Two more imported Covid-19 cases detected in Mongolia www.montsame.mn

At today’s briefing of the Ministry of Health, General Director of the National Center for Communicable Diseases D.Nyamkhuu reported that two more imported cases of Covid-19 have been detected in the country. On March 28, the Republic of Korea sent a charter flight to repatriate its citizens in Mongolia and three family members of the staff of the Turkish Embassy in Mongolia arrived by the flight to Ulaanbaatar.

Should you wear a mask? US health officials re-examine guidance amid coronavirus crisis www.cnn.com (from MBD: PLEASE USE YOUR MASK DOES NOT MATTER WHAT WHO AND DONALD TRUMP SAY!!

(CNN)It's the debate heard 'round the world: Should you or shouldn't you wear a face mask during the coronavirus pandemic?

That's something White House and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials are discussing, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert.
WHO stands by recommendation to not wear masks if you are not sick or not caring for someone who is sick
WHO stands by recommendation to not wear masks if you are not sick or not caring for someone who is sick
While the World Health Organization on Monday stood by its recommendation only to wear a mask if you are sick or caring for someone who is sick, a growing number of officials and health experts argue that people should wear masks to help prevent spread of the virus.
"We are not going to be wearing masks forever, but it could be for a short period of time after we get back into gear. I could see something like that happening for a period of time," President Trump said during Monday's White House briefing.
The idea of recommending broad use of masks in the United States is under "very active discussion" at the White House, said Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, adding that the White House Task Force will be discussing it Tuesday.
Speaking to CNN's Jim Sciutto, Fauci said on CNN Newsroom that "the idea of getting a much more broad communitywide use of masks outside of the health care setting is under very active discussion at the Task Force. The CDC group is looking at that very carefully."
White House task force actively discussing whether public should be wearing masks, Fauci says
White House task force actively discussing whether public should be wearing masks, Fauci says
"The thing that has inhibited that a bit is to make sure we don't take away the supply of masks from the health care workers who need them," Fauci added. "But when we get in a situation where we have enough masks, I believe there will be some very serious consideration about more broadening this recommendation of using masks. We're not there yet, but I think we're close to coming to some determination.
"Because if, in fact, a person who may or may not be infected wants to prevent infecting somebody else, the best way to do that is with a mask. Perhaps that's the way to go."
Fauci warned, "You don't want to take masks away from the health care providers who are in a real and present danger of getting infected. That would be the worst thing we do. If we have them covered, then you could look back and say maybe we need to broaden this."
Meanwhile, many health experts already have turned to social media to make the argument for the public to wear masks, signaling a shift in some medical opinions around the topic.
Different types of masks under debate
In this debate, there are different types of masks in question: N95 respirator masks, surgical masks and cloth masks, which could be homemade.
Trump says he could see recommending all Americans wear masks
Trump says he could see recommending all Americans wear masks
"The N95 masks that we wear in health care should not be worn by the general public," Dr. James Phillips, CNN medical analyst and assistant professor of emergency medicine at George Washington University, said during an appearance on New Day on Tuesday morning.
"There's not any great proof that that's going to make a big difference. Those are used to prevent getting the disease from health care workers that are in close proximity to patients with it," Phillips said.
He added that surgical masks or cloth masks are different.
"Those are designed to keep the droplets that may be infected from coming out of your own mouth and nose on to other people, thus, spreading the disease. It makes logical sense that if everyone, including those who may be spreading the virus, was wearing that mask as sort of a shield over their face to prevent droplets from getting out into the air, that it would limit the transmission of the virus," Philips said on New Day.
"Now, cloth masks are not recommended to try to prevent you from getting disease, that's been shown to not work -- that's why we don't wear cloth masks in the hospital," he said. "I think the CDC and the federal government will end up coming out with a recommendation for people to wear masks, specifically to prevent droplet spread. I think that's coming."
Celebs pictured in face masks amid coronavirus fears

