Respected actor George Segal has died at age 87 after complications due to surgery on March 23, 2021. Segal’s acting career spanned more than 60 years.
Segal is known for his wide range of roles, from the beloved actor’s Oscar-nominated role in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? to the 1977 comedy Fun With Dick and Jane to his latest TV series, The Goldbergs. Many in Hollywood reacted to the news.
Adam F. Goldberg responded to the news of Segal’s death with an emotional tweet about the actor. Goldberg cast Segal to play the Jewish family patriarch Albert “Pops” Solomon in his ABC hit series, The Goldbergs. The producer posted photos of Segal and tweeted, “By pure destiny, I ended up casting the ideal man to play Pops. Much like my grandfather, George was a child at heart using a magic spark.”
Sonia Segal, the TV and movie star’s wife, announced his death in a statement. Segal’s wife said (via ABC News), “The family is devastated to announce that this morning George Segal passed away due to complications from bypass surgery.”
The Hollywood Reporter called Segal “the leading man of light hearted comedies.” Most of his younger fans know him for his television work. Segal played Jack Gallo on the NBC comedy series starring David Spade, Just Shoot Me (1997 to 2003), and appeared on ABC’s The Goldbergs (2013-present).
As mentioned, the actor was nominated for an Oscar for his work in the film Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Segal’s co-stars Sandy Dennis, Elizabeth Taylor, and Richard Burton were all nominated for Oscars for the legendary movie as well. Segal was the last surviving member of the cast (via ABC News).
Some with wheelchairs, walkers and canes, eligible Bahamians anxious to get their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine lined up outside Loyola Hall yesterday morning.
Healthcare workers, uniformed officers, everyone 60 and over, and caregivers accompanying the elderly are eligible for the vaccine.
Miriam Emmanuel, 64, proudly sported her “I got the COVID-19 vaccine” sticker as she walked towards her vehicle yesterday.
Emmanuel, not to be confused with the MICAL MP, said she has underlying conditions that put her at a higher risk of severe COVID-19 symptoms, and said being stuck at home for the past year was becoming overbearing.
“I have pre-existing conditions, and I feel like for me to be comfortable and to move about freely, the best thing to do is be vaccinated,” she said.
“I am not listening to all the talks on social media,” she said.
“People have their own opinions. I listen to science, the professionals.”
Emmanuel said she is encouraging everyone to get vaccinated.
“I encourage those persons who have doubts to just take the doubts out of their minds and just come down and be vaccinated because it can save lives,” she said.
She added, “One of my friends was supposed to come this morning but her daughter discouraged her. But once I get home, I’m going to call her and I’ll let her know it’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Scores of people were inside Loyola Hall in various stages of the process when The Guardian walked through.
Edison “Fast Eddie” Dames receives his COVID-19 vaccine from Nurse Jacqueline Davis-Jones during the vaccine rollout for senior citizens at Loyola Hall on Gladstone Road yesterday. AHVIA J. CAMPBELL
People with appointments waited in chairs just inside the hall before proceeding to the registration room, then to the stations where the vaccines were administered, and finally to a holding room, where they were observed for 15 minutes before being allowed to leave.
By midday yesterday, the queue had extended out the doors of the hall, where more than a dozen people were awaiting entry into the building.
St. Anne’s MP Brent Symonette, who was volunteering with Rotary to help manage the registration process, apologized to those waiting, explaining that there was a small backlog at the time.
Symonette, who was taking temperatures at the entrance and ushering people in, said he took the vaccine himself a few days ago and has been fine since then.
Many Bahamians have expressed skepticism over the vaccine. With only 20,000 doses in the country, the rollout was initially limited to frontline workers. But the government quickly expanded rollout to the elderly only days after it began due to the low turnout.
Chief Superintendent of Police Matthew Edgecombe, 55, said he believes getting vaccinated is the wise thing to do.
“Listening to all the persons talk about it and the doctors, that’s the wise thing to do, to get vaccinated,” Edgecombe said as he walked towards his vehicle.
