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| Wuhan Tests, Modi Rescue Package, Reopenings: Your Wednesday Briefing | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| (Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.) | |
| Good morning. | Good morning. |
| We’re covering plans for blanket virus testing in Wuhan, lessons from China on the post-coronavirus workplace and a major drop in India’s carbon emissions. | We’re covering plans for blanket virus testing in Wuhan, lessons from China on the post-coronavirus workplace and a major drop in India’s carbon emissions. |
| Six new cases in the Chinese city where the coronavirus pandemic began prompted officials there to order measures to avoid another deadly wave of infections. | Six new cases in the Chinese city where the coronavirus pandemic began prompted officials there to order measures to avoid another deadly wave of infections. |
| It comes as new clusters are emerging in places around Asia where the virus’s spread was thought to have been slowing. Singapore, long lauded for its early containment efforts, has seen its cases balloon to more than 23,000 as the virus spread in dormitories for foreign workers. | It comes as new clusters are emerging in places around Asia where the virus’s spread was thought to have been slowing. Singapore, long lauded for its early containment efforts, has seen its cases balloon to more than 23,000 as the virus spread in dormitories for foreign workers. |
| Wuhan is not the only place in China seeing new cases: The northern city of Shulan, near the Russian border, was declared “high-risk” on Sunday after 15 people were infected. | Wuhan is not the only place in China seeing new cases: The northern city of Shulan, near the Russian border, was declared “high-risk” on Sunday after 15 people were infected. |
| More than 100 new cases emerged in South Korea after an infected man visited bars and clubs in a Seoul nightlife district. The mayor ordered nightspots closed indefinitely. | More than 100 new cases emerged in South Korea after an infected man visited bars and clubs in a Seoul nightlife district. The mayor ordered nightspots closed indefinitely. |
| Here are the latest coronavirus updates, and maps of where the virus has spread. | Here are the latest coronavirus updates, and maps of where the virus has spread. |
| In other developments: | In other developments: |
| Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India announced a $300 billion economic rescue package on Tuesday. He did not provide details, but said it would help all classes of business, from farmers and migrant laborers to big companies. | Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India announced a $300 billion economic rescue package on Tuesday. He did not provide details, but said it would help all classes of business, from farmers and migrant laborers to big companies. |
| The Kremlin’s chief spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, has been hospitalized with the coronavirus, the RIA-Novosti news agency reported. | The Kremlin’s chief spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, has been hospitalized with the coronavirus, the RIA-Novosti news agency reported. |
| Germans were nervous when their country’s R factor, the number indicating the rate of viral spread, ticked up after lockdown measures began to lift. But top health officials countered that the metric was meant to fluctuate, and that only a consistent increase would be a concern. | Germans were nervous when their country’s R factor, the number indicating the rate of viral spread, ticked up after lockdown measures began to lift. But top health officials countered that the metric was meant to fluctuate, and that only a consistent increase would be a concern. |
| Leaders of the Trump administration’s coronavirus response warned that the United States did not yet have the pandemic under control and lacked crucial capabilities to contain an inevitable surge in cases that could arise if the nation moved too quickly to reopen the economy. | Leaders of the Trump administration’s coronavirus response warned that the United States did not yet have the pandemic under control and lacked crucial capabilities to contain an inevitable surge in cases that could arise if the nation moved too quickly to reopen the economy. |
| Tech companies once promised that fully functional, self-driving cars would be on the road by 2020 — but the technology has taken longer than expected to perfect, and that’s been complicated by the pandemic. | Tech companies once promised that fully functional, self-driving cars would be on the road by 2020 — but the technology has taken longer than expected to perfect, and that’s been complicated by the pandemic. |
| The Times is providing free access to much of our coronavirus coverage, and our Coronavirus Briefing newsletter — like all of our newsletters — is free. Please consider supporting our journalism with a subscription. | The Times is providing free access to much of our coronavirus coverage, and our Coronavirus Briefing newsletter — like all of our newsletters — is free. Please consider supporting our journalism with a subscription. |