Celebs pictured in face masks amid coronavirus fears 01:19
Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, wrote in a Twitter post on Sunday that a recommendation from the CDC "for consumers to wear cotton masks (with guidelines on how to fashion these products from household items) can improve safety and reduce spread and not strain the hospital supply chain."
Also on Twitter, Tom Inglesby, director of Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, wrote in a thread on Sunday that "members of the general public should wear non-medical fabric masks when going out in public in one additional societal effort to slow the spread of the virus down."
The countries where masks are mandatory
Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have all made face coverings in public mandatory. Many Czechs are even sewing their own masks as the world experiences a shortage.
Authorities in the German town of Jena on Tuesday said it planned to make wearing a mask mandatory in shops and on public transport, as well as other public places. Even a personal scarf or cloth over the face will do.
Meanwhile, in China, where the pandemic began, the Chinese CDC has recommended to "wear a mask when going out."
Masks may actually increase your coronavirus risk if worn improperly, surgeon general warns
Masks may actually increase your coronavirus risk if worn improperly, surgeon general warns
WHO and US CDC experts have long argued that people who are not sick nor caring for someone who is sick should leave masks in the medical supply chain for health care workers who need them most.
"What the World Health Organization and the CDC have reaffirmed in the last few days is that they do not recommend the general public wear masks. Here's why: On an individual level, there was a study in 2015 looking at medical students -- and medical students wearing surgical masks touch their face on average 23 times," US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams said during an appearance on Fox & Friends on Tuesday. That small behavioral observation study, published in the American Journal of Infection Control, was based on 26 medical students at the University of New South Wales.
"We know a major way that you can get respiratory diseases like coronaviruses is by touching a surface and then touching your face," Adams said. "So wearing a mask improperly can actually increase your risk of getting disease."
The US CDC currently recommends that if you are not sick, "you do not need to wear a facemask unless you are caring for someone who is sick."
Doctor: 'Our masks are our only armor'

Doctor: 'Our masks are our only armor' 11:22
Some experts who have made the argument for people to wear masks have pointed to past research showing the effectiveness of masks against the spread of influenza and to early research on Covid-19.
A study published in the Journal of Hospital Infection in 2013 found that surgical masks could help reduce exposure to infectious influenza virus in the air. Preliminary data on how the virus shed from 13 Covid-19 patients at the University of Nebraska Medical Center supports "the use of airborne isolation precautions," such as masks. That early data currently is not published in a peer-reviewed journal.
A global shortage
Masks can't stop the coronavirus in the US, but hysteria has led to bulk-buying, price-gouging and serious fear for the future
Masks can't stop the coronavirus in the US, but hysteria has led to bulk-buying, price-gouging and serious fear for the future
As the debate continues around whether the public should wear masks, the world faces a serious shortage of medical supplies for doctors.
WHO officials warned during a media briefing in Geneva last week that there is a "significant shortage" of medical supplies globally, including personal protective gear or PPE.
"We need to be clear: The world is facing a significant shortage of PPE for our frontline workers -- including masks and gloves and gowns and face shields -- and protecting our health care workers must be the top priority for use of this PPE," Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO infectious disease epidemiologist, said during the briefing.
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All elements of the supply chain for supplies appear to be under "extreme strain," said Dr. Mike Ryan, WHO executive director of health emergencies programme.
"There are problems in the supply chain all along that chain. The simple issue is demand," he said. "There are shortages of PPE, shortages of ventilators and other products for the medical response to Covid. We also have to avoid shortages in other medical supplies, as supply chains come under strain."
CNN's Amanda Watts and Angela Dewan contributed to this report.

Mongolia resumes coal exports to China via 4 border points www.xinhuanet.com

Mongolia has now resumed coal exports to China via four border points after the country reopened its Khangi border point on Tuesday, according to authorities.

First coronavirus patient in Mongolia discharged from hospital www.akipress.com

The first patient who was diagnosed with coronavirus in Mongolia was discharged from the hospital, News.mn reported citing the Ministry of Health.

New garden next to Sukhbaatar Square to open this summer www.news.mn

The construction of a garden at the south end of Sukhbaatar Square will start from 1 April and is expected to be finished by 5 June. The new 2.5 hectare garden will be constructed according to the design concept by a team from ‘Tuvshinguud Construction’ LLC, which won first place at a contest announced by the Ulaanbaatar City B Administration in June, 2019. The construction of the new garden is to cost MNT 3.2 billion. The young spruces currently growing in front of the car park, will be moved to another site.

Mongolian coking coal prices drop after exports resume www.news.mn

After exports of Mongolian coking coal to China resumed as the risk of COVID-19 was seen receding, prices of the material have also receded under the weight of the present bearish coal market in China, according to Chinese sources. As expected, over the week of March 23-27, prices had declined by about 3%, chiefly due to the sustained low demand among Chinese coal users.

Mongolia is also an important source of coking coal for China. According to Chinese customs data, Mongolia was the top importer of coking coal to China last year with 33.8 million tonnes, providing 45 percent of China’s total import volumes for 2019 of 74.6 million tonnes,. Mongolian coking coal exports to China increased by 22 percent from 2018 as production and infrastructure improved.

Mongolia also overtook Australia for the top exporter of coking coal to China last year. Australia exported 30.9 million tonnes of coking coal to China in 2019, up by 9.6 percent from 2018.

