Saturday, May 23, 2026

‘Hitler’s Alligator’ Dies In Moscow Zoo At The Age Of 84

An alligator named Saturn that survived a bombing raid on Berlin in World War II and was rumored to have once belonged to Nazi tyrant Adolf Hitler died at the Moscow Zoo on Friday. 

He was 84. 

The zoo said in a statement online that the alligator was a picky eater who loved a massage with a brush ― and was given the “the utmost care and attention.”

Saturn was born in the United States in 1936 and gifted to the Berlin Zoo “almost immediately,” the statement said. 

The Berlin Zoo was hit during several bombing raids in WWII and in 1943 was destroyed by one, killing many of the animals and releasing the others.

It’s not clear where Saturn went for the next three years.

In 1946, Saturn was gifted by British forces in Berlin to the Soviets, who delivered the gator to the Moscow Zoo. 

“Almost immediately, the myth was born that he was allegedly in the collection of Hitler, and not in the Berlin Zoo,” the zoo said in its news release. 

No direct connection to Hitler has ever been substantiated. 

The zoo said that even if the alligator had belonged to Hitler, “animals are not involved in war and politics, it is absurd to blame them for human sins.”

Guinness World Records says the oldest alligator in captivity is another WWII survivor, Muja, gifted to the Belgrade Zoo in Serbia in 1936. Muja was already an adult at the time and is believed to be possibly in his 90s. 

The Smithsonian said alligators in the wild typically live to the age of 50.



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Brian May Reveals He Was Recently Rushed To Hospital After Suffering A Heart Attack

Queen star Brian May has revealed he was recently rushed to hospital after suffering what he has described as a “small heart attack”.

Earlier this month, the acclaimed guitarist raised eyebrows when he revealed he’d suffered an injury to his buttocks that had left him in “relentless” pain.

However, in a new Instagram video, he admitted that he’d suffered a far more serious health scare “in the middle of the whole saga”.

“The rest of the story is a little more bizarre,” Brian explained. “A bit more shocking. Well, I was shocked because I thought I was a pretty healthy guy and everyone says ’you’ve got great blood pressure, you’ve got a great heart rate… but anyway, in the middle of the whole saga of the painful backside, I had a small heart attack.”

He continued: “I say small, it’s not something that did me any harm, it was about 40 minutes of pain in my chest and tightness and that feeling in the arms, and sweating, you kinda know, you’ve heard, ‘is this a heart attack?’.”

He was then driven to hospital by his doctor, where after an angiogram, he was then taken to a second facility as an emergency patient.

While some doctors told Brian he should undergo open heart surgery and a triple bypass, others told him he would need three stents put in his heart, opting for the latter.

The procedure, he noted, was a success, adding: “I thank them from the bottom of my heart. I think I’m in good shape for some time to come.

“I didn’t die, I came out and I would have been full of beans if it wasn’t for the leg… I was very near death because of this, but the pain I had was from something completely different. ’But I’m good, I’m here, and I’m ready to rock.”

In the video caption, he also joked about the Queen album Sheer Heart Attack, commenting: “I think I always worried a little bit about that album title. I wondered if it might upset some people who had actually had heart attacks.

“I’m actually quite relieved now that I’m in that club – and I don’t find it upsetting at all!”

Brian has been a member of Queen since the early 1970s, and continued to perform with the group and guest vocalist Adam Lambert, including earlier this year, where they recreated their iconic Live Aid set at a benefit concert for the Australian bushfires crisis.

In 2018, he was portrayed by Gwilym Lee in the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, which earned a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards, despite a decidedly mixed reception from critics.



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Tas eyes fast-tracked infrastructure build

Tasmania is expected to next week unveil details of a fast-tracked infrastructure program aimed at kickstarting the state’s economy amid COVID-19.

State Treasury is examining the $3.7 billion program, announced last year, to determine which projects can be brought forward.

“I expect to announce the reprofiled construction and infrastructure program next week,” Premier Peter Gutwein said on Monday.

“This will be the first major step in our rebuild program.”

Projects include school and government building upgrades, affordable housing and roads.

An economic and fiscal update released by Treasury this month showed that instead of growing by three per cent, the state’s economy will contract by 1.75 per cent this financial year.

It also forecast an unemployment rate of 12 per cent in June and for the predicted $11 million 2019/20 budget surplus to become a $716 million deficit.

“We have rebuilt our economy once before when we first came to government in 2014,” Mr Gutwein said.

“We have had the most confident businesses in the nation and the most engaged community, and we will do it again.”

The state has gone 10 days without recording a new coronavirus case, with just 10 of 226 confirmed cases remaining active as of Monday night.

There are no active cases in the south and north, with all 10 in the northwest.

Restrictions on visits to aged care homes eased on Monday, bringing the state in line with the national standard of two people once a day.

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Germany’s highest court rules VW should offer Dieselgate compensation

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Volkswagen has made €830 million available for settlements with disgruntled drivers | Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images

Thousands of motorists can now claim damages from the carmaker.

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Consumers affected by the Volkswagen emissions cheating scandal are eligible for damages that could total the entire cost of the vehicle, Germany’s Federal Court of Justice ruled Monday.

That means thousands of motorists affected by the so-called Dieselgate scandal can claim compensation from the carmaker, although the total amount should be dependent on kilometers driven, the court said.

According to the ruling “the buyer of a vehicle with an impermissible shutdown device is entitled to compensation claims against VW” and “they can request reimbursement of the purchase price paid for the vehicle, but must have the benefit of use taken into account and make the vehicle available to VW.”

Earlier this year, VW made €830 million available for settlements with disgruntled drivers as part of a deal with Germany’s consumer groups that allows compensation of up to €6,250 per vehicle.

The decision by the country’s highest court follows a ruling by a regional court asked to decide whether a motorist should be reimbursed for the entire cost of a VW Sharan installed with the emissions cheating technology, more than €30,000.

VV has been forced to pay more than $25 billion in fines and settlements in the U.S. owing to the scandal, which dates back to 2015. But in Europe it has claimed that as the affected vehicles are still usable it is not liable to pay compensation.



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GOP Rep. Warns Trump On Wild Scarborough Murder Claim: ‘Just Stop. It Will Destroy Us.’

An Illinois Republican congressman warned US President Donald Trump Sunday to “just stop” with his outrageous insinuations that MSNBC commentator Joe Scarborough is a murderer.

“Completely unfounded conspiracy. Just stop,” a frustrated Rep. Adam Kinzingertweeted, lashing Trump’s attack on Scarborough, a frequent critic of the president. “Stop spreading it, stop creating paranoia. It will destroy us,” he added, apparently referring to Republicans and future elections — or possibly America. 

GOP critics weren’t concerned about Trump pulling down the party alone. 

Kinzinger was one of the hordes of critics who packed Twitter with outraged responses after Trump repeatedly indicated that Scarborough was somehow linked to the death of a former intern when he was a Florida congressman. Authorities determined that the 2001 death of 28-year-old intern Lori Lausutis was accidental after she collapsed of an undiagnosed heart condition and struck her head on a desk.