| For the first time in four decades, carbon dioxide emissions fell in the country. This reflects the economic slowdown from the lockdown restrictions imposed during the coronavirus outbreak and also a broader weakening of demand for fossil fuels. | For the first time in four decades, carbon dioxide emissions fell in the country. This reflects the economic slowdown from the lockdown restrictions imposed during the coronavirus outbreak and also a broader weakening of demand for fossil fuels. |
| Emissions fell around 15 percent in March and probably dropped another 30 percent in April, according to researchers at Carbon Brief, an environmental website that tracks climate and energy policy. | Emissions fell around 15 percent in March and probably dropped another 30 percent in April, according to researchers at Carbon Brief, an environmental website that tracks climate and energy policy. |
| Coal-fired power generation, which is linked with higher air pollution, fell 31 percent in the first three weeks of April. | Coal-fired power generation, which is linked with higher air pollution, fell 31 percent in the first three weeks of April. |
| Context: India is the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China and the U.S. Just five years ago, the country built a series of coal-fired power plants, more than doubling its capacity. | Context: India is the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China and the U.S. Just five years ago, the country built a series of coal-fired power plants, more than doubling its capacity. |
| Three months after the authorities shut down the country to stop the spread of the outbreak, workers have returned to their jobs. China is the first laboratory of the post-coronavirus workplace. | Three months after the authorities shut down the country to stop the spread of the outbreak, workers have returned to their jobs. China is the first laboratory of the post-coronavirus workplace. |
| If Chinese factories and offices can restart without a major increase in infections, they can offer a blueprint to countries around the world trying to get their own economies back on track. | If Chinese factories and offices can restart without a major increase in infections, they can offer a blueprint to countries around the world trying to get their own economies back on track. |
| Some of the rules are obvious — wear masks, use disinfectant, keep a reasonable distance from others. But some are far-reaching and require employees to significantly change their daily routines, commutes and work schedules. Some of the stricter rules might not be tolerated by workers in other countries. | Some of the rules are obvious — wear masks, use disinfectant, keep a reasonable distance from others. But some are far-reaching and require employees to significantly change their daily routines, commutes and work schedules. Some of the stricter rules might not be tolerated by workers in other countries. |
| Everyone agrees on one thing: There is no going back to life before the pandemic. | Everyone agrees on one thing: There is no going back to life before the pandemic. |
| Details: Tracking apps are becoming widespread. Some companies, like the electronics giant Foxconn, advised their employees to trade commutes on public transit for walking, biking or driving. Lunches are lonelier, with companies like the chemical giant BASF allowing one person per table in their canteen. | Details: Tracking apps are becoming widespread. Some companies, like the electronics giant Foxconn, advised their employees to trade commutes on public transit for walking, biking or driving. Lunches are lonelier, with companies like the chemical giant BASF allowing one person per table in their canteen. |
| When the comedian Ramy Youssef was growing up in New Jersey, he and his Egyptian Muslim family didn’t see anyone on TV that looked like them. “We’d watch something,” Youssef recalled in an interview with The Times, “and emotionally connect to characters, but it still wasn’t us, you know? It was them.” | When the comedian Ramy Youssef was growing up in New Jersey, he and his Egyptian Muslim family didn’t see anyone on TV that looked like them. “We’d watch something,” Youssef recalled in an interview with The Times, “and emotionally connect to characters, but it still wasn’t us, you know? It was them.” |
| But with “Ramy,” the whimsically subversive hit Hulu show he helped create and stars in, he made the show he didn’t get to see back then. Before it comes back for a second season at the end of the month, our Talk columnist spoke with Mr. Youssef about his upbringing, expectations of comedians and how he “came out” to his family about going to therapy. | But with “Ramy,” the whimsically subversive hit Hulu show he helped create and stars in, he made the show he didn’t get to see back then. Before it comes back for a second season at the end of the month, our Talk columnist spoke with Mr. Youssef about his upbringing, expectations of comedians and how he “came out” to his family about going to therapy. |
