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🎤Post Podcast: Moran says relief on the way for ag producers impacted by COVID-19

St. Joseph city officials have confirmed the second COVID-19 death recorded in Buchanan County is that of a Triumph Foods worker.

Earlier, the City of St. Joseph issued a news release that a man in his 40s who had tested positive for the coronavirus on April 22nd had died. City officials say the man died at his home. He had underlying medical conditions.

This is the second death recorded by St. Joseph and Buchanan County health officials. The first death was that of an inmate at the St. Joseph prison who had been transferred from the Cameron prison and later died at a Kansas City area hospital.

Buchanan County, in Northwest Missouri now reports 362 cases of COVID-19; 330 confirmed and 32 probable with two deaths. Andrew County continues to report five coronavirus cases.

Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph, has tested 2,387 individuals. Ninety-four tested positive, five of those have been hospitalized with 89 being treated on an outpatient basis. Mosaic is awaiting results from 87 tests.

Missouri health officials report 9,102 cases with 396 deaths.

In Kansas, health officials report 5,734 cases with 144 deaths.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostSt. Joseph city officials have confirmed the second COVID-19 death recorded in Buchanan County is that of a Triumph Foods worker.Earlier, the City of St. Joseph issued a news release that a man in his 40s who had tested positive for the coronavirus on April 22nd had died. City officials say the man died at his home. He had underlying medical conditions.This is the second death recorded by St. Joseph and Buchanan County health officials. The first death was that of an inmate at the St. Joseph prison who had been transferred from the Cameron prison and later died at a Kansas City area hospital.Buchanan County, in Northwest Missouri now reports 362 cases of COVID-19; 330 confirmed and 32 probable with two deaths. Andrew County continues to report five coronavirus cases.Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph, has tested 2,387 individuals. Ninety-four tested positive, five of those have been hospitalized with 89 being treated on an outpatient basis. Mosaic is awaiting results from 87 tests.Missouri health officials report 9,102 cases with 396 deaths.In Kansas, health officials report 5,734 cases with 144 deaths.

Man who worked at pork plant dies from coronavirus

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Laura Kelly said Wednesday that she’s still considering releasing some Kansas inmates early because of the coronavirus pandemic even though an outbreak of hundreds of cases has one prison under quarantine.

Kelly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/31673502b3271e605e1b13ad197c9dc4">confirmed last week</a>&nbsp;during an Associated Press interview that the Department of Corrections moved six inmates from state to house arrest before being forced to stop early releases because of an outbreak at the Lansing Correctional Facility outside Kansas City. As of Wednesday, 609 inmates and 88 staff members there were infected.

The burgeoning cases at the Lansing prison — with 85% of the inmates showing no symptoms — helped fuel a 5.1% increase Wednesday in confirmed cases in Kansas. The prison’s home of Leavenworth County saw its confirmed cases rise by 30% from Tuesday, up 181 to 783 total, while the state’s total increased to 5,734, up 276. The actual number of cases is thought to be higher because of limited testing and because people can be infected without feeling ill.

Reported COVID-19-related deaths increased by seven to 144, according to the state’s count. John Hopkins University said 162 had died. Three deaths have occurred at the Lansing prison; eight staff members and six inmates also are infected at seven other facilities, with no deaths.

“The issue of releasing folks from prison is an ongoing one,” Kelly said during a Statehouse briefing. “I expect that it will be sort of a rolling measure, now that we’ve got the system in place to verify who’s eligible for that.”

Kelly has faced criticism from advocates and inmates’ families and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/83731f5bfeb061b5e1fa5b4fc5b096bf">a state-court lawsuit&nbsp;</a>for not acting sooner to release inmates.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2019_20/statute/021_000_0000_chapter/021_066_0000_article/021_066_0009_section/021_066_0009_k/" target="_blank">A state law&nbsp;</a>allows the Department of Corrections to move inmates who’ve committed less serious crimes into house.

Some 80% of Lansing’s 1,700 or so inmates had been tested as of Wednesday, and Norman said the entire staff should be tested by next week.

The Lansing outbreak continues to fuel daily increases in Kansas cases after Kelly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/abd6bb1cfc4f6349d94f853f04b12bcb">let a statewide stay-at-home order expire&nbsp;</a>at midnight Sunday.

One key issue in reopening the economy has been local officials’ ability to trace the contacts of infected people, and the state health department has brought on about 200 people to help them. It plans to increase the number to 400, said Dr. Lee Norman, the department’s top administrator, and most will be volunteers.

But Norman added, “I think we’ll get a little bit stretched thin when people start going back to work as the economy and as businesses open back up again.”

Kelly and Norman acknowledged that some workers might fear going back to work. In other states, refusing to go back is seen legally as voluntarily quitting, so that the workers who are then fired aren’t eligible for unemployment benefits. Kelly said Kansas will “case by case basis” rather than having a blanket policy.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.

Because of the pandemic, the Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature started its annual spring break March 20, more than two weeks early. Legislative leaders decided Wednesday that lawmakers will reconvene May 21 for a single day of work.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1588805379177.png" alt="Governor Laura Kelly during Wednesday's press briefing" />
 <figcaption>Governor Laura Kelly during Wednesday's press briefing</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Laura Kelly said Wednesday that she’s still considering releasing some Kansas inmates early because of the coronavirus pandemic even though an outbreak of hundreds of cases has one prison under quarantine.Kelly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/31673502b3271e605e1b13ad197c9dc4">confirmed last week</a>&nbsp;during an Associated Press interview that the Department of Corrections moved six inmates from state to house arrest before being forced to stop early releases because of an outbreak at the Lansing Correctional Facility outside Kansas City. As of Wednesday, 609 inmates and 88 staff members there were infected.The burgeoning cases at the Lansing prison — with 85% of the inmates showing no symptoms — helped fuel a 5.1% increase Wednesday in confirmed cases in Kansas. The prison’s home of Leavenworth County saw its confirmed cases rise by 30% from Tuesday, up 181 to 783 total, while the state’s total increased to 5,734, up 276. The actual number of cases is thought to be higher because of limited testing and because people can be infected without feeling ill.Reported COVID-19-related deaths increased by seven to 144, according to the state’s count. John Hopkins University said 162 had died. Three deaths have occurred at the Lansing prison; eight staff members and six inmates also are infected at seven other facilities, with no deaths.“The issue of releasing folks from prison is an ongoing one,” Kelly said during a Statehouse briefing. “I expect that it will be sort of a rolling measure, now that we’ve got the system in place to verify who’s eligible for that.”Kelly has faced criticism from advocates and inmates’ families and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/83731f5bfeb061b5e1fa5b4fc5b096bf">a state-court lawsuit&nbsp;</a>for not acting sooner to release inmates.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2019_20/statute/021_000_0000_chapter/021_066_0000_article/021_066_0009_section/021_066_0009_k/" target="_blank">A state law&nbsp;</a>allows the Department of Corrections to move inmates who’ve committed less serious crimes into house.Some 80% of Lansing’s 1,700 or so inmates had been tested as of Wednesday, and Norman said the entire staff should be tested by next week.The Lansing outbreak continues to fuel daily increases in Kansas cases after Kelly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/abd6bb1cfc4f6349d94f853f04b12bcb">let a statewide stay-at-home order expire&nbsp;</a>at midnight Sunday.One key issue in reopening the economy has been local officials’ ability to trace the contacts of infected people, and the state health department has brought on about 200 people to help them. It plans to increase the number to 400, said Dr. Lee Norman, the department’s top administrator, and most will be volunteers.But Norman added, “I think we’ll get a little bit stretched thin when people start going back to work as the economy and as businesses open back up again.”Kelly and Norman acknowledged that some workers might fear going back to work. In other states, refusing to go back is seen legally as voluntarily quitting, so that the workers who are then fired aren’t eligible for unemployment benefits. Kelly said Kansas will “case by case basis” rather than having a blanket policy.For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.Because of the pandemic, the Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature started its annual spring break March 20, more than two weeks early. Legislative leaders decided Wednesday that lawmakers will reconvene May 21 for a single day of work.

Kansas still mulling inmate releases despite prison outbreak

O'FALLON, Mo. (AP) — A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed on behalf of employees at a rural Missouri meatpacking facility, ruling that oversight of how the plant adheres to guidance aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus falls to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, not the courts.

U.S. District Judge Greg Kays issued his 24-page ruling Tuesday in favor of Smithfield Foods. A lawsuit on behalf of workers at Smithfield's pork processing plant in Milan, Missouri, sought an injunction requiring the plant to abide by federal guidelines. The lawsuit accused Virginia-based Smithfield of not doing enough to protect workers from the coronavirus.

“Plaintiffs are naturally concerned for their health and the health of their community in these unprecedented times,” Kays wrote. “The Court takes their concern seriously. Nevertheless, the Court cannot ignore the USDA’s and OSHA’s authority over compliance ... or the significant steps Smithfield has taken to reduce the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak at the Plant.”

