vox--2020-05-21--Doctors’ new coronavirus threat: Patients who refuse to wear masks

The decision of some Americans to not wear a mask in public has become a political act , the latest demonstration of how misinformation is complicating the American response to the Covid-19 pandemic .
As states reopen , enforcement of new mask requirements in public spaces has led to conflict : A Target employee in California broke his arm after trying to remove two customers refusing to wear masks .
In Flint , Michigan , a security guard at a Family Dollar store was shot and killed after a dispute with a disgruntled customer over wearing a face mask .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ also happening in medical clinics and hospitals , endangering health care staff .
A urologist in Florida , who requested anonymity because of fear of losing his job , tells Vox he had his first patient refuse to wear a mask on May 13 .
The doctor works at a private clinic , which recently instituted a policy requiring all patients to wear a mask while in the building to minimize transmission of the virus .
The patient was given a mask at the front desk , but refused to put it on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put his mask on if he wanted to be seen , ” the urologist said .
“ He got verbally aggressive with her , saying he had a right not to wear a mask , and that we were denying his constitutional rights.
” The clinic manager was summoned to speak with the patient , and explained that the mask was to protect both him and the medical staff .
“ He continued to refuse , so the administration asked him to leave.
” At that point , the patient called 911 to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We ’ re a private property , not an emergency room , ” the urologist said .
“ We ’ re not required to treat him , and he was not having an acute emergency .
I think he just had a very poor understanding of what his rights were.
” The dispatcher declined to send an officer to the scene , but the clinic then called the police .
“ He ended up walking out of the building before the cops showed up.
” The mask is , the urologist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safety .
It ’ s for the safety of those around him.
” It ’ s difficult to gauge how widespread a problem mask refusal is , and it ’ s probably uncommon .
A recent HuffPost/YouGov poll found that most Americans say they ’ re mostly or always wearing masks when they ’ re in public and around others .
But medical professionals interviewed by Vox in three states say health care workers are at times being put at risk by people refusing to wear masks in health care facilities .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adds to the threats to front-line health care workers , who remain at higher risk of Covid-19 infection , especially in the continued shortage of protective gear , like masks , gloves , and surgical gowns .
What we know about the benefits of mask-wearing Some of the potential confusion about mask-wearing stems from changing recommendations from health authorities .
In February , the US surgeon general told Americans to “ stop buying masks ” because they allegedly would not protect users from infection , and that health care workers needed them first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the CDC changed its guidance to recommend people cover their faces in “ public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.
” As the CDC told NPR , recent studies have demonstrated that the virus is frequently spread when people are presymptomatic and asymptomatic .
As many as 31 percent of people with Covid-19 may be asymptomatic , and people can be infected for two to 14 days before developing symptoms .
Precisely because you might not know who has been infected on a crowded sidewalk , in a hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , other people ’ s masks protect you , and your mask protects them .
SARS-CoV-2 , the novel coronavirus , is very , very small , and surgical and homemade masks are not as effective as the N95 masks worn by health care workers at filtering the virus .
( One study shows the type of fabric used changes homemade masks ’ efficacy , with T-shirt fabric performing the best of the tested materials . )
Yet researchers say they still seem to reduce the transmissibility of the virus by reducing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reason , a growing number of doctors , scientists , and public health experts are now calling for universal masking in indoor public spaces and crowded outdoor spaces .
One recent study , not yet through peer review , analyzed data from Hong Kong , where near-universal masking was voluntarily adopted very early in the pandemic .
It suggests coronavirus transmission may drop as much as 75 percent when surgical masks are used .
And other studies suggest that if mask use were universal , it would control transmission even better than a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ begins to reopen , masks will be critical tools to help control public transmission .
It doesn ’ t help that Trump and Pence aren ’ t wearing masks in public This evidence-based message , however , has been politicized in the US , with mask refusal by some on the right becoming a symbol on the right for personal freedoms .
A poll published May 7 by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research suggests 76 percent of Democrats wear a mask when they leave home , compared to 59 percent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evident in top Republican leadership .
Even as two White House aides tested positive for Covid-19 — including one of President Trump ’ s personal valets and Katie Miller , the Vice President ’ s press secretary — the president recently told advisers wearing a mask would make him “ look ridiculous.
” Vice President Mike Pence has followed Trump ’ s lead , recently refusing to wear a mask when touring the Mayo Clinic , a medical center in Rochester , Minnesota .
Pence was the only person not wearing a face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the clinic ’ s policy as well as federal guidelines .
After Pence ’ s tour , Fox News ’ s Laura Ingraham doubled down on rejecting masks , saying , “ social control over large populations is achieved through fear and intimidation and suppression of free thought.
” Republican Ohio state representative , Nino Vitale , is required by Ohio ’ s department of health to wear a mask , but is so far refusing .
“ We are all created in the image and likeness of God .
That image @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he wrote on Facebook , Part of the problem , explains Saskia Popescu , an infectious disease epidemiologist , is the early mixed messaging on masks created space for doubt in the public ’ s understanding of masks ’ benefits .
“ Anytime there is uncertainty , there is opportunity for harnessing that for politicization — which is frustrating , as novel outbreaks like Covid-19 inherently have uncertainty.
” She explains it ’ s inevitable that guidelines will continue to change as we learn more about the virus .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our processes with the latest data and research , ” Popescu says .
“ What worries me is when politics form the agenda for public health , and not the other way around.
” When health care workers have to treat mask refusers A nurse at a VA hospital in Kansas , who requested anonymity because of fear of losing her job , also told Vox about a patient who refused to wear a mask this month .
“ We have a mask policy for all employees and all patients , ” she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ PPE ) supplies at the hospital are still limited , nurses are given one surgical mask per day , and patients without masks are loaned cloth masks that the hospital launders after they ’ ve been used .
The patient was “ ranting and raving , ” she says .
“ He said he had been trying to get it and hadn ’ t caught it , so he didn ’ t think he needed to wear a mask .
I wish I could be that confident and willing to take everyone in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hands.
” Despite his refusal to don a mask , the patient was cared for , although staff wore gowns and masks as if he had Covid-19 .
“ Some [ staff ] were irritated , ” he was treated , the nurse says , “ but it ’ s not their job to strong-arm someone out of the clinic .
What do you want them to do ?
” She ’ s uncertain of what will happen the next time a patient refuses a mask .
Although the entire VA medical system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to wear a mask , the nurse ’ s clinic doesn ’ t have security staff to enforce it .
So far , all the management has done is give staff permission to wear additional PPE if patients refuse to follow the mask policy .
“ At the end of day , as nurses we can ’ t just kick a sick person out , ” she says .
“ We need to try to help them even if they are stubborn .
We need to try to educate them even if they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she says .
“ It ’ s part of the gig.
” Ryan Shannon , an ER doctor in Florida , describes a patient refusing to wear a mask , even though she was in a room next to an immunocompromised person at high risk of severe Covid-19 illness and death .
“ She refused , threw the mask on the floor , and proceeded to berate myself and my staff for being a part of the ‘ conspiracy and hoax ’ that is Covid-19 , ” he wrote in a May 11 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s refusal to follow guidelines , her husband insisted on sitting in the part of the waiting room designated for patients with respiratory complaints like Covid-19 , instead of in his car as he was instructed .
“ We are at the point where social media has turned into a cesspool of misinformation .
Misinformation that puts people ’ s lives at risk , ” Shannon wrote .
“ We are at the point where we have politicized a pandemic .
Where one ’ s political belief almost determines whether or not they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Just wear the bloody mask.
” Yet mask rules at health care facilities are not consistent state by state or clearly communicated to staff who have to enforce them .
Medical boards of some states , like Texas , have issued clear requirements state-wide that “ a mask must be worn by both the patient and physician.
” But Florida , for example , appears to have not issued universal guidelines for mask-use , leaving these decisions up to individual facilities — meaning mask rules could vary from hospital to hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should be worn is also playing out in other high-risk places that provide medical care , like nursing homes .
Sue Krohn-Taylor is an administrator at a 72-apartment low-income senior living facility in the large town of Grand Island , Nebraska , where a resident has tested positive for Covid-19 .
She says she ’ s been battling some residents who refuse to wear masks , and is exhausted .
“ This week , the son of one of the residents told me I was taking away their liberties by making them wear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” she says .
“ If they were only harming themselves , I would back off , but they are placing each and every resident here , and my staff , and our families in harm ’ s way.
” “ I can fight the virus , but fighting the lies is what becomes overwhelming , ” she says .
Lois Parshley is a freelance investigative journalist and the 2019-2020 Snedden Chair of Journalism at the University of Alaska Fairbanks .
Follow her Covid-19 reporting on Twitter @ loisparshley .
Every day at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

The decision of some Americans to not wear a mask in public has become a political act, the latest demonstration of how misinformation is complicating the American response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
As states reopen, enforcement of new mask requirements in public spaces has led to conflict: A Target employee in California broke his arm after trying to remove two customers refusing to wear masks. In Flint, Michigan, a security guard at a Family Dollar store was shot and killed after a dispute with a disgruntled customer over wearing a face mask.
Now, these kinds of confrontations are also happening in medical clinics and hospitals, endangering health care staff.
