vox--2020-03-25--A Silicon Valley firm said it could give its own investors expedited coronavirus tests — but then sa

A Silicon Valley firm said it could give its own investors expedited coronavirus tests — but then said it was just “boasting”

Not all Americans have equal access to testing for the coronavirus .
And not all Americans even have equal information about what existing testing might be available amid widespread testing delays and gaps across the country .
That ’ s part of the reason why an email the Silicon Valley venture capital firm DCVC sent to its investors on Tuesday — offering them access to expedited Covid-19 testing due to a “ unique relationship ” — caused a stir .
To some in Silicon Valley , it came across that better access to testing during a public health emergency was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough to be an investor in a venture capital firm .
The firm disputes that it offered any special access and said it merely was “ boasting ” and misspoke .
“ Please let us know as soon as possible if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and are unable to get tested , ” read the email the firm distributed to its investors , or limited partners , on March 24 , which was obtained by Recode .
“ Through a unique relationship with one of our portfolio companies , we will expedite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , fast , safe saliva/cheek swab ) that should provide results within 1-3 days via return by mail.
” The email in the very least made for unfortunate optics at a time when so many ordinary Americans who have symptoms for the virus have been unable to get tested .
The whole incident serves as a reminder that the rich and well-connected are often first to be aware of testing resources and have the means to pay for a $ 170 test in the first place — another way in which the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic and information divides .
In a blog post published after being contacted by Recode for comment , DCVC apologized and said the language it used in its email was “ boastful ” and inapt .
Matt Ocko , one of the firm ’ s founders , told Recode that its investors would not get preferential access to the testing offered by the startups he has backed , a health care delivery provider called Carbon Health and a lab called Curative , which have a testing partnership .
Instead , he said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies where they could join the existing queue , which he claimed is public and was first-come , first-serve for anyone willing to pay the $ 170 fee for the test .
Nevertheless , he said the language was improper and conveyed the wrong message , which he said was written when he had “ a couple hours of sleep and [ was ] a little punch-drunk.
” “ We thought we were looking mysterious and cool to our limited partners — on whose capital and goodwill we depend — so looking mysterious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ access to things , is not necessarily a bad thing to do when you ’ re trying to maintain your cool quotient with people , ” Ocko said .
“ But the net is , no one is jumping in line.
” Ocko said he was merely advertising a test that was publicly available .
But Curative capped the initial distribution of their tests to only 50 people for now , and Carbon Health told Recode that Curative ’ s services were only originally offered to their existing patients .
Other labs that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testing .
Ocko told Recode that if any of his limited partners responded to him and asked for help — only one did , he said , and the person ended up finding a test on their own — he would ’ ve informed them that they could not actually let them cut the line .
He said he could tell them , “ We would do our best to plead your case if there is a delay.
” Michael Arrington , a tech commentator , wasn ’ t aware of that , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ received the email on Tuesday .
“ Got the email today that a lot of Silicon Valley insiders received .
That we can have access to private testing immediately , ” he tweeted , although he didn ’ t name DCVC specifically .
“ I HATE that certain people can get immediate testing based on who you are or who you know.
” Ocko said Arrington misunderstood DCVC ’ s initial email and that it wasn ’ t offering “ immediate testing ” — it required known symptoms , and any referred LPs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ process to receive the testing , which includes a referral by a doctor .
Asked why he said it had a “ unique relationship ” with the company if this was available to anyone , Ocko reiterated that he was “ boasting.
” “ If you knew that your buddies were opening up an eight-lane freeway ... and you say , ‘ Hey , as we ’ ve said publicly , there ’ s an eight-lane freeway opening up , let us remind you how cool an eight-lane freeway is , ” Ocko @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cheating .
There ’ s no preferential access .
They don ’ t have a lane reserved for themselves — just reminding them that there ’ s so much capacity that they ’ ll have a more pleasurable driving experience.
” People who read the email — which went to about 100 limited partners , a group of people that can include everyone from charitable foundations to investors ’ friends and families to sovereign wealth funds based overseas — nevertheless still had better information than regular people did about the Carbon Health and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that that ’ s he ’ s merely doing what he could to compensate for the government ’ s failures at offering widespread Covid-19 testing and that he ’ s been trying to share information about the private coronavirus tests with anyone who would listen .
“ People seemed shocked to find that the rich have much better access to health care in America , ” one prominent bioethicist , Arthur Caplan , told Recode .
“ That injustice has been true for decades — the pandemic just makes it more obvious.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outrage over how a number of wealthy people and celebrities in the US have seemed to have better access to Covid-19 testing .
Entire NBA teams have managed to get testing , even those players without symptoms .
And many in Washington grew upset over the last few days at the ease with which Rand Paul , a GOP senator , was able to obtain a test despite not showing any coronavirus symptoms .
At the same time , DCVC ’ s ability to help its limited partners — if they ask for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s because the Food and Drug Administration has cracked down on at-home collection kits over the last few days , causing Curative to cease offering these testing services for the time being .
Its leadership didn ’ t respond to requests for comments .
The startup , formed earlier this year , had hoped to offer as many as 10,000 tests a day , despite only serving 50 through their at-home testing program before that was shut down .
Carbon Health , however , is still offering testing through other lab providers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would refer his LPs to them should they contact him .
“ In any instance where access to care is unequal , that ’ s frustrating to me , ” said Caesar Djavaherian , the co-founder of Carbon Health , who said he was unaware of the DCVC controversy .
“ Especially when the whole notion of this test is to reach people who may not be able to easily access care throughout California , and eventually throughout the country .
”

Not all Americans have equal access to testing for the coronavirus. And not all Americans even have equal information about what existing testing might be available amid widespread testing delays and gaps across the country.
That’s part of the reason why an email the Silicon Valley venture capital firm DCVC sent to its investors on Tuesday — offering them access to expedited Covid-19 testing due to a “unique relationship” — caused a stir. To some in Silicon Valley, it came across that better access to testing during a public health emergency was a perk of being wealthy or well-connected enough to be an investor in a venture capital firm. The firm disputes that it offered any special access and said it merely was “boasting” and misspoke.
“Please let us know as soon as possible if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and are unable to get tested,” read the email the firm distributed to its investors, or limited partners, on March 24, which was obtained by Recode. “Through a unique relationship with one of our portfolio companies, we will expedite delivery of a test kit (simple, fast, safe saliva/cheek swab) that should provide results within 1-3 days via return by mail.”
The email in the very least made for unfortunate optics at a time when so many ordinary Americans who have symptoms for the virus have been unable to get tested. The whole incident serves as a reminder that the rich and well-connected are often first to be aware of testing resources and have the means to pay for a $170 test in the first place — another way in which the pandemic is emphasizing the country’s stark economic and information divides.
In a blog post published after being contacted by Recode for comment, DCVC apologized and said the language it used in its email was “boastful” and inapt.
Matt Ocko, one of the firm’s founders, told Recode that its investors would not get preferential access to the testing offered by the startups he has backed, a health care delivery provider called Carbon Health and a lab called Curative, which have a testing partnership. Instead, he said he merely planned to refer them to the companies where they could join the existing queue, which he claimed is public and was first-come, first-serve for anyone willing to pay the $170 fee for the test. Nevertheless, he said the language was improper and conveyed the wrong message, which he said was written when he had “a couple hours of sleep and [was] a little punch-drunk.”
“We thought we were looking mysterious and cool to our limited partners — on whose capital and goodwill we depend — so looking mysterious and cool, like you have preferential access to things, is not necessarily a bad thing to do when you’re trying to maintain your cool quotient with people,” Ocko said. “But the net is, no one is jumping in line.”
Ocko said he was merely advertising a test that was publicly available. But Curative capped the initial distribution of their tests to only 50 people for now, and Carbon Health told Recode that Curative’s services were only originally offered to their existing patients. Other labs that work with Carbon Health could offer additional testing.
Ocko told Recode that if any of his limited partners responded to him and asked for help — only one did, he said, and the person ended up finding a test on their own — he would’ve informed them that they could not actually let them cut the line. He said he could tell them, “We would do our best to plead your case if there is a delay.”
Michael Arrington, a tech commentator, wasn’t aware of that, though, and felt differently when he received the email on Tuesday.
“Got the email today that a lot of Silicon Valley insiders received. That we can have access to private testing immediately,” he tweeted, although he didn’t name DCVC specifically. “I HATE that certain people can get immediate testing based on who you are or who you know.”
Got the email today that a lot of Silicon Valley insiders received. That we can have access to private testing immediately. I HATE that certain people can get immediate testing based on who you are or who you know. — Michael Arrington (@arrington) March 25, 2020
Ocko said Arrington misunderstood DCVC’s initial email and that it wasn’t offering “immediate testing”— it required known symptoms, and any referred LPs would have to go through the normal process to receive the testing, which includes a referral by a doctor. Asked why he said it had a “unique relationship” with the company if this was available to anyone, Ocko reiterated that he was “boasting.”
“If you knew that your buddies were opening up an eight-lane freeway ... and you say, ‘Hey, as we’ve said publicly, there’s an eight-lane freeway opening up, let us remind you how cool an eight-lane freeway is,” Ocko said, “there’s no cheating. There’s no preferential access. They don’t have a lane reserved for themselves — just reminding them that there’s so much capacity that they’ll have a more pleasurable driving experience.”
People who read the email — which went to about 100 limited partners, a group of people that can include everyone from charitable foundations to investors’ friends and families to sovereign wealth funds based overseas — nevertheless still had better information than regular people did about the Carbon Health and Curative testing programs. Ocko pointed out that that’s he’s merely doing what he could to compensate for the government’s failures at offering widespread Covid-19 testing and that he’s been trying to share information about the private coronavirus tests with anyone who would listen.
“People seemed shocked to find that the rich have much better access to health care in America,” one prominent bioethicist, Arthur Caplan, told Recode. “That injustice has been true for decades — the pandemic just makes it more obvious.”
A growing number of Americans have expressed outrage over how a number of wealthy people and celebrities in the US have seemed to have better access to Covid-19 testing. Entire NBA teams have managed to get testing, even those players without symptoms. And many in Washington grew upset over the last few days at the ease with which Rand Paul, a GOP senator, was able to obtain a test despite not showing any coronavirus symptoms.
At the same time, DCVC’s ability to help its limited partners — if they ask for it — has been diminished. That’s because the Food and Drug Administration has cracked down on at-home collection kits over the last few days, causing Curative to cease offering these testing services for the time being. Its leadership didn’t respond to requests for comments. The startup, formed earlier this year, had hoped to offer as many as 10,000 tests a day, despite only serving 50 through their at-home testing program before that was shut down.
Carbon Health, however, is still offering testing through other lab providers like Quest, and Ocko said he would refer his LPs to them should they contact him.
“In any instance where access to care is unequal, that’s frustrating to me,” said Caesar Djavaherian, the co-founder of Carbon Health, who said he was unaware of the DCVC controversy. “Especially when the whole notion of this test is to reach people who may not be able to easily access care throughout California, and eventually throughout the country.”


