Holland America Line

Florida in Discussions to Allow Holland America Ships to Dock

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Travelers across the world have seen their trips disrupted due to the coronavirus pandemic with many being flown home early from their vacations and thousands more seeing their breaks being canceled.

Those who are allowed to come home are facing strict rules before entering the country, but at least they can come home.

Passengers on cruise ships around the world have been confined to their vessels as countries refuse to let them dock.

Currently there are two Holland America Line liners anchored off the coast of Florida as America refuses to allow them to disembark due to the ships having hundreds of passengers and crew members suffering from covid-19.

The Rotterdam and Zaandam have both reached Florida and have been waiting for final clearance to disembark however this has come after lengthy discussions with the local authorities on how to handle passengers who have reportedly shown ‘influenza-like illness symptoms’ dating back to 22 March.

So far eight of the guests had been tested positive for the virus while four of the ‘older’ guests of the Zaandam had passed away within a week.

Broward County Commissioner Michael Udine and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have been against allowing any ships to dock in Fort Lauderdale. DeSantis has claimed allowing such a move would be ‘a mistake’ as well as raising his concerns that the state’s health care system would not be able to cope with the high number of ill passengers and crew members.

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However DeSantis has been called out by President Trump who reportedly told him Florida should be allowing the ship to dock. “They’re dying on the ship.” Said Trump. “I’m going to do what’s right, not only for us but for humanity.”

A day later DeSantis confirmed that no decision had been made by officials stating:

“I obviously am not in control of the port that is run by the counties, in this case, Broward County, and I know they’re in consultation with the cruise ships. Clearly, we’re going to be willing to accept any Floridians that are on board. My understanding is that most of the passengers are foreign nationals. I think that they’re working on ways to deal with that.”

The ships had both been refused permission to enter United State waters as Broward’s Unified Command was waiting for a ‘suitable plan’ to be sent in. DeSantis confirmed the same day that officials were ‘working on a plan’ to allow the Florida residents into the state while expatriating all foreign nationals saying they were “concerned about a deluge into our hospitals” although he also confirmed the local hospitals were prepared to cope with the high number of cases.

Just a day later Udine confirmed that the Carnival Corporation – owners of the Holland America Line – had come to a conditional agreement, tweeting:

“Unified Command conferenced last night and reached cond. approval of Carnival’s Plan, subject to approval between Broward and Carnival. Final document will be released this morning. As of now, ships remain outside US Waters. Look forward to seeing a SAFE plan for all to resolve.”

He also defended the comments that his department had previously made, stating they had not received a plan from the cruise line for disembarkation, claiming the company appeared to want to “just drop people off and let them fly home.”

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Both of the liners are now just outside of American waters near Fort Lauderdale and will continue to stay there until they receive permission to dock. In a statement Holland America Line said:

“We remain fully engaged with the Broward Unified Command and other governmental and embassy authorities to resolve this humanitarian situation and get the nearly 1,200 well guests home immediately who are fit for travel per guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),”

“We appreciate the support of President Trump in resolving the humanitarian plight of our guests — 311 of whom are American citizens and 52 of whom are residents of Florida.”

It is believed that out of all the sick passengers ‘less than 10’ were in need of immediate critical care although a further 45 were showing mild symptoms, meaning they were unable to travel.

Holland America suspended all cruise operations on 13 March with the Zaandam’s current voyage due to run from 7 March to 21 March. Passengers and crew started showing symptoms a day after the end date.

The Rotterdam was dispatched with supplies and covid-19 testing kits to the Zaandam however they too had passengers that started to develop symptoms. Although they had four “older” passengers die it is not yet clear yet what were the causes.

Between the two ships there are more than 2,400 passengers and crew who have been told to stay in their cabins until they are allowed to disembark although when that will be is still unclear.

Woman with Coronavirus Tracking

The UK Considers A Coronavirus Tracking App

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In the early stages of the pandemic, the task of contact tracing played an important role in tackling the spread of the Coronavirus. Contact tracing was quite simply, tracking down all the people an infected person had had contact with during the time that they are considered infectious. These people would normally be asked to self-isolate for two weeks as well as being given advice and any care needed. As COVID-19 very rapidly developed to an overwhelming level, this process became harder and harder to enact in many countries. The interview process undertaken to trace contacts became too slow. According to the World Health Organisation, this was an intervention previously seen to effectively control the spread of Ebola.

In the UK, whilst country-wide testing is struggling to take swing and Health officials are urging the UK government to do more to increase the number of tests undertaken per day, (as of April 2nd ‘Around 13,000 tests are available each day against a target of 25,000’ according to the BBC), the UK’s healthcare service; The National Health Service (NHS) is discussing the use and introduction of a smartphone contact tracing app. Which would be developed by the healthcare’s digital offshoot NHSX.