A urologist in Florida, who requested anonymity because of fear of losing his job, tells Vox he had his first patient refuse to wear a mask on May 13. The doctor works at a private clinic, which recently instituted a policy requiring all patients to wear a mask while in the building to minimize transmission of the virus. The patient was given a mask at the front desk, but refused to put it on.
“The nurse asked him to put his mask on if he wanted to be seen,” the urologist said. “He got verbally aggressive with her, saying he had a right not to wear a mask, and that we were denying his constitutional rights.” The clinic manager was summoned to speak with the patient, and explained that the mask was to protect both him and the medical staff. “He continued to refuse, so the administration asked him to leave.”
At that point, the patient called 911 to complain he was being denied medical care. “We’re a private property, not an emergency room,” the urologist said. “We’re not required to treat him, and he was not having an acute emergency. I think he just had a very poor understanding of what his rights were.”
The dispatcher declined to send an officer to the scene, but the clinic then called the police. “He ended up walking out of the building before the cops showed up.” The mask is, the urologist says, “not just for his safety. It’s for the safety of those around him.”
It’s difficult to gauge how widespread a problem mask refusal is, and it’s probably uncommon. A recent HuffPost/YouGov poll found that most Americans say they’re mostly or always wearing masks when they’re in public and around others.
Nearly 70% of Americans say wearing a mask near others is respectful. Just 8% see it as a sign of weakness. https://t.co/FyfceHGs05 pic.twitter.com/Q00Oi4bqhW — Ariel Edwards-Levy (@aedwardslevy) May 20, 2020
But medical professionals interviewed by Vox in three states say health care workers are at times being put at risk by people refusing to wear masks in health care facilities. This rejection of a public health measure only adds to the threats to front-line health care workers, who remain at higher risk of Covid-19 infection, especially in the continued shortage of protective gear, like masks, gloves, and surgical gowns.
What we know about the benefits of mask-wearing
Some of the potential confusion about mask-wearing stems from changing recommendations from health authorities. In February, the US surgeon general told Americans to “stop buying masks” because they allegedly would not protect users from infection, and that health care workers needed them first. By early April, however, the CDC changed its guidance to recommend people cover their faces in “public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.”
Related Everything you need to know about making your own face mask
As the CDC told NPR, recent studies have demonstrated that the virus is frequently spread when people are presymptomatic and asymptomatic. As many as 31 percent of people with Covid-19 may be asymptomatic, and people can be infected for two to 14 days before developing symptoms. Precisely because you might not know who has been infected on a crowded sidewalk, in a hospital, or a doctor’s office, other people’s masks protect you, and your mask protects them.
SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus, is very, very small, and surgical and homemade masks are not as effective as the N95 masks worn by health care workers at filtering the virus. (One study shows the type of fabric used changes homemade masks’ efficacy, with T-shirt fabric performing the best of the tested materials.) Yet researchers say they still seem to reduce the transmissibility of the virus by reducing the transmission of infected droplets.
For this reason, a growing number of doctors, scientists, and public health experts are now calling for universal masking in indoor public spaces and crowded outdoor spaces. One recent study, not yet through peer review, analyzed data from Hong Kong, where near-universal masking was voluntarily adopted very early in the pandemic. It suggests coronavirus transmission may drop as much as 75 percent when surgical masks are used. And other studies suggest that if mask use were universal, it would control transmission even better than a strict lockdown. Especially as the US begins to reopen, masks will be critical tools to help control public transmission.
It doesn’t help that Trump and Pence aren’t wearing masks in public
This evidence-based message, however, has been politicized in the US, with mask refusal by some on the right becoming a symbol on the right for personal freedoms.
A poll published May 7 by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research suggests 76 percent of Democrats wear a mask when they leave home, compared to 59 percent of Republicans.
The divide is also evident in top Republican leadership. Even as two White House aides tested positive for Covid-19 — including one of President Trump’s personal valets and Katie Miller, the Vice President’s press secretary — the president recently told advisers wearing a mask would make him “look ridiculous.”
Vice President Mike Pence has followed Trump’s lead, recently refusing to wear a mask when touring the Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota. Pence was the only person not wearing a face covering during the tour, a violation of the clinic’s policy as well as federal guidelines.
After Pence’s tour, Fox News’s Laura Ingraham doubled down on rejecting masks, saying, “social control over large populations is achieved through fear and intimidation and suppression of free thought.” Republican Ohio state representative, Nino Vitale, is required by Ohio’s department of health to wear a mask, but is so far refusing. “We are all created in the image and likeness of God. That image is seen the most by our face,” he wrote on Facebook,
Part of the problem, explains Saskia Popescu, an infectious disease epidemiologist, is the early mixed messaging on masks created space for doubt in the public’s understanding of masks’ benefits. “Anytime there is uncertainty, there is opportunity for harnessing that for politicization — which is frustrating, as novel outbreaks like Covid-19 inherently have uncertainty.”
She explains it’s inevitable that guidelines will continue to change as we learn more about the virus. “I hope that people want us to evolve our processes with the latest data and research,” Popescu says. “What worries me is when politics form the agenda for public health, and not the other way around.”
When health care workers have to treat mask refusers
A nurse at a VA hospital in Kansas, who requested anonymity because of fear of losing her job, also told Vox about a patient who refused to wear a mask this month. “We have a mask policy for all employees and all patients,” she says. Because personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies at the hospital are still limited, nurses are given one surgical mask per day, and patients without masks are loaned cloth masks that the hospital launders after they’ve been used.
The patient was “ranting and raving,” she says. “He said he had been trying to get it and hadn’t caught it, so he didn’t think he needed to wear a mask. I wish I could be that confident and willing to take everyone in this building’s lives into my hands.”
Despite his refusal to don a mask, the patient was cared for, although staff wore gowns and masks as if he had Covid-19. “Some [staff] were irritated,” he was treated, the nurse says, “but it’s not their job to strong-arm someone out of the clinic. What do you want them to do?”
She’s uncertain of what will happen the next time a patient refuses a mask. Although the entire VA medical system requires everyone coming into a medical facility to wear a mask, the nurse’s clinic doesn’t have security staff to enforce it. So far, all the management has done is give staff permission to wear additional PPE if patients refuse to follow the mask policy.
“At the end of day, as nurses we can’t just kick a sick person out,” she says. “We need to try to help them even if they are stubborn. We need to try to educate them even if they don’t want it,” she says. “It’s part of the gig.”
Ryan Shannon, an ER doctor in Florida, describes a patient refusing to wear a mask, even though she was in a room next to an immunocompromised person at high risk of severe Covid-19 illness and death. “She refused, threw the mask on the floor, and proceeded to berate myself and my staff for being a part of the ‘conspiracy and hoax’ that is Covid-19,” he wrote in a May 11 Facebook post.
After the patient’s refusal to follow guidelines, her husband insisted on sitting in the part of the waiting room designated for patients with respiratory complaints like Covid-19, instead of in his car as he was instructed. “We are at the point where social media has turned into a cesspool of misinformation. Misinformation that puts people’s lives at risk,” Shannon wrote. “We are at the point where we have politicized a pandemic. Where one’s political belief almost determines whether or not they wear a mask,” he concluded. “Just wear the bloody mask.”
Yet mask rules at health care facilities are not consistent state by state or clearly communicated to staff who have to enforce them. Medical boards of some states, like Texas, have issued clear requirements state-wide that “a mask must be worn by both the patient and physician.” But Florida, for example, appears to have not issued universal guidelines for mask-use, leaving these decisions up to individual facilities — meaning mask rules could vary from hospital to hospital.
Confusion about when and where masks should be worn is also playing out in other high-risk places that provide medical care, like nursing homes. Sue Krohn-Taylor is an administrator at a 72-apartment low-income senior living facility in the large town of Grand Island, Nebraska, where a resident has tested positive for Covid-19. She says she’s been battling some residents who refuse to wear masks, and is exhausted.
“This week, the son of one of the residents told me I was taking away their liberties by making them wear a mask in the common areas,” she says. “If they were only harming themselves, I would back off, but they are placing each and every resident here, and my staff, and our families in harm’s way.”
“I can fight the virus, but fighting the lies is what becomes overwhelming,” she says.
Lois Parshley is a freelance investigative journalist and the 2019-2020 Snedden Chair of Journalism at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Follow her Covid-19 reporting on Twitter @loisparshley.


vox--2020-05-21--A massive cyclone battered India and Bangladesh. The coronavirus makes recovery even harder.

A devastating cyclone pounded India and Bangladesh on Wednesday , killing more than 80 people and leaving thousands homeless .
That will only compound the crisis those countries face from the coronavirus .
Cyclone Amphan , considered one of the most dangerous storms in recent memory , wiped out bridges , trees , electric lines , and homes after making landfall .
The storm was weaker than expected once it hit the region ’ s coastline , but it still left a wake of destruction , forcing many to live without power or shelter .
The storm mainly hit the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the country ’ s east , home to around 130 million people , and western Bangladesh .
And according to Deepmala Mahla , the Asia director for the humanitarian organization CARE , it did enough damage to set back the hard-hit areas years economically .
In the most affected districts in those two Indian states , about 90 percent of “ social assets ” — places like health centers , schools , and businesses — have been destroyed or damaged by Amphan , CARE India ’ s director Shantamay Chatterjee told me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s capital of nearly 15 million people , water flooded the streets and the airport .