| Afghanistan: Gunmen stormed a maternity clinic in Kabul, and a suicide bomber attacked a funeral in the eastern province of Nangarhar. The two attacks on Tuesday left 40 people dead and more than 80 wounded. Violence has intensified across Afghanistan, despite a peace deal between the United States and the Taliban. | Afghanistan: Gunmen stormed a maternity clinic in Kabul, and a suicide bomber attacked a funeral in the eastern province of Nangarhar. The two attacks on Tuesday left 40 people dead and more than 80 wounded. Violence has intensified across Afghanistan, despite a peace deal between the United States and the Taliban. |
| West Bank: An Israeli soldier was killed Tuesday when he was struck in the head by a heavy rock as his unit was completing a nighttime arrest in a Palestinian village in the West Bank. The region is bracing for a possible increase in violence in response to an Israeli push to annex land in the occupied West Bank. | West Bank: An Israeli soldier was killed Tuesday when he was struck in the head by a heavy rock as his unit was completing a nighttime arrest in a Palestinian village in the West Bank. The region is bracing for a possible increase in violence in response to an Israeli push to annex land in the occupied West Bank. |
| Snapshot: Above, the Slutsk vs. Slavia-Mozyr soccer game in Belarus, which was closely followed around the world after a group of Australian soccer fans gave Belarusian soccer a worldwide fan base. They started a Facebook group for fans looking for sports to watch while the world was on hold. Shortly after, thousands worldwide were rooting for S.F.C. Slutsk. | Snapshot: Above, the Slutsk vs. Slavia-Mozyr soccer game in Belarus, which was closely followed around the world after a group of Australian soccer fans gave Belarusian soccer a worldwide fan base. They started a Facebook group for fans looking for sports to watch while the world was on hold. Shortly after, thousands worldwide were rooting for S.F.C. Slutsk. |
| What we’re listening to: This episode of the “On Being” podcast with the writer Ocean Vuong. “Ocean is a beautiful thinker, and this stunning meditation on the limitless opportunities to (re)build our world is a beacon of light for anyone who needs it right now,” says Jenna Wortham, a staff writer for The Times Magazine. | What we’re listening to: This episode of the “On Being” podcast with the writer Ocean Vuong. “Ocean is a beautiful thinker, and this stunning meditation on the limitless opportunities to (re)build our world is a beacon of light for anyone who needs it right now,” says Jenna Wortham, a staff writer for The Times Magazine. |
| Cook: Cheesy black bean bake. “A nice dinner,” writes Sam Sifton, our Food editor, “with rice and chips, lime wedges, hot sauce.” | Cook: Cheesy black bean bake. “A nice dinner,” writes Sam Sifton, our Food editor, “with rice and chips, lime wedges, hot sauce.” |
| Watch: Missing your office? Revisit some workplace comedies that make fun of it. Catch these 11 movies and series before they leave Netflix. Are you using the lockdown to learn a new language? Check out these non-English films and shows to mark your progress and expand your worldview. | Watch: Missing your office? Revisit some workplace comedies that make fun of it. Catch these 11 movies and series before they leave Netflix. Are you using the lockdown to learn a new language? Check out these non-English films and shows to mark your progress and expand your worldview. |
| Deal: Our critic Amanda Hess writes about how public shaming has reached new levels under social-distancing rules. Wedding plans derailed? Priya Parker talks us through the issues on her podcast, “Together Apart.” We have several livestreaming events this week including a meditation session with Alanis Morissette. And if quarantine is driving you mad, leaning into a little craziness may help. | Deal: Our critic Amanda Hess writes about how public shaming has reached new levels under social-distancing rules. Wedding plans derailed? Priya Parker talks us through the issues on her podcast, “Together Apart.” We have several livestreaming events this week including a meditation session with Alanis Morissette. And if quarantine is driving you mad, leaning into a little craziness may help. |
| At Home has our full collection of ideas on what to read, cook, watch, and do while staying safe at home. | At Home has our full collection of ideas on what to read, cook, watch, and do while staying safe at home. |
| This week, Donald G. McNeil Jr., our infectious disease correspondent, wrote about a possible second wave in the coronavirus pandemic. He focused on the impact of reopenings across the U.S. as other countries around the world face flare-ups after relaxing restrictions. | This week, Donald G. McNeil Jr., our infectious disease correspondent, wrote about a possible second wave in the coronavirus pandemic. He focused on the impact of reopenings across the U.S. as other countries around the world face flare-ups after relaxing restrictions. |