Although, the ability to contact trace was flooded by the sheer volume of cases, it is still an effective process to get ahead of the coronavirus spread. In a video, a spokesperson talking to the BBC indicated that the contact tracing process would ‘reduce from a week, to an instantaneous notification’ ‘…maintaining long-term control of the epidemic.’

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The study into such an app was published in the Journal of Science and was researched by the University of Oxford’s Big Data Institute and Nuffield Department of Medicine, whose abstract stated: ‘We conclude that viral spread is too fast to be contained by manual contact tracing, but could be controlled if this process was faster, more efficient and happened at scale. A contact-tracing App which builds a memory of proximity contacts and immediately notifies contacts of positive cases can achieve epidemic control if used by enough people. By targeting recommendations to only those at risk, epidemics could be contained without need for mass quarantines (‘lock-downs’) that are harmful to society.’

The proposed app would record peoples GPS data as they go about their daily lives, supplemented by QR scanning and Bluetooth data. Should a person become ill, they would use the app to request a home test, if the test returns positive, then an instantaneous notification would be sent to others who have been in contact with the infected persons. Those contacted would then be told to self-isolate for fourteen days. Public spaces or workplaces that the person has been in contact with could also be notified and instructed to decontaminate.

The notification would be anonymous and according to a spokesperson from the BBC the GPS data would be lower than the usage taken from navigation apps. The app may also be encouraged to provide information for coronavirus health services and request food and medicine deliveries.

One of the paper’s lead authors, Professor Christophe Fraser, stated to the BBC: ‘”The constrictions that we’re currently under place [many people are] under severe strain… Therefore if you have the ability with a bit more information and the use of an app to relax a lockdown, that could provide very substantial and direct benefits. Also I think a substantial number of lives can be saved.”’

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The Guardian estimated that ‘Around 60% of the adult population would need to sign up and engage with the app by registering their symptoms or positive test results for it to be effective. Their proximity to other users would be logged, and they would follow advice given in alerts to self-isolate – even in cases where they were not aware of having been in contact with someone infected.’ Further, the app could be available within weeks.

For those without smartphones, Senior researcher on the project Professor David Bosnall stated to The Guardian: “That’s where this concept of herd protection came from… You can protect the vulnerable people in society who may not have smartphones, and protect children. If enough adults across the population engage with the system and trust the system telling them they should isolate, you’re protecting all those individuals who don’t have a device.”

Such an app has already been imposed in China and although apparently not enforced for everyone, is enforced for those who are intending to leave the house and enables them to navigate their daily lives.

There are, of course, talks around the ethics of imposing such an app. At the moment the consensus seems to be that the app should be voluntary, however, this could change should the situation become direr. At the moment it is understood that the users would be encouraged to sign up in a collective effort to get the pandemic under control. Ethicists have raised the point of needing to see clear ‘stop-rules’ on data usage after the situation clears up. However, the use of such technology, many academics are urging would be a critical tool in alleviating the situation.

Studying Virus

Viral Load and COVID-19

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As the COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly progressed, researchers, medical professionals and scientists alike have entered into a race against time not only to understand the virus and stop its spread but to also develop urgent tests and vaccinations for the world. At first, we saw the elderly and those with underlying health conditions most at risk, and whilst that is still true, as the virus has seeped its way further and further into society, young and healthy people are becoming quite severely affected by the disease too. In all cases of the disease we see some who need life-support and hospitalisation and others who have very mild conditions or are completely asymptomatic. One theory that has emerged which could add a facet of understanding to the situation is that of the viral load.

The notion of viral load, is a term that is quite common in the medical community. Simply put, it is a measurement of how much virus a person has in their body, recorded by the ratio in a standard measurement of bodily fluid, such as blood or plasma. It is commonly used in the treatment of HIV patients, to understand how well they are responding to antiviral drugs – if they have a low viral load, they are managing their treatment well. Studies into common viruses such as Influenza have also underlined the relevance of viral load.

As experts studying the new COVID-19 virus are still working to glean a full understanding of the disease, professionals often defer to knowledge of similar viruses such as influenza, SARS and MERS which have all demonstrated a higher severity of infection when exposed to a higher dose of the virus. Some researchers have suspected that this is the case for COVID-19, theorizing that perhaps, if a person has been privy to a higher viral load, that they are more likely to have a more severe case of the disease. Of course, this also needs to consider a person’s level of health prior to catching the disease.

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According to the New Scientist ‘a study of patients hospitalised with covid-19 in Nanchang, China, found a strong association between disease severity and the amount of virus present in the nose. “Those with more severe disease had a higher level of virus replication, although we have no evidence to relay the initial exposure dose to disease outcome,” says Leo Poon at Hong Kong University, who was involved in the study.’

