vox--2020-04-21--The coronavirus pandemic has people rethinking their plans for having kids

One of Jaquelyn Yeh ’ s patients ran out of birth control when the coronavirus pandemic hit .
She ended up going a week without the medication and having an unplanned pregnancy .
Thanks to the economic crisis that has come along with the pandemic , she and her partner are both facing furloughs from their jobs .
Yeh , a family medicine physician in Seattle and a fellow with the group Physicians for Reproductive Health , recently met with them via telemedicine to talk about whether they wanted to continue the pregnancy .
“ Talking to them about options @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yeh said .
“ They definitely had to weigh their financial strains , which is something they didn ’ t have to think about a few months ago.
” Yeh is due to follow up with the patient and her partner this week to find out their decision .
But whatever happens , they are just two of the countless many around the country whose reproductive lives have already been impacted by the spread of Covid-19 .
Initially , shelter-in-place orders around the country gave rise to jokes about a “ coronavirus baby @ @ @ @ @ @ @ research showing that births can spike nine months after certain disasters , especially those that require people to stay inside .
But already , just weeks after many Americans were told to stay home , it ’ s clear that the effect of the pandemic on people ’ s decisions about children — and their ability to make those decisions — is going to be more complicated than that .
Some say the worldwide crisis has inspired them to try for a child .
Victoria Insley , for example , told Vox that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to conceive but decided to put things on hold after she became unemployed last year .
But in March , after about two weeks of social distancing , they decided to start trying again .
In part , the pandemic made them realize that “ life is short , ” Insley told Vox .
“ We ’ re not getting any younger.
” But others are making the opposite decision .
Clinics are reporting an increase in requests for birth control prescriptions , and providers of abortion medication are seeing increased demand as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policy director and manager of reproductive justice programming for the group Black Women for Wellness .
A lot of the reason may be economic .
With millions of Americans newly unemployed and many industries all but shuttered , many families are deeply uncertain about their financial future — if they can even provide for the present .
The fact that many child care facilities are currently closed and many people are cut off from their extended families may also discourage some people from planning for kids right now .
“ People make long-term @ @ @ @ @ @ @ future , and they put off long-term decisions when they don ’ t , ” Philip Cohen , a sociology professor at the University of Maryland who studies families , told Vox .
But the ability to make reproductive choices also isn ’ t so simple in the pandemic .
Several states , such as Texas , have moved to restrict abortion , categorizing it as nonessential during this time .
Meanwhile , some are having difficulty getting birth control because they ’ ve lost their employer-provided health insurance or because shelter-in-place orders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trip to the pharmacy without family members finding out , Flint said .
And for people who do get pregnant and deliver during this time , the pandemic could exacerbate racial disparities already found in maternal health care .
Overall , when it comes to health care , the pandemic “ has really shown our gaps and where we need to be better , ” Yeh said .
The pandemic — and the economic crisis that comes with it — could change a lot of people ’ s thinking on having kids It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that when people are stuck at home with little to do , there ’ s a spike in pregnancies as a result .
But evidence for that is somewhat limited , according to the New York Times .
One study did find that low-severity storm advisories were associated with a slight uptick in birth rates , but more severe advisories were actually associated with a downturn .
“ If you ’ re running for your life , you ’ re not making babies , ” Richard W. Evans , one of the study @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And the pandemic is unlike any storm .
While some people may be sheltering at home with their partners , some health care workers are actually self-isolating away from their families to avoid infecting them .
And thanks to closures of restaurants , bars , and other businesses to slow the spread of the virus , 22 million people have filed for unemployment since March and the jobless rate is likely the highest it ’ s been since the Great Depression .
With millions of Americans newly unemployed and many industries all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ uncertain about their financial future Unemployment tends to lower birth rates in the short term , Cohen said , and that ’ s likely to be the case with the current crisis as well .
When it comes to having kids , “ people who are unemployed or unstably employed or worried that they might lose their jobs are just likely to put it off , ” he explained .
Some people may also be concerned about what being pregnant and giving birth in the coming year will look like .
A lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus during pregnancy — while it ’ s possible that the virus can pass to a fetus during pregnancy , for example , the effect on newborns appears to be mild .
Meanwhile , circumstances for birthing parents have changed significantly , with hospitals around the country limiting visitors in the delivery room in recent months .
It ’ s hard to predict what the picture will look like for parents-to-be nine months from now , but questions around medical care only add to the uncertainty people are facing when they think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Concerns about the future of child care and school could also have an effect , especially for people who already have at least one child and see how the pandemic has upended their routines .
With schools in all 50 states closed and many day care facilities shuttered as well , parents are in the position of taking care of their children at home and supervising online schooling , all while continuing to work if they ’ re still employed and potentially looking for work if they are not .
That makes it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kids right now , and most likely stressful to contemplate expanding a family .
“ It ’ s hard to imagine people making the decision to have more children in the middle of this , ” Cohen said .
There ’ s already evidence that some people are changing their plans in response to the pandemic .
Black Women for Wellness has been hearing from clinics about an uptick in requests for birth control , Flint said .
Meanwhile , Plan C , a website that offers information about getting abortion pills online @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many shelter-in-place orders were issued , Amy Merrill , the site ’ s digital director , told Vox .
Traffic has dropped somewhat since then , but remains elevated above its pre-pandemic level .
And some abortion providers are reporting an increase in demand for the procedure , with some patients citing fears of giving birth during a pandemic .
Some patients are saying “ having a child right now isn ’ t best for them , ” Meera Shah , chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic , told the Associated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to having children , “ a lot of people are rethinking their lives right now , ” Flint said .
“ The world has changed very dramatically.
” Still , despite those changes , the pandemic has some people wanting to expand their families , even if now may not be the best time .
Amy Klein , for instance , wrote recently at Insider that living under a shelter-in-place order made her wish her daughter had a sibling .
“ When I ’ m stuck inside , coloring or monitoring princess outfit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ hide and seek ’ ( mostly just ‘ hide ’ because sometimes I ’ m working and forget to look for her ) , my heart goes out most to my daughter , ” Klein wrote .
“ At times like these , I feel we ’ re not enough.
” Insley , meanwhile , says she ’ s wrestled with the uncertainties of getting pregnant during this time .