The wind from the storm , which reached over 100 miles an hour , littered the region with debris , including fallen trees and power lines .
“ I have never seen such disaster , ” Mamata Banerjee , West Bengal ’ s chief minister , told reporters on Thursday .
“ All areas have faced destruction .
Nothing is left.
” In Bangladesh , hundreds of villages are underwater and about 1 million people don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the southwestern district of Bagerhat , about 500 fish farms were flooded .
CARE ’ s Mahla told me that many farms are now in trouble because the storm surge wiped out crops , and that the salinity from the seawater will make it nearly impossible to grow crops next year .
That likely means that farming communities will go hungry and suffer economically in the coming years .
And all of this is just the picture experts have so far , one day after the storm .
The full extent of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Lack of electrical power means many affected by Amphan , primarily those who live on islands , can ’ t ask for help or report on their situations .
What is clear is that the cyclone has unleashed a disaster that will require immense government and humanitarian efforts to recover from — a disaster that ’ s made even more complex by the coronavirus pandemic .
So far , the nations ’ leaders are pledging such help .
“ No stone will be left unturned in helping the affected , ” Indian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Bangladesh ’ s government said nearly 2,000 medical teams are already at work , with likely more to come .
But few experts , including retired Air Force Gen. Douglas Fraser , who led the US military response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake , believe the recovery effort will be easy .
“ It ’ s a difficult place they ’ re in , ” he told me .
“ Like every disaster , it ’ s going to start out slow , and it ’ s going to be difficult.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be hard .
The coronavirus won ’ t help .
India and Bangladesh , unfortunately , are used to this kind of crisis .
“ India and Bangladesh are always dealt a bad hand when it comes to responding to cyclones and tsunamis , ” Michael Kugelman , an expert on South Asia at the Wilson Center think tank in Washington , told me .
“ That ’ s because these countries and broader South Asia face a perfect storm of factors — densely populated coastal areas , poverty , and bad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that exacerbate vulnerability.
” But , he added , “ that doesn ’ t make it any easier to handle them.
” The main reason is India ’ s east and Bangladesh ’ s south lie on the Bay of Bengal , an impoverished region of 500 million people that has seen 26 of the deadliest 35 cyclones ever recorded .
Just last year , for example , India ’ s Odisha state got hit hard by Cyclone Fani and has yet to fully recover from it .
The area is ripe for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sea level and has low , concave bays that funnel sea water onto the land .
And the bay ’ s surface temperature is typically warm , which helps fuel strong storms .
That ’ s particularly problematic because climate change is leading to more potent hurricanes , as an analysis of storms dating back to 1979 released this week showed .
“ The trend is there and it is real , ” James Kossin , a researcher with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and lead author of the study , told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ There ’ s this remarkable building of this body of evidence that we ’ re making these storms more deleterious.
” So as the region tries to recover from Cyclone Amphan , a similarly dangerous storm could soon follow behind it .
But Indians and Bangladeshis have another crisis at hand : The coronavirus is already impacting both countries .
“ Many people in India and Bangladesh are refusing to leave their homes because they fear they ’ ll get infected in storm shelters , ” CARE ’ s Mahla told me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ usually direct food and medical equipment to areas near such shelters .
If those severely impacted by the storm don ’ t go to those areas , then , they might not get the supplies they need .
Those who worry about getting sick in a storm shelter have an understandable concern , experts say , as it ’ s nearly impossible for the thousands of people packed into tight quarters to practice social distancing .
If someone infected with the coronavirus enters a relief area , it ’ s completely possible they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Which means that both India and Bangladesh have to choose between two bad options : try to maintain social distancing , or bring people together to offer relief as efficiently as possible .
Experts believe the two governments will understandably choose relief despite knowing they ’ re bound to face a broader public health crisis as a result .
“ It ’ s highly likely that this cyclone and its aftermath will intensify community spread of Covid-19 , given that large numbers of people will be relocated to safer but small and crowded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Kugelman said .
“ It ’ s a public policy nightmare for officials trying to rescue people from a destructive storm while also keeping them safe.
” The way to avoid the worst outcome , Mahla said , is for India and Bangladesh to quickly restore electricity and telecommunications and address the agricultural problems that will plague the region .
But to do that while fighting off a growing coronavirus outbreak will be a herculean task .
“ The harder the logistics , the harder it is to solve the problems , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

A devastating cyclone pounded India and Bangladesh on Wednesday, killing more than 80 people and leaving thousands homeless. That will only compound the crisis those countries face from the coronavirus.
Cyclone Amphan, considered one of the most dangerous storms in recent memory, wiped out bridges, trees, electric lines, and homes after making landfall. The storm was weaker than expected once it hit the region’s coastline, but it still left a wake of destruction, forcing many to live without power or shelter.
The storm mainly hit the Indian states of Odisha and West Bengal in the country’s east, home to around 130 million people, and western Bangladesh. And according to Deepmala Mahla, the Asia director for the humanitarian organization CARE, it did enough damage to set back the hard-hit areas years economically.
In the most affected districts in those two Indian states, about 90 percent of “social assets” — places like health centers, schools, and businesses — have been destroyed or damaged by Amphan, CARE India’s director Shantamay Chatterjee told me. In Calcutta, West Bengal’s capital of nearly 15 million people, water flooded the streets and the airport. The wind from the storm, which reached over 100 miles an hour, littered the region with debris, including fallen trees and power lines.
“I have never seen such disaster,” Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal’s chief minister, told reporters on Thursday. “All areas have faced destruction. Nothing is left.”
A friend sent me this photo of Calcutta right now. Very worried for family and loved ones there. pic.twitter.com/4QSGPTZEIy — Ishaan Tharoor (@ishaantharoor) May 20, 2020
In Bangladesh, hundreds of villages are underwater and about 1 million people don’t have electricity anymore. And in the southwestern district of Bagerhat, about 500 fish farms were flooded.
CARE’s Mahla told me that many farms are now in trouble because the storm surge wiped out crops, and that the salinity from the seawater will make it nearly impossible to grow crops next year. That likely means that farming communities will go hungry and suffer economically in the coming years.
And all of this is just the picture experts have so far, one day after the storm. The full extent of the damage in India and Bangladesh remains unclear. Lack of electrical power means many affected by Amphan, primarily those who live on islands, can’t ask for help or report on their situations.
What is clear is that the cyclone has unleashed a disaster that will require immense government and humanitarian efforts to recover from — a disaster that’s made even more complex by the coronavirus pandemic.
So far, the nations’ leaders are pledging such help. “No stone will be left unturned in helping the affected,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on Thursday. Bangladesh’s government said nearly 2,000 medical teams are already at work, with likely more to come.
But few experts, including retired Air Force Gen. Douglas Fraser, who led the US military response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, believe the recovery effort will be easy. “It’s a difficult place they’re in,” he told me. “Like every disaster, it’s going to start out slow, and it’s going to be difficult.”
Getting India and Bangladesh back to normal will be hard. The coronavirus won’t help.
India and Bangladesh, unfortunately, are used to this kind of crisis.
“India and Bangladesh are always dealt a bad hand when it comes to responding to cyclones and tsunamis,” Michael Kugelman, an expert on South Asia at the Wilson Center think tank in Washington, told me. “That’s because these countries and broader South Asia face a perfect storm of factors — densely populated coastal areas, poverty, and bad infrastructure, to name a few — that exacerbate vulnerability.”
But, he added, “that doesn’t make it any easier to handle them.”
The main reason is India’s east and Bangladesh’s south lie on the Bay of Bengal, an impoverished region of 500 million people that has seen 26 of the deadliest 35 cyclones ever recorded. Just last year, for example, India’s Odisha state got hit hard by Cyclone Fani and has yet to fully recover from it.
The area is ripe for complications because it’s barely above sea level and has low, concave bays that funnel sea water onto the land. And the bay’s surface temperature is typically warm, which helps fuel strong storms.
That’s particularly problematic because climate change is leading to more potent hurricanes, as an analysis of storms dating back to 1979 released this week showed.
“The trend is there and it is real,” James Kossin, a researcher with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and lead author of the study, told the New York Times on Monday. “There’s this remarkable building of this body of evidence that we’re making these storms more deleterious.”
So as the region tries to recover from Cyclone Amphan, a similarly dangerous storm could soon follow behind it.
But Indians and Bangladeshis have another crisis at hand: The coronavirus is already impacting both countries.
“Many people in India and Bangladesh are refusing to leave their homes because they fear they’ll get infected in storm shelters,” CARE’s Mahla told me. Relief organizations like Mahla’s usually direct food and medical equipment to areas near such shelters. If those severely impacted by the storm don’t go to those areas, then, they might not get the supplies they need.
Those who worry about getting sick in a storm shelter have an understandable concern, experts say, as it’s nearly impossible for the thousands of people packed into tight quarters to practice social distancing. If someone infected with the coronavirus enters a relief area, it’s completely possible they’ll unwittingly spread the disease.
Which means that both India and Bangladesh have to choose between two bad options: try to maintain social distancing, or bring people together to offer relief as efficiently as possible.
Experts believe the two governments will understandably choose relief despite knowing they’re bound to face a broader public health crisis as a result.
