buzzfeednews--2020-05-13--As Salons Reopen During The Coronavirus Pandemic, Hairstylists Want A Beauty Industry Bailout

`` I want to see them considering the beauty industry as a real industry worth saving , '' said Mercedes Ortiz-Olivieri , who owns a salon in Washington DC .
Since closing the California hair salon she runs with her brother almost two months ago , Margeaux Hamrock has found herself in an unfamiliar situation .
With no income or unemployment benefits and minimal government assistance , Hamrock , 31 , has relied on gift certificates and donations from clients and friends to cover her rent , pay the bills , and buy groceries during the coronavirus pandemic .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me , '' Hamrock , co-owner of Salon Wire in Long Beach , told BuzzFeed News .
`` But , at some point , you want that to end as well .
I do n't feel it is the responsibility of my clients to make sure I have a roof over my head by not doing their hair . ''
Now , after struggling to get loans and unemployment benefits to keep themselves and their businesses afloat , the Hamrocks and other personal care workers across the country have come together as part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Beauty Coalition to petition state and federal leaders to bail out the beauty industry as they grapple with the challenges and risks of going back to work .
`` I want to see them considering the beauty industry as a real industry worth saving , '' said Mercedes Ortiz-Olivieri , a salon owner in Washington , DC , and a member of the coalition .
In the weeks since they were forced to stop working , many stylists have had difficulty obtaining loans and unemployment due to their unconventional business models and overwhelmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amid the crisis .
Hamrock said she received the $ 1,200 stimulus check provided to all Americans who make up to $ 75,000 per year under the CARES Act , as well as a $ 1,000 Small Business Administration grant for the salon .
But that 's it .
`` That 's a fraction of one month ’ s overhead , '' said Hamrock , referring to the SBA grant .
Hamrock applied for California 's new pandemic assistance program for business owners and independent contractors like herself who do n't qualify for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money through that yet .
`` I ’ ve applied for , as you can imagine , any possible avenues to get the [ Paycheck Protection Program ( PPP ) loan ] or any of the loans at the low interest rates that the lenders are offering them at , '' she said , `` but ... we haven ’ t either heard back or qualified for any of them . ''
Kate Kent , a salon owner in Milwaukee , applied for PPP , the small business loan program funded by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loan programs .
So far , Kent , 39 , who is self-employed and employs 14 other stylists , has only received a $ 10,000 small business grant that she 's saving to help pay her stylists whenever they reopen , even though that 's a fraction of one month 's payroll .
She questioned whether the PPP program provided much value to salons right now , given that in order for the loans to be forgiven , borrowers need to use 75 % of the money for payroll and keep employees on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just still feels a little bit unclear how we can use those funds appropriately and still have it be forgiven , '' Kent said .
`` To take on a loan with terms that are really unclear and could be potentially really harmful for my business in the future is just really unsettling . ''
Reopening during the pandemic means fewer stylists can work at the same time and serve fewer clients each day .
Salons ' overhead costs will also increase due to the added expense of acquiring masks and other supplies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible .
`` Under these guidelines that people are having to work under , there 's no way you can be nearly as productive as you need to be to even cover your overhead let alone turn a profit so that you can carry on with your life , '' Hamrock said .
In sharing their frustrations with others in the industry , Hamrock and her brother Chris found they were n't alone in feeling nervous about returning to their salons without reliable access to financial assistance to help cover the costs of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ So Ortiz-Olivieri , the DC salon owner , organized an April 29 call on Zoom with the Hamrocks and other stylists to talk about ideas about how to reopen in the safest way possible .
`` I realized I was having the same conversation with several different salon owners about safety protocols and business practices , '' said Ortiz-Olivieri , 43 .
`` We do n't want to be in a hurry to open , but we understand that people are being put in positions where they ’ re literally choosing between their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It was on that call that the Hamrocks mentioned that they were working on a petition calling for a government bailout of the industry , causing the conversation to shift to what action they could take collectively to speak up for the industry .
Through those discussions , the Beauty Coalition was born .
As of Wednesday , roughly 16,000 people have signed the petition , which asks for assistance for workers in states that are allowing salons to reopen now and those in jurisdictions where they may not be permitted to go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the workers themselves choose to start working again or not .
Either way , hairstylists and salon owners say they need the government 's help to survive .
`` It 's not that we ’ re standing off not wanting to go back to work , not wanting to do people ’ s hair , '' Hamrock told BuzzFeed News .
`` We are n't looking for a handout .
We work very hard at what we do and we ’ re looking for a bailout . ''
While officials in more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reopen , leaders in other states , such as California and New York , have said it wo n't be safe to resume haircuts , manicures , and other personal services until the number of new COVID-19 cases declines drastically due to the close proximity between clients and workers in these businesses .
In states where salons are expected to be closed for longer , hairstylists say they face months of lost income and could lose their businesses if they ca n't keep up with their rent and other ongoing expenses .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forced to choose between risking our health to feed our families or staying safe and losing our businesses , because the reality of it is most salons can ’ t survive months without income , '' Alyssa Jones , a salon owner in San Diego , told BuzzFeed News .
`` It ’ s just not sustainable to survive without any additional assistance or rent freezes . ''
For workers who feel it 's too soon to open salons but are in states where officials have allowed them to get back to work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a choice to resist .
After petitioning Texas Gov .
Greg Abbott to move personal service providers into the later reopening phases , Beau Bollinger said he may have to open his hair salon in Dallas anyway .
`` I ca n't go to my landlord and say , 'Hey , I ca n't pay rent because we ’ re not allowed to be open . '
Now I have to go to my landlord and say , 'Hey , we can ’ t pay rent because I do n't feel like it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ' and that 's a much different conversation , '' Bollinger , 37 , told BuzzFeed News .
`` What I ’ m trying to do is navigate the best way and the best time to do that so that we do n't lose our business and also so that the health and wellbeing of our staff and our clients are maintained . ''
In addition to financial assistance , Bollinger said he 'd like to see government officials step in to help small business owners and their commercial landlords navigate their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We fail and also the landlords fail because now they do n't have tenants and it 's not like we have a booming economy where people are rushing in to rent new spaces so we ’ ve got to figure out a way that we can create an open dialogue about what works for all the parties involved , '' he said .
Hairstylists who spoke to BuzzFeed News about the bailout said they 're not sure how much money they will need to save their businesses , but said if anything they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more attention by the government to ensure that they can qualify for and access whatever financial assistance is available .
`` It 's really hard to say this is what I would need to survive .
I really do n't know , '' Ortiz-Olivieri said .
`` We would need help covering expenses for PPE and our overhead and our losses because we have to operate at a very reduced volume and capacity . ''
Still , some doubt that government officials will even give the idea any consideration , even though haircuts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by protesters to reopen their local economies .
Last week , a salon owner in Texas was ordered jailed after refusing to temporarily close her business during stay-at-home orders , actions that the judge who sentenced her described as `` selfish . ''
In her response , the owner , Shelley Luther , who was ultimately released after Abbott stepped in , said she was keeping her salon open to feed her family .
In interviews about the situation , Luther admitted that shortly before she was taken into custody she received a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't know how to spend it , given that the stylists who work at her salon are not actually her employees .
Ortiz-Olivieri said it 's easy for people to empathize with someone trying to get back to work to pay their bills , but said some in the industry are making it seem like reopening is the only way forward : `` If people had gotten the assistance that they were supposed to , they would n't be in a hurry to go back to work to pay their bills . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ hairstylists to come together and speak up for their industry , giving them hope that they 'll be stronger on the other side .
`` Although this is a really shitty situation and although it looks a little ugly even for the next several months , I ’ m very confident that through dialogue and through these conversations , through some of the work that the Beauty Coalition is doing ... our industry is going to come out of this better than it was when we went into it , '' Bollinger said @