“ I really feel for the moms who are in labor and delivery right now who are only able to have one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
However , she and her husband agreed that especially because they had already put off trying for so long , “ now is the time.
” People are facing barriers to making reproductive decisions right now , whether it ’ s an abortion or IVF Whether they want to conceive or prevent pregnancy , however , Americans are facing additional barriers thanks to the pandemic .
Hormonal birth control , for instance , may be more difficult to access right now for a variety of reasons .
Though employer-based health insurance is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , many of those who lost their jobs in recent weeks lost their insurance as well , Flint said .
“ It ’ s hard to imagine people making the decision to have more children in the middle of this ” And shelter-in-place orders bring with them new privacy concerns .
Some people may not feel safe or comfortable telling parents , partners , or other family members that they are on birth control .
And under normal circumstances , they were able to pick up their prescriptions without other family members finding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way home from work , for example .
But now , with many people staying at home due to the pandemic , “ if you ’ re stepping out of your house , there has to be a reason.
” And people may have difficulty filling their prescriptions due to the added scrutiny .
Others may not want to go to a pharmacy to pick up a prescription for fear of being exposed to the coronavirus .
Perhaps because of such fears , Pill Club , an online birth control delivery service , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to transfer prescriptions from outside pharmacies during one week in March .
Meanwhile , abortion has become more difficult to access in some parts of the country as states restrict the procedure during the pandemic .
Texas Gov .
Greg Abbott , for example , announced in March that abortions did not qualify as essential medical procedures and ordered them postponed unless the life of the pregnant person was threatened .
Last week , Abbott announced that other medical procedures could resume on April 22 but that the ban on abortions would continue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , clinics in Colorado , New Mexico , and Nevada saw a 706 percent increase in patients from Texas after the pandemic began , according to NPR .
But not everyone is able to travel out of state , especially now .
When it comes to abortion , it ’ s likely that “ there are a ton of people who need access who literally just can ’ t get it , ” Flint said .
And those who do want to have a child right now face barriers as well .
Fertility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in-vitro fertilization and other procedures during the pandemic , both to slow the spread of the virus and to conserve medical resources for the fight against it , Katherine Harmon Courage reported for Vox .
That means many people dealing with infertility , as well as many LGBTQ couples who can ’ t conceive a child on their own , have had to put their plans on hold .
Meanwhile , those who want to visit an OB-GYN for preconception testing or to talk about trying to get pregnant may have a hard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical services have been postponed due to the pandemic .
“ If you ’ re trying to get a regular OB-GYN appointment ” to discuss trying to conceive , Flint said , “ it ’ s really hard to get that appointment , if not impossible.
” Prenatal care is also changing , with ultrasounds spaced out in some cases , and other services provided by telemedicine , according to the New York Times .
And once babies are born , it can be hard for parents to get support from family or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which some fear could increase the risk of postpartum depression .
For people who do get pregnant and give birth in the months ahead , advocates are concerned that the pandemic could widen existing inequities .
Black women already die in childbirth at three to four times the rate of white women — likely due to a combination of factors including discrimination by providers and chronic health conditions exacerbated by poverty — and the current crisis could exacerbate the racism women of color experience in the medical system , Flint said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ hear increased reports of pregnant people ’ s birth plans being ignored , she added .
“ In such a time where health professionals are not questioned , ” Flint said , “ there is even more space for abuse.
” Now and in the future , people are going to need support to build the families they want to have The coronavirus pandemic came at a time when many Americans ’ reproductive lives were already tightly constrained by outside forces .
Preventing pregnancy has become more difficult for many low-income Americans in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government strip funding from Planned Parenthood and other providers of contraceptive care .
Recent restrictions on federal family planning funds under the Title X program , for example , have led to a 46 percent reduction in that program ’ s ability to provide contraception to low-income and other underserved patients around the country , according to a study by the Guttmacher Institute .
Abortion , meanwhile , has become increasingly difficult and expensive across much of the South and Midwest in the last 10 years as states have instituted waiting period laws @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans currently live in counties with no abortion clinic , according to Guttmacher .
Those who do want to have children have also run up against difficult economic realities and policies that make it hard to parent .
Birth rates in the United States have been falling since the Great Recession , and many young people cite economic anxieties as the reason they may have fewer children than they would otherwise like to have .
In 2018 , Morning Consult and the New York Times surveyed young adults who had or expected to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : 64 percent cited the expense of child care as the reason , 49 percent cited worries about the economy , and 39 percent mentioned a lack of paid family leave .
Having the family you want to have , when you want to have it , is already a luxury in America , and the pandemic stands to make that even more true .
The threat of the coronavirus has produced worry and uncertainty for everyone , but “ that instability and insecurity that people feel is very inequitably distributed , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are staying home and working from home and the working-class people who are in front-line jobs of various kinds are just having a very different experience right now.
” As a result , low-income Americans may be even more likely than wealthier people to feel that they can ’ t afford to think about having kids right now .
Yet they are also more likely to have a hard time accessing birth control due to job loss or reductions in federal funding .
To help people maintain contraceptive access during this time , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ online services — are offering birth control prescriptions by telemedicine .
States are also asking the Trump administration to lift FDA restrictions so that medication abortions can be prescribed by telemedicine as well .
According to Merrill of Plan C , “ people all across this landscape are trying to understand , what can abortion access look like in the time of Covid and beyond ?
” But telemedicine is another area where the gap between low-income Americans and wealthier people is painfully evident .
“ Not everyone has a smartphone ” or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What we really need to do is be cognizant about those gaps and try to fill them.
” When it comes to feeling financially secure enough to have a child , meanwhile , policies that provide a safety net for parents — from an increased minimum wage to affordable child care — could be more necessary than ever during and after the pandemic , Cohen said .
“ Those things have always been good policy ideas , ” he said .
But assuring people that “ there ’ s a floor below which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said , “ that seems just really crucial right now more than ever.
” Every day 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

One of Jaquelyn Yeh’s patients ran out of birth control when the coronavirus pandemic hit.
She ended up going a week without the medication and having an unplanned pregnancy. Thanks to the economic crisis that has come along with the pandemic, she and her partner are both facing furloughs from their jobs. Yeh, a family medicine physician in Seattle and a fellow with the group Physicians for Reproductive Health, recently met with them via telemedicine to talk about whether they wanted to continue the pregnancy.
