The coronavirus has reached the White House as the administration mulls reopening parts of the United States, the country that leads the world in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths from the coronavirus. At least two White House aides have tested positive for the virus: a valet for U.S. President Donald Trump and the press secretary for Vice President Mike Pence. Trump confirmed Friday that Katie Miller, press secretary to Vice President Pence and the wife of Trump aide Stephen Miller, has tested positive. A spokesman for Mike Pence said the vice president has tested negative and will return to the White House on Monday. “Vice President Pence will continue to follow the advice of the White House Medical Unit and is not in quarantine,” spokesman Devin O’Malley said in the statement Sunday. Dr Anthony Fauci – a White House chief expert in the fight against the coronavirus – is self-isolating although he has tested negative. More than 1.3 million people in the U.S. have been infected and more than 80,000 people have died. New York has been the hardest hit U.S. state in the coronavirus outbreak, with 26,670 deaths and 335,395 cases as of Sunday. But parts of New York and neighboring states also are looking into reopening some businesses on May 15, after some states with lower figures have begun relaxing lockdowns. As part of the plan, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered mandatory coronavirus testing twice a week for workers at care homes in his state. In his Sunday briefing, Cuomo said that care facilities, some 600 of them, that fail to meet the new requirements will lose their operating licenses. The rate of new infections in New York is declining, but the death toll is growing, especially in elderly people homes.Vice President Mike Pence, right, and President Donald Trump watch a video of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaking during a coronavirus task force briefing at the White House, Sunday, April 19, 2020, in Washington.Elderly people account for one fifth of the deaths in the New York, or about 5,300. Cuomo has been criticized for neglecting that age group. He resented the accusation. “This virus uses nursing homes. They are ground zero. They are the vulnerable population in the vulnerable location,” he said. According to the new rules, hospitals can no longer discharge patients back to care homes unless they have tested negative. Elderly people account for most deaths in other parts of the world too, notably Sweden, the country that has not imposed lockdown rules, but has instead relied on people’s own responsibility to act with precaution. As a result, Sweden has had twice as many COVID cases – more than 26,000 than neighboring Norway and Denmark together. The death toll in Sweden alone is three times higher than the combined death toll of its Scandinavian neighbors Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland. One third of those who died in Sweden are elderly. The British government on Sunday unveiled its three-step plan for a gradual reopening of the country that takes third place after the United States and Spain in the number of COVID-19 cases. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he plans to move cautiously and that there will be no move to a new step until all the conditions of the previous one are fulfilled. He also announced penalties for people who fail to follow the directives. Some European and other countries have already begun easing restrictions imposed to contain the spread of the virus with mixed results. Australia, New Zealand and Vietnam report few or no new cases, but Germany and South Korea recorded an increase after reopening. Germany, which began easing social restrictions last week, has seen some regional spikes in cases, particularly in nursing homes and slaughterhouses. “It’s not over until it’s over,” South Korean President Moon Jae-in told the nation Sunday reporting the number of new coronavirus infections at a one-month high. Schools in South Korea were scheduled to begin reopening this week, but that may be delayed after the new outbreaks while officials say probes into the new cases would determine the next steps. China reported fourteen new cases Sunday – the first double digit rise in ten days. Worldwide, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases has surpassed 4 million. The global death tally is more than 280,000, according to Johns Hopkins University statistics.
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