After petitioning Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to move personal service providers into the later reopening phases, Beau Bollinger said he may have to open his hair salon in Dallas anyway.
"I can't go to my landlord and say, 'Hey, I can't pay rent because we’re not allowed to be open.' Now I have to go to my landlord and say, 'Hey, we can’t pay rent because I don't feel like it's safe for us to be open,' and that's a much different conversation," Bollinger, 37, told BuzzFeed News. "What I’m trying to do is navigate the best way and the best time to do that so that we don't lose our business and also so that the health and wellbeing of our staff and our clients are maintained."
In addition to financial assistance, Bollinger said he'd like to see government officials step in to help small business owners and their commercial landlords navigate their leases during the economic downturn.
"We fail and also the landlords fail because now they don't have tenants and it's not like we have a booming economy where people are rushing in to rent new spaces so we’ve got to figure out a way that we can create an open dialogue about what works for all the parties involved," he said.
Hairstylists who spoke to BuzzFeed News about the bailout said they're not sure how much money they will need to save their businesses, but said if anything they'd like to see their industry get more attention by the government to ensure that they can qualify for and access whatever financial assistance is available.
"It's really hard to say this is what I would need to survive. I really don't know," Ortiz-Olivieri said. "We would need help covering expenses for PPE and our overhead and our losses because we have to operate at a very reduced volume and capacity."
Still, some doubt that government officials will even give the idea any consideration, even though haircuts have been used as a political plea by protesters to reopen their local economies.
Last week, a salon owner in Texas was ordered jailed after refusing to temporarily close her business during stay-at-home orders, actions that the judge who sentenced her described as "selfish." In her response, the owner, Shelley Luther, who was ultimately released after Abbott stepped in, said she was keeping her salon open to feed her family.
In interviews about the situation, Luther admitted that shortly before she was taken into custody she received a PPP loan, but said she didn't know how to spend it, given that the stylists who work at her salon are not actually her employees.
Ortiz-Olivieri said it's easy for people to empathize with someone trying to get back to work to pay their bills, but said some in the industry are making it seem like reopening is the only way forward: "If people had gotten the assistance that they were supposed to, they wouldn't be in a hurry to go back to work to pay their bills."
If anything, the petition has galvanized hairstylists to come together and speak up for their industry, giving them hope that they'll be stronger on the other side.
"Although this is a really shitty situation and although it looks a little ugly even for the next several months, I’m very confident that through dialogue and through these conversations, through some of the work that the Beauty Coalition is doing ... our industry is going to come out of this better than it was when we went into it," Bollinger said.


buzzfeednews--2020-04-15--The Social Media Shame Machine Is In Overdrive Right Now

Because we know so little — and have so little faith in our leaders — we are scrambling for some sense of order .
That often means leveling judgment on others .
About a month ago , Amelia , 25 , started experiencing symptoms in line with COVID-19 .
She was able to get tested , the results came back positive , and she immediately went into self-isolation , where she weathered her relatively mild symptoms .
She has since fully recovered , as determined by her health care providers ; with their approval , she has been taking walks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up takeout while observing social distancing measures .
“ Still , my friends are giving me shit for going outside , ” she told me , “ and basically implying that I am infecting the world and killing people by going outdoors .
They don ’ t especially care if my food is running out or about me much at all .
They only care that I am clearly doing a bad thing by going outdoors — even though I ’ m not.
” Almost all of this criticism , Amelia said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — in comments and DMs on Instagram and Twitter .
Which is part of why she asked me to use a pseudonym : Her real name is unique , and she doesn ’ t want people finding her and directing even more anger her way .
What ’ s happening to Amelia reminded me of what happened to my BuzzFeed colleague , who , earlier this month , wrote her own COVID-19 story — outlining how her roommate in her small Brooklyn apartment started having symptoms , how they did their best to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ colleague herself started feeling sick but couldn ’ t get tested and could only be “ presumed ” positive .
She made the best decisions she could with the information and resources available to her .
She received a barrage of emails questioning every decision — horrible , accusatory emails .
We closed the comment section on the piece .
Four days later , Reyhan Harmanci published the story of her family ’ s “ fetid week of coronavirus , ” under the headline “ I Know the Day We Got It.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asking friends if they would be able to take and care for their infected children if Harmanci and her partner were hospitalized .
When I posted it in a Facebook group I ’ ve come to rely on for empathy and nuance , one of the first responses was “ That ’ s not the day they got it .
It ’ s the day they spread it to countless people.
” When we ’ re confronted with lived experiences of how the virus works , our first inclination is often to try @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Where ’ d they go wrong ?
And how can I avoid it ?
It ’ s policing masquerading as detective work .
I find myself doing something similar every time I open Instagram : This weekend I saw a picture of a gaggle of kids playing in a backyard on a gorgeous Pacific Northwest afternoon .
My first thought : No playdates !
It took me a moment to realize it was just the family of a friend — who happens to have six children .
Someone on Twitter admitted they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ someone who was clearly under 60 and shopping at the grocery store during senior hours — before watching the person sheepishly apologizing to everyone she saw .
She was caring for and living with her parents , both of whom were severely immunocompromised .
A friend filled with COVID-related anxiety decided to drive around LA and look at famous houses from Nancy Meyers movies .
She never got out of her car , never came in contact with other people .
People in the comments chided her for putting others in danger .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , away from crowds , with his children in tow .
A man in a car slowed down to a crawl beside him and yelled at him to put on a mask .
If you ’ ve spent time online or in public spaces lately , you ’ ve probably experienced , witnessed , or participated in a similar behavior .
But here ’ s the thing : As most of the country reaches its fifth week of self-isolation and social distancing , the vast majority of people are doing their damn best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ holding church services and a small handful of others are meeting in secret at underground clubs .
But these people are outliers , their behaviors far from the norm .
Even the people who think the government is overreacting are still largely behaving in ways that would protect themselves and others from infection .
Those who still have to go to work are desperate to keep themselves and their communities safe , even when their employers don ’ t provide adequate protection .
People who are able to work from home are , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being incredibly careful .
When we were told not to wear masks — and to save them for essential workers — we didn ’ t ; when that advice changed and we were instructed to wear masks , we scavenged and scrounged for and jury-rigged our own .
We ’ re donating to others if we ’ re able , we ’ re reading and sharing news stories of tremendous grief and sacrifice , we ’ re reaching out to elderly neighbors , and we ’ re checking in with friends from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some of us , amid all of that , are also being real and total assholes .
We ’ re giving no one the benefit of the doubt .
We ’ re skeptical and untrusting , quick to judge and slow to apologize .
Some of these behaviors , especially implicitly and explicitly racist ones , are straight-up inexcusable .
But some of them , maybe even most of them , are misguided manifestations of fear and confusion in the face of a very real vacuum of authority .
Because we know so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in so many of our leaders — we are scrambling to assemble some sense of order in our lives .
And a lot of times , that means leveling judgment on others as we desperately try to convince ourselves that we ’ re doing the right thing , even as the “ right ” thing often remains unclear .
Is it okay to see your parents after two weeks of strict isolation ?
If you don ’ t have underlying health conditions , should you Instacart and tip heavily or just go to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dog thoroughly after going outside ?
If you were sick and have recovered , how many days or weeks should you remain in total isolation ?
Is it okay to order nonessential items that need to be delivered through the mail ?
To eat takeout ?
But only if it ’ s been reheated ?
?
But what if you don ’ t have a microwave ?
?
?
It ’ s okay to go running , right ?
Oh wait , there ’ s a Medium post that says it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is actually junk science !
There are dozens of new advice columns attempting to address these questions .
But as Katie Notopoulos , author of our own column , How to Plague , reminds us , most of the columnists are just doing their best to consolidate accepted wisdom from experts — and that accepted wisdom can and continues to change quickly .
We ’ re confronted with new information every day about the virus and how it works , about the economy and how it ’ s tanking , about our government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get help to those who need it most .
There ’ s still so much we don ’ t know , from the actual number of infections to when and how we ’ ll be able to stop wide-scale social distancing .
We can ’ t plan more than a few days in the future .
It seems ill-advised to make any sort of decision larger than “ what should I have for dinner ?
” We don ’ t know what ’ s going to happen with our jobs , our schools @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , other than none of it will ever really be the same .
All of it is so much for any one person , let alone someone who ’ s also simultaneously scared for themselves and their loved ones , to process .
And it ’ s unsurprising that the places where we ’ re confronted with that information , again and again , would also become the places where we become our worst selves .
I started noticing this tendency about a week into self-isolation .
At some point in the midafternoon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or understanding site in the first place — began to feel edgy and combustive , like a wedding where there ’ s an open bar and no one ’ s had anything but hors d'oeuvres for three hours .
Seemingly innocuous tweets incited disproportionate reactions , asking how someone could think about ( insert anything , really , here ) when people were dying .
But of course people could think , and tweet , about other things ; we ’ re all coping and compartmentalizing the best we know how .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the day , and our wells of generosity for others , begin to deplete .
We ’ re frustrated with what we haven ’ t accomplished , getting cabin fever in our makeshift workspaces , and scared for our partner , parent , or child who ’ s been out in the world for hours .
And then the national press briefing enters the feed , filled with exaggerations and misinformation .
Sometimes the president attacks state and local leaders ; sometimes he contradicts his own health experts .
He makes promises @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and consistently downplays the very real fear that millions of Americans are feeling .
None of it feels good or reassuring .
And while some people channel their anger and frustration toward the president , others , exhausted with that prospect , direct it toward others .
It feels like shit , and I hate it , and everyone I know does , too .
But that doesn ’ t mean it doesn ’ t make some sort of sense .
I ’ ve taken to logging off or attempting to ignore social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well into the early evening .
By then , people have largely mellowed ( with substances , with the end of the traditional workday ) .
In that logged-off time , I try to take a walk with my dogs out on the trails that wind through the hills where I live .
I realize I ’ m lucky to have this space , lucky to have a job that allows me to work from home , so indescribably lucky to be healthy and out in the world , even as I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all I don ’ t know , and all I can ’ t prepare for .
I feel something akin to nausea , constantly trying to reconcile my good fortune with my deep pessimism and fear .
And then I realize that each person I ’ ve encountered on these trails — which are open and free to the public , the pride of the area — has gone out of their way to make ample room for each other .
Masks haven ’ t yet been mandated in the big , open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visible .
Consciously or not , we are acknowledging each other ’ s good faith , our small but best intentions .
We are kind and gentle with one another in person , even at a distance .
I know it ’ s not that way everywhere .
But at least for the moment , we ’ ve managed to preserve it here .
That ’ s the feeling I want to keep close — even online , where everyone ’ s mad and no one seems to know anything .
The internet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but somehow it feels even more so today : Trolls are trollier , influencers are falling for QAnon theories , celebrities are flailing around to find the right tone , charlatans are shilling snake oil , and everyone ’ s yelling about everyone else .
I don ’ t think we can dramatically change it , really — not so long as this authority vacuum remains in place .
But we don ’ t have to fuel it , either .
That doesn ’ t mean ignoring the class- and race-based stratifications @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It doesn ’ t mean pretending the virus does not discriminate or suggesting that everyone ’ s struggle is even close to equal .
But it does mean we can remember that the most effective way to diffuse collective action — and the sweeping , systemic changes it can spark — has always been to turn those who are suffering against one another.●