“Talking to them about options counseling has been very different,” Yeh said. “They definitely had to weigh their financial strains, which is something they didn’t have to think about a few months ago.”
Yeh is due to follow up with the patient and her partner this week to find out their decision. But whatever happens, they are just two of the countless many around the country whose reproductive lives have already been impacted by the spread of Covid-19.
Initially, shelter-in-place orders around the country gave rise to jokes about a “coronavirus baby boom” — based in part on research showing that births can spike nine months after certain disasters, especially those that require people to stay inside. But already, just weeks after many Americans were told to stay home, it’s clear that the effect of the pandemic on people’s decisions about children — and their ability to make those decisions — is going to be more complicated than that.
Some say the worldwide crisis has inspired them to try for a child. Victoria Insley, for example, told Vox that she and her husband had been trying to conceive but decided to put things on hold after she became unemployed last year. But in March, after about two weeks of social distancing, they decided to start trying again. In part, the pandemic made them realize that “life is short,” Insley told Vox. “We’re not getting any younger.”
But others are making the opposite decision. Clinics are reporting an increase in requests for birth control prescriptions, and providers of abortion medication are seeing increased demand as well, according to Nourbese Flint, policy director and manager of reproductive justice programming for the group Black Women for Wellness.
A lot of the reason may be economic. With millions of Americans newly unemployed and many industries all but shuttered, many families are deeply uncertain about their financial future — if they can even provide for the present. The fact that many child care facilities are currently closed and many people are cut off from their extended families may also discourage some people from planning for kids right now. “People make long-term decisions when they feel certain about the future, and they put off long-term decisions when they don’t,” Philip Cohen, a sociology professor at the University of Maryland who studies families, told Vox.
But the ability to make reproductive choices also isn’t so simple in the pandemic. Several states, such as Texas, have moved to restrict abortion, categorizing it as nonessential during this time. Meanwhile, some are having difficulty getting birth control because they’ve lost their employer-provided health insurance or because shelter-in-place orders mean they can no longer make a trip to the pharmacy without family members finding out, Flint said. And for people who do get pregnant and deliver during this time, the pandemic could exacerbate racial disparities already found in maternal health care.
Overall, when it comes to health care, the pandemic “has really shown our gaps and where we need to be better,” Yeh said.
The pandemic — and the economic crisis that comes with it — could change a lot of people’s thinking on having kids
It’s long been a popular assumption that when people are stuck at home with little to do, there’s a spike in pregnancies as a result. But evidence for that is somewhat limited, according to the New York Times. One study did find that low-severity storm advisories were associated with a slight uptick in birth rates, but more severe advisories were actually associated with a downturn. “If you’re running for your life, you’re not making babies,” Richard W. Evans, one of the study’s authors, told the Times.
And the pandemic is unlike any storm. While some people may be sheltering at home with their partners, some health care workers are actually self-isolating away from their families to avoid infecting them. And thanks to closures of restaurants, bars, and other businesses to slow the spread of the virus, 22 million people have filed for unemployment since March and the jobless rate is likely the highest it’s been since the Great Depression.
With millions of Americans newly unemployed and many industries all but shuttered, many families are deeply uncertain about their financial future
Unemployment tends to lower birth rates in the short term, Cohen said, and that’s likely to be the case with the current crisis as well. When it comes to having kids, “people who are unemployed or unstably employed or worried that they might lose their jobs are just likely to put it off,” he explained.
Some people may also be concerned about what being pregnant and giving birth in the coming year will look like. A lot of questions remain about the risks of the coronavirus during pregnancy — while it’s possible that the virus can pass to a fetus during pregnancy, for example, the effect on newborns appears to be mild. Meanwhile, circumstances for birthing parents have changed significantly, with hospitals around the country limiting visitors in the delivery room in recent months. It’s hard to predict what the picture will look like for parents-to-be nine months from now, but questions around medical care only add to the uncertainty people are facing when they think about expanding their families right now.
Concerns about the future of child care and school could also have an effect, especially for people who already have at least one child and see how the pandemic has upended their routines. With schools in all 50 states closed and many day care facilities shuttered as well, parents are in the position of taking care of their children at home and supervising online schooling, all while continuing to work if they’re still employed and potentially looking for work if they are not. That makes it difficult and stressful to take care of kids right now, and most likely stressful to contemplate expanding a family. “It’s hard to imagine people making the decision to have more children in the middle of this,” Cohen said.
There’s already evidence that some people are changing their plans in response to the pandemic. Black Women for Wellness has been hearing from clinics about an uptick in requests for birth control, Flint said. Meanwhile, Plan C, a website that offers information about getting abortion pills online, saw traffic double in March when many shelter-in-place orders were issued, Amy Merrill, the site’s digital director, told Vox. Traffic has dropped somewhat since then, but remains elevated above its pre-pandemic level.
And some abortion providers are reporting an increase in demand for the procedure, with some patients citing fears of giving birth during a pandemic. Some patients are saying “having a child right now isn’t best for them,” Meera Shah, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic, told the Associated Press.
Overall, when it comes to having children, “a lot of people are rethinking their lives right now,” Flint said. “The world has changed very dramatically.”
Still, despite those changes, the pandemic has some people wanting to expand their families, even if now may not be the best time. Amy Klein, for instance, wrote recently at Insider that living under a shelter-in-place order made her wish her daughter had a sibling. “When I’m stuck inside, coloring or monitoring princess outfit change No. 537, or playing ‘hide and seek’ (mostly just ‘hide’ because sometimes I’m working and forget to look for her), my heart goes out most to my daughter,” Klein wrote. “At times like these, I feel we’re not enough.”
Insley, meanwhile, says she’s wrestled with the uncertainties of getting pregnant during this time. “I really feel for the moms who are in labor and delivery right now who are only able to have one person with them,” she says. However, she and her husband agreed that especially because they had already put off trying for so long, “now is the time.”
People are facing barriers to making reproductive decisions right now, whether it’s an abortion or IVF
Whether they want to conceive or prevent pregnancy, however, Americans are facing additional barriers thanks to the pandemic.
Hormonal birth control, for instance, may be more difficult to access right now for a variety of reasons. Though employer-based health insurance is required to cover contraception with no copay, many of those who lost their jobs in recent weeks lost their insurance as well, Flint said.
