vox--2020-03-21--The unprecedented tsunami of unemployment insurance claims, explained

The United States is facing an imminent surge in unemployment insurance claims that threatens to completely swamp the system for claiming and paying benefits .
The surge is so unprecedented in historical terms that it essentially defies efforts to forecast where the economy may go in the future , and underscores the extent to which the looming coronavirus recession is completely different in its mechanics from the 2008 Great Recession , but potentially even more severe in its impact .
In Pennsylvania , for example , reports from the state ’ s Department of Labor and Industry suggest that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unemployment claims this week .
By contrast , there were about 281,000 new claims across the entire country last week , which itself was a rise from the previous week ’ s level of 211,000 claims .
The Trump administration was so alarmed by the dribs and drabs of data leaking out from state agencies that it ’ s asked states to stop talking about the claims they are seeing until a full federal report comes out on Thursday .
Meanwhile , a Goldman Sachs research note by David Choi projects , based @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that new claims will reach 2.25 million when that report is finalized — a number that completely shatters all records .
Here ’ s a chart of weekly initial unemployment claims dating all the way back to 1967 compared with the Goldman Sachs estimate of 2.25 million — a spike so large that it , if it comes to pass , will ruin the scaling of future unemployment claims charts .
Below is an adaptation of a chart by Andy Kiersz of Business Insider : That doesn ’ t necessarily mean that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In a separate analysis , Goldman ’ s Jan Hatzius estimates that unemployment will peak at around 9 percent — in part because he ’ s counting on a significant fiscal stimulus — which would be very bad but still somewhat lower than the peaks reached in October 2009 or December 1982 .
Nevertheless , the fact that we have never seen an increase in unemployment as rapid as the one we seem to be facing means that all our efforts to predict what will happen next are largely guesswork .
Recessions have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come on slowly .
The kind of sudden stop in economic activity that we are looking at is well outside the realm of anything we ’ ve experienced .
And it ’ s going to break the unemployment insurance system unless Congress takes some quick steps to inject funds and change the rules .
Unemployment insurance systems are run by state governments with a mix of state and federal money and governed by some federal rules with considerable state discretion .
But broadly speaking , the way unemployment insurance works is that if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and your employer pay into a fund .
That fund then pays out benefits to people who lose their jobs .
The benefits , by design , are only a fraction of the beneficiary ’ s usual earnings , are conditional on providing evidence that he or she is actively seeking a new job , and are only paid out for a limited span of time .
Basically , the system does a great job of helping individuals cope with the reality that in a healthy market economy there are always some businesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unemployment insurance , if your employer goes under you have a cushion while you go find another job — but the program is deliberately stingy to make sure you go out and get another one .
During big recessions , Congress normally acts to extend the time limit in order to recognize that even diligent job-seekers will have trouble getting new work quickly .
The coronavirus pandemic is causing unemployment to surge , but given the unique situation , we don ’ t actually want people hitting the pavement looking for jobs .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the University of Massachusetts , has a proposal for broad changes in the structure of the program to come with the surging demand for help .
“ Instead of [ unemployment insurance ] being a payroll tax financed vehicle to help workers modestly while encouraging them to look for work , ” he writes in a policy brief for Economics for Inclusive Prosperity , “ we want it to ( temporarily ) become a fully federally financed vehicle allowing workers to stay at home and companies to not go bankrupt.
” That means @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as to come close to fully covering lost earnings , relaxing eligibility requirements so that people don ’ t need to be actively hunting for a new job , and also expanding the purview of the program to cover people who are having their hours cut rather than people who are being laid off .
This last change is particularly important .
All throughout the food service sector , employers are currently trying to grapple with conversion to take-out only and reduced demand , which combine to greatly reduce their need for workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unemployment insurance helps you if you get laid off but not if you have your hours cut , are trying to do the right thing by laying off many of their staff .
Allowing unemployment insurance to be tapped by people who have their hours cut would instead allow for “ job sharing , ” where a business hobbled by the recession could keep its full staff on payroll , just with greatly reduced hours .
That would be better for morale , would help people cope with the unique child care challenges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make it easier for businesses to spring back to full capacity when the emergency ends .
You wouldn ’ t want to completely replace lost income because there will be a few sectors looking to add staff ( Amazon , Walmart , and many grocery stores are seeing increased demand , and hopefully we ’ ll be manufacturing more masks and other medical supplies soon ) .
But letting workers and businesses go into a kind of hibernation mode is something the unemployment insurance system isn ’ t set up to do , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For that to happen , Congress really needs to move quickly .
The legislative process has its own logic , and that logic , fundamentally , is slow .
That ’ s why it ’ s critical for Congress members to understand that the labor market is currently collapsing at a rate that is completely unprecedented .
One can hope that will be a self-limiting process — that we will experience five weeks ’ worth of really bad initial claims all in one week and then bottom out — but it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The layoffs that are happening right now are the direct result of coronavirus measures .
But if laid-off workers see their incomes drop precipitously , they will have to pull back on spending .
And their spending is income for the rest of us .
Businesses that can stay open under quarantine conditions will have to shut their doors anyway if they have no customers .
Waves of bankruptcies could devastate the financial system from the bottom up , rather than the financial crisis trickling down the way it did 12 years ago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ situation is dire , but the sheer pace of events has not thus far seemed to have really broken through in Congress .
And unless it does soon , forecasting a rapid bounce-back once the virus is under control could prove to be an idle hope .

New Unemployment Insurance claims are pouring into state labor departments at a pace that’s so unprecedented it’s quite literally off the charts.
The surge is so large that there's basically no way to forecast what’s next for the economy since we’ve never seen layoffs occur at this pace in the past. It’s a scary situation that underscores the extent to which this recession is not the same as the 2008 Great Recession — it might be worse.
The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, for example, believes it will see somewhat more than 121,000 new unemployment claims. Last week there were only 281,000 across the whole country. And that was a rise from the previous week’s level of 211,000 claims.
Trump has asked states to stop talking about the data until the official federal report is released on Thursday. But, a note from David Choi, an economist at Goldman Sachs, based on what’s already leaked out, that new claims will reach 2.25 million when that report is finalized — a number that completely shatters all records.
The scariest unemployment chart ever
This chart (adaptation from one by Andy Kiersz) compared weekly initial unemployment claims going all the way back to 1967 when the data series begins, with the estimated 2.25 million new claims that Goldman thinks we’ll see. It’s a really big surge. So big that it’s going to basically ruin the y-axis scaling for all future charts of this data series:
That doesn’t necessarily mean that aggregate unemployment will reach unprecedented territory. In a separate analysis, Goldman’s Jan Hatzius estimates that unemployment will peak at around 9 percent — in part because he’s counting on a significant fiscal stimulus — which would be very bad but still somewhat lower than the peaks reached in October 2009 or December 1982.
Nevertheless, the fact that we have never seen an increase in unemployment as rapid as the one we seem to be facing means that all our efforts to predict what will happen next are largely guesswork. Recessions have happened in the past, but they come on slowly. The kind of sudden stop in economic activity that we are looking at is well outside the realm of anything we’ve experienced. And it’s going to break the unemployment insurance system unless Congress takes some quick steps to inject funds and change the rules.
Traditional unemployment insurance won’t work
Unemployment insurance systems are run by state governments with a mix of state and federal money and governed by some federal rules with considerable state discretion.
But broadly speaking, the way unemployment insurance works is that if you have a job, then you and your employer pay into a fund. That fund then pays out benefits to people who lose their jobs. The benefits, by design, are only a fraction of the beneficiary’s usual earnings, are conditional on providing evidence that he or she is actively seeking a new job, and are only paid out for a limited span of time.
Basically, the system does a great job of helping individuals cope with the reality that in a healthy market economy there are always some businesses somewhere that are failing. Thanks to unemployment insurance, if your employer goes under you have a cushion while you go find another job — but the program is deliberately stingy to make sure you go out and get another one. During big recessions, Congress normally acts to extend the time limit in order to recognize that even diligent job-seekers will have trouble getting new work quickly.
The coronavirus pandemic is causing unemployment to surge, but given the unique situation, we don’t actually want people hitting the pavement looking for jobs.
Arindrajit Dube, a labor economist at the University of Massachusetts, has a proposal for broad changes in the structure of the program to come with the surging demand for help.
“Instead of [unemployment insurance] being a payroll tax financed vehicle to help workers modestly while encouraging them to look for work,” he writes in a policy brief for Economics for Inclusive Prosperity, “we want it to (temporarily) become a fully federally financed vehicle allowing workers to stay at home and companies to not go bankrupt.”
How to change unemployment insurance
That means making the program much more generous so as to come close to fully covering lost earnings, relaxing eligibility requirements so that people don’t need to be actively hunting for a new job, and also expanding the purview of the program to cover people who are having their hours cut rather than people who are being laid off. This last change is particularly important. All throughout the food service sector, employers are currently trying to grapple with conversion to take-out only and reduced demand, which combine to greatly reduce their need for workers.
Many business owners, recognizing that unemployment insurance helps you if you get laid off but not if you have your hours cut, are trying to do the right thing by laying off many of their staff.
Allowing unemployment insurance to be tapped by people who have their hours cut would instead allow for “job sharing,” where a business hobbled by the recession could keep its full staff on payroll, just with greatly reduced hours. That would be better for morale, would help people cope with the unique child care challenges associated with school closures, and also make it easier for businesses to spring back to full capacity when the emergency ends.
You wouldn’t want to completely replace lost income because there will be a few sectors looking to add staff (Amazon, Walmart, and many grocery stores are seeing increased demand, and hopefully we’ll be manufacturing more masks and other medical supplies soon). But letting workers and businesses go into a kind of hibernation mode is something the unemployment insurance system isn’t set up to do, but could handle with legislative changes.
For that to happen, Congress really needs to move quickly.
Things are happening really fast
The legislative process has its own logic, and that logic, fundamentally, is slow.
That’s why it’s critical for Congress members to understand that the labor market is currently collapsing at a rate that is completely unprecedented. One can hope that will be a self-limiting process — that we will experience five weeks’ worth of really bad initial claims all in one week and then bottom out — but it’s not obvious that it will be. The layoffs that are happening right now are the direct result of coronavirus measures. But if laid-off workers see their incomes drop precipitously, they will have to pull back on spending. And their spending is income for the rest of us.
Businesses that can stay open under quarantine conditions will have to shut their doors anyway if they have no customers. Waves of bankruptcies could devastate the financial system from the bottom up, rather than the financial crisis trickling down the way it did 12 years ago.
Politicians are clearly aware that the situation is dire, but the sheer pace of events has not thus far seemed to have really broken through in Congress. And unless it does soon, forecasting a rapid bounce-back once the virus is under control could prove to be an idle hope.


vox--2020-03-21--Think you don’t like poetry? Try Jane Hirshfield’s Ledger.

