Thursday Morning C-19 Update

NOTE - Below is a radio-friendly notepad used on the Need To Know Morning Show on AM1100 The Flag WZFG.  Spelling, punctuation, etc are not edited.  

LETS TAKE A LOOK AT THE UP TO THE MINUTE STATISTICS......THE BIG STORY OF THE DAY.. NORTH DAKOTA NOW HAS ITS FIRST EXAMPLE OF COMMUNITY SPREAD....AS 2 PEOPLE TEST POSITIVE WHO DID NOT TRAVEL OUTSIDE THE AREA OR KNOWINGLY HAVE CONTACT WITH SOMEONE WHO HAD IT...THIS BRINGS US TO 7 PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOW TESTED POSITIVE ACROSS THE STATE.....STILL JUST THE ONE IN CASS COUNTY....there are no people hospitalized in North Dakota right now.....37 people are being monitored...and 362 have been tested...AND WE NOW KNOW THAT THE FIRST CASE IN THE STATE - FROM WARD COUNTY - WAS SOMEONE FROM THE MINOT AIR FORCE BASE WHO WAS NOT ACTIVE MILITARY BUT HAD TRAVELED OVERSEAS...In Minnesota, 17 new positive tests today, that brings the total to 77 people have tested positive, but still no deaths.....the closest confirmed cases are STILL IN Stearns county - THE ST. CLOUD AREA....and almost 2800 people have been tested.In South Dakota, NO CHANGES IN THE LAST 24 HOURS.... 11 POSITIVE TESTS......they've had one death....551 PEOPLE HAVE TESTED NEGATIVE......iN THE US...there have been 155 deaths....up 39 from yesterday at this time...- THAT'S ABOUT THE SAME AMOUNT OF INCREASE WE SAW THE DAY BEFORE....with 95 -HUNDRED confirmed cases, UP about 28-HUNDRED IN THE LAST 24 HOURS.....worldwide there are about 220,000 cases up about 20-thousand cases in the last 24 hours....8,988 deaths, that's up about 800 over the last 24 hours....about 86,000 people have had the virus worldwide and have recovered......in china where this originated, there are now 3,245 deaths, and that's up about 10 in the last 24 hours BUT FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, CHINESE OFFICIALS SAY THERE WERE NO NEW DOMESTIC CASES, ONLY PEOPLE WHO HAVE RETURNED TO THE COUNTRY WITH THE VIRUS. ........AND ANOTHER DISASTROUS DAY IN ITALY WHERE 475 MORE PEOPLE HAVE DIED BRINGING THEIR DEATH COUNT TO 2,978, ONLY A COUPLE HUNDRED BEHIND CHINA....for comparison...SINCE OCTOBER FIRST IN THE U-S, .the flu has killed BETWEEN 22 AND 55 THOUSAND PEOPLE., according to Centers for Disease Control.HEADLINES -THE BIGGEST DOMINO TO FALL YET IN THE LOCAL RETAIL SECTOR.....WEST ACRES MALL CEO BRAD SCHLOSSMAN ANNOUNCED LAST NIGHT - WHILE WE WERE ON THE AIR WITH OUR NEW 7 O CLOCK SHOW - THAT THE MALL WILL CLOSE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE AT 6 PM TONIGHT....THE CDC SAID WEDNESDAY THAT American adults of all ages — not just those in their 70s, 80s and 90s — are being seriously sickened by the coronavirus, OF THE FIRST 500 HOSPITALIZATIONS... the oldest patients had the greatest likelihood of dying 38 percent were between THE AGES OF 20 and 54. And nearly half of the 121 patients who were admitted to intensive care units were adults under 652 MORE CONFIRMED CASES IN NORTH DAKOTA WEDNESDAY - BOTH IN THE BISMARCK MANDAN AREA....AND BOTH CAUGHT IT BY COMMUNITY SPREAD - DIDN'T' TRAVEL AND DIDN'T SPEND TIME AROUND ANYONE WHO KNOWINGLY HAD IT...ND GOVERNOR DOUG BURGUM RECOMMENDED BUT DID NOT MANDATE, THAT BARS RESTAURANTS AND MOVIE THEATERS CLOSE TO ONSITE TRAFFIC....HE ALSO ADDED THAT HIS PREFERENCE IN MAKING THOSE KINDS OF DECISIONS WAS TO LET CITIES ACROSS THE STATE MAKE THE CALL SINCE THEY UNDERSTAND THEIR POPULATION AND WHAT WOULD WORK BEST TO CURB THE SPREAD WITHOUT INFRINGING ON THE RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE....HE ALSO SAID THAT HE IS NOT ENCOURAGING DAY CARE AND PRESCHOOL FACILITIES TO CLOSE BECAUSE IT WOULD ADVERSELY AFFECT PARENTS WHO NEED THE CARE SO THEY CAN WORK...HE ALSO SAID HE EXPECTS TO HAVE FURTHER GUIDANCE ON PUBLIC SCHOOLS NEXT STEP BY 4 PM TODAY - AS THE STATE'S SCHOOLS HAVE ONLY BEEN CLOSED THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK.IN FARGO WEDNESDAY THE MAYORS OF THE METRO CITIES AND HEALTHCARE OFFICIALS SAID THE WORST CASE SCENARIO HERE WOULD BE ABOUT 36-HUNDRED PEOPLE INFECTED IN A GROUP OF 500,000 PEOPLE...THAT MEANS IF YOU DO THE MATH, OUR AREA WITH ABOUT 250K WOULD EXPECT 18-HUNDRED....THE BEST CASE WOULD BE JUST A HANDFUL, AND THE MID-RANGE ESTIMATE WOULD BE ABOUT 275 PEOPLE IN AN AREA THE SIZE OF THE METRO...