The attorney for the workers, David Muraskin, didn’t rule out an appeal but said the lawsuit itself prompted several changes at the plant, including better spacing of employees, additional cleaning and sanitizing, and an improved sick leave policy that means workers don’t feel obligated to come to work if they have symptoms of the coronavirus.

“This worker power is starting to be effective,” Muraskin said Wednesday. “Workers will organize and they will protest and when necessary they will sue to protect themselves because these companies need to be held to account.”

Email messages seeking comment from Smithfield were not immediately returned.

The Milan plant has not seen an outbreak of COVID-19. Just one case has been reported in Sullivan County, where the plant is located.

But outbreaks have become common at other meat plants across the U.S., infecting thousands of workers, leading to the closure of some plants and prompting meat shortages.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order last week requiring meatpacking plants to stay open. The order was widely seen as giving processors protection from liability for workers who become sick on the job, and it came after the Missouri lawsuit against Smithfield Foods.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said Wednesday that since Trump’s order, the USDA has worked with OSHA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ensure that meat plants are abiding by federal guidelines.

“This ruling is directly in line with what the Federal government has been calling for companies and communities to do in light of the President’s Executive Order. If we continue to work together, we can maintain the critical supply of meat and poultry for Americans while also protecting worker health and safety,” Perdue said in a statement.

O'FALLON, Mo. (AP) — A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed on behalf of employees at a rural Missouri meatpacking facility, ruling that oversight of how the plant adheres to guidance aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus falls to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, not the courts.U.S. District Judge Greg Kays issued his 24-page ruling Tuesday in favor of Smithfield Foods. A lawsuit on behalf of workers at Smithfield's pork processing plant in Milan, Missouri, sought an injunction requiring the plant to abide by federal guidelines. The lawsuit accused Virginia-based Smithfield of not doing enough to protect workers from the coronavirus.“Plaintiffs are naturally concerned for their health and the health of their community in these unprecedented times,” Kays wrote. “The Court takes their concern seriously. Nevertheless, the Court cannot ignore the USDA’s and OSHA’s authority over compliance ... or the significant steps Smithfield has taken to reduce the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak at the Plant.”The attorney for the workers, David Muraskin, didn’t rule out an appeal but said the lawsuit itself prompted several changes at the plant, including better spacing of employees, additional cleaning and sanitizing, and an improved sick leave policy that means workers don’t feel obligated to come to work if they have symptoms of the coronavirus.“This worker power is starting to be effective,” Muraskin said Wednesday. “Workers will organize and they will protest and when necessary they will sue to protect themselves because these companies need to be held to account.”Email messages seeking comment from Smithfield were not immediately returned.The Milan plant has not seen an outbreak of COVID-19. Just one case has been reported in Sullivan County, where the plant is located.But outbreaks have become common at other meat plants across the U.S., infecting thousands of workers, leading to the closure of some plants and prompting meat shortages.President Donald Trump issued an executive order last week requiring meatpacking plants to stay open. The order was widely seen as giving processors protection from liability for workers who become sick on the job, and it came after the Missouri lawsuit against Smithfield Foods.U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said Wednesday that since Trump’s order, the USDA has worked with OSHA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ensure that meat plants are abiding by federal guidelines.“This ruling is directly in line with what the Federal government has been calling for companies and communities to do in light of the President’s Executive Order. If we continue to work together, we can maintain the critical supply of meat and poultry for Americans while also protecting worker health and safety,” Perdue said in a statement.

Judge dismisses lawsuit over meat worker safety

TOPEKA, Kansas – Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) Secretary Jeff Zmuda announced Wednesday that one staff member working at the Wichita Work Release Facility (WWRF) tested positive for COVID-19. 

A resident first tested positive on April 12 at WWRF. There are seven KDOC facilities with a confirmed case including Lansing Correctional Facility (LCF, WWRF, Topeka Correctional Facility, Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex, El Dorado Correctional Facility, Ellsworth Correctional Facility and Hutchinson Correctional Facility.

The staff member is a male over the age of 40. In order to protect the identity of the staff member, no other information will be released.

The KDOC has been in consultation with officials from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) on next steps to address these circumstances. As a result of that consultation with KDHE, the following steps are being implemented immediately:

“Our staff work hard every day to ensure the health and safety of themselves, their loved ones and those within our care,” Zmuda said. “We’re thankful when our staff recognize symptoms quickly, they seek appropriate medical care.”

The Wichita Work Release Facility, a satellite unit of the Winfield Correctional Facility, is an all-male, minimum-custody state prison with a population of 248 prior to the pandemic and a new temporary population of 175.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1588803687184.png" alt="Wichita Work Release Facility-<a href="https://www.kwch.com/content/news/Staff-member-at-Wichita-Work-Release-Facility-tests-positive-for-COVID-19-570252801.html">photo courtesy KWCH</a>" />
 <figcaption>Wichita Work Release Facility-<a href="https://www.kwch.com/content/news/Staff-member-at-Wichita-Work-Release-Facility-tests-positive-for-COVID-19-570252801.html">photo courtesy KWCH</a></figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kansas – Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) Secretary Jeff Zmuda announced Wednesday that one staff member working at the Wichita Work Release Facility (WWRF) tested positive for COVID-19. A resident first tested positive on April 12 at WWRF. There are seven KDOC facilities with a confirmed case including Lansing Correctional Facility (LCF, WWRF, Topeka Correctional Facility, Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex, El Dorado Correctional Facility, Ellsworth Correctional Facility and Hutchinson Correctional Facility.The staff member is a male over the age of 40. In order to protect the identity of the staff member, no other information will be released.The KDOC has been in consultation with officials from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) on next steps to address these circumstances. As a result of that consultation with KDHE, the following steps are being implemented immediately:<ol>
 <li>KDHE conducted contact tracing to determine who among our staff and residents have been in close contact with this individual</li><li>The Sedgwick County Health Department conducted contact tracing to identify anyone outside of WWRF who may have been in close contact with this individual and will notify those persons</li><li>KDOC will remain diligent in monitoring other staff and residents for symptoms</li>
 </ol>“Our staff work hard every day to ensure the health and safety of themselves, their loved ones and those within our care,” Zmuda said. “We’re thankful when our staff recognize symptoms quickly, they seek appropriate medical care.”The Wichita Work Release Facility, a satellite unit of the Winfield Correctional Facility, is an all-male, minimum-custody state prison with a population of 248 prior to the pandemic and a new temporary population of 175.

Staffer at Kan. work release facility confirmed with COVID-19

Governor Laura Kelly held her first press briefing since April 28 Wednesday afternoon. It is also the first since she announced her <a href="http://Reopen-Kansas-Framework-043020.pdf">Ad Astra Plan </a>to reopen Kansas.

She and Dr. Lee Norman, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment,  discuss the latest updates regarding COVID-19.  &nbsp;

Statewide, confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas rose Wednesday by 276, up to 5,734 total, though the actual number is thought to be higher because of limited testing and because people can be infected without showing symptoms. Reported COVID-19-related deaths increased by seven to 144.

Governor Laura Kelly held her first press briefing since April 28 Wednesday afternoon. It is also the first since she announced her <a href="http://Reopen-Kansas-Framework-043020.pdf">Ad Astra Plan </a>to reopen Kansas.She and Dr. Lee Norman, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment,  discuss the latest updates regarding COVID-19.  &nbsp;<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FGovLauraKelly%2Fvideos%2F1725820937571603%2F&show_text=0&width=560" width="560" height="315" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>Statewide, confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas rose Wednesday by 276, up to 5,734 total, though the actual number is thought to be higher because of limited testing and because people can be infected without showing symptoms. Reported COVID-19-related deaths increased by seven to 144.

🎥  Gov. holds first COVID-19 press briefing in over a week

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 276 to a total of 5734, the state health department reported Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional numbers from the KDHE

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 276 to a total of 5734, the state health department reported Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;Coronavirus deaths were reported at 144<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional numbers from the KDHE<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1588785993293.png" alt="May 6, 2020 -image KDHE" />
 <figcaption>May 6, 2020 -image KDHE</figcaption>
 </figure>

KDHE: Latest coronavirus numbers in Kansas

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Taiwan is donating 100,000 surgical masks to Kansas to help medical and meat packing workers amid the coronavirus outbreak.

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican, announced Wednesday that the shipment of masks is expected to arrive next week.

The move comes as Taiwan seeks to be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/6c7345b5b3bebb139602e746bf0e6fbd">included</a>&nbsp;in the upcoming World Health Assembly. Moran, who requested the masks, has been supportive of including Taiwan. He thanked the country’s President Tsai Ing-wen in a statement, saying it is “another great reminder that we are all in this together.”