Scarborough’s wife and co-host, Mika Brzezinski, called Trump a “cruel, disgusting. sick person” on their program Wednesday. “He’s once again tweeting conspiracy theories about Joe, falsely accusing him of murder,” she said.

Trump’s drumbeat attack on Scarborough, co-host of “Morning Joe,” and vicious tweets linking followers to an unhinged conspiracy site, is widely regarded as a desperate attempt by the president to distract the public. He hopes to direct attention away from criticism of his lack of leadership during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis that has now claimed nearly 100,000 lives, critics argue.

For many, the unwarranted attack on a critic in the media was a bridge too far, even for Trump.

Tweets also lit up with criticism for Twitter and CEO Jack Dorsey for not taking down Trump’s unfounded murder insinuation against Scarborough, while cracking down on other users for far less important policy violations.

Brzezinski said in a tweet Wednesday that she planned to speak to Dorsey about getting the president banned from the social media platform for violating Twitter’s policies “every day.”

Twitter did not immediately respond to a HuffPost request for comment.



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Saturday was Queensland’s coldest ever May day

Meteorologist Rosa Hoff said Lucinda Point, about 100 kilometres north-west of Townsville, had a top of 17.3 degrees on Saturday, which made it the coldest maximum temperature every recorded.

The central Queensland coastal city of Bundaberg had a maximum of 13.2 degrees on Saturday, which made it the coldest May day in 129 years of records.

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Ms Hoff said the central Queensland city of Rockhampton recorded a maximum of 12.2 degrees on Saturday, which put it within 0.1 degrees of equalling the city’s coldest recorded top temperature.

The records continued to tumble on Sunday with three minimum temperature records broken.

Lucinda Point had a low of 13.9 degrees, which was the coldest May day since 2000.

Hamilton Island, off the north Queensland coast, recorded a minimum of 13.9 degrees, the coldest May day since 1990.

The central Queensland coast town of Seventeen Seventy dropped to 8.3 degrees, the coldest May day since 2000.

In the south-east, Brisbane had a maximum of 15.1 degrees on Saturday. This was believed to be the coldest May day since the River City’s top of 15 degrees on May 22, 1922.

“After quite a cold weekend, we’re returning to normal conditions towards the coast, but it was quite a nippy one for many locations in south-east Queensland over the weekend,” Ms Hoff said.

“The Sunshine Coast got to a top of 14.7 degrees on Saturday, which was the coldest maximum temperature they have had in May since 1978.

“Stanthorpe on Sunday got to a maximum of 9.9 degrees, which was coldest May day since 1978.

“With the return of sunshine we have seen our temperature s pick up during the day, but nights are set to stay cold until the weekend.”

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Notorious power station demolished in explosion

The chimneys, which soared 137 metres above the town of Morwell in the Latrobe Valley, came down just before 12.30pm today.

Owner Engie provided a live stream of the chimney demolition, which took about a minute and was viewed by thousands.

Hazelwood demolition captured. (Nine)
Aerial view of the explosion. (Nine)

The chimneys were built in the 1960s and operated for more than half a century before the brown coal-fuelled power station was shut down in March 2017.

There is about 50kg of asbestos in each chimney and about 12 tonnes of concrete, which will be monitored following the demolition in line with Victorian environment laws.

Engie said its ultimate goal is to rehabilitate the 4000-hectare site.

The site has been a headache for the Latrobe Valley community since 2014, when a bushfire spread to the coal mine and burned for 45 days.

The power station has been demolished. (Nine)

Hazelwood Power Corporation was fined $1.56 million last week in the Supreme Court of Victoria for putting employees and nearby residents at risk by failing to prepare for the fire.

The chimneys were blown up one by one within minutes.

There is about 50kg of asbestos in each chimney and about 12 tonnes of concrete.

Community members voiced concerns about the spread of asbestos from the explosions during the live Facebook forum.

Hazelwood Power Station’s 2014 mine fire. (ABC)

Mr McDowall said the detonations would not fragment the asbestos and that it would stay contained upon demolition.

“It’s a bonded product, it’s not a fragmentation product, it’s secure within its structure,” he said.

“It then hits the ground and becomes an asbestos product on the ground.”

Care was taken to conduct the demolition in prime weather conditions – a south-east to north-east direction with low wind speed – to control dust and plume from the explosions.

Hazelwood mine fire. (AP/AAP)

The site will be monitored for asbestos following the demolition in line with state laws.

Engie has been managing a process of retiring the brown-coal fuelled power station since it closed in 2017, with the ultimate goal to rehabilitate the 4000 hectare site.

The site has been a headache for the Latrobe Valley community since 2014, when a bushfire spread to the coal mine and burned for 45 days.

Hazelwood Power Corporation was fined $1.56 million on Tuesday in the Supreme Court of Victoria for putting employees and nearby residents at risk by failing to prepare for the fire.

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How a Kawasaki-like syndrome left this 6-year-old fighting for his life on a ventilator

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Worshipers offer Eid al-Fitr prayers outside a mosque in Tehran, Iran, on Sunday, May 24.

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Olivia Grant, right, hugs her grandmother, Mary Grace Sileo through a plastic drop cloth hung up on a homemade clothes line on May 24 in Wantagh, New York.

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Retired U.S. Marine Corps Brian Carabine replaces flags at the U.S. Veterans gravesite of the South End Cemetery in preparation for Memorial Day weekend on May 23, in East Hampton, New York.

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Graduates turn their tassels during a drive-thru graduation for Faith Lutheran High School at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, on Friday, May 22 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Workers wear protective gear as they start a cremation oven in Ecatepec, Mexico, on Thursday, May 21.

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A health worker wears a face shield while checking a patient’s temperature at a hospital in Toluca, Mexico, on May 21. Mexico had reported its highest number of new daily cases.

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People in Srinagar, India, lower the coffin of a woman who died from the coronavirus.

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Levi Tinker, resident historian and general manager of the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, makes an announcement inside the theater’s empty auditorium on Monday, May 18. It was the theater’s 93rd birthday celebration.

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People practice social distancing in New York’s Domino Park on Sunday, May 17.

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Nurses in Nairobi, Kenya, take part in a Zumba fitness class in the parking lot of the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital on May 17.

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Mary Faye Cochran sings “You Are My Sunshine” to her son Stacey Smith from her senior-living facility in Smyrna, Georgia, on May 10. It was Mother’s Day in the United States.

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Pope Francis delivers a blessing from the window of his studio overlooking an empty St. Peter’s Square on May 10.

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The San Isidro cemetery in Mexico City, which was temporarily closed to the public to limit the spread of Covid-19, is seen in this aerial photo from May 10.

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Mary Washington speaks through a window to her daughter Courtney Crosby and grandchild Sydney Crosby during a Mother’s Day celebration at her senior-living facility in Smyrna.