(IF YOU REMEMBER, THE MORTALITY RATE CURRENTLY IS ABOUT 1.5 PERCENT SO.....54 / 1 / 4 ACROSS THE STATE OF MINNESOTA, WEDNESDAY WAS THE FIRST FULL DAY WHERE ALL RESTAURANTS, BARS, THEATERS, GYMS AND FITNESS CENTERS ARE NOW CLOSED FOR ANY ON-SITE TRAFFIC hair and nail salons as well as spas have ALSO been ordered BY GOVERNOR WALZ to close due to concerns over COVID-19.MINNESOTA STATE OFFICIALS SAY that more than 2,000 PEOPLE AN HOUR ARE FILING FOR UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS....NOW ALMOST 50-THOUSAND PEOPLE HAVE APPLIED..IN FARGO, MOST RESTAURANTS - DESPITE NOT HAVING AN ORDER FROM GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TO DO SO, HAVE CLOSED ON-SITE DINING....MARCUS THEATERS IN THE METRO ARE NOW VOLUNTARILY CLOSED ALL NORTH DAKOTA SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED FOR CLASSES THIS WEEK, FARGO AND MOORHEAD BEGAN DISTRIBUTING MEALS TO NEEDY STUDENTS WHO ARE NOT AT THE SCHOOLS....WEST FARGO STARTED TUESDAY ....IN MOORHEAD YESTERDAY THEY MADE BREAKFAST AND LUNCH MEALS AVAILABLE THROUGH A meal DELIVERY on school buses TO specific locations.THE CITY OF FARGO HAS CLOSED CITY OFFICES FOR NONESSENTIAL VISITST....EMERGENCY SERVICES WILL STILL TKE PLACE AS USUAL...WEST FARGO MADE THIS MOVE YESTERDAY...In-person spring commencement has been canceled at all Minnesota State colleges and universities, INCLUDING MSU MOORHEAD.....MOST GROCERY STORES ARE NOW CLOSING IN THE OVERNIGHT HOURS FOR CLEANING AND RESTOCKING.....AND THE U OF M HEALTH SYSTEM IS CREATING THE TWIN CITIES FIRST COVID 19 ONLY HOSPITAL....MOVING PATIENTS AT BETHESDA HOSPITAL IN ST. PAUL.....President Donald Trump LAST NIGHT SIGNED THE Coronavirus aid bill that was approved by the House this week and the Senate LAST NIGHT....IT PROVIDES FOR FREE TESTING AND PAID EMERGENCY LEAVE FOR THOSE WHO GET SICK OR CARING FOR FAMILY MEMBERS WHO ARE....HE ALSO SAYS HE'S COMMITTED TO GOING BIG IN GETTING MONEY TO AMERICANS...THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT IS BELIEVED TO BE LOOKING AT 2 ROUNDS OF CHECKS, THE FIRST ONE COMING APRIL 6 AND THE SECOND ONE ON MAY 18TH....THERE WILL BE 250 BILLION IN EACH PAYMENT....AND US SENATOR KEVIN CRAMER SAID LAST NIGHT ON OUR NEW 7 O CLOCK SHOW, THAT THE AVERAGE U-S TOTAL PAYROLL IS ABOUT 220 BILLION A WEEK, SO THE 2 PAYMENTS WOULD EFFECTIVELY MAKE ALL AMERICANS WHOLE FOR A 2 WEEK PERIOD....DISTRESSED INDUSTRIES COULD GET AS MUCH AS 200 BILLION AND SMALL BUSINESS COULD GET 300 BILLION THE STOCK MARKET DIDN'T LIKE IT ENOUGH, DROPPING MORE THAN 13-HUNDRED POINTS ON THE DOW TO FINISH BELOW 20,000 FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MORE THAN 3 YEARS...KANSAS IS THE FIRST STATE TO CANCEL ALL CLASSES FOR THE REST OF THE SCHOOL YEAR The United States and Canada agreed to close their 5,500-mile border to nonessential traffic Wednesday The first TWO U.S. members of Congress has tested positive for coronavirus. In a statement, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) AND UTAH CONGRESSMAN BEN MCADAMS SAY THEY HAVE BEEN self-quarantined SINCE NOTICING SYMPTOMS OVER THE WEEKEND....AND Playboy magazine says that due to supply challenges because of the coronavirus pandemic, its spring issue will be the last to hit newsstands this year.