Four counties with meat packing plants — Seward, Ford, Finney and Lyon — have a combined 2,258 confirmed cases, 41% of the state’s total. And an outbreak at the state’s largest prison in Lansing has now infected 551 inmates and 88 staff members. Most of the infected inmates don’t have symptoms.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1588782922468.png" alt="Photo courtesy Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office</figcaption>
 </figure>MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Taiwan is donating 100,000 surgical masks to Kansas to help medical and meat packing workers amid the coronavirus outbreak.U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican, announced Wednesday that the shipment of masks is expected to arrive next week.The move comes as Taiwan seeks to be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/6c7345b5b3bebb139602e746bf0e6fbd">included</a>&nbsp;in the upcoming World Health Assembly. Moran, who requested the masks, has been supportive of including Taiwan. He thanked the country’s President Tsai Ing-wen in a statement, saying it is “another great reminder that we are all in this together.”Statewide, confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas rose Wednesday by 276, up to 5,734 total, though the actual number is thought to be higher because of limited testing and because people can be infected without showing symptoms. Reported COVID-19-related deaths increased by seven to 144.Four counties with meat packing plants — Seward, Ford, Finney and Lyon — have a combined 2,258 confirmed cases, 41% of the state’s total. And an outbreak at the state’s largest prison in Lansing has now infected 551 inmates and 88 staff members. Most of the infected inmates don’t have symptoms.

Moran confirms donation of 100K surgical masks for Kansas

By BRENT MARTIN,&nbsp;<a href="https://stjosephpost.com">St. Joseph Post</a>

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — More than 400 Triumph Foods workers tested positive for COVID-19, though
they didn’t display symptoms of the coronavirus.

The Missouri Department of Health and Human Services reports 412 of the
2,367 workers tested at the St. Joseph pork processing plant last week tested
positive. Triumph workers not tested last week are being tested at the Northwest
Health Services southside St. Joseph clinic.

This was the largest effort in the state’s strategy to “box in” a COVID-19
outbreak, implemented after Triumph reported two workers tested positive for
the coronavirus. Triumph committed to testing all workers in an effort to keep
the virus from spreading.

Under CDC guidelines, Triumph employees can return to work if they do
not display symptoms for 10 days after being tested.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1588706059523.jpeg" alt="Triumph Foods testing site set up by Northwest Health Services/Photo by Brent Martin" />
 <figcaption>Triumph Foods testing site set up by Northwest Health Services/Photo by Brent Martin</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTIN,&nbsp;<a href="https://stjosephpost.com">St. Joseph Post</a>ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — More than 400 Triumph Foods workers tested positive for COVID-19, though
they didn’t display symptoms of the coronavirus.The Missouri Department of Health and Human Services reports 412 of the
2,367 workers tested at the St. Joseph pork processing plant last week tested
positive. Triumph workers not tested last week are being tested at the Northwest
Health Services southside St. Joseph clinic.This was the largest effort in the state’s strategy to “box in” a COVID-19
outbreak, implemented after Triumph reported two workers tested positive for
the coronavirus. Triumph committed to testing all workers in an effort to keep
the virus from spreading.Under CDC guidelines, Triumph employees can return to work if they do
not display symptoms for 10 days after being tested.

400 of 2,367 workers at Mo. pork plant test positive for COVID-19

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pressed ahead Tuesday with the next&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak">coronavirus&nbsp;</a>aid, a sweeping $800 billion-plus package that is expected to be unveiled soon even as the House stays closed while the Senate reopens in the pandemic.

Key to any plan to reopen the economy, Democrats say, is robust testing. They are also expected to propose another round of direct cash aid for anxious Americans, funds for states to prevent layoffs and more money to shore up businesses in the stay-home economy.

“We still don’t have a national testing strategy that is adequate,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday. He called it embarrassing. “It’s life and death.”

The contours of the next package are taking shape despite Republican resistance to more outlays and a deepening debate over how best to confront the deadly pandemic and its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/7f38d7fa2982dc53572232c9d2049dca">economic devastation</a>.

President Donald Trump is encouraging states to reopen and Republicans hope the gradual comeback will kick-start the economy, reducing the pressure for more pricey aid.

“Now it’s time to go back to work,” Trump said Tuesday at the White House.

Under strict social distancing guidelines, the Senate reconvened Monday for the first time since March, while the House is staying away due to the health risks as the conflicted Congress reflects an uneasy nation. The Washington area remains a virus hot spot under stay-home rules.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell opened the chamber defending his decision to focus the agenda on confirming Trump’s nominees rather than the virus outbreak.

On Tuesday, McConnell insisted that any new aid package must include liability protections for the hospitals, health care providers and businesses that are operating and reopening in the pandemic.

But the Republican leader also signaled an interest in beefed up virus testing strategies as central to the nation’s ability to take steps “back toward normalcy.”

“Testing, tracking, treatments,” McConnell said from the Senate floor. “Our task ahead will be to keep seeking thoughtful solutions.”

By reconvening this week, Senate Republicans are trying to set the terms of debate, frustrated that Pelosi was able to fill up earlier aid bills with Democratic priorities. They’re reluctant to unleash federal funds beyond the nearly $3 trillion Congress already approved in virus relief and hope Trump’s push to re-open will reduce the need for more aid.

For more than five weeks, the COVID-19 crisis has all but closed Congress, a longer absence than during the 1918 Spanish flu.

Senators returned to a changed place with new guidelines, including the recommendation that senators wear masks — blue face coverings were available for free, and being worn by staff. They were also told to keep their distance and leave most staff at home. Public access is limited, including at public hearings. The Capitol itself remains closed to visitors and tours.

It’s not just lawmakers at risk. Reopening part of Capitol Hill poses health risks for the cooks, cleaners, police officers and other workers who keep the Capitol complex functioning.

Democrats are eyeing the new aid package as states and cities seek as much as $1 trillion to prevent local layoffs and keep paying nurses, police, firefighters and other front-line workers as local revenues tank during the stay-home shutdown.

Pelosi outlined the governors’ requests for $500 billion, with the counties and cities seeking as much as $300 billion, which she has said could be spread out over the next several years. On a private conference call with House Democrats on Monday, she also discussed a “paycheck guarantee” for the newly jobless.

Pelosi told reporters Tuesday on Capitol Hill the new package will be “just very directly related to saving lives, the livelihood and the life of our democracy.”

Several House committee chairmen outlined the provisions expected in the upcoming bill, according to a statement from the Democratic caucus after the private call.

Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal discussed another round of additional direct cash payments for families and extending unemployment insurance. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Ca., chair of the Financial Services Committee, focused on helping homeowners, renters and small landlords make rent and mortgage payments, the statement said. Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone spoke about investing in virus testing and contact tracing.

Trump said any new package must have a payroll-tax holiday.

In the Senate, McConnell has loaded up the schedule with consideration of Trump’s nominees, including a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/9788d3f3fe54884631ccc5592a4a118c">hearing Tuesday on John Ratcliffe,</a>&nbsp;the Texas Republican congressman who is Trump’s choice to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1588696644712.png" alt="&nbsp;House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ahead of Tuesday's ceremonial swearing-in for Congressman-elect Kweisi Mfume of Maryland -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ahead of Tuesday's ceremonial swearing-in for Congressman-elect Kweisi Mfume of Maryland -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pressed ahead Tuesday with the next&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak">coronavirus&nbsp;</a>aid, a sweeping $800 billion-plus package that is expected to be unveiled soon even as the House stays closed while the Senate reopens in the pandemic.Key to any plan to reopen the economy, Democrats say, is robust testing. They are also expected to propose another round of direct cash aid for anxious Americans, funds for states to prevent layoffs and more money to shore up businesses in the stay-home economy.“We still don’t have a national testing strategy that is adequate,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday. He called it embarrassing. “It’s life and death.”The contours of the next package are taking shape despite Republican resistance to more outlays and a deepening debate over how best to confront the deadly pandemic and its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/7f38d7fa2982dc53572232c9d2049dca">economic devastation</a>.President Donald Trump is encouraging states to reopen and Republicans hope the gradual comeback will kick-start the economy, reducing the pressure for more pricey aid.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1588705884068.png" alt="President Trump spoke with reporters before a Tuesday trip to Arizona-White House courtesy image" />
 <figcaption>President Trump spoke with reporters before a Tuesday trip to Arizona-White House courtesy image</figcaption>
 </figure>“Now it’s time to go back to work,” Trump said Tuesday at the White House.Under strict social distancing guidelines, the Senate reconvened Monday for the first time since March, while the House is staying away due to the health risks as the conflicted Congress reflects an uneasy nation. The Washington area remains a virus hot spot under stay-home rules.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell opened the chamber defending his decision to focus the agenda on confirming Trump’s nominees rather than the virus outbreak.On Tuesday, McConnell insisted that any new aid package must include liability protections for the hospitals, health care providers and businesses that are operating and reopening in the pandemic.But the Republican leader also signaled an interest in beefed up virus testing strategies as central to the nation’s ability to take steps “back toward normalcy.”“Testing, tracking, treatments,” McConnell said from the Senate floor. “Our task ahead will be to keep seeking thoughtful solutions.”By reconvening this week, Senate Republicans are trying to set the terms of debate, frustrated that Pelosi was able to fill up earlier aid bills with Democratic priorities. They’re reluctant to unleash federal funds beyond the nearly $3 trillion Congress already approved in virus relief and hope Trump’s push to re-open will reduce the need for more aid.For more than five weeks, the COVID-19 crisis has all but closed Congress, a longer absence than during the 1918 Spanish flu.Senators returned to a changed place with new guidelines, including the recommendation that senators wear masks — blue face coverings were available for free, and being worn by staff. They were also told to keep their distance and leave most staff at home. Public access is limited, including at public hearings. The Capitol itself remains closed to visitors and tours.It’s not just lawmakers at risk. Reopening part of Capitol Hill poses health risks for the cooks, cleaners, police officers and other workers who keep the Capitol complex functioning.Democrats are eyeing the new aid package as states and cities seek as much as $1 trillion to prevent local layoffs and keep paying nurses, police, firefighters and other front-line workers as local revenues tank during the stay-home shutdown.Pelosi outlined the governors’ requests for $500 billion, with the counties and cities seeking as much as $300 billion, which she has said could be spread out over the next several years. On a private conference call with House Democrats on Monday, she also discussed a “paycheck guarantee” for the newly jobless.Pelosi told reporters Tuesday on Capitol Hill the new package will be “just very directly related to saving lives, the livelihood and the life of our democracy.”Several House committee chairmen outlined the provisions expected in the upcoming bill, according to a statement from the Democratic caucus after the private call.Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal discussed another round of additional direct cash payments for families and extending unemployment insurance. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Ca., chair of the Financial Services Committee, focused on helping homeowners, renters and small landlords make rent and mortgage payments, the statement said. Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone spoke about investing in virus testing and contact tracing.Trump said any new package must have a payroll-tax holiday.In the Senate, McConnell has loaded up the schedule with consideration of Trump’s nominees, including a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/9788d3f3fe54884631ccc5592a4a118c">hearing Tuesday on John Ratcliffe,</a>&nbsp;the Texas Republican congressman who is Trump’s choice to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.___