However, the theory is still under review. Similar studies in Germany and Italy found that there was little to no difference in viral load between patients with mild to no symptoms and mild to severe symptoms, but again these studies are also under review and have not yet been published. However, many other early indications are showing a relevance to this theory. The reputable medical Journal The Lancet has published papers which have studied this theory and been under the ‘gold standard’ peer review system to indicate reliability. It suggests that there is a correlation between high viral load and severe symptoms.

When it comes to infection, the term ‘infectious dose’ also comes into play. With viruses such as Influenza, a person needs to be exposed to a relatively low infectious dose to become sick. For COVID-19, scientists do not know what constitutes an infectious dose, but due to the rapidness of its spread suspect it is rather low. According to Dr Ellen Foxman speaking to New York Magazine ‘If you’re exposed to one little viral particle, you probably have a much lower chance of becoming infected than if you are right next to someone on an airplane who is coughing for eight hours. The amount of virus needed to cause an infection is the infectious dose, which is different than the viral load.’

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Talking to The Telegraph, Professor Wendy Barclay, head of the department of infectious disease, Imperial College London, said: “In general with respiratory viruses, the outcome of infection – whether you get severely ill or only get a mild cold – can sometimes be determined by how much virus actually got into your body and started the infection off. It’s all about the size of the armies on each side of the battle, a very large virus army is difficult for our immune system’s army to fight off.”

For a virus to infect a person, its cells need to enter the body, replicate and take over other cells. A small dose of the virus, would allow a person’s immune system to effectively fight off the invaders before the virus cells duplicate to a level where they overwhelm the body. If one was to ingest a large hit of the virus, more cells would enter the body at once and naturally the virus would develop so rapidly that the immune system could not effectively cope.

Once a person is infected with the virus they could then be viral shedding during the period that they are infectious. One of the reasons why the coronavirus is spreading so quickly Is because people are infectious before they even know that they are ill. A higher viral load may also mean that you shed more virus particles that increase the likelihood of you infecting another person.

Therefore, although lockdown procedures are predominantly in place to limit the spread of Coronavirus and social distancing will reduce a person’s probability of contracting the disease, they could also be effective in limiting one’s exposure to higher doses of the virus. Whilst the theory is still being discussed amongst scientists, it will be helpful in understanding the virus further.

Playing Board Game with Masks on

Coping With Loneliness Whilst in Self-Isolation

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Fortunately, many of us have gone into self-isolation with family members or roommates, but there are many others who live alone. Whether an elderly person with limited forms of technological communication, to a young person in their first home, or a simply a person leading an independent lifestyle. A solitary lifestyle is not necessarily a bad thing. According to the Wall Street Journal in 2019 more and more Americans are happily opting to live alone. An estimated ‘35.7 million Americans live alone, 28% of households. That is up from 13% of households in 1960 and 23% in 1980, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.’ In the UK, a 2019 report from The Guardian showed that the number of people living alone was 7.7 million in 2017. However, with self-isolations, lockdowns and quarantines in place, living alone whether by choice or necessity, with no social access to the outside world, can quickly become demoralising. A home that was once a source of pride, independence and respite can become a lonely prison. Here are some ways in which to better cope with isolation and loneliness.

Connect
It seems obvious and it is something that many are already doing. Rather than just messaging on social media or texting, set time aside to call or video chat. Video chat apps are already seeing a rise in usage and there are many great ones available such as Facetime, Skype, Zoom, House party, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

Isolation could actually be a positive in bringing more and more people together. Rather than distracted meet-ups with both of you on your smartphones, some may find that they invest in meaningful conversations and undiluted attention. Consider reaching out to an old friend, or take the time out to call that one friend that you both kept meaning to get together but life just kept getting in the way of.

If friends or family are not available to chat, try joining Facebook groups of topics you are interested in or online forums or live games.

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Look after yourself
It goes without saying that loneliness is a heavily mental state and the deterioration of your mental wellbeing will exacerbate your feelings of loneliness and depression. Treating loneliness as you would anxiety, stress, depression and so forth, by staying mentally healthy can have a positive effect or at least keep it at a manageable level. Therefore, exercise, healthy eating and perhaps other mindfulness activities such as meditation are key. There are plenty of at home exercise videos available at your fingertips and exercise is a fantastic way of boosting the happiness chemicals in your brain. Plus, healthy eating will prevent you from feeling sluggish and benefit your mental state too.

Embrace the time to yourself
Try not to wallow in loneliness instead chose to do those things that boost your mood and can be done alone. Although not a remedy for loneliness, spending your time doing things that you enjoy or that are productive or absorbing can really be a welcome distraction. Decide on a project and take the time out to focus on it, creative projects are always a good choice. If you are not creatively minded, perhaps learn a new skill that may be beneficial to you, or simply just for fun.

