Today’s coronavirus update: A masked Memorial Day; WHO pauses hydroxy trials

Americans commemorated a socially-distant Memorial Day on Monday due to the coronavirus pandemic.

With much of the nation on lockdown, grieving kin of late military veterans — including some who died from the virus itself — had to honor their relatives without the support of traditional parades or group graveside remembrances.

At a visit to Fort McHenry in Maryland, President Trump likened the outbreak to war, saying the “towering spirit” that spurred American resistance to British invasion in 1814 will “vanquish the virus.”

Meanwhile, former Vice President Joe Biden left home for the first time in months — in a black mask — to lay a wreath at a memorial near his home in Delaware.

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Here’s what else we learned today: 

Day at the beach:

• The typical massive crowds that flock to New York shores never materialized over the holiday weekend.
• But in Missouri, mobs of partiers flocked to poolside bars at the Lake of the Ozarks — with a local mayor insisting the crowds can’t be controlled.

Research continues:

• China’s “bat woman” researcher warned that the coronavirus is “just the tip of the iceberg” in terms of what humans may soon face without a global effort to prevent similar infectious outbreaks.
• The World Health Organization announced a pause on clinical trials of anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a potential COVID-19 treatment amid safety concerns.
• Americans freaked out by the pandemic are increasingly turning to prescription drugs to calm their nerves.

Global outbreak:

• Austria’s president apologized for breaking pandemic-related rules by staying at a restaurant past curfew.
• South Korea will now require nightclubs and bars to use QR codes to log customers’ visits as part of its virus contact-tracing efforts.
• A drunk man who wrestled with a bear at a Polish zoo faces additional penalties because he wasn’t wearing a mask.

Meanwhile…

• An obese British man says he lost 70 pounds during a six-week near-death battle with the coronavirus.
• Good news for summer — experts say that swimming during the coronavirus appears to be relatively safe.
• And here is what the gym will look like post-pandemic.