“And I work in an area, law enforcement, and we come into contact with a lot of persons. So far, so good. I haven’t gotten the virus. I encourage all my colleagues to come out and get [the vaccine]. I told my office staff to come out and get it.”
Edgecombe said he believes more officers will get vaccinated.
“The officers are lining up,” he said.
“They want to get it.
“…They know it’s wise and they know it’s the right thing to do.”
He added, “I don’t see the big risk in it. I see a risk in not doing it.”
Senior Nursing Officer Sherry Armbrister said she has noticed an increase in the turnout of healthcare workers this week.
Asked if it was disappointing that more healthcare workers haven’t shown up for the vaccine, Armbrister said, “Yes, it is. But we have also seen an increase in our healthcare workers coming to get their vaccinations.”
Armbrister said they have been vaccinating more than 500 people a day.
John Turnquest, 73, said he got vaccinated because he wants to keep living his life.
“I love life,” he said.
“I love living and I want to be sure that whatever is good for me to keep me that way [I do it].”
“I don’t see why people wouldn’t want to take it, but you know I’m looking out for me.”
Turnquest said the process was smooth and efficient.
“I sat down and was waiting for them to give me the shot, and I said, ‘When are you going to start?’ And she said, ‘Well you’re finished,’” he said.
Wellington Davis, a petty officer in the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, was among those waiting in the holding area following his jab.
“I did a lot of study on it, a lot of reading,” he said, reflecting on his decision to get vaccinated.
“My sister is a nurse and she kept me up-to-date and I just came out and took it.”
While he admitted he was nervous, Davis said the process was smooth and fast, and he said he felt “great” afterward.
“Come out and roll your sleeves up and take it,” he said.
Deidre Woods, 70, said she is looking forward to being able to return to a more normal life.
“I feel liberated,” she said.
“I am pleased because now I can live a normal life instead of being in a bullpen.”
Woods added, “I couldn’t eat in a restaurant. I liked taking my grandchildren out to eat and taking them out places and there was nowhere to go. I got tired of that. So, I decided to get the vaccine when the Indians gave it to us. I trust the Indians.”
Woods said she believes widespread vaccine hesitancy in The Bahamas is due to misinformation.
“[People] need to recognize that it’s for their health,” she said.
“We took vaccines when we were young. We had to take vaccines to go to school. I am a world traveler. I’ve been all over the world, and many countries I went to, I had to be vaccinated to go. You couldn’t go without the vaccinations. So, I’m used to vaccines.”
Joseph Lewis, 66, had been waiting anxiously to be able to get the vaccine.
“One of the things I said to my family was that as soon as it was introduced to The Bahamas, I wanted to be second in line,” he said.
“I heard the prime minister say he was going to be the first, so I wanted to be number two.”
Jodie Lewis, his daughter, who is a health worker, said she wanted to get the vaccine as soon as she could to protect her family.
“I live in a house filled with high-risk people,” she said.
“So, I wanted to make sure that we were all able to get the vaccine so that we don’t end up having any issues down the line.”
She added, “I had no fears. I just wanted to take it. I know that other people have taken it.”
Dr. Michael Gerassimos, 89, said he was “feeling great” as he walked out of Loyola Hall yesterday.
“It was fine,” he said.
“[The nurse] had sweet hands, as one of my patients put it some time ago.”
His caretaker, Jacqueline Deryckere, also received her first dose of the vaccine yesterday.
Colombo- Sri Lanka has established diplomatic relations with Saint Kitts and Nevis, the two-island federation in the Caribbean with effect from March 22.
The Government of Sri Lanka and the Government of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis in accordance with the interests and desires of the peoples of both countries have decided to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries with effect from 22 March 2021, the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the UN in New York said.
Both Governments have agreed to further augment the existing friendly relations and cooperation in the political, socio-economic and cultural fields, for the mutual benefit of the two countries, based on the principles of mutual respect of both countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Poland reports record number of daily coronavirus cases. The country has reported 29,978 new daily cases, and a further 575 coronavirus related deaths.