Do not necessarily put pressure on yourself to be intensely productive during this time either. It may be beneficial to stick to a schedule, take regular breaks and change it up your focus. Do not burn out on a project or spend all day playing a game, as you may just incite boredom and frustration. Take time to do things that you find enjoyable or comforting. Re-read a favourite book, play a game, take a bath or watch a film. Change your mindset, you are not stuck at home you are safe at home and you will not get this time back. So, use it as an opportunity to focus purely on yourself.

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Help others
For some living alone, perhaps the elderly living at home. The use of social technologies such as video chat is an unattainable solution. Perhaps they do not have many people to call and relied on outings to clubs to retain sociability. If you know of anyone in your area that may be at risk of this particularly harsh branch of loneliness, try to safely reach out. If you can safely do so (and they are amiable of course), perhaps offer to get the necessary essentials for them, taking down their phone number and checking in with regular chats, or sending handwritten letters. Small forms of human contact such as this can be tremendously beneficial to you both in such depressive and lonely times. Acts of kindness has been proven to be psychologically uplifting to both parties, that heart-warming feeling is a product of all kinds of happy hormones being released into your brain.

In the UK there are many charities and even Facebook groups that aim to help such people who may be suffering from loneliness in lockdown. If you cannot find a group in your area, perhaps start your own.

UK vs Virus

The Plans in Place To Re-Open Europe

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The United Kingdom’s health secretary Matt Hancock has revealed government plans to potentially issue ‘immunity certificates’ to those that have recovered from coronavirus. In a daily government briefing Hancock said that these certificates could eventually help people “get back, as much as possible, to normal life,” but the health secretary also warned that more research was to come.

“We are looking at an immunity certificate – how people who have had the disease, have got the antibodies and therefore have the immunity can show that – and so get back, as much as possible, to normal life. That is an important thing we will be doing and are looking at,” Hancock said, speaking at the daily press conference from Downing Street.

Reports from Germany suggest that they are set to launch a similar initiative in a bid to allow workers to return to work and help get the economy back on track.

The UK government are expecting to announce plans for wide scale testing soon and are currently in talks with nine companies to determine the best and most simple blood tests that will determine if a person has developed the correct antibodies for COVID-19.

In the press conference, Hancock revealed that the blood test could be carried out as simply as a finger prick, with results possible in just 20 minutes. However, tests would need to be administered 28 days after the infection, as that is when the body reaches its highest level of immunity.

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Professor John Newton, the director of health improvement at Public Health England has indicated that this would be the appropriate time to carry out the test “if you want to tell somebody that they haven’t been infected and that they’re not immune”.

Despite this, the mass production and distribution of tests may be put on hold as it is still not known how long immunity lasts, due to COVID-19 being such a new disease.

“We know from other viruses that immunity is long lasting,” said Stephen Powis, the national medical director for NHS England, before adding: “But some might last a year or so.”

Health secretary Matt Hancock said that this meant that it is “too early in the science” to “put clarity” to the idea of issuing immunity certificates.

With the UK currently in lockdown, this news may strengthen fears that normality will not return until the end of the year at the earliest but Hancock added that there was no link between the 28 days and time of the lockdown, and that the most important factor is maintaining social distancing.

He said: “The number one thing that stops the spread of this virus is social distancing. That is the most important thing.”

Staff of the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) have been seen queuing up in car parks of theme parks and large shops like IKEA in order to get COVID-19 testing as criticism comes in for the country’s handling of their health workers, with suggestions that they are lagging behind other nations.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock also announced government intentions to increase testing overall in England, including all patients and its National Health Service staff, from 10,000 every day to 100,000 by the end of April, using a “five-pillar” strategy.

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The prime minister’s official spokesman said on Thursday the 2nd of April that the government had surpassed the target of 10,000 tests per day and that the total number of National Health Service staff that were tested around the country at drive-through facilities has risen to 2,800.

In the detailed press conference Matt Hancock’s revealed that his “five-pillar” plan included swab testing for all in Public Health England and the National Health Service labs; the use of commercial partners, especially universities and private businesses, in order to obtain and organize facilities to conduct more swab testing; choosing and introducing the most appropriate antibody blood tests to determine immunity if people have had COVID-19; surveillance in order to monitor the rate of infection and map how it is spreading and the building of an adequately sized and maintained diagnostics industry that will allow the figure of 100,000 tests by the end of April.

As the UK is thought to be approaching the peak of the epidemic, the government has prioritized testing NHS staff and have been enlisting the help of the private sector to cope with demand.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, currently in isolation due to testing positive for COVID-19, said in a video message on Twitter that the UK needed to “massively ramp up” testing, which he then claimed was “how we unlock the coronavirus puzzle”.

