures to halt the novel coronavirus. Now, doctors and family members of victims say the government has gone from denying the disease’s presence in the country to actively trying to conceal its spread. SENT: 1150 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-AP CAPTURES LIVES LOST: Across the world, the devastation caused by the coronavirus is told in the voices of those left behind. In England, the brother of Amged El-Hawrani, a Sudanese immigrant who became a successful doctor, says a rock of the family has been lost. SENT: 960 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-LOST PARISHIONERS: In hard-hit New York City, the coronavirus outbreak has taken a particularly heavy toll on Hispanic communities. SENT: 810 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-DRIVING: Americans are slowly getting back on the road after hunkering down due to the coronavirus, though the volume of traffic is still well below what it was before many states issued stay-at-home orders. SENT: 880 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MILITARY SPENDING: The government’s $3 trillion effort to rescue the economy from the coronavirus crisis is stirring worry at the Pentagon. Bulging federal deficits may force a reversal of years of big defense spending gains and threaten prized projects. SENT: 990 words, photo.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has unveiled a more than $3 trillion new coronavirus aid package. It would provide nearly $1 trillion for states, cities and tribal governments to avert layoffs and another $200 billion in “hazard pay” for essential workers. SENT: developing. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS-HIGHLIGHTS and VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS-POSTAL SERVICE: A new coronavirus aid package released by House Democrats includes $25 billion for the U.S. Postal Service.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-WHITE HOUSE: President Donald Trump is insisting that his administration has “met the moment” and “prevailed” on coronavirus testing. SENT; developing.

ELECTION 2020-DEMOCRATS CONVENTION: Democrats are making new moves toward a virtual presidential nominating convention this August. Party officials are preparing to grant convention organizers in Milwaukee the authority to design a convention that won’t require delegates to attend in person. SENT: 620 words, photos. With VIRUS VOTING-TENNESSEE: Tennessee election officials say the fear of contracting the coronavirus doesn’t meet the criteria to vote by mail due to illness in the state.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-WAGE GARNISHMENT: The U.S. Education Department says it’s ramping up efforts to contact more than 37,000 employers who have improperly continued to garnish wages from workers who have fallen behind on their student loans. SENT: 570 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-TESLA: Tesla CEO Elon Musk has emerged as a champion of defying stay-home orders intended to stop the coronavirus from spreading, picking up support as well as critics on social media. SENT: 765 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-PLEXIGLASS PARLIAMENTS: Across Europe and beyond, parliaments have had to adapt their operations to stop the new coronavirus spreading through the corridors of power. SENT: 870 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-INDIA TRAINS: India is reopening some of its huge rail network as it looks at easing its nearly seven-week strict lockdown despite a continuing rise in coronavirus infections. SENT: 585 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-INDIA: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces a coronavirus economic relief package.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA: Singaporeans are able to get a haircut at the barber or pop in to their favorite bakery as the government loosened restrictions. SENT: 930 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRAL QUESTIONS: Can the coronavirus survive on paper currency? Yes, but the risk of getting infected from cash is low compared with other ways the virus spreads from person to person, experts say. SENT: 170 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-DIARY-THE LUCK FACTOR: Luck has allowed one writer an unexpected gift: a quarantine with her new husband in a peaceful environment that she never expected to arrive so soon. SENT: 640 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-CARDS FOR CHARITY: As a Boston Red Sox beat writer, Chris Cotillo found himself with a nagging desire to help those affected by the coronavirus pandemic. So he began auctioning off signed baseball cards. SENT: 570 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MICRO WEDDINGS: Couples trying to salvage weddings put on indefinite hold by the coronavirus are feeding a fresh trend in the bridal industry: The “minimony.” SENT: 830 words, photos.

TOYS FOR LOST FILMS: Movie-related products are still hitting the market despite delays for new and upcoming films. SENT: 760 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-RECRUITING: The new coronavirus is preventing football prospects from leaving home to visit campuses and is keeping college coaches from traveling to evaluate players across the country. SENT: 790 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRAINING AT HOME: The coronavirus crisis has forced many Olympic athletes to be creative as they try to continue their training. SENT: 880 words, photos.

ALSO:

VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRGINIA PAROLE CONTROVERSY: Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam has rejected a call from several top GOP lawmakers to institute a moratorium on the release of certain inmates by the Virginia Parole Board. SENT: 540 words.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHOIR-SUPERSPREADER: Disease trackers are calling a choir practice in Washington state a superspreader event that illustrates how easily the coronavirus can pass from person to person. SENT: 360 words.

BRITAIN-DRONE DELIVERIES: Britain is testing the use of a car-sized drone to deliver medical supplies more quickly to hospitals and ease pressure on the country’s health system during the new coronavirus crisis. SENT: 560 words.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-AFRICA: The U.S. government is donating “up to 1,000” ventilators to South Africa to help the country respond to COVID-19 as the Trump administration addresses criticism that it hasn’t done enough for countries in need. SENT: 390 words.

BROADWAY-REOPEN: The shutdown on Broadway has been extended again — until at least early September. SENT: 220 words.

FRANCE-CANNES-FILM FESTIVAL: The stars of Cannes Film Festival have stayed home, its prestigious grounds repurposed as a homeless shelter, and the beaches closed. SENT: 475 words.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SOUTH SUDAN: For the first time, COVID-19 has been confirmed in a crowded civilian protection camp in South Sudan’s capital. SENT: 355 words.

ITALY-MAFIA BUSINESS: Italian police have arrested 91 suspected mobsters in a money-laundering and extortion probe in a bid to thwart Sicily’s Cosa Nostra from exploiting economic woes triggered by the pandemic. SENT: 355 words.

TRUMP-CHINA INVESTMENTS: The Trump administration has directed the U.S. federal employee retirement fund to scrap its plan to place more than $4 billion into Chinese investments. The move comes as the president blames Beijing almost daily for not doing more to stop COVID-19. SENT: 360 words.

HILLERICH & BRADSBY-LOAN: The maker of Louisville Slugger bats says it put furloughed employees back on the payroll after receiving a loan from a government program aimed at helping small businesses. SENT: 300 words.

INTERACTIVES/GRAPHICS:

-US cases county-by-county. Embed code can be found in Coverage Plan. A static graphic also will be available in AP Newsroom.

-Interactive breakdown of unemployment filings by state with time scale for each (going back as far as 2000)

-Virus Europe Spread (map): An auto updating European map tracking the total confirmed cases, recoveries and deaths from coronavirus.

Additional graphics and interactives include:

- Flattening the Coronavirus Curve (Chart): Chart compares the cumulative cases over time in some of the hardest hit countries by coronavirus.

-Virus Global Spread (table): Table of countries which have confirmed cases of the virus. Table also includes when the virus was initially reported and the number of deaths by country.

-Virus Global Spread (Map): Map of countries which have confirmed cases of the virus. Map also includes when the virus was initially reported and the number of deaths by country.

-Virus Cases Compared Inside and Outside of China (Chart): Chart shows the number of confirmed cases in China over time and compares them to cases confirmed outside of China.

-Virus US State Map: State by state count of confirmed cases in the U.S.

-Virus US State Table: Table tracks the number of cases, recoveries and deaths for the US including its territories.

-Status of Cases Worldwide: Auto-updating once a day, this chart tracks the levels of active cases and deaths from COVID-19 around the world over time.

PHOTOS:

AP Photos have moved from Germany, France, Britain, Greece, South Korea, China, Russia, Spain, Italy, various US and Latin America locations.

VIDEO:

AP video has moved from China, South Korea, Germany, Russia, France, Britain, Australia, Philippines, Spain, Italy, various US, Latin America locations.