Pelosi pushes new virus relief package as GOP hits 'pause'

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Restaurant dining rooms, retail stores and some offices began reopening Monday after Kansas lifted a statewide stay-at-home order, though some business owners hesitated, still concerned about the novel coronavirus.

<a href="https://apnews.com/abd6bb1cfc4f6349d94f853f04b12bcb">Gov. Laura Kelly plans</a>&nbsp;to reopen the pandemic-battered economy in four stages between now an at least June 15. The first stage began when the her stay-at-home order expired at midnight Sunday, allowing dine-in service in restaurants and the reopening of stores, though social distancing still must be observed.

But some owners weren’t ready to open their stores to in-person shoppers. In Wichita, Watermark Books and Cafe remained closed except for online orders and curbside pickup, though owner Sarah Bagby has seen business drop 60% to 70%. She said she’s still working out issues that come with running a store where customers had been used to handling multiple books while browsing.

“We’re going to do this slowly and deliberately,” she said. “What once was once considered cozy is now considered risky, so we have to kind of reconfigure some things.”

Many businesses, including bars, gyms, theaters, barbershops and hair and nail salons, must remain closed until the second phase begins on May 18. That’s also when a 10-person mass gathering limit would increase, first to 30 until June 1 and then 90 until June 15.

Kelly’s plan already&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/e047671519a2e0d18115103f45162df7">has drawn criticism</a>&nbsp;for treating certain types of businesses differently from others. She’s also allowing local officials to impose stricter rules.

In the Kansas City area, Johnson County, the state’s most populous county, and neighboring Wyandotte County, are keeping stay-at-home orders in place through this Sunday. The two counties account for more than 100 of the state’s 136 reported COVID-19-related deaths.

In Shawnee County, home to the state capital of Topeka, Dr. Gianfranco Pezzino, the health officer, said the county’s 24 new cases last week were more than double the number the previous week, and cases with no tie to a previous infection source are more frequent. He said new restrictions are possible.

Confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas rose by 4.3% on Monday, up 215 to 5,245 total, though the actual number is thought to be higher because of limited testing and because people can be infected without showing symptoms. Reported COVID-19-related deaths increased by two.

The Kansas Department of Corrections reported that a third inmate died in a coronavirus outbreak at the state prison in Lansing, near Kansas City. Some 380 inmates and 88 employees have tested positive there, and there have been more than 480 confirmed cases among inmates and staff at seven of the state’s nine other prisons, but no deaths.

The coronavirus can cause severe illness or death, particularly for older people or people with existing medical conditions. But most infected people have mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within a few weeks.

In northwestern Kansas, Junelle Hills put up the open sign for Interior Connection and Quilt Cabin in Colby. It sells curtains, quilting supplies and portable sheds and cabins, and Hills said she was looking forward to “getting back to normal.”

Her door has been locked for weeks, but she shipped material for masks and let in individual customers who needed supplies to make them. She remained busy even as the normal weekday 8:30 a.m. bustle in her hometown disappeared, she said.

“It was kind of scary some mornings, driving to work, because it was like a ghost town,” she said.

In Dodge City in southwestern Kansas, Brenda Lee was eager to reopen the I Don’t Care Family Restaurant, so named because that was often the answer she or her husband gave when the other asked where they should eat. The reopening won’t happen for a week or two, but that’s because of a renovation undertaken during the stay-at-home order.

Lee said the restaurant was observing social distancing before the stay-at-home order. Even without the coronavirus, she said, the restaurant has to worry about people coming in with illnesses like the flu.

“That’s the risk of being a business, period,” she said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587578545738.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Restaurant dining rooms, retail stores and some offices began reopening Monday after Kansas lifted a statewide stay-at-home order, though some business owners hesitated, still concerned about the novel coronavirus.<a href="https://apnews.com/abd6bb1cfc4f6349d94f853f04b12bcb">Gov. Laura Kelly plans</a>&nbsp;to reopen the pandemic-battered economy in four stages between now an at least June 15. The first stage began when the her stay-at-home order expired at midnight Sunday, allowing dine-in service in restaurants and the reopening of stores, though social distancing still must be observed.But some owners weren’t ready to open their stores to in-person shoppers. In Wichita, Watermark Books and Cafe remained closed except for online orders and curbside pickup, though owner Sarah Bagby has seen business drop 60% to 70%. She said she’s still working out issues that come with running a store where customers had been used to handling multiple books while browsing.“We’re going to do this slowly and deliberately,” she said. “What once was once considered cozy is now considered risky, so we have to kind of reconfigure some things.”Many businesses, including bars, gyms, theaters, barbershops and hair and nail salons, must remain closed until the second phase begins on May 18. That’s also when a 10-person mass gathering limit would increase, first to 30 until June 1 and then 90 until June 15.Kelly’s plan already&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/e047671519a2e0d18115103f45162df7">has drawn criticism</a>&nbsp;for treating certain types of businesses differently from others. She’s also allowing local officials to impose stricter rules.In the Kansas City area, Johnson County, the state’s most populous county, and neighboring Wyandotte County, are keeping stay-at-home orders in place through this Sunday. The two counties account for more than 100 of the state’s 136 reported COVID-19-related deaths.In Shawnee County, home to the state capital of Topeka, Dr. Gianfranco Pezzino, the health officer, said the county’s 24 new cases last week were more than double the number the previous week, and cases with no tie to a previous infection source are more frequent. He said new restrictions are possible.Confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas rose by 4.3% on Monday, up 215 to 5,245 total, though the actual number is thought to be higher because of limited testing and because people can be infected without showing symptoms. Reported COVID-19-related deaths increased by two.The Kansas Department of Corrections reported that a third inmate died in a coronavirus outbreak at the state prison in Lansing, near Kansas City. Some 380 inmates and 88 employees have tested positive there, and there have been more than 480 confirmed cases among inmates and staff at seven of the state’s nine other prisons, but no deaths.The coronavirus can cause severe illness or death, particularly for older people or people with existing medical conditions. But most infected people have mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within a few weeks.In northwestern Kansas, Junelle Hills put up the open sign for Interior Connection and Quilt Cabin in Colby. It sells curtains, quilting supplies and portable sheds and cabins, and Hills said she was looking forward to “getting back to normal.”Her door has been locked for weeks, but she shipped material for masks and let in individual customers who needed supplies to make them. She remained busy even as the normal weekday 8:30 a.m. bustle in her hometown disappeared, she said.“It was kind of scary some mornings, driving to work, because it was like a ghost town,” she said.In Dodge City in southwestern Kansas, Brenda Lee was eager to reopen the I Don’t Care Family Restaurant, so named because that was often the answer she or her husband gave when the other asked where they should eat. The reopening won’t happen for a week or two, but that’s because of a renovation undertaken during the stay-at-home order.Lee said the restaurant was observing social distancing before the stay-at-home order. Even without the coronavirus, she said, the restaurant has to worry about people coming in with illnesses like the flu.“That’s the risk of being a business, period,” she said.____

Some Kansas businesses eagerly reopen, but others hesitate

WASHINGTON (AP) — The economic paralysis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic is forcing the U.S. Treasury to borrow far more than it ever has before — $2.99 trillion in the current quarter alone.

The amount is more than five times the government’s previous record borrowing for a quarter, $569 billion, set in the depths of the 2008 financial crisis. It also dwarfs the $1.28 trillion the government borrowed in the bond market for all of 2019.