India detects new coronavirus variant. India’s health ministry has said that a new double mutant variant has been detected in the country, in addition to many other variants of concern which originated abroad.
Ukraine suffers record daily deaths for second consecutive day. Maksyn Stepanov, the health minister, said that there were 342 deaths in the last day, up from 333 deaths recorded the previous day.
The UN has warned that over 30 million people are ‘one step away from starvation’. An estimated 34 million people are struggling with emergency levels of acute hunger, with families in pockets of Yemen and South Sudan already being in the grip of starvation.
Hong Kong suspends Pfizer vaccine. The city’s government said the suspension was immediate while the matter is investigated by distributor Fosun Pharma and BioNTech.
NHS hit by covid disruption as cancer referrals plunge. In November, NHS England said that the number of people waiting more than a year for surgery had reached its highest level since 2008.
Fury in Brazil after Bolsonaro says people will soon lead ‘normal lives’. Bolsonaro made this televised address while Brazil suffered its heaviest day of losses since the pandemic began, reporting a record 3,251 deaths on Tuesday.
UK: No final decisions have been made on whether children should receive the coronavirus vaccine, the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has said.
While children are unlikely to fall ill with Covid-19, they do play a role in transmitting the virus, PA reports.
Prof Adam Finn, who sits on the JCVI, said:
As far as I know there has been no decision made to immunise children starting in August, or indeed any decision been taken to immunise children at all at this point. But it’s certainly something that we might need to do.
If it does turn out to be necessary to immunise children, I think it is more likely that we would prioritise teenagers over younger children, simply because the evidence we have at the moment is that transmission of the virus is more likely to occur from and between teenagers who are a little bit more like adults.
Poland reports record number of new daily coronavirus cases
Poland has reported 29,978 new daily coronavirus cases, the highest number since the start of the pandemic.
The country also recorded 575 coronavirus related deaths, the highest number in 2021. This brings the total death toll to over 50,000.
A Hong Kong clinic has been punished for recommending a foreign vaccine over a Chinese vaccination, AFP reports:
Hong Kong health authorities have ejected a private clinic from the city’s coronavirus vaccination programme after it reportedly recommended the German-made Pfizer/BioNTech shot to patients over the one from China’s Sinovac.The move illustrates the Hong Kong government’s sensitivity to any criticism of the Sinovac vaccine, which has a comparatively lower efficacy rate and was fast-tracked by regulators despite a lack of published data.
The city’s health department said Tuesday that the clinic would no longer administer Covid-19 jabs because a doctor violated an agreement with the inoculation programme.
Authorities said they had also reclaimed unused Sinovac doses from the clinic.
The announcement came after a photo of a notice at the clinic comparing the two vaccines’ efficacy rates went viral online over the weekend..
Reuters reports Roselyne Bachelot, France’s culture minister, has been taken to hospital after testing positive for coronavirus.
Elizabeth Borne, the employment minister, is in hospital too after testing positive for the virus.
TwitterOutbreaks of infectious diseases are more likely in areas of deforestation and monoculture plantations, according to a study that suggests epidemics are likely to increase as biodiversity declines.
Land use change is a significant factor in the emergence of zoonotic viruses such as Covid-19 and vector-borne ailments such as malaria, says the paper, published today in Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
Even tree-planting can increase health risks to local human populations if it focuses too narrowly on a small number of species, as is often the case in commercial forests, the research found.
Russia has reported 8,861 new coronavirus cases, and a further 401 deaths today.
The total amount of cases now stands at 4,483,471 and the death toll at 96,219.
Sweden has announced that the travel ban preventing people from Norway and Denmark travelling to the country will end on 31 March.
Mikael Damberg, a government minister, told a news conference that the measure was no longer necessary to reduce the spread of the virus, and that everyone travelling to Sweden will still need to provide a negative test before entering the country.
He added:
This means, among other things, that Norwegians and Danes can travel to their holiday
India’s health ministry has said today that a new coronavirus variant has been detected in the country in addition to many other variants of concern also found abroad, Reuters reports.