Poetry is a polarizing topic .
Admit that you enjoy poetry and you ’ re likely to hear , “ Oh , I don ’ t get poetry.
” It doesn ’ t have to be this way .
Granted , some poems are thorny , difficult tangles requiring significant work from the reader to comprehend .
But some , like the ones in Jane Hirshfield ’ s new book , Ledger , are small gifts : morsels of meaning that slide right past your poetry defenses and lodge in your head .
Poets help you pay attention .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tree ) and give you words to see it better , see it differently , appreciate it in a new way .
Hirshfield has spent a long and award-filled career in poetry shining a light to show you , me , any reader something new about ourselves and the world we live in .
Her poems are “ tuned toward issues of consequence , ” Ledger ’ s marketing copy proclaims , and I can find no better way to say it .
She writes about what matters in the world .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that much light on a subject that can be hard to handle , especially in this stressful time .
Death and climate change — even ants and flowers and relationships — are sometimes more comfortably left in the dark .
It ’ s okay , Hirshfield understands .
She doles out spoonfuls on her subjects ( very few of the poems in the book are longer than a page , and most are written in short lines ) and lets the reader swallow and breathe between helpings .
And yet , as she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Book Festival in Washington , DC , sometimes we need to “ force ourselves past the common way of looking at things ” to see a more nuanced view .
That balance between merely showing you something and forcing you to see something in a new way is where Hirshfield lives .
It ’ s a measured approach , calm and contemplative .
Hirshfield studied at California ’ s Zen Center ; she is also an accomplished translator of Japanese poetry .
You can feel this in the cadence of her work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in her use of haiku-style stanzas in her longer poems ( “ 9 Pebbles ” is nine little poems in one ) .
Three-line haiku are among the simplest in appearance and the trickiest to write ; you may have encountered them in school somewhere around the third grade , counting their syllables on your fingers .
The Japanese haiku master Basho is the subject of Hirshfield ’ s 2011 ebook The Heart of Haiku , and Japanese influence can be felt in many of her poems .
There it is in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the series of poems that all begin with the same line , “ Little soul.
” It is especially apparent in the way Hirshfield ’ s poems treat the natural world as something marvelous and rare , something to be cared for and loved .
Word choice is key to the success of these poems Take the word that is the title poem : Ledger .
A ledger , as the cover shows , is a book with lines on its pages , intended to help one keep track of , say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in an account .
It ’ s a Google spreadsheet from before Google spreadsheets were a thing .
rules and lines , everything in its place .
It is also a precipice — a ledge is — that the reader and the poet and the world are standing on , looking over the edge into a dark and unknowable abyss .
We are all ledgers .
My favorite section in the book is a series of poems all beginning with “ My ” : “ My Contentment , ” “ My Dignity , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get the idea .
Each poem is intensely personal since it follows that the poet is talking about “ my ” whatever it is , but each manages to also be about anybody .
In “ My Dignity , ” Hirshfield writes of the possibility of aging and death : Yet the words “ aging ” and “ death ” are nowhere to be found .
Here is “ My Wonder ” in its entirety : It ’ s cold out , yet there is melon for breakfast .
That is a marvel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wonder , but it ’ s not something you necessarily think about .
But then there is “ wonder ” in “ As If Hearing Heavy Furniture Moved on the Floor Above Us ” ( also in its entirety ) : Again , you ’ re eating something sweet , but now you ’ re thinking about extinction .
Yikes .
This is what Hirshfield does so well : She gives you the observation of life as we ’ re all living it and the personal tragedy life entails , and then she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s the kind of gut punch good poems provide , the solid fist inside the velvet glove .
Ledger ’ s titular poem leads the sixth and final section of the book and draws the whole collection together .
This ledger records some unusual quantities — the number of lines in a Pushkin novel , the height of an island — and concludes that measuring is both a human thing to do and not a terribly useful endeavor .
This is all the time we get in the world , says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into their ledger , and for what ?
Her galloping syllables in the last line — no commas — at the end seem to propel us forward into the other poems in this concluding section , all of which deal in one way or another with what humans have done and are doing to the planet .
Poets can get away with all manner of legerdemain simply by performing frantic jazz hands and claiming , “ I ’ m a poet !
I follow my muse and can not be held responsible for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not that poet .
She is responsible with every word choice , every line a deliberate beat , each poem its own chrysalis of meaning .
And lest these poems sound hard to grasp or not worth your time , I can assure you , they are a delight .
Every other page I caught myself thinking , “ Oh , I see what you did there , you clever thing , ” as though the poet had stopped by for tea and was peering at me from over her cup .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back , then at random , then front to back again .
Hirshfield ’ s poems are no less rich for being generally likable and accessible .
You don ’ t have to love poetry to love these poems .
There is no secret key required to unlock them .
They speak and we all hear them loud and clear .

Poetry is a polarizing topic. Admit that you enjoy poetry and you’re likely to hear, “Oh, I don’t get poetry.”
It doesn’t have to be this way. Granted, some poems are thorny, difficult tangles requiring significant work from the reader to comprehend. But some, like the ones in Jane Hirshfield’s new book, Ledger, are small gifts: morsels of meaning that slide right past your poetry defenses and lodge in your head.
Poets help you pay attention. They can look at something ordinary (a tree) and give you words to see it better, see it differently, appreciate it in a new way. Hirshfield has spent a long and award-filled career in poetry shining a light to show you, me, any reader something new about ourselves and the world we live in. Her poems are “tuned toward issues of consequence,” Ledger’s marketing copy proclaims, and I can find no better way to say it. She writes about what matters in the world.
I get it. You might not want that much light on a subject that can be hard to handle, especially in this stressful time. Death and climate change — even ants and flowers and relationships — are sometimes more comfortably left in the dark. It’s okay, Hirshfield understands. She doles out spoonfuls on her subjects (very few of the poems in the book are longer than a page, and most are written in short lines) and lets the reader swallow and breathe between helpings. And yet, as she said in an interview for the 2015 National Book Festival in Washington, DC, sometimes we need to “force ourselves past the common way of looking at things” to see a more nuanced view. That balance between merely showing you something and forcing you to see something in a new way is where Hirshfield lives.
It’s a measured approach, calm and contemplative. Hirshfield studied at California’s Zen Center; she is also an accomplished translator of Japanese poetry. You can feel this in the cadence of her work, and you can see it explicitly in her use of haiku-style stanzas in her longer poems (“9 Pebbles” is nine little poems in one).
Retrospective No photograph or painting can hold it—
the stillness of water
just before it starts being ice.
Three-line haiku are among the simplest in appearance and the trickiest to write; you may have encountered them in school somewhere around the third grade, counting their syllables on your fingers. The Japanese haiku master Basho is the subject of Hirshfield’s 2011 ebook The Heart of Haiku, and Japanese influence can be felt in many of her poems. There it is in the distilled and concentrated form, there again in the series of poems that all begin with the same line, “Little soul.” It is especially apparent in the way Hirshfield’s poems treat the natural world as something marvelous and rare, something to be cared for and loved.
Word choice is key to the success of these poems
Jane Hirshfield thinks deeply about words.
Take the word that is the title poem: Ledger. A ledger, as the cover shows, is a book with lines on its pages, intended to help one keep track of, say, the influx and outflow of funds in an account. It’s a Google spreadsheet from before Google spreadsheets were a thing; rules and lines, everything in its place.
It is also a precipice — a ledge is — that the reader and the poet and the world are standing on, looking over the edge into a dark and unknowable abyss. We are all ledgers.
My favorite section in the book is a series of poems all beginning with “My”: “My Contentment,” “My Dignity,” “My Glasses,” you get the idea. Each poem is intensely personal since it follows that the poet is talking about “my” whatever it is, but each manages to also be about anybody. In “My Dignity,” Hirshfield writes of the possibility of aging and death:
My dignity, I know,
could be taken from me easily,
invisibly, in a single pickpocketed instant.
An errant driver. An errant rock. An errant anger.
Yet the words “aging” and “death” are nowhere to be found.
Here is “My Wonder” in its entirety:
That it is one-half degree centigrade.
That I eat honeydew melon
for breakfast.
That I look out through the oval window.
That I am able to look out through an oval window.
It’s cold out, yet there is melon for breakfast. That is a marvel of the modern world and deserving of wonder, but it’s not something you necessarily think about. But then there is “wonder” in “As If Hearing Heavy Furniture Moved on the Floor Above Us” (also in its entirety):
As things grow rarer, they enter the range of counting.
Remain this many Siberian tigers,
that many African elephants. Three hundred red-legged egrets.
We scrape from the world its tilt and meander of wonder
as if eating the last burned onions and carrots from a cast-iron pan.
Closing eyes to taste better the char of ordinary sweetness.
Again, you’re eating something sweet, but now you’re thinking about extinction. Yikes. This is what Hirshfield does so well: She gives you the observation of life as we’re all living it and the personal tragedy life entails, and then she slips in themes of planetary crisis. It’s the kind of gut punch good poems provide, the solid fist inside the velvet glove.
Ledger’s titular poem leads the sixth and final section of the book and draws the whole collection together. This ledger records some unusual quantities — the number of lines in a Pushkin novel, the height of an island — and concludes that measuring is both a human thing to do and not a terribly useful endeavor.
On this scale of one to ten, where is eleven?
Ask all you wish, no twenty-fifth hour will be given.
Measuring mounts—like some Western bar’s mounted elk head—
our cataloged vanishing unfinished heaven.
This is all the time we get in the world, says Hirshfield. Humans have written the world into their ledger, and for what? Her galloping syllables in the last line — no commas — at the end seem to propel us forward into the other poems in this concluding section, all of which deal in one way or another with what humans have done and are doing to the planet.
The facts were told not to speak
and were taken away.
The facts, surprised to be taken, were silent.
Poets can get away with all manner of legerdemain simply by performing frantic jazz hands and claiming, “I’m a poet! I follow my muse and cannot be held responsible for wherever it leads me.” Hirshfield is not that poet. She is responsible with every word choice, every line a deliberate beat, each poem its own chrysalis of meaning.
And lest these poems sound hard to grasp or not worth your time, I can assure you, they are a delight. Every other page I caught myself thinking, “Oh, I see what you did there, you clever thing,” as though the poet had stopped by for tea and was peering at me from over her cup. This is a book to read front to back, then at random, then front to back again.
Hirshfield’s poems are no less rich for being generally likable and accessible. You don’t have to love poetry to love these poems. There is no secret key required to unlock them. They speak and we all hear them loud and clear.