“It’s highly likely that this cyclone and its aftermath will intensify community spread of Covid-19, given that large numbers of people will be relocated to safer but small and crowded spaces,” the Wilson Center’s Kugelman said. “It’s a public policy nightmare for officials trying to rescue people from a destructive storm while also keeping them safe.”
The way to avoid the worst outcome, Mahla said, is for India and Bangladesh to quickly restore electricity and telecommunications and address the agricultural problems that will plague the region. But to do that while fighting off a growing coronavirus outbreak will be a herculean task.
“The harder the logistics, the harder it is to solve the problems,” Fraser told me.
Umair Irfan contributed to this report.


vox--2020-05-21--Are women leaders better at fighting coronavirus? It’s complicated.

Chancellor Angela Merkel began her March 18 speech to the German people by acknowledging their pain .
“ The coronavirus is currently dramatically changing our lives , ” she said .
“ Our understanding of normality , of public life , of social togetherness — all this is being tested as never before.
” Then she called on Germans to work together to keep each other safe .
“ I firmly believe that we will manage this task if all citizens see it as their task , ” Merkel said .
“ This is serious .
Take it seriously.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Donald Trump was blaming the media and Democrats for overhyping the “ situation , ” promising that the problem would “ go away , ” and trumpeting his own performance in dealing with the crisis while using a racist name for the coronavirus .
On March 18 , the same day Merkel gave her speech , he boasted , “ I always treated the Chinese Virus very seriously , and have done a very good job from the beginning.
” There are , of course , many differences between Merkel and Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trained scientist , while he has advocated injecting disinfectants — but one in particular has stood out to many commentators in recent weeks : their gender .
Indeed , female leaders around the world , from Merkel to Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand to Tsai Ing-Wen of Taiwan , have won praise for their handling of the crisis .
They , along with other women in power around the world , haven ’ t just communicated effectively with their constituents during an unprecedented public health disaster — they ’ ve also responded swiftly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counts and deaths in their countries lower than those of their neighbors .
Germany , for example , had about a quarter as many deaths as France as of late April , though both countries were hit hard by the virus .
Women leaders may share some traits that make them particularly well-prepared for this moment , some experts say .
For example , they don ’ t face the same pressure to appear hypermasculine and tough in the face of the pandemic — a pressure that may drive Trump and other male @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to downplay the seriousness of the threat .
“ Men definitely are going to take more of a hit if they ’ re perceived as weak in a time like this , ” whereas women may face less judgment if they admit their own and others ’ vulnerability to the virus and call on their constituents for help , Farida Jalalzai , a political science professor who studies women leaders , told Vox .
At the same time , experts caution that women leaders , like women voters , aren ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state , like Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam , have been criticized for their handling of the pandemic .
And within the US , politicians ’ approach to the crisis may be influenced more by their party than their gender , Kelly Dittmar , an assistant professor of political science and scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics , told Vox .
For example , while Democratic Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan has imposed tough restrictions to fight the virus in her state ( and incurred the wrath of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican Govs .
Kay Ivey of Alabama and Kristi Noem of South Dakota are “ among the governors who did not shut things down , ” Dittmar said .
And while the success of female officials in managing the pandemic is worth recognizing in a world where the majority of political leaders have historically been male — and could ultimately bolster a worldwide movement toward putting more women in positions of power — focusing on gender to the exclusion of other factors could also have the effect of holding women to a higher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that women are always better at handling crises like the coronavirus runs the risk of essentially setting a trap for female leaders — they ’ re expected to perform better than men , so when they do well , it ’ s just business as usual .
And when they do run into trouble , whether it ’ s with the pandemic or some other challenge , “ The criticism of them might be greater , ” Dittmar said , “ because the expectation set is that they ’ re supposed to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world , women have been praised for handling the crisis well There are few sure success stories amid a pandemic that , the World Health Organization has warned , is far from over .
May 20 marks the largest daily rise in global cases since the outbreak began .
But many countries led by women have performed well when it comes to containing the virus and mitigating its most devastating effects .
Germany , for example , has had a much lower death rate than Britain , France , Italy , or Spain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York Times .
Part of the reason is a comprehensive testing program that Germany rolled out early , when the US was still lagging far behind on testing its citizens , Vox ’ s Jen Kirby reported .
Merkel also collaborated closely with officials in Germany ’ s 16 states on lockdown protocols .
The chancellor , a former research scientist , has also been praised for her clear and effective communication with her country — and the world .
Her March 18 speech “ was direct , honest , and searingly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York magazine .
“ She laid bare not just the test we all face but also the solace that leadership can provide.
” Davidson ’ s headline : “ The Leader of the Free World Gives a Speech , and She Nails It.
” Meanwhile , New Zealand is currently one of the few countries in the world that has essentially eliminated coronavirus spread , rather than merely controlling it .
Ardern , the country ’ s prime minister , presided over an early and aggressive lockdown when the island nation still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to those efforts , businesses and schools are now reopening without the kinds of terrifying risks and trade-offs seen in the US — at least for now .
Ardern has also spoken directly and intimately to New Zealanders during the crisis .
After the country began its lockdown in March , the prime minister “ addressed the nation via a casual Facebook Live session she conducted on her phone after putting her toddler to bed , ” Taub reported .
“ Dressed in a cozy-looking sweatshirt , she empathized with citizens ’ anxieties @ @ @ @ @ @ @ startled or alarmed by the emergency alert that announced the lockdown order.
” She has also taken pains to reassure the nation ’ s children , making an announcement in April that both the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny are essential workers .
Trump , by contrast , has been the opposite of reassuring , telling Americans that more illness and death are necessary in order to get the economy booming again .
“ Will some people be affected ?
Yes , ” he said at an event in early May .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Yes .
But we have to get our country opened and we have to get it open soon.
” Taiwan , meanwhile , has been able to contain the virus through aggressive testing , tracing , and isolation without resorting to a full national lockdown , Taub reported .
The country acted fast and started testing on December 31 , Jason Wang , director of the Center for Policy , Outcomes , and Prevention at Stanford , told Vox in March .
And regular government press conferences informing citizens about the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Meanwhile , some male leaders have actively spread disinformation and encouraged others to flout public health rules .
Brazil ’ s Bolsonaro , for example , recently posed for photographs with children in violation of social-distancing guidelines .
He also falsely claimed in April that the World Health Organization , a key global source of information and guidance about Covid-19 , encourages children to masturbate .
Taiwan ’ s Tsai , who was just inaugurated for her second presidential term , currently enjoys an approval rating of 61 percent , an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after her reelection in January , Austin Wang , a political science professor who studies Taiwan politics , told Vox in an email .
The rise can be attributed to her handling of the pandemic , he said .
They aren ’ t alone — other women leaders around the world , like Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway and Prime Minister Sanna Marin of Finland , have also been praised for their response to the Covid-19 crisis .
“ From Germany to New Zealand and Denmark to Taiwan , women have managed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jon Henley and Eleanor Ainge Roy wrote at the Guardian in April .
“ Plenty of countries with male leaders – Vietnam , the Czech Republic , Greece , Australia – have also done well .
But few with female leaders have done badly.
” Meanwhile , within the United States , women leaders like Whitmer and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot have also been hailed for their responses , as well as for their communication with the American people .
Whitmer has been exceptionally emotionally frank in her public statements around the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make a certain decision ” or “ her heart is shattered , ” Tracy Sefl , a Democratic strategist , told Vox in an April interview .
“ She invokes the emotionality of the work in ways that Trump may not be capable of , which makes it all the more of a contrast to see a governor do that.
” Women may have some advantages during this time , experts say Many factors go into any country ’ s experience with the coronavirus , experts warn .
Taiwan and New Zealand , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measures like universal testing and border closures are easier to implement than they would be in larger nations , Jalalzai said .
Still , female leaders may have walked into the current crisis with a few advantages over men .
In some cases , male leaders seem to feel the need to appear “ super-masculine and super-strong and inflexible ” in the face of the pandemic , Jalalzai said .
Trump , for example , has repeatedly asserted that he is in control of the Covid-19 crisis , and at times has sought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both run counter to public health advice and set a damaging precedent , like when he neglects to wear a mask in public appearances or talks about taking hydroxychloroquine , a drug that has no proven benefit against Covid-19 , to keep from getting infected with the virus .
Women , however , may feel less of a need to live up to expectations of crisis management that are grounded in traditional — even toxic — masculinity .
Instead , they may feel more comfortable sending the kinds of messages of empathy and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their citizens to accept difficult and onerous restrictions for the good of all .
Women leaders may be more able to say things like , “ This is a time that we need to come together , and we need to take care of one another , ” Jalalzai said .
“ Maybe they ’ re allowed that because it ’ s more in keeping with those traditional notions of what a female leader would bring to the table.
” Especially in recent years , women in office are “ expanding the types @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in executive leadership , ” Dittmar said .
As women , “ They already disrupt the image ” of what a leader looks like .
“ So as they expand the conceptions of leadership , they might bring in these traits and qualities that unfortunately weren ’ t valued previously , but might be really helpful in a moment like this , ” Dittmar explained .
Women may also bring to the table life experience that can inform their reaction to a crisis like the pandemic , in which women have faced the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the majority of essential workers on the front lines .
The chief medical executive of Michigan , Dr. Joneigh Khaldun , is a black woman who has been vocal about the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on communities of color in the state , Dittmar noted .