“It’s hard to imagine people making the decision to have more children in the middle of this”
And shelter-in-place orders bring with them new privacy concerns. Some people may not feel safe or comfortable telling parents, partners, or other family members that they are on birth control. And under normal circumstances, they were able to pick up their prescriptions without other family members finding out, Flint said — on the way home from work, for example. But now, with many people staying at home due to the pandemic, “if you’re stepping out of your house, there has to be a reason.” And people may have difficulty filling their prescriptions due to the added scrutiny.
Others may not want to go to a pharmacy to pick up a prescription for fear of being exposed to the coronavirus. Perhaps because of such fears, Pill Club, an online birth control delivery service, reported a 30 percent increase in requests to transfer prescriptions from outside pharmacies during one week in March.
Meanwhile, abortion has become more difficult to access in some parts of the country as states restrict the procedure during the pandemic. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, for example, announced in March that abortions did not qualify as essential medical procedures and ordered them postponed unless the life of the pregnant person was threatened. Last week, Abbott announced that other medical procedures could resume on April 22 but that the ban on abortions would continue. As a result of the ban, clinics in Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada saw a 706 percent increase in patients from Texas after the pandemic began, according to NPR.
But not everyone is able to travel out of state, especially now. When it comes to abortion, it’s likely that “there are a ton of people who need access who literally just can’t get it,” Flint said.
And those who do want to have a child right now face barriers as well. Fertility clinics around the country have been postponing in-vitro fertilization and other procedures during the pandemic, both to slow the spread of the virus and to conserve medical resources for the fight against it, Katherine Harmon Courage reported for Vox. That means many people dealing with infertility, as well as many LGBTQ couples who can’t conceive a child on their own, have had to put their plans on hold.
Meanwhile, those who want to visit an OB-GYN for preconception testing or to talk about trying to get pregnant may have a hard time doing so, since many such medical services have been postponed due to the pandemic. “If you’re trying to get a regular OB-GYN appointment” to discuss trying to conceive, Flint said, “it’s really hard to get that appointment, if not impossible.”
Prenatal care is also changing, with ultrasounds spaced out in some cases, and other services provided by telemedicine, according to the New York Times. And once babies are born, it can be hard for parents to get support from family or friends during a time of social distancing, which some fear could increase the risk of postpartum depression.
For people who do get pregnant and give birth in the months ahead, advocates are concerned that the pandemic could widen existing inequities. Black women already die in childbirth at three to four times the rate of white women — likely due to a combination of factors including discrimination by providers and chronic health conditions exacerbated by poverty — and the current crisis could exacerbate the racism women of color experience in the medical system, Flint said. Black Women for Wellness is starting to hear increased reports of pregnant people’s birth plans being ignored, she added. “In such a time where health professionals are not questioned,” Flint said, “there is even more space for abuse.”
Now and in the future, people are going to need support to build the families they want to have
The coronavirus pandemic came at a time when many Americans’ reproductive lives were already tightly constrained by outside forces. Preventing pregnancy has become more difficult for many low-income Americans in recent years as states and the federal government strip funding from Planned Parenthood and other providers of contraceptive care. Recent restrictions on federal family planning funds under the Title X program, for example, have led to a 46 percent reduction in that program’s ability to provide contraception to low-income and other underserved patients around the country, according to a study by the Guttmacher Institute.
Abortion, meanwhile, has become increasingly difficult and expensive across much of the South and Midwest in the last 10 years as states have instituted waiting period laws and clinic restrictions. Eighty-nine percent of Americans currently live in counties with no abortion clinic, according to Guttmacher.
Those who do want to have children have also run up against difficult economic realities and policies that make it hard to parent. Birth rates in the United States have been falling since the Great Recession, and many young people cite economic anxieties as the reason they may have fewer children than they would otherwise like to have. In 2018, Morning Consult and the New York Times surveyed young adults who had or expected to have fewer kids than they considered ideal: 64 percent cited the expense of child care as the reason, 49 percent cited worries about the economy, and 39 percent mentioned a lack of paid family leave.
Having the family you want to have, when you want to have it, is already a luxury in America, and the pandemic stands to make that even more true. The threat of the coronavirus has produced worry and uncertainty for everyone, but “that instability and insecurity that people feel is very inequitably distributed,” Cohen said. “The professionals who are staying home and working from home and the working-class people who are in front-line jobs of various kinds are just having a very different experience right now.”
As a result, low-income Americans may be even more likely than wealthier people to feel that they can’t afford to think about having kids right now. Yet they are also more likely to have a hard time accessing birth control due to job loss or reductions in federal funding.
To help people maintain contraceptive access during this time, some providers — and a number of online services — are offering birth control prescriptions by telemedicine. States are also asking the Trump administration to lift FDA restrictions so that medication abortions can be prescribed by telemedicine as well. According to Merrill of Plan C, “people all across this landscape are trying to understand, what can abortion access look like in the time of Covid and beyond?”
But telemedicine is another area where the gap between low-income Americans and wealthier people is painfully evident. “Not everyone has a smartphone” or internet access, Yeh said. “What we really need to do is be cognizant about those gaps and try to fill them.”
When it comes to feeling financially secure enough to have a child, meanwhile, policies that provide a safety net for parents — from an increased minimum wage to affordable child care — could be more necessary than ever during and after the pandemic, Cohen said. “Those things have always been good policy ideas,” he said. But assuring people that “there’s a floor below which you won’t fall,” he said, “that seems just really crucial right now more than ever.”


vox--2020-04-21--Trump just said the US has done more coronavirus testing than the rest of the world. Not even close.

President Donald Trump made a number of false and misleading claims on Tuesday to advance his case that the US is not only over the worst of the coronavirus outbreak , but nearing the point of being ready to reopen for business .
Most concerning was his insistence that the US has mastered what public health experts say must be step one to reopening : widespread testing .
The US ’ s daily testing capacity has been flat for about a month , and experts say it needs to triple before it ’ ll be truly safe to reopen businesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ however , the US has actually conducted more tests than all other countries combined .
“ I think I read yesterday a report that we ’ ve done more than everybody — every other country — combined , ” Trump said at one more on Tuesday , adding later : “ We ’ ve tested more than every other country in the world even put together.
