| THURSDAY, MARCH 12 |
TRAVEL BAN President Trump announced a travel ban from Europe hours after the World Health Organization declared that the coronavirus was a global pandemic. “We made a lifesaving move with early action on China. Now we must take the same action with Europe,” said Trump. In his address to the nation, Trump also called for “immediate payroll tax relief” which would eliminate the 6.2% tax on employee’s salary up to $137,000. READ
CORONAVIRUS NEWS A roundup of other headlines: Actor Tom Hanks and his wife contracted coronavirus. The NBA has suspended all games until further notice as one player tested positive. New York City postponed its St. Patrick’s Day Parade for the first time in 258 years. The Trump campaign said the Catholics for Trump event in Milwaukee planned for next week will be rescheduled. Twitter told all employees to work from home. READ
SEATTLE: NO MASS Archbishop Paul Etienne announced that all public Masses will be suspended indefinitely in response to the coronavirus pandemic. “I want to acknowledge the best science that is out there, that basically says despite our best efforts, this epidemic is going to continue to spread, that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be doing everything we possibly can to restrict the spread of this virus and of this epidemic,” said Etienne. READ
QUOTE OF THE DAY “According to models, a 25% reduction in contacts yields a 50% reduction in infections. So schools are going to close. Daycare is going to close. Flights will be canceled. You won’t be allowed to visit your mom or grandma at the nursing home. Your Friday Fish Fry isn’t going to happen. We may not shut down as totally as Italy has, but we’ll soon be closer to where Italy is today than to where the U.S. was on Monday.” -Tim Carney, Washington Examiner READ
IMMIGRATION The Supreme Court blocked a lower court injunction and allowed the Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” program to stay in effect. “The Migrant Protection Protocols, implemented pursuant to express authority granted by Congress decades ago, have been critical to restoring the government’s ability to manage the Southwest border and to work cooperatively with the Mexican government to address illegal immigration,” a Justice Department spokesman said. READ
LITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR The elderly are especially vulnerable to coronavirus. The Little Sisters of the Poor, a religious order dedicated to serving the elderly poor, said that they are taking extra measures to keep the residents of their homes safe from illness. “We are following all of the guidance being given in order to keep our elderly residents as safe as possible,” said Sr. Constance Veit, LSP. READ
JOHN PAUL II’S PARENTS Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski of Krakow announced that they have obtained approval to open the beatification causes of St. John Paul II’s parents. “The immediate family strongly influenced spiritual and intellectual development of the future Pope,” the Polish bishops’ conference said. READ
SAINT OF THE DAY Saint Leander of Seville was a Catholic bishop surrounded by Arians for much of his life. He fought hard to restore faith in the divinity of Christ, using the profession of the Nicene Creed as a tool. READ
DAILY READINGS “Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.” (Ps 31:5) READ