vox--2020-03-25--The disability community has a lot to teach a world in crisis, say the directors of Crip Camp

Crip Camp starts out as a movie about a place : Camp Jened , an almost magical-seeming “ summer camp for the handicapped run by hippies , ” as the film ’ s co-director ( and former camper ) Jim Lebrecht explains early on .
Located in the Catskills a few hours north of New York City , Camp Jened was a place for teens with all kinds of disabilities ( including those from polio and cerebral palsy ) to spend time together and experience what it might be like to live in a world that was welcoming to them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Crip Camp ( subtitled “ A Disability Revolution ” ) becomes a chronicle of a movement , sparked by the young people whose lives were changed by their experience in that place .
In the 1970s , Americans with disabilities could be refused enrollment in schools , asked to leave public places , denied jobs for which they were qualified , and met daily with barriers to living a life like anyone else .
Jened campers had found that they were respected and viewed as whole people at camp .
A speech impediment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the group not to listen to your opinions .
Everyone counted .
And , armed with a new perspective for how the world could be , many of those teens went on to join the radical disability rights movement .
Some ended up in Berkeley as young adults , advocating for legislation that would require public places to be accessible to everyone and that would prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities .
Crip Camp shows how the vision that young Jened attendees experienced at camp — a world that was open to everyone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community organizers .
Crip Camp , which was an opening-night selection at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival , is part of Barack and Michelle Obama ’ s slate of Netflix programming via their production company Higher Ground ( following in the footsteps of 2020 Oscar winner American Factory ) .
It ’ s buoyant and inspiring , a tale of people working together through difficulty and opposition to change the world .
With the film now streaming on Netflix , I spoke with Lebrecht and co-director Nicole Newnham by phone about its debut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic has changed the conversation around disability in the workplace , the wisdom the disabled community can offer to Hollywood , and more .
I was in the audience for Crip Camp ’ s premiere at Sundance in January .
The world has changed a bit in the time since that premiere .
Do you think your hopes for what the film might accomplish have changed too ?
We ’ ve been really excited about the potential for this universal , human story and the incredible history that the film relates to wake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the disability community and the power of disability activists and organizers .
For a long time , activists with disabilities have been organizing and making great change online , because for many people with disabilities , that ’ s where they can operate from .
Many people deal with being home-bound in the disability community .
There ’ s a lot of innovation and expertise out there that already people are starting to draw on .
I think we ’ re in a unique and interesting position , able to continue organizing and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the movement online — which is where people will be , at the moment .
What everybody ’ s kind of needing to do and all of a sudden adopting — like working from home or communicating via Zoom — is something that a lot of people in the community already have been doing .
And it ’ s also been an accommodation that people have asked for for a long time .
[ It used to be , ] “ Gee , I ’ d like to be able to work from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ situation prevents me from coming to the office.
” “ Oh no , we can ’ t do that , there ’ s no way to do that !
” Now , all of a sudden there ’ s a shift : “ Oh , yeah , we can do that.
” So I think if there ’ s any kind of silver lining here , it ’ s that ways of accommodating people who may not be able to travel will not be looked upon as something outside of the realm of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way of working .
We know how to do this .
It feels as if the disability community has been asking for these work-from-home opportunities , but it took “ everyone ’ s ” health being at risk for companies to realize those were possible .
People who are disabled seem too often to be virtually invisible .
There are two things there .
One of them is thinking about what disabled people encounter every day .
But the flip side of that is looking at what disabled people are capable of doing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ considering .
Involve people from our community in discussions outside of disability , not having it be so siloed just within our “ thing.
” We have a perspective , a way of looking at the world , that ’ s really valuable .
The film certainly talks about what we struggle and fight for .
There ’ s still so much work to be done when it comes to stigma and combatting attitudes .
If those things don ’ t change , if they don ’ t continue to morph , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matter to anybody .
It won ’ t have that much weight .
As a non-disabled person , I experienced the eye-opening nature of Crip Camp myself , in getting to know Jim and getting to know the community and working on the project .
I think that sense of invisibility you ’ re talking about is such a serious issue .
It ’ s perpetuated by the discrimination and ableism that exists in society .
When we were getting ready to premiere the film , we had eight wheelchair users in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We knew we would not only have the folks in the film who are wheelchair users [ but also ] a lot of excited people from the community coming , and that they would expect that , because it was a film by a disabled activist and about disability rights , that it would be accessible .
So you might have 15 or more wheelchair users coming to the theaters .
But that ’ s not a situation that any theater is willing to accommodate , which is just a little bit overwhelming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reason for that is the invisibility .
Some people would say , “ Well , we wouldn ’ t normally expect to get more than six wheelchair users coming at one time.
” Well , why ?
Because going to the theater is such an incredibly frustrating experience .
[ Wheelchair users ] expect it ’ s going to be frustrating and that the access is going to be impossible , so they don ’ t go .
Then people tend to not even think about disability communities or groups of people with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come into their event , and they ’ re not thinking about making the rooms accessible .
It ’ s kind of a vicious cycle .
That is one of the things that we hope we can help to change .
There are a lot of reasons that people prefer to stay home .
Personally , as someone with a disability , if I find a theater that has a number of different wheelchair spots and it ’ s in a good location , that ’ s a theater that I ’ ll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It is a little bit rare that you have a film that draws a lot of people with disabilities at one time , so I ’ ll give movie theater owners that .
But there was a little bit of a concern about how we were going to accommodate when we were doing screenings with a large number of folks .
Places like Sundance really worked with us a great deal to try to create some more wheelchair seats for their screenings .
The need for improving accessibility is really , really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lovely large movie palace , the Castro , and the wheelchair seating is really horrible .
It has been a little bit difficult to deal with to try to effect some better change there .
That ’ s a problem for a lot of film festivals , but we ’ re raising awareness , for sure .
Right now the film business itself is obviously facing a lot of challenges , too .
Do you think the process of making this movie , of working in the business , has given you some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better , more accessible practices into place when films are in production ?
Or wisdom that the community of people with disabilities has to offer the film business ?
I think that if Crip Camp had the success that we hoped that it would have — like what we saw in the Sundance audience reaction in January and at the True/False Film Festival in March — that Hollywood would realize there ’ s a market out there for stories like this .
They ’ ll need to realize that Crip Camp is just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people in a specific time , and there ’ s hundreds if not thousands of other stories out there , from all the different facets of the disability community .
We cut across all strata of society .
If they realize that you can get away from these old tropes — about the person who acquires a disability and wants to be killed , other negative and tired tropes — that there ’ s actually room for romantic comedies and thrillers and all sorts of other films around disability .
It doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s just one sole focus of films .
People with disabilities are part of society .
Most of us have lives like everybody else .
Be brave , you know ?
There ’ s an audience out here .
There ’ s a market for this kind of material .
That ’ s also going to make [ the entertainment business ] open up their accessibility for playwrights and screenwriters and actors and producers and editors — you really need people from the [ disabled ] community in all areas of production and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ camera .
So many of us really have a very harsh reaction against able-bodied or non-disabled actors playing roles as people with disabilities .
That role should go to somebody with a disability .
But yet , there ’ s not the ability for people to become box office draws and stars , because we ’ re not getting the roles .
We don ’ t have the same on-ramp to a successful career .
The talent is out there .
The talent is absolutely out there .
It ’ s a matter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can get those opportunities .
One thing I love about Crip Camp is that it ’ s both revealing and inspirational .
It ’ s about a community coming together to effect huge change , while being totally unapologetic about their aims .
The story has an inspirational arc .
What Jim and I always felt is that we wanted the film to bring people into the world of Camp Jened , to give them that experience themselves : arriving at camp , checking out the scene , maybe feeling a little bit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going on , not sure if they speak the language .
Then , over time , they ’ d come to feel like this is a world that is fun and joyous and liberating for them as viewers , just like it was for Jim .
Jim ’ s personal story would bring you into that .
The question was , how do you connect that experience to the history that comes later ?
Initially we had a lot more modern-day footage woven through .
But over time we found enough archival material @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but also the people from Camp Jened at the marches , and in the protests , We realized that we had this ability to really show that ripple effect of Jened across time by keeping on that historical trajectory .
Typically , you ’ d structure a film like this by teasing at the beginning what ’ s going to happen at the end , so you ’ d know you ’ re watching a film that goes beyond the camp experience .
What we tried to do instead is just let @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discover it for yourself , and not really know where the film is going to go .
Then you have that experience yourself of watching how it plays out .
That [ tactic ] depended on the first part of the film at the camp feeling incredibly immersive and vérité and natural .
But it was actually constructed really , really painstakingly .
There are those a-ha moments , like when Larry the camp director says , “ We discovered the problem wasn ’ t people with disabilities , it was our problem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like , “ Ah , yeah.
” If you ’ re a non-disabled viewer , you might think , “ Oh yeah , he ’ s talking about me.
” There ’ s just those moments , where the audience is asked to do some work , but there ’ s enough love and joy and humor and fun to kind of carry them through that first immersive experience of camp .
Jim , there ’ s so much terrific archival footage in Crip Camp that ’ s delightful to watch .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yourself , it must have been an interesting and emotional experience to go back and relive it now .
It was very surreal .
It was like finding your home movies that you didn ’ t know your parents had shot .
It enabled me to go back to camp — looking at hours and hours ’ worth of footage from people ’ s videos , hoping I ’ m going to see people I remembered .
It was incredible seeing me and [ fellow camper ] Nancy together , seeing the counselors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no longer with us .
Bittersweet is a good way of describing what the experience was like .
It unleashed some of the memories that I had buried in my head about what it was like at that camp .
I could remember what the place smelled like .
I could remember what the place looked like , what it sounded like .
I really wish I could go back .
There are parts of almost everybody ’ s youth that they go , “ Gosh , those were really great days .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 24 hours.
” I feel that way .
Crip Camp is on the Obamas ’ slate of releases at Netflix , and given its activist gist , that makes a lot of sense .
Are there lessons about activism that you hope viewers come away with ?
I think this film is a blueprint for grassroots organizing , for how individuals can help to make a difference .
Both of us feel like that ’ s a really important lesson to be injecting into the world right now .
For me , one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ experience of making the film ] is that within the camp , people learned that power came from listening to each other and believing each other .
We have to say “ I see you ” and “ I believe you.
” I don ’ t know what it ’ s like to be blind , and I don ’ t work in special ed , but if you ’ re telling me that ’ s your experience , I believe you .
I think about that scene at the camp where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Nancy Rosenblum , and believing that what she has to say is valid ; I feel like that ’ s a lot of what we ’ ve lost in our society , both the optimism that people can make a difference and the art of creating community by listening and trusting and believing .
Those are some of the things I ’ m excited for people to take away from the film .
I totally agree .
We ’ re getting really fired up after seeing the film , seeing people who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you can take away from the film that this , on some level , is also a universal story , then it ’ s made its point .
This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity .

Crip Camp starts out as a movie about a place: Camp Jened, an almost magical-seeming “summer camp for the handicapped run by hippies,” as the film’s co-director (and former camper) Jim Lebrecht explains early on. Located in the Catskills a few hours north of New York City, Camp Jened was a place for teens with all kinds of disabilities (including those from polio and cerebral palsy) to spend time together and experience what it might be like to live in a world that was welcoming to them. It was transformative.
Soon, Crip Camp (subtitled “A Disability Revolution”) becomes a chronicle of a movement, sparked by the young people whose lives were changed by their experience in that place. In the 1970s, Americans with disabilities could be refused enrollment in schools, asked to leave public places, denied jobs for which they were qualified, and met daily with barriers to living a life like anyone else. Jened campers had found that they were respected and viewed as whole people at camp. A speech impediment due to palsy was no reason for the group not to listen to your opinions. Everyone counted.
Related Crip Camp is a stirring introduction to the summer camp that sparked the disability rights movement
And, armed with a new perspective for how the world could be, many of those teens went on to join the radical disability rights movement. Some ended up in Berkeley as young adults, advocating for legislation that would require public places to be accessible to everyone and that would prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities. Crip Camp shows how the vision that young Jened attendees experienced at camp — a world that was open to everyone — led them to become activists and community organizers.
Crip Camp, which was an opening-night selection at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, is part of Barack and Michelle Obama’s slate of Netflix programming via their production company Higher Ground (following in the footsteps of 2020 Oscar winner American Factory). It’s buoyant and inspiring, a tale of people working together through difficulty and opposition to change the world.
With the film now streaming on Netflix, I spoke with Lebrecht and co-director Nicole Newnham by phone about its debut in a world where the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic has changed the conversation around disability in the workplace, the wisdom the disabled community can offer to Hollywood, and more.
Alissa Wilkinson
I was in the audience for Crip Camp’s premiere at Sundance in January. The world has changed a bit in the time since that premiere. Do you think your hopes for what the film might accomplish have changed too?
Nicole Newnham
We’ve been really excited about the potential for this universal, human story and the incredible history that the film relates to wake more people up to the power of the disability community and the power of disability activists and organizers. For a long time, activists with disabilities have been organizing and making great change online, because for many people with disabilities, that’s where they can operate from. Many people deal with being home-bound in the disability community. There’s a lot of innovation and expertise out there that already people are starting to draw on.
I think we’re in a unique and interesting position, able to continue organizing and supporting the movement and bringing people into the movement online — which is where people will be, at the moment.
Jim Lebrecht
What everybody’s kind of needing to do and all of a sudden adopting — like working from home or communicating via Zoom — is something that a lot of people in the community already have been doing. And it’s also been an accommodation that people have asked for for a long time. [It used to be,] “Gee, I’d like to be able to work from home on certain days, as my situation prevents me from coming to the office.” “Oh no, we can’t do that, there’s no way to do that!” Now, all of a sudden there’s a shift: “Oh, yeah, we can do that.”
So I think if there’s any kind of silver lining here, it’s that ways of accommodating people who may not be able to travel will not be looked upon as something outside of the realm of reasonable accommodation, but as a proven way of working. We know how to do this.
Alissa Wilkinson
It feels as if the disability community has been asking for these work-from-home opportunities, but it took “everyone’s” health being at risk for companies to realize those were possible. People who are disabled seem too often to be virtually invisible.
Jim Lebrecht
There are two things there. One of them is thinking about what disabled people encounter every day. But the flip side of that is looking at what disabled people are capable of doing that people haven’t really been considering. Involve people from our community in discussions outside of disability, not having it be so siloed just within our “thing.” We have a perspective, a way of looking at the world, that’s really valuable.
The film certainly talks about what we struggle and fight for. There’s still so much work to be done when it comes to stigma and combatting attitudes. If those things don’t change, if they don’t continue to morph, then no law on the books will really matter to anybody. It won’t have that much weight.
Nicole Newnham
As a non-disabled person, I experienced the eye-opening nature of Crip Camp myself, in getting to know Jim and getting to know the community and working on the project. I think that sense of invisibility you’re talking about is such a serious issue. It’s perpetuated by the discrimination and ableism that exists in society.
When we were getting ready to premiere the film, we had eight wheelchair users in the film who were coming to Sundance. We knew we would not only have the folks in the film who are wheelchair users [but also] a lot of excited people from the community coming, and that they would expect that, because it was a film by a disabled activist and about disability rights, that it would be accessible. So you might have 15 or more wheelchair users coming to the theaters.
But that’s not a situation that any theater is willing to accommodate, which is just a little bit overwhelming when you think about it. The reason for that is the invisibility. Some people would say, “Well, we wouldn’t normally expect to get more than six wheelchair users coming at one time.” Well, why? Because going to the theater is such an incredibly frustrating experience. [Wheelchair users] expect it’s going to be frustrating and that the access is going to be impossible, so they don’t go. Then people tend to not even think about disability communities or groups of people with disabilities going out to do things or come into their event, and they’re not thinking about making the rooms accessible. It’s kind of a vicious cycle. That is one of the things that we hope we can help to change.
Jim Lebrecht
There are a lot of reasons that people prefer to stay home. Personally, as someone with a disability, if I find a theater that has a number of different wheelchair spots and it’s in a good location, that’s a theater that I’ll wait for a film to come to.
It is a little bit rare that you have a film that draws a lot of people with disabilities at one time, so I’ll give movie theater owners that. But there was a little bit of a concern about how we were going to accommodate when we were doing screenings with a large number of folks. Places like Sundance really worked with us a great deal to try to create some more wheelchair seats for their screenings.
The need for improving accessibility is really, really important. San Francisco has got a lovely large movie palace, the Castro, and the wheelchair seating is really horrible. It has been a little bit difficult to deal with to try to effect some better change there. That’s a problem for a lot of film festivals, but we’re raising awareness, for sure.
Alissa Wilkinson
Right now the film business itself is obviously facing a lot of challenges, too. Do you think the process of making this movie, of working in the business, has given you some wisdom about how the industry might put better, more accessible practices into place when films are in production? Or wisdom that the community of people with disabilities has to offer the film business?
Jim Lebrecht
I think that if Crip Camp had the success that we hoped that it would have — like what we saw in the Sundance audience reaction in January and at the True/False Film Festival in March — that Hollywood would realize there’s a market out there for stories like this. They’ll need to realize that Crip Camp is just one story about a specific group of people in a specific time, and there’s hundreds if not thousands of other stories out there, from all the different facets of the disability community. We cut across all strata of society.
If they realize that you can get away from these old tropes — about the person who acquires a disability and wants to be killed, other negative and tired tropes — that there’s actually room for romantic comedies and thrillers and all sorts of other films around disability. It doesn’t have to be that there’s just one sole focus of films. People with disabilities are part of society. Most of us have lives like everybody else. Be brave, you know?
There’s an audience out here. There’s a market for this kind of material. That’s also going to make [the entertainment business] open up their accessibility for playwrights and screenwriters and actors and producers and editors — you really need people from the [disabled] community in all areas of production and development, and in front of the camera.
So many of us really have a very harsh reaction against able-bodied or non-disabled actors playing roles as people with disabilities. That role should go to somebody with a disability. But yet, there’s not the ability for people to become box office draws and stars, because we’re not getting the roles. We don’t have the same on-ramp to a successful career.
The talent is out there. The talent is absolutely out there. It’s a matter of opening up the doors so people can get those opportunities.
Alissa Wilkinson
One thing I love about Crip Camp is that it’s both revealing and inspirational. It’s about a community coming together to effect huge change, while being totally unapologetic about their aims. The story has an inspirational arc.
Nicole Newnham
What Jim and I always felt is that we wanted the film to bring people into the world of Camp Jened, to give them that experience themselves: arriving at camp, checking out the scene, maybe feeling a little bit uncomfortable, not sure what’s going on, not sure if they speak the language. Then, over time, they’d come to feel like this is a world that is fun and joyous and liberating for them as viewers, just like it was for Jim. Jim’s personal story would bring you into that.
The question was, how do you connect that experience to the history that comes later? Initially we had a lot more modern-day footage woven through. But over time we found enough archival material, not only of the history itself, but also the people from Camp Jened at the marches, and in the protests, We realized that we had this ability to really show that ripple effect of Jened across time by keeping on that historical trajectory.
Typically, you’d structure a film like this by teasing at the beginning what’s going to happen at the end, so you’d know you’re watching a film that goes beyond the camp experience. What we tried to do instead is just let you into the camp, let you discover it for yourself, and not really know where the film is going to go. Then you have that experience yourself of watching how it plays out.
That [tactic] depended on the first part of the film at the camp feeling incredibly immersive and vérité and natural. But it was actually constructed really, really painstakingly. There are those a-ha moments, like when Larry the camp director says, “We discovered the problem wasn’t people with disabilities, it was our problem,” then you the viewer are like, “Ah, yeah.” If you’re a non-disabled viewer, you might think, “Oh yeah, he’s talking about me.” There’s just those moments, where the audience is asked to do some work, but there’s enough love and joy and humor and fun to kind of carry them through that first immersive experience of camp.
Alissa Wilkinson
Jim, there’s so much terrific archival footage in Crip Camp that’s delightful to watch. But having lived through a lot of this yourself, it must have been an interesting and emotional experience to go back and relive it now.
Jim Lebrecht
It was very surreal. It was like finding your home movies that you didn’t know your parents had shot. It enabled me to go back to camp — looking at hours and hours’ worth of footage from people’s videos, hoping I’m going to see people I remembered. It was incredible seeing me and [fellow camper] Nancy together, seeing the counselors I really loved who I know are no longer with us.
Bittersweet is a good way of describing what the experience was like. It unleashed some of the memories that I had buried in my head about what it was like at that camp. I could remember what the place smelled like. I could remember what the place looked like, what it sounded like. I really wish I could go back. There are parts of almost everybody’s youth that they go, “Gosh, those were really great days. I wish I could go back for 24 hours.” I feel that way.
Alissa Wilkinson
Crip Camp is on the Obamas’ slate of releases at Netflix, and given its activist gist, that makes a lot of sense. Are there lessons about activism that you hope viewers come away with?
Nicole Newnham
I think this film is a blueprint for grassroots organizing, for how individuals can help to make a difference. Both of us feel like that’s a really important lesson to be injecting into the world right now.
For me, one of the most profound things about this [experience of making the film] is that within the camp, people learned that power came from listening to each other and believing each other. We have to say “I see you” and “I believe you.” I don’t know what it’s like to be blind, and I don’t work in special ed, but if you’re telling me that’s your experience, I believe you. I think about that scene at the camp where everyone is sitting around the table listening to Nancy Rosenblum, and believing that what she has to say is valid; I feel like that’s a lot of what we’ve lost in our society, both the optimism that people can make a difference and the art of creating community by listening and trusting and believing. Those are some of the things I’m excited for people to take away from the film.
Jim Lebrecht
I totally agree. We’re getting really fired up after seeing the film, seeing people who are becoming interested in activism. If you can take away from the film that this, on some level, is also a universal story, then it’s made its point.
Crip Camp premiered on Netflix on March 25.
This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.