“It’s crucial people who do have the disease are able to be tested positive and to take the necessary steps to isolate at home in the way that I am doing and many, many others are doing,” he said.

Medical Masks

UK TV Dramas Are Pitching in on The Coronavirus Crisis

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The rapid spread of the Coronavirus has inevitably taken its toll on the healthcare industry. In the UK the overwhelming treatment of those affected has left a depletion of medical supplies from the basic to complex. Hospitals are in desperate need for ventilators as more and more people need life-support and the current demand for basic equipment to protect healthcare workers such as scrubs and surgical masks are sky-rocketing. Fears for the NHS staff who are at risk treating those with the virus amongst a shortage of basic personal protective equipment is rife.

In the UK we have seen some incredible acts of kindness as community volunteers come together to support the vulnerable, small businesses donate visors and similar equipment’s to the National Health Service (NHS) and operations are providing proper meals to NHS workers who are working around the clock without proper food. Phrases and comparisons to ‘wartime spirit’ has been bandied around as clear parallels to World War Britain are used to rally the nation and summarise the wonderful response from businesses and the public. In only a few of many examples, British tech Industries turn their hands to building ventilators, volunteers are joining the NHS and manufacturers such as distilleries are bottling their alcohol in hand sanitisers.

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The United Kingdom’s vibrant festival season has taken a hit, with many events including the trailblazing Glastonbury festival being cancelled. However, despite the saddening decision, they are still looking to do what they can to support the NHS, the BBC reporting: ‘Emily Eavis is donating cotton bags from the Glastonbury Festival to hospitals and NHS workers in need. The bags will be used to place worn scrubs into before they are washed to help avoid cross contamination.’

Even the landscape of British television is changing as some regular TV soaps and shows are being rationed, ceased filming or altered as the film industry goes into lockdown. That, however has not deterred some shows, who have instead chosen to use the time to join the effort to support the UK’s healthcare industry. Medical TV Dramas such as Holby City and Casualty, have suspended production but have been donating personal protective equipment (PPE) to the NHS. In an article from the BBC Executive producer Simon Harper said: “Casualty and Holby City are all about celebrating NHS heroism, so we are only too happy to help out and do what we can for the courageous and selfless real life medics battling this situation.”

Similar acts have been seen in the US as Business Insider reported: ‘ Producers from ABC shows “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Station 19,” and “The Good Doctor” are donating supplies from their sets to hospitals and local authorities, a representative for ABC confirmed to Insider via email…”At ‘Station 19,’ we were lucky enough to have about 300 of the coveted N95 masks which we donated to our local fire station. They were tremendously grateful. At ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ we have a back-stock of gowns and gloves which we are donating as well,” Vernoff said in the statement.’

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Yet it is not just medical shows who have been helping. The costume crew from the BBC’s adaptation of Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials has begun to make hospital scrubs as production stalls. According to the BBC recently the crew set up Helping Dress Medics and are attracting help from more designers across the country and whose fundraising efforts have already raised over £12,000 for material. The show’s costume supervisor Dulcie Scott explained to the BBC:

“We were aware of the many and varied talents within the film industry that would not be in use at this time,” “When we realised there was a lack of PPE [personal protective equipment], and specifically scrubs, Dulcie contacted health professionals local to her to find out if and how we could help.”

“We are helping hospitals local to the costume makers. We have makers now in Wales, Sussex, Cotswolds, Plymouth, Malvern, Manchester and Liverpool”

According to the article, the design process is very simple and designers are following one basic universal pattern. Volunteers are providing their extraordinary talents for free and at such a high level of skill, scrubs are being made very very quickly. Extra material is even being donated to a company who is using their extra time, expertise and 3D printing equipment to make protective face masks.

The buyer from His Dark Materials is sourcing the fabric and material needed and sending it onto costume makers across the country, who will utilise their pool of contacts – tailors, designers etc. in their area. Even hobbyist sewers from the general public, are setting up groups on Facebook, taking to their machines in a mass effort to quite literally, protect NHS workers.

US Mexico Border

Second Drugs Tunnel in As Many Months Discovered on US/Mexico Border

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Illegal drugs worth an estimated $29.6 million have been discovered in a tunnel that criminals have been using to smuggle drugs from Mexico into America.

The tunnel, located near San Diego, has lighting, ventilation and even an underground rail system, making the cross-border passageway one of the most sophisticated ever discovered by federal agents.

It is believed the tunnel’s entrance is close to the border wall in Otay Mesa, visited by President Donald Trump in September last year.

The San Diego Tunnel Task Force confirmed that the discovery included 3,000 pounds of marijuana, 1,300 pounds of cocaine, 17 pounds of heroin, over two pounds of fentanyl and 86 pounds of methamphetamine.