In a statement, the health ministry said:
Though variants of concern and a new double mutant variant have been found in India, these have not been detected in numbers sufficient to either establish a direct relationship or explain the rapid increase in cases in some states,” the health ministry said in a statement
Aubrey Allegretti and Jessica Elgot report that Boris Johnson has told Conservative MPs that the success of the UK’s vaccine rollout was thanks to “greed” and “capitalism”.
Several of those present confirmed the prime minister had made the remarks during an end-of-term Zoom meeting with Tory backbenchers, known as the 1922 Committee, on Tuesday evening, two days before the Commons breaks for Easter.
Johnson hailed the fact that more than 28 million people have been given a first jab in the UK, saying: “The reason we have the vaccine success is because of capitalism, because of greed my friends.”
Immediately afterwards, he tried to backpedal and withdraw what he had said, according to MPs, one of whom added that the PM then made a joke about how details of the 1922 Committee virtual meetings often leak.
Downing Street has not denied the account but refused to issue a comment.
Ukraine has reported a record daily number of coronavirus deaths for the second consecutive day, Reuters reports.
Maksyn Stepanov, the health minister, said that there were 342 deaths in the last day, up from 333 deaths recorded the previous day.
The country is also reporting a record number of hospitalisations, with 5,483 Ukrainians beig taken to hospital with coronavirus over the past day. The daily record was 4,887, reported on 11 March.
On Tuesday, Ukraine tightened border controls in an attempt to slow infections, and now requires visitors to provide a negative test.
The country of 41 million has a relatively slow vaccination programme, with just 137,026 people have received their first shot by 24 March. The country has reported a total of death toll of 30,773.
A medical worker wearing protective gear stands next to an ambulance outside a hospital for patients infected with the coronavirus disease in Kyiv, Ukraine, last November. Photograph: Gleb Garanich/Reuters
Updated at 7.41am GMT
Reuters reports that Poland is likely to announce over 29,000 new coronavirus cases today, with the figure being the highest daily number of new cases since 27,875 in November.
Michal Dworcyz, the prime minister’s top aide, told Polsat News: “We are waiting for the final data but all indications are that we will have over 29,000 new infections.”
From The Hague: Law enforcement officials say a suspect in the shooting that killed 10 people in a Colorado supermarket was prone to sudden rage. The attack has focused attention on Colorado’s decades-long struggle with mass violence. And in Israel, the country’s fourth parliamentary election in two years has ended in more uncertainty. Those are among the top stories in The AP’s news report this morning.
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Law enforcement officials and former associates of a 21-year-old accused of killing 10 people at a Colorado supermarket described the suspect as someone prone to sudden rage.
More details on a shooting that left 10 people dead in a Boulder, Colorado, grocery store emerged yesterday, with police identifying the attacker as 21-year-old Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa. The suspect, who was injured in a shootout with police but taken into custody, has been charged with 10 counts of murder.
Alissa reportedly used an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle, which officials said was purchased six days before the shooting. The victims of the attack ranged in age from 20 to 65 years of age (see list). Among the victims was 51-year-old police officer Eric Talley, the first to respond to the scene. Police, aided by the FBI, are still working to identify a motive for the attack.
Monday’s attack—as well as a series of shootings at Atlanta area Asian American spas that left eight dead—dominated a Senate hearing on gun reform yesterday. The hearing had been previously scheduled weeks in advance. Separately, President Joe Biden called on Congress to pass an assault weapons ban.
Chauvin Jury Seated
The final member of the jury assigned to hear the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was seated yesterday, capping a two-week process that saw lawyers work through more than 320 potential jurors. Chauvin faces second- and third-degree murder charges, along with second-degree manslaughter.
The group includes 12 seated jurors and three alternates (see list)—nine women and six men. Nine self-identify as white, four as Black, and two as multiracial. The composition is more diverse than the state’s overall jury pool, which is more than 85% white ($$, WSJ).