vox--2020-03-25--A Covid-19 reading list for March 25

A Covid-19 reading list for March 25

Bill Gates says we can ’ t restart the economy soon and simply “ ignore that pile of bodies over @ @ @ @ @ rebuked the proposal of leaders like Donald Trump .

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vox--2020-03-25--A handful of Senate Republicans think the coronavirus stimulus is too generous to workers

A handful of Senate Republicans think the unemployment insurance provided in the coronavirus stimulus is too generous to laid-off workers — and they ’ re now pushing an amendment that could cap it .
It ’ s a move that could further delay the passage of the $ 2 trillion package , which senators and the White House negotiated in marathon sessions over five days to provide rapid financial relief for workers , small businesses , and affected industries .
The core of the senators ’ complaint is something they ’ re referring to as a “ drafting error , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crafted part of the legislation .
They worry that the amount of money guaranteed by the bill ’ s expansion of unemployment insurance surpasses how much some workers make on a weekly basis at their current jobs .
They say that the expanded funds — though they would only be temporary — disincentivize workers from keeping or returning to those jobs .
( It ’ s worth noting that people who leave their jobs voluntarily without good cause would not be eligible for unemployment insurance in the first place . )
“ This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than if you were working , ” said Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R-SC ) , who along with Republican Sens .
Ben Sasse ( NE ) , Tim Scott ( SC ) , and Rick Scott ( FL ) expressed concerns about the amount of money workers would be able to secure from unemployment insurance .
They ’ re pushing for a vote on an amendment that would cap the amount of unemployment support workers could receive so it ’ s limited to 100 percent of their previous salaries .
As currently agreed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bill guarantees a major expansion of the program — a move that lawmakers see as necessary given the sizable layoffs that have already taken place as a result of businesses shuttering to combat the coronavirus and the many more that could follow .
According to a Moody ’ s Analytics estimate provided to Fortune , there could be as many as 6 million workers who become unemployed in March alone .
As Vox ’ s Dylan Matthews reports , the unemployment insurance in the Senate deal would ensure that every recipient receives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On average , a person on unemployment insurance currently receives $ 385 per week , so this boost is significant .
Those claiming unemployment insurance would be able to secure this expanded support for up to four months .
Graham and other Republican opponents fear that these funds — though they ’ ll be temporary — will be enough to disincentivize workers from either staying or returning to their jobs when the coronavirus crisis is over .
As a Republican aide told The Hill , lawmakers opted to do an across-the-board increase of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ different set-up for how to implement its program , and the proposed policy — if universal — could be executed more quickly .
Additionally , the aide noted , a person that voluntarily leaves their job is not eligible for unemployment insurance , which people can only claim if they ’ ve been “ unemployed through no fault of your own , ” according to the Department of Labor .
The position of this group of Republicans is also one that fails to consider just how much workers are hurting because of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus and the much-needed public health measures that are being taken to curb its spread .
It ’ s also one that seems to disregard the temporary nature of the program , which is designed explicitly to make sure that workers could continue to cover basic costs if they ’ ve been laid off or if they need to stay home and aren ’ t able to work because of the coronavirus during this specific time .
The senators ’ efforts could cause delays in the upper chamber ’ s passage of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t seem to have the votes necessary to actually stop the stimulus from being passed , but for now , the lawmakers say they ’ d like consideration of their amendment before a vote on the final package , a move that could mean the bill isn ’ t able to get fast-tracked through the Senate just yet .
Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I-VT ) has also said he ’ ll put a hold on the legislation , and press for stricter restrictions on corporate assistance that ’ s included in the stimulus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their opposition .

A handful of Senate Republicans think the unemployment insurance provided in the coronavirus stimulus is too generous to laid-off workers — and they’re now pushing an amendment that could cap it.
It’s a move that could further delay the passage of the $2 trillion package, which senators and the White House negotiated in marathon sessions over five days to provide rapid financial relief for workers, small businesses, and affected industries.
The core of the senators’ complaint is something they’re referring to as a “drafting error,” even though it was an intentionally crafted part of the legislation. They worry that the amount of money guaranteed by the bill’s expansion of unemployment insurance surpasses how much some workers make on a weekly basis at their current jobs.
They say that the expanded funds — though they would only be temporary — disincentivize workers from keeping or returning to those jobs. (It’s worth noting that people who leave their jobs voluntarily without good cause would not be eligible for unemployment insurance in the first place.)
“This bill pays you more not to work than if you were working,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who along with Republican Sens. Ben Sasse (NE), Tim Scott (SC), and Rick Scott (FL) expressed concerns about the amount of money workers would be able to secure from unemployment insurance. They’re pushing for a vote on an amendment that would cap the amount of unemployment support workers could receive so it’s limited to 100 percent of their previous salaries.
As currently agreed upon, the unemployment insurance provision of the bill guarantees a major expansion of the program — a move that lawmakers see as necessary given the sizable layoffs that have already taken place as a result of businesses shuttering to combat the coronavirus and the many more that could follow. According to a Moody’s Analytics estimate provided to Fortune, there could be as many as 6 million workers who become unemployed in March alone.
As Vox’s Dylan Matthews reports, the unemployment insurance in the Senate deal would ensure that every recipient receives an additional $600 a week. On average, a person on unemployment insurance currently receives $385 per week, so this boost is significant. Those claiming unemployment insurance would be able to secure this expanded support for up to four months.
Graham and other Republican opponents fear that these funds — though they’ll be temporary — will be enough to disincentivize workers from either staying or returning to their jobs when the coronavirus crisis is over.
As a Republican aide told The Hill, lawmakers opted to do an across-the-board increase of unemployment insurance because every state has a different set-up for how to implement its program, and the proposed policy — if universal — could be executed more quickly. Additionally, the aide noted, a person that voluntarily leaves their job is not eligible for unemployment insurance, which people can only claim if they’ve been “unemployed through no fault of your own,” according to the Department of Labor.
The position of this group of Republicans is also one that fails to consider just how much workers are hurting because of the economic fallout that’s resulted from the coronavirus and the much-needed public health measures that are being taken to curb its spread. It’s also one that seems to disregard the temporary nature of the program, which is designed explicitly to make sure that workers could continue to cover basic costs if they’ve been laid off or if they need to stay home and aren’t able to work because of the coronavirus during this specific time.
The senators’ efforts could cause delays in the upper chamber’s passage of the coronavirus stimulus. They don’t seem to have the votes necessary to actually stop the stimulus from being passed, but for now, the lawmakers say they’d like consideration of their amendment before a vote on the final package, a move that could mean the bill isn’t able to get fast-tracked through the Senate just yet.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has also said he’ll put a hold on the legislation, and press for stricter restrictions on corporate assistance that’s included in the stimulus, if Republicans don’t drop their opposition.


vox--2020-03-25--The 2020 Tonys are officially postponed

The 2020 Tonys are officially postponed

The 2020 Tony Awards , which recognize the best of Broadway theater , are now officially postponed .
Although the awards were originally scheduled to be held June 7 in New York City , a statement distributed by the Tonys ’ publicity firm Slate PR said the awards will be rescheduled at a later date in coordination with CBS , which traditionally broadcasts them .
“ The health and safety of the Broadway community , artists and fans is of the utmost importance to us , ” the statement continues .
“ We will announce new dates and additional information @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looking forward to celebrating Broadway and our industry when it is safe to do so.
” Broadway theaters shut down on March 12 after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo enacted a restriction prohibiting gatherings of 500 or more people due to the Covid-19 pandemic .
It was an unprecedented move for New York ’ s theater district , which tends to demand that the show go on no matter what else might be happening in the city .
After 9/11 , New York theaters only closed their doors for two nights , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Broadway stayed open .
As Soraya McDonald wrote for the Undefeated , the last time theaters shut down in the face of a quarantine might very well have been that time the Black Death forced Shakespeare to stay inside and write King Lear .
But now , as coronavirus rewrites the world , Broadway is staying dark , and the Tonys are on hold .

The 2020 Tony Awards, which recognize the best of Broadway theater, are now officially postponed. Although the awards were originally scheduled to be held June 7 in New York City, a statement distributed by the Tonys’ publicity firm Slate PR said the awards will be rescheduled at a later date in coordination with CBS, which traditionally broadcasts them.
“The health and safety of the Broadway community, artists and fans is of the utmost importance to us,” the statement continues. “We will announce new dates and additional information once Broadway opens again. We are looking forward to celebrating Broadway and our industry when it is safe to do so.”
Broadway theaters shut down on March 12 after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo enacted a restriction prohibiting gatherings of 500 or more people due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was an unprecedented move for New York’s theater district, which tends to demand that the show go on no matter what else might be happening in the city. After 9/11, New York theaters only closed their doors for two nights, and during the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic, Broadway stayed open.
As Soraya McDonald wrote for the Undefeated, the last time theaters shut down in the face of a quarantine might very well have been that time the Black Death forced Shakespeare to stay inside and write King Lear. But now, as coronavirus rewrites the world, Broadway is staying dark, and the Tonys are on hold.


vox--2020-03-25--How the US stacks up to other countries in confirmed coronavirus cases