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A Briarcliff High School student participates in a parade of graduating seniors through Briarcliff Manor, New York, on May 9.

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People wear face masks while watching a Victory Day military parade in Minsk, Belarus, on May 9. The parade marked the 75th anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

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A man rides past social-distancing markers in front of a shop in Brussels, Belgium, on May 9.

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A man pauses as he places the casket of a relative into a van at a busy New York funeral home on May 9.

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Health-care workers wait for citizens to arrive at the Anna International Airport in Chennai, India, on May 9. People were arriving in Chennai from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

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A man wearing a face mask cycles through Chinatown in Yokohama, Japan, on May 8. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that Japan will extend its state of emergency until the end of May.

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American citizens who were stranded in Syria due to the pandemic arrive at the Lebanese border on their way to the Beirut airport, where they would be leaving for the United States.

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During a protest in Washington on May 7, members of National Nurses United stand among empty shoes that they say represent nurses who have died from Covid-19.

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A worker helps disinfect a subway train in New York on May 6. The subway syatem was shut down for a deep-cleaning.

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High school students study in a classroom in Wuhan, China, as they returned to school on May 6.

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A nursery is disinfected in Cannes, France, on May 6. Nurseries in France were to gradually reopen on May 11.

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Refrigerated trucks are seen at a morgue that opened in New York to assist overwhelmed funeral homes.

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Michigan state police prevent protesters from entering the chamber of the Michigan House of Representatives on April 30. The protesters were unhappy with the state’s stay-at-home order. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently extended the order through May 15, though restrictions were relaxed so some businesses could reopen.

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This aerial photo shows surfers accessing Sydney’s Tamarama Beach on April 29. Several Sydney beaches reopened for exercise only.

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A barber wears protective equipment as he cuts a customer’s hair in Lausanne, Switzerland, on April 27.

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Health workers at a coronavirus testing center in New Delhi attend to a colleague who fainted due to exhaustion on April 27.

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Pitrik van der Lubbe waves from a boom lift to his 88-year-old father, Henk, at his father’s nursing home in Gouda, Netherlands, on April 24. Pitrik had not seen his father in more than four weeks.

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Protesters shout slogans against Lebanese Central Bank governor Riad Salamé as they block Hamra Street in Beirut, Lebanon, on April 23. Anti-government protesters have been demonstrating in Beirut as they continue to endure one of its worst-ever economic crises.

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A boy plays hopscotch at his home in A Coruna, Spain, on April 23.

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A dentist wears protective equipment while treating a patient in Den Bosch, Netherlands, on April 22.

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Biology teachers prepare to hold an exam at a secondary school in Berlin on April 22.

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A volunteer in Yangon, Myanmar, spreads calcium oxide on a road to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus on April 22.

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Migrants wave from balconies at a hotel in Kranidi, Greece, on April 21. The shelter, which hosts 470 asylum seekers, was placed in isolation after a pregnant resident tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

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A man disinfects a ceiling lamp at the ÄŒobanija Mosque in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on April 21.

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A nurse holds a newborn baby, wearing a face shield as a protective measure, at a maternity facility in Jakarta, Indonesia, on April 21.

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Health workers at Madrid’s La Paz Hospital hold a minute of silence to remember Joaquin Diaz, the hospital’s chief of surgery who died because of the coronavirus.

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A woman applauds from the balcony of her Paris home to show support for health care workers on April 20.

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Mayor’s office workers wear protective suits as they conduct a census in a Bogota, Colombia, neighborhood on April 19. They were trying to find out how many families needed to be provided with food.

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A woman sticks her tongue out of a torn mask at a Reopen Maryland rally outside the State House in Annapolis, Maryland, on April 18. Residents in multiple states have been protesting stay-at-home orders.

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Newly married Tyler and Caryn Suiters embrace following their marriage ceremony in Arlington, Virginia, on April 18. The Rev. Andrew Merrow and his wife, Cameron, were the only other attendees at the ceremony, which was held at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church.

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Abed Khankan cuts a customer’s hair outdoors in Malmo, Sweden, on April 17.

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Two women walk to rent a small paddle boat by the Vltava River in Prague, Czech Republic, on April 17.

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Cars sit at a newly opened drive-in cinema in Dortmund, Germany, on April 17. It’s in front of a former blast furnace.

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Funeral workers in Manaus, Brazil, prepare the grave of a woman who is suspected to have died from the coronavirus.

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A member of the Don Bosco Foundation delivers food from the Fraternitas Project, which serves vulnerable families in Seville, Spain, on April 16.

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Police officers try on personal protective equipment in Amritsar, India, on April 16.

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Workers in Nairobi, Kenya, fumigate the streets and the stalls of the City Park Market on April 15.

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Novice Buddhist monks wear face shields at the Molilokayaram Educational Institute in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 15.

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A woman sits on a bench at an empty metro station in Prague, Czech Republic, on April 15.

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Health workers in Barcelona, Spain, acknowledge people who were showing their support from their balconies and windows.

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Workers from the garment sector in Dhaka, Bangladesh, block a road during a protest demanding payment of unpaid wages.

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A woman meets with her son in a “Quarantainer,” a container devised to allow people to visit each other without risking the spread of coronavirus, at a care center in Utrecht, Netherlands, on April 14.

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Firefighters transfer a patient from an ambulance in Montpelier, France, on April 14.

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A cemetery worker pauses while digging graves at the San Vicente cemetery in Cordoba, Argentina, on April 14.

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Workers produce protective face masks at a new factory near Tehran, Iran, on April 14.

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Medical workers in Istanbul clap for 107-year-old Havahan Karadeniz as she is discharged from the hospital on April 13. She had just recovered from the coronavirus.

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A flower shop employee destroys unsold flowers in St. Petersburg, Russia, on April 13.

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A police officer requests that people return to return to their homes during a gathering that marked the Bisket Jatra festival in Bhaktapur, Nepal.

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A doctor in a protective chamber tests a patient for coronavirus at a walk-in kiosk in Chennai, India, on April 13.

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Musicians play their instruments for a retirement home in Karben, Germany, on April 13.

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A woman covers herself with plastic as heavy rain falls outside a New York hospital on April 13.

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People in Jerusalem attend the funeral of Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron, Israel’s former chief rabbi who died from coronavirus complications.

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In Rio de Janeiro, the Christ the Redeemer statue was illuminated to make Christ look like a doctor on April 12.

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A couple stands in a park along the Yangtze River in Wuhan, China.

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Priest-in-charge Angie Smith uses her phone to broadcast an Easter service from a churchyard in Hartley Wintney, England, on April 12.

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Children wave to a person dressed as the Easter Bunny during a neighborhood parade in Haverford, Pennsylvania, on April 10.

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Health workers in Leganes, Spain, cry during a memorial for a co-worker who died because of the coronavirus.

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Volunteers spray disinfectant in a favela in Rio de Janeiro on April 10.