Made up of agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the task force first discovered the tunnel – running 2,000 feet – on 19 March.

D.E.A. special agent John W. Callery confirmed the discovery in a statement saying:

“These tunnels show the determination of drug trafficking organizations to subvert our border controls and smuggle deadly drugs into our community.”

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Although no-one was arrested at the scene, authorities have claimed the discovery was part of an on-going investigation and confirmed that due to the sum of drugs involved the seizure was one of the biggest found in a single tunnel.

However the problem of illegal drug smuggling does not seem to be improving. The latest find comes only two months after another tunnel – measuring 4,309 feet – was also discovered in the area. Again, nobody was arrested at the scene. That tunnel was believed to be the longest tunnel ever discovered under the US/Mexico border, although no drugs were in the tunnel at the time of the discovery.

Chief Border Patrol agent Aaron M. Heitke confirmed the discovery saying, “Cross-border tunnels represent one of the most significant threats to our national security. Criminal organizations can use these tunnels to introduce anything they want into the U.S. This is especially concerning during a global pandemic.”

It is believed these tunnels are also used for people smuggling although this has not been confirmed as yet.

These tunnels are not the first to be discovered. Although 70 tunnels have been discovered since 1993, authorities have discovered 16 similar tunnels – each with railway tracks, lighting, ventilation and hydraulic lifts – since 2006. Every tunnel was discovered in the Otay Mesa area and it is believed that the area was chosen due to the soil that is clay-like and perfect for digging tunnels. It is also believed the number of warehouses in the area are the ideal cover to stop authorities investigating large numbers of people in the area.

The latest tunnel had an average depth of 31 feet, and was only found after intelligence found that there was a transnational criminal organization running a drug smuggling operation. Although the organization was not named it is believed the tunnel had been in use for many months.

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Robert S. Brewer Jr. is the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California and released a statement confirming that “if cartels keep spending millions of dollars building tunnels, we will keep finding and filling them”. Under federal law, American authorities are required to fill in the US side of the tunnels with concrete.

It has been made public that the tunnel was found close to a double-layered wall system, which had been put in place in March 2018 and had been scheduled to be completed in the second half of 2020. It is still not confirmed as yet whether the tunnel was constructed before or after the new section of the border wall was put in place.

It has been well publicized that President Trump wanted a border built between America and Mexico, with the issue being a mainstay of his presidential campaign in 2016. However many have slammed the idea of the wall, insisting that it is an “ineffective” way to increase security at the border. The discovery of two tunnels in as many months’ highlights these claims.

Trump’s visit to the area in September was supposed to be one of success, of promoting the build of the wall, with boasts that the steel slats in the new border would make it the most impassable border throughout the world.

At the time, Trump met with construction workers and Border Patrol agents and announced “the wall has a ways to go, but we’re building it at breakneck speed. When this is completed, there won’t be a border anywhere like this.”

The wall is not just over ground but continues underground too, although only for several feet. This is to reduce the amount of small tunnels – more commonly known as ‘gopher holes’ – that are constantly being discovered. However this latest tunnel, along with the one a few months ago, shows that the wall is not going deep enough, with both tunnels being dug at far deeper depths.

European Soccer Ball

European Soccer Makes Plans To Continue

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European soccer leagues have been asked by organizing bodies not to abandon their seasons as they set about making plans to resume games across Europe in July.

Regulatory bodies UEFA, the European Club Association [ECA] and European Leagues [EL] have written a letter to clubs and leagues across all of their 55 member associations, asking everyone to “walk united” as they face the effects of the pandemic together.

“It is of paramount importance that even a disruptive event like this epidemic does not prevent our competitions from being decided on the field, in accordance with their rules and that all sporting titles are awarded on the basis of results,” the letter states, as reported by Sky Sports.

“As responsible leaders in our sport, this is what we must ensure, until the last possibility exists and whilst planning, operational and regulatory solutions are available.

“We are confident that football can restart in the months to come – with conditions that will be dictated by public authorities – and believe that any decision of abandoning domestic competitions is, at this stage, premature and not justified.”

Rumours have surfaced that English Premier League officials are making plans to continue the season in July, with no fans and clubs and media being isolated in ‘World Cup-like’ camps. In the Netherlands, clubs are calling for the season to be cancelled, while the board of directors of the Belgian Jupiler Pro League have recommended that the season be ended immediately.

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UEFA called each one of its 55 member associations to discuss the plans for a return to soccer, as well as how each nation is dealing with the crisis. No potential desire to end seasons early was reported to UEFA, however.

“The working groups have held several meetings and are in daily contact to ensure that the overriding objective of taking all competitions to their natural end is met. In order to achieve it, concrete plans are being drawn up,” adds the letter.