America has been testing people for the coronavirus at a slower rate than most other developed countries , yet the data also shows the rate of people diagnosed with Covid-19 in the US is steadily rising , more quickly than our peers abroad .
So we don ’ t yet know the full extent of the outbreak , but America has quickly become one of the epicenters for the coronavirus pandemic .
The US could soon become the nation with the most Covid-19 cases in the world , overtaking China and Italy .
America ’ s health system was less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nations .
The US ’ s high uninsured rate , high out-of-pocket health care costs , and low medical system capacity combined to make the country more vulnerable to a pathogen before the coronavirus ever came to our shores .
America ’ s lax response in the early days of the outbreak only compounded those problems .
“ Everyone working in this space would agree that no matter how you measure it , the US is far behind on this , ” Jen Kates , director of global health and HIV policy at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the coronavirus response .
Here ’ s how the number of confirmed cases in the US compares to select other countries , based on days since each country reached 100 confirmed cases , according to data we analyzed from the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus dashboard .
Note that the chart uses a log scale , meaning that the Y axis goes up in equal distances between 100 , 1,000 , and 10,000 to mimic the exponential rate at which a contagion like the coronavirus spreads .
Here ’ s that same chart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of March 24 , the Johns Hopkins research data shows approximately 437,000 confirmed cases worldwide , about 55,000 of which were in the US .
The actual number of cases is likely much higher .
More than 20,000 people have died across the world from Covid-19 , including more than 675 in the United States .
As you can see , the confirmed cases in the US have now surpassed Iran and Italy at the same point in their outbreaks and have far outpaced places like Hong Kong and Singapore , where the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s case numbers also appear to be quite low , though the government there has been criticized over not having enough tests to properly judge the true number of cases .
On the other hand , the number of deaths in Japan ( 41 ) is small compared to the hardest-hit countries , suggesting better containment there than some European nations or the US .
As America implements dramatic measures to control the spread of Covid-19 , with schools and businesses closing and general social distancing underway , we are still struggling to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because of the slow start of testing in the US .
It has undeniably hindered our response .
“ The testing failure is putting additional strain on our already challenged health system , ” Cynthia Cox , director of the Peterson-Kaiser Health System Tracker , said .
“ The combination of all of these factors will make the US worse off than similar countries.
” Testing is not only important because it gets people diagnosed and appropriate treatment if they do have an infection .
It also establishes how widespread a virus actually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the problem , they know the rate at which people are being hospitalized or dying , and they can follow its movements .
But the United States has faltered in rolling out coronavirus tests , putting us far behind our economic peers in tracing the outbreak .
A manufacturing problem with the test kits that were initially sent out in the field , and a delay in approving commercial tests , set the nation back in stopping or slowing down Covid-19 .
Even as testing and testing capacity has ramped up in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ America still trails other countries in the share of its population being tested for the coronavirus .
There have been about 367,000 tests conducted in the US for its population of 329 million .
The number of tests conducted in the US did leap from 58,000 on March 19 to 367,000 , a reflection of the increased capacity .
But the US started behind the rest of the world in responding to Covid-19 — and is still catching up .
Correction : A March 25 update to a chart of coronavirus testing initially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ due to a spreadsheet error .

The United States has the most confirmed Covid-19 cases in the world, with more than 15 times the number of cases reported in China and about six times as many cases as Italy and Spain, other epicenters of the global outbreak. Confirmed infections in the US make up around a third of the world’s coronavirus cases.
America started off testing people for the coronavirus at a slower rate than most other developed countries, but the number of people diagnosed with Covid-19 in the US has risen more quickly than the country’s peers abroad. We don’t yet know the full extent of the outbreak, but America remains a focal point of the coronavirus pandemic.
The US health system was less prepared for a pandemic than those of other wealthy nations. A high uninsured rate, high out-of-pocket health care costs, and low medical system capacity together make the country more vulnerable to a pathogen before the coronavirus ever came to our shores. America’s lax response in the early days of the outbreak only compounded those structural problems.
“Everyone working in this space would agree that no matter how you measure it, the US is far behind on this,” Jen Kates, director of global health and HIV policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation, told Vox in mid-March of the initial coronavirus response.
Here’s how the number of confirmed cases in the US compares to select other countries, based on days since each country reached 100 confirmed cases, according to data we analyzed from the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus dashboard.
Note that the chart uses a log scale, meaning that the Y-axis goes up in equal distances between 100, 1,000, and 10,000 to mimic the exponential rate at which a contagion like the coronavirus spreads.
Here’s that same chart on a traditional linear scale.
As of May 11, the Johns Hopkins research data shows more than 4.1 million confirmed cases worldwide, about 1.3 million of which were in the US. The actual number of cases is likely much higher. About 280,000 people have died across the world from Covid-19, including nearly 80,000 in the United States. There are signs that social distancing measures in the US are making an impact, but the country surpassed Iran, Italy, and China to have the highest number of confirmed cases in the world.
As the Wall Street Journal has reported, Chinese health officials have acknowledged they did not include 1,500 asymptomatic cases in their previous national tallies, but said that such cases would be counted starting on April 1. Based on reporting by the South China Morning Post, China may be undercounting asymptomatic cases to an even greater degree. But remember, most countries’ numbers are probably low because people who have no or mild symptoms often don’t get tested.
Case numbers in the US have also far outpaced places like South Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore, where the governments mobilized more quickly and certain cultural norms (like mask-wearing) may have helped slow the spread. (Early signs of a second wave of cases have appeared in Singapore, however; this was a fear among public health experts who worried societies would be too quick to reopen.)
Japan’s case numbers have started rising more quickly in recent weeks, and the government has been criticized over not having enough tests to properly judge the number of cases.
As America implements dramatic measures to control the spread of Covid-19, with schools and businesses closing and general social distancing underway, the country is still struggling to understand the full scope of the outbreak because of the slow start of testing. It has undeniably hindered the US response.
“The testing failure is putting additional strain on our already challenged health system,” Cynthia Cox, director of the Peterson-Kaiser Health System Tracker, said in March. “The combination of all of these factors will make the US worse off than similar countries.”
Testing is not only important because it gets people diagnosed and appropriate treatment if they have an infection, it also establishes how widespread a virus actually is. Experts know the size of the problem, they know the rate at which people are being hospitalized or dying, and they can follow its movements.
But the United States faltered in rolling out coronavirus tests, initially putting America behind its economic peers in tracing the outbreak. A manufacturing problem with the test kits that were initially sent out in the field, and a delay in approving commercial tests, set the nation back in stopping or slowing down Covid-19.
Even as testing capacity has ramped up in the US, as of May 4 America is still lagging behind other places in the world hit hardest by the virus in the share of its population being tested. The US has still tested fewer people per million residents than Italy, a focal point of Europe’s outbreak, and Germany, which is considered a model of rapid and widespread testing.
There have been about 9 million tests conducted in the US for its population of 329 million, but the number of tests per capita conducted varies greatly by state.
The US has finally started to catch up to the rest of the developed world in responding to Covid-19. But as case numbers and deaths continue to increase, we’re still learning the full scope of the crisis.