Someone on Twitter admitted they’d found themselves giving the side-eye to someone who was clearly under 60 and shopping at the grocery store during senior hours — before watching the person sheepishly apologizing to everyone she saw. She was caring for and living with her parents, both of whom were severely immunocompromised. A friend filled with COVID-related anxiety decided to drive around LA and look at famous houses from Nancy Meyers movies. She never got out of her car, never came in contact with other people. People in the comments chided her for putting others in danger. A coworker was on a bike ride, away from crowds, with his children in tow. A man in a car slowed down to a crawl beside him and yelled at him to put on a mask.
If you’ve spent time online or in public spaces lately, you’ve probably experienced, witnessed, or participated in a similar behavior. But here’s the thing: As most of the country reaches its fifth week of self-isolation and social distancing, the vast majority of people are doing their damn best. Of course, there are people holding church services and a small handful of others are meeting in secret at underground clubs. But these people are outliers, their behaviors far from the norm. Even the people who think the government is overreacting are still largely behaving in ways that would protect themselves and others from infection.
Those who still have to go to work are desperate to keep themselves and their communities safe, even when their employers don’t provide adequate protection. People who are able to work from home are, in the vast majority of cases, being incredibly careful. When we were told not to wear masks — and to save them for essential workers — we didn’t; when that advice changed and we were instructed to wear masks, we scavenged and scrounged for and jury-rigged our own. We’re donating to others if we’re able, we’re reading and sharing news stories of tremendous grief and sacrifice, we’re reaching out to elderly neighbors, and we’re checking in with friends from the far corners of our lives.
But some of us, amid all of that, are also being real and total assholes. We’re giving no one the benefit of the doubt. We’re skeptical and untrusting, quick to judge and slow to apologize. Some of these behaviors, especially implicitly and explicitly racist ones, are straight-up inexcusable. But some of them, maybe even most of them, are misguided manifestations of fear and confusion in the face of a very real vacuum of authority. Because we know so little — and have so little faith in so many of our leaders — we are scrambling to assemble some sense of order in our lives. And a lot of times, that means leveling judgment on others as we desperately try to convince ourselves that we’re doing the right thing, even as the “right” thing often remains unclear.
Is it okay to see your parents after two weeks of strict isolation? If you don’t have underlying health conditions, should you Instacart and tip heavily or just go to the store? Should you wash your dog thoroughly after going outside? If you were sick and have recovered, how many days or weeks should you remain in total isolation? Is it okay to order nonessential items that need to be delivered through the mail? To eat takeout? But only if it’s been reheated?? But what if you don’t have a microwave??? It’s okay to go running, right? Oh wait, there’s a Medium post that says it’s not! Oh wait, that post is actually junk science!
There are dozens of new advice columns attempting to address these questions. But as Katie Notopoulos, author of our own column, How to Plague, reminds us, most of the columnists are just doing their best to consolidate accepted wisdom from experts — and that accepted wisdom can and continues to change quickly. We’re confronted with new information every day about the virus and how it works, about the economy and how it’s tanking, about our government and how it’s failing to get help to those who need it most. There’s still so much we don’t know, from the actual number of infections to when and how we’ll be able to stop wide-scale social distancing. We can’t plan more than a few days in the future. It seems ill-advised to make any sort of decision larger than “what should I have for dinner?” We don’t know what’s going to happen with our jobs, our schools, or life as we know it, other than none of it will ever really be the same.
All of it is so much for any one person, let alone someone who’s also simultaneously scared for themselves and their loved ones, to process. And it’s unsurprising that the places where we’re confronted with that information, again and again, would also become the places where we become our worst selves.


buzzfeednews--2020-04-15--A Zoo That Closed Due To The Coronavirus Said It May Feed Some Animals To Others

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
A zoo in Germany made international headlines on Wednesday after its director said staff may be forced to feed some of the park 's animals to other animals as they confront possible financial ruin as a result of the coronavirus pandemic .
Tierpark Neumünster , which sits between Hamburg and the Danish border in Germany 's north , has been closed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ result of a government order to shut down non-essential businesses in the country .
Director Verena Kaspari told the German Press Agency ( DPA ) and the Die Welt newspaper that as her zoo struggles to feed its roughly 700 animals amid the financial fallout they have drawn up emergency plans that involve some tough decisions .
`` If — and this is really the worst , worst case of all — if I no longer have any money to buy feed , or if it should happen that my feed supplier is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new restrictions , then I would slaughter animals to feed other animals , '' she said .
Representatives from the zoo did not respond to a request for comment , but a spokesperson confirmed Kaspari 's comments to the New York Times .
The spokesperson also told the newspaper that the zoo 's 12-foot-tall polar bar , Vitus , would sit at the top of the proverbial food chain and be spared .
Kaspari told German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle that endangered animals would not be killed , but that any goats and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ list .
`` It 's a worst-case scenario , '' she said .
`` We do n't see it getting that way yet , but we have to think of it early enough . ''
Other animals at the zoo , according to its website , include alpacas , dingoes , deer , lynxes , seals , reindeer , wildcats , turtles , and chinchillas .

A zoo in Germany made international headlines on Wednesday after its director said staff may be forced to feed some of the park's animals to other animals as they confront possible financial ruin as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Tierpark Neumünster, which sits between Hamburg and the Danish border in Germany's north, has been closed to paying guests since March 15 as a result of a government order to shut down non-essential businesses in the country.
Director Verena Kaspari told the German Press Agency (DPA) and the Die Welt newspaper that as her zoo struggles to feed its roughly 700 animals amid the financial fallout they have drawn up emergency plans that involve some tough decisions.
"If — and this is really the worst, worst case of all — if I no longer have any money to buy feed, or if it should happen that my feed supplier is no longer able to deliver due to new restrictions, then I would slaughter animals to feed other animals," she said.
Representatives from the zoo did not respond to a request for comment, but a spokesperson confirmed Kaspari's comments to the New York Times. The spokesperson also told the newspaper that the zoo's 12-foot-tall polar bar, Vitus, would sit at the top of the proverbial food chain and be spared.
Kaspari told German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle that endangered animals would not be killed, but that any goats and deer would be first on the slaughter list.
"It's a worst-case scenario," she said. "We don't see it getting that way yet, but we have to think of it early enough."
Other animals at the zoo, according to its website, include alpacas, dingoes, deer, lynxes, seals, reindeer, wildcats, turtles, and chinchillas.


buzzfeednews--2020-04-15--Coronavirus Antibody Tests Could Help Us Get Back To Normal — Or They Could Be The Next Testing Cris

Coronavirus Antibody Tests Could Help Us Get Back To Normal — Or They Could Be The Next Testing Crisis