vox--2020-03-22--How not to be a jerk while ordering groceries during a pandemic

As more municipalities around the US recommend or mandate that residents stay at home to try to slow the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus , online orders for grocery deliveries are soaring .
During the week of March 2 , even before several US regions imposed stricter social distancing rules in the past week , Instacart , Amazon , and Walmart ’ s grocery delivery services each saw at least a 65 % sales increase compared to the same time last year , according to estimates from Earnest Research .
Meanwhile , as more restaurants close their dining rooms , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deliveries from apps like DoorDash , Uber Eats , and Postmates .
But for the people on the other end of the deliveries who are risking their health to deliver the food to the rest of us ( and pay their bills ) , the work comes with a long list of challenges .
In the past those have included everything from companies playing games with their tips , to unpredictable wages and no insurance .
Now , these workers are likely increasing their risk of contracting the coronavirus while either picking up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is no evidence , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration , that the new coronavirus has infected someone via food or food packaging , at least one study has shown that the virus has the ability to live on some surfaces like cardboard and plastic as long as a day or more .
Recode spoke to more than a dozen food and grocery delivery workers who are still working during the pandemic , to find out what online shoppers should be doing to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time .
Here are some of their tips .
Follow them .
If the app offers a no-contact delivery option , use it Social distancing is impossible if you ’ re expecting a delivery person to meet you at the door , or to come in .
To solve for that , several delivery apps have introduced no-contact deliveries — meaning orders are left on the customer ’ s doorstop .
Some apps , like DoorDash , are making that delivery option the default during the pandemic .
If it ’ s not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , choose it if you ’ re physically able .
Many delivery people rely on tips to make a living : either because they are contractors with unpredictable wages and no benefits , or because they have low base salaries even if they are employees .
Former Eater executive editor Helen Rosner once wrote with regards to delivery tips , “ You ’ re paying for the privilege of not leaving your home , not directly compensating the deliveryperson for the minimum wage equivalent of his or her labor .
The absolute minimum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 5 , which you should tip.
” So if $ 5 is the bare minimum during normal times , what do you tip during a pandemic ?
Some services , like Instacart , often place a default 5 % tip on orders from the start .
But many customers are ordering items that end up being out of stock , which automatically decreases the tip amount that delivery people receive as the order total drops .
“ If a customer can afford to add even another 5 % of the order as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long way , ” one Instacart worker , Sandra Wiggins , told Recode .
Others , like Amazon Fresh , include a suggested default tip as a dollar amount .
Consider increasing that number if you have the means .
Another Instacart shopper said that in light of the out-of-stock issues , customers should consider taking a different approach and choose a dollar amount rather than a percentage , which many apps allow , including Instacart .
“ Due to unavailability of certain items at this time , which [ customers ] still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of receiving them , a flat tip amount would be appreciated for the effort , ” another veteran shopper said .
And if you are ordering directly from a restaurant , consider what you ’ d normally tip — and then add more .
Don ’ t lower a tip after a delivery has been completed Many delivery services allow a customer to adjust a tip after an order is placed .
Some , like Amazon Fresh , give customers 24 hours .
Others , like Instacart , give customers three full days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Recode called on delivery companies to remove this option during the crisis because some customers are lowering tips after delivery , even during the pandemic .
Instacart shoppers and delivery people often evaluate whether they want to accept an order based on the estimated tip and company payout that Instacart ’ s app displays after the order is placed , but before a shopper accepts it .
Shoppers believe that some customers intentionally set a high tip when they place an order so that a shopper quickly agrees to accept it , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ completed .
“ Tip baiting is real ... especially right now !
” one worker wrote in a message to Recode .
“ It ’ s awful.
” An Instacart spokesperson said the average tip has increased 30 percent in the last month , and that customers have left tips unchanged , or increased them , after a delivery on 99.5 % of orders .
Either way , don ’ t be in that 0.5 % .
Be on call for your shopper or delivery person in case things change If you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Instacart or Shipt , customers should remember that their shoppers complete orders by shopping from normal store shelves — which are struggling to keep in-demand items in-stock — and not from warehouses .
“ Instacart needs to make it clear to ALL customers that they have to be at least somewhat involved as we shop , or let us force-refund out of stock items !
” said Lisa Boring , an Instacart shopper .
“ Even longtime customers need to be reminded that we are stuck at the store and can NOT check @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Boring said she waited 40 minutes on Tuesday for a customer to approve a refund or substitution .
“ When I arrived finally at her home ( after calling her ) , she apologized and said she had been a customer for quite some time but had never been asked to do this before , ” Boring said .
Don ’ t give a crappy rating if an item is out of stock Some delivery services like Shipt and Instacart say they are disregarding all ratings below five stars for their shoppers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no matter the reason — because of complaints related to out-of-stock issues .
But not all of them are .
So do the right thing with ratings .
They can determine which orders a delivery person gets access to , and when they get access .
But the new ratings policy , which is a positive for some workers , does have a downside for others , some shoppers say .
Instacart previously gave top-rated shoppers advance access to new orders so they had the option of picking good ones first .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its best shoppers when it decided to forgive ratings under five stars .
“ Previously , I was able to sit at home , pick and choose and wait to see something worth my time , ” one highly-rated shopper in Pennsylvania , who wished to remain anonymous , told Recode .
“ When Instacart suspended [ advance access for top shoppers ] this week , it ’ s a free-for-all .
I have not seen a batch this week that was equivalent to probably the third or fourth worst batch last week.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is late or an item is wrong More than ever , shoppers and delivery people are running into problems with orders : hour-long waits on the phone to talk to their company ’ s shopper support representatives , out-of-stock issues in stores , customers not responding in a timely fashion to their questions sent via texts or in-app messages , and even lines to get into stores .
There are many stressful jobs across the world right now .
This is one of them .
Don ’ t make it worse .