” This is a whopper .
According to Worldometer , a site that tracks coronavirus data by country , the US has in fact done more testing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data — the number of tests conducted in China , for instance , isn ’ t available — but we ’ re nowhere close to doing more testing than all other countries combined .
Well over 20 million tests have been conducted across the world , and just over 4 million have them have been done in the United States .
So Trump ’ s claim isn ’ t even close to correct .
And it also overlooks that while the raw number of tests conducted in America sounds impressive , it lags @ @ @ @ @ @ @ terms of tests per one million people .
The reality is that while US coronavirus deaths are growing at a slower rate than they were a week ago , it ’ s still too early to say whether the worst is already in the rearview mirror .
But with the economy in ruins and a tough reelection fight on the horizon , Trump has reasons to reopen businesses quickly .
Characteristically , they don ’ t jibe with reality .
Perhaps Trump ’ s most egregious lie on Tuesday was saved for his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ encouraged in states like Michigan , Minnesota , and Virginia — protests that are essentially against his own policies .
“ I ’ ve watched some of the protests , ” Trump said .
“ They ’ re separated , there ’ s a lot of space in between .
They ’ re doing social distancing , if you can believe it.
” Fox News ’ s coverage , however , has made it abundantly clear that many of the protesters are not only not social distancing , but seemingly thumbing their nose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ friends , family , and neighbors in danger of contracting the virus .
Consider this screengrab from Fox ’ s coverage of a North Carolina protest on Tuesday — coverage that led the noon hour : These stills from last Friday ’ s coverage also show protesters packed together in a manner that could spread the virus .
Trump , however , seems willing to say whatever it takes to make reopening business at this juncture seem like a reasonable option , and he ’ s getting help from other members of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effort .
On Tuesday , for instance , task force coordinate Dr. Deborah Birx made a case that Georgia Gov .
Brian Kemp ’ s ( R ) move to reopen hair salons and tattoo parlors as soon as this weekend could make sense — if workers are able to give haircuts or tattoo people while remaining socially distanced .
“ If there ’ s a way that people can social distance and do those things , then they can do those things , ” Birx said .
“ I don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump was asked how people in South Carolina could be protected from the governor of Georgia ’ s decision if it turns out to be a bad one .
“ We ’ re going to find out , ” he said in response .
The news moves fast .
To stay updated , follow Aaron Rupar on Twitter , and read more of Vox ’ s policy and politics coverage .

President Donald Trump made a number of false and misleading claims on Tuesday to advance his case that the US is not only over the worst of the coronavirus outbreak, but nearing the point of being ready to reopen for business.
Most concerning was his insistence that the US has mastered what public health experts say must be step one to reopening: widespread testing. The US’s daily testing capacity has been flat for about a month, and experts say it needs to triple before it’ll be truly safe to reopen businesses.
To hear Trump tell it, however, the US has actually conducted more tests than all other countries combined.
“I think I read yesterday a report that we’ve done more than everybody — every other country — combined,” Trump said on Tuesday, adding later: “We’ve tested more than every other country in the world even put together.”
Asked why the federal government hasn't lived up to Pence's promises about testing, Trump lies and says the US has tested more than all other countries combined (this is not true) pic.twitter.com/QmpvxnB0Mq — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 21, 2020
This is a whopper. According to Worldometer, a site that tracks coronavirus data by country, the US has, in fact, done more testing than any other individual country that reports data — the number of tests conducted in China, for instance, isn’t available — but the US is nowhere close to doing more testing than all other countries combined. Well over 20 million tests have been conducted across the world, and just over 4 million have been done in the United States.
So Trump’s claim isn’t even close to correct. It also overlooks that while the raw number of tests conducted in America sounds impressive, it lags behind countries like Germany and Canada in terms of tests per one million people.
The reality is that while US coronavirus deaths are growing at a slower rate than they were a week ago, it’s still too early to say whether the worst is already in the rearview mirror.
NEW: Tue 21 April update of coronavirus trajectories
Daily deaths:
• Still too early to say if US has peaked
• Beginning to look like UK has
• But descents look much slower than ascents
• Successes in dark blue: Australia, Norway, Austria
Live charts https://t.co/JxVd2cG7KI pic.twitter.com/jHrg49Uamp — John Burn-Murdoch (@jburnmurdoch) April 21, 2020
But with the economy in ruins and a tough reelection fight on the horizon, Trump has reasons to reopen businesses quickly. Characteristically, they don’t jibe with reality.
Perhaps Trump’s most egregious lie on Tuesday was saved for his comments about anti-stay-at-home protests he’s encouraged in states like Michigan, Minnesota, and Virginia — protests that are essentially against his own policies.
“I’ve watched some of the protests,” Trump said. “They’re separated, there’s a lot of space in between. They’re doing social distancing, if you can believe it.”
Trump on anti-stay-at-home protests: "They're separated, there's a lot of space in between. They're doing social distancing, if you can believe it." (Many protesters are not doing social distancing.) pic.twitter.com/NEiReWWFYI — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 21, 2020
Fox News’s coverage, however, has made it abundantly clear that many of the protesters are not only not social distancing, but seemingly thumbing their nose at the notion and thereby putting their friends, family, and neighbors in danger of contracting the virus.
Consider this screengrab from Fox’s coverage of a North Carolina protest on Tuesday — coverage that led the noon hour:
These stills from last Friday’s coverage also show protesters packed together in a manner that could spread the virus.
Fox News just showed a protest against social distancing with someone holding a sign saying "COVID-19 IS A LIE" pic.twitter.com/mcgVBJy9DZ — John Whitehouse (@existentialfish) April 17, 2020
Trump, however, seems willing to say whatever it takes to make reopening business at this juncture seem like a reasonable option, and he’s getting help from other members of the White House coronavirus task force in this effort.
On Tuesday, for instance, task force coordinate Dr. Deborah Birx made the case that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s (R) move to reopen hair salons and tattoo parlors as soon as this weekend could make sense — if workers are able to give haircuts or tattoo people while remaining socially distanced.
“If there’s a way that people can social distance and do those things, then they can do those things,” Birx said. “I don’t know how.”