“ She comes from the perspective that is different from the traditional sort of white guy , ” Dittmar said .
And in general , women , and women of color in particular , may be more attuned to the disproportionate impact of the virus on marginalized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to think about marginalization before .
“ If you ’ re not somebody who ’ s been either a part of that marginalized group or experienced things in a different way , you may be less likely to raise that as a concern , ” Dittmar said .
But women aren ’ t a monolith , and ideology matters too Despite the advantages that some women leaders may have in this moment , it ’ s important to note that there is much more at work in a politician ’ s response to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For example , while Whitmer has acted aggressively to curb the spread of the virus in Michigan , issuing stringent restrictions that have sparked protests , women governors who are Republicans have taken a different approach .
Alabama ’ s Ivey , for example , allowed her state ’ s stay-at-home order to expire on April 30 , with retail stores reopening — cases of coronavirus in the state have climbed since then .
South Dakota ’ s Noem never implemented a stay-at-home order in the first place .
And Gov .
Kim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on May 1 , even as cases continued to climb .
In addition to whatever influence their gender might have over their governance , these leaders “ are also dealing with both their own ideology about government involvement and also pressure , because they have a president and the head of party that ’ s perpetuating a different view of this moment , ” Dittmar said .
“ Even in this moment of crisis , we have to recognize that elected leaders in particular are elected by partisans and are informed by their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ response of women leaders abroad , too .
Hong Kong ’ s Lam was criticized for being slow to close border crossings as case counts grew , with some saying she was acting out of deference to China , Elaine Yu reported at Vox .
She only ordered a quarantine for travelers after medical workers went on strike .
And if we focus too much on gender as a predictor of success in handling the coronavirus , “ We risk perpetuating a higher bar or a higher standard to which women are held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When female leaders are seen as more ethical than men , they ’ re penalized more harshly when they face scandal , she noted .
For Jalalzai , the attention on how women leaders are handling the coronavirus could bring more visibility to the need for more representation .
At the most basic level , “ People are now more aware of women leaders across the globe than they have been perhaps before.
” And overall , she sees more conversation around women in power .
“ We ’ re at this point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we question politics as usual , and we are aware of how gender presents obstacles and are not okay with that anymore , ” Jalalzai said .
But it ’ s also true that female heads of state are still seen as a novelty around the world , Jalalzai added .
And they ’ re still seen as representatives for their gender in ways that men are not .
If they stumble , they may be held up as examples of a woman ’ s inability to govern — something that never happens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Brazil : “ Bolsonaro is a terrible president , and every decision he seems to be making when it comes to Covid is bad , ” she said .
“ Would that mean down the line Brazilians would be hesitant to vote for a male president ?
” For women , “ It can be helpful to be a novelty , depending on the circumstances , ” Jalalzai said .
“ But it can be unhelpful to be a novelty if the decisions that you make are not somehow perfect.
” Every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

Chancellor Angela Merkel began her March 18 speech to the German people by acknowledging their pain.
“The coronavirus is currently dramatically changing our lives,” she said. “Our understanding of normality, of public life, of social togetherness — all this is being tested as never before.”
Then she called on Germans to work together to keep each other safe.
“I firmly believe that we will manage this task if all citizens see it as their task,” Merkel said. “This is serious. Take it seriously.”
Meanwhile, around the same time, President Donald Trump was blaming the media and Democrats for overhyping the “situation,” promising that the problem would “go away,” and trumpeting his own performance in dealing with the crisis while using a racist name for the coronavirus. On March 18, the same day Merkel gave her speech, he boasted, “I always treated the Chinese Virus very seriously, and have done a very good job from the beginning.”
There are, of course, many differences between Merkel and Trump — for example, she is a trained scientist, while he has advocated injecting disinfectants — but one in particular has stood out to many commentators in recent weeks: their gender.
Indeed, female leaders around the world, from Merkel to Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand to Tsai Ing-Wen of Taiwan, have won praise for their handling of the crisis. They, along with other women in power around the world, haven’t just communicated effectively with their constituents during an unprecedented public health disaster — they’ve also responded swiftly and decisively, managing to keep case counts and deaths in their countries lower than those of their neighbors. Germany, for example, had about a quarter as many deaths as France as of late April, though both countries were hit hard by the virus.
Women leaders may share some traits that make them particularly well-prepared for this moment, some experts say. For example, they don’t face the same pressure to appear hypermasculine and tough in the face of the pandemic — a pressure that may drive Trump and other male leaders, like Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, to downplay the seriousness of the threat. “Men definitely are going to take more of a hit if they’re perceived as weak in a time like this,” whereas women may face less judgment if they admit their own and others’ vulnerability to the virus and call on their constituents for help, Farida Jalalzai, a political science professor who studies women leaders, told Vox.
At the same time, experts caution that women leaders, like women voters, aren’t a monolith. Some female heads of state, like Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, have been criticized for their handling of the pandemic. And within the US, politicians’ approach to the crisis may be influenced more by their party than their gender, Kelly Dittmar, an assistant professor of political science and scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics, told Vox.
For example, while Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan has imposed tough restrictions to fight the virus in her state (and incurred the wrath of some conservatives for doing so), Republican Govs. Kay Ivey of Alabama and Kristi Noem of South Dakota are “among the governors who did not shut things down,” Dittmar said.
And while the success of female officials in managing the pandemic is worth recognizing in a world where the majority of political leaders have historically been male — and could ultimately bolster a worldwide movement toward putting more women in positions of power — focusing on gender to the exclusion of other factors could also have the effect of holding women to a higher standard than men.
Making the generalization that women are always better at handling crises like the coronavirus runs the risk of essentially setting a trap for female leaders — they’re expected to perform better than men, so when they do well, it’s just business as usual. And when they do run into trouble, whether it’s with the pandemic or some other challenge, “The criticism of them might be greater,” Dittmar said, “because the expectation set is that they’re supposed to be better than the guys.”
Around the world, women have been praised for handling the crisis well
There are few sure success stories amid a pandemic that, the World Health Organization has warned, is far from over. May 20 marks the largest daily rise in global cases since the outbreak began.
But many countries led by women have performed well when it comes to containing the virus and mitigating its most devastating effects. Germany, for example, has had a much lower death rate than Britain, France, Italy, or Spain, as Amanda Taub reported at the New York Times. Part of the reason is a comprehensive testing program that Germany rolled out early, when the US was still lagging far behind on testing its citizens, Vox’s Jen Kirby reported. Merkel also collaborated closely with officials in Germany’s 16 states on lockdown protocols.
The chancellor, a former research scientist, has also been praised for her clear and effective communication with her country — and the world. Her March 18 speech “was direct, honest, and searingly empathic,” Justin Davidson wrote at New York magazine. “She laid bare not just the test we all face but also the solace that leadership can provide.” Davidson’s headline: “The Leader of the Free World Gives a Speech, and She Nails It.”
Meanwhile, New Zealand is currently one of the few countries in the world that has essentially eliminated coronavirus spread, rather than merely controlling it. Ardern, the country’s prime minister, presided over an early and aggressive lockdown when the island nation still had very few cases, and thanks to those efforts, businesses and schools are now reopening without the kinds of terrifying risks and trade-offs seen in the US — at least for now.
Ardern has also spoken directly and intimately to New Zealanders during the crisis. After the country began its lockdown in March, the prime minister “addressed the nation via a casual Facebook Live session she conducted on her phone after putting her toddler to bed,” Taub reported. “Dressed in a cozy-looking sweatshirt, she empathized with citizens’ anxieties and offered apologies to anyone who was startled or alarmed by the emergency alert that announced the lockdown order.”
She has also taken pains to reassure the nation’s children, making an announcement in April that both the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny are essential workers. Trump, by contrast, has been the opposite of reassuring, telling Americans that more illness and death are necessary in order to get the economy booming again.
“Will some people be affected? Yes,” he said at an event in early May. “Will some people be affected badly? Yes. But we have to get our country opened and we have to get it open soon.”
Taiwan, meanwhile, has been able to contain the virus through aggressive testing, tracing, and isolation without resorting to a full national lockdown, Taub reported. The country acted fast and started testing on December 31, Jason Wang, director of the Center for Policy, Outcomes, and Prevention at Stanford, told Vox in March. And regular government press conferences informing citizens about the virus helped prevent a nationwide panic, Wang said.
Meanwhile, some male leaders have actively spread disinformation and encouraged others to flout public health rules. Brazil’s Bolsonaro, for example, recently posed for photographs with children in violation of social-distancing guidelines. He also falsely claimed in April that the World Health Organization, a key global source of information and guidance about Covid-19, encourages children to masturbate.
Taiwan’s Tsai, who was just inaugurated for her second presidential term, currently enjoys an approval rating of 61 percent, an all-time high and up from 54 percent after her reelection in January, Austin Wang, a political science professor who studies Taiwan politics, told Vox in an email. The rise can be attributed to her handling of the pandemic, he said.
They aren’t alone — other women leaders around the world, like Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway and Prime Minister Sanna Marin of Finland, have also been praised for their response to the Covid-19 crisis.
“From Germany to New Zealand and Denmark to Taiwan, women have managed the coronavirus crisis with aplomb,” Jon Henley and Eleanor Ainge Roy wrote at the Guardian in April. “Plenty of countries with male leaders – Vietnam, the Czech Republic, Greece, Australia – have also done well. But few with female leaders have done badly.”
Meanwhile, within the United States, women leaders like Whitmer and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot have also been hailed for their responses, as well as for their communication with the American people.
Whitmer has been exceptionally emotionally frank in her public statements around the virus, saying “she was gutted to make a certain decision” or “her heart is shattered,” Tracy Sefl, a Democratic strategist, told Vox in an April interview. “She invokes the emotionality of the work in ways that Trump may not be capable of, which makes it all the more of a contrast to see a governor do that.”
Women may have some advantages during this time, experts say
Many factors go into any country’s experience with the coronavirus, experts warn. Taiwan and New Zealand, for example, are small countries where measures like universal testing and border closures are easier to implement than they would be in larger nations, Jalalzai said.
Still, female leaders may have walked into the current crisis with a few advantages over men. In some cases, male leaders seem to feel the need to appear “super-masculine and super-strong and inflexible” in the face of the pandemic, Jalalzai said. Trump, for example, has repeatedly asserted that he is in control of the Covid-19 crisis, and at times has sought to demonstrate that control in ways that both run counter to public health advice and set a damaging precedent, like when he neglects to wear a mask in public appearances or talks about taking hydroxychloroquine, a drug that has no proven benefit against Covid-19, to keep from getting infected with the virus.
Women, however, may feel less of a need to live up to expectations of crisis management that are grounded in traditional — even toxic — masculinity. Instead, they may feel more comfortable sending the kinds of messages of empathy and communal support that are necessary to get their citizens to accept difficult and onerous restrictions for the good of all. Women leaders may be more able to say things like, “This is a time that we need to come together, and we need to take care of one another,” Jalalzai said. “Maybe they’re allowed that because it’s more in keeping with those traditional notions of what a female leader would bring to the table.”
Especially in recent years, women in office are “expanding the types of traits and qualifications that are valued in executive leadership,” Dittmar said. As women, “They already disrupt the image” of what a leader looks like. “So as they expand the conceptions of leadership, they might bring in these traits and qualities that unfortunately weren’t valued previously, but might be really helpful in a moment like this,” Dittmar explained.
Women may also bring to the table life experience that can inform their reaction to a crisis like the pandemic, in which women have faced the majority of job losses and make up the majority of essential workers on the front lines. The chief medical executive of Michigan, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, is a black woman who has been vocal about the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on communities of color in the state, Dittmar noted. “She comes from the perspective that is different from the traditional sort of white guy,” Dittmar said.
And in general, women, and women of color in particular, may be more attuned to the disproportionate impact of the virus on marginalized communities than people who have never had to think about marginalization before. “If you’re not somebody who’s been either a part of that marginalized group or experienced things in a different way, you may be less likely to raise that as a concern,” Dittmar said.
But women aren’t a monolith, and ideology matters too
Despite the advantages that some women leaders may have in this moment, it’s important to note that there is much more at work in a politician’s response to the pandemic than their gender alone.
For example, while Whitmer has acted aggressively to curb the spread of the virus in Michigan, issuing stringent restrictions that have sparked protests, women governors who are Republicans have taken a different approach. Alabama’s Ivey, for example, allowed her state’s stay-at-home order to expire on April 30, with retail stores reopening — cases of coronavirus in the state have climbed since then. South Dakota’s Noem never implemented a stay-at-home order in the first place. And Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa began reopening her state on May 1, even as cases continued to climb.
Related Where the coronavirus is hitting rural America hard
In addition to whatever influence their gender might have over their governance, these leaders “are also dealing with both their own ideology about government involvement and also pressure, because they have a president and the head of party that’s perpetuating a different view of this moment,” Dittmar said. “Even in this moment of crisis, we have to recognize that elected leaders in particular are elected by partisans and are informed by their partisanship.”
Politics likely influences the coronavirus response of women leaders abroad, too. Hong Kong’s Lam was criticized for being slow to close border crossings as case counts grew, with some saying she was acting out of deference to China, Elaine Yu reported at Vox. She only ordered a quarantine for travelers after medical workers went on strike.
And if we focus too much on gender as a predictor of success in handling the coronavirus, “We risk perpetuating a higher bar or a higher standard to which women are held as leaders,” Dittmar said. When female leaders are seen as more ethical than men, they’re penalized more harshly when they face scandal, she noted.
For Jalalzai, the attention on how women leaders are handling the coronavirus could bring more visibility to the need for more representation. At the most basic level, “People are now more aware of women leaders across the globe than they have been perhaps before.” And overall, she sees more conversation around women in power. “We’re at this point where we question the status quo and we question politics as usual, and we are aware of how gender presents obstacles and are not okay with that anymore,” Jalalzai said.
But it’s also true that female heads of state are still seen as a novelty around the world, Jalalzai added. And they’re still seen as representatives for their gender in ways that men are not. If they stumble, they may be held up as examples of a woman’s inability to govern — something that never happens with men.
Jalalzai gave the example of Brazil: “Bolsonaro is a terrible president, and every decision he seems to be making when it comes to Covid is bad,” she said. “Would that mean down the line Brazilians would be hesitant to vote for a male president?”
For women, “It can be helpful to be a novelty, depending on the circumstances,” Jalalzai said. “But it can be unhelpful to be a novelty if the decisions that you make are not somehow perfect.”


vox--2020-05-21--Brazil has one of the world’s worst coronavirus outbreaks. Bolsonaro wants to reopen anyway.

It was another bleak statistic for the country , which has seen its coronavirus outbreak explode in the past few weeks .
As of May 21 , Brazil has confirmed more than 291,000 positive cases , the third-highest in the world , and more than 18,800 Brazilians have died of the virus .
Inadequate testing means both the case count and the real death toll are likely higher .
It ’ s devastating — but it ’ s also what many predicted might happen in the Latin American country .
Brazil ’ s public health system was already strained before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some of its major cities are now on the verge of being completely overwhelmed .
Lack of adequate supplies and health care equipment has put front-line workers at risk ; more than 116 nurses have died in Brazil so far .
The virus is now spreading rapidly among more vulnerable communities , especially in favelas on the outskirts of cities , where social distancing is near impossible because of cramped or unsanitary conditions and because many people must work every day just to survive .
It has also reached remote indigenous communities , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And then there is the president , Jair Bolsonaro , who has mishandled the outbreak from the start .
He ’ s consistently downplayed the seriousness of the virus , vocally opposed state governors ’ decisions to impose lockdown measures , personally attended anti-lockdown protests , and pushed for businesses to reopen despite the growing outbreak .
Asked by reporters on April 28 for a response to the then-record death toll that day of 474 deaths , Bolsonaro replied : “ So what ?
” “ I ’ m sorry .
What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he continued .
His stance hasn ’ t changed as the coronavirus pandemic in the country has intensified .
In his battle to reopen the economy , he has tried to designate gyms and salons as essential businesses .
He fired his health minister in April ; then last week , the man who ’ d replaced the fired health minister quit .
And now Bolsonaro is endorsing the use of hydroxychloroquine , the controversial antimalarial drug that President Donald Trump claims he ’ s taking to prevent the coronavirus ( though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ works ) .
Meanwhile , the number of cases and deaths continues to rise — and the crisis has not yet reached its peak .
“ We ’ re in a state of calamity , ” Carlos Fortaleza , an epidemiologist at São Paulo State University , told the Wall Street Journal earlier this month .
Bolsonaro ’ s dismissive attitude has undercut attempts to control the virus and stymied any chance at a coordinated federal response .
State governors have defied him and implemented strict lockdowns .
São Paulo and Rio de @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , have tightened restrictions in recent weeks , including extending stay-at-home orders and mandating masks .
Brazil ’ s Supreme Court has previously backed up the power of state governments to implement stay-at-home measures , but Bolsonaro has started to push back even more aggressively .
Last week — just as Brazil saw what was then its highest single-day death toll — he signed an order that would designate some businesses , like gyms and nail salons , as “ essential ” — an attempt to get around state lockdowns .
“ Governors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can file lawsuits in court , ” Bolsonaro tweeted .
At least 10 governors said they would ignore Bolsonaro ’ s orders , according to Reuters , but the president ’ s cavalier attitude has likely undercut widespread compliance even in areas that have adopted strict rules .
“ The fact that governors and mayors who want to do the right thing have to go pretty much against what the president is saying is an issue , ” Marcia Castro , a professor at the Harvard T.H .
Chan School of Public Health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brings major challenges for adherence of the population to the measures .
Because once you have a polarized society , and you have conflicting messages , people decide to follow whoever they want.
” The president has a fervent base of support , and his fans tend to fully buy into his rhetoric and are distrustful of the mainstream media .
As Bolsonaro agitates against these lockdown measures , so do they .
Bolsonaro has even joined anti-lockdown protests , taking photos with demonstrators and frequently defying social distancing guidelines .
Last weekend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We hope to be free of this question soon , for the good of all of us , ” Bolsonaro said in Brasilia over the weekend .
“ Brazil will come back stronger.
” Bolsonaro ’ s attitude has also precluded a real , coherent response from his administration , largely leaving states and cities on their own to find resources and medical supplies .
The country continues to lag in testing and is facing equipment shortages .
According to Bloomberg , the federal government purchased 15,000 ventilators , but logistical problems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out so far .
