New coronavirus case in Dallas county; patient sickened without recent travel, meaning it was ‘community spread’

Des Moines Register: There is “community spread” of the coronavirus in Iowa for the first time, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Saturday night, a new designation that means the virus is spreading in the state from an unknown source. Reynolds made the announcement while discussing a new coronavirus case out of Dallas County, along with reports of community spread in neighboring Omaha, Nebraska. The new case is an Iowan who lives in Dallas County, according to public health officials, and is between 61 and 80 years old.

– What’s been closed, canceled or postponed around Iowa as a result of the spreading coronavirus (Des Moines Register)

– From a basement office to quarantine on a military base, this is novel coronavirus through the eyes of 6 Iowans (Des Moines Register)

Iowa News Now: Legislative leaders are convening Monday about the next steps for the legislative session. Last week leaders told the press corps that community spread would be the key for more drastic decisions regarding the session.

The first U.S. layoffs from the coronavirus are here

This Washington Post piece provides a broad look at how layoffs are already starting across the country as a result of the coronavirus. Ports, bakeries and travel agencies are among the first industries hit, and economists worry more are coming due to plummeting sales.

He has 17,700 bottles of sanitizer; the ethics of capitalism during pandemic

This New York Times piece centers around one man – and others across the country – that are profiting by selling high-demand products at exorbitant prices. They do this regularly as a business, but this time, due to the coronavirus, the practice is being scrutinized and attempted to be regulated by various online platforms. The piece explores the ethics of capitalism during a pandemic. As an aside, after the article published, the man told the Times he intended to explore ways to donate the supplies.

Seattle in the age of coronavirus: Not quite empty, but eerie

Mayor Frank Cownie earlier this week said the measures we are taking are so that Des Moines doesn’t become the next Seattle. So what’s going on in Seattle, the epicenter of one of the worst outbreaks? This story from the Seattle Times paints a bleak and eerie picture: “Seattle is not empty. But it is eerie. There are cars on the road. But there is no traffic. Restaurants are open. But there are few customers. Planes are flying out of Sea-Tac, ferries are sailing into Colman Dock and buses are rolling along. None are full. Most aren’t close. As, one by one, our civic institutions have shut down — schools, libraries, courts, the Space Needle — life continues on here, at the forefront of a national emergency that has distorted the social fabric unlike anything in our lifetimes. But it is quieter. Lonelier. Distant.”