Hospitals and clinics are rushing to use antibody tests in an effort to determine who is immune to the coronavirus .
But almost none of them have been verified by the FDA .
As the world fights to bring the coronavirus pandemic under control , new blood tests that identify people with possible immunity are being touted as a key tool to return life to normal .
But almost none of the dozens of tests that hospitals and clinics across the US are now rushing to obtain are being verified for accuracy by regulators .
These tests are not the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Instead , they indicate if a person ’ s immune system had produced antibodies to fight the virus in the past .
Widespread use of such tests could answer important questions about how much of the population has been infected by the virus , shedding more light on how deadly it really is .
And some argue the tests could also hold the keys to restarting the economy : In the US and some European countries , the possibility of “ immunity certificates ” has been gaining traction as a way to help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But the accuracy of the tests in the US is currently far from guaranteed .
Over the last two months , the FDA has been loosening its regulations in an effort to fast-track available testing .
In mid-March , the agency started allowing coronavirus antibody tests , also known as serology tests , to be sold and used without going through any review , as long as the test ’ s developer could show proof that they had validated their test .
More than 95 antibody tests are now available , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” authorization from the FDA , with the latest ones announced Wednesday .
The US is still suffering from a catastrophically short supply of nasal- and throat-swab tests that detect an ongoing infection , causing delays that critics say wasted the first precious weeks when the disease could have been contained .
That crisis is now causing skyrocketing demand for antibody tests to identify how many people have recovered .
But experts fear that unanswered questions about these tests could breed the next testing crisis .
Scientists don ’ t know enough about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are really immune — or if most of these tests can reliably show whether they are or not .
“ A test is only as good as its result , and having many inaccurate tests is worse than having no tests at all , ” said Kelly Wroblewski , infectious disease director of the Association of Public Health Laboratories .
According to the group , federal health agencies intend to start validating the dozens of serology tests on the market in the next week .
The UK has shown what can go wrong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Johnson called them a “ game changer ” and the government ordered millions from China , only for them to later be deemed unfit for widespread use .
In the US , doctors and scientists say that without federal guidance , they are on their own when it comes to combing through and researching an ever-growing flood of tests .
The result is a testing hodgepodge .
In Alabama , California , Georgia , Michigan , Minnesota , Missouri , and Texas , nine hospitals , clinics , labs , and universities are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 11 different antibody tests — none of them verified by the FDA , a BuzzFeed News review found .
Sold online to medical facilities with names like “ CoronaCheck ” and “ CoronaCide , ” manufacturers are marketing their test kits ’ ease of use and ability to quickly generate results .
One company , BioMedomics , boasts that its test can be “ deployed in businesses , schools , airports , seaports and train stations , etc.
, giving it the potential to become a compelling force in the fight against this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , some companies are trying to edge out the competition by falsely touting their tests as “ FDA-approved ” or “ FDA-authorized , ” the agency said last week .
One manufacturer , SafeCare Canada , is selling a $ 450 rapid-detection coronavirus antibody test and falsely claiming that the product is “ FDA certified , ” BuzzFeed News found .
Asked for comment , SafeCare Canada 's co-chief executive officer , Darrell Bauschke , said by email : `` Not interested in your news format .
Or Target audience . ''
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after BuzzFeed News published this story .
An FDA spokesperson declined to comment on the company .
Health care providers are making decisions about which tests to provide with very little information .
Last week in Huntsville , Alabama , Synergy Wellness Clinic started offering tests from two companies in China .
Michael Chang , a staff doctor , said that he pored over studies from several manufacturers before settling on the ones with the most promising claims about accuracy rates .
But he said he did not have time to independently verify @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as he ordinarily would .
“ You take it at face value , ” he said .
“ We don ’ t live in normal times .
It ’ s a leap of faith.
” Chang acknowledged that he and others are using tests that have not been thoroughly vetted .
But he also pointed out that , given that the virus has been around less than four months , no test right now will be backed by perfect data .
And if patients are warned about caveats upfront , antibody testing will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Maybe we ’ ll look back and say the tests are not very sensitive .
We ’ ll know that in hindsight , ” he said .
“ The question is , are we going to wait until hindsight to do what we think should have been done months ago ?
That ’ s the thing people are currently grappling with.
” Antibody testing is being touted as a key to putting America back in business .
The coronavirus outbreak is nowhere close to ending , in the US or elsewhere .
More @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be infected , with many others missed by the lack of testing for the virus .
Hospitals , particularly in hard-hit spots like New York City , New Orleans , and Detroit , are overwhelmed by scores of sick and dying patients .
As of Wednesday , more than 26,000 Americans had died from COVID-19 .
But there are signs that the pandemic is at least starting to slow in some places .
This week , governors of states on the West Coast and in the Northeast said they ’ ve started @ @ @ @ @ @ @ together to reopen the economy .
With millions out of work , government officials are hopeful that widespread antibody tests can be part of a strategy to get back in business without worsening the outbreak .
In late March , the CDC and local public health agencies began the first of a series of communitywide serological testing surveys , starting in Washington state and New York City before expanding to more hard-hit states and some households , a CDC spokesperson said by email .
And the idea of “ immunity certificates ” that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ society is being discussed at various levels in the US , Germany , Italy , and the UK .
“ How do you get people back to work as quickly as possible ?
It ’ s gon na come down to testing , ” New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo said last week .
“ You ’ re going to have to know who had the virus , who resolved the virus , who never had it.
” And Dr. Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their antibody test was positive , one can formulate strategies about whether or not they would be at risk or vulnerable to being reinfected , ” which would be particularly important for health care workers .
An immunity passport “ might actually have some merit under certain circumstances.
” But there are still big questions about how much immunity people who have recovered from COVID-19 really have .
Antibody tests analyze a person ’ s blood for antibodies to a particular infection .
Generally for infectious diseases , immunoglobulin M ( IgM ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of antibody produced by the immune system in response to a pathogen and stay in the bloodstream for weeks , indicate that someone was recently infected .
Immunoglobulin G ( IgG ) antibodies stay for years and are a sign of a past infection .
Serology tests generally check for both antibodies in a blood sample .
For other infectious diseases , IgGs can signal that a person is immune for a year , as in colds , to a lifetime , like measles .
That pattern has inspired researchers to start collecting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the hunch that their antibodies could help heal sick patients .
But SARS-CoV-2 is so new that researchers don ’ t know with certainty yet if that principle holds true here .
They also don ’ t know how long immunity might last , or what level of antibodies might be needed for immunity .
One hopeful clue about how the virus might behave is that in survivors of the coronavirus behind the 2003 SARS outbreak , immunity seemed to last up to three years .
Other reports are less hopeful .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 116 patients who had been cleared of COVID-19 tested positive again .
And a preliminary study of 175 recovered patients in China found that nearly a third had antibody levels so low that they might not offer protection .
There are also big questions about the accuracy of the antibody tests .
Experts say that widespread testing will be important to understand how much of the population has gotten infected with the virus , giving us a clearer picture of how fatal it can be .
On an individual level , however , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is more complicated .
You might get a false negative because your body has not yet produced antibodies in the first few days of the infection , or even at all .
Alternatively , you may get a false positive because the test picks up antibodies from a different infection , in which case you might mistakenly think you ’ re immune and it ’ s safe to go outside .
Complicating matters further , each test has its own sensitivity and specificity rates .
Sensitivity is the percentage of times the test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being tested for , and lets you know the rate of false negatives you can expect .
And specificity is the rate the test correctly identifies people who don ’ t have that condition , making clear how often it generates false positives .
For example , Cellex — the first company to receive FDA emergency authorization for its SARS-CoV-2 antibody test — says its test is 93.8 % sensitive and 96.4 % specific .
Ortho Clinical Diagnostics says its test , authorized Wednesday , is 100 % sensitive and 83.3 % specific @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also authorized Wednesday , says it is 93.5 % sensitive and 90.2 % specific .
While these varying accuracy levels may be acceptable for figuring out how much of the population has been infected , since scientists can correct for the errors , they present more problems for patients trying to interpret their individual results .
When a smaller percentage of the population is infected , for example , the chance of an individual getting a false positive is much higher than the test accuracy number alone would suggest .
And accuracy numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even less clear , since they haven ’ t been independently validated .
For example , a test from BioMedomics , which doesn ’ t have FDA authorization , says it is 88.66 % sensitive and 90.63 % specific .
Scott Becker , executive director of the Association of Public Health Laboratories , said that although having a variety of test options is better from a supply chain perspective , having an unknown number of unreliable tests among the 95-plus non-FDA-reviewed antibody tests means that “ we will be chasing down a bunch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prefer that all test makers seek emergency use authorization , as Cellex , Ortho Clinical , and Chembio did .
Labs and health care providers are having to validate the tests themselves — or pick at random .
But for some small labs , clinics , and hospitals looking to quickly ramp up antibody testing , the unauthorized tests have additional appeal .
Though Cellex ’ s test has been authorized since April 1 , many institutions aren ’ t using it , in part because its use is restricted to labs certified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Other sites are using different tests because they are worried about supply chain issues .
Still others said the unauthorized tests were more appealing because they ’ re cheaper .
Tiffanny Blythe , who started offering antibody testing this week at Blue Lotus Family Medicine , her primary care clinic in Kansas City , Missouri , said she researched 10 tests , looking for ones that had high detection rates and , more importantly , explained how those rates had been derived .
“ Not all the companies offer where they get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just kind of state it as fact , ” Blythe said .
She ended up ordering tests from Confirm BioSciences , which are now sold out , so she bought a new test called CoronaCheck .
On its second day of testing , her clinic got 400 calls from interested people .
Because of the accuracy issues , Blythe said she still sends patient samples to local public health laboratories for further confirmation and encourages everyone to continue to socially distance , wear masks , and wash their hands properly .
A representative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Michigan , said it was using tests by the manufacturer PerkinElmer because they can process many more samples at once and provide information about the levels of antibodies , not just whether they are present .
For the same reasons , Kara Lynch , codirector of the clinical chemistry laboratory at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital , said she plans to start testing patients and staff with a test made by the company ET Healthcare .
And Metroplex Medical Centres in Dallas is using a test by Hangzhou Clongene Biotech Company because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Cellex test , said physician assistant Sneha Patel .
Some institutions may also be wary about depending on a single supplier , given how equipment shortages have hindered diagnostic testing in the US so far .
Already , a high-profile attempt by United Biomedical to serologically test every person in San Miguel County , Colorado , has reportedly been delayed by a lack of staff and supplies , according to county officials .
The University of Minnesota made its own antibody test because “ the goal was to be less dependent on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a spokesperson .
Stanford University has done the same , with a representative citing a desire to avoid the “ multiple supply chain failures ” it had initially encountered with its diagnostic tests .
Other academic institutions developing their own tests include Emory University .
Sorting through the tests is a challenge , said Elitza Theel , director of the Mayo Clinic ’ s infectious diseases serology laboratory in Rochester , Minnesota .
“ We don ’ t know how well most of those perform , ” she said .
The Mayo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on two , based on the results of internal validation tests run on patient samples .
( It did not disclose which tests it was using , or which ones ultimately failed their validation screen . )
That process took three to four weeks before the clinic started to test patients this month .
That ’ s much faster than the 8 to 10 months it typically takes to evaluate and implement a new test , Theel said .
Also in a matter of weeks , the University of Southern California and Los @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blood of 1,000 randomly selected people for COVID-19 antibodies last weekend .
While individuals ’ results will be fairly limited — they will simply indicate whether or not they have the antibodies — the researchers say the study will be more useful in providing a snapshot of the virus ’ s presence in the community .
The study used tests made by Premier Biotech , a Minnesota company , because they were donated and their data seemed reliable , said Neeraj Sood , a health policy and economics researcher at the University of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appears to have a false negative rate of 30 % , which his team ’ s statistical analysis will take into account when assessing the population data .
“ The fact is if the FDA hadn ’ t allowed that , we wouldn ’ t have had access to these tests , we wouldn ’ t have been able to do the study , ” Sood said .
“ I would have liked if FDA had done the validation last week .
But at least they made the test available so we could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could put the study in the field — because we need this information right now.
” ●