vox--2020-03-25--Quarantine love stories are becoming a romance trope

Many people in the US have now entered their second full week of staying indoors , as part of regional lockdowns in attempts to ward off the coronavirus .
And for a lot of these people , being shut inside all day is a drastically new lifestyle — one where you have to make the most of seclusion and confinement , either alone or alongside any family and friends that might be stuck inside with you .
In this strange new environment , a new type of relationship for those longing for companionship was bound to blossom .
And a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overnight : the couple brought together by quarantine .
Apparently a number of people out there are very into the idea that following Covid-19 precautions can double as a way of bringing them closer together — much , much closer .
Since having sex with anyone who ’ s not already living with you seems to be a big no-no for “ flattening the curve , ” there ’ s a whole new appeal in being confined together with someone who ’ s , well , conveniently located .
Perhaps you ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this time ; perhaps this sudden proximity means you ’ ve started seeing them in a new light .
Whatever your circumstance , congratulations !
The cultural zeitgeist is rooting for you .
Roommate romance is nothing new Shipping roommates together is nothing new .
Never let us forget the immortal 2014 vine “ And They Were Roommates ( Oh My God , They Were Roommates ) , ” the stuff of instant meme legend .
If you ’ ve never seen it , please , allow us to embed : We ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with those two particular roommates ( come forward , Leggings Girl !
We need you now , more than ever ! )
, but on the internet , the conclusion is obvious .
“ OMG they were roommates ” feels like a reverse-engineered twist : Where normally the surprise would be two roommates falling in love and deepening their relationship , here , that twist is taken for granted , and the surprise is that our presumed lovers were roommates all along !
As anyone who ’ s ever read a romance where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you , the roommates meme captures the heady feeling of experiencing a plot trope you already know backwards and forwards , but enjoying it just as much as if you never saw it coming .
Like so : The Vine spawned a separate meme that ’ s attached itself to hundreds of fanfics about roommates falling in love .
Currently the most-kudoed fic that references “ and they were roommates ” on the massive fanfiction catalog Archive of Our Own ( AO3 ) is one based on the Chinese drama Untamed .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ With Benefits , ” “ Misunderstandings , ” “ Oblivious Pining , ” Mutual Pining , ” “ Love Confessions , ” “ Sharing a Bed , ” and , of course , “ Roommates.
” Those tags provide a thorough glimpse into this trope ’ s appeal .
The dilemma of realizing someone could be more than a friend , while being afraid of upsetting a delicate platonic balance , is often a relatable experience .
There ’ s usually a lot of yearning involved , and there ’ s something thrilling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ respective epiphanies that they might be perfect for each other .
The roommates trope allows them to have that epiphany while being super domestic and acting as if they ’ re already married , resulting in a heady bouquet of confusion , sexual tension , gratuitous touching , and any number of sweet romantic moments that ratchet up the excitement .
The trope ’ s popularity indicates that there ’ s something soothing about the idea of a relationship forming between roommates who already know and accept each other ’ s domestic quirks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those things is often the point where other relationships things fall apart .
But the roommates trope allows friends — or frenemies — to skip that awkwardness and move right to the “ living happily ever after ” part , because they ’ ve already been living happily together ( more or less ) up until this point .
There ’ s also a scientific justification for the trope , something known as the law of propinquity , or basically : closeness .
Social psychologists believe that physical and/or psychological proximity increases the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s company , and of finding each other attractive .
In a 1950 study known as the Westgate Study , MIT researchers examined the layout of a dorm and determined that students who resided in dorm rooms next to each other developed closer friendships than people who resided further down the hall .
Not only that , but the longer you ’ re exposed to someone in close range , the more likable or attractive you ’ re likely to find them .
It ’ s a bit like undergoing Stockholm Syndrome @ @ @ @ @ @ @ small and non-dysfunctional doses .
And that might be what many of us are feeling now as you ’ re experiencing the effects of quarantine with our own roommates .
So ... bring on the romance !
Quarantine romance is trending across the internet The first time I ran across the quarantine romance trope was on Tumblr late last week , when an author I follow wrote a short fic by request about two characters getting quarantined together on their mostly empty college campus .
Part of the prompt was that “ eventually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their doors , tape out the space of 6 feet , & sit in their doorways swapping songs + bonding.
” In the fic , stuck across the hall from one another for fourteen days straight , they quickly develop mutual crushes , until finally , this happens : The author , Tumblr user besanii , is a longtime member of fandom who told me she went with two weeks as her time frame , because that ’ s the recommended quarantine period in her native Australia .
She told me she thought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trend was “ inevitable.
” “ It ’ s a mix of the ‘ omg they were roommates ’ and the ‘ stuck in an elevator ’ trope , with an ‘ end of the world ’ kind of twist , “ she said .
Besanii wasn ’ t wrong .
As this tweet ’ s speculation about popular self-publishing platform Wattpad attests , something ’ s in the air , and it ’ s not just the virus : Just in the period of writing this piece , I ’ ve seen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” and “ social distancing ” on AO3 balloon .
One such tagged fic , for the anime YuYu Hakusho , invites the reader to imagine : The author , known as Penguiduck , added in a note .
“ This one-shot is not meant to make light of recent events , ” they wrote .
“ It is my sincere desire to educate and provide a little bit of peace during these tumultuous times .
There is a light at the end of the tunnel , perhaps even a very happy ending.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , isn ’ t just about mining a situation for romance — it ’ s also a way of spreading joy and keeping spirits up .
That ’ s probably why the idea of quarantine romance is also having a major moment on social media , where it ’ s become a recurring reference : Easily the most viral example of the quarantine romance in recent days has come from a widely shared r/Relationships post on Reddit , where a user posting under the throwaway handle “ husbandhelpneededpls ” spun a tale that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s been paying attention to all of those fanfiction tropes we ’ ve been discussing .
The poster , a self-described “ gay man ... from a traditional Asian family , ” claimed to have entered into an ostensibly heterosexual cisgender marriage of convenience with a trans man who wasn ’ t out to his family .
The two married and moved in together rather quickly to pull “ a giant scam ” on their family , but then , of course , true feelings started to grow .
“ Now we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cut the sexual ?
romantic ?
tension in this house with a knife since we ’ re constantly together , ” he wrote .
Although the original post was removed , and the user banned from r/relationships — likely because the moderators suspected them of trolling or faking the story — screengrabs of it went massively viral on Twitter , and spawned people across the internet comparing the user ’ s situation to a romance novel or a soapy TV drama .
( The user did not respond to a request for comment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the viral Twitter repost of it were flooded with comments and support , the user made multiple updates — including the most important one , in which he and his husband supposedly got their happy ending .
And there was much , much , much rejoicing .
While many Twitter users completely embraced the story , many others alternately criticized and defended its similarity to Asian drama and fanfiction tropes .
But just as with the fanfiction examples , the “ Reddit husbands , ” as they quickly became known , served @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delight people , and give them hope .
On the surface , the quarantine romance trope might seem like an obvious way of responding to a situation where a huge part of the population is locked indoors for the foreseeable future .
After all , if you ’ re stuck with one person round the clock , then as the saying goes , love the one you ’ re with .
But the trend of finding a lovelorn angle to self-isolation is also yet another example of how our human impulse is to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during crisis .
Of course , it warrants noting that this trope also contains a hefty dose of escapism .
There ’ s a built-in assumption here that everyone involved is safe , healthy , and out of danger , and that the spread of Covid-19 is less a major destabilizing force in their lives than it is a minor inconvenience that serves to push two lovebirds together .
In this respect , the trope has quite a bit in common with the use of school shooting drills as a romance trope on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ potentially overwhelming , scary phenomenon into an ironically escapist cliché .
But even if it ’ s a romance cliché , finding love and affection amid quarantine is also an idea that clearly appeals to many people .
“ It ’ s a really ‘ you and me against the world ’ feeling , ” besanii told me .
The world is all stuck battling the same enemy together during the Covid-19 pandemic , so that spirit of standing united is one many people are experiencing together .
Love amid the darkness becomes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a trope we can all relate to , unite around , and root for .
And that ’ s , perhaps , even bigger and better than true love .