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A health care worker holds the hand of a coronavirus patient being moved at a hospital near Barcelona, Spain, on April 9.

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Service boats spray water in London to show support for health care workers on April 9.

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Employees of Hyundai Card, a credit card company, sit behind protective screens as they eat in an office cafeteria in Seoul, South Korea, on April 9.

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People wait in their cars for the San Antonio Food Bank to begin food distribution on April 9.

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A worker disinfects a carved cross at the Salt Cathedral in Zipaquira, Colombia, on April 8.

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A cake shop employee in Athens, Greece, prepares chocolate Easter bunnies with face masks on April 8.

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Californians Sarah and Aaron Sanders, along with their children, use video conferencing to celebrate a Passover Seder with other family members on April 8.

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Cars in Wuhan line up to leave at a highway toll station.

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Rabbi Yaakov Kotlarsky places Passover Seder to-go packages into a car trunk in Arlington Heights, Illinois, on April 7.

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A man is sprayed with disinfectant prior to going to a market in Tirana, Albania, on Monday, April 6.

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Izzie, left, and Tippi wear ventilated dog masks in Philadelphia on April 6.

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Police detain a doctor in Quetta, Pakistan, who was among dozens of health care workers protesting a lack of personal protective equipment on April 6.

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A Catholic priest sprinkles holy water on devotees during Palm Sunday celebrations in Quezon City, Philippines, on Sunday, April 5.

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Paramilitary members unload provisions in Kampala, Uganda, on Saturday, April 4. It was the first day of government food distribution for people affected by the nation’s lockdown.

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A police officer wearing a coronavirus-themed outfit walks in a market in Chennai, India, to raise awareness about social distancing.

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A woman in Moscow cooks while watching Russian President Vladimir Putin address the nation over the coronavirus pandemic.

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The hashtag “stayhome” is projected onto the Matterhorn mountain that straddles Switzerland and Italy on April 1. The mountain was illuminated by Swiss artist Gerry Hofstetter, who is transforming buildings, monuments and landscapes all over the world to raise awareness during the pandemic.

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Volunteers load food bags on a truck to deliver them to low-income families in Panama City, Panama, on April 1.

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Designer Friederike Jorzig adjusts a mannequin wearing a wedding dress and a face mask at her store in Berlin on March 31.

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People pray next to the grave of musician Robson de Souza Lopes after his burial in Manaus, Brazil, on March 31. According to authorities at the Amazonas Health Secretary, the 43-year-old died after being diagnosed with the novel coronavirus.

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Chris Lyndberg hands out a free lunch to a truck driver at a rest area along Interstate 10 in Sacaton, Arizona, on March 31. The Arizona Trucking Association was giving away 500 Dilly’s Deli lunches to show its appreciation for truck drivers who have been delivering medical supplies, food and other necessities during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Farmers deliver vegetables to a customer in Saint-Georges-sur-Cher, France, on March 29.

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People listen from their homes as priests conduct Sunday mass from a church roof in Rome on March 29.

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A worker fixes partitions at a quarantine center in Guwahati, India, on March 28.

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Devices used in diagnosing the coronavirus are inspected in Cheongju, South Korea, on March 27. The devices were being prepared for testing kits at the bio-diagnostic company SD Biosensor.

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A student does homework in Bratislava, Slovakia, on March 27. Schools have been shut down across the world, and many children have been receiving their lessons online.

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A National Guard truck sprays disinfectant in Caracas, Venezuela, on March 27.

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Pope Francis prays in an empty St. Peter’s Square on March 27.

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Coffins carrying coronavirus victims are stored in a warehouse in Ponte San Pietro, Italy, on March 26. They would be transported to another area for cremation.

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Members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard prepare to take part in disinfecting the city of Tehran on March 25.

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Lydia Hassebroek attends a ballet class from her home in New York on March 25.

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People visit the Beijing Zoo on March 25 after it reopened its outdoor exhibits to the public.

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A woman suspected of having coronavirus is helped from her home by emergency medical technicians Robert Sabia, left, and Mike Pareja, in Paterson, New Jersey, on March 24.

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People practice social distancing as they wait for takeout food at a shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 24.

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People arrive at the South Municipal Cemetery in Madrid to attend the burial of a man who died from the coronavirus.

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Passengers arrive at Hong Kong International Airport on March 23.

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Giuseppe Corbari holds Sunday Mass in front of photographs sent in by his congregation members in Giussano, Italy, on March 22. Many religious services are being streamed online so that people can worship while still maintaining their distance from others.

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People clap from balconies to show their appreciation for health care workers in Mumbai, India.

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A woman attends a Sunday service at the Nairobi Baptist Church in Nairobi, Kenya, on March 22. The service was streamed live on the internet.

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A Syrian Red Crescent member sprays disinfectant along an alley of the historic Hamidiyah market in Damascus, Syria.

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A funeral service is held without family members in Bergamo, Italy, on March 21.

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A member of the Syrian Violet relief group disinfects tents at a camp for displaced people in Kafr Jalis, Syria, on March 21.

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A doctor examines Juan Vasquez inside a testing tent at St. Barnabas Hospital in New York on March 20.

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Medical staff wearing protective suits ride down an escalator at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport on March 18.

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A patient in a biocontainment unit is carried on a stretcher in Rome on March 17.

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A pedestrian walks a dog through a quiet street in New York on March 17.

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People gather to collect free face masks in New Delhi on March 17.

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Students at the Attarkiah Islamic School wear face masks during a ceremony in Thailand’s southern province of Narathiwat on March 17.

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People wait outside a Woolworths store in Sunbury, Australia on March 17. Australian supermarket chains announced special shopping hours for the elderly and people with disabilities so that they can shop in less crowded aisles.

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A member of Spain’s Military Emergencies Unit carries out a general disinfection at the Malaga airport on March 16.

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Displaced families near Atme, Syria, attend a workshop aimed at spreading awareness about the coronavirus.

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A police officer checks the temperatures of bus passengers at a checkpoint in Manila, Philippines, on March 16.

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Flowers are stored prior to their destruction at a flower auction in Aalsmeer, Netherlands, on March 16. Lower demand due to the coronavirus outbreak is threatening the Dutch horticultural sector, forcing the destruction of products.

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Body temperatures are scanned as people enter the Buddhist temple Wat Pho in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 13.

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Two nuns greet neighbors from their balcony in Turin, Italy, on Sunday, March 15.

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Passengers wait for their flights at Marrakesh Airport in Morocco on March 15.

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US Vice President Mike Pence takes a question during a White House briefing about the coronavirus on March 15.

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A Sea World employee sprays disinfectant in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Saturday, March 14.

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A member of the White House physician’s office takes a media member’s temperature in the White House briefing room on March 14. It was ahead of a news conference with President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.

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Reporters in Arlington, Virginia, sit approximately 4 feet apart during a briefing by Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie on March 13.