As more municipalities around the US recommend or mandate that residents stay at home to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus, online orders for grocery deliveries are soaring.
During the week of March 2, even before several US regions imposed stricter social distancing rules in the past week, Instacart, Amazon, and Walmart grocery delivery services each saw at least a 65 percent sales increase compared to the same time last year, according to estimates from Earnest Research. Meanwhile, as more restaurants close their dining rooms, many people are also relying on meal deliveries from apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Postmates.
But for the people on the other end of the deliveries who are risking their health to deliver food to the rest of us (and pay their bills), the work comes with a long list of challenges. In the past, those have included everything from companies playing games with their tips to unpredictable wages and no insurance. Now, these workers are likely increasing their risk of contracting the coronavirus while either picking up or delivering an order.
While there is no evidence, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, that the new coronavirus has infected someone via food or food packaging, at least one study has shown that the virus has the ability to live on some surfaces like cardboard and plastic as long as a day or more.
Recode spoke to more than a dozen food and grocery delivery workers who are still working during the pandemic to find out what online shoppers should be doing to make their work safer and easier during this time. Here are some of their tips. Follow them.
If the app offers a no-contact delivery option, use it
Social distancing is impossible if you’re expecting a delivery person to meet you at the door or to come in. To solve that, several delivery apps have introduced no-contact deliveries — meaning orders are left on the customer’s doorstep. Some apps, like DoorDash, are making that delivery option the default during the pandemic. If it’s not the default but is an option, choose it if you’re physically able.
Tip and tip well
Many delivery people rely on tips to make a living, either because they are contractors with unpredictable wages and no benefits, or because they have low base salaries even if they are employees. Former Eater executive editor Helen Rosner once wrote in regard to delivery tips, “You’re paying for the privilege of not leaving your home, not directly compensating the deliveryperson for the minimum wage equivalent of his or her labor. The absolute minimum value you should place on that is $5, which you should tip.”
So if $5 is the bare minimum during normal times, what do you tip during a pandemic? Some services, like Instacart, often place a default 5 percent tip on orders from the start. But many customers are ordering items that end up being out of stock, which automatically decreases the tip amount that delivery people receive as the order total drops.
“If a customer can afford to add even another 5 percent of the order as a tip, this will go a long way,” one Instacart worker, Sandra Wiggins, told Recode.
Others, like Amazon Fresh, include a suggested default tip as a dollar amount. Consider increasing that number if you have the means.
Another Instacart shopper said that in light of the out-of-stock issues, customers should consider taking a different approach and choose a dollar amount rather than a percentage, which many apps allow, including Instacart.
“Due to unavailability of certain items at this time, which [customers] still add to the order in the hopes of receiving them, a flat tip amount would be appreciated for the effort,” another veteran shopper said.
And if you are ordering directly from a restaurant, consider what you’d normally tip — and then add more.
Don’t lower a tip after a delivery has been completed
Many delivery services allow a customer to adjust a tip after an order is placed. Some, like Amazon Fresh, give customers 24 hours. Others, like Instacart, give customers three full days. Several delivery people who spoke to Recode called on delivery companies to remove this option during the crisis because some customers are lowering tips after delivery, even during the pandemic.
Instacart shoppers and delivery people often evaluate whether they want to accept an order based on the estimated tip and company payout that Instacart’s app displays after the order is placed but before a shopper accepts it. Shoppers believe that some customers intentionally set a high tip when they place an order so that a shopper quickly agrees to accept it, but later lower it after the delivery is completed.
“Tip baiting is real ... especially right now!” one worker wrote in a message to Recode. “It’s awful.”
An Instacart spokesperson said the average tip has increased 30 percent in the last month, and that customers have left tips unchanged or increased them after a delivery on 99.5 percent of orders.
Either way, don’t be in that other 0.5 percent.
Be on call for your shopper or delivery person in case things change
If you’re ordering groceries from a service like Instacart or Shipt, customers should remember that their shoppers complete orders by shopping from normal store shelves — which are struggling to keep in-demand items in stock — and not from warehouses.
“Instacart needs to make it clear to ALL customers that they have to be at least somewhat involved as we shop, or let us force-refund out of stock items!” said Lisa Boring, an Instacart shopper. “Even longtime customers need to be reminded that we are stuck at the store and can NOT check out until they approve refunds and/or substitutions.”
Boring said she waited 40 minutes on Tuesday for a customer to approve a refund or substitution.
“When I arrived finally at her home (after calling her), she apologized and said she had been a customer for quite some time but had never been asked to do this before,” Boring said.
Don’t give a crappy rating if an item is out of stock
Some delivery services like Shipt and Instacart say they are disregarding all ratings below five stars for their shoppers and delivery people during this time — no matter the reason — because of complaints related to out-of-stock issues. But not all of them are. So do the right thing with ratings. They can determine which orders a delivery person gets access to and when they get access.
But the new ratings policy, which is a positive for some workers, does have a downside for others, some shoppers say. Instacart previously gave top-rated shoppers advance access to new orders so they had the option of picking good ones first. But the company temporarily eliminated that perk for its best shoppers when it decided to forgive ratings under five stars.
“Previously, I was able to sit at home, pick and choose and wait to see something worth my time,” one highly rated shopper in Pennsylvania, who wished to remain anonymous, told Recode. “When Instacart suspended [advance access for top shoppers] this week, it’s a free-for-all. I have not seen a batch this week that was equivalent to probably the third or fourth worst batch last week.”
Suck it up if the order is late or an item is wrong
More than ever, shoppers and delivery people are running into problems with orders: hour-long waits on the phone to talk to their company’s shopper support representatives, out-of-stock issues in stores, customers not responding in a timely fashion to their questions sent via texts or in-app messages, and even lines to get into stores.
There are many stressful jobs across the world right now. This is one of them. Don’t make it worse.


vox--2020-03-22--The most important lesson of the 1918 influenza pandemic: Tell the damn truth

“ We have it totally under control .
It ’ s one person coming in from China , and we have it under control .
It ’ s going to be just fine.
” That was President Trump ’ s response when asked by a CNBC reporter on January 22 whether he was worried about the coronavirus .
Almost two months later , with the threat too large to ignore , the president ’ s tone has shifted dramatically ( even as his press briefings continue to be models of incoherence and inaccuracy ) .
The contradictory messages about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , is dangerous right now .
Refusing to tell people the truth will cost lives because it undercuts our efforts to flatten the epidemic curve with practices like social distancing .
It also erodes the public ’ s trust in government — and that ’ s a huge problem .
The biggest lesson of the 1918 influenza epidemic , according to historian John M. Barry , is that leaders have to tell the truth , no matter how hard it is to hear .
Barry , who wrote an influential book on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the severity of the crisis in 1918 created more fear and more isolation and more suffering for everyone .
“ Trust in authority disintegrated , and at its core , society is based on trust , ” Barry wrote in a recent New York Times column .
“ Not knowing whom or what to believe , people also lost trust in one another .
They became alienated , isolated .
Intimacy was destroyed.
” I spoke to Barry by phone about the costs of lying to the public in 1918 , if he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the government made back then , and how leaders should balance the tension between telling people what they need to know and trying not to induce mass panic .
A lightly edited transcript of our conversation follows .
Is the coronavirus the closest thing you ’ ve seen to the 1918 influenza pandemic in your lifetime ?
Nothing else even begins to approach it .
At the beginning of the 2009 H1N1 outbreak , there were real fears that it could be bad , but of course it turned out to be fairly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for molecular biology , it would never have been noticed at all .
So nothing we ’ ve seen since 1918 even comes close to what ’ s happening .
If this is merely a once-in-a-generation virus , we ’ ll be lucky .
How is our situation today different from the situation we faced in 1918 ?
The biggest difference is the target demographic .
In 1918 , the overwhelming majority of people who died were 18 to 45 .
Maybe two-thirds of the deaths were roughly in that age group .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ percent of the excess mortality was in people younger than 65 .
So obviously the elderly in 1918 had experienced a mild virus in their youth that was close enough to the 1918 virus that they had a lot of protection against it from natural immunity .
Another difference is the incubation rate .
Influenza ’ s average incubation rate was two days , almost never longer than four .
The average for the coronavirus is more than twice as long and can stretch quite a bit longer than that , which is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The good thing is it allows time to contact , trace , isolate , and things like that , which was almost impossible during the influenza epidemic .
The bad thing is that that means this virus may stretch out over a much longer period of time and infect more people .
It seems to be considerably more contagious than influenza .
Here ’ s one positive difference : Despite the contagiousness of this , the case fatality rate seems much lower than the 1918 influenza .
The fatality rate in 1918 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about 2 percent .
In other parts of the world it was much , much higher .
Something like 7 percent of Iran ’ s entire population died .
Perhaps as much as 5 percent of Mexico ’ s population died .
[ Author ’ s note : There ’ s some scholarly debate about the actual fatality rate of the 1918 flu . ]
That ’ s how we ended up with 50 to 100 million total deaths in 1918 .
“ People can deal with reality and the truth a lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ uncertainty ” What would you say was the biggest , most consequential mistake made in 1918 — by governments , by local communities , by individuals ?
The government lied .
They lied about everything .
We were at war and they lied because they didn ’ t want to upend the war effort .
You had public health leaders telling people this was just the ordinary flu by another name .
They simply didn ’ t tell the people the truth about what was happening .
How long did it take for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long .
People noticed pretty quickly what was up when their neighbors started dying 24 hours after symptoms first appeared .
People were in the streets bleeding out of their noses , bleeding out of their mouths , bleeding out of their eyes and ears .
It was horrific .
Everyone understood very quickly that this was not an ordinary flu .
And what were the consequences of all that lying ?
It was a disaster .
People lost faith in everything — in their government , in what they were being told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ isolated people even further .
If trust collapses , then it becomes everyone for themselves , and that ’ s the worst instinct in a crisis of this scale .
In most disasters , communities come together .
And that was the case in some places and cities where the largest social structures were fraying .
But in my book , I wrote about the gradual disintegration of trust at every level of society and cascade of breakdowns that resulted from it .
But there were also practical consequences .
For example , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to implement critical public health measures in a timely way , because people just didn ’ t believe what they were being told .
And by the time the government was forced to be transparent about the situation , it was mostly too late .
The virus was already widely disseminated .
So the lying and the lack of trust cost a lot of lives .
You quote a scientist at the time who said we were a few weeks away from civilization “ disappearing from the face of the earth.
” How @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Bad .
Some places managed much better than others , of course .
But the Red Cross reported instances of people starving to death in rural communities because everybody was afraid to bring them food — the panic and the fear was that intense .
It stretched society to the absolute brink .
“ People lost faith in everything — in their government , in what they were being told , in each other ” After researching the 1918 pandemic , how do you think about this difficult tension between telling the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trying not to induce mass panic ?
Well , that ’ s always the question .
I don ’ t have scientific studies confirming that I ’ m right , but my own view is that people can deal with reality and the truth a lot better than they can deal with the uncertainty .
If you ’ re watching a horror movie , your imagination always makes the monster more scary .
Once the monster appears onscreen , no matter how horrible , it ’ s less scary once it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the phrase “ risk communication , ” because it implies managing the truth .
In my view , you don ’ t manage the truth .
You tell the truth .
President Trump ’ s initial response to this crisis was to downplay its seriousness , dismissing criticisms as a “ hoax.
” Fox News continued to downplay it until fairly recently .
I think everyone ’ s tone has basically shifted at this point , but did these early missteps cost us dearly ?
Absolutely .
There ’ s no question whatsoever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bizarre thing is that it was always in Trump ’ s self-interest to be candid .
There ’ s no doubt he was being told the cold , hard truth about the situation behind closed doors .
But he minimized it publicly , and that cost us in ways we can ’ t really quantify yet .
How does our collective response to this moment measure up to the response in 1918 ?
Well , in 1918 , you couldn ’ t really say there was a collective response .
It varied so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , look , we had people here essentially saying this virus was a Democratic plot to undermine the presidency .
Nobody ’ s saying that now , of course .
But it remains an open question whether we will collectively meet this challenge .
We ’ re only at the beginning of this thing .
We ’ ve botched the early testing , and it ’ s not clear the public has responded seriously enough to the calls for social distancing .
But things are changing quickly .
What the public does moving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the recommendations of public health experts , is going to determine how bad this gets and how fast .
Countries like South Korea have managed to beat this back pretty effectively .
I don ’ t know if we ’ ll have the same success .

“We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. It’s going to be just fine.”
That was President Trump’s response when asked by a CNBC reporter on January 22 whether he was worried about the coronavirus. Almost two months later, with the threat too large to ignore, the president’s tone has shifted dramatically (even as his press briefings continue to be models of incoherence and inaccuracy).
The contradictory messages about the virus, and the dishonesty motivating them, is dangerous right now. Refusing to tell people the truth will cost lives because it undercuts our efforts to flatten the epidemic curve with practices like social distancing. It also erodes the public’s trust in government — and that’s a huge problem.
The biggest lesson of the 1918 influenza epidemic, according to historian John M. Barry, is that leaders need to tell the truth, no matter how hard it is to hear. Barry, who wrote an influential book on the 1918 pandemic, says that lying about the severity of the crisis in 1918 created more fear, more isolation, and more suffering for everyone.
“Trust in authority disintegrated, and at its core, society is based on trust,” Barry wrote in a recent New York Times column. “Not knowing whom or what to believe, people also lost trust in one another. They became alienated, isolated. Intimacy was destroyed.”
I spoke to Barry by phone about the costs of lying to the public in 1918, if he thinks we’re repeating the mistakes the government made back then, and how leaders should balance the tension between telling people what they need to know and trying not to induce mass panic.
A lightly edited transcript of our conversation follows.
Sean Illing
Is the coronavirus the closest thing you’ve seen to the 1918 influenza pandemic in your lifetime?
John M. Barry
Nothing else even begins to approach it. At the beginning of the 2009 H1N1 outbreak, there were real fears that it could be bad, but of course it turned out to be fairly mild. If it weren’t for molecular biology, it would never have been noticed at all. So nothing we’ve seen since 1918 even comes close to what’s happening. If this is merely a once-in-a-generation virus, we’ll be lucky.
Sean Illing
How is our situation today different from the situation we faced in 1918?
John M. Barry
The biggest difference is the target demographic. In 1918, the overwhelming majority of people who died were 18 to 45. Maybe two-thirds of the deaths were roughly in that age group. Back in 1918, well over 90 percent of the excess mortality was in people younger than 65. So obviously the elderly in 1918 had experienced a mild virus in their youth that was close enough to the 1918 virus that they had a lot of protection against it from natural immunity.
Another difference is the incubation rate. Influenza’s average incubation rate was two days, almost never longer than four. The average for the coronavirus is more than twice as long and can stretch quite a bit longer than that, which is both a good and bad thing. The good thing is it allows time to contact, trace, isolate, and things like that, which was almost impossible during the influenza epidemic. The bad thing is that that means this virus may stretch out over a much longer period of time and infect more people. It seems to be considerably more contagious than influenza.
Here’s one positive difference: Despite the contagiousness of this, the case fatality rate seems much lower than the 1918 influenza. The fatality rate in 1918, in the West at least, was about 2 percent. In other parts of the world it was much, much higher. Something like 7 percent of Iran’s entire population died. Perhaps as much as 5 percent of Mexico’s population died. [Author’s note: There’s some scholarly debate about the actual fatality rate of the 1918 flu.]
That’s how we ended up with 50 to 100 million total deaths in 1918.
“People can deal with reality and the truth a lot better than they can deal with the uncertainty”
Sean Illing
What would you say was the biggest, most consequential mistake made in 1918 — by governments, by local communities, by individuals?
John M. Barry
The government lied. They lied about everything. We were at war and they lied because they didn’t want to upend the war effort. You had public health leaders telling people this was just the ordinary flu by another name. They simply didn’t tell the people the truth about what was happening.
Sean Illing
How long did it take for reality to explode those lies?
John M. Barry
Not long. People noticed pretty quickly what was up when their neighbors started dying 24 hours after symptoms first appeared. People were in the streets bleeding out of their noses, bleeding out of their mouths, bleeding out of their eyes and ears. It was horrific. Everyone understood very quickly that this was not an ordinary flu.
Sean Illing
And what were the consequences of all that lying?
John M. Barry
It was a disaster. People lost faith in everything — in their government, in what they were being told, in each other. It just isolated people even further. If trust collapses, then it becomes everyone for themselves, and that’s the worst instinct in a crisis of this scale.
In most disasters, communities come together. And that was the case in some places and cities where the largest social structures were fraying. But in my book, I wrote about the gradual disintegration of trust at every level of society and cascade of breakdowns that resulted from it.
But there were also practical consequences. For example, the lack of trust made it harder to implement critical public health measures in a timely way, because people just didn’t believe what they were being told. And by the time the government was forced to be transparent about the situation, it was mostly too late. The virus was already widely disseminated.
So the lying and the lack of trust cost a lot of lives.
Sean Illing
You quote a scientist at the time who said we were a few weeks away from civilization “disappearing from the face of the earth.” How bad did it get on the ground?
John M. Barry
Bad. Some places managed much better than others, of course. But the Red Cross reported instances of people starving to death in rural communities because everybody was afraid to bring them food — the panic and the fear was that intense. It stretched society to the absolute brink.
“People lost faith in everything — in their government, in what they were being told, in each other”
Sean Illing
After researching the 1918 pandemic, how do you think about this difficult tension between telling the public what they need to know and trying not to induce mass panic?
John M. Barry
Well, that’s always the question. I don’t have scientific studies confirming that I’m right, but my own view is that people can deal with reality and the truth a lot better than they can deal with the uncertainty. If you’re watching a horror movie, your imagination always makes the monster more scary. Once the monster appears onscreen, no matter how horrible, it’s less scary once it’s concrete.
This is why I hate the phrase “risk communication,” because it implies managing the truth. In my view, you don’t manage the truth. You tell the truth.
Sean Illing
President Trump’s initial response to this crisis was to downplay its seriousness, dismissing criticisms as a “hoax.” Fox News continued to downplay it until fairly recently. I think everyone’s tone has basically shifted at this point, but did these early missteps cost us dearly?
John M. Barry
Absolutely. There’s no question whatsoever that it cost us. And the bizarre thing is that it was always in Trump’s self-interest to be candid. There’s no doubt he was being told the cold, hard truth about the situation behind closed doors. But he minimized it publicly, and that cost us in ways we can’t really quantify yet.
Sean Illing
How does our collective response to this moment measure up to the response in 1918?
John M. Barry
Well, in 1918, you couldn’t really say there was a collective response. It varied so much from city to city. But, look, we had people here essentially saying this virus was a Democratic plot to undermine the presidency. Nobody’s saying that now, of course. But it remains an open question whether we will collectively meet this challenge. We’re only at the beginning of this thing.
We’ve botched the early testing, and it’s not clear the public has responded seriously enough to the calls for social distancing. But things are changing quickly. What the public does moving forward, how much it complies with the recommendations of public health experts, is going to determine how bad this gets and how fast. Countries like South Korea have managed to beat this back pretty effectively. I don’t know if we’ll have the same success.
It’s just too early.
This article was originally published on March 20, 2020.


vox--2020-03-22--FEMA can’t say how many medical supplies the US has left to fight the coronavirus

Federal Emergency Management Agency ( FEMA ) administrator Peter Gaynor struggled Sunday to detail how many masks and other pieces of personal protection equipment ( PPE ) the federal government has stockpiled — and how much of this stockpile has been sent to health care providers dealing with the coronavirus .
The Trump administration has faced questions about its role in coordinating the distribution of protective equipment in recent weeks as health care workers and state officials have become increasingly vocal about a severe shortage of masks and other forms of PPE that allow them to conduct coronavirus tests , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risk for patients seeking non-coronavirus-related treatment .
Sunday , Gaynor appeared on several talk shows ; on each , he was asked about what FEMA — which has been tasked with PPE distribution — is doing about the shortage .
And in each appearance , he refused to share details of his agency ’ s response .
When CNN ’ s Jake Tapper asked Gaynor for an estimate of the number of masks the Trump administration has bought , and how many of that number have been distributed to providers , Gaynor said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you a rough number.
” The administrator added , “ I can tell you that it ’ s happening every day .
And my mission is operational coordination of all of these things .
And that ’ s my focus.
” As coronavirus has spread across the globe , there ’ s been a worldwide shortage of the personal protection equipment necessary for health care workers to stay safe from the virus .
The US — which identified its first coronavirus patient at the end of February and has more than 32,000 confirmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such a shortage of needed medical supplies that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) is already suggesting workers resort to homemade masks .
Wednesday , President Donald Trump invoked the Defense Production Act , which allows the administration to direct private manufacturers to make supplies in a time of need in order to help alleviate this shortage .
But despite Trump claiming he ’ s put the act into “ gear ” to ask private manufacturers to begin making those needed supplies — from masks to ventilators — it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually the case .
When asked whether the administration has directed companies to create supplies , Gaynor told Tapper , “ We haven ’ t yet.
” Gaynor was less definitive about when the supplies he said FEMA has will be more available — and when current PPE stock will be replenished .
He told NBC ’ s Chuck Todd on Meet the Press that “ there are manufacturing lines coming up and running ” to help produce more personal protection equipment , but that those lines can only do so much .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ resources , ” Gaynor said .
“ Will we ever have enough ?
I ’ m not sure .
But our goal is to make sure we get these critical resources to the places that need them the most.
” FEMA was only recently integrated into the Trump administration ’ s coronavirus task force , which is being led by Vice President Mike Pence ; Thursday it was announced the agency would coordinate the entire federal Covid-19 response .
The administration has faced much criticism about the pace of its response to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact FEMA was not more fully integrated into the response efforts previously .
But Gaynor dismissed these criticisms Sunday .
“ I ’ m not going to look back at what should have been , what wasn ’ t done , ” he told ABC ’ s Martha Raddatz on This Week .
“ Today I ’ m trying to focus on today and tomorrow and where we want to be in a couple weeks.
” Local leaders demand more help from the federal government on supplies FEMA ’ s involvement in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the federal government ’ s response .
But many of the nation ’ s state and local leaders said Sunday that its ability to help has been limited by past mistakes .
“ Had the federal government really started focusing when it became clear that the whole world was going to be confronting this , we would be in a stronger position right now , ” Michigan ’ s Democratic Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer said on This Week .
“ At some point we ’ re going to have to analyze where all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re going to have to make decisions based on what happened and what didn ’ t happen .
Lives will be lost because we weren ’ t prepared.
” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Meet the Press that Trump should be using the Defense Production Act to its full extent to make desperately needed ventilators and to mobilize the military for medical aid .
Instead , “ he won ’ t lift a finger to help his hometown , ” de Blasio said .
“ I can ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ If the president doesn ’ t act , the people will die that could have lived otherwise.
” Illinois Gov .
J.B. Pritzker , a Democrat , said on State of the Union that FEMA has helped centralize requests for help but his state is still receiving only a sliver of the medical supplies it needs .
“ It ’ s a fraction of what we ’ ve requested .
We need millions of masks and hundreds of thousands of gowns and gloves and the rest , ” Pritzker said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the open market competing for these items that we so badly need and we ’ re succeeding in some ways but we still need more.
” Republican Gov .
Larry Hogan of Maryland said on Meet the Press that while things are improving , there ’ s still a need for more medical supplies despite the recent activation of FEMA .
“ We ’ ve pushed for action and we are getting some progress , ” he said .
“ Now it ’ s not nearly enough , it ’ s not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behind the curve.
” Ramping up production will be key for health care providers in the coming weeks .
As Vox ’ s Dylan Scott has reported , most of the US ’ s hospitals are seeing demand for PPE like masks double — and just two weeks ago , Premier Inc. , a major hospital supplier , said in a memo , “ Most hospitals have only a couple weeks of supply .
”

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administrator Peter Gaynor struggled Sunday to detail how many masks and other pieces of personal protection equipment (PPE) the federal government has stockpiled — and how much of this stockpile has been sent to health care providers dealing with the coronavirus.
The Trump administration has faced questions about its role in coordinating the distribution of protective equipment in recent weeks as health care workers and state officials have become increasingly vocal about a severe shortage of masks and other forms of PPE that allow them to conduct coronavirus tests, treat infected patients, and minimize exposure risk for patients seeking non-coronavirus-related treatment.
Sunday, Gaynor appeared on several talk shows; on each, he was asked about what FEMA — which has been tasked with PPE distribution — is doing about the shortage. And in each appearance, he refused to share details of his agency’s response.
When CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Gaynor for an estimate of the number of masks the Trump administration has bought, and how many of that number have been distributed to providers, Gaynor said, “I can’t give you a rough number.”
The administrator added, “I can tell you that it’s happening every day. And my mission is operational coordination of all of these things. And that’s my focus.”
“I can’t give you a rough number,” FEMA administrator Pete Gaynor says about the number of medical masks the federal government has acquired to send to hospitals in dire need of them as supplies dwindle amid the coronavirus pandemic. https://t.co/oMcZ23xL75 #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/SMbJndEGk9 — State of the Union (@CNNSotu) March 22, 2020
As coronavirus has spread across the globe, there’s been a worldwide shortage of the personal protection equipment necessary for health care workers to stay safe from the virus. The US — which identified its first coronavirus patient at the end of February and has more than 32,000 confirmed cases as of March 22 — has such a shortage of needed medical supplies that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is already suggesting workers resort to homemade masks.
Wednesday, President Donald Trump invoked the Defense Production Act, which allows the administration to direct private manufacturers to make supplies in a time of need in order to help alleviate this shortage.
But despite Trump claiming he’s put the act into “gear” to ask private manufacturers to begin making those needed supplies — from masks to ventilators — it isn’t clear that this is actually the case. When asked whether the administration has directed companies to create supplies, Gaynor told Tapper, “We haven’t yet.”
Gaynor was less definitive about when the supplies he said FEMA has will be more available — and when current PPE stock will be replenished. He told NBC’s Chuck Todd on Meet the Press that “there are manufacturing lines coming up and running” to help produce more personal protection equipment, but that those lines can only do so much.
“Again these are finite, limited resources,” Gaynor said. “Will we ever have enough? I’m not sure. But our goal is to make sure we get these critical resources to the places that need them the most.”
FEMA was only recently integrated into the Trump administration’s coronavirus task force, which is being led by Vice President Mike Pence; Thursday it was announced the agency would coordinate the entire federal Covid-19 response.
The administration has faced much criticism about the pace of its response to the coronavirus pandemic — as well as the fact FEMA was not more fully integrated into the response efforts previously. But Gaynor dismissed these criticisms Sunday.
“I’m not going to look back at what should have been, what wasn’t done,” he told ABC’s Martha Raddatz on This Week. “Today I’m trying to focus on today and tomorrow and where we want to be in a couple weeks.”
Local leaders demand more help from the federal government on supplies
FEMA’s involvement in the coronavirus response was supposed to help streamline the federal government’s response. But many of the nation’s state and local leaders said Sunday that its ability to help has been limited by past mistakes.
“Had the federal government really started focusing when it became clear that the whole world was going to be confronting this, we would be in a stronger position right now,” Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said on This Week.
“At some point we’re going to have to analyze where all of the failures were. We’re going to have to make decisions based on what happened and what didn’t happen. Lives will be lost because we weren’t prepared.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on COVID-19: “I can’t afford to have a fight with the White House, but the fact of the matter is at some point we’re going to have to analyze where all the failures were … lives will be lost because we weren’t prepared.” https://t.co/AH0Ahyp5uW pic.twitter.com/rqeBBxWIXc — This Week (@ThisWeekABC) March 22, 2020
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Meet the Press that Trump should be using the Defense Production Act to its full extent to make desperately needed ventilators and to mobilize the military for medical aid. Instead, “he won’t lift a finger to help his hometown,” de Blasio said.
“I can’t be blunt enough,” de Blasio said. “If the president doesn’t act, the people will die that could have lived otherwise.”
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, said on State of the Union that FEMA has helped centralize requests for help but his state is still receiving only a sliver of the medical supplies it needs.
“It’s a fraction of what we’ve requested. We need millions of masks and hundreds of thousands of gowns and gloves and the rest,” Pritzker said. “So we’re out on the open market competing for these items that we so badly need and we’re succeeding in some ways but we still need more.”
Republican Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland said on Meet the Press that while things are improving, there’s still a need for more medical supplies despite the recent activation of FEMA.
“We’ve pushed for action and we are getting some progress,” he said. “Now it’s not nearly enough, it’s not fast enough, we’re way behind the curve.”
Ramping up production will be key for health care providers in the coming weeks. As Vox’s Dylan Scott has reported, most of the US’s hospitals are seeing demand for PPE like masks double — and just two weeks ago, Premier Inc., a major hospital supplier, said in a memo, “Most hospitals have only a couple weeks of supply.”


vox--2020-03-22--Rand Paul is the first senator to test positive for Covid-19

Sen. Rand Paul ( R-KY ) has tested positive for the Covid-19 coronavirus , his office announced Sunday afternoon , bringing the pandemic into Congress ’ s upper chamber for the first time .
Paul ’ s office said he had not been showing any symptoms , but was tested because of extensive travel and contact with people at events in the course of his work .
The senator will be self-quarantining now that he has received a positive diagnosis .
Paul is the third member of Congress to test positive for Covid-19 after Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart ( R-FL ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the first member of the Senate .
Reports from congressional insiders indicate a fair amount of worry among Paul ’ s colleagues about their possible exposure .
Paul was at the Senate Republican lunch meeting on Friday and he was reportedly swimming in the Senate gym ’ s pool on Sunday morning .
“ All the senators are going to seek medical advice as to what actions we should take to make sure that we don ’ t in any way spread this virus ourselves , ” Sen. Mitt Romney said after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ broke , including whether they should self-quarantine .
The average age of America ’ s 100 senators was 62 years old as of 2018 , putting many of them firmly in the demographics most at risk for developing severe symptoms from Covid-19 .
The available evidence indicates older people and people with underlying medical conditions are the most likely to need intensive care because of the virus , and they face a higher risk of death if their condition turns critical .
At the same time , Congress is trying to reach a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the economy amid a global economic downturn because of the coronavirus pandemic .
For now , the Senate is not permitting senators to vote remotely , meaning Paul will likely not be on the floor for those votes .

