Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #67

[tmar]

British government says it will pick up half the checks at restaurants to help boost economy

British government says it will pick up half the checks at restaurants to help boost economy

Rupert Steiner

12 hrs ago
...
Brits dining out in restaurants will have the cost of half of their meals picked up by the Government in an attempt to get them out and spending.
The innovative scheme is aimed at kick-starting economic growth and boosting the hospitality sector, which has been hit hard by the lockdown.

The measure is part of a raft of new policies unveiled on Wednesday by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak in a mini-budget which includes a £30 billion ($37.7 billion) plan to protect jobs and prevent mass unemployment as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
This includes a youth employment program aimed at 16 to 24-year-olds, incentives for businesses to bring back furloughed staff, and reducing tax on property purchases to inject new life into the stagnant housing market.

Read: ‘No one will be left without hope’—U.K. unveils £30 billion jobs plan to prevent mass unemployment

 

[SouthAussie]

He probably got a talking to since yesterday. Poor guy doesn't know if he's coming or going these days. I think he's trying his best though. He's been dreading this event for years but probably never thought it would go down quite like this. I feel for him.

I am surprised he hasn't quit his position by now, all the flack that he has been copping.
But here he is, still trying to reach the unlistening population. Kudos to him.

 

[tmar]

In pictures: Melbourne in lockdown

In pictures: Melbourne in lockdown

17 hrs ago

Darrian Traynor/Getty image

In a bid to control the surging coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Victoria, Australian authorities announced on July 7 that Melbourne and Mitchell Shire will return to Stage 3 Stay at Home restrictions for six weeks, from 11:59 p.m. on July 8. The increasing number of cases in the Victorian capital of Melbourne had put nine public housing towers into complete lockdown, and strict social distancing measures were enforced in 30 suburbs. The border between Victoria and New South Wales (NSW) – two of the nation's most populous states – has been closed to curb the outbreak. This is the first time in a 100 years that the borders have been shut – the last was during the Spanish flu pandemic of 1919. Additionally, South Australia also shut its border with Victoria.

 

[tmar]

Fauci says states with surging Covid-19 cases should pause reopening efforts

Fauci says states with surging Covid-19 cases should pause reopening efforts

Martin Pengelly in New York

5 hrs ago
,,,
“Rather than think in terms of reverting back down to a complete shutdown, I would think we need to get the states pausing in their opening process,” the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told the Hill.

Fauci’s comment represented a retreat from a remark made on a Wall Street Journal podcast on Wednesday, when he said “any state that is having a serious problem, that state should seriously look at shutting down” again.

Fauci has been attacked by Donald Trump and reportedly barred from major media appearances but he has found other ways to reach the American public, speaking to webcasts and in testimony before a Senate committee.
In an interview published by the Journal on Thursday and seemingly likely to anger the president, Fauci said the federal government needed to do better in making the case for personal responsibility and added: “We need to get people like myself, like my colleagues, out there more.”
...
Many observers charge that Trump has placed his re-election campaign above the health and safety of millions. The president has also insisted Covid-19 will “disappear” and that 99% of cases are harmless. It has been reported that the White House wants to switch to telling the public the virus just has to be lived with.

 

[drama_farmer]

Imo, and probably rhetorically speaking.... Where's the American Red Cross? They've been there for all sorts of natural (and sometimes man-made) disasters.

I guess I shouldn't assume, but, IMO, they have the type of organizational structure and a track record of being able to mobilize quickly where help is needed.

I would think that they could provide all sorts of assistance with testing, at least??

Maybe I've not been paying close enough attention, but I haven't seen any hint of their participation in this disaster. Imo

 

[Sundog]

Hmm..

US coronavirus: Hot spots should pause reopening, not shut down again, Fauci now says - CNN

(CNN)States with spiking coronavirus cases still can contain them by pausing their reopening processes, rather than shutting down a second time, one of the nation's top infectious disease experts said Thursday.

Dr. Anthony Fauci's comments at an event hosted by The Hill news outlet contrast with what he said a day earlier: that states with a serious coronavirus problem "should seriously look at shutting down."
...

So Fauci is saying that we should reopen the schools for children, and will release that interview tomorrow (Friday).

 

[tmar]

WHO Director-General chokes back tears as he pleads for transparency

WHO Director-General chokes back tears as he pleads for transparency

Sky News Australia

3 hrs ago
...
The World Health Organisation's Director-General has choked back tears as he called on countries to be open and transparent during an international investigation into the coronavirus pandemic.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also criticised a lack of leadership and unity as he announced the leaders of an international investigation into the pandemic, which was spearheaded by Australia.

Liberia's former President and former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark will co-chair the panel assessing the global response.

The inquiry will examine China's handling of the virus and whether enough was done to stop its rapid spread.

 

[SouthAussie]

Imo, and probably rhetorically speaking.... Where's the American Red Cross? They've been there for all sorts of natural (and sometimes man-made) disasters.

I guess I shouldn't assume, but, IMO, they have the type of organizational structure and a track record of being able to mobilize quickly where help is needed.

I would think that they could provide all sorts of assistance with testing, at least??

Maybe I've not been paying close enough attention, but I haven't seen any hint of their participation in this disaster. Imo

They are still providing food and comfort to those in need.

How the Red Cross Is Helping People During COVID-19

 

[Sundog]

0Try to list the best American leaders over the last 70 years....
No one comes close to Martin Luther King.

Billy Graham.