The case will be presided over by three-term Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill. The five-person prosecutorial team will include state Attorney General Keith Ellison (D), while Chauvin’s defense will be led solely by Minnesota lawyer Eric Nelson. See bios from each side here.
DENVER (AP) — Dawn Reinfeld moved to Colorado 30 years ago to attend college in the bucolic town of Boulder. Enchanted by the state’s wide-open spaces, she stayed. But, in the ensuing… …Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Exit polls indicate there is no clear winner in Tuesday’s Israeli election, leaving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fate uncertain and signaling continued political deadlock…….Read More
Nearly half of the nation’s elementary schools were open for full-time classroom learning as of last month, but the share of students learning in-person has varied greatly by region and by race,… …Read More
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Thein Zaw, a journalist for The Associated Press who was arrested last month while covering a protest against the coup in Myanmar, told his family he has been informed he is…..Read More
PACIFICA, Calif. (AP) — Disposable masks, gloves and other types of personal protective equipment are safeguarding untold lives during the coronavirus pandemic. They’re also …Read More
WASHINGTON (AP) — He’d led allied armies in the defeat of Nazi Germany only to find himself, a decade later, a tad intimidated before the cameras in an echoey room of the Old…Read More
NEW YORK (AP) — The Walt Disney Co. on Tuesday overhauled its upcoming film release plans, postponing some of its biggest films and shifting Marvel’s “Black Widow,” among oth…Read More
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A massive cargo ship has turned sideways in Egypt’s Suez Canal, blocking traffic in a crucial East-West waterway for global shipping, accor…Read More
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — A shift in wind blew ash from an eruption at the Pacaya volcano over Guatemala City on Tuesday, and authorities closed the airport as ash coated planes and planes parked at the terminal.
The 8,373-foot (2,552 meter) volcano, just 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Guatemala’s capital, has been active since early February.
Civil Aviation Director Francis Argueta did not say how long the closure would last. Volcanic ash is highly abrasive and can damage airplane engines and other mechanical devices.
Tourists frequently hike up to visit Pacaya’s peak, but those trips have been temporarily cancelled.
Pacaya has a clear view of the nearby Volcano of Fire, which erupted in 2018, emitting a fast-moving avalanche of super-heated muck that killed at least 110 people and left about 200 missing. Pacaya had an explosive blast in 2010 that killed a reporter and two local people.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — They come from New York, Illinois, Michigan, and authorities say too many of the tourists are flouting Puerto Rico’s pandemic health measures, including the mask mandate, the nightly curfew and a requirement to stay in isolation pending coronavirus tests.
So officials are cracking down, with nearly a dozen visitors arrested over the past six days.
They include three men from New York who were not wearing face masks and got into an argument with a teenager while visiting a popular beach on the island’s northeast coast, authorities said Tuesday. But most of the arrests have been been in the San Juan metropolitan area, and a couple of tourists remain in jail.
Charges range from assaulting police officers to lying on their traveler’s declaration form, which carries a punishment of three years in prison if found guilty.
The lies include falsely promising to honor the required quarantine if someone fails to present a negative coronavirus test upon arrival or agreeing to get tested after landing, said Damarisse Martínez, a spokeswoman for the island’s Justice Department.
An average of about 10,000 to 12,000 people have flown into Puerto Rico daily this month, and only about 30% have presented a negative test, according to statistics from the island’s health department.
By law, those who do not present a negative test have to remain in isolation for two weeks, until they get tested in a local laboratory and receive a negative result.
Last week, officials pledged to increase the number of police officers in popular tourist areas and allow access only to residents in certain neighborhoods as the midnight curfew approaches. That was in response to widespread anger over the behavior of some visitors who, like some local people as well, have flagrantly violated pandemic measures.
“After months of complaints, we finally see that action is being taken,” said Joaquín Bolívar, president of the board of directors of Puerto Rico’s Association of Hotels and Tourism.
While tourism represents only about 7% of the island’s economy, it was considered one of its strongest sectors prior to the pandemic, drawing a record number of cruise ship passengers. Puerto Rico never closed its main international airport amid the pandemic despite requests sent to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to bar flights from COVID-19 hotspots. The U.S. territory, however, did close all its other airports to better control and monitor incoming people.