Bolsonaro has been referred to as the “ Trump of the Tropics ” because of his populist rhetoric , his attacks on “ fake news , ” and his frequent tweets and the controversies they create , to name just a few reasons .
Now add a troubling fixation with the drug hydroxychloroquine to the list of similarities between the two leaders .
Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are antimalarial drugs that were seen early on in the pandemic as a possible treatment for the coronavirus , following small but widely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Newer studies have shown no benefits from the use of hydroxychloroquine , and at least one has shown potential negative effects from giving the drug to severely ill coronavirus patients , though that study has not been peer-reviewed .
Public health officials in the US and Brazil have warned against the widespread use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine outside hospital and clinical settings and cautioned against touting them as a “ miracle cure , ” especially in the absence of robust clinical trials of the drug .
Yet Trump has been doing exactly that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ similar tack , pushing the drug over the advice of public health officials .
In late March , Bolsonaro posted a video in which he hyped the drug , falsely claiming that it “ is working in every place.
” Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter later had the video taken down , saying it had violated their policies on spreading misinformation related to the coronavirus .
Last week , Bolsonaro ordered his health minister , Nelson Teich , to issue new federal guidelines to allow for the wider use of the antimalarial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had publicly diverged with Bolsonaro over the use of hydroxychloroquine , and on Friday , he quit his job — which he had held for just about a month .
“ Life is made up of choices , and today I chose to leave , ” Teich said , avoiding details on his departure .
“ I didn ’ t accept the job for the position itself .
I accepted it because I thought I could help the country and its people.
” Teich had taken over the health ministry in April , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Luiz Henrique Mandetta .
Mandetta had publicly contradicted Bolsonaro , advocating for social distancing measures and backing the state governors ’ shutdown orders .
Many Brazilians and political leaders denounced Mandetta ’ s firing : Brazilians protested from lockdown , banging pots and pans from windows and calling for Bolsonaro ’ s ouster .
When Teich stepped down , they protested again .
Gen. Eduardo Pazuello , who came to the agency in April and had no real public health experience prior to taking the job , is now interim health minister @ @ @ @ @ @ @ along with Bolsonaro ’ s orders .
On Wednesday , the health ministry issued new federal guidelines allowing chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine to be used to treat mild cases of coronavirus .
As Reuters reports , “ Brazil ’ s federal guidelines had previously cited the drug only as an unproven treatment for severe cases of the COVID-19 respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus.
” Now , “ The new guidelines suggest dosage for the antimalarials along with the antibiotic azithromycin at the onset of symptoms .
Patients or family members will have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effects.
” On Twitter , Bolsonaro said Wednesday that though chloroquine wasn ’ t scientifically proven as a treatment , “ it is being monitored and used in Brazil and around the world.
” “ Yet we are at War : ‘ Worse than being defeated is the shame of not having fought , ’ he wrote .
Bolsonaro has also trumpeted the ( unproven ) wonders of chloroquine to his supporters , and that faith has taken hold among his base .
Over the weekend , Bolsonaro fans , while definitely not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his residence and praised chloroquine .
“ I know that you cure me in the name of Jesus , ” they sang .
( SUS is the acronym for Brazil ’ s health system . )
This is where Brazil is : saddled with a leader who defies public health advice , advocates for the use of an unproven treatment , refuses to follow or promote social distancing , and actively tries to thwart state governors ’ efforts to impose lockdown measures .
But those lockdown measures involve shutting down the economy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) impact lockdown measures are having on the country ’ s already struggling economy seems to be what ’ s driving much of Bolsonaro ’ s resistance .
“ I think he wants to be able to say , at the next election , ‘ Those governors stopped you from working ; it would have been a lot better if I had been able to prevail , ’ ” Anthony Pereira , professor of Brazilian studies at King ’ s College in London , told me last month .
So better to tout @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prioritize the economy , if the goal is to have everything open , then it ’ s nice to have a discourse that , you know , ‘ I have the solution , let ’ s just have everyone take it , and then we can open the city , ’ ” Castro , the professor at Harvard ’ s T.H .
Chan School of Public Health , said of both Bolsonaro and Trump .
“ I think it fits the narrative that they have .
It just happens to be chloroquine .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of this bodes well for Brazil ’ s coronavirus response .
Bolsonaro is also facing a serious political scandal , after he ousted the chief of federal police and his justice minister resigned , accusing Bolsonaro of trying to interfere in law enforcement .
Bolsonaro ’ s sons are under investigation , and now Bolsonaro is as well , and the calls for impeachment are growing .
Bolsonaro may survive it all , and the coronavirus is currently overshadowing the political turmoil .
But more than 18,000 Brazilians dead is hardly a distraction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

Brazil recorded its highest single-day coronavirus death toll on Tuesday: 1,179 fatalities.
It was another bleak statistic for the country, which has seen its coronavirus outbreak explode in the past few weeks. As of May 21, Brazil has confirmed more than 291,000 positive cases, the third-highest in the world, and more than 18,800 Brazilians have died of the virus. Inadequate testing means both the case count and the real death toll are likely higher.
It’s devastating — but it’s also what many predicted might happen in the Latin American country. Brazil’s public health system was already strained before the pandemic, and hospital systems in some of its major cities are now on the verge of being completely overwhelmed. Lack of adequate supplies and health care equipment has put front-line workers at risk; more than 116 nurses have died in Brazil so far.
The virus is now spreading rapidly among more vulnerable communities, especially in favelas on the outskirts of cities, where social distancing is near impossible because of cramped or unsanitary conditions and because many people must work every day just to survive. It has also reached remote indigenous communities, who have far from adequate health care.
And then there is the president, Jair Bolsonaro, who has mishandled the outbreak from the start. He’s consistently downplayed the seriousness of the virus, vocally opposed state governors’ decisions to impose lockdown measures, personally attended anti-lockdown protests, and pushed for businesses to reopen despite the growing outbreak.
Asked by reporters on April 28 for a response to the then-record death toll that day of 474 deaths, Bolsonaro replied: “So what?”
“I’m sorry. What do you want me to do?” he continued.
His stance hasn’t changed as the coronavirus pandemic in the country has intensified.
In his battle to reopen the economy, he has tried to designate gyms and salons as essential businesses. He fired his health minister in April; then last week, the man who’d replaced the fired health minister quit. And now Bolsonaro is endorsing the use of hydroxychloroquine, the controversial antimalarial drug that President Donald Trump claims he’s taking to prevent the coronavirus (though there’s scant evidence it actually works).
Meanwhile, the number of cases and deaths continues to rise — and the crisis has not yet reached its peak.
“We’re in a state of calamity,” Carlos Fortaleza, an epidemiologist at São Paulo State University, told the Wall Street Journal earlier this month.
Brazil’s coronavirus crisis is accelerating. Bolsonaro hasn’t budged.
Bolsonaro’s dismissive attitude has undercut attempts to control the virus and stymied any chance at a coordinated federal response.
State governors have defied him and implemented strict lockdowns. São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, two of the hardest-hit states, have tightened restrictions in recent weeks, including extending stay-at-home orders and mandating masks.
Brazil’s Supreme Court has previously backed up the power of state governments to implement stay-at-home measures, but Bolsonaro has started to push back even more aggressively.
Last week — just as Brazil saw what was then its highest single-day death toll — he signed an order that would designate some businesses, like gyms and nail salons, as “essential” — an attempt to get around state lockdowns. “Governors who do not agree with the decree can file lawsuits in court,” Bolsonaro tweeted.
At least 10 governors said they would ignore Bolsonaro’s orders, according to Reuters, but the president’s cavalier attitude has likely undercut widespread compliance even in areas that have adopted strict rules.
“The fact that governors and mayors who want to do the right thing have to go pretty much against what the president is saying is an issue,” Marcia Castro, a professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told me, “because that brings major challenges for adherence of the population to the measures. Because once you have a polarized society, and you have conflicting messages, people decide to follow whoever they want.”
The president has a fervent base of support, and his fans tend to fully buy into his rhetoric and are distrustful of the mainstream media. As Bolsonaro agitates against these lockdown measures, so do they.
Bolsonaro has even joined anti-lockdown protests, taking photos with demonstrators and frequently defying social distancing guidelines. Last weekend, he did pushups with supporters. “We hope to be free of this question soon, for the good of all of us,” Bolsonaro said in Brasilia over the weekend. “Brazil will come back stronger.”
Bolsonaro’s attitude has also precluded a real, coherent response from his administration, largely leaving states and cities on their own to find resources and medical supplies. The country continues to lag in testing and is facing equipment shortages. According to Bloomberg, the federal government purchased 15,000 ventilators, but logistical problems have meant only 800 have been doled out so far.
Bolsonaro has embraced hydroxychloroquine
Bolsonaro has been referred to as the “Trump of the Tropics” because of his populist rhetoric, his attacks on “fake news,” and his frequent tweets and the controversies they create, to name just a few reasons.
Now add a troubling fixation with the drug hydroxychloroquine to the list of similarities between the two leaders.
Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are antimalarial drugs that were seen early on in the pandemic as a possible treatment for the coronavirus, following small but widely criticized studies from China and France. Newer studies have shown no benefits from the use of hydroxychloroquine, and at least one has shown potential negative effects from giving the drug to severely ill coronavirus patients, though that study has not been peer-reviewed.