| When cities and areas reopen before they have met experts’ recommendations, as you wrote, they increase the likelihood that they will see a devastating second wave. Does this extend the timeline for which we have to deal with the virus? | When cities and areas reopen before they have met experts’ recommendations, as you wrote, they increase the likelihood that they will see a devastating second wave. Does this extend the timeline for which we have to deal with the virus? |
| People need to stop thinking of it as a national wave. We had the first wave here in New York — and in Detroit and in New Orleans and in Chicago. They largely dodged the first wave in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Jose. | People need to stop thinking of it as a national wave. We had the first wave here in New York — and in Detroit and in New Orleans and in Chicago. They largely dodged the first wave in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Jose. |
| The wave is still traveling. If you come out of lockdown, that wave is finally going to hit a lot of new cities. But first it’s going to be quiet for at least two weeks. If you or I got the disease tomorrow, we wouldn’t begin to feel symptoms for five to seven days, and we wouldn’t begin to develop pneumonia for at least 14 days. | The wave is still traveling. If you come out of lockdown, that wave is finally going to hit a lot of new cities. But first it’s going to be quiet for at least two weeks. If you or I got the disease tomorrow, we wouldn’t begin to feel symptoms for five to seven days, and we wouldn’t begin to develop pneumonia for at least 14 days. |
| You’ve got to have a lot of testing even in a small town to notice an outbreak forming. Otherwise, your first hint is that people show up in larger numbers in your emergency rooms with pneumonia. That’s a very strong signal, but it’s a signal that may be seen too late to stop a flood of cases following the first one — and small rural hospitals run out of ventilators and ambulances very fast. | You’ve got to have a lot of testing even in a small town to notice an outbreak forming. Otherwise, your first hint is that people show up in larger numbers in your emergency rooms with pneumonia. That’s a very strong signal, but it’s a signal that may be seen too late to stop a flood of cases following the first one — and small rural hospitals run out of ventilators and ambulances very fast. |
| What have you learned about U.S. states that haven’t gotten their outbreaks under control but are reopening barbershops, restaurants and shops? | What have you learned about U.S. states that haven’t gotten their outbreaks under control but are reopening barbershops, restaurants and shops? |
| They’re living in a dream world. They’re desperate to reopen — and they’re right to feel that. But they have convinced themselves that it’s safe to reopen, and it’s not. If you’re an expert who looks at epidemics, you know it’s not safe. | They’re living in a dream world. They’re desperate to reopen — and they’re right to feel that. But they have convinced themselves that it’s safe to reopen, and it’s not. If you’re an expert who looks at epidemics, you know it’s not safe. |
| What explains this risk-taking mentality in people right now? | What explains this risk-taking mentality in people right now? |
| Too many people have not seen the disease hurt somebody they know, so they don’t quite believe it — they’re not absorbing the grim truth. | Too many people have not seen the disease hurt somebody they know, so they don’t quite believe it — they’re not absorbing the grim truth. |
| That’s it for this briefing. See you next time. | That’s it for this briefing. See you next time. |
| — Melina and Carole | — Melina and Carole |
| Thank youTo Theodore Kim and Jahaan Singh for the rest of the break from the news. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com. | Thank youTo Theodore Kim and Jahaan Singh for the rest of the break from the news. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com. |
| P.S.• We’re listening to “The Daily.” Our latest episode is about the British prime minister Boris Johnson and his change of heart on the coronavirus. • Here’s our Mini Crossword, and a clue: Skin care brand whose name sounds like an exclamation (four letters). You can find all our puzzles here.• Lauretta Charlton, who joined our National desk in 2018 as the editor of Race/Related, will head to Hong Kong to be an editor there. | P.S.• We’re listening to “The Daily.” Our latest episode is about the British prime minister Boris Johnson and his change of heart on the coronavirus. • Here’s our Mini Crossword, and a clue: Skin care brand whose name sounds like an exclamation (four letters). You can find all our puzzles here.• Lauretta Charlton, who joined our National desk in 2018 as the editor of Race/Related, will head to Hong Kong to be an editor there. |