Prince Charles, 71, has reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus that originated in China and has claimed over 19,000 lives worldwide.
Charles’ office said in a statement: “The Prince of Wales has tested positive for Coronavirus. He has been displaying mild symptoms but otherwise remains in good health and has been working from home throughout the last few days as usual.”
“The Duchess of Cornwall has also been tested but does not have the virus,” the statement continued. “In accordance with Government and medical advice, the Prince and the Duchess are now self-isolating at home in Scotland. The tests were carried out by the NHS in Aberdeenshire where they met the criteria required for testing.”
“It is not possible to ascertain from whom the Prince caught the virus owing to the high number of engagements he carried out in his public role during recent weeks,” the statement concluded.
Prince Charles has become one of the highest profile people to contract the virus out of the nearly 430,000 confirmed cases worldwide, which have all come in just a couple of months, with many more cases unreported due to people not showing symptoms from the disease.
Numerous celebrity entertainers, professional athletes, and top politicians have been diagnosed with the disease as well.
Arguably the highest profile U.S. politician to contract the disease has been Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who announced his diagnosis on Sunday.
Other U.S. politicians that have been diagnosed with the coronavirus include Reps. Ben McAdams (D-UT) and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL).
The coronavirus outbreak hit a red-hot U.S. economy and sent it into a downturn with the stock market losing a massive amount of its value and businesses forced to begin laying off workers as they have been compelled to close their doors to accommodate stay-at-home orders to prevent the spread of the disease.
To offset the negative economic effects of the coronavirus, the White House and Senate reached a deal during the early morning hours on Wednesday for massive a $2 trillion stimulus bill.
The Washington Post reported:
The agreement capped five straight days of intensive negotiations that occasionally descended into partisan warfare as the nation’s economy reeled from the deadly pandemic, with schools and businesses closed, mass layoffs slamming the workforce, and tens of thousands falling ill.
The legislation, unprecedented in its size and scope, aims to flood the economy with capital by sending $1,200 checks to many Americans, creating a $367 billion loan program for small businesses, and setting up a $500 billion fund for industries, cities and states.
Other provisions include a massive boost to unemployment insurance, $150 billion for state and local stimulus funds and $130 billion for hospitals, among numerous other provisions.
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Tuesday that the multi-phase stimulus spending bill would total $6 trillion and would be the largest spending bill in U.S. history.
“This package will be the single largest main street assistance program in the history of the United States,” Kudlow said. “The single largest main street assistance program in the history of the United States.”
“The total package here comes to roughly $6 trillion: $2 trillion direct assistance, roughly $4 trillion in federal reserve lending power,” Kudlow added. “Again, it will be the largest main street financial package in the history of the United States.”