Public health officials in the US and Brazil have warned against the widespread use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine outside hospital and clinical settings and cautioned against touting them as a “miracle cure,” especially in the absence of robust clinical trials of the drug.
Yet Trump has been doing exactly that. And now Bolsonaro has taken a similar tack, pushing the drug over the advice of public health officials.
In late March, Bolsonaro posted a video in which he hyped the drug, falsely claiming that it “is working in every place.” Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter later had the video taken down, saying it had violated their policies on spreading misinformation related to the coronavirus.
Last week, Bolsonaro ordered his health minister, Nelson Teich, to issue new federal guidelines to allow for the wider use of the antimalarial drugs to treat Covid-19.
But Teich had publicly diverged with Bolsonaro over the use of hydroxychloroquine, and on Friday, he quit his job — which he had held for just about a month.
“Life is made up of choices, and today I chose to leave,” Teich said, avoiding details on his departure. “I didn’t accept the job for the position itself. I accepted it because I thought I could help the country and its people.”
Teich had taken over the health ministry in April, after Bolsonaro fired the previous health minister, Luiz Henrique Mandetta. Mandetta had publicly contradicted Bolsonaro, advocating for social distancing measures and backing the state governors’ shutdown orders.
Many Brazilians and political leaders denounced Mandetta’s firing: Brazilians protested from lockdown, banging pots and pans from windows and calling for Bolsonaro’s ouster. When Teich stepped down, they protested again.
Gen. Eduardo Pazuello, who came to the agency in April and had no real public health experience prior to taking the job, is now interim health minister. And he seems willing to go along with Bolsonaro’s orders.
On Wednesday, the health ministry issued new federal guidelines allowing chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine to be used to treat mild cases of coronavirus.
As Reuters reports, “Brazil’s federal guidelines had previously cited the drug only as an unproven treatment for severe cases of the COVID-19 respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus.”
Now, “The new guidelines suggest dosage for the antimalarials along with the antibiotic azithromycin at the onset of symptoms. Patients or family members will have to sign a waiver recognizing potential side effects.”
On Twitter, Bolsonaro said Wednesday that though chloroquine wasn’t scientifically proven as a treatment, “it is being monitored and used in Brazil and around the world.”
“Yet we are at War: ‘Worse than being defeated is the shame of not having fought,’ he wrote.
- Ainda não existe comprovação científica, mas sendo monitorada e usada no Brasil e no mundo. Contudo, estamos em Guerra: “Pior do que ser derrotado é a vergonha de não ter lutado.”
- Deus abençoe o nosso Brasil. https://t.co/E0cu23id8g — Jair M. Bolsonaro (@jairbolsonaro) May 20, 2020
Bolsonaro has also trumpeted the (unproven) wonders of chloroquine to his supporters, and that faith has taken hold among his base.
Over the weekend, Bolsonaro fans, while definitely not social distancing, greeted the president outside his residence and praised chloroquine. “I know that you cure me in the name of Jesus,” they sang. (SUS is the acronym for Brazil’s health system.)
Os fanáticos do fã clube do presidente se superaram hoje. Ao ritmo de Tiririca, eles cantaram:
"Cloroquina,
cloroquina,
cloroquina lá do SUS,
eu sei que tu me curas,
em nome de Jesus"
Eu daria risada, mas já passamos dessa fase há muito tempo.
pic.twitter.com/oGI3z3EPLD — Felipe Neto (@felipeneto) May 17, 2020
This is where Brazil is: saddled with a leader who defies public health advice, advocates for the use of an unproven treatment, refuses to follow or promote social distancing, and actively tries to thwart state governors’ efforts to impose lockdown measures.
But those lockdown measures involve shutting down the economy, and fear of the (very real) impact lockdown measures are having on the country’s already struggling economy seems to be what’s driving much of Bolsonaro’s resistance.
“I think he wants to be able to say, at the next election, ‘Those governors stopped you from working; it would have been a lot better if I had been able to prevail,’” Anthony Pereira, professor of Brazilian studies at King’s College in London, told me last month.
So better to tout a miracle cure. “If they prioritize the economy, if the goal is to have everything open, then it’s nice to have a discourse that, you know, ‘I have the solution, let’s just have everyone take it, and then we can open the city,’” Castro, the professor at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said of both Bolsonaro and Trump. “I think it fits the narrative that they have. It just happens to be chloroquine. It could be something else.”
None of this bodes well for Brazil’s coronavirus response. Bolsonaro is also facing a serious political scandal, after he ousted the chief of federal police and his justice minister resigned, accusing Bolsonaro of trying to interfere in law enforcement. Bolsonaro’s sons are under investigation, and now Bolsonaro is as well, and the calls for impeachment are growing.
Bolsonaro may survive it all, and the coronavirus is currently overshadowing the political turmoil. But more than 18,000 Brazilians dead is hardly a distraction.


vox--2020-05-21--Mike Bloomberg shakes up the digital shop that Joe Biden is thinking about hiring

The digital agency founded by Mike Bloomberg recently shook up its leadership team and laid off some staff as it prepares for the general election , Recode has learned .
Bloomberg ’ s team says this was a long time coming , but the restructuring will nevertheless be closely watched as it comes amid a lobbying effort by Bloomberg to lead the digital operation of the presumptive Democratic nominee , Joe Biden .
Hawkfish , the operation founded last year by the billionaire before his run for president , confirmed to Recode that it had chosen a new CEO , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It also confirmed that the 100-person company last Friday informed more than two dozen employees , primarily on its production and creative team , that their contracts would not be renewed at the end of the month .
“ The staff needs of a focused political firm are different from a campaign team , ” Hawkfish ’ s chairman , Gary Briggs , told Recode in a statement .
“ Hawkfish has revised our organizational structure and reduced a piece of our contingent workforce to get back to our original , specific @ @ @ @ @ @ @ technology to help Democrats win up and down the ballot.
” The moves will be scrutinized closely , given that Hawkfish is seen as one of the key potential solutions to the Biden campaign ’ s struggling digital operation , which is ever more important with the shift to remote campaigning in the coronavirus pandemic .
The Biden campaign has been debating whether to bring on Hawkfish to help its digital operation , a decision that has been highly controversial in Democratic politics given that it would hand so much control to an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s largest donors .
A senior adviser to Hawkfish said the moves were unrelated to a Biden deal but part of a broader shift for a digital operation , which managed everything from Bloomberg ’ s IT to creative ad production during the campaign .
The agency will adopt a narrower focus as an ad technology company .
The changes position Mendelsohn as the new face of the organization as it bids for the Biden contract .
The organization ’ s top leaders in the past , at least externally , were a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former Foursquare CEO Jeff Glueck and Briggs , formerly Facebook chief marketing officer .
Briggs remains Hawkfish chairman and Glueck its digital director .
The recent restructuring at Hawkfish also reflects this refocused operation .
None of the layoffs affected full-time employees , a senior adviser said , but only those on month-to-month contracts .
Bloomberg himself has been harshly criticized and even sued by some former campaign employees who feel he did not meet their promises in job security and benefits during a pandemic .
Every day at Vox , we aim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos @ @ @ @ @ @ @ volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

The digital agency founded by Mike Bloomberg recently shook up its leadership team and laid off some staff as it prepares for the general election, Recode has learned. Bloomberg’s team says this was a long time coming, but the restructuring will nevertheless be closely watched as it comes amid a lobbying effort by Bloomberg to lead the digital operation of the presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden.
Hawkfish, the operation founded last year by the billionaire before his run for president, confirmed to Recode that it had chosen a new CEO, Josh Mendelsohn, as its new head. It also confirmed that the 100-person company last Friday informed more than two dozen employees, primarily on its production and creative team, that their contracts would not be renewed at the end of the month.
“The staff needs of a focused political firm are different from a campaign team,” Hawkfish’s chairman, Gary Briggs, told Recode in a statement. “Hawkfish has revised our organizational structure and reduced a piece of our contingent workforce to get back to our original, specific goal: building great data and ad technology to help Democrats win up and down the ballot.”
The moves will be scrutinized closely, given that Hawkfish is seen as one of the key potential solutions to the Biden campaign’s struggling digital operation, which is ever more important with the shift to remote campaigning in the coronavirus pandemic. The Biden campaign has been debating whether to bring on Hawkfish to help its digital operation, a decision that has been highly controversial in Democratic politics given that it would hand so much control to an outsider and one of the party’s largest donors.
A senior adviser to Hawkfish said the moves were unrelated to a Biden deal but part of a broader shift for a digital operation, which managed everything from Bloomberg’s IT to creative ad production during the campaign. The agency will adopt a narrower focus as an ad technology company.
The changes position Mendelsohn as the new face of the organization as it bids for the Biden contract. The organization’s top leaders in the past, at least externally, were a pair of old Silicon Valley hands: former Foursquare CEO Jeff Glueck and Briggs, formerly Facebook chief marketing officer. Briggs remains Hawkfish chairman and Glueck its digital director.
The recent restructuring at Hawkfish also reflects this refocused operation. None of the layoffs affected full-time employees, a senior adviser said, but only those on month-to-month contracts. Bloomberg himself has been harshly criticized and even sued by some former campaign employees who feel he did not meet their promises in job security and benefits during a pandemic.