Asked how it's possible for hair salons and tattoo parlors in Georgia to reopen, Birx says "if there's a way that people can social distance and do those things, then they can do those things. I don't know how." pic.twitter.com/Qx7YgPUPSV — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 21, 2020
At another point, Trump was asked how people in South Carolina could be protected from the governor of Georgia’s decision if it turns out to be a bad one. “We’re going to find out,” he said in response.


vox--2020-04-21--Netflix had the best quarter in its history because of the pandemic

What happens when a pandemic forces most of the world to stay home ?
And if they don ’ t have Netflix , they sign up for Netflix .
That ’ s why Netflix added more subscribers during the coronavirus pandemic than any other quarter in its history .
In its quarterly earnings report on Tuesday , the streaming video company said it now has 183 million customers around the world , and that its leap in subscribers was driven entirely by the worldwide lockdown .
The question is what that behavior means for Netflix , and for other companies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s not surprising that Netflix saw a surge of viewing , because we don ’ t have to step outside our shelters to test that theory — you either watched Tiger King , like 64 million other people , or you knew that lots of other people watched the true crime series about deeply weird tiger fans .
Much more important is the sneak peek Netflix provides of the test all consumer companies will be facing for the next couple of years : In a ravaged economy — in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have filed for unemployment in the US alone — are we selling something people will buy ?
Like everything else about the pandemic , anyone who tells you they know a definitive answer is almost certainly lying .
“ We don ’ t use the terms “ guess ” and “ guesswork ” lightly , ” Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said during his company ’ s conference call .
“ We use them because it ’ s a bunch of us feeling the wind.
” For now , Netflix has something millions of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 21 , when much of the world still hadn ’ t realized the threat the coronavirus posed , the company told Wall Street it expected to add 7 million new subscribers in the first three months of 2020 .
Instead it added nearly 16 million , and all of that unexpected growth came in March , when governments around the world told their citizens to stay home .
In a letter to investors , Hastings says he thinks the company could add another 7.5 million subscribers next quarter .
But , again , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The actual Q2 numbers could end up well below or well above that , depending on many factors including when people can go back to their social lives in various countries and how much people take a break from television after the lockdown.
” Hastings also figures that some of the customers he signed up in March would have signed up later in the year , which means that the company ’ s numbers in the summer and fall might be lower than he had projected before .
We will see how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next few weeks , as they provide their own updates .
Hundreds of them have already told Wall Street that they don ’ t have any idea about what to expect .
Netflix may well prove to be one of the few companies that is booming during the pandemic , because it is different than many other consumer-facing businesses : It ’ s an internet-only business that hasn ’ t had to interrupt its service in any way , and it ’ s a subscription-based business that doesn ’ t make any money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t have to worry about the collapse of that industry .
Netflix is also , for now , in a good position to ride out the pandemic : While it has billions in debt , it is generating lots of cash each month from its subscribers .
It is already using some of that money to buy stuff from other media companies whose businesses have been disrupted by the coronavirus : On Tuesday , it announced that it had bought Enola Holmes , an adventure movie that AT & T ’ s Warner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; it had already bought Lovebirds , a movie that Paramount was supposed to show in theaters earlier this year , but had to shelve .
Netflix had been preparing to spend the year talking about competition from new streaming services like Disney+ and Quibi , and upcoming ones like HBO Max and Peacock .
Now Wall Street is more worried that Netflix will at some point run out of stuff to show its subscribers .
That could be a real issue for Netflix , since like every other TV network and movie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ production on almost all of the stuff it had in the works .
( There are some exceptions : Netflix has animators working at home on some projects .
Some shows and movies , like a new season of The Crown , have already finished filming , and Netflix thinks it can continue post-production work on those remotely too .
The company also said on Tuesday that it has actually resumed production in South Korea and Iceland . )
Hastings thinks Netflix has more stuff in its library than his competitors in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be better off regardless .
But he doesn ’ t know : “ Since we have a large library with thousands of titles for viewing and very strong recommendations , our member satisfaction may be less impacted than our peers ’ by a shortage of new content , ” he wrote .
“ But it will take time to tell .
”

What happens when a pandemic forces most of the world to stay home?
They watch Netflix.
And if they don’t have Netflix, they sign up for Netflix.
That’s why Netflix added more subscribers during the coronavirus pandemic than during any other quarter in its history. In its quarterly earnings report on Tuesday, the streaming video company said it now has 183 million customers around the world and that its leap in subscribers was driven entirely by the worldwide lockdown.
The question is what that behavior means for Netflix and for other companies around the world during an economic crisis.
It’s not surprising that Netflix saw a surge in viewing, because people don’t have to step outside their shelters to test that theory — you either watched Tiger King, like 64 million other people, or you knew that lots of other people watched the true crime series about deeply weird tiger fans.
Much more important is the sneak peek Netflix provides of the test all consumer companies will be facing for the next couple of years: In a ravaged economy — in the last four weeks, 22 million people have filed for unemployment in the US alone — are we selling something people will buy?
Like everything else about the pandemic, anyone who tells you they know a definitive answer is almost certainly lying.
“We don’t use the terms “guess” and “guesswork” lightly,” Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said during his company’s conference call. “We use them because it’s a bunch of us feeling the wind.”
For now, Netflix has something millions of people want to buy. On January 21, when much of the world still hadn’t realized the threat the coronavirus posed, the company told Wall Street it expected to add 7 million new subscribers in the first three months of 2020. Instead, it added nearly 16 million, and all of that unexpected growth came in March, when governments around the world told their citizens to stay home.
In a letter to investors, Hastings says he thinks the company could add another 7.5 million subscribers next quarter. But, again, he doesn’t really know: “The actual Q2 numbers could end up well below or well above that, depending on many factors including when people can go back to their social lives in various countries and how much people take a break from television after the lockdown.”
Hastings also figures that some of the customers he signed up in March would have signed up later in the year, which means that the company’s numbers in the summer and fall might be lower than what he projected before.
It remains to be seen how other companies will describe consumer behavior over the next few weeks as they provide their own updates. Hundreds of them have already told Wall Street that they don’t have any idea about what to expect.
Netflix may well prove to be one of the few companies that is booming during the pandemic because it is different from many other consumer-facing businesses: It’s an internet-only business that hasn’t had to interrupt its service in any way, and it’s a subscription-based business that doesn’t make any money from advertising so it doesn’t have to worry about the collapse of that industry.
