A number of COVID updates just posted in the Washington Post a few hours ago.
Millions of dollars from the Paycheck Protection Program went to China-backed businesses. “Because the economic relief legislation allowed American subsidiaries of foreign firms to receive the loans, a substantial chunk of the money went to America’s biggest economic rival,”
the Times reports. “According to a review of publicly available loan data by the strategy consulting firm Horizon Advisory, $192 million to $419 million has gone to more than 125 companies that Chinese entities own or invest in. Many of the loans were quite sizable; at least 32 Chinese companies received loans worth more than $1 million, with those totaling as much as $180 million.
Trump is considering possible options for unilateral action if his negotiators cannot reach a deal with Congress. It’s not clear what steps the administration could take without Congress on issues such as unemployment benefits
, Erica Werner and Jeff Stein report.
A Federal Reserve Bank president is calling for the U.S. economy to be fully shut down for between four to six weeks. “The economy, which in the second quarter suffered its biggest blow since the Great Depression, would be able to mount a robust recovery, but only if the virus were brought under control, Neel Kashkari, president of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank, told CBS,”
Reuters reports. “‘If we don’t do that and we just have this raging virus spreading throughout the country with flare-ups and local lockdowns for the next year or two, which is entirely possible, we’re going to see many, many more business bankruptcies,’ Kashkari said. ‘That’s going to be a much slower recovery for all of us.’ He said Congress is positioned to spend big on coronavirus relief efforts because the nation’s budget gap can be financed without relying on foreign borrowing, given how much Americans are saving [by not going out]. ‘That actually means that we have a lot more resources as a country to support those who have been laid off,’ he said.”
San Francisco flattened the coronavirus curve early, but now cases are surging.
“More than four months after the region put some of the nation’s first shelter-in-place orders in effect, the Bay Area is experiencing a surge in cases and counties are rolling back reopening plans,”
Heather Kelly and Rachel Lerman report. “The Bay Area, which consists of nine counties and nearly 8 million people, is a cautionary tale for government and health officials. Even though leaders here tried to do everything cautiously and by the book, cases still eventually spiked over a month and a half, to an average of 877 cases a day at the end of July from 217 a day in mid-June. Medical experts say a slow but steady rise in complacency is worsening the case count. Contact tracers have told public health researchers that people are getting sick after indoor gatherings. And the numbers show that Latino residents and essential workers are being hit the hardest.”
- The largest school district in Georgia reported that about 260 employees tested positive for the virus or are in quarantine because of possible exposure as they began preparing for the new school year. Gwinnett County public school teachers began in-person planning meetings last Wednesday. The infected or quarantined employees were excused from work by the next day. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
- Tom Barrett, a Republican state senator from Michigan who has been critical of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s (D) handling of the pandemic, tested positive. In April, Barrett sponsored a bill to repeal one of the two state laws that allow Whitmer to declare emergencies. (Detroit News)
- The pastor of a D.C. Catholic church who urged people not to “cower in fear” of the virus has contracted it, prompting health officials to tell about 250 staff and parishioners to self-quarantine for two weeks, including those who took communion at Holy Comforter St. Cyprian Catholic Church between July 25 and July 27. (Rebecca Tan)
- The Houston Chronicle found that Texas health officials were not counting the results of rapid-response covid-19 tests in the state’s tally, suggesting that the state has tens of thousands more infections than previously disclosed.
- Frail inmates could be sent home to prevent the spread of the virus. But the Bureau of Prisons has largely disregarded compassionate release. The bureau said 25 people have died in its custody this year while their requests for parole were under consideration, including 18 since the start of March. (Justin Wm. Moyer and Neena Satija)
- Families say nursing home residents face growing anxiety and despair, as they increasingly struggle with isolation. “Mom says she has been suicidal. She says, ‘I can’t imagine another one or two days, sitting here,’" said Heidi Wise, daughter of 88-year-old dementia patient. (NJ Advance)
- South Dakota is bracing to host hundreds of thousands of bikers from Aug. 7-16 for the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The event could be the biggest anywhere so far during the pandemic, even as the state suffers an uptick of infections. (AP)
- Canadians are tracking U.S. boaters who attempt to sneak across the border in order to send them back home. And they can do so from their living rooms, thanks to the mandatory tracking system that is easily accessible through the Internet and lets Canadians know when Americans are trying to paddle through. (NPR)
Quote of the day
“I’m sorry, but it’s a fantasy,” Arizona superintendent Jeff Gregorich said of fully reopening schools. (
Eli Saslow)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...ed-senate-by-stretching-delegation-authority/
