Anonymous ID: 7205ab Feb. 27, 2020, 8:04 a.m. No.8264767   🗄️.is đź”—kun

Abe seeks nationwide school closures over coronavirus

 

TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday that he will ask all elementary, middle and high schools to close temporarily, starting March 2, as the government tries to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. "With children's health and safety as our top consideration, we need to prepare in advance against the infection risks posed by large numbers of children and teachers gathering together for long periods of time every day," Abe said at a meeting to deal with the virus. The prime minister reiterated that the next week or two will be "critical" in curbing the outbreak. While it is up to schools and local governments to decide whether to suspend classes, the prime minister's request is likely to result in across-the-board closures. Japanese schools will have their year-end spring break from the middle of March through early April, so the closures will run through that period at least. As of Thursday, 175 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Japan across 19 prefectures, including Hokkaido, Tokyo, Aichi, and Chiba. The number excludes those infected on the Diamond Princess cruise ship and those brought back from Wuhan via chartered flights.

 

Earlier on Thursday, the northern island of Hokkaido instituted a weeklong closure of all 1,600 public elementary and junior high schools amid a rise in confirmed infections. Japanese schools typically hold year-end exams and graduation ceremonies in March. Abe urged schools that go ahead with these events to take precautions against infection and minimize the number of people present.

 

The coronavirus has so far proved most dangerous to the elderly and those with underlying conditions such as diabetes, while infecting children relatively rarely. A study by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the 44,672 cases reported through Feb. 11 found that just 416 patients were younger than 10, and another 549 were between the ages of 10 and 19. There were no deaths in the former group and only one in the latter. School closures could accelerate companies' precautions against the coronavirus, as employees with children are forced to adjust their schedules or the way they work. Abe urged businesses to make accommodations such as letting parents take time off. About half the respondents to a Nikkei poll of 127 companies on Thursday said they have at least partly switched over to telecommuting. Nearly 80% said they are holding off on events such as welcome and farewell parties.

 

About 40% of businesses are avoiding marketing visits, while 60% have banned domestic business trips. SoftBank Group has told staff that employees should hold meetings online.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/Abe-seeks-nationwide-school-closures-over-coronavirus2

Anonymous ID: 7205ab Feb. 27, 2020, 8:52 a.m. No.8265160   🗄️.is đź”—kun   >>5330

U.S. fourth-quarter GDP unrevised; weakness in business spending persists

 

The U.S. economy grew moderately in the fourth quarter, the government confirmed on Thursday, and is facing a bumpy road in early 2020 amid the fast-spreading deadly coronavirus that has roiled financial markets. Gross domestic product increased at a 2.1% annualized rate, supported by a smaller import bill, the Commerce Department said in its second estimate of fourth-quarter GDP. That was unrevised from last month’s advance estimate and matched the growth pace logged in the July-September quarter.

 

The economy grew by an unrevised 2.3% in 2019, the slowest annual growth in three years and missing the Trump administration’s 3% growth target for a second straight year.

 

Financial markets have been spooked by fears that the coronavirus, which has killed more than 2,000 people, mostly in China, and spread to other countries, could undercut the longest U.S. economic expansion on record, now in its 11th year.

 

Risky assets such as stocks have been sold off in favor of safe-haven government bonds. Money markets have boosted their bets on the prospect of more Federal Reserve interest rate cuts. The U.S. central bank cut rates three times last year and has signaled its intention to keep monetary policy on hold at least through 2020.

 

Though there is so far no real evidence that the coronavirus epidemic is impacting the U.S. economy, economists expect the struggling manufacturing sector to take a hit through supply chain disruptions and exports.

Pain for the services sector could come via the travel and tourism industry. Despite the unrevised reading to last quarter’s GDP growth, which was in line with economists’ expectations, consumer spending slowed more than previously reported. There were also downgrades to business investment and government spending.

 

That offset upward revisions to investment in home-building and inventory accumulation.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-economy/u-s-fourth-quarter-gdp-unrevised-weakness-in-business-spending-persists-idUSKCN20L22O

Anonymous ID: 7205ab Feb. 27, 2020, 9:05 a.m. No.8265246   🗄️.is đź”—kun

>>8265223

that's right I do post when calling out cherry-picking faggots who seem to forget what habbened in here at the start with predictions and then forgetting that the last 9 of 10 predictions ended in total failure.

You have a nice day asshole