Pentagon to prepare coronavirus quarantine housing for 1,000 people

Defense Secretary Mark Esper has instructed the Pentagon to ready military housing for 1,000 people as it prepares to quarantine those who may have the new coronavirus. "Earlier today, we have learned that Defense Secretary Mark Esper approved a request from the Department of Health and Human Services to provide DOD housing support for up to 1,000 people who may need to be quarantined as they travel back to the United States and may have been in places where they could've been exposed to the coronavirus," said CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.

The news comes after Massachusetts confirmed the eighth U.S. case of the coronavirus, which has killed more than 250 and infected more than 1,000 people in China. "It's a stark, sudden reminder of just how much this public health situation is really expanding its impact," added Starr. This week, 195 Americans were put under quarantine after returning on a State Department-chartered plane that brought the passengers home from Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/pentagon-prepares-quarantine-housing-for-1-000-people-who-may-have-coronavirus

Eighth case of coronavirus confirmed in US day after public health emergency declared

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/eighth-case-of-coronavirus-confirmed-in-us-day-after-public-health-emergency-declared

'They can leave': CDC won't quarantine 195 Americans flown home from 'epicenter' of coronavirus

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/they-can-leave-cdc-wont-quarantine-195-americans-flown-home-from-epicenter-of-coronavirus

Melania Trump touts success of 'Be Best' campaign as US life expectancy rises

First lady Melania Trump touted the work of her "Be Best" campaign and commented on the news that drug overdose deaths have dropped while life expectancy has increased under the Trump administration. “For the first time in 29 years, drug overdose deaths have dropped by 4.1% and life expectancy has increased by 4 years! Proud of this administration for ensuring a safer and healthier future for our nations children. #BeBest,” she tweeted on Saturday.

Drug overdoses in the United States dipped in 2018 for the first time in almost 20 years, and life expectancy, which had been trending downward because of the opioid epidemic, rose slightly from 2017 to 2018, according to new numbers from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. "The drop in overdose deaths shows that the president’s new level of focus on the opioid crisis, and the administration’s science- and community-based efforts to combat it, are beginning to make a significant difference,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said about the data.

More Americans have been killed by the opioid epidemic in the last few years than were killed in the Vietnam War. Trump has been actively using her voice in the White House to inspire and protect children through her "Be Best" campaign that was launched in May 2018. “It remains our generation’s moral imperative to take responsibility and help our children manage the many issues they are facing today, including encouraging positive social, emotional, and physical habits,” the campaign's website reads. “The mission of BE BEST is to focus on some of the major issues facing children today, with the goal of encouraging children to BE BEST in their individual paths, while also teaching them the importance of social, emotional, and physical health. BE BEST will concentrate on three main pillars: well-being, online safety, and opioid abuse." President Trump has been a vocal figure in combating the opioid epidemic as well. He donated his second- and third-quarter 2019 salary to fighting the crisis.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/melania-trump-touts-success-of-bebest-campaign-as-us-life-expectancy-rises

https://twitter.com/FLOTUS/status/1223710618496196608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Drug deaths fall for first time in nearly 20 years, buoying US life expectancy

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/healthcare/drug-deaths-fall-for-first-time-in-nearly-20-years-buoying-us-life-expectancy