Coronavirus category, Page 271
U.S. internet well-equipped to handle work from home surgeVideo
BOSTON — The U.S. internet won’t get overloaded by spikes in traffic from the millions of Americans now working from home to discourage the spread of the new coronavirus, experts say. But connections could stumble for many if too many family members try to videoconference at the same time. Some...
Virus cases spread across Africa, nations prepare for moreVideo
JOHANNESBURG — Africa is seeing a steady spread of the coronavirus across the continent, with four new countries confirming cases on Saturday, so that 23 of Africa’s 54 countries have covid-19 patients. Namibia, Rwanda, Eswatini and Mauritania reported their first cases Saturday. All were brought to the continent by travelers...
Trump’s latest travel ban highlights gaps in containment net
NEW YORK — In the weeks before President Donald Trump spoke from the Oval Office to announce restrictions on travelers from more than two dozen countries in Europe, thousands of people from the region already had stepped off planes at U.S. airports, and an untold number of them carried the...
Spain to follow Italy into lockdown, U.S. expands travel banVideo
BARCELONA, Spain — Spain drew up plans to lock down its 46 million citizens, France closed the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, and more borders snapped shut around the world as governments took increasingly sweeping measures Saturday to reduce contact among people and contain the spread of the coronavirus. President...
Iran death toll from virus passes 600, Syria shuts schoolsVideo
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran said Saturday the coronavirus outbreak has killed another 97 people, pushing the death toll in the country to 611, as war-ravaged Syria announced a number of strict measures despite the government saying it has no confirmed cases. Iran is suffering from the worst outbreak in the...
Amid coronavirus, Comcast makes Wi-Fi network free, expands unlimited data to all
With businesses and schools closed and thousands of residents now working and studying from home during the coronavirus outbreak, Comcast announced Saturday it will make its Xfinity Wi-Fi services free for everyone for the next 60 days. “During this extraordinary time, it is vital that as many Americans as possible...
Giant Eagle changes shopping hours over coronavirus pandemic
Giant Eagle temporarily is changing its store hours because of the coronavirus pandemic. Beginning Sunday, all Giant Eagle and Market District supermarkets will open at 7 a.m. and close at 10 p.m., seven days a week, the company announced Saturday. GetGo stores adjacent to supermarkets will operate on the same...
Q&A: An explanation of ‘community spread’
The spread of the novel coronavirus is reaching communities across the country and experts say the cases of covid-19 will spike exponentially. What does community spread mean, and how do you stop it? Here’s what you need to know: Q: What is community spread? A: Community spread means that someone...
RSVP ‘maybe’? Coronavirus puts wedding industry on edge
NEW YORK — Guests are jittery, travel is tangled, and soon-to-be brides and grooms are facing tough choices because of the coronavirus outbreak: postpone, cancel or forge ahead with their weddings? Uncertainty as virus cases grow in the U.S. and elsewhere has sent ripples through the wedding industry, from photographers...
Coronavirus-related shutdowns bringing U.S. economy to grinding halt
AUSTIN, Texas — It took 15 minutes for the coronavirus to wreck Shelley Hutchings’ carefully calculated financial plans. Hutchings, a bartender and performer, had lined up gigs in advance of the South by Southwest film, music and technology festival, which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to Austin each year....
Officials: 2 coronavirus cases reported in PittsburghVideo
Two Pittsburgh residents from the same household are the first in Allegheny County to test positive for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, which still does not appear to be widespread in Western Pennsylvania, health officials said Saturday. Neither affected person required treatment at a hospital, Allegheny County Health...
Pa. attorney general reports hundreds of price-gouging complaints as coronavirus spreads
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro says his email tip line has received more than 200 complaints of price gouging by stores around the state as consumers scramble to buy supplies while coronavirus continues to spread. More than 100 complaints of suspect gouging reached Shapiro’s office in the first two days...
Westmoreland County declares state of emergency to prepare for coronavirusVideo
Westmoreland County Commissioners declared a state of emergency Saturday morning, a move officials said will enhance government efforts to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. The emergency declaration gives county officials the ability to quickly activate emergency personnel and pay for needed responses, county officials said during a courthouse news conference....
UPMC develops coronavirus test, will begin screenings next weekVideo
UPMC on Tuesday will begin testing patients for the novel coronavirus in a secure facility in Pittsburgh’s South Side, officials announced Saturday, the same day public health authorities revealed the first two positive tests in Allegheny County. Dr. Donald Yealy, UPMC’s chair of emergency medicine, called the federal testing capabilities...
Latest on coronavirus: Gov. Wolf urges closure of some ‘non-essential’ spaces; St. Patrick’s party continues in Pittsburgh
In an effort to speed up the testing for people with symptoms of the coronavirus that causes covid-19, the region’s largest health system announced Saturday it has created its own in-house test. UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh laid out the details at a news conference. Later Saturday, health officials...
No new jury trials to be picked March 16-20, Allegheny County judge says
Jurors summoned for service in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas for any day during the coming week will not be required to report for duty. No new jury trials will be picked from Monday, March 16 through Friday, March 20, so those potential jurors will not be required...
On eve of Disneyland closure, fun trumps virus fear
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Thousands flocked to Disneyland on Friday for glimpses of Mickey and Minnie, a ride on “It’s a Small World” and a last trip to the Galaxy’s Edge before a historically long closure because of the new coronavirus. It was a rare rainy day in Southern California, and...
Rivers Casino closes due to caution regarding coronavirus
The Rivers casino on Pittsburgh’s North Side will close for the next two weeks. The casino announced at about 9 p.m. Friday that it would close as of midnight Sunday, for 14 days. The process will begin Sunday night and continue into Monday morning. “Although there have been no known...
Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show canceled due to coronavirus concerns
The Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show has been canceled as a result of coronavirus concerns. Officials said the event, which started March 6 and was scheduled to run through Sunday at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, was halted in response to guidelines issued by the Allegheny County Health Department....
EU urges border health checks as virus case count mounts
BRUSSELS — The European Union urged member countries Friday to put health screening procedures in place at their borders to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus but said they must coordinate so people can still quickly get the medical care they need. With Italy reporting the most virus cases...
Penguins to pay PPG Paints Arena employees during stoppage
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced they will pay full- and part-time arena and service employees at PPG Paints Arena during the NHL’s pause in play as a precaution to coronavirus. According to the team, funding for the stoppage will come from Penguins players, the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation and the Mario Lemieux...
NCAA grants extra year of eligibility to spring sports athletesVideo
The NCAA will extend the eligibility of athletes on spring sports teams one year to make up for the season lost to the new coronavirus. The decision comes after the NCAA announced Thursday that its winter and spring championships would be canceled as a precaution against the spread of the...
Future of spring sports season will be considered Monday by WPIAL board
The PIAA already postponed the end of winter sports season, but now spring sports might also be in danger. Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday ordered all schools closed for two weeks in response to the coronavirus outbreak, meaning baseball, softball, lacrosse, volleyball, tennis and track athletes won’t practice next week...
WWE cancels ‘Raw’ in Pittsburgh, moves it to Orlando site
WWE will not be coming to town Monday, the company has announced. “Monday Night Raw” was set to take place at PPG Paints Arena and feature WWE Hall of Famers “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Edge, as well as WWE legend The Undertaker. But the show will now take place...
Westmoreland Museum of American Art closes for rest of March, citing coronavirus concerns
Coronavirus concerns have prompted the Westmoreland Museum of American Art to close its doors to the public beginning Saturday and continuing through the end of March. The decision was triggered by Gov. Wolf’s order on Friday closing all Pennsylvania schools for 10 business days. “We believe this decision is in...