Bars across Puerto Rico have remained closed for more than a year, though restaurants were recently allowed to increase capacity to 50%. Face masks are mandatory, and a midnight-5 a.m. curfew is in place. Beaches were reopened in September to everyone.
The island of 3.2 million people has reported more than 189,000 coronavirus infections and more than 2,000 deaths related to COVID-19. The island’s government recently relaxed health measures because the number of cases had been falling, although Health Secretary Carlos Mellado warned on Tuesday that there’s been an uptick.
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Investigators have identified three people as the suspected masterminds of last week’s ambush slaying of 13 law enforcement officers in central Mexico, and a drug gang appears to have been involved, authorities said Tuesday.
The prosecutor’s office in the State of Mexico said 25 others have been detained in the case and are suspected of working for the Familia Michoacana drug gang.
Warrants have been issued for the three purported masterminds, but they apparently remain at large. Authorities offered a reward of about $25,000 each for information leading to their arrest.
Eight state police officers and five prosecution investigators died in a hail of gunfire in the March 18 attack on their convoy as they headed to establish a checkpoint. Prosecutors said they found a total of 672 spent shell casings at the scene.
The massacre was the country’s single biggest slaying of law enforcement since October 2019, when gunmen ambushed and killed 14 state police officers in the neighboring state of Michoacan.
The Familia Michoacana cartel moved a decade ago from that state into Guerrero and the State of Mexico, which lies on the outskirts of Mexico City. The gang has shown itself willing to openly attack police and army units in the past.
The attack presented a challenge for President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who has pursued a strategy of not directly confronting drug cartels in an effort to avoid violence.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil reported more than 3,000 COVID-19 deaths in a single day for the first time Tuesday amid calls for the government and the new health minister to take action to stem the nation’s resurgence of coronavirus infections.
In recent weeks, Latin America’s largest country has become the pandemic’s global epicenter, with more deaths from the virus each day than in any other nation. Tuesday’s record toll of 3,251 deaths was driven by the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil’s most populous, which recorded 1,021 new deaths, far above the previous high of 713 last July.
The pandemic has brought the health systems of Brazilian states to near collapse, with hospitals watching their ICU beds fill up and stocks of oxygen required for assisted breathing dwindle. Most of the states in recent days adopted measures to restrict activity, over the fierce resistance of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
In a 4-minute presidential address on TV and radio, Bolsonaro did not comment on the new record and said Brazilians will “very soon return to normal life.”
“We will make 2021 the year of the vaccination of Brazilians,” Bolsonaro said, as pot=banging protests against his government erupted in major cities. “That is the mission and we will accomplish it.”
Bolsonaro has consistently downplayed the severity of the pandemic, insisting the economy must be kept humming to prevent worse hardship, and he has criticized health measures imposed by local leaders. On Friday, he appealed to the Supreme Court to invalidate curfews enacted by two states and Brazil’s federal district, though the top court previously ruled that governors and mayors have the power to adopt such restrictions.
Public health experts and economists have said Bolsonaro is presenting a false choice between preserving health and economic well-being.
On Tuesday, cardiologist Marcelo Queiroga was sworn in as health minister, becoming the fourth person to occupy the post since the beginning of the health crisis. He replaced active-duty army Gen. Eduardo Pazuello.
Queiroga’s swearing-in was delayed a week while he divested holdings in companies in the health sector and the government sought to find a suitable position for Pazuello, Brazilian media reported.
(AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Healthcare workers move a patient suspected of having COVID-19 from an ambulance at the HRAN public hospital in Brasilia. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Carlos Lula, chairman of the national council of state health secretaries, said in a statement that the coronavirus crisis has been worsened by delays in acquiring vaccines and a lack of communication on the importance of preventative measures. He called on the new minister to collaborate with state and municipal governments.
