U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement to take effect July 1

April 25 (UPI) – The Trump administration announced Saturday that the reworked trade agreement with Mexico and Canada will take effect July 1. According to a news release from U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer's office, the three countries "have taken measures necessary to comply with their commitments" in order to enter the agreement. The administration began rewriting the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement three years ago.

The deal, which passed out of the Senate in January and the House in December, keeps much of NAFTA in place, but requires that 75 percent of vehicle parts made in North America must remain duty-free, an increase from 62.5 percent. It also requires that up to 45 percent of car components be made by factory workers earning $16 per hour. Some U.S. business leaders have called for a delay in implementation of USMCA due to economic difficulties created by the COVID-19 pandemic – and even before the pandemic, some argued the July 1 goal was ambitious. "Given the pandemic's really unprecedented economic disruption, companies will need time to adapt to the new regulations, some of which have yet to be issued," said John Murphy, senior vice president for international policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "Industry wants the administration to show flexibility in the months before and after entry into force so they can focus on making payroll and avoiding layoffs." Last week, the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee, which was created by Congress to advise Customs and Border Protection, also urged the administration not to implement the deal before 2021.

The administration has, in turn, argued that the pandemic has underscored the urgency of implementing the new agreement. "The crisis and recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic demonstrates that now, more than ever, the United States should strive to increase manufacturing capacity and investment in North America," Lighthizer said. "The USMCA's entry into force is a landmark achievement in that effort. Under President Trump's leadership, USTR will continue working to ensure a smooth implementation of the USMCA so that American workers and businesses can enjoy the benefits of the new agreement."

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2020/04/25/US-Mexico-Canada-trade-agreement-to-take-effect-July-1/5231587838262/?lh=2

USMCA To Enter Into Force July 1 After United States Takes Final Procedural Steps For Implementation

https://ustr.gov/about-us/policy-offices/press-office/press-releases/2020/april/usmca-enter-force-july-1-after-united-states-takes-final-procedural-steps-implementation

USNS Comfort discharges final patient ahead of departure from New York

April 26 (UPI) – All patients on the USNS Comfort have been discharged after the ship was dispatched to the coast of New York amid the COVID-19 outbreak in the state, officials said Sunday. Northwell Health representative Terry Lynham said that the final patient was discharged as the Navy ship treated 182 patients after being deployed to the state initially to handle hospital overflow and later designated to treat coronavirus patients. Lynam said the Javits Center, which was converted into a medical treatment center in the epicenter for the virus in the United States is still treating about 84 patients.

Last week, President Donald Trump announced that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo agreed to allow the ship to depart from New York Harbor. The Comfort's crew will remain on the ship for several days to disinfect and clean the vessel in addition to stowing medical equipment and preparing the ship's engine before departing. Upon returning to its home port at the U.S. Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia, the ship is expected to undergo maintenance and restock for its next mission.

Also Sunday, Army Secretary Ryan D. McCarthy announced the Army would proceed with plans to hold the graduation ceremony for West Point's 2020 graduating class on June 13. "After careful consideration of the steps the Army can take to mitigate risk, I made the decision to proceed with the West Point graduation," said McCarthy. "We are fully committed to the health and safety of our Cadets and believe we can safely conduct the graduation ceremony and associated activities."

Prior to the decision, Trump announced last week that he would deliver the commencement address. "I assume .. they've got it and I understand they'll have distancing. They'll have some big distance and so it'll be very different than it ever looked," said Trump.

