COVID-19 Briefly — State parks; rumors; Rand Paul; Gaza strip

Mo. state parks remain open

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is keeping state parks open amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The department will try to limit visitors' interaction with rangers and other park staffers, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

"Out of an abundance of caution, Missouri Department of Natural Resources announces Missouri State Parks will temporarily close visitor centers, park offices and site offices to walk-in foot traffic through April 30," the department announced.

State park workers will be on-site to answer questions and sign in campers. Signs will direct guests to restrooms and other services.

The changes went into effect Friday in a move to curtail the spread of the coronavirus. Campgrounds, all day-use areas, boat ramps and trails remain open.

Natural Resources has stopped taking reservations for picnic pavilions and group camping sites where large groups might gather. Nature programs and tours at historic sites also have been suspended.

Lodges are still open, but local vendors may seek to limit the number of people in restaurants or other public spaces.

FEMA page addresses rumors

Officials with Federal Emergency Management Agency have created an online page to address COVID-19 rumors.

According to a FEMA release, "The purpose of this FEMA page is to help the public distinguish between rumors and facts regarding the response to coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Rumors can easily circulate within communities during a crisis, stay informed with our updated myth vs. facts related to the federal (COVID-19) response."

The page may be found at www.fema.gov/coronavirus-rumor-control.

For more information on the coronavirus, visit coronavirus.gov.

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul contracts virus

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Sunday he had tested positive for the disease caused by the new coronavirus, becoming the first member of the Senate to report a case of COVID-19. He said in a tweet that he was feeling fine and was in quarantine.

Paul, a doctor, said he has not had symptoms and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. He said he was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person.

Paul, a deficit hawk, was among eight Senate Republicans who voted against a House-passed bill last week providing more than $100 billion to boost testing for the coronavirus and guarantee paid sick leave for millions of workers. He also was the only Republican senator who opposed an earlier bill authorizing $8.3 billion for initial response to the coronavirus.

The senator was on Capitol Hill on Wednesday afternoon, which was the last time the Senate held floor votes, including on one of his amendments. While Senate Republicans have lunched together as a group most days since, it is unclear whether Paul was among them.

South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the second-ranking Republican senator, said on the Senate floor Sunday that lawmakers will consult with the attending physician at the Capitol about those senators who have been in contact with Paul.

Two House members, Reps. Mario Diaz Balart, R-Fla., and Ben McAdams, D-Utah,, have tested positive.

Virus reaches Gaza Strip

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) -- The arrival of the coronavirus in the Gaza Strip, an impoverished enclave where the health care system has been gutted by years of conflict, raised fears Sunday the pandemic may soon prey on some of the most vulnerable populations in the world.

Authorities in Gaza, which has been under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade since the Islamic militant group Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007, confirmed its first two cases overnight, in returnees who had come from Pakistan.

An outbreak could wreak havoc on the Palestinian territory, which is home to more than 2 million people, many living in cramped cities and refugee camps. There are similar concerns of a catastrophe if the virus turns up in war-torn Syria, Libya or Yemen.

The virus causes only minor flu-like symptoms in most people, who recover in a matter of weeks. But it is highly contagious and can cause severe illness or death in some patients, particularly the elderly and those with underlying health problems. Those with severe cases are often only able to breathe with respirators.

Abdelnasser Soboh, director of the World Health Organization's Gaza office, said the territory only has 62 ventilators, with all but 15 already in use. He estimates the territory needs 50 to 100 more to address an outbreak.

With its current capacity, he estimated Gaza's hospitals can handle the first 100 cases if they come in gradually. "If there is a spread to hundreds, this will cause a challenge to the health care system," he said.