As the world fights to bring the coronavirus pandemic under control, new blood tests that identify people with possible immunity are being touted as a key tool to return life to normal. But almost none of the dozens of tests that hospitals and clinics across the US are now rushing to obtain are being verified for accuracy by regulators.
These tests are not the kind that spot a current infection. Instead, they indicate if a person’s immune system had produced antibodies to fight the virus in the past. Widespread use of such tests could answer important questions about how much of the population has been infected by the virus, shedding more light on how deadly it really is. And some argue the tests could also hold the keys to restarting the economy: In the US and some European countries, the possibility of “immunity certificates” has been gaining traction as a way to help determine who can safely return to work.
But the accuracy of the tests in the US is currently far from guaranteed.
Over the last two months, the FDA has been loosening its regulations in an effort to fast-track available testing. In mid-March, the agency started allowing coronavirus antibody tests, also known as serology tests, to be sold and used without going through any review, as long as the test’s developer could show proof that they had validated their test. More than 95 antibody tests are now available, but only three have received official “emergency” authorization from the FDA, with the latest ones announced Wednesday.
The US is still suffering from a catastrophically short supply of nasal- and throat-swab tests that detect an ongoing infection, causing delays that critics say wasted the first precious weeks when the disease could have been contained. That crisis is now causing skyrocketing demand for antibody tests to identify how many people have recovered.
But experts fear that unanswered questions about these tests could breed the next testing crisis. Scientists don’t know enough about the new virus to determine whether survivors are really immune — or if most of these tests can reliably show whether they are or not.
“A test is only as good as its result, and having many inaccurate tests is worse than having no tests at all,” said Kelly Wroblewski, infectious disease director of the Association of Public Health Laboratories. According to the group, federal health agencies intend to start validating the dozens of serology tests on the market in the next week.
The UK has shown what can go wrong with antibody tests. Prime Minister Boris Johnson called them a “game changer” and the government ordered millions from China, only for them to later be deemed unfit for widespread use.
In the US, doctors and scientists say that without federal guidance, they are on their own when it comes to combing through and researching an ever-growing flood of tests. The result is a testing hodgepodge. In Alabama, California, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Texas, nine hospitals, clinics, labs, and universities are using or planning to use at least 11 different antibody tests — none of them verified by the FDA, a BuzzFeed News review found.
Sold online to medical facilities with names like “CoronaCheck” and “CoronaCide,” manufacturers are marketing their test kits’ ease of use and ability to quickly generate results. One company, BioMedomics, boasts that its test can be “deployed in businesses, schools, airports, seaports and train stations, etc., giving it the potential to become a compelling force in the fight against this global threat.”
In this free-for-all environment, some companies are trying to edge out the competition by falsely touting their tests as “FDA-approved” or “FDA-authorized,” the agency said last week.
One manufacturer, SafeCare Canada, is selling a $450 rapid-detection coronavirus antibody test and falsely claiming that the product is “FDA certified,” BuzzFeed News found. Asked for comment, SafeCare Canada's co-chief executive officer, Darrell Bauschke, said by email: "Not interested in your news format. Or Target audience." The webpage for the test was taken down after BuzzFeed News published this story. An FDA spokesperson declined to comment on the company.
Health care providers are making decisions about which tests to provide with very little information. Last week in Huntsville, Alabama, Synergy Wellness Clinic started offering tests from two companies in China. Michael Chang, a staff doctor, said that he pored over studies from several manufacturers before settling on the ones with the most promising claims about accuracy rates. But he said he did not have time to independently verify if the tests work as advertised, as he ordinarily would.
“You take it at face value,” he said. “We don’t live in normal times. It’s a leap of faith.”
Chang acknowledged that he and others are using tests that have not been thoroughly vetted. But he also pointed out that, given that the virus has been around less than four months, no test right now will be backed by perfect data. And if patients are warned about caveats upfront, antibody testing will likely still be worth doing.
“Maybe we’ll look back and say the tests are not very sensitive. We’ll know that in hindsight,” he said. “The question is, are we going to wait until hindsight to do what we think should have been done months ago? That’s the thing people are currently grappling with.”


buzzfeednews--2020-03-09--This Small Town Rioted Because Of Fake News And Rumors About The Coronavirus