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People walk past a closed Broadway theater on March 13 after New York canceled all gatherings over 500 people.

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A Costco customer stands by two shopping carts in Richmond, California, on March 13.

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A teacher works in an empty classroom at the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain.

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A woman looks at an empty bread aisle in Antwerp, Belgium, on March 13.

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Employees of the Greek Parliament wear plastic gloves ahead of the swearing-in ceremony for Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

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A motorcyclist drives through disinfectant sprayed in Jammu, India, on March 13.

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Workers prepare to construct an additional building on a hospital on the outskirts of Moscow.

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Paul Boyer, head equipment manager of the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings, wheels out equipment bags in Washington on March 12. The NHL is among the sports leagues that have suspended their seasons.

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Students leave Glacier Peak High School in Snohomish, Washington, on March 12. Beginning the following day, schools in the Snohomish school district planned to be closed through April 24.

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Workers in protective suits disinfect Istanbul’s Dolmabahce Palace on March 11.

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A person wearing a face mask walks outside of a shopping mall in Beijing on March 11.

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Medical staff in Wuhan, China, celebrate after all coronavirus patients were discharged from a temporary hospital on March 9.

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Sumo wrestlers attend a tournament in Osaka, Japan, that was being held behind closed doors because of the coronavirus outbreak.

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A couple rides a bicycle at a park in Seoul, South Korea, on March 7.

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A volunteer from Blue Sky Rescue uses fumigation equipment to disinfect a residential compound in Beijing on March 5.

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Municipal workers are seen at the Kaaba, inside Mecca’s Grand Mosque. Saudi Arabia emptied Islam’s holiest site for sterilization over coronavirus fears, an unprecedented move after the kingdom suspended the year-round Umrah pilgrimage.

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Passengers react as a worker wearing a protective suit disinfects the departure area of a railway station in Hefei, China, on March 4.

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Teachers at the Nagoya International School in Japan conduct an online class for students staying at home as a precaution against the spread of coronavirus.

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Soldiers spray disinfectant throughout a shopping street in Seoul.

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A Muslim worshipper attends a mass prayer against coronavirus in Dakar, Senegal, on March 4. It was after cases were confirmed in the country.

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People wear face masks in New York’s Times Square on March 3. New York reported its first case of coronavirus two days earlier.

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A security guard stands on the Shibuya Sky observation deck in Tokyo on March 3.

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Medical staff stand outside a hospital in Daegu, South Korea, on March 1.

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Health care workers transfer a patient at the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Washington, on March 1. The long-term care facility is linked to confirmed coronavirus cases.

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits a London laboratory of the Public Health England National Infection Service.

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Tomoyuki Sugano, a professional baseball player on the Yomiuri Giants, throws a pitch in an empty Tokyo Dome during a preseason game on February 29. Fans have been barred from preseason games to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

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Commuters wearing masks make their way to work during morning rush hour at the Shinagawa train station in Tokyo on February 28.

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Medical staff transport a coronavirus patient within the Red Cross hospital in Wuhan on February 28.

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A bank clerk disinfects banknotes in China’s Sichuan province on February 26.

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A child wearing a protective face mask rides on a scooter in an empty area in Beijing.

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A Catholic devotee wears a face mask as he is sprinkled with ash during Ash Wednesday services in Paranaque, Philippines, on February 26.

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People disinfect Qom’s Masumeh shrine in Tehran, Iran, on February 25.

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A worker in Daegu stacks plastic buckets containing medical waste from coronavirus patients on February 24.

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Paramedics carry a stretcher off an ambulance in Hong Kong on February 23.

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A team of volunteers disinfects a pedestrian bridge in Bangkok, Thailand.

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A man rides his bike in Beijing on February 23.

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Hospital personnel in Codogno, Italy, carry new beds inside the hospital on February 21. The hospital is hosting some people who have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus.

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Doctors look at a CT scan of a lung at a hospital in Xiaogan, China, on February 20.

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A medical worker rests at the isolation ward of the Red Cross hospital in Wuhan on February 16.

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Authorities watch as the Westerdam cruise ship approaches a port in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, on February 13. Despite having no confirmed cases of coronavirus on board, the Westerdam was refused port by four other Asian countries before being allowed to dock in Cambodia.

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A worker has his temperature checked on a shuttered commercial street in Beijing on February 12.

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Beds are made in the Wuhan Sports Center, which has been converted into a temporary hospital.

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A child rides a scooter past a police officer wearing protective gear outside the Hong Mei House in Hong Kong on February 11. More than 100 people evacuated the housing block after four residents in two different apartments tested positive for the coronavirus.

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A police officer, left, wears protective gear as he guards a cordon at the Hong Mei House in Hong Kong on February 11.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping has his temperature checked during an appearance in Beijing on February 10.

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People participating in a Lunar New Year Parade in New York City hold signs reading, “Wuhan stay strong!” on February 9.

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A worker wearing a protective suit uses a machine to disinfect a business establishment in Shanghai, China, on February 9.

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Workers in protective gear walk near the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Yokohama on February 7.

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A woman grieves while paying tribute to Li at Li’s hospital in Wuhan on February 7.

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The Anthem of the Seas cruise ship is seen docked at the Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, New Jersey, on February 7. Passengers were to be screened for coronavirus as a precaution, an official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told CNN.

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A light installation is displayed by striking members of the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance and other activists at the Hospital Authority building in Hong Kong on February 7.

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Passengers are seen on the deck of the Diamond Princess cruise ship, docked at the Yokohama Port on February 7.

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Flight attendants wearing face masks make their way through Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok on February 7.

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Workers check sterile medical gloves at a latex-product manufacturer in Nanjing, China, on February 6.

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A woman wears a protective mask as she shops in a Beijing market on February 6.

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This aerial photo shows the Leishenshan Hospital that is being built in Wuhan to handle coronavirus patients.

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A passenger shows a note from the World Dream cruise ship docked at the Kai Tak cruise terminal in Hong Kong on February 5.

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A mask is seen on a statue in Beijing on February 5.

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A dog in Beijing wears a makeshift mask constructed from a paper cup.

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Striking hospital workers in Hong Kong demand the closure of the border with mainland China on February 4.

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The Diamond Princess cruise ship sits anchored in quarantine off the port of Yokohama on February 4. It arrived a day earlier with passengers feeling ill.

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A medical worker wearing protective gear waits to take the temperature of people entering Princess Margaret Hospital in Hong Kong on February 4.

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Medical workers in protective suits help transfer patients to a newly completed field hospital in Wuhan.

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People wearing protective overalls talk outside a Wuhan hotel housing people in isolation on February 3.

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A man stands in front of TV screens broadcasting a speech by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam on February 3. Lam said the city would shut almost all border-control points to the mainland.

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A colleague sprays disinfectant on a doctor in Wuhan on February 3.

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Medical workers move a coronavirus patient into an isolation ward at the Second People’s Hospital in Fuyang, China, on February 1.