“Their work is now focusing on scenarios encompassing the months of July and August, including the possibility that the UEFA competitions restart after the completion of domestic leagues. A joint management of calendars is strictly required as the conclusion of the current season must be coordinated with the start of the new one, which may be partly impacted because of the overstretch.

“Closely following the development of the current situation, the calendar working group will indicate as soon as possible, and ideally by mid-May, which of the plans can be enacted for the completion of the season without leaving anyone behind. Stopping competitions should really be the last resort after acknowledging that no calendar alternative would allow to conclude the season.”

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock has announced that he believes English Premier League players should take a wage cut during this difficult period to allow clubs to continue paying their non-playing staff.

Four English Premier League clubs (Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Norwich City and AFC Bournemouth) have placed non-playing staff on furlough leave, which is a government support scheme that pays employees 80 per cent of their wages while they are not working. No announcements have been made about players’ salaries, but it is understood that clubs and players are in talks with officials.

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“Given the sacrifices people are making, including some of my colleagues in the NHS, who have made the ultimate sacrifice and gone into work and caught the disease and have sadly died, I think the first thing Premier League footballers can do is make a contribution; take a pay cut and play their part,” Matt Hancock said in a daily government briefing.

The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) met with English Premier League officials about potential player wage cuts but could come to no agreement. The PFA have issued a statement to players in a bid to warn them that it is “vitally important” they speak to their union before accepting wage cuts.

“Contrary to some press reports the PFA has never stated that it will block all wage deferrals. What we have sought to put in place is a structured and unified approach to ensure a fair response across the leagues,” A PFA statement read.

“The players we have spoken to recognize that the non-playing staff are a vital part of their club and they do not want to see club staff furloughed unfairly. Any use of the government’s support schemes without genuine financial need is detrimental to the wider society.

“We fully accept that players will have to be flexible and share the financial burden of the COVID-19 outbreak in order to secure the long-term future of their own club and indeed the wider game.”

Eddie Howe (Bournemouth) and Graham Potter (Brighton) are the only two English Premier League managers who have agreed to take a wage cut so far.

Infected COVID-19 Patient

National Conference Centre Turned into 4,000 Bed Coronavirus Hospital

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The Excel Conference Centre in London has been transformed into a 4,000 bed coronavirus hospital to help tackle the surge in numbers of people suffering from COVID-19.

The Excel Conference Centre is one of biggest event venues in the U.K. and houses hundreds of events, conferences and exhibitions each year. With the outbreak of coronavirus putting a stop to all public events for the foreseeable future, such large spaces remain vacant, that was until an innovative proposition was put forward to utilise such venues as temporary field hospitals.

With the help of the military, Excel was transformed into the new NHS Nightingale Hospital. It was built in just 9 days and provides the equivalent support to around 10 district hospitals, helping to relieve the growing pressure on existing hospitals as numbers of cases continue to rise. Despite the speed at which this new hospital was built, the government received criticism for not acting quickly enough when compared to other countries who have already passed through this stage of the epidemic. China was notably praised for building a giant hospital from scratch, but in comparison to the Nightingale, this was merely a warehouse with beds. Images from inside the Nightingale are far more sophisticated and reveal purpose built beds, oxygen supplies, partitioned wards and a number of other high spec additions. It is clear that this is a fully functioning hospital and far more than simply a dedicated space with beds to house affected patients. The hospital will require around 16,000 personnel to operate and is now ready to start taking its first patients.

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The NHS Nightingale Hospital was officially opened by Prince Charles on Friday 3rd April, who conducted the ceremony via video link. This is the first time such an opening has been conducted virtually, but given the current pandemic and the fact that Prince Charles has only recently finished in self-isolation after being diagnosed with coronavirus, this was clearly the most sensible option. The hospital was aptly named after Florence Nightingale, who is known as the founder of modern nursing. She was a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War, in which she organized care for wounded soldiers. Given that many have described this as a ‘war’ situation, it is understandable that this would be the name given to the first field hospital of its kind to be created in peace times.

In addition to the Nightingale, further ‘field’ hospitals are currently underway in Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester and Glasgow to help ease the strain on existing hospitals and to ensure that those suffering from COVID-19 are able to be treated in the most effective way. There have been ongoing concerns that hospitals may be overwhelmed and unable to treat the number of patients being admitted with COVID-19, but so far it appears that generally, the NHS has been able to cope with demand. There are obviously some variations to this across the country and with London being the epicenter of the outbreak in the U.K. the cases are exceptionally high, meaning that there is particular strain on services in the area. This is likely to be the reason why the development of the Nightingale has been prioritized, so that immediate assistance can be provided to hospitals in the capital.