Two days of chaos and riots show what can happen when people don ’ t trust their government but instead believe rumors and misinformation spread on social media .
NOVI SANZHARY , Ukraine — The day the riots broke out began just like any other .
Bells rang out from the church as people shuffled to work and students filed into classrooms .
Doctors at the town ’ s hospital donned their white gowns and snapped on their latex gloves .
Vendors at the local market sipped sugary coffee and laid out their wares .
The head of the town @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corner office to let in the morning light before going about her usual paperwork .
By nightfall , the Ukrainian town of Novi Sanzhary , population 8,300 , would be turned upside down , thrust into a state of panic and chaos stemming from residents ’ fears that the novel coronavirus was going to bring death to this previously unheralded backwater .
Violence would soon break out , leading to nine police officers being injured , 24 people being arrested for rioting , with five officially charged , and a statement from President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medieval ” behavior .
The government response would include visits not only by ministers but also by a celebrity TV doctor who tried to calm the town ’ s frayed nerves .
What caused it all ?
A toxic mix of limited information released by Ukraine ’ s authorities , disinformation spread by the public on social media , and a targeted fake news campaign from yet-to-be-identified malign actors , according to more than a dozen government officials , medical experts , and local residents interviewed by BuzzFeed News .
In an age @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sanzhary is a microcosm of the problem of misinformation about the coronavirus that seems to have outpaced its spread , reaching millions of people around the world in a flash .
Sometimes that misinformation has even come from world leaders like President Donald Trump as they turn the issue into a partisan one .
BuzzFeed News traveled to Novi Sanzhary , 210 miles east of the capital , Kyiv , to learn how the otherwise sleepy municipality became ground zero of the country ’ s misinformation pandemic .
Everyone said it began with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blistering speed .
On Feb. 18 , a plane from Wuhan , China , arrived in the country , and word started getting around that several of the 45 Ukrainians and 27 foreign nationals on board were infected with the novel coronavirus , which causes COVID-19 .
Upon landing , they were to be immediately bused to an undisclosed medical facility .
While the government confirmed the arrival of the plane and said it would indeed bring those on board to a medical facility in Novi Sanzhary , it stressed there was nothing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all been tested and none of them were infected .
And anyway , they would be kept in quarantine for 14 days as a precautionary measure .
But the rumor that some evacuees were infected took hold and quickly caused an uproar .
On Feb. 19 , people in the western Lviv region , afraid that some evacuees could be brought there , used tires and cars to block the entrance to a hospital .
In nearby Ternopil , people gathered with a priest to pray that the group would be taken elsewhere @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went to the extreme after learning that the group would be taken to a sanatorium there .
Surrounded by sprawling pastures and babbling rivers , Novi Sanzhary is the type of place where everybody knows just about everybody .
The town ’ s schools , council building , market , and hospital are all within walking distance of one another .
Shopkeepers welcome customers by using diminutives of their first names .
The information people trust the most comes from their friends and neighbors , usually by word of mouth but increasingly over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ BuzzFeed News , Inna Koba , head of the town council , remembered only learning about the evacuees ’ destination from social media around 10 p.m. on Feb. 19 , when her phone started ringing and the town started buzzing .
Immediately , residents began organizing over the messaging app Viber , Facebook , and Instagram .
They met on the town ’ s streets and erected barricades — even assigning lookouts on street corners .
Koba admitted the behavior was unusual but said that desperate times called for desperate measures .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve been told and we ’ ve seen on TV that this is a horrible disease that there is no vaccine against .
People are dying from it , ” she said .
“ Then suddenly we find out about a plane transporting sick people .
People were outraged.
” Koba told one Ukrainian news outlet that the moment felt like “ Armageddon , ” with everyone in panic mode .
She told BuzzFeed News it was fueled by a barrage of “ misinformation and fake news ” spread on a Viber @ @ @ @ @ @ @ residents , which one of her constituents had added her to .
Data shows that the Viber group , which BuzzFeed News has since joined , was formed at 10.16 p.m. on Feb. 19 .
Its first message , posted by a user named Alyonka , would set the tone for the town early on .
It read : “ 50 infected people from China are being brought to our sanitarium .
We can ’ t afford to let them destroy our population , we must prevent countless deaths .
People , rise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
!
We must act immediately.
” The Ukrainian news site Texty documented several of the messages that followed , counting more than 10 that were posted in quick succession that included false information .
A user named Natasha said that “ if we sleep this night , then we will wake up dead.
” Someone named Tanya wrote that “ Chinese refugees will come dressed in camouflage ” — a thinly veiled reference to the Russian soldiers who had disguised themselves during the 2014 annexation of Ukraine ’ s Crimean Peninsula .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nikolas , offered the number for a funeral home , “ because people will die from the coronavirus.
” In a matter of minutes , Novi Sanzhary was whipped into a terrifying frenzy .
Overnight , groups of people left their homes to occupy the town ’ s center and block access to the medical facility , a Soviet-era sanatorium subordinated to the country ’ s Interior Ministry that sits on the bank of the Vorskla River .
As more people gathered in the town center and at the facility the next day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forces donning riot gear and driving armored personnel carriers arrived .
Residents recalled them marching together in a way that felt ominous .
Koba said that only heightened tensions on the ground and seemed to confirm people ’ s suspicions .
“ When the police , National Guard , and armored vehicles arrived here , of course , everyone got scared and thought that it ’ s true — that they are bringing sick people here , ” she said .
Then , as the security situation deteriorated , more misinformation spread online @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sent out via email from the country ’ s Health Ministry .
It claimed what Novi Sanzhary ’ s residents most feared , that the evacuees included people infected with the coronavirus .
The information wasn ’ t true , but it spread rapidly nonetheless and brought tensions in Novi Sanzhary to the boiling point .
Meanwhile , in Kyiv , government officials were trying to figure out what was going on and how to stop it .
“ I have grounds to believe that this [ email ] is an information attack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have asked the head of the security service to react , ” Zoryana Skaletska , the health minister at the time , wrote on Facebook on Feb. 20 .
“ The panic spreading in Ukrainian society in connection with the evacuation of our citizens from China has been created artificially.
” The security service , known as the SBU , and the government ’ s Public Health Center both quickly published statements echoing Skaletska .
They didn ’ t identify who they thought was behind the email , which spoofed the ministry ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suggested it may have been done by outsiders because a foreign email service had been used to do it .
It ’ s still unclear where the email came from in this case , but with Russia ’ s documented efforts to sow discord in Ukraine through hybrid warfare — a military strategy that combines conventional warfare and cyberwarfare — and recent reports that Moscow was behind a coronavirus disinformation campaign , many in Kyiv believe their adversary to the north could be involved .
Whatever the case , the misinformation found its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Novi Sanzhary , where residents like Vasily and Lyudmila , who were chatting in the town ’ s market last week when BuzzFeed News arrived , received it with great anxiety that afternoon .
“ We were shocked and worried .
Wouldn ’ t you be ?
” said Lyudmila , who recalled hearing about it from a friend on Instagram .
As night fell , the temperature of the Novi Sanzhary crowd rose and they began taking action .
Residents erected barricades and assigned lookouts on street corners .
As the buses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fires to try to keep them out of town .
They were met by phalanxes of police in riot gear who arrived with armored vehicles to push them back .
As tensions escalated , violent clashes broke out .
And when the buses carrying people from China finally arrived , residents shouted at them to “ get out ” and hurled stones that shattered the windows .
Government officials couldn ’ t believe what they were seeing and were n't sure what else they could do to stanch the panic .
The next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minister was dispatched to the town , along with the interior and health ministers .
Skaletska , who , along with the prime minister , Oleksiy Honcharuk , would later be dismissed in a major government reshuffle ordered by Zelensky , decided she would take up residence with the evacuees inside the sanatorium for the full 14 days of quarantine to show the public there was nothing to fear .
After the bout of violence and several arrests , the situation began to calm down .
And over the last days in February @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials and experts to better inform local residents about the coronavirus situation .
One of those people was the celebrity doctor Evgeny Komarovsky , Ukraine ’ s answer to Dr. Phil ( he even has the mustache ) , who helped keep the peace and answer residents ’ questions in impromptu meetings on the town ’ s street and at an organized question-and-answer session .
Videos from his visit were posted on YouTube , where he has nearly 2 million subscribers , and viewed hundreds of thousands of times .
Ukraine only confirmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on March 3 , in a man in the western region of Chernivtsi who had recently returned from Italy , where the outbreak is so bad that the whole country has now been completely locked down .
Looking back , residents , including doctors , said the anger and panic were stoked by the government ’ s decision to withhold information from them , misinformation that spread across social media , and sensational coverage by the news media .
“ In my opinion , the information we receive daily from the media — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — actually hyped this panic , ” said Olha Hirya , head doctor of Novi Sanzhary ’ s main hospital , whose walls were covered in signs showing patients how to protect themselves from getting sick with the coronavirus .
“ We have encountered several types of this virus before .
The means of prevention against this virus are well known .
People should be informed , but in a calm and correct way.
” In an interview in Kyiv , Volodymyr Kurpita , former chief of the Public Health Center of Ukraine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ministry , placed much of the blame for the chaos on the news media but said some of it also rested on politicians who behaved irresponsibly .
“ Watch any Ukrainian TV news show and you ’ ll see they cover the problem of the coronavirus , but it ’ s being discussed by politicians ; it ’ s not being discussed by professionals , ” he said .
“ How could a politician explain this virus ?
The politicians are spreading disinformation and sowing panic in society.
” Dr. Jarno Habicht , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s office in Ukraine , told BuzzFeed News by phone that as the coronavirus spreads , “ what we have learned is that communication is extremely important.
” Habicht said that the WHO has “ global agreements ” with Facebook and other social media outlets about how to ensure that “ proper information , evidence-based information , ” is shared and that bad information is removed .
“ That is very important in Ukraine because it is a very social media–oriented country , ” he said .
Similarly , Ukraine ’ s authorities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social media companies to combat misinformation about the coronavirus spreading on the platforms , Iuliia Mendel , press secretary for Zelensky , told BuzzFeed News .
“ The office of the president always is concerned about disinformation , and of course we are always in touch with social media companies , ” she said .
“ Usually we are in touch when there is fake news.
” Facebook ’ s press office said in an emailed statement that the company is “ in constant contact with government officials in countries where we operate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Viber couldn ’ t be reached for comment .
Still , many in Novi Sanzhary said they remain skeptical of their political leadership and the traditional news media .
Despite the spread of misinformation on social media , many said they still trust what they read there more than they do elsewhere .
But it ’ s still their neighbors whom they trust most of all .
Luckily for some , there is Dr. Yulia Tsarenko , who was checking the blood pressure of Lyudmila Donets at the town ’ s hospital when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that even after the protests , she has been stopped on the street and at shops around town by residents with questions about the coronavirus that suggested they are still misinformed .
“ Firstly , I tell them not to panic , and also to wash their hands , ” she said .
“ I say that everything will be fine .
And it will be.
” Tsarenko said their curiosity is generally good .
But among the many questions she gets are those about home remedies for the coronavirus , which she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
For a glimpse into the world of Ukrainian alternative medicine , BuzzFeed News visited the local market , where vendors offered up an array of “ cures ” for colds , high blood pressure , and even what they said was sure to keep away the coronavirus .
Regarding the latter , some prescribed a diet heavy on pickled vegetables and salt-cured pork fat known as salo , and washing it all down with vodka .
Raisa , a pensioner who was selling homemade sunflower oil near the market ’ s entrance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to stave off the disease sweeping across the globe .
“ The coronavirus is afraid of garlic and onions .
Eat those , ” she said , pointing to a pile of the bulbs on the ground .
Tsarenko said she tries not to laugh when people offer such remedies , and tells them eating healthily is always a good idea .
Her colleague Dr. Oleh Yakovenko said the best way to stop the spread of misinformation and panic like that kind that consumed his town is to provide people with accurate information @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from an outdated , Soviet way of thinking to a modern way.
” Koba , Novi Sanzhary ’ s town council chief , thought it was simpler than that .
“ People spread misinformation because they do not know the truth , ” she said .
“ All this happened because of the lack of information in the beginning .