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Children wear plastic bottles as makeshift masks while waiting to check in to a flight at the Beijing Capital Airport on January 30.

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Passengers in Hong Kong wear protective masks as they wait to board a train at Lo Wu Station, near the mainland border, on January 30.

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A volunteer wearing protective clothing disinfects a street in Qingdao, China, on January 29.

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Nanning residents line up to buy face masks from a medical appliance store on January 29.

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Lyu Jun, left, a member of a medical team leaving for Wuhan, says goodbye to a loved one in Urumqi, China, on January 28.

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A charter flight from Wuhan arrives at an airport in Anchorage, Alaska, on January 28. The US government chartered the plane to bring home US citizens and diplomats from the American consulate in Wuhan.

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South Korean President Moon Jae-in wears a mask to inspect the National Medical Center in Seoul on January 28.

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Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, center, attends a news conference in Hong Kong on January 28. Lam said China will stop individual travelers to Hong Kong while closing some border checkpoints and restricting flights and train services from the mainland.

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Workers at an airport in Novosibirsk, Russia, check the temperatures of passengers who arrived from Beijing on January 28.

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US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar speaks during a news conference about the American public-health response.

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Two residents walk in an empty park in Wuhan on January 27. The city remained on lockdown for a fourth day.

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A person wears a protective mask, goggles and coat as he stands in a nearly empty street in Beijing on January 26.

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Medical staff members bring a patient to the Wuhan Red Cross hospital on January 25.

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People wear protective masks as they walk under Lunar New Year decorations in Beijing on January 25.

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Construction workers in Wuhan begin to work on a special hospital to deal with the outbreak on January 24.

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A couple kisses goodbye as they travel for the Lunar New Year holiday in Beijing on January 24.

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Workers manufacture protective face masks at a factory in China’s Hubei Province on January 23.

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Shoppers wear masks in a Wuhan market on January 23.

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Passengers are checked by a thermography device at an airport in Osaka, Japan, on January 23.

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People wear masks while shopping for vegetables in Wuhan on January 23.

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A militia member checks the body temperature of a driver in Wuhan on January 23.

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Passengers wear masks as they arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, Philippines, on January 23.

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Passengers wear masks at the high-speed train station in Hong Kong on January 23.

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A woman rides an electric bicycle in Wuhan on January 22.

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People in Guangzhou, China, wear protective masks on January 22.

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As Fishermen Flounder, Trump Clears A Path For Factory Farming The Oceans

Kindra Arnesen still had her baby teeth when she started working on the docks in Plaquemine Parish, a spindrift of land kicked southeastward off the Louisiana boot tip into the Gulf of Mexico.

Family troubles made home an unwelcome place. But with fishermen, many of whom had hauled shrimp and almaco jack from the Gulf for generations, she found safety and income, earning hundreds of dollars a week shucking oysters in the sticky summer heat. 

“These guys took me in and brought me up,” Arnesen said. “They showed me this is a good way of life.”

Making a living has been getting harder for her and others in the business. Tight regulations, pollution from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and competition from charter boats and amateur anglers were already driving would-be fourth- or fifth-generation fishers in the region to take up other professions. Then came the novel coronavirus pandemic. 

Since lockdown measures began across the country in March, seafood sales to restaurants, which normally buy up to 80% of fresh catch, have dropped dramatically, threatening thousands of mom-and-pop fishing businesses with bankruptcy. 

So when President Donald Trump ordered the Commerce Department to roll back regulations on commercial fishing earlier this month, Arnesen expected some relief. But her stomach dropped as she read the May 7 executive order. The main thrust of the presidential fiat set in motion a process to open federal waters, the stretch of ocean between three to 200 miles off most U.S. coastlines, to private companies farming fish in giant pens.

“It’s such a slap in the face,” Arnesen said. “This will destroy not only my business model but thousands of other business models across the entire coastline.”

Advocates for the U.S. aquaculture industry have long argued that the world’s growing appetite for seafood demands the expansion of fish farming, from oyster beds and inland salmon ponds to open-water pens teeming with finfish. At a moment when human-induced global warming is rapidly changing life in oceans, those in this nascent sector compare offshore aquaculture to seaward wind turbines ― a tool with more benefits than tradeoffs when it comes to sustainability. 

“The United States has the technology, the skilled workforce, the coastal infrastructure, and the growing market for healthy farmed seafood,” Bill DiMento, president of the pro-aquaculture business group Stronger America Through Seafood, said in a statement. “Our country needs economic stimulus ― not just in terms of immediate cash assistance, but also in the form of new job opportunities. Why not put Americans back to work in an emerging industry like aquaculture at a time when it is needed most?”

But the concern isn’t just that raising tuna or tilapia in federal waters will eat into the market share of those who currently make a living off the seas. Environmentalists say farmed fish produce concentrated pollution and risk devastating wild populations should they accidentally get turned loose in open waters.

The existing supply networks for producing the food farmed fish eat threaten to break foundational links in food chains from the Gulf to The Gambia, the small country on Africa’s west coast, jeopardizing the animals and people who have relied on the fish stocks that aquaculture companies crave. 

The Trump administration’s move comes as the novel coronavirus pandemic rips through the nation’s meat supply chain. That has fueled fresh calls to drastically overhaul the meat-producing industry, whose pollution, animal cruelty and harsh treatment of workers threaten more public health crises in years to come. 



An aquaculture fishery in Qingdao, China.

“This is the nightmare scenario: Having all these factory fish farms offshore that are going to be breeding disease and causing pollution,” said Rosanna Marie Neil, the policy counsel at the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance, a group that advocates for fishermen. “That’s the last thing we need right now when we’re going through a pandemic.”

‘It’ll Drop Our Price To Bottom Dollar’

Before any giant fish pens can be plopped down in open oceans, Congress would need to give its approval through legislation, Neil said. But the aquaculture industry already enjoys bipartisan support.

Its website, Stronger America Through Seafood ― whose board includes executives from aquaculture startups, the restaurant chain Red Lobster and agribusiness giant Cargill ― displays endorsements from Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.) and Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.). The group has spent at least $161,500 on lobbying since the start of 2018, according to disclosures ProPublica collated. 

What Trump’s executive order this month did is establish the federal chain of command to speed through aquaculture projects once the legal approval is in place. 

The 3,100-word order instructs federal agencies to start devising a permit system and designates the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as the lead agency with authority to review and green-light projects in federal waters. 

The order, according to the Food & Environment Reporting Network, settles a longstanding debate over who should regulate the nation’s fisheries, requiring that other agencies cooperate with NOAA’s decisions. NOAA sued for such authority as recently as 2016. 

The Environmental Protection Agency is still reviewing a project to raise almaco jack in weighted net pens shaped like chalices in the Gulf of Mexico off Sarasota, Florida. Under the new guidelines, NOAA would have ultimate authority to oversee similar projects.

“Our mission, as a company, is to soften humanity’s footprint on the seas,” said Neil Anthony Sims, the chief executive of Ocean Era, the company behind the project. 

