US News Roundup: FTA advises on transit cleaning; Cruise ship hit by coronavirus outbreak bound for Oakland and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Cancer patient aboard coronavirus-stalled cruise faces possible chemotherapy delay

Among the 2,400 passengers stranded off the California coast on a cruise ship carrying at least 21 people infected with coronavirus, few people aboard likely have more to lose than Kari Kolstoe, a retiree from North Dakota with stage-4 cancer. Kolstoe, 60, said she and her husband, Paul, 61, had looked forward to the Grand Princess cruise to Hawaii as a brief, badly needed respite from the grind of medical intervention she has endured for the past 18 months.

FTA advises on transit cleaning, little guidance on system shutdowns due to virus

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) had little new advice to offer transit systems in the event they might have to shut down their commuter networks for the coronavirus outbreak in a conference call on Friday but told operators they could find sanitation guidance on government websites. In a conference call on Friday hosted by the U.S. Department of Transportation with more than 1,000 participants, K. Jane Williams, acting administrator of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), said that while the agency "is carefully obviously monitoring the situation, we have not issued any directives or guidance on system shutdowns."

Americans divided into party lines over risk from coronavirus: Reuters/Ipsos poll

Americans who now find themselves politically divided over seemingly everything are now forming two very different views of another major issue: the dangers of the new coronavirus. Democrats are about twice as likely as Republicans to say the coronavirus poses an imminent threat to the United States, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted this week.

Cruise ship hit by coronavirus outbreak bound for Oakland, California

The cruise ship Grand Princess, held at sea and barred from returning to San Francisco last week due to a coronavirus outbreak aboard the vessel, has been directed to the nearby port of Oakland, the cruise line said on Saturday, presumably to be placed under quarantine. The ship, carrying some 2,400 passengers and 1,100 crew members, is due to reach Oakland, across San Francisco Bay from its original home port destination, on Monday, with the arrival time yet to be determined, Princess Cruises said in a statement.

No more refills: U.S. airlines step up measures to guard against coronavirus

U.S. airlines are stepping up measures to guard against the spread of coronavirus through person-to-person contamination on airplanes, from eliminating wine and water refills to keeping passengers from touching serving trays and food baskets. Rather than bringing wine or water bottles into the aisles for refills, flight attendants on United Airlines will now provide a new cup or glass.

U.S. pastor tells how Bethlehem trip turned into coronavirus quarantine ordeal

Thirteen Americans suspected of being exposed to coronavirus during a trip to the Holy Land are in quarantine near Bethlehem and are coordinating with U.S. and Palestinian authorities to try to get home. "It was going to be the trip of a lifetime," Chris Bell, 42, lead pastor of the 3Circle Church in Fairhope, Alabama, said in a video chat with Reuters from the second floor of the Angel Hotel in Beit Jala, which is next to Bethlehem.

U.S. airport screeners, health workers plagued by fear and anger as coronavirus spreads

As coronavirus cases exploded across the world, federal medical workers tasked with screening incoming passengers at U.S. airports grew alarmed: Many were working without the most effective masks to protect them from getting sick themselves. Screeners with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked their supervisors this week to change official protocols and require stronger masks, according to an internal document reviewed by Reuters. On Friday evening, they learned their worst fears were realized: Two screeners, both working at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), had tested positive for the virus.

The U.S. says it is tracking ship that may have shared crew with coronavirus-hit cruise liner

The United States is tracking a cruise ship that may have shared crew members with a ship carrying people who tested positive for COVID-19, Vice President Mike Pence said on Saturday. "We are tracking at this point a ship that may have shared crew with the Diamond Princess or the Grand Princess and we've taken decisive action to hold until we do a full medical assessment of the crew on that ship," Pence said after a meeting with cruise line industry officials in Florida.

U.S. death toll from coronavirus hits 19, New York declares emergency

Two more people succumbed to the novel coronavirus in Washington state, officials said on Saturday, bringing the nationwide toll to 19, while the number of confirmed cases in New York rose to 89 and a cruise ship with infected passengers remained stranded outside San Francisco. More than half of all U.S. states have reported cases of the coronavirus, which originated in China last year and causes the sometimes deadly respiratory illness COVID-19. As the outbreak takes root, daily life has become increasingly disrupted, with concerts and conferences canceled and universities telling students to stay home and take classes online.

FDA head says 2.1 million coronavirus tests will have been shipped to labs by Monday

The head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Saturday that materials for 2.1 million coronavirus tests will have been shipped to non-public U.S. labs by Monday, as the Trump administration aims to counter criticism that its response to the disease has been sluggish. Stephen Hahn, the FDA commissioner, told reporters at the White House that manufacturers have told the agency they believe that by the end of next week they could scale up to a capacity of 4 million additional tests.