Tony's Diary Package — page 24

Kevin McCarthy, Steve Scalise, Greg Walden. Chaired by Mick Mulvaney. Also, Eric Ueland of WH Lewg there. Good questions. Many compliments PRESS: CBS This Morning (for showing tomorrow); FOX News (Lou Dobbs) Feb. 14, 2020 - 64,460/1384 Making plans to deal with Americans on Princess Diamond Cruise ship in Yokohama harbor. Cliff flying to Japan to help design a clinical trial to treat infected people with remdesivir. Then he is off to China as part of the WHO-sponsored delegation. Azar, Redfield, Kadlec and I briefed the entire Cabinet on a teleconference this AM PRESS: FOX Business; Spectrum News TV; Fox News with Dana perino;CBS This Morning ; CNBC Feb. 15, 2020 - 67,178/1527. Had White House Task Force conference call at 12:00 noon (Saturday). Big issue was the plan to get Americans off the Diamond Princess in Yokohama harbor. State will charter planes to get them to Lackland and Travis AF bases. Sick people will stay in Japanese hospitals. Uninfected and people whoise status is not clear will be flown out with the proper PPE for those who are thought to be at roisk of being infected. Also, discussed on the call the persistent problem of cruise ships in general, which could derail all polasn for containment since they scatter people from all over the world to all over the world. Important conference call chaired by Bob Kadlec with the ASPR and CDC people who are on the ground with the Diamond Princess Cruise ship in Yokohama. The conditions apper to be dreadful with major transmission on the boat. Many crew members getting infected. Japanese are not adhering to the required PPE. It seems that they are unaware of the potential transmissibility of the virus. The CDC people say the ship is like an "incubator" for the virus. One called it a cesspool of virus. This conversation makes it clear that we need to get US citizens off that ship. James Lawlor (Nebraska) and Michael Callahan (Mass. General) were on the call.