“If we can have established a commercial offshore net pen operation in the Gulf of Mexico by 2025, so that the Gulf-region fishing and boating communities can actually see for themselves the minimal impacts,” he said, “then I will feel that we have established a model for how we might be able to then build further on this, and move to significantly reduce our collective footprint on marine ecosystems.” 

But the project, known as Velella Epsilon, highlights the concerns fishers like Arnesen have over offshore fish farming. The project proposed raising two cohorts of fish over 18 months, ultimately producing 136,000 pounds of seafood, nearly two-thirds the total commercial fishers’ annual catch limit for wild species.

Yet commercial fishers, Arnesen said, feel they’re at a disadvantage. They pay thousands upon thousands of dollars to meet regulatory requirements and haul fish from the open waters during only certain times of the year. Farms, meanwhile, have costs that are easier to calculate, and they harvest all at once, potentially flooding the market before the fishing season even starts.

“They’re literally trying to match every bit of stock that we’re already putting on the market,” Arnesen said. “What would happen if they’re successful and that occurs? It’ll drop our price to bottom dollar, where it will no longer be feasible for us to fish that particular species.” 

Another worry is what happens when a storm comes. Federal forecasters last week predicted 2020 would bring a record fifth consecutive active hurricane season.  

“We’re a hotspot for tropical storms and hurricanes,” Arnesen said. “I’ve seen where medium-sized hurricanes have ripped oil platforms from the seafloor. How do they think they can secure these cages? There’s no way to build a structure that a storm can’t tear up.”

Washington state banned inland salmon farms in 2018 after the non-native domestic fish escaped cages and invaded local rivers. The effects of unleashing the fish into ecosystems already in flux is one problem from climate change is still unclear. Pollution from net pens is another concern.

“There’s the waste issue,” said Miriam Goldstein, the director of ocean policy at the liberal Center for American Progress. “Simply put: These fish are pooping.”

Researchers writing in the Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics volume concluded in 2011 that the “obvious environmental and animal welfare aspects of finfish aquaculture make it hard to ethically defend a fish diet.”

Sims pointed to a five-year study published in 2019 in the Journal of the World Aquaculture Society that found no significant uptick in pollution from an offshore finfish farm off of Panama’s Caribbean coast.

Yet pesticides and chemicals to treat farmed fish for diseases that may develop in close quarters could also cause damage, as can excess food that falls out of the cages. A 2014 federal review found “offshore finfish aquaculture operations generally do not have the ability to prevent chemicals and veterinary drugs (if used) and uneaten feed and fish waste from leaving the farm environment and flowing into adjacent waters.” The environmental group Friends of the Earth concluded that “diseases, parasites, and other issues plague the stocks of industrial ocean fish farms, often causing significant death tolls.”

One model for avoiding these problems is Sims’ flagship fish farm in Hawaii, called Kona Kampachi. The project, which moved forward with special permits from NOAA and is now run by the company Blue Ocean Mariculture, is carefully monitored with divers who halt feeding if fishmeal starts seeping out of the spherical net pens.

But Goldstein said the Hawaii farm “isn’t necessarily replicable.” Hawaii, the product of undersea volcanoes, has no continental shelf, so the farm is located in deep waters where there is little concern for how feces or food could hurt life at the bottom. (Sims argued that mandating and enforcing similar conditions would be “simply a matter of agency will. No one, anywhere, is suggesting that that be changed.”)

This is the nightmare scenario: Having all these factory fish farms offshore that are going to be breeding disease and causing pollution.
Rosanna Marie Neil, policy counsel at the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance

The fishmeal itself raises more concerns. Fish farms in the Gulf would likely feed on anchovies or menhaden, a small, oily and abundant fish that serves as a cornerstone of the wild food chain, disrupting the wild ecosystem. Pressure on the menhaden population in the years after the BP oil spill, for example, threw other species into turmoil, studies published in 2017 found. 

The aquaculture industry’s demand for such fishmeal ripples oceans away.  Chinese fishmeal companies monopolized the market for fish that locals in The Gambia, once considered a staple protein. 

“Now the people there have no access to those fish because fishmeal firms can pay more,” Goldstein said. “If U.S. fish farms were to enter the fray, there’s no guarantee fishmeal would be sustainably or ethically sourced.”

A False Premise

The Trump administration frequently cites the statistic that 90% of seafood Americans eat is imported ― the so-called “seafood deficit,” which in turn is part of the argument propelling fish farming projects. But the 90% figure is misleading. A large percentage of the seafood consumed in the U.S. is caught here, shipped overseas for processing, then re-imported.

A study published last May in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences argued that the percentage of seafood caught overseas and eaten in the U.S. is closer to 65%. 

Even that figure doesn’t mean “the seafood deficit is a problem,” said Goldstein. 

“It reflects consumer preferences,” she said. “If you go to Costco and look at what people are buying and selling, Americans like to eat a lot of farmed salmon and imported shrimp. But America catches a lot of squid.” 

Federal regulators could also permit commercial fishers to catch species currently designated only for sport fishing and personal consumption, such as red drum, an abundant and flavorful fish. 

“There are underutilized species that we could be harvesting to feed our nation,” Arnesen said. 

President Donald Trump's administration has expressed concern about the dubious "seafood deficit," which has helped fuel the



President Donald Trump’s administration has expressed concern about the dubious “seafood deficit,” which has helped fuel the push for fish farming.

Elsewhere in the country, environmentalists support expanding aquaculture. In Maine, where the shrimp fishery was closed in 2013, fishers struggle in the winter months after the lobster season peaks. One solution, as laid out in the Blue New Deal Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) proposed during her failed presidential bid, is to offer state and federal incentives to spur new fish processing markets and farms to produce shellfish and seaweed. 

Sims cautioned that overlapping agency jurisdictions have been an obstacle to even attempting experimental projects, and said the new executive order doesn’t actually “change any of the regulations for offshore aquaculture, or the requirements for review.”

“It simply mandates that the agencies be proactive in identifying areas where aquaculture could be acceptable[,] identifies NOAA as a lead agency and sets a timeline for review,” he said. “The timeline is to prevent agency constipation.” 

But even in a best-case scenario, Goldstein said, the Trump administration order would only end up “selling off federal waters to industrial aquaculture operators with no fish to be seen for another two to three years.” 

“They justify this whole executive order over food security and helping coastal communities, but this does not help coastal communities at all,” she said. “And they are in very, very serious trouble right now.” 

Arnesen said the smattering of regulatory benefits the order offers to commercial fishermen seems meant to “pacify us and shut us up.” But that’s not in her plans. 

“We should have run a public relations campaign a long time ago,” she said. She offered a preview of what the coming one will look like: “They’re privatizing public waters. It’s not my fish, it’s your fish, I just go catch it for you.” 