 

[SouthAussie]

China was already p-oed at Canada, so this is just one more thing. China told Canada to expect retaliation. Well, there is a price to pay when you stand up for what you believe is just and right.


China’s ambassador warns Canadians to get ready for retaliation

Yes, us too. (Already angry because we want to know how covid was allowed to leave their country.) They are hating on us big time. Have cancelled some export orders, put enormous levies on other exports. Oh well. It is a price we are prepared to pay.

 

[10ofRods]

So, as some of us predicted, Oklahoma's Rt has jumped over the past 3 weeks and is now one of the highest in the nation, at 1.27

Tulsa and Oklahoma City have the highest rates, of course.

Rt COVID-19

See also the graph here.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Florida's Coronavirus Death Toll Passes 4,000, With Single-Day Record 120 New Deaths

The state has seen a large increase in cases in the past week, with more than 63,000 confirmed in that span of time.

The percent positivity for the new cases reported Thursday was 18.39%, a record high. It was the tenth consecutive day the rate has been over 14%.

The positivity rate of all tests reported Thursday was 20.72%, also a record high. The median age of people who tested positive in Thursday's results was 38, and has been 40 or below for the past two weeks.

Also increasing at a record pace is the number of Florida residents who have been reported hospitalized over the last 24 hours. That number increased by 409 since Wednesday’s report. The state does not release the number of patients currently hospitalized with the virus, but rather a cumulative number of all those who have been hospitalized, which has now reached 17,167.

Statewide, more than 2,359,000 people have been tested for COVID-19, with an overall percent positive of 9.9%.

 

[JerseyGirl]

11-year-old Broward Co. girl dies of COVID-19, state data shows | WFLA

 

[SouthAussie]

So Fauci is saying that we should reopen the schools for children, and will release that interview tomorrow (Friday).

It will be interesting to see what he has to say ... because he has certainly already said a lot about this matter just a few days ago.



“When you’re talking about getting back to a degree of normality and school openings and things like that, it’s always related to the level of activity of the virus,” he said.

For instance, the level of virus transmission near cities such as Casper, Wyoming, will likely be much different from that of other metropolitan areas, he said, and the decision to reopen schools shouldn’t be a “uni-dimensional judgment.”

“There are varying degrees of infection activity depending upon the region, the state, the city, the town and the county,” he said.

Dr. Anthony Fauci says whether schools reopen in the fall is 'complicated,' will depend on the region

 

[anneg]

I hope you can still have your state fair. Oregon canceled our state fair (Aug 28-Sept 7) in early May. Our county fair has also been canceled. The county will have the livestock shows and auctions for the kids who have worked so hard, which I think is really cool.

“At this point, there’s really no way for us to have the carnival here on the grounds and of course no major artists with no mass gatherings,” Helen Funk, Director of the Jackson County Expo, said.

Funk said the Jackson County Expo said it decided to cancel all fair elements due to COVID-19, but will still be holding a virtual livestock show and auction on Facebook for kids in 4H, FFA, or the Junior Livestock Association.

“What will be happening is those adorable kids who have been working so hard on their projects all year long will actually be here showing and selling their animals,” Funk said.
https://ktvl.com/news/local/jackson-county-fair-cancels-all-elements-except-livestock-show
Jackson County Fair cancels all elements except livestock show

There is another fair in Oregon...The Oregon Country Fair...near Eugene, featuring artisans and performers. This would have been its 51st year and amazingly they are going to pull off a “virtual fair” that sounds really neat.

There is a message on the OCF website that reads: "While we want to hold hands, we will instead hold space—for hope, for each other and for this community-- that under the bleakest of circumstances there is beauty and light that shine through."

'Holding Space Instead Of Hands:' Oregon Country Fair Goes Virtual During Pandemic

The Oregon Country Fair | TicketsWest

Oregon Country Fair - Wikipedia

That virtual fair sounds so cool!

 

[JerseyGirl]

Getting tested for COVID-19 becoming impossible for the Spanish-speaking community in Arizona

 

[Tate123]

The irony is, if people get infected they may end up like me. Three months on and only venturing out once a week to do a food shop because of the ongoing fatigue. I'm not exactly feeling like socialising and partying right now, that's for sure.

I really am sorry to hear that. Slow and steady.

 

[margarita25]

Thanks for asking! I’m not sure about the Humane Society, but our shelter is still appointment only with limited hours for fostering, adoptions, and drop offs, but we are still of course doing rescues. The same is true for a few other local shelters.

Volunteers were staggered but are now temporarily suspended. It’s very sad for the animals. Sometimes the only time they get out of their kennel is when a volunteer takes them out.

We are still doing foster clinics for potential foster parents, but we have people check in from their car and we do them outside with everyone masked and social distancing.

Honestly it’s been exhausting, a real balancing act. Not fantastic for the dogs and cats, either.

Everyone, fostering a pet is so rewarding and it’s completely free for you! The shelter or a volunteer group pays for everything, including vet bills and food. What better company than a snuggly dog or cat while stuck at home? (I have to get my plug in, lol.)

Thank you, Snoods, for all you do. I wish I could take them all.

 

[CSIDreamer]

Billy Graham.

This. Jmo

 

[SouthAussie]

If this doesn't signify how much travel is hurting innocent people in the US .....

More than 1,000 employees at the Transportation Security Administration have tested positive for coronavirus, according to figures the agency released Thursday. Almost all are security officers who have screened passengers at airports throughout the pandemic.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/07/09/coronavirus-live-updates-us/