Mongolia has set a goal to export 42 million tonnes of coal in 2020. According to data from the Mongolian Customs Administration, the country exported a total of 245.9 thousand tonnes of coal to China from 1-17 February, 2020; this represents a dramatic fall from two million tonnes of coal in January. However, Mongolian officials are optimistically saying the country can meet goals for coal export if it provides more deliveries to China during the summer.

 

Mongolian Business Database

Commen

Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi exports 22.6 thousand tons of coal since export resumption www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/. ‘Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi’ (ETT) JSC has exported 22.6 thousand tons of coal through Gashuunsukhait border checkpoint since the resumption of coal export, reported at the company’s regular press briefing.

Mongolia punishes fake news spreaders by Criminal Law www.news.mn

The global COVID-19 pandemic is happening at a time when sorting facts from fiction is becoming increasingly difficult. In Mongolia, a tsunami of misinformation and disinformation has accompanied the spread of the virus’, provoking fear and exploiting vulnerabilities. Mongolia is now imposing criminal penalties for spreading ‘false news’ about coronavirus that causes social distress and potential economic damage.

Mongolia disinfecting imported goods www.montsame.mn

Pandemic hits beleaguered US coal industry hard www.mining.com

The spreading coronavirus pandemic may too heavy of a burden for the already struggling coal miners in the United States, with three companies announcing operations halts due to measures to contain the spread of the disease.

Australia’s Coronado Global Resources (ASX: CRN) announced on Sunday it had idled its US thermal and metallurgical coal mines due to covid-19-induced global economic downturn.

The company, which operates the Buchanan, Logan and Greenbrier mine complexes in Virginia and West Virginia, will keep its Curragh mine in Australia open.

The operation, which accounts for 65% of Coronado’s output and earnings, will accommodate metallurgical coal export requirements of the miner’s key customers in India and the Asia Pacific, as well as to the Stanwell Power Station, a Queensland government owned entity

Given the significant stockpile of US inventories and continued production from Curragh, operating cash flows are expected to remain positive, Coronado said.

The miner also noted that its US operations will be maintained for immediate restart when market conditions improve and that shipments to Europe, Brazil and the US itself will continue.

Pennsylvania-based Consol Energy (NYSE: CEIX) said on Monday it is temporarily curtailing production at its Bailey coal mine in Pennsylvania for two weeks after two employees tested positive for the coronavirus.

The miner said it’s keeping its Pennsylvania Complex, including the Enlow Fork and Harvey mines, in operation.

The complex has the capacity to produce 28.5 million tonnes of coal a year, while the halted Bailey mine accounts for 11.5 million annual tonnes of the total capacity.

Alliance Resource Partners (NASDAQ: ARLP) said Monday it would temporarily stop producing coal at all its Illinois basin mines as global measures to combat the virus had crushed demand for energy. In addition, the price war sparked by Saudi Arabia and Russia had lowered oil prices even more, it noted.

Alliance also said it was withdrawing its initial 2020 operating and financial guidance provided in January, which did not reflect the impact of the virus.

“Although we are suspending formal guidance, we currently anticipate ARLP’s total sales tons for 2020 will be approximately 25% below our initial expectations,” president and chief executive, Joseph Craft, said in the statement.

The operations halt is scheduled to last through April 15, though the coal miner said resuming production could be accelerated or extended, based on the business needs of its customers.

“It is important to note that approximately 75% of our domestic sales are targeted to states that depend on coal, more than any other fuel, to generate electricity,” Craft said.

The announcements come as the pandemic has rapidly expanded across the US, where the death toll could reach 100,000 people in the coming weeks.

Industry decline
Moody’s Investor Services said on Thursday it expected further closures and bankruptcies within the US coal industry as domestic demand for coal was set to drop in the near-term due to the country’s economy shut-down to try reducing the numbers of coronavirus patients.

A slower economic activity is also cutting down US electricity demand, which together with stronger environmental, social and governance concerns could represent “an unprecedented shock” to the coal industry.

“Before the intensification of the coronavirus pandemic in the US, we expected that coal production would fall by 15%-20% in the US, to about 550 million st-600 million st,” Moody’s said. “We now expect that the industry conditions will worsen beyond this forecast.”

The volume of coal mined in the US has been declining for the past decade, although burning the fuel still accounts for almost one-quarter of all the country’s electricity generation.

Jobs in the sector also continue to shrink. While there are over 129 million people employed by businesses in the US, there are only about 50,000 coal miners, or 0.04% of the country’s total number of people employed by the industry.

The latest jobs report, published in early March, shows that there are fewer people employed by the coal sector now (50,600 as of February) than three years ago (50,900 in January 2017).