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Drive-Thrus And Drive-Ins: Muslim Americans Celebrate Eid Amid The Coronavirus Pandemic

Every year, Zarinah El-Amin’s mother, Cheryl, and fellow Muslim women in Detroit pooled their money to purchase toys for children on Eid, the annual festival that marks the end of Ramadan. They wanted to make sure every Muslim child who came to the mosque for Eid prayers could walk out with a toy ― a special way to mark the holiday and give back to the community. 

So after her mother died last year, she took over the toy drive. But then the coronavirus pandemic halted gatherings and closing mosques in its wake ― and it forced her and the community to find a new way to celebrate together. 

Muslims across the world have had to readjust traditions in order to comply with social distancing orders, and for the last month, Muslims have marked a particularly challenging Ramadan –– the holy month in which Muslims fast from dawn to dusk and traditionally break that fast with large dinner parties and gatherings at the mosques.

Eid al-Fitr, which took place Sunday, is usually marked by morning prayer services followed by traditional gatherings of friends and family over lavish meals. Instead, Muslims found other ways to mark the day, including praying at home and connecting with family over video-conferencing apps, such as Zoom.

In the days leading up to Eid, El-Amin and her two youngest children, Isra and Isa Naeem, picked out toys and packed goodie bags filled with candy to give to other Muslim children. For even just a day, El-Amin and her family can forget the pandemic and celebrate the true essence of Eid ― community and festivity after a month of sacrifice and hard work. 



Left top: Isra Naeem, 7, left, holds onto a purple balloon while Tasneem Abdul-Basir, center, and Laila Saadiq help set up and secure decorations before the Woodward Eid Cruise on Sunday, May 24, at the Muslim Center Masjid in Detroit. Right top: Zarinah El-Amin poses for a portrait outside the Muslim Center Masjid before helping to set up the treat and toy drive station for the Woodward Eid Cruise on the last day of Eid al-Fitr. Bottom left: A volunteer hands a goodie bag to a family before the Woodward Eid Cruise. Bottom right: A family waves from their car while they make their way around Campus Martius Park during the Woodward Eid Cruise.

“It’s so important for them to see that they can be happy and they can have their own traditions,” she said. “And they can share those traditions with other people, and they don’t have to feel left out.” 

On Sunday, they handed out the goodie bags as part of a new drive-thru Eid.

The idea started when Sameerah Sadiq, a local business owner, was strolling down Woodward Avenue with her husband the week before and were reminded of the Woodward Dream Cruise, an annual car parade in Michigan that has brought together more than a million people in the past. Although it is unlikely that this year’s car show will happen because of the coronavirus, Sadiq floated the idea of having a smaller cruise to mark Eid.

“I was trying to figure out how we as a family could enjoy this quarantine Eid, and that was the first thing that came to mind,” Sadiq said. “It supports social distancing, and it allows for us to still have some type of festivities during our celebration.”

So instead of dressing up to come to the mosque for prayers, Muslims in the community prayed at home, dressed themselves and their cars up, and joined their community for a Woodward Eid cruise.

Families started at the Muslim Center, where nearly 200 cars snaked around the mosque parking lot while volunteers, including El-Amin, handed out toys to those families who were required to stay in their cars. The procession then continued downtown.

“This entire pandemic has been traumatizing for people, and it’s showing up in children’s lives in different ways,” said Mark Crain, the executive director of Dream of Detroit, a community development initiative, and a father of two who helped bring the event to life. “Whatever we can do to mitigate that a little bit, and to preserve the spirit of fun and celebration on Eid for them, that’s what we want to try and do.”

Mosque Drive-Thrus And Drive-Ins

Mosques across the country have embarked on creative ways to celebrate Eid while respecting social distancing orders. Islamic Centers in New York, Florida, New Jersey and Canada hosted Eid drive-thru celebrations.

In Bridgewater, Illinois, where more than 15,000 people gathered for last year’s Eid at the Toyota Park Stadium, the local Mosque Foundation hosted a drive-by reception. Muslim families drove into the Mosque Foundation’s parking lot to greet others from their vehicles while mosque staff, some dressed in cartoon character costumes, handed out gifts and goodie bags to children.

“We want to make sure that people would not miss that spirit of the first day of Eid at the conclusion of Ramadan,” said Oussama Jammal, the mosque’s president and board chairman. “Our faith is very flexible and very understanding of exceptional situations, and therefore allowed us to exercise exceptional ways to worship.”

In Sacramento, California, Muslim organizers also coordinated a drive-thru during the day so people could greet their family and friends from a safe distance and enjoy coffee ― a traditional treat after a month of fasting. 

In the evening, organizers put together a Drive-In Eid Movie Night, when families watched “Spider-Man” from their cars. Waseem Peracha, one of the organizers, said it was important for him to find a way for young Muslim children to celebrate Eid despite the pandemic. His organization, Ilmscape, arranges retreats for young Muslims in the Sacramento area, but those are now on hold. “COVID shouldn’t stop us from practicing our faith,” he said. “Our faith teaches us to be righteous and be good to the neighbors, be festive and try to have a positive attitude.”

Upholding Traditions At Home

Near Baltimore, Abeer Shinnawi, a veteran teacher for 18 years and mother to three girls, is trying to foster the spirit of Eid at home. Most years, Shinnawi and her family return to her native Chicago to celebrate Eid with family and friends. If they were unable to travel, they celebrated with loved ones nearby.

Last year, Shinnawi’s mom friends and their daughters gathered in her home to make maa’moul, a traditional Middle Eastern cookie made of semolina and stuffed with date paste or nuts. This year, Shinnawi and her girls made the cookies alone. 

Shinnawi said it was difficult figuring out how to best celebrate while following social distancing, especially as a Palestinian and an Arab, for whom physical touch and hospitality are emphasized in the culture. She wanted to serve and feed everyone personally. 

But if being a history teacher has taught her anything, it’s that people have coped in the past. Her mother used to record cassette tapes to send to her family. Now, Shinnawi has myriad options to see, chat and connect with her family and friends. 

That sense of community and history is important to El-Amin, too, who has been homeschooling her children since schools closed down in Detroit. So far, the experience and Eid gift preparation have offered lessons in gratitude, patience and the unpredictability of life. 

“We should be thankful that we get to have the stuff and we should be thankful that we get to do this and help other people, too,” said her 7-year-old, Isra Naeem.

El-Amin said celebrating Eid as a family and community helps the children through the challenges of growing up as Muslims in America.

“They do not see their holidays reflected in the broader society,” she said. “They can’t just walk in Target and everything is looking like Eid. It is incumbent upon us to make sure that it is ingrained in them so that they know not only the significance of what the holiday is but also so that they can feel excited.”

Cars line Woodward Avenue with a police escort as they head toward Campus Martius Park all the way from the Muslim Center Mas



Cars line Woodward Avenue with a police escort as they head toward Campus Martius Park all the way from the Muslim Center Masjid during the Woodward Eid Cruise on Sunday, May 24, in Detroit. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

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