The Navy officially announced that the Blue Angels and the Air Force Thunderbirds will conduct flyovers in New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia on Tuesday. Flyovers in Newark and New York City will begin at noon and last approximately 35 minutes followed by flyovers in Trenton at 1:45 that will last 10 minutes and flyovers in Philadelphia at 2 p.m. that will last 20 minutes.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2020/04/26/USNS-Comfort-discharges-final-patient-ahead-of-departure-from-New-York/3671587930615/?ts_=4

Three killed in small plane crash in northern Nevada

April 26 (UPI) – Two adults and a child from Arizona were killed in a plane crash in northern Nevada near Utah. A Beechcraft BE35 Bonanza crashed near Goshute Peak, east of Elko, which is about 290 miles east of Reno and 229 miles west of Salt Lake City, late Friday night. On Saturday, the occupants were identified as Thomas A. Kvanvig, 48, Stacie M. Kvanvig, 49; and Daniel Kvanvig, 8, of Chandler.

The Air Force notified the Elko County Sheriff's Office about a possible plane down, according to chief deputy coroner Nick Czegledi. A REACH aircraft spotted the wreckage about 20 to 25 miles from the Utah border after midnight Saturday. The Beechcraft was trying to land for unknown reasons and came down hard, nose down, Czegledi said. The sheriff's office is assisting the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board in the investigation.

Approximately 10,400 Model 35 Bonanzas of all variants were built between 1945 and 1982, according to Airliners.net. Models seat four to six passengers.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2020/04/26/Three-killed-in-small-plane-crash-in-northern-Nevada/3491587905252/?ts_=5

>>8929829

Cloth masks—dangerous to your health?

April 22, 2015

The widespread use of cloth masks by healthcare workers may actually put them at increased risk of respiratory illness and viral infections and their global use should be discouraged, according to a UNSW study. The results of the first randomised clinical trial (RCT) to study the efficacy of cloth masks were published today in the journal BMJ Open.

The trial saw 1607 hospital healthcare workers across 14 hospitals in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, split into three groups: those wearing medical masks, those wearing cloth masks and a control group based on usual practice, which included mask wearing. Workers used the mask on every shift for four consecutive weeks. The study found respiratory infection was much higher among healthcare workers wearing cloth masks. The penetration of cloth masks by particles was almost 97% compared to medical masks with 44%.

Professor Raina MacIntyre, lead study author and head of UNSW's School of Public Health and Community Medicine, said the results of the study caution against the use of cloth masks. "Masks are worn to protect from infection during pandemics and outbreaks, especially when there are no drugs or vaccines available for protection," Professor MacIntyre said. "Masks are especially important for frontline doctors and nurses, as their protection from infection is key to maintaining the ability to tackle a pandemic effectively. "Cloth masks should not be used by workers in any healthcare setting, but particularly high-risk situations such as emergency departments, intensive care, paediatric or respiratory wards."

Cloth masks remain widely used globally because they are a cheaper option especially in areas where there are shortages of protective equipment, including in Asian countries, which have historically been affected by emerging infectious diseases, as well as in West Africa, which was the epicentre of the recent Ebola epidemic. The authors speculate that the cloth masks' moisture retention, their reuse and poor filtration may explain the increased risk of infection.

Professor MacIntyre, who has completed the largest body of clincial trial research on respiratory protection in health workers internationally, said emerging infectious diseases are not constrained within geographical borders. "Effective controls of outbreaks and pandemics at the origin impacts us directly, so it is important for global disease control that the use of cloth masks be discouraged in high-risk situations," she said. "Despite more than half the world using cloth masks, global disease control guidelines, including those from the World Health Organisation, fail to clearly specify conditions of their use. "These guidelines need to be updated to reflect the higher infection risk posed by cloth masks, as found in our study." Professor MacIntyre said the study's results pointed to the effectiveness of medical masks, in addition to the harm caused by cloth masks. "Additional research is urgently needed to build on our study's findings."

The trial was a collaboration between researchers in Australia and the National Institute for Hygiene and Epidemiology in Vietnam and was funded by an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant. A separate expert review by Professor MacIntyre published in the British Medical Journal earlier this month found that the lack of research on facemasks and respirators is reflected in varied and sometimes conflicting global policies and guidelines.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-04-masksdangerous-health.html

>>8930301

Hmm, Done in 30.