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has tested positive for the Covid-19 coronavirus, his office announced Sunday afternoon, bringing the pandemic into Congress’s upper chamber for the first time.
Paul’s office said he had not been showing any symptoms, but was tested because of extensive travel and contact with people at events in the course of his work. The senator will be self-quarantining now that he has received a positive diagnosis.
Senator Rand Paul has tested positive for COVID-19. He is feeling fine and is in quarantine. He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. He was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person. — Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 22, 2020
Paul is the third member of Congress to test positive for Covid-19 after Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and Ben McAdams (D-UT), and the first member of the Senate.
Reports from congressional insiders indicate a fair amount of worry among Paul’s colleagues about their possible exposure. Paul was at the Senate Republican lunch meeting on Friday and he was reportedly swimming in the Senate gym’s pool on Sunday morning.
big concerns in Senate gop ranks about @RandPaul’s positive test for coronavirus and what it means for everyone else.
Rand was in lunches w his colleagues. Jerry Moran said at lunch today that Paul was at the gym this AM swimming.
Paul got the results late this am and left. — Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) March 22, 2020
“All the senators are going to seek medical advice as to what actions we should take to make sure that we don’t in any way spread this virus ourselves,” Sen. Mitt Romney said after the news of Paul’s diagnosis broke, including whether they should self-quarantine.
The average age of America’s 100 senators was 62 years old as of 2018, putting many of them firmly in the demographics most at risk for developing severe symptoms from Covid-19. The available evidence indicates older people and people with underlying medical conditions are the most likely to need intensive care because of the virus, and they face a higher risk of death if their condition turns critical.
At the same time, Congress is trying to reach a deal on a stimulus package to boost the economy amid a global economic downturn because of the coronavirus pandemic. For now, the Senate is not permitting senators to vote remotely, meaning Paul will likely not be on the floor for those votes.


vox--2020-03-22--Phone booths, parades, and 10-minute test kits: How countries worldwide are fighting Covid-19

The novel coronavirus is a global health crisis , and the ways countries worldwide are attempting to stymie the disease ’ s outbreak are wide-ranging .
In the United States , for example , many heavily populated areas have enacted “ shelter-in-place ” initiatives to keep the number of infected people from growing quickly .
Businesses deemed nonessential have closed .
At least one city has even offered official guidelines on how to safely have intimate relations during this time , most of which imply “ don ’ t have them at all.
” But some African , Asian , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responding quite differently .
Below is a sampling of the ways different countries have been working to protect citizens from the Covid-19 virus .
South Korea has some of the world ’ s most comprehensive protective measures in place , according to experts .
And they ’ re certainly some of the most novel , too .
One option for Covid-19 testing — which South Korea has made more readily available than most other countries — involves public “ phone booths.
” A hospital in Seoul has installed them around its building to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worried they may have the disease .
The way it works is spectacular : One person at a time can enter one side of the glass-walled booth and grab a handset connected to a hospital worker standing on the other side of the glass .
After a consultation , the staff member can stick their arms into rubber gloves embedded into the booth to swab the patient quickly , collecting a sample before the booth is quickly disinfected .
The hospital says the seven-minute exam allows it to test almost 10 times as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ special booths .
South Korea is one of the Asian countries experiencing the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic — the quick-fire test is an inspiring method to , hopefully , save more lives .
The response to the coronavirus in the Philippines has been highly criticized by experts around the world .
The Philippines is struggling with many of the same complications other countries are , like inadequate testing and lack of personal protective equipment ( PPE ) for medical staff .
But those problems have been exacerbated by chaotic and contradictory guidance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Rodrigo Duterte announced he would be placing the country ’ s main island of Luzon — the seat of the capital city of Manila and its metropolitan area — under lockdown .
About half the country ’ s population of 107 million live on Luzon , with 12 million of them in Manila .
However , government officials have repeatedly contradicted each other in discussions of what the lockdown entails , and who is allowed to go outside and why .
It ’ s unclear whether or not public transportation will continue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to work .
The Philippine Chamber of Food Manufacturers Inc. has begun to warn of potential gaps in the food supply chain .
Like the United States , the Philippines acknowledges it doesn ’ t have enough tests to pinpoint the exact number of Covid-19 cases in the country .
On March 21 it announced 307 total cases .
There have been at least 25 Covid-19 deaths in the Philippines as of March 22 , according to Johns Hopkins ’ case tracker .
Italy , which has surpassed China as the country with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic .
And as Kelsey Piper and Christina Animashaun wrote for Vox , the problem is not that Italy didn ’ t respond to the coronavirus .
The problem is that it always responded slightly too late and with slightly too much moderation .
Italy had its first confirmed coronavirus case on February 20 .
But that patient had no contact with China , suggesting that he probably caught the virus from another European .
“ Who we call ‘ Patient One ’ was probably ‘ Patient 200 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York Times .
By February 23 , the country had 123 confirmed cases and had sealed off 11 towns with checkpoints .
But the early government response was ambiguous : while officials urged the public to practice social distancing early on and closed all public schools on March 4 , they also urged Italians “ not to change our habits , ” with the mayor of Milan publicizing a “ Milan doesn ’ t stop ” campaign .
As the disease spread , the government began to respond more severely .
On @ @ @ @ @ @ @ north of the country , where the virus was first found .
On March 9 , it extended the lockdown to the rest of the country .
Now , as the death toll continues to rise , the lockdown measures are only tightening .
As of Saturday , the public is no longer allowed to go outside to jog .
Meanwhile , the number of new cases continues to soar .
South America is one of the continents with the fewest confirmed cases .
Some countries are slowly beginning to report hundreds of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by thumbing their nose at the disease .
Take , for example , Nicaragua : On March 14 , Nicaraguan vice president Rosario Murillo organized what at least one reporter referred to as “ a kind of walk and carnival.
” The public rally , called “ Love in the Time of Covid-19 ” ( after the famed Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel ) , saw thousands of Nicaraguans marching , dancing , and carrying signs that explained how the coronavirus affects the respiratory system .
The event was held in honor of President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ runs what some critics call a dictatorship .
But his supporters used the opportunity to celebrate their leader for what they considered his showing of solidarity for coronavirus victims worldwide .
One of the easiest ways to spread the coronavirus , though ?
Clustering people together in public demonstrations .
Nicaragua has not yet publicly stated whether anyone in the country has been infected .
Senegal , which reacted rapidly and firmly to the Ebola outbreaks in its region in 2014 , is similarly well-prepared for the coronavirus .
The country is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ research lab that partners with the World Health Organization to fight viral outbreaks and is the creator of one of the first yellow fever vaccines .
And now , the Pasteur Institute is teaming up with Mologic , a British biotech firm founded by the guy who developed the pee-on-a-stick pregnancy test , to create test kits that can diagnose Covid-19 within 10 minutes .
According to the Pasteur Institute , the kits will be released within three months and will only cost $ 1 per kit .
“ People will be able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spokesperson told the Washington Post .
Even without the 10-minute kit , Senegal ’ s testing capabilities are better than those of the US .
They ’ re currently using test kits that diagnose patients within four hours .
One of the first things many dog-loving Americans were told about the coronavirus was that our good doggos were immune to the disease .
It was good news , because we love to kiss and hug and play with our pups — and dog-walking is a great and acceptable form of outdoor exercise during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hong Kong suggests otherwise .
On March 19 , the Hong Kong Agriculture , Fisheries , and Conservation Department ( AFCD ) announced that a pet German shepherd had “ repeatedly tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.
” This is the second dog to be infected by the disease in Hong Kong , following a pet Pomeranian who tested positive earlier in March .
The Pomeranian ’ s owner reportedly had the virus , and the dog died days after its release from a compulsory quarantine ; no cause of death has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dog could not have died of coronavirus .
Likewise , AFCD officials stressed that the dogs showed no symptoms , and that humans shouldn ’ t be concerned about transmission .
“ There is currently no evidence that pet animals can be a source of Covid-19 for humans or that this virus can cause the disease in dogs , ” an AFCD spokesperson said .
“ Pet owners should always maintain good hygiene practices and under no circumstances should they abandon their pets.
” What this means , though , is taking a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around the world likely never considered : Don ’ t give your pet a hug or a kiss on the head .
“ Singapore has done everything right , ” one expert told STAT News .
After the horrors of SARS 17 years ago , Singapore has developed a robust infrastructure for dealing with pandemics , and it was ready and prepared when the novel coronavirus hit .
“ During peacetime , we plan for epidemics like this , ” Lalitha Kurupatham , the deputy director of the communicable diseases division in Singapore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As reports of a new virus in China emerged , Singapore banned travelers from mainland China in late January .
All incoming travelers have their temperatures taken , and so do people entering schools and restaurants .
( Schools remain open , although lunch times are now staggered so as to avoid mass gatherings . )
The country has the ability to test 2,000 people a day , with 140 contact tracers working with police to outline each patient ’ s case history .
It has also developed a serology test that can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ antibodies for the virus in their system , meaning that they may have carried Covid-19 without developing any symptoms for it .
Testing is free .
Quarantine is mandatory for those who have had close contact with confirmed cases .
As of March 22 , Singapore has reported two deaths due to Covid-19 .
Among the African countries taking a particularly hard line against Covid-19 is Tunisia .
The country reported 29 cases of the virus this past week , and the government instated a public curfew to control the possible spread .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ day , both police officers and soldiers will be on patrol to ensure no one leaves their homes .
The only exception is when locals need medical attention ; otherwise , no outdoor activity is allowed .
Curfews aren ’ t new in Tunisia .
For example , in 2011 , the government imposed one as the country was upended by civil protests .
But the concept of being completely trapped indoors is one residents said they ’ re still wrapping their heads around .
“ There is no work for us and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I can ’ t go home at this time .
I need to spend it with friends , ” one local man told Reuters , when their reporter found him outside after-hours , in an explicit act of resistance against the new policy .