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There have been some questions raised over staffing capacity, as reports have suggested that around 25% of healthcare professionals are currently off work self-isolating. The government has promised to ramp up testing of NHS workers to ensure that as many who are safe to return to work can do to help keep up staffing levels. In addition, student nurses are being trained to provide front-line support and medics from the British Army are also being drafted in to provide further support.

As the number of both infections and deaths continue to rise in the U.K. experts believe that the peak of the outbreak will occur within the next couple of weeks, providing everyone adheres to the strict social distancing measures which are currently in place. Although many consider the country to be in ‘lockdown’ much of the measures in place are still advisory, although the prime minister Boris Johnson has said that he will not hesitate to enforce stricter rules if people fail to comply with social distancing. Non-essential stores are now closed and all residents are being urged to work from home unless absolutely necessary. Due to the ambiguous nature of this caveat, there is still confusion over what is considered ‘essential work’ particularly in areas such as construction. As a result, there have been many reports of packed London tube trains due to a reduction in the number of trains running and many people still using the service to get to work.

The efforts of the many people who have worked tirelessly over the past few weeks to get the Nightingale hospital ready is commendable, and will undoubtedly help the country in its ongoing fight against the coronavirus.

Mercedes Benz

Mercedes F1 Engineers Create New CPAP Breathing Device in Under 100 Hours To Help in Battle Against Coronavirus

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With many countries desperately seeking large quantities of ventilators to prepare for the surge in cases requiring intensive care treatment, Mercedes F1 engineers have been busy working with University College London (UCL) engineers and medical experts to create a brand new breathing aid which can be used to help treat patients suffering from COVID-19 before they reach the stage of needing full ventilation.

The device, called a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), is hoped to help reduce the number of patients who progress to needing full ventilation by improving oxygen levels at an earlier stage. CPAP machines work by pushing air and oxygen into the patient’s mouth and nose at a continuous rate, thereby keeping the airways open and boost the levels of oxygen within the lungs and the body. Providing this kind of treatment during the development of COVID-19 in a patient can help to reduce the severity of breathing difficulties and allow more patients to be treated alongside those needing a ventilator to help them breathe.

Other CPAP devices have been used in both China and Italy to help treat coronavirus patients and the statistics suggest that this intervention has helped to reduce the number of patients needing ventilators by half. Given that the U.K. has a shortage of ventilators at present, this could provide a much needed lifeline to help the National Healthcare Service (NHS) to stay within capacity during the peak of the outbreak. It will mean that only the very seriously ill will need full ventilation, and will allow these complex and limited medical machines to be available for those who need it most.

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Time is of the essence in getting these devices to the front line which is why the new CPAP device can be quickly mass produced. Due to it being re=engineered from an existing machine, the entire project took less than 100 hours to complete. In further good news, it has also been approved for use by the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. The first 100 units will be used in clinical trials at UCLH after which a process of rapid production and rollout will begin to ensure that hospitals across the country receive stocks of this valuable device.

New medical devices are being produced and trialled all the time, but the average project length from concept through to clinical trial is several years. The team behind the new CPAP device literally worked day and night to speed up this process into just a few days. Whilst this was naturally accelerated due to being modelled on an existing machine, this device was completely disassembled and analyzed before a computer simulation was used to create the new CPAP device in a way which could be produced on an unprecedented scale.

Once the clinical trials are completed. It is expected that Mercedes could produce around 1,000 devices daily, with the likelihood that other F1 teams could produce similar numbers. As the entire F1 championship has been halted due to the global coronavirus pandemic, the teams have the time and resources to redivert their attention to helping the U.K. to tackle the biggest health threat to human life in over 100 years.

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In addition to the Mercedes CPAP device, a number of other businesses have pledged support to the fight against coronavirus. The government is currently working with a collective of organizations including EADSF), Ford (F) and BAE Systems (BAESF) to help ramp up production of ventilators. These are currently in production and will need to receive a final audit before ramping up wide scale production. A number of F1 teams are also involved in this exciting project and include McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull Racing, Renault Sport Racing and Williams.

A further project has been announced by Dyson, who have revealed its own designs for a new ventilator. If approved, they have the capacity to produce around 10,000 units for use in the U.K. and have pledged to make a further 5,000 for use in other countries.

The U.K. government has come under criticism for not pre-empting the need for ventilators earlier and for finding itself at the back of the queue with other countries all vying for these high sought after and limited machines. However, the government has emphasised that the country has an extremely advanced design and manufacturing industry and that the sheer number of companies coming forward to help boost production of the machines is going to be extremely beneficial in the fight against this invisible killer. Whilst it is still not known how long it will be before the U.K. will start to see infection and death rates stabilize, what is clear is that many businesses are willing to put all of their knowledge, manpower and resources behind helping the NHS to provide the best possible care to as many affected people as possible.