“More than ever, the population needs national coordination to face COVID-19, with precise actions, based on science, that guarantee prevention of new infections, facilitate the timely diagnosis of sick people and provide assistance for all Brazilians,” Lula said in the statement.
Seven of Brazil’s 26 states have reported problems ensuring sufficient oxygen supply, the health ministry told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The agency said it plans to dispatch hundreds of oxygen cylinders and install oxygen plants.
Hundreds of Brazilian economists, including former finance ministers and central bank presidents, urged the Brazilian government in an open letter published Monday to speed up vaccination and adopt tougher restrictions to stop the spread of the coronavirus, including possible lockdowns.
Family members attend the burial of Sgt. Jorge Luis Pereira da Silva, 54, who died from COVID-19, at the Campo da Esperanca cemetery in Brasilia. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
“This recession, as well as its harmful social consequences, was caused by the pandemic and will not be overcome until the pandemic is controlled through competent action from the federal government,” the letter read.
“The controversy surrounding economic impacts of social distancing reflects the false dilemma of saving lives versus guaranteeing the sustenance of a vulnerable population,” it added.
Brazil’s total death toll is closing in on 300,000, the world’s second highest behind that of the United States, according to the tally maintained by Johns Hopkins University.
Freshly dug graves are exposed at the Campo da Esperanca cemetery. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
US President Biden on Tuesday called on Congress to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and to close loopholes in the background check system after a gunman killed 10 people at a grocery store in Boulder, Colo.
“I don’t need to wait another minute, let alone an hour, to take common sense steps that will save lives in the future and to urge my colleagues in the House and Senate to act,” Biden said in remarks at the White House Tuesday afternoon following Monday’s shooting. “We can ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines in this country once again. I got that done when I was a senator. … We should do it again.”
Biden called on the Senate to “immediately pass” two House-passed bills that would expand background checks for firearm sales, noting that both passed the Democrat-controlled House with some Republican support.
“This is not and should not be a partisan issue, this is an American issue. It will save lives, American lives, and we have to act,” Biden said.
Ten people, including a police officer, were shot and killed at a King Soopers grocery store in Boulder on Monday. Authorities on Tuesday identified the suspect as 21-year-old Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa from Arvada, Colo. He has been charged with 10 counts of murder.
Biden noted that officials were still waiting for more information on the shooter, his motive, and the weapons he used. Various reports Tuesday indicated that the suspect used an AR-15 type of assault rifle to carry out the shooting.
The president said he was being regularly briefed by Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray and is in touch with state and local leaders in Colorado.
Biden thanked the “heroic” police and first responders and commended the “exceptional bravery” of Eric Talley, the police officer who lost his life responding to the shooting, while offering condolences to the families who lost loved ones.
“Those poor folks who died left behind families, that leaves a big hole in their hearts,” Biden said. “Those families who are mourning today because of gun violence in Colorado and Georgia and all across the country, we have to act so there’s not more of you, there’s fewer of you, as time goes on.”
Biden delivered the remarks before departing the White House to Columbus, Ohio, where he will highlight his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package and mark the 11th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. Biden ordered flags at the White House to be flown at half-staff before his departure.
Vice President Harris described the shooting as “absolutely tragic” in brief remarks to reporters at a swearing-in ceremony for CIA director William Burns Tuesday morning.
“It’s absolutely tragic,” Harris said when asked for her reaction to the violence. “Ten people going about their day, living their lives, not bothering anybody. A police officer who is performing his duties, and with great courage and heroism.”
The shooting took place less than a week after a gunman shot and killed eight people in a rampage at three massage parlors in the Atlanta area. The tragedies had already renewed calls for gun control legislation from Democrats and gun control advocates.
However, many Republicans remain opposed to gun control measures, meaning that passing a measure is expected to be difficult given the slim Democratic majority in the Senate.
“Prayer leaders have their important place in this, but we are Senate leaders. What are we doing?” Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said at the outset of a previously-scheduled hearing on reducing gun violence. “We won’t solve this crisis with prosecutions after funerals. We need prevention before shooting.”
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