The novel coronavirus is a global health crisis, and the ways countries worldwide are attempting to stymie the disease’s outbreak are wide-ranging. In the United States, for example, many heavily populated areas have enacted “shelter-in-place” initiatives to keep the number of infected people from growing quickly. Businesses deemed nonessential have closed. At least one city has even offered official guidelines on how to safely have intimate relations during this time, most of which imply “don’t have them at all.”
But some African, Asian, European, and South American countries are responding quite differently. Below is a sampling of the ways different countries have been working to protect citizens from the Covid-19 virus.
South Korea
South Korea has some of the world’s most comprehensive protective measures in place, according to experts. And they’re certainly some of the most novel, too. One option for Covid-19 testing — which South Korea has made more readily available than most other countries — involves public “phone booths.” A hospital in Seoul has installed them around its building to offer easy, quick testing to people worried they may have the disease.
The way it works is spectacular: One person at a time can enter one side of the glass-walled booth and grab a handset connected to a hospital worker standing on the other side of the glass. After a consultation, the staff member can stick their arms into rubber gloves embedded into the booth to swab the patient quickly, collecting a sample before the booth is quickly disinfected. The hospital says the seven-minute exam allows it to test almost 10 times as many samples as it could without the special booths.
South Korea is one of the Asian countries experiencing the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic — the quick-fire test is an inspiring method to, hopefully, save more lives.
The Philippines
The response to the coronavirus in the Philippines has been highly criticized by experts around the world. The Philippines is struggling with many of the same complications other countries are, like inadequate testing and lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical staff. But those problems have been exacerbated by chaotic and contradictory guidance from leaders.
On March 16, President Rodrigo Duterte announced he would be placing the country’s main island of Luzon — the seat of the capital city of Manila and its metropolitan area — under lockdown. About half the country’s population of 107 million live on Luzon, with 12 million of them in Manila.
However, government officials have repeatedly contradicted each other in discussions of what the lockdown entails, and who is allowed to go outside and why. It’s unclear whether or not public transportation will continue, or whether food producers should continue to work. The Philippine Chamber of Food Manufacturers Inc. has begun to warn of potential gaps in the food supply chain.
Like the United States, the Philippines acknowledges it doesn’t have enough tests to pinpoint the exact number of Covid-19 cases in the country. On March 21 it announced 307 total cases. There have been at least 25 Covid-19 deaths in the Philippines as of March 22, according to Johns Hopkins’ case tracker.
Italy
Italy, which has surpassed China as the country with the most Covid-19 deaths, is now the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. And as Kelsey Piper and Christina Animashaun wrote for Vox, the problem is not that Italy didn’t respond to the coronavirus. The problem is that it always responded slightly too late and with slightly too much moderation.
Italy had its first confirmed coronavirus case on February 20. But that patient had no contact with China, suggesting that he probably caught the virus from another European. “Who we call ‘Patient One’ was probably ‘Patient 200,’ ” one epidemiologist told the New York Times.
By February 23, the country had 123 confirmed cases and had sealed off 11 towns with checkpoints. But the early government response was ambiguous: while officials urged the public to practice social distancing early on and closed all public schools on March 4, they also urged Italians “not to change our habits,” with the mayor of Milan publicizing a “Milan doesn’t stop” campaign.
As the disease spread, the government began to respond more severely. On March 8, it locked down the north of the country, where the virus was first found. On March 9, it extended the lockdown to the rest of the country.
Now, as the death toll continues to rise, the lockdown measures are only tightening. As of Saturday, the public is no longer allowed to go outside to jog. Meanwhile, the number of new cases continues to soar.
Nicaragua
South America is one of the continents with the fewest confirmed cases. Some countries are slowly beginning to report hundreds of coronavirus cases, but others are responding by thumbing their nose at the disease.
Take, for example, Nicaragua: On March 14, Nicaraguan vice president Rosario Murillo organized what at least one reporter referred to as “a kind of walk and carnival.” The public rally, called “Love in the Time of Covid-19” (after the famed Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel), saw thousands of Nicaraguans marching, dancing, and carrying signs that explained how the coronavirus affects the respiratory system.
The event was held in honor of President Daniel Ortega, a controversial politician who runs what some critics call a dictatorship. But his supporters used the opportunity to celebrate their leader for what they considered his showing of solidarity for coronavirus victims worldwide. One of the easiest ways to spread the coronavirus, though? Clustering people together in public demonstrations. Nicaragua has not yet publicly stated whether anyone in the country has been infected.
Senegal
Senegal, which reacted rapidly and firmly to the Ebola outbreaks in its region in 2014, is similarly well-prepared for the coronavirus. The country is the home of the Pasteur Institute, a research lab that partners with the World Health Organization to fight viral outbreaks and is the creator of one of the first yellow fever vaccines. And now, the Pasteur Institute is teaming up with Mologic, a British biotech firm founded by the guy who developed the pee-on-a-stick pregnancy test, to create test kits that can diagnose Covid-19 within 10 minutes.
According to the Pasteur Institute, the kits will be released within three months and will only cost $1 per kit. “People will be able to do it themselves,” a spokesperson told the Washington Post.
Even without the 10-minute kit, Senegal’s testing capabilities are better than those of the US. They’re currently using test kits that diagnose patients within four hours.
Hong Kong
One of the first things many dog-loving Americans were told about the coronavirus was that our good doggos were immune to the disease. It was good news, because we love to kiss and hug and play with our pups — and dog-walking is a great and acceptable form of outdoor exercise during social isolation.
But recent news from Hong Kong suggests otherwise. On March 19, the Hong Kong Agriculture, Fisheries, and Conservation Department (AFCD) announced that a pet German shepherd had “repeatedly tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.” This is the second dog to be infected by the disease in Hong Kong, following a pet Pomeranian who tested positive earlier in March. The Pomeranian’s owner reportedly had the virus, and the dog died days after its release from a compulsory quarantine; no cause of death has been confirmed, however.
Experts insist the dog could not have died of coronavirus. Likewise, AFCD officials stressed that the dogs showed no symptoms, and that humans shouldn’t be concerned about transmission.
“There is currently no evidence that pet animals can be a source of Covid-19 for humans or that this virus can cause the disease in dogs,” an AFCD spokesperson said. “Pet owners should always maintain good hygiene practices and under no circumstances should they abandon their pets.”
What this means, though, is taking a precaution that many of us pet owners around the world likely never considered: Don’t give your pet a hug or a kiss on the head.
Singapore
“Singapore has done everything right,” one expert told STAT News. After the horrors of SARS 17 years ago, Singapore has developed a robust infrastructure for dealing with pandemics, and it was ready and prepared when the novel coronavirus hit.
“During peacetime, we plan for epidemics like this,” Lalitha Kurupatham, the deputy director of the communicable diseases division in Singapore, told the New York Times.
As reports of a new virus in China emerged, Singapore banned travelers from mainland China in late January. All incoming travelers have their temperatures taken, and so do people entering schools and restaurants. (Schools remain open, although lunch times are now staggered so as to avoid mass gatherings.)
The country has the ability to test 2,000 people a day, with 140 contact tracers working with police to outline each patient’s case history. It has also developed a serology test that can determine whether or not a patient has antibodies for the virus in their system, meaning that they may have carried Covid-19 without developing any symptoms for it. Testing is free. Quarantine is mandatory for those who have had close contact with confirmed cases.
As of March 22, Singapore has reported two deaths due to Covid-19.
Tunisia
Among the African countries taking a particularly hard line against Covid-19 is Tunisia. The country reported 29 cases of the virus this past week, and the government instated a public curfew to control the possible spread. From 6 pm to 6 am each day, both police officers and soldiers will be on patrol to ensure no one leaves their homes. The only exception is when locals need medical attention; otherwise, no outdoor activity is allowed.
Curfews aren’t new in Tunisia. For example, in 2011, the government imposed one as the country was upended by civil protests. But the concept of being completely trapped indoors is one residents said they’re still wrapping their heads around.
“There is no work for us and now they ask us to stay home. I can’t go home at this time. I need to spend it with friends,” one local man told Reuters, when their reporter found him outside after-hours, in an explicit act of resistance against the new policy.