There’s a lot going on. Here are today’s COVID-19 updates that you should know and be following.
Your daily dose of hope
New data from China indicates that most people who contract the novel coronavirus experience mild symptoms, and that the vast majority of infected people recover. China authorities also reported no new local cases on Thursday.
The Internal Revenue Service extended the filing deadline for individual tax returns from April 15 to July 15. Earlier this week, the IRS announced a three-month reprieve for individual tax payments of up to $1 million, and business payments of up to $10 million.
Amazon, Walmart, and others are hiring thousands of workers. Amazon announced earlier this week that it’s hiring 100,000 new full and part-time employees for its fulfillment centers and delivery network to meet the surge in demand. Walmart is hiring 150,000 workers for temporary positions that it expects many will become permanent.
Payments on federally held college student loans will be temporarily waived, President Donald Trump announced Friday.
News you need to know
A recent Forbes poll showed that many young Americans, ages 18 to 29, aren’t worried about COVID-19 and aren’t changing their social habits. At the same time, a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that almost four in every 10 cases of COVID-19 requiring hospitalization involved people under 55.
The number of Americans ordered to stay at home swelled to nearly one in five after lockdown orders from governors in California and New York. California Governor Gavin Newsom directed its 40 million residents to stay home as of midnight Friday.
The San Francisco Bay Area has been under lockdown since midnight Tuesday after several counties issued shelter in place mandates. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a similar mandate Friday, which takes effect Sunday.
The US State Department advised Americans to avoid any international travel due to the pandemic, and said any Americans living abroad should return immediately unless they are prepared to remain abroad for an indefinite period.
Data point of the day
Stay informed on data, thought leadership, and business-related updates surrounding COVID-19 HERE.
Quote of the day:
“You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming.”
― Pablo Neruda