The Treasury Department said the huge sum is needed to pay for nearly $3 trillion in rescue aid that the government has unleashed in programs to support tens of millions of jobless workers and shuttered businesses with direct payments and loans.

“Borrowing needs are skyrocketing as Treasury needs cash to fund stimulus measures and to compensate for a plunge in revenues caused by massive job losses,” said Nancy Vanden Houten, an economist at Oxford Economics.

In addition, the government needs to borrow to cover the shortfall in revenue that will occur because the Trump administration has delayed the deadline for tax payments this year from April to June.

The Congressional Budget Office is forecasting that the government will run a record deficit of $3.7 trillion this year, far above the $1 trillion-plus annual deficits recorded from 2009 through 2012 when the government was fighting the 2008 financial crisis and a deep downturn that followed.

The deficits would be even higher but the Federal Reserve has cut its benchmark short-term interest rate to a record low near zero and is buying trillions of dollars in government bonds and mortgage-backed securities to push long-term interest rates, which were already at record lows, even lower.

Private economists believe that the government has little choice but to spend the money now to prevent an even worse downturn and possibly even a situation like the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Under the plans the Treasury unveiled on Monday, the government will borrow $4.48 trillion this budget year including a projected $677 billion in borrowing in the July-September quarter. The budget year ends on Sept. 30.

In a stark demonstration of how the government’s financial situation has changed, three months ago before the coronavirus outbreak caused widespread shutdowns in the United States, Treasury was projecting that it would be able to pay down $56 billion in debt during the quarter.

CBO is projecting the U.S. economy will shrink by a record 40% at an annual rate in the current April-June quarter.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The economic paralysis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic is forcing the U.S. Treasury to borrow far more than it ever has before — $2.99 trillion in the current quarter alone.The amount is more than five times the government’s previous record borrowing for a quarter, $569 billion, set in the depths of the 2008 financial crisis. It also dwarfs the $1.28 trillion the government borrowed in the bond market for all of 2019.The Treasury Department said the huge sum is needed to pay for nearly $3 trillion in rescue aid that the government has unleashed in programs to support tens of millions of jobless workers and shuttered businesses with direct payments and loans.“Borrowing needs are skyrocketing as Treasury needs cash to fund stimulus measures and to compensate for a plunge in revenues caused by massive job losses,” said Nancy Vanden Houten, an economist at Oxford Economics.In addition, the government needs to borrow to cover the shortfall in revenue that will occur because the Trump administration has delayed the deadline for tax payments this year from April to June.The Congressional Budget Office is forecasting that the government will run a record deficit of $3.7 trillion this year, far above the $1 trillion-plus annual deficits recorded from 2009 through 2012 when the government was fighting the 2008 financial crisis and a deep downturn that followed.The deficits would be even higher but the Federal Reserve has cut its benchmark short-term interest rate to a record low near zero and is buying trillions of dollars in government bonds and mortgage-backed securities to push long-term interest rates, which were already at record lows, even lower.Private economists believe that the government has little choice but to spend the money now to prevent an even worse downturn and possibly even a situation like the Great Depression of the 1930s.Under the plans the Treasury unveiled on Monday, the government will borrow $4.48 trillion this budget year including a projected $677 billion in borrowing in the July-September quarter. The budget year ends on Sept. 30.In a stark demonstration of how the government’s financial situation has changed, three months ago before the coronavirus outbreak caused widespread shutdowns in the United States, Treasury was projecting that it would be able to pay down $56 billion in debt during the quarter.CBO is projecting the U.S. economy will shrink by a record 40% at an annual rate in the current April-June quarter.

Treasury announces record borrowing of $2.99 trillion

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota pork processing plant took its first steps toward reopening Monday after being shuttered for over two weeks because of a coronavirus outbreak that infected more than 800 employees.

As two departments opened at the Smithfield Foods plant in Sioux Falls, employees filed through a tent where they were screened for fever and other signs of COVID-19. Some said they felt the measures Smithfield has taken would protect them from another virus outbreak, while others were not confident that infections could be halted in a crowded plant.

Lydia Toby, who works in the ground seasoned pork department, said she was “kind of worried” as she entered the plant before 6 a.m. for her first shift in over two weeks. The company met employees in her department Friday and explained they had installed dividers on the production line and would require everyone to wear masks.

“I think it’s going to be OK,” she said.

In the wake of an executive order from President Donald Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/fb38a5a53ac1a92039bc0a4b545b19d7">ordering meat plants to remain open,</a>&nbsp;Arkansas-based Tyson Foods was also resuming “limited production” Monday at its pork plant in Logansport, Indiana, where nearly 900 employees tested positive. And the JBS pork plant in Worthington, Minnesota — just an hour east of Smithfield’s South Dakota plant — planned a partial reopening on Wednesday.

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Monday called meatpacking plants — along with nursing homes — “the most dangerous places there are right now.” He called for greater protections for meatpacking workers.

“They designate them as essential workers and then treat them as disposable,” Biden said.

In a teleconference town hall with the League of United Latin American Citizens, Biden also noted that their employees may include workers who are in the country illegally and are afraid to seek medical help.

Virginia-based Smithfield is offering COVID-19 testing to all employees and their family members, according to a text message sent to employees and seen by The Associated Press. The message told employees to report to a local high school to be tested. It wasn’t clear if testing was required before employees could return, and Smithfield didn’t immediately respond to questions.

About 250 employees were told to report to work on Monday, according to the union that represents them. The plant employees about 3,700 workers and produces roughly 5% of the nation’s pork.

Salaheldin Ahmed, who works in a department that has not yet reopened, said he was called in by plant management to look at changes in the plant.

“They fixed a lot of things,” he said, describing how workers would be spread apart where possible.

According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Friday, more than 4,900 workers at meat and poultry processing facilities have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, including 20 who died. Some states didn’t provide data, so the actual count is believed to be higher. The true number of COVID-19 infections is also thought to be far higher than the number of confirmed cases because many people haven’t been tested and studies suggest people can be infected without feeling sick.

The CDC researchers said plant workers may be at risk for a number of reasons, including difficulties with physical distancing and hygiene, and crowded living and transportation conditions. They suggested enhanced disinfection and that workers get regular screening for the virus, more space from co-workers and training materials in their native languages. Many meatpacking employees are immigrants; a CDC report on the Smithfield outbreak found that employees there spoke about 40 different languages.

The United Food and Commercial Workers union, which represents roughly 80% of beef and pork workers and 33% of poultry workers nationwide, has called for stricter measures than the CDC recommendations, including mandating that workers be spaced 6 feet apart on production lines. It has appealed to governors for help enforcing worker safety rules. The union also wants to get rid of waivers that allow some plants to operate at faster speeds.

As plants warily reopen or others operate at diminished capacity with many workers staying home sick or in fear,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/6c6711b16d68ebde1b2cd8060f431774">it’s unclear Trump’s order will guarantee an unbroken supply of meat</a>.

Tyson Foods reported record meat sales in the first quarter but warned investors Monday that it faces continued production slowdowns. Company officials said it expected lower productivity “in the short term until local infection rates begin to decrease.”

Zach Medhaug, a maintenance employee at Tyson’s pork plant in Waterloo, Iowa, said he will feel comfortable returning to work when the plant reopens, even as he fears that one of his closest colleagues may soon die from the coronavirus.

Jose Ayala, 44, is in critical condition on a ventilator at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics after catching the virus a month ago. Medhaug has been calling Ayala, who is medically paralyzed but may still be able to hear, encouraging him to keep fighting.

Medhaug tested positive himself for the coronavirus on April 20. He said he had mild symptoms and expects to return to work later this week at the plant, which suspended production April 22. Medhaug said Tyson has made key safety changes, such as vowing to enforce rather than just encourage social distancing and providing employees with masks instead of telling them to bring their own.