Many people in the US have now entered their second full week of staying indoors, as part of regional lockdowns in attempts to ward off the coronavirus. And for a lot of these people, being shut inside all day is a drastically new lifestyle — one where you have to make the most of seclusion and confinement, either alone or alongside any family and friends that might be stuck inside with you.
In this strange new environment, a new type of relationship for those longing for companionship was bound to blossom. And a very of-the-moment romance trope has emerged virtually overnight: the couple brought together by quarantine.
Apparently a number of people out there are very into the idea that following Covid-19 precautions can double as a way of bringing them closer together — much, much closer. Since having sex with anyone who’s not already living with you seems to be a big no-no for “flattening the curve,” there’s a whole new appeal in being confined together with someone who’s, well, conveniently located. Perhaps you’ve been secretly crushing on your roommate all this time; perhaps this sudden proximity means you’ve started seeing them in a new light. Whatever your circumstance, congratulations! The cultural zeitgeist is rooting for you.
imagine being quarantined with your enemy... and you have to share a bed... and you slowly grow closer... and end up being... lovers —  (@eyretartt) March 14, 2020
Roommate romance is nothing new
Shipping roommates together is nothing new. Never let us forget the immortal 2014 vine “And They Were Roommates (Oh My God, They Were Roommates),” the stuff of instant meme legend. If you’ve never seen it, please, allow us to embed:
We’ll probably never know what was up with those two particular roommates (come forward, Leggings Girl! We need you now, more than ever!), but on the internet, the conclusion is obvious. “OMG they were roommates” feels like a reverse-engineered twist: Where normally the surprise would be two roommates falling in love and deepening their relationship, here, that twist is taken for granted, and the surprise is that our presumed lovers were roommates all along!
As anyone who’s ever read a romance where two roommates fall in love can tell you, the roommates meme captures the heady feeling of experiencing a plot trope you already know backwards and forwards, but enjoying it just as much as if you never saw it coming. Like so:
The Vine spawned a separate meme that’s attached itself to hundreds of fanfics about roommates falling in love. Currently the most-kudoed fic that references “and they were roommates” on the massive fanfiction catalog Archive of Our Own (AO3) is one based on the Chinese drama Untamed. It comes with the accompanying tags “Friends With Benefits,” “Misunderstandings,” “Oblivious Pining,” Mutual Pining,” “Love Confessions,” “Sharing a Bed,” and, of course, “Roommates.”
Those tags provide a thorough glimpse into this trope’s appeal. The dilemma of realizing someone could be more than a friend, while being afraid of upsetting a delicate platonic balance, is often a relatable experience. There’s usually a lot of yearning involved, and there’s something thrilling about two oblivious soulmates finally having their respective epiphanies that they might be perfect for each other. The roommates trope allows them to have that epiphany while being super domestic and acting as if they’re already married, resulting in a heady bouquet of confusion, sexual tension, gratuitous touching, and any number of sweet romantic moments that ratchet up the excitement.
The trope’s popularity indicates that there’s something soothing about the idea of a relationship forming between roommates who already know and accept each other’s domestic quirks and habits. The stage of learning those things is often the point where other relationships things fall apart. But the roommates trope allows friends — or frenemies — to skip that awkwardness and move right to the “living happily ever after” part, because they’ve already been living happily together (more or less) up until this point.
There’s also a scientific justification for the trope, something known as the law of propinquity, or basically: closeness. Social psychologists believe that physical and/or psychological proximity increases the likelihood of two people enjoying one another’s company, and of finding each other attractive. In a 1950 study known as the Westgate Study, MIT researchers examined the layout of a dorm and determined that students who resided in dorm rooms next to each other developed closer friendships than people who resided further down the hall.
Not only that, but the longer you’re exposed to someone in close range, the more likable or attractive you’re likely to find them. It’s a bit like undergoing Stockholm Syndrome by slow degrees, hopefully in very small and non-dysfunctional doses.
And that might be what many of us are feeling now as you’re experiencing the effects of quarantine with our own roommates. So ... bring on the romance!
Quarantine romance is trending across the internet
In March 2019, author Katie Cicatelli-Kuc released her romance novel Quarantine: A Love Story — about two strangers who meet when they land in quarantine after a trip abroad. “Two teens must come together in order to survive life in a bubble for 30 days. In that time, love will bloom,” the book’s Amazon synopsis promises.
“The book came out a year ago (a year ago exactly tomorrow), and when I wrote it I never would have dreamed that the word “quarantine” would be so common,” Cicatelli-Kuc wrote Vox. Since the pandemic broke out, she stated, “I’ve definitely heard from more readers, and people are writing more reviews on Goodreads.”
One year ago, Cicatelli-Kuc’s book was pretty much a lone outlier — but not anymore. The first time I ran across the quarantine romance trope was on Tumblr late last week, when an author I follow wrote a short fic by request about two characters getting quarantined together on their mostly empty college campus. Part of the prompt was that “eventually,” the two characters “open their doors, tape out the space of 6 feet, & sit in their doorways swapping songs + bonding.” In the fic, stuck across the hall from one another for fourteen days straight, they quickly develop mutual crushes, until finally, this happens:
“Hey Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian says, completely oblivious to Lan Wangji’s internal conflict. “What’s the first thing you’re going to do once we’re allowed outside?” He’s chewing on the ends of his chopsticks, lips pursed in thought and Lan Wangji is transfixed. He barely even registers the question before his mind supplies the answer. I’m going to kiss you.
The author, Tumblr user besanii, is a longtime member of fandom who told me she went with two weeks as her time frame, because that’s the recommended quarantine period in her native Australia. She told me she thought a surge in quarantine romance as a trend was “inevitable.”
“It’s a mix of the ‘omg they were roommates’ and the ‘stuck in an elevator’ trope, with an ‘end of the world’ kind of twist,“ she said.
Besanii wasn’t wrong. As this tweet’s speculation about popular self-publishing platform Wattpad attests, something’s in the air, and it’s not just the virus:
do u think wattpad writers will use quarantine for covid-19 as a vital sexual tension building plot line in “Quarantined With The Bad Boy?! A Love Story”
tag: love, romance, coronavirus, quarantine, bad boy, danger, nerd, good girl — bug girl (@BugGirlOfficial) March 14, 2020
Just in the period of writing this piece, I’ve seen the number of fics tagged “quarantine” and “social distancing” on AO3 balloon. One such tagged fic, for the anime YuYu Hakusho, invites the reader to imagine:
You’ve only been living in your condo for two months, but you have yet to meet your neighbor. When you’re sentenced to working from home due to the recent COVID-19 virus, you step onto your shared balcony for the first time. You meet Shuichi and really like him. The only problem? You have to stay six feet apart.
The author, known as Penguiduck, added in a note. “This one-shot is not meant to make light of recent events,” they wrote. “It is my sincere desire to educate and provide a little bit of peace during these tumultuous times. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, perhaps even a very happy ending.”
This type of fiction, then, isn’t just about mining a situation for romance — it’s also a way of spreading joy and keeping spirits up.
That’s probably why the idea of quarantine romance is also having a major moment on social media, where it’s become a recurring reference:
i hope a bunch of roommates resolve their homoerotic sexual tension during quarantine — lesbian mothman (@verysmallriver) March 22, 2020
can’t believe i wasn’t stuck in quarantine with my 7 guys bffs in our 2 story penthouse while i walk to the kitchen in my underwear and oversized t-shit with my hair in a messy bun while one of my roommates chokes on his water because he has a crush on me pic.twitter.com/C4Copxaj2K — taehyung. Iex⁷ (@jkooksv) March 21, 2020
Easily the most viral example of the quarantine romance in recent days has come from a widely shared r/Relationships post on Reddit, where a user posting under the throwaway handle “husbandhelpneededpls” spun a tale that should be very familiar to anyone who’s been paying attention to all of those fanfiction tropes we’ve been discussing.
The poster, a self-described “gay man ... from a traditional Asian family,” claimed to have entered into an ostensibly heterosexual cisgender marriage of convenience with a trans man who wasn’t out to his family. The two married and moved in together rather quickly to pull “a giant scam” on their family, but then, of course, true feelings started to grow. “Now we are in self-isolation together and you can cut the sexual? romantic? tension in this house with a knife since we’re constantly together,” he wrote.
Although the original post was removed, and the user banned from r/relationships — likely because the moderators suspected them of trolling or faking the story — screengrabs of it went massively viral on Twitter, and spawned people across the internet comparing the user’s situation to a romance novel or a soapy TV drama. (The user did not respond to a request for comment.)
OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OHMYGOD. IF SOMEONE DOESN'T WRITE THIS STORY NOW I'M GOING TO DO IT MYSELF AND I HAVE TOO MANY... Posted by Jen McConnell on Saturday, March 21, 2020
me, logging onto reddit dot com to check in on the fake dating husbands pic.twitter.com/I6XnLKjEoo — Endo  (@EndoWrites) March 23, 2020
After both the original post and the viral Twitter repost of it were flooded with comments and support, the user made multiple updates — including the most important one, in which he and his husband supposedly got their happy ending. And there was much, much, much rejoicing.
good morning the reddit man and his tiny husband are in love!!! the son of a bitch did it!!! pic.twitter.com/gyq73yyaXb — 러뷰 남쥰 ⁷ (@nyamseok) March 23, 2020
While many Twitter users completely embraced the story, many others alternately criticized and defended its similarity to Asian drama and fanfiction tropes. But just as with the fanfiction examples, the “Reddit husbands,” as they quickly became known, served a broader purpose: to distract and delight people, and give them hope.
Let me just say that I do not care AT ALL if the Reddit husbands are fake. If they are, then the faker is a brilliant artist who has brought joy into the world during a dark time. Either way, I fucking ship it. — Lindsay King-Miller (@AskAQueerChick) March 23, 2020
quarantine is being hard on most of us but let’s be happy for the reddit husbands who used it to confess their feelings for each other and now are dating after being married for a while — letícia⁷ ✨ (7.1k) (@raplineIover) March 23, 2020
On the surface, the quarantine romance trope might seem like an obvious way of responding to a situation where a huge part of the population is locked indoors for the foreseeable future. After all, if you’re stuck with one person round the clock, then as the saying goes, love the one you’re with. But the trend of finding a lovelorn angle to self-isolation is also yet another example of how our human impulse is to create opportunities for more love and connection during crisis.
Of course, it warrants noting that this trope also contains a hefty dose of escapism. There’s a built-in assumption here that everyone involved is safe, healthy, and out of danger, and that the spread of Covid-19 is less a major destabilizing force in their lives than it is a minor inconvenience that serves to push two lovebirds together. In this respect, the trope has quite a bit in common with the use of school shooting drills as a romance trope on Wattpad — a way of turning a potentially overwhelming, scary phenomenon into an ironically escapist cliché.
For one author, at least, the trope is a terrible irony. Cicatelli-Kuc, whose quarantine romance novel is turning one year old this week, in the middle of the pandemic, had far more mixed feelings about the trend. “I wish it’s something I could be excited about,” she said, “to hear the title of my book so often in the news, on social media, but it’s not, it’s all just sad and scary, and I wish I could just write a happy ending for what we’re all going through already.”
Unlike the fictional illness in her book, she pointed out, coronavirus isn’t something you can just contract and then move on from. “I wish the world was dealing with ‘tropical mono,’ the fictional illness in my book,” she said. “It only affects one person, and she makes a complete and full recovery.”
But even if it’s an escapist romance cliché, finding love and affection amid quarantine is also an idea that clearly appeals to many people. “It’s a really ‘you and me against the world’ feeling,” besanii told me. The world is all stuck battling the same enemy together during the Covid-19 pandemic, so that spirit of standing united is one many people are experiencing together. Love amid the darkness becomes, well, a universal desire — a trope we can all relate to, unite around, and root for.
And that’s, perhaps, even bigger and better than true love.