Immediately, residents began organizing over the messaging app Viber, Facebook, and Instagram. They met on the town’s streets and erected barricades — even assigning lookouts on street corners.
Koba admitted the behavior was unusual but said that desperate times called for desperate measures.
“Over the past two months, we’ve been told and we’ve seen on TV that this is a horrible disease that there is no vaccine against. People are dying from it,” she said. “Then suddenly we find out about a plane transporting sick people. People were outraged.”
Koba told one Ukrainian news outlet that the moment felt like “Armageddon,” with everyone in panic mode. She told BuzzFeed News it was fueled by a barrage of “misinformation and fake news” spread on a Viber channel used by the town’s residents, which one of her constituents had added her to.
Data shows that the Viber group, which BuzzFeed News has since joined, was formed at 10.16 p.m. on Feb. 19. Its first message, posted by a user named Alyonka, would set the tone for the town early on. It read: “50 infected people from China are being brought to our sanitarium. We can’t afford to let them destroy our population, we must prevent countless deaths. People, rise up. We all have children!!! We must act immediately.”
The Ukrainian news site Texty documented several of the messages that followed, counting more than 10 that were posted in quick succession that included false information.
A user named Natasha said that “if we sleep this night, then we will wake up dead.”
Someone named Tanya wrote that “Chinese refugees will come dressed in camouflage” — a thinly veiled reference to the Russian soldiers who had disguised themselves during the 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.
Another person, who identified himself as Nikolas, offered the number for a funeral home, “because people will die from the coronavirus.”
In a matter of minutes, Novi Sanzhary was whipped into a terrifying frenzy.
Overnight, groups of people left their homes to occupy the town’s center and block access to the medical facility, a Soviet-era sanatorium subordinated to the country’s Interior Ministry that sits on the bank of the Vorskla River.
As more people gathered in the town center and at the facility the next day, even more police and National Guard forces donning riot gear and driving armored personnel carriers arrived. Residents recalled them marching together in a way that felt ominous.
Koba said that only heightened tensions on the ground and seemed to confirm people’s suspicions.
“When the police, National Guard, and armored vehicles arrived here, of course, everyone got scared and thought that it’s true — that they are bringing sick people here,” she said.
Then, as the security situation deteriorated, more misinformation spread online from what appeared to be an advisory sent out via email from the country’s Health Ministry. It claimed what Novi Sanzhary’s residents most feared, that the evacuees included people infected with the coronavirus.
The information wasn’t true, but it spread rapidly nonetheless and brought tensions in Novi Sanzhary to the boiling point.
Meanwhile, in Kyiv, government officials were trying to figure out what was going on and how to stop it.
“I have grounds to believe that this [email] is an information attack on the ministry. So, I have asked the head of the security service to react,” Zoryana Skaletska, the health minister at the time, wrote on Facebook on Feb. 20. “The panic spreading in Ukrainian society in connection with the evacuation of our citizens from China has been created artificially.”
The security service, known as the SBU, and the government’s Public Health Center both quickly published statements echoing Skaletska. They didn’t identify who they thought was behind the email, which spoofed the ministry’s actual email address. But they suggested it may have been done by outsiders because a foreign email service had been used to do it.
It’s still unclear where the email came from in this case, but with Russia’s documented efforts to sow discord in Ukraine through hybrid warfare — a military strategy that combines conventional warfare and cyberwarfare — and recent reports that Moscow was behind a coronavirus disinformation campaign, many in Kyiv believe their adversary to the north could be involved.
Whatever the case, the misinformation found its way into conversations on the streets of Novi Sanzhary, where residents like Vasily and Lyudmila, who were chatting in the town’s market last week when BuzzFeed News arrived, received it with great anxiety that afternoon.
“We were shocked and worried. Wouldn’t you be?” said Lyudmila, who recalled hearing about it from a friend on Instagram.
As night fell, the temperature of the Novi Sanzhary crowd rose and they began taking action.


buzzfeednews--2020-03-27--A Judge Ordered The Release Of Low-Level Prisoners Because Of The Coronavirus. People Were Absolutel

A Judge Ordered The Release Of Low-Level Prisoners Because Of The Coronavirus. People Were Absolutely Furious.

Alabama Judge Ben Fuller spent last week being attacked over his plan .
He now thinks the uproar that ensued means none of the state ’ s other judges will consider releasing inmates from crowded jails .
Judge Ben Fuller was watching television news last Wednesday when he saw a scientist talking about the danger of coronavirus in crowded settings .
“ He was talking about the nursing homes , which we 're all aware of , and then he mentioned county jails and how in county jails , the density of the population creates a real hazard , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presides over three counties in central Alabama , has a reputation for being tough on crime .
But he leaped into action .
He didn ’ t want people to get sick and die in his jails while awaiting their day in court on minor charges .
With the assent of two other judges in the circuit , Fuller issued a decree that would release all inmates with bonds of $ 5,000 or less — bond amounts almost exclusively used for those accused of committing relatively minor crimes .
He also added a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ detain anyone they thought posed a risk to the community .
`` This was n't intended to be a mass release , I just wanted to do something to protect the safety of the jail staff , sheriff 's deputies and the inmates , ” he said .
While Fuller wasn ’ t sure how many inmates would fall under the order , he said that many of the over 525 people in the three jails in his circuit were in for minor offenses .
But before Fuller ’ s order could take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , an angry district court judge posted Fuller ’ s order on Facebook .
Then , Assistant District Attorney C.J .
Robinson , a 35-year-old prosecutor for Fuller ’ s circuit , said his office began to get flooded with calls from judges , crime victims , and the general public , all worried about who exactly would be released .
“ It was a constant flow of Facebook messages to members of our staff and phone calls to the office .
It was constant .
It was overwhelming .
It was like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just kept spiderwebbing out , ” said Robinson .
Soon Robinson , who serves on the state executive committee for the Alabama Republican Party , used Facebook to assure the public that his office was “ frantically working ” to block inmates from being released under the judge ’ s order .
The constituents in his comments section applauded his move .
“ When released , why not transport them to Fuller ’ s neighborhood , ” one person wrote .
Another chimed in , “ We violent crime victims are watching ... @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fuller will be held responsible for his order .
He is NOT a friend to crime victims.
” “ Letting them out would just cause mass chaos , ” added another .
Do you have questions you want answered ?
You can always get in touch .
And if you 're someone who is seeing the impact of this firsthand , we ’ d also love to hear from you ( you can reach out to us via one of our tip line channels ) .
Prisoner rights advocates around the country have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as COVID-19 begins to spread in correctional facilities where social distancing is next to impossible .
Already , officials have confirmed dozens of cases among inmates and staff in New York City jails .
Smaller outbreaks have also been documented at county jails in Chicago and Dallas .
In response , law enforcement officials across the country have begun releasing select inmates .
Los Angeles County released 1,700 people from its jails .
In Cleveland , judges released 38 suspects from the Cuyahoga County Jail and said they planned to release hundreds more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hillsborough County , Florida , sheriff let out 164 `` low level , nonviolent '' offenders last week .
And on Thursday , Attorney General William Barr directed Federal Bureau of Prisons officials to consider house arrest for older inmates , who are among the highest-risk groups for complications from the coronavirus .
With the exception of Fuller , however , law enforcement officials in Alabama have not embraced this trend .
By Sunday afternoon , Robinson posted another update announcing that his office would be challenging the release of 59 inmates in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ either been accused of crimes that were “ quite concerning ” or had extensive criminal histories or records of failing to appear on past charges .
“ For goodness sake , one guy had a pending murder case in a neighboring county , ” Robinson said .
Judges agreed in 58 out of 59 of the cases , Robinson added .
Fuller says that his original goal of keeping not just inmates , but also corrections officers , sheriff 's deputies , and their families safe has been lost in all of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accused me of being a liberal .
But I am a Christian and I will tell you our area ’ s economy is hospitality based .
All the restaurants have been closed , the golf course here has been closed .
A lot of people have been laid off , ” said Fuller .
“ So let 's say , I 'm a parent who has a child who is in jail .
This is forcing them to make a terrible decision about whether to go down and pay bail to get their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groceries for the other two kids.
” Fuller initially hoped that other judges might follow his lead .
But the political fallout has made that unlikely .
“ I think the pushback has quelled any effort .
I have not heard from any other circuit judges but I 'd be frankly surprised if anyone else will do anything anytime soon.
” Dev Wakeley , a policy analyst at Alabama Arise , an advocacy organization that is calling for targeted releases , has spoken with judges around the state in recent days and says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a move like Fuller ’ s order .
“ We have overcrowded correctional institutions and a real reluctance to address the problems that will cause during this pandemic.
” Since Fuller issued his order , the Alabama Department of Corrections has said that the state ’ s prisons , which are so crowded that Trump ’ s Department of Justice has been considering intervention , will stop receiving any new convicted inmates for 30 days .
Usually once someone is convicted of a crime they are transformed from county jail to state or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now refusing to take any new inmates , those convicted of crimes will remain in county jails , increasing the crowding that Fuller was trying to mitigate .