“That’s a huge step,” he said. “The people returning, I see them having a better chance of not getting it at all.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1586983231357.png" alt="Smithfield plant in South Dakota -google image" />
 <figcaption>Smithfield plant in South Dakota -google image</figcaption>
 </figure>SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota pork processing plant took its first steps toward reopening Monday after being shuttered for over two weeks because of a coronavirus outbreak that infected more than 800 employees.As two departments opened at the Smithfield Foods plant in Sioux Falls, employees filed through a tent where they were screened for fever and other signs of COVID-19. Some said they felt the measures Smithfield has taken would protect them from another virus outbreak, while others were not confident that infections could be halted in a crowded plant.Lydia Toby, who works in the ground seasoned pork department, said she was “kind of worried” as she entered the plant before 6 a.m. for her first shift in over two weeks. The company met employees in her department Friday and explained they had installed dividers on the production line and would require everyone to wear masks.“I think it’s going to be OK,” she said.In the wake of an executive order from President Donald Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/fb38a5a53ac1a92039bc0a4b545b19d7">ordering meat plants to remain open,</a>&nbsp;Arkansas-based Tyson Foods was also resuming “limited production” Monday at its pork plant in Logansport, Indiana, where nearly 900 employees tested positive. And the JBS pork plant in Worthington, Minnesota — just an hour east of Smithfield’s South Dakota plant — planned a partial reopening on Wednesday.Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Monday called meatpacking plants — along with nursing homes — “the most dangerous places there are right now.” He called for greater protections for meatpacking workers.“They designate them as essential workers and then treat them as disposable,” Biden said.In a teleconference town hall with the League of United Latin American Citizens, Biden also noted that their employees may include workers who are in the country illegally and are afraid to seek medical help.Virginia-based Smithfield is offering COVID-19 testing to all employees and their family members, according to a text message sent to employees and seen by The Associated Press. The message told employees to report to a local high school to be tested. It wasn’t clear if testing was required before employees could return, and Smithfield didn’t immediately respond to questions.About 250 employees were told to report to work on Monday, according to the union that represents them. The plant employees about 3,700 workers and produces roughly 5% of the nation’s pork.Salaheldin Ahmed, who works in a department that has not yet reopened, said he was called in by plant management to look at changes in the plant.“They fixed a lot of things,” he said, describing how workers would be spread apart where possible.According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Friday, more than 4,900 workers at meat and poultry processing facilities have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, including 20 who died. Some states didn’t provide data, so the actual count is believed to be higher. The true number of COVID-19 infections is also thought to be far higher than the number of confirmed cases because many people haven’t been tested and studies suggest people can be infected without feeling sick.The CDC researchers said plant workers may be at risk for a number of reasons, including difficulties with physical distancing and hygiene, and crowded living and transportation conditions. They suggested enhanced disinfection and that workers get regular screening for the virus, more space from co-workers and training materials in their native languages. Many meatpacking employees are immigrants; a CDC report on the Smithfield outbreak found that employees there spoke about 40 different languages.The United Food and Commercial Workers union, which represents roughly 80% of beef and pork workers and 33% of poultry workers nationwide, has called for stricter measures than the CDC recommendations, including mandating that workers be spaced 6 feet apart on production lines. It has appealed to governors for help enforcing worker safety rules. The union also wants to get rid of waivers that allow some plants to operate at faster speeds.As plants warily reopen or others operate at diminished capacity with many workers staying home sick or in fear,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/6c6711b16d68ebde1b2cd8060f431774">it’s unclear Trump’s order will guarantee an unbroken supply of meat</a>.Tyson Foods reported record meat sales in the first quarter but warned investors Monday that it faces continued production slowdowns. Company officials said it expected lower productivity “in the short term until local infection rates begin to decrease.”Zach Medhaug, a maintenance employee at Tyson’s pork plant in Waterloo, Iowa, said he will feel comfortable returning to work when the plant reopens, even as he fears that one of his closest colleagues may soon die from the coronavirus.Jose Ayala, 44, is in critical condition on a ventilator at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics after catching the virus a month ago. Medhaug has been calling Ayala, who is medically paralyzed but may still be able to hear, encouraging him to keep fighting.Medhaug tested positive himself for the coronavirus on April 20. He said he had mild symptoms and expects to return to work later this week at the plant, which suspended production April 22. Medhaug said Tyson has made key safety changes, such as vowing to enforce rather than just encourage social distancing and providing employees with masks instead of telling them to bring their own.“That’s a huge step,” he said. “The people returning, I see them having a better chance of not getting it at all.”

Meatpackers cautiously reopen plants amid coronavirus fears

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials believe China covered up the extent of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak">the coronavirus outbreak</a>&nbsp;— and how contagious the disease is — to stock up on medical supplies needed to respond to it, intelligence documents show.

Chinese leaders “intentionally concealed the severity” of the pandemic from the world in early January, according to a four-page Department of Homeland Security intelligence report dated May 1 and obtained by The Associated Press. The revelation comes as the Trump administration has intensified its criticism of China, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying Sunday that that country was responsible for the spread of disease and must be held accountable.

The sharper rhetoric coincides with administration critics saying&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/6a8f85aad99607f313cca6ab1398e04d">the government’s response to the virus was slow</a>&nbsp;and inadequate. President Donald Trump’s political opponents have accused him of lashing out at China, a geopolitical foe but critical U.S. trade partner, in an attempt to deflect criticism at home.

Not classified but marked “for official use only,” the DHS analysis states that, while downplaying the severity of the coronavirus, China increased imports and decreased exports of medical supplies. It attempted to cover up doing so by “denying there were export restrictions and obfuscating and delaying provision of its trade data,” the analysis states.

The report also says China held off informing the World Health Organization that the coronavirus “was a contagion” for much of January so it could order medical supplies from abroad — and that its imports of face masks and surgical gowns and gloves increased sharply.

Those conclusions are based on the 95% probability that China’s changes in imports and export behavior were not within normal range, according to the report.

China informed the WHO of the outbreak on Dec. 31. It contacted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control on Jan. 3 and publicly identified the pathogen as a novel coronavirus on Jan. 8.

Chinese officials muffled doctors who warned about the virus early on and repeatedly downplayed the threat of the outbreak. However, many of the Chinese government’s missteps appear to have been due to bureaucratic hurdles, tight controls on information and officials hesitant to report bad news. There is no public evidence to suggest it was an intentional plot to buy up the world’s medical supplies.

In a tweet on Sunday, the president appeared to blame U.S. intelligence officials for not making clearer sooner just how dangerous a potential coronavirus outbreak could be. Trump has been defensive over whether he failed to act after receiving early warnings from intelligence officials and others about the coronavirus and its potential impact.

“Intelligence has just reported to me that I was correct, and that they did NOT bring up the CoronaVirus subject matter until late into January, just prior to my banning China from the U.S.,” Trump wrote without citing specifics. “Also, they only spoke of the Virus in a very non-threatening, or matter of fact, manner.”

Trump had previously speculated that China may have unleashed the coronavirus due to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c9499f7b8ab2ae7097c8588f1ccdddea">some kind of horrible “mistake.”</a>&nbsp;His intelligence agencies say they are still examining a notion put forward by the president and aides that the pandemic may have resulted from an accident at a Chinese lab.

Speaking Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” Pompeo said he had no reason to believe that the virus was deliberately spread. But he added, “Remember, China has a history of infecting the world, and they have a history of running substandard laboratories.”

“These are not the first times that we’ve had a world exposed to viruses as a result of failures in a Chinese lab,” Pompeo said. “And so, while the intelligence community continues to do its work, they should continue to do that, and verify so that we are certain, I can tell you that there is a significant amount of evidence that this came from that laboratory in Wuhan.”

The secretary of state appeared to be referring to previous outbreaks of respiratory viruses, like SARS, which started in China. His remark may be seen as offensive in China. Still, Pompeo repeated the same assertion hours later, via a tweet Sunday afternoon.

Experts say the virus arose naturally in bats, and make it clear that they believe it wasn’t human-made. Many virologists say the chance that the outbreak was caused by a lab accident is very low, though scientists are still working to determine a point at which it may have jumped from animals to humans.

Beijing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/887c6ae4116951bb9bc7375e3dc8b158">has repeatedly pushed back</a>&nbsp;on U.S. accusations that the outbreak was China’s fault, pointing to many missteps made by American officials in their own fight against the outbreak. China’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/68a9e1b91de4ffc166acd6012d82c2f9">public announcement on Jan. 20</a>&nbsp;that the virus was transmissible from person to person left the U.S. nearly two months to prepare for the pandemic, during which the U.S. government failed to bolster medical supplies and deployed flawed testing kits.

