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Coronavirus (COVID-19) News Alerts for Laredo

© Provided by Laredo KGNS-TV MGN Online LAREDO, TX (KGNS) - For any information or concerns regarding the coronavirus COVID-19, you can contact the Local 24/7 hotline at 956-795-4954. With the coronavirus affecting many businesses and organizations across the globe, here's a list of stories of how it's affecting Laredo. The City of Laredo is awaiting confirmation on a “presumptive” case of COVID-19. Currently, a total of six people remain under quarantine awaiting test results for the virus. Click here *According to a statement from the City of Laredo, the test results for two patients who were recently tested for COVID-19 at Doctors Hospital have come back negative. Click here *Commissioner's Court holds an emergency meeting where they are discussing how to keep our public safe. Click here here for more. * UISD has sent a notice to parents of students at Colonel Santos Benavides that a student has been sent home after they self-reported a recent visit by a family member to a European country. * As a result of the growing concerns regarding the virus, local colleges have decided to extend spring break for an additional week. Click here. *UISD and LISD have not decided on whether or not their class schedule will be affected by the coronavirus concerns. At this time, they will leave for spring break and come back on March 23rd. Click here for more. * Harmony Schools have also released a statement regarding the coronavirus. Officials say they will keep spring break as scheduled. To read the full statement Click here for more. * Doctor's Hospital of Laredo has announced that they have tested two patients for novel coronavirus (COVID-19). City official says, "they are not considered a case or probable at this time." Click here for more. *The City of Laredo says they are prepared to respond to any health hazard such as the COVID 19, in coordination with local, state and federal partners. Click here for more. *Concerns regarding the coronavirus have altered school-related and sporting events here in the Gateway City. *UISD was supposed to have its open house event which has been canceled. Here's a full link to the story. Click here. *Although no cases have been reported in Laredo, United ISD is going to ask parents to fill out a survey regarding travel for spring break. Click here for more. *The UISD Athletics Department has also suspended all of its non-essential travel games until further notice. Click here for the full story

COVID-19: American Psychiatric Association Cancels 2020 Annual Meeting

Editor's note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape's Coronavirus Resource Center. In the wake of travel restrictions and public health guidance regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) has announced it is canceling its 2020 annual meeting, which was scheduled to take place in Philadelphia on April 25–29. "After careful deliberations, we came to the conclusion it is not possible to hold the APA's 2020 Annual Meeting," APA president Bruce Schwartz, MD, said in a release. "A large number of our physician members are restricted by their respective institutions from traveling to conferences and meetings to help stop the spread of COVID-19, making it impossible for lecturers and registrants to attend the medical conference. "The latest information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Pennsylvania health authorities supports our judgment that travel restrictions, meeting restrictions and social distancing are the required, safe and responsible actions. Public health must come first," Schwartz added. The APA is the latest in a long list of medical organizations and societies to cancel its annual scientific conference because of the coronavirus pandemic. On March 13, the American Academy of Neurology announced it is canceling its annual scientific conference, which was scheduled to take place April 25–29 in Toronto. The APA announced that in lieu of its annual meeting, its leadership will work with speakers to develop an online educational program this spring. "We are in the midst of a public health emergency and must not add to the spread of the disease. Our doctors are needed to treat patients who are affected by the disease and its mental health impacts. While we understand that not holding the meeting may interfere with attaining required CME credits, we are working to disseminate scientific knowledge online," said APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, MD, MPA. Further details regarding the cancellation, including information about registration and refunds, can be found on the APA website. For more Medscape Psychiatry news, join us on Facebook and Twitter.

Gov. Tim Walz to unveil COVID-19 plans for Minnesota schools

STEVE KARNOWSKI, Associated Press Updated 7:08 pm PDT, Sunday, March 15, 2020 Gov. Tim Walz holds up his supplemental budget on Thursday, March 12, 2020, which is scaled back due to the unexpected demand for spending on the coronavirus response. The Governors press conferences are now being live streamed on Facebook Live along with ASL interpreters in response to the coronavirus outbreak. The Governor is exploring new ways to continue to communicate with Minnesotans, even if access to the Capitol is scaled back. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP) less Gov. Tim Walz holds up his supplemental budget on Thursday, March 12, 2020, which is scaled back due to the unexpected demand for spending on the coronavirus response. The Governors press conferences are now ... more Photo: Glen Stubbe, AP Walz shuts schools; Minnesota sees COVID-19 community spread ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Sunday ordered public schools to temporarily close to give administrators and teachers time to make plans for switching to distance learning as the number of people with COVID-19 increases, while health officials confirmed the state's first cases of community transmission and the Legislature scaled back its business. Schools will be closed to kindergarten through 12th grade students by Wednesday and will remain shut down through March 27, the governor said at a news conference. Several have already announced plans to close by Monday or Tuesday. “While children have proven to be less vulnerable to this virus (and) we haven't seen significant spreading in our schools, we do anticipate that COVID-19 will have a sizable impact on our education system in the coming weeks, months and potentially the coming year,” Walz said. “We cannot wait until the pandemic is in our schools to figure things out.” Minnesota's case total rose to 35 Sunday, up 14 from Saturday. They included three cases of community transmission, in which the patients had no recent travel outside of Minnesota and no known exposure to an infected person, Kris Ehresmann, state's infectious disease director, said on a conference call for reporters. Now that community transmission has been confirmed, she said, its even more important for vulnerable people to protect themselves "People who are 70 and older, or people of any age who have underlying health conditions that put them at a higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, should stay home and avoid gatherings or other situations of potential exposures, including travel,” Ehresmann said. Late Sunday, legislative leaders said they would hold floor sessions and committee meetings only on a limited basis through April 14, and only in spaces that allow six feet of distance between individuals. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover within weeks. Most of the 14 new patients reside in the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area, including the three who caught the disease from community spread, Ehresmann said. The new patients ranged from 20 to 94 years old. One new patient was hospitalized Sunday, while a previously reported patient was still in critical condition. Only one of the state's 35 cases had a school connection, a teenager in Dakota County who was reported Saturday, Ehresmann said. Walz and other administration officials acknowledged the school closures will cause significant disruptions. “This is a precautionary measure so our educators are prepared should we need to close schools statewide for longer,” said Education Commissioner Mary Cathryn Ricker, who went on to say at the governor's news conference: “We are not accommodating a couple snow days. We are planning for the potential of weeks of distance learning delivery.” Walz's order requires schools to provide care for elementary-age children of healthcare professionals, first responders and other emergency personnel to make sure those workers can continue their defense against the virus. Districts should make every effort to provide meals to the tens of thousands of students who depend on school meals, he said. Schools are expected to continue to pay hourly workers, Ricker said. On Friday, the governor declared a peacetime state of emergency and issued a series of recommendations that included canceling or postponing gatherings of 250 people or more. He wasn't ready to order school closures then. But he said officials came up with plans over the weekend for how to make it work. The governor also said that he couldn't rule out closing restaurants and bars eventually. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild cases of COVID-19 recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe cases may take three to six weeks to get better. More than 156,000 people have been infected, and more than 73,900 have recovered. More than 5,800 people have died. “For everyone, the single most important thing we can do is to stay home when we're sick, whether we think that has anything to do with COVID or not," Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm stressed. ___ Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak ___ The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.