Fuller, who presides over three counties in central Alabama, has a reputation for being tough on crime. But he leaped into action. He didn’t want people to get sick and die in his jails while awaiting their day in court on minor charges. With the assent of two other judges in the circuit, Fuller issued a decree that would release all inmates with bonds of $5,000 or less — bond amounts almost exclusively used for those accused of committing relatively minor crimes. He also added a provision that local sheriffs could continue to detain anyone they thought posed a risk to the community.
"This wasn't intended to be a mass release, I just wanted to do something to protect the safety of the jail staff, sheriff's deputies and the inmates,” he said. While Fuller wasn’t sure how many inmates would fall under the order, he said that many of the over 525 people in the three jails in his circuit were in for minor offenses.
But before Fuller’s order could take effect, an uproar ensued.
First, an angry district court judge posted Fuller’s order on Facebook. Then, Assistant District Attorney C.J. Robinson, a 35-year-old prosecutor for Fuller’s circuit, said his office began to get flooded with calls from judges, crime victims, and the general public, all worried about who exactly would be released. “It was a constant flow of Facebook messages to members of our staff and phone calls to the office. It was constant. It was overwhelming. It was like a crack in a windshield, it just kept spiderwebbing out,” said Robinson.
Soon Robinson, who serves on the state executive committee for the Alabama Republican Party, used Facebook to assure the public that his office was “frantically working” to block inmates from being released under the judge’s order. The constituents in his comments section applauded his move.
“When released, why not transport them to Fuller’s neighborhood,” one person wrote.
Another chimed in, “We violent crime victims are watching.....and believe me when I say Ben Fuller will be held responsible for his order. He is NOT a friend to crime victims.”
“Letting them out would just cause mass chaos,” added another.


buzzfeednews--2020-05-08--Ukrainian Prosecutors Drafted Documents To Charge Paul Manafort With Corruption. Then The Case Disap

Ukrainian Prosecutors Drafted Documents To Charge Paul Manafort With Corruption. Then The Case Disappeared.

KYIV , Ukraine — A little over a year ago , in a pre-coronavirus pandemic world , Paul Manafort was convicted in the US of financial fraud , witness tampering , and lobbying crimes related to his work in Ukraine , and sentenced to seven and a half years in prison .
The charges against him stemmed from , but were not directly related to , former special counsel Robert Mueller ’ s probe into Russia ’ s 2016 election interference , which came to a close shortly after Manafort ’ s sentencing .
Many wondered at the time why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the crimes that landed Manafort behind bars in the US , had not charged Donald Trump ’ s former campaign chair with crimes in Ukraine .
It wasn ’ t for lack of trying .
As BuzzFeed News has reported , Ukrainian prosecutors made several unsuccessful attempts to get US law enforcement officials to turn over evidence from Manafort or make him available for an interview , as they pursued three separate corruption investigations in Kyiv in which he was a “ key witness.
” But as the probes went on , Manafort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in one case : he became a suspect .
BuzzFeed News can now reveal that in May 2019 , as Manafort settled into his US prison cell , a special investigations unit inside the Ukrainian prosecutor general ’ s office was preparing to wrap up a four-year-long investigation , drafting an indictment for him as well as for Greg Craig , a former Obama White House counsel and partner at the big-shot law firm Skadden , Arps , Slate , Meagher & Flom .
The charge : aiding in the embezzlement of state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Skadden Law Firm Gregory B. Craig and Paul Manafort intentionally participated in the misappropriation of the funds from the State Budget of Ukraine totaling $ 1,075,381.41 ( 8,595,523.61 Ukrainian hryvnias and more than 600 times the tax-free minimum of citizens ’ salaries ) , causing damage to the state , ” reads the draft indictment for the two US citizens obtained by BuzzFeed News .
The document , which has never before been reported and would have been the first criminal charge brought against Manafort abroad , details in more than 4,000 words @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facilitated the embezzlement of more than $ 1 million in Ukrainian state funds .
The draft indictment ’ s authenticity was confirmed to BuzzFeed News by Serhiy Gorbatyuk , the former top Ukrainian prosecutor for special investigations who led the effort to charge Manafort and Craig , and a second prosecutor involved in the case who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he continues to work in the prosecutor general ’ s office ( PGO ) and feared retribution for sharing details about the case with reporters .
“ In the course @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obtained to decide about pursuing criminal prosecution , including that of [ Manafort and Craig ] , ” Gorbatyuk told BuzzFeed News .
Craig and Skadden were paid nearly $ 1.1 million in 2011 by Ukraine ’ s justice ministry , which at the time was headed by Yanukovych ally Oleksandr Lavrynovych .
The firm ’ s task was to produce a report that justified the controversial imprisonment of the politician Yulia Tymoshenko , who had been jailed for allegedly brokering an unfavorable gas deal with Russia when she was Ukraine ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sentence was viewed by much of the international community as political persecution by the Yanukovych regime .
She was released in February 2014 and later reelected to Parliament . )

KYIV, Ukraine — A little over a year ago, in a pre-coronavirus pandemic world, Paul Manafort was convicted in the US of financial fraud, witness tampering, and lobbying crimes related to his work in Ukraine, and sentenced to seven and a half years in prison.
The charges against him stemmed from, but were not directly related to, former special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russia’s 2016 election interference, which came to a close shortly after Manafort’s sentencing.
Many wondered at the time why prosecutors in Kyiv, ground zero for the crimes that landed Manafort behind bars in the US, had not charged Donald Trump’s former campaign chair with crimes in Ukraine.
It wasn’t for lack of trying.
As BuzzFeed News has reported, Ukrainian prosecutors made several unsuccessful attempts to get US law enforcement officials to turn over evidence from Manafort or make him available for an interview, as they pursued three separate corruption investigations in Kyiv in which he was a “key witness.”
But as the probes went on, Manafort quickly became more than just a witness in one case: he became a suspect.
BuzzFeed News can now reveal that in May 2019, as Manafort settled into his US prison cell, a special investigations unit inside the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office was preparing to wrap up a four-year-long investigation, drafting an indictment for him as well as for Greg Craig, a former Obama White House counsel and partner at the big-shot law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.
The charge: aiding in the embezzlement of state funds.
“The managing partner of Skadden Law Firm Gregory B. Craig and Paul Manafort intentionally participated in the misappropriation of the funds from the State Budget of Ukraine totaling $1,075,381.41 (8,595,523.61 Ukrainian hryvnias and more than 600 times the tax-free minimum of citizens’ salaries), causing damage to the state,” reads the draft indictment for the two US citizens obtained by BuzzFeed News.
The document, which has never before been reported and would have been the first criminal charge brought against Manafort abroad, details in more than 4,000 words how and when Manafort and Craig allegedly facilitated the embezzlement of more than $1 million in Ukrainian state funds.
The draft indictment’s authenticity was confirmed to BuzzFeed News by Serhiy Gorbatyuk, the former top Ukrainian prosecutor for special investigations who led the effort to charge Manafort and Craig, and a second prosecutor involved in the case who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he continues to work in the prosecutor general’s office (PGO) and feared retribution for sharing details about the case with reporters.
“In the course of the investigation, enough data was obtained to decide about pursuing criminal prosecution, including that of [Manafort and Craig],” Gorbatyuk told BuzzFeed News.
Craig and Skadden were paid nearly $1.1 million in 2011 by Ukraine’s justice ministry, which at the time was headed by Yanukovych ally Oleksandr Lavrynovych. The firm’s task was to produce a report that justified the controversial imprisonment of the politician Yulia Tymoshenko, who had been jailed for allegedly brokering an unfavorable gas deal with Russia when she was Ukraine’s prime minister. (Tymoshenko’s sentence was viewed by much of the international community as political persecution by the Yanukovych regime. She was released in February 2014 and later reelected to Parliament.)