“The U.S. government has ignored the facts, diverted public attention and engaged in buck-passing in an attempt to shirk its responsibility for incompetence in the fight against the epidemic,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Geng Shuang said Friday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1586382948325.png" alt="Secretary of State Mike Pompeo greets President Trump during a Coronavirus Task Force briefing last month -White House image" />
 <figcaption>Secretary of State Mike Pompeo greets President Trump during a Coronavirus Task Force briefing last month -White House image</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials believe China covered up the extent of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak">the coronavirus outbreak</a>&nbsp;— and how contagious the disease is — to stock up on medical supplies needed to respond to it, intelligence documents show.Chinese leaders “intentionally concealed the severity” of the pandemic from the world in early January, according to a four-page Department of Homeland Security intelligence report dated May 1 and obtained by The Associated Press. The revelation comes as the Trump administration has intensified its criticism of China, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying Sunday that that country was responsible for the spread of disease and must be held accountable.The sharper rhetoric coincides with administration critics saying&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/6a8f85aad99607f313cca6ab1398e04d">the government’s response to the virus was slow</a>&nbsp;and inadequate. President Donald Trump’s political opponents have accused him of lashing out at China, a geopolitical foe but critical U.S. trade partner, in an attempt to deflect criticism at home.Not classified but marked “for official use only,” the DHS analysis states that, while downplaying the severity of the coronavirus, China increased imports and decreased exports of medical supplies. It attempted to cover up doing so by “denying there were export restrictions and obfuscating and delaying provision of its trade data,” the analysis states.The report also says China held off informing the World Health Organization that the coronavirus “was a contagion” for much of January so it could order medical supplies from abroad — and that its imports of face masks and surgical gowns and gloves increased sharply.Those conclusions are based on the 95% probability that China’s changes in imports and export behavior were not within normal range, according to the report.China informed the WHO of the outbreak on Dec. 31. It contacted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control on Jan. 3 and publicly identified the pathogen as a novel coronavirus on Jan. 8.Chinese officials muffled doctors who warned about the virus early on and repeatedly downplayed the threat of the outbreak. However, many of the Chinese government’s missteps appear to have been due to bureaucratic hurdles, tight controls on information and officials hesitant to report bad news. There is no public evidence to suggest it was an intentional plot to buy up the world’s medical supplies.In a tweet on Sunday, the president appeared to blame U.S. intelligence officials for not making clearer sooner just how dangerous a potential coronavirus outbreak could be. Trump has been defensive over whether he failed to act after receiving early warnings from intelligence officials and others about the coronavirus and its potential impact.“Intelligence has just reported to me that I was correct, and that they did NOT bring up the CoronaVirus subject matter until late into January, just prior to my banning China from the U.S.,” Trump wrote without citing specifics. “Also, they only spoke of the Virus in a very non-threatening, or matter of fact, manner.”Trump had previously speculated that China may have unleashed the coronavirus due to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c9499f7b8ab2ae7097c8588f1ccdddea">some kind of horrible “mistake.”</a>&nbsp;His intelligence agencies say they are still examining a notion put forward by the president and aides that the pandemic may have resulted from an accident at a Chinese lab.Speaking Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” Pompeo said he had no reason to believe that the virus was deliberately spread. But he added, “Remember, China has a history of infecting the world, and they have a history of running substandard laboratories.”“These are not the first times that we’ve had a world exposed to viruses as a result of failures in a Chinese lab,” Pompeo said. “And so, while the intelligence community continues to do its work, they should continue to do that, and verify so that we are certain, I can tell you that there is a significant amount of evidence that this came from that laboratory in Wuhan.”The secretary of state appeared to be referring to previous outbreaks of respiratory viruses, like SARS, which started in China. His remark may be seen as offensive in China. Still, Pompeo repeated the same assertion hours later, via a tweet Sunday afternoon.Experts say the virus arose naturally in bats, and make it clear that they believe it wasn’t human-made. Many virologists say the chance that the outbreak was caused by a lab accident is very low, though scientists are still working to determine a point at which it may have jumped from animals to humans.Beijing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/887c6ae4116951bb9bc7375e3dc8b158">has repeatedly pushed back</a>&nbsp;on U.S. accusations that the outbreak was China’s fault, pointing to many missteps made by American officials in their own fight against the outbreak. China’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/68a9e1b91de4ffc166acd6012d82c2f9">public announcement on Jan. 20</a>&nbsp;that the virus was transmissible from person to person left the U.S. nearly two months to prepare for the pandemic, during which the U.S. government failed to bolster medical supplies and deployed flawed testing kits.“The U.S. government has ignored the facts, diverted public attention and engaged in buck-passing in an attempt to shirk its responsibility for incompetence in the fight against the epidemic,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Geng Shuang said Friday.___

Report: China hid coronavirus' severity to hoard supplies

For millions of people around the world dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, sleep brings no relief.

The horrors of COVID-19, and the surreal and frightening ways it has upended daily life, are infecting dreams and exposing feelings of fear, loss, isolation and grief that transcend culture, language and national boundaries.

Everyone from a college teacher in Pakistan to a mall cashier in Canada to an Episcopalian priest in Florida is confronting the same daytime demon. Each is waking up in a sweat in the dead of night.

Experts say humanity has rarely experienced “collective dreaming” on such a broad scale in recorded history — and certainly never while also being able to share those nightmares in real time.

“It’s that alarming feeling of when you wake up and think, ‘Thank heavens I woke up,’” said Holly Smith, an elementary school librarian in Detroit. “Once it hits your dreams, you think, ‘Great, now I can’t even escape there.’”

The psychological toll is staggering, particularly for health care workers whose dreams show similarities to those of combat veterans and 9/11 responders, said Deirdre Barrett, a Harvard University professor who is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/B8S75CN" target="_blank">surveying</a>&nbsp;COVID dreamers worldwide. She has collected 6,000 dream samples from about 2,400 people.

So many people are sharing accounts of dreams online that there’s a Twitter account dedicated to gathering them in a virtual library under the handle “I Dream of COVID.”

“As far as I know, no one has dream samples from the flu pandemic of 1918 — and that would probably be the most comparable thing,” said Barrett, who has studied the dreams of 9/11 survivors and British prisoners of war in World War II. “Now we just all have our smartphones by our bed, so you can just reach over and speak it or type it down. Recording our dreams has never been easier.”

The dreams are also exposing what is bothering us the most about the pandemic. The themes seem universal.

Dreams of a safe place suddenly overtaken by the virus speak to contagion’s terrifying invisibility, says Cathy Caruth, a professor at Cornell University who has studied trauma for 30 years. Pandemic dreams, she says, are reminiscent of the experience of Hiroshima survivors, who worried about invisible radiation exposure, and also of some nightmares described by Vietnam veterans.

“They seem to be in part about things that are hard to grasp, what it means that anybody can be a threat and you can be a threat to everybody,” Caruth said.

Episcopalian priest Mary Alice Mathison dreamed 500 people showed up for a funeral in her church and wouldn’t go home. Other dreams underscore that no one knows how the pandemic will end. In those, the dreamer wakes with a start before learning how it turned out.

Ashley Trevino is still trying to process one terrifying dream. The 24-year-old barista is out of work due to the pandemic and was spooked when officials announced the first COVID-19 death in her central Texas county.

A few days later, she dreamed she and her girlfriend were in line to enter a dark, metal warehouse where they’d be injected with the new coronavirus by government workers wearing Hazmat suits. Fluorescent lights in the parking lot cast an eerie glow as she watched her partner get the shot and gasp for breath. Then she got the shot, too.

“I watched her kind of collapse against the wall and while I was trying to fight the effects of it and not pass out myself, I was like ... ‘Is she dead now?’”

Trevino woke up whimpering. She immediately felt an impulse to share her nightmare with someone — anyone — and tweeted it to the world from her bed.

In Pakistan’s Punjab province, a college literature teacher described dreaming she was one of only 100 people left on the planet who didn’t have COVID-19. The infected population had gained political control and was chasing the uninfected “so the world would become the same for everyone,” said Roha Rafiq, 28.

Rafiq is terrified for her elderly father, who insists on going to prayers every day despite a cough and a stay-at-home order. “I think,” she said in a Twitter direct message, “this anxiety has given me this dream.”

According to Barrett, many people dream they are sick with COVID-19 or of being overcome by what seem to be stand-ins for the virus: swarms of bugs, slithering worms, witches, grasshoppers with fangs. Others dream of being in crowded public places without a mask or proper social distancing.

Still others dream of losing control. In one such dream, the dreamer was held down by infected people who coughed on her. In another, the dreamer came across bands of people shooting at random strangers.

Most are lower-level anxiety dreams, not trauma-induced nightmares. But that changes dramatically for frontline health workers, Barrett says.

“The health care providers are the ones who look like a trauma population. They are having flat-out nightmares that reenact the things they’re experiencing and … they all have the theme that ‘I am responsible for saving this person’s life and I’m not succeeding and this person is about to die,’” she said.

“And when they dream about their child or parent getting it, for the care providers there’s always the next step in the dream where they realize ... ‘I gave it to them.’”

Even the simple, unadorned dreams — far from the drama of the ICU — seem poignant right now. Some people dream of getting a hug, attending a party, getting a haircut, going to the library.

Lauren Nickols, 30, an avid reader, stocked up on library books before Ohio’s stay-at-home order. Now her supply is running low. She recently dreamed her dresser was piled with books. She found the dream reassuring, but a reminder of the mundane things that have been lost.

“I guess it’s a bit of a sense of shared community, but it’s also really sad that we’re all missing things. It really shows you all the things you do without realizing it,” she says. “And now that you can’t, it’s a shock to the system.”