Netflix is also, for now, in a good position to ride out the pandemic: While it has billions in debt, it is generating lots of cash each month from its subscribers.
It is already using some of that money to buy stuff from other media companies whose businesses have been disrupted by the coronavirus: On Tuesday, it announced that it had bought Enola Holmes, an adventure movie that AT&T’s Warner Bros had planned on showing in theaters; it had already bought Lovebirds, a movie that Paramount was supposed to show in theaters earlier this year but had to shelve.
Netflix had been preparing to spend the year talking about competition from new streaming services like Disney+ and Quibi, and upcoming ones like HBO Max and Peacock. Now, Wall Street is more worried that Netflix will at some point run out of stuff to show its subscribers.
That could be a real issue for Netflix, since like every other TV network and movie studio, it has had to stop production on almost all of the stuff it had in the works. (There are some exceptions: Netflix has animators working at home on some projects. Some shows and movies, like a new season of The Crown, have already finished filming, and Netflix thinks it can continue post-production work on those remotely, too. The company also said on Tuesday that it has actually resumed production in South Korea and Iceland.)
Hastings thinks Netflix has more stuff in its library than his competitors in the streaming world, so he’ll be better off regardless.
But he doesn’t know: “Since we have a large library with thousands of titles for viewing and very strong recommendations, our member satisfaction may be less impacted than our peers’ by a shortage of new content,” he wrote. “But it will take time to tell.”


vox--2020-04-21--What reopening will look like in Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee

President Donald Trump and other conservative leaders have been calling for states to ease social distancing guidelines and reopen the economy since the White House released its “ Opening Up America Again ” plan last Thursday , and it appears that three states — Georgia , South Carolina , and Tennessee — will be the first to do so .
What that reopening will look like in each state is variable .
Some , like Georgia , are charging ahead more quickly and will allow restaurants to be open for limited dine-in service on April 27 .
Tennessee , meanwhile @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its reopening plans at all .
But there are some unifying themes .
Most outdoor spaces like beaches and state parks will open in each state .
Another big similarity : the uncertainty of just how many establishments will listen to the governors and return to business as usual .
The three states going first to reopen haven ’ t necessarily been as hard hit as New York or Illinois , but they have by no means gotten off lightly in the pandemic .
As of Tuesday afternoon , Tennessee had 7,238 confirmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirmed cases and 774 deaths ; and South Carolina , 4,439 confirmed cases and 124 deaths .
And it ’ s not clear that any of them have achieved any of Trump ’ s guidelines to begin reopening , which call for several key measures to be met , including a downward trajectory in confirmed cases of Covid-19 , the disease caused by the novel coronavirus , over a 14-day period .
Reopening too early or haphazardly could trigger a resurgence in cases — and deaths — from the virus .
Even if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lives , it ’ s not a guarantee that the people will follow their lead .
A Gallup poll released last Tuesday showed that just 20 percent of US adults would resume normal activity right away once shelter-in-place orders are lifted , while 71 percent said they ’ d take a wait-and-see approach and 10 percent said they ’ d continue remaining at home .
That being said , here ’ s exactly what each state is allowing in its reopening .
First-term Republican Gov .
Brian Kemp was one of the last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his state , and he will be one of the first to lift it .
Public health officials criticized the governor for the hasty reopening , saying the state does not meet the White House criteria to do so .
According to an executive order released Monday , Kemp will lift the state ’ s restrictions for large swaths of the economy in three swift steps .
Consistent with the governor ’ s previous shelter-in-place order , businesses are required to maintain “ minimum basic operations , ” which includes staying open to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
• Medical facilities providing nonessential care , which , per the order , “ should begin treating patients as soon as practicable ” • Restaurants and other dine-in facilities , and movie theaters All businesses choosing to reopen must observe social distancing and hand-washing guidelines and monitor employees for signs of respiratory illness or fever over 100.4 .
Any employee displaying symptoms must stay at home .
Employees must be provided with Personal Protective Equipment whenever necessary to complete their jobs .
Further , no business may allow more than 10 people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a time and everyone must maintain at least 6 feet of separation between themselves and another person .
The guidelines are responsible , but some are fairly labor- or cost-intensive .
As a result , some businesses may choose to remain closed , but they ’ ll no longer be required to .
The state ’ s shelter-at-home order expires at the end of April and Kemp has said that he will not renew it .
Republican Gov .
Henry McMaster announced Monday that he would take an aggressive approach to reopening the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House standards for beginning the process .
“ We want to be able to slingshot around the competition and get back up to full speed as soon as we can , ” he told reporters Monday .
It appears that South Carolina ’ s guidelines for employees of reopened businesses aren ’ t quite as protective as neighboring Georgia , and the state will allow more business sectors to open sooner , according to McMaster ’ s executive order .
• Department stores , with the exception of hardware and home-improvement stores @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , McMaster requires that businesses maintain social distancing guidelines that might make it economically unsound for some businesses to reopen .
Any that choose to are prohibited from having more than five customers per 1,000 square feet of floor space , or 20 percent of maximum capacity according to the local fire marshall .
Additionally , businesses must ensure that customers maintain at least 6 feet of space between themselves and other people in the establishment and must thoroughly sanitize public spaces in accordance with CDC and state and local health guidelines .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he would not be extending his previously issued “ safer-at-home ” order , which expires at the end of the month .
By letting the order expire , businesses in 89 of the state ’ s 95 counties will be allowed to begin reopening .
Lee ’ s order only applied to states that are overseen by Tennessee ’ s Department of Health .
It will be a different situation in Davidson , Hamilton , Knox , Madison , Shelby , and Sullivan counties , which are home to the state ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city health departments .
Each city ’ s health department will make its own decision on when — and how — to reopen .
“ Our Economic Recovery Group is working with industry leaders around the clock so that some businesses can open as soon as Monday , April 27 , ” Lee told reporters Monday .
“ These businesses will open according to specific guidance that we will provide in accordance with state and national experts in both medicine and business.
” Some businesses ( details are still being worked out by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and are expected to be released later this week ) Every day 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

President Donald Trump and other conservative leaders have been calling for states to ease social distancing guidelines and reopen the economy since the White House released its “Opening Up America Again” plan last Thursday, and it appears that three states — Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee — will be the first to do so.