By GILLIAN FLACCUS, Associated PressFor millions of people around the world dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, sleep brings no relief.The horrors of COVID-19, and the surreal and frightening ways it has upended daily life, are infecting dreams and exposing feelings of fear, loss, isolation and grief that transcend culture, language and national boundaries.Everyone from a college teacher in Pakistan to a mall cashier in Canada to an Episcopalian priest in Florida is confronting the same daytime demon. Each is waking up in a sweat in the dead of night.Experts say humanity has rarely experienced “collective dreaming” on such a broad scale in recorded history — and certainly never while also being able to share those nightmares in real time.“It’s that alarming feeling of when you wake up and think, ‘Thank heavens I woke up,’” said Holly Smith, an elementary school librarian in Detroit. “Once it hits your dreams, you think, ‘Great, now I can’t even escape there.’”The psychological toll is staggering, particularly for health care workers whose dreams show similarities to those of combat veterans and 9/11 responders, said Deirdre Barrett, a Harvard University professor who is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/B8S75CN" target="_blank">surveying</a>&nbsp;COVID dreamers worldwide. She has collected 6,000 dream samples from about 2,400 people.So many people are sharing accounts of dreams online that there’s a Twitter account dedicated to gathering them in a virtual library under the handle “I Dream of COVID.”“As far as I know, no one has dream samples from the flu pandemic of 1918 — and that would probably be the most comparable thing,” said Barrett, who has studied the dreams of 9/11 survivors and British prisoners of war in World War II. “Now we just all have our smartphones by our bed, so you can just reach over and speak it or type it down. Recording our dreams has never been easier.”The dreams are also exposing what is bothering us the most about the pandemic. The themes seem universal.Dreams of a safe place suddenly overtaken by the virus speak to contagion’s terrifying invisibility, says Cathy Caruth, a professor at Cornell University who has studied trauma for 30 years. Pandemic dreams, she says, are reminiscent of the experience of Hiroshima survivors, who worried about invisible radiation exposure, and also of some nightmares described by Vietnam veterans.“They seem to be in part about things that are hard to grasp, what it means that anybody can be a threat and you can be a threat to everybody,” Caruth said.Episcopalian priest Mary Alice Mathison dreamed 500 people showed up for a funeral in her church and wouldn’t go home. Other dreams underscore that no one knows how the pandemic will end. In those, the dreamer wakes with a start before learning how it turned out.Ashley Trevino is still trying to process one terrifying dream. The 24-year-old barista is out of work due to the pandemic and was spooked when officials announced the first COVID-19 death in her central Texas county.A few days later, she dreamed she and her girlfriend were in line to enter a dark, metal warehouse where they’d be injected with the new coronavirus by government workers wearing Hazmat suits. Fluorescent lights in the parking lot cast an eerie glow as she watched her partner get the shot and gasp for breath. Then she got the shot, too.“I watched her kind of collapse against the wall and while I was trying to fight the effects of it and not pass out myself, I was like ... ‘Is she dead now?’”Trevino woke up whimpering. She immediately felt an impulse to share her nightmare with someone — anyone — and tweeted it to the world from her bed.In Pakistan’s Punjab province, a college literature teacher described dreaming she was one of only 100 people left on the planet who didn’t have COVID-19. The infected population had gained political control and was chasing the uninfected “so the world would become the same for everyone,” said Roha Rafiq, 28.Rafiq is terrified for her elderly father, who insists on going to prayers every day despite a cough and a stay-at-home order. “I think,” she said in a Twitter direct message, “this anxiety has given me this dream.”According to Barrett, many people dream they are sick with COVID-19 or of being overcome by what seem to be stand-ins for the virus: swarms of bugs, slithering worms, witches, grasshoppers with fangs. Others dream of being in crowded public places without a mask or proper social distancing.Still others dream of losing control. In one such dream, the dreamer was held down by infected people who coughed on her. In another, the dreamer came across bands of people shooting at random strangers.Most are lower-level anxiety dreams, not trauma-induced nightmares. But that changes dramatically for frontline health workers, Barrett says.“The health care providers are the ones who look like a trauma population. They are having flat-out nightmares that reenact the things they’re experiencing and … they all have the theme that ‘I am responsible for saving this person’s life and I’m not succeeding and this person is about to die,’” she said.“And when they dream about their child or parent getting it, for the care providers there’s always the next step in the dream where they realize ... ‘I gave it to them.’”Even the simple, unadorned dreams — far from the drama of the ICU — seem poignant right now. Some people dream of getting a hug, attending a party, getting a haircut, going to the library.Lauren Nickols, 30, an avid reader, stocked up on library books before Ohio’s stay-at-home order. Now her supply is running low. She recently dreamed her dresser was piled with books. She found the dream reassuring, but a reminder of the mundane things that have been lost.“I guess it’s a bit of a sense of shared community, but it’s also really sad that we’re all missing things. It really shows you all the things you do without realizing it,” she says. “And now that you can’t, it’s a shock to the system.”

`Infecting our dreams': Pandemic sabotages sleep worldwide

WASHINGTON (AP) — At greater risk from COVID-19, some seniors now face added anxiety due to delays obtaining Medicare coverage.

Advocates for older people say the main problem involves certain applications for Medicare’s “Part B” coverage for outpatient care. It stems from the closure of local Social Security offices in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak">the coronavirus pandemic</a>.

Part B is particularly important these days because it covers lab tests, like ones for the coronavirus.

Social Security handles eligibility determinations for Medicare, and while many issues can still be resolved online, some require personal attention. That can now entail hold times of 90 minutes or more to reach Social Security on its national 800 number, according to the agency’s website.

Even in normal times, signing up for Part B could be tricky for people who worked past age 65 and kept their workplace coverage. People need to apply separately for the outpatient coverage, and provide Social Security with documentation of their employer policy, to avoid hefty late-enrollment penalties.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587590671442.png" alt="Sema Verma&nbsp;Administrator of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid during a Coronavirus Task Force briefing -photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>Sema Verma&nbsp;Administrator of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid during a Coronavirus Task Force briefing -photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — At greater risk from COVID-19, some seniors now face added anxiety due to delays obtaining Medicare coverage.Advocates for older people say the main problem involves certain applications for Medicare’s “Part B” coverage for outpatient care. It stems from the closure of local Social Security offices in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak">the coronavirus pandemic</a>.Part B is particularly important these days because it covers lab tests, like ones for the coronavirus.Social Security handles eligibility determinations for Medicare, and while many issues can still be resolved online, some require personal attention. That can now entail hold times of 90 minutes or more to reach Social Security on its national 800 number, according to the agency’s website.Even in normal times, signing up for Part B could be tricky for people who worked past age 65 and kept their workplace coverage. People need to apply separately for the outpatient coverage, and provide Social Security with documentation of their employer policy, to avoid hefty late-enrollment penalties.Fred Riccardi, president of the advocacy group Medicare Rights Center, said an already cumbersome process has been exacerbated by the pandemic shutdown, raising the risk that some seniors will fall into a coverage gap or end up owing penalties.“We are concerned that people who are eligible will go without coverage due to unnecessary administrative barriers and the lack of information from federal agencies,” said Riccardi. “The problem is serious.”His organization is among groups asking Congress to hold seniors harmless from Medicare application problems during the coronavirus emergency. It’s unclear how many are affected.Social Security declined several interview requests and instead sent The Associated Press written responses to questions. The agency said it has seen an increase in requests for Part B enrollment because of older workers losing job-based coverage.Social Security said it worked with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to waive certain signature requirements for Part B forms during the pandemic and has set up a dedicated fax number to receive applications.Social Security gets credit for trying, said Leslie Fried of the National Council on Aging, but that “I don’t know anyone who has a fax machine anymore.”With the economy shedding millions of jobs, older workers going from employer coverage to Medicare can find themselves in a holding pattern.Carol Berul of Sacramento, California, retired from state government on Feb. 1. She said she’s still trying to figure out what happened to her Medicare Part B application, which she mailed in January. In her early 70s, Berul said she’s worried her health could be jeopardized by bogged-down paperwork. She has an immune system disorder triggered by a medication that she once took.“I’ve been avoiding going anywhere,” she said.Berul said she’s faced hold times of more than an hour trying to call Social Security. When she finally got through, she learned the agency had no record of her Part B application. She resubmitted it.Berul said Social Security employees she’s talked with have been helpful and empathetic but “with all the people working from home trying to get information from point to point, it’s like a pyramid, and they haven’t connected all the dots.”For John Breithart of Grand Haven, Michigan, it was a different Medicare issue but a similar experience.Breithart, who works for an oil and gas delivery company, turns 65 this year and becomes eligible for Medicare’s Part A inpatient coverage.He’s covered through this wife’s retiree health plan and earlier this month the insurer sent him a letter saying he’d be kicked off if he didn’t provide a Medicare number.Breithart started calling Social Security. He said on one occasion he was on hold for an hour and 52 minutes. Another time a returned call fell through and the case worker didn’t leave a callback number.The logjam finally broke after he contacted his two U.S. senators. Social Security confirmed that his Medicare application had been approved. Breithart quickly called Medicare. After asking a litany of questions, an agent read him his Medicare number over the phone. He was able to complete the relay to his wife’s insurer.“You don’t think of people who don’t have health insurance when you’ve had it all your life,” said Breithart. “Then you get ready to retire and someone says you need a number you don’t have, and it gets stressful.”Social Security said the pandemic did lead lead to much longer telephone holds, but its latest weekly average was down to 45 minutes, depending on when a person calls and whether others are trying at the same time. Agency employees have been able to continue to serve the public by teleworking.According to Webster Phillips, a policy expert with the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, wait times before the pandemic averaged around 20 minutes. Social Security has an option to leave your number for a callback.Natalie Kean, a lawyer with the advocacy group Justice in Aging, said, “Going through the normal channels is just going to be slow, and it’s not responsive to the increased need right now.”On Capitol Hill, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee said the committee is trying to assess what’s going on.“Seniors should not be penalized for disruptions in service due to the crisis,” Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., said in a statement.

Coronavirus Update