What that reopening will look like in each state is variable. Some, like Georgia, are charging ahead more quickly and will allow restaurants to be open for limited dine-in service on April 27. Tennessee, meanwhile, has released very few details on its reopening plans at all.
But there are some unifying themes. Most outdoor spaces like beaches and state parks will open in each state.
Another big similarity: the uncertainty of just how many establishments will listen to the governors and return to business as usual.
The three states going first to reopen haven’t necessarily been as hard hit as New York or Illinois, but they have by no means gotten off lightly in the pandemic. As of Tuesday afternoon, Tennessee had 7,238 confirmed cases and 152 deaths; Georgia 19,398 confirmed cases and 774 deaths; and South Carolina, 4,439 confirmed cases and 124 deaths.
And it’s not clear that any of them have achieved any of Trump’s guidelines to begin reopening, which call for several key measures to be met, including a downward trajectory in confirmed cases of Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, over a 14-day period. Reopening too early or haphazardly could trigger a resurgence in cases — and deaths — from the virus.
Even if leaders encourage people to resume their normal lives, it’s not a guarantee that the people will follow their lead. A Gallup poll released last Tuesday showed that just 20 percent of US adults would resume normal activity right away once shelter-in-place orders are lifted, while 71 percent said they’d take a wait-and-see approach and 10 percent said they’d continue remaining at home.
That being said, here’s exactly what each state is allowing in its reopening.
Georgia
First-term Republican Gov. Brian Kemp was one of the last governors to impose a shelter-in-place order on his state, and he will be one of the first to lift it. Public health officials criticized the governor for the hasty reopening, saying the state does not meet the White House criteria to do so.
According to an executive order released Monday, Kemp will lift the state’s restrictions for large swaths of the economy in three swift steps. Consistent with the governor’s previous shelter-in-place order, businesses are required to maintain “minimum basic operations,” which includes staying open to the public subject to social distancing requirements.
Opening immediately:
Medical facilities providing nonessential care, which, per the order, “should begin treating patients as soon as practicable”
Opening Friday, April 24:
Bowling alleys, gyms, tattoo parlors, and barber shops, nail care technicians, beauticians, and massage therapists
Opening Monday, April 27:
Restaurants and other dine-in facilities, and movie theaters
All businesses choosing to reopen must observe social distancing and hand-washing guidelines and monitor employees for signs of respiratory illness or fever over 100.4. Any employee displaying symptoms must stay at home. Employees must be provided with Personal Protective Equipment whenever necessary to complete their jobs.
Further, no business may allow more than 10 people to gather in a single location at a time and everyone must maintain at least 6 feet of separation between themselves and another person.
The guidelines are responsible, but some are fairly labor- or cost-intensive. As a result, some businesses may choose to remain closed, but they’ll no longer be required to. The state’s shelter-at-home order expires at the end of April and Kemp has said that he will not renew it.
South Carolina
Republican Gov. Henry McMaster announced Monday that he would take an aggressive approach to reopening the state, despite not having met the White House standards for beginning the process.
“We want to be able to slingshot around the competition and get back up to full speed as soon as we can,” he told reporters Monday.
It appears that South Carolina’s guidelines for employees of reopened businesses aren’t quite as protective as neighboring Georgia, and the state will allow more business sectors to open sooner, according to McMaster’s executive order.
Opened as of Monday, April 20:
Beaches, public piers, docks, and wharfs
Open as of Tuesday, April 21:
Furniture and home-furnishings stores
Clothing, shoe, and clothing-accessory stores
Jewelry, luggage, and leather goods stores
Department stores, with the exception of hardware and home-improvement stores
Sporting goods stores
Book, craft, and music stores
Flea markets
Florists and flower stores
But as with Georgia’s order, McMaster requires that businesses maintain social distancing guidelines that might make it economically unsound for some businesses to reopen. Any that choose to are prohibited from having more than five customers per 1,000 square feet of floor space, or 20 percent of maximum capacity according to the local fire marshall.
Additionally, businesses must ensure that customers maintain at least 6 feet of space between themselves and other people in the establishment and must thoroughly sanitize public spaces in accordance with CDC and state and local health guidelines.
Tennessee
Republican Gov. Bill Lee announced Monday that he would not be extending his previously issued “safer-at-home” order, which expires at the end of the month. By letting the order expire, businesses in 89 of the state’s 95 counties will be allowed to begin reopening. Lee’s order only applied to states that are overseen by Tennessee’s Department of Health.
It will be a different situation in Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, Madison, Shelby, and Sullivan counties, which are home to the state’s biggest cities and have their own city health departments. Each city’s health department will make its own decision on when — and how — to reopen.
“Our Economic Recovery Group is working with industry leaders around the clock so that some businesses can open as soon as Monday, April 27,” Lee told reporters Monday. “These businesses will open according to specific guidance that we will provide in accordance with state and national experts in both medicine and business.”
Opening Friday, April 24:
State parks
Opening Monday, April 27:
Some businesses (details are still being worked out by the governor’s economy recovery team and are expected to be released later this week)


vox--2020-04-21--Trump’s executive order to stop issuing green cards temporarily, explained

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday night that he will sign an executive order temporarily suspending the issuance of green cards , saying it ’ s needed to protect American jobs amid an unemployment crisis brought on by the coronavirus pandemic .
Earlier drafts of the executive order would have also suspended the issuance of new visas .
But the New York Times reported that Trump ultimately decided against doing so after pushback from business groups that rely on foreign workers , particularly in the tech sector .
Under the executive order , American citizens will still be able to apply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ children and spouses , according to the Times .
But the families of existing green card holders and those applying for green cards through their employer will not be able to do so for a period of 60 days .
Roughly 577,000 immigrants were granted green cards between October 2018 and October 2019 .
“ As we move forward , we ’ ll examine what additional immigration-related measures should be put in place to protect US workers , ” Trump said during a press conference on Tuesday .
“ We want to protect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we move forward , we will become more and more protective of them.
” Trump had already shut down many parts of the immigration system prior to announcing the executive order : Migrants on the southern border are being turned away and foreign consulates are no longer processing visas .
Travelers from China and Europe are banned from entering the US .
But on Monday night , he signaled that he wanted to go further : “ In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy , as well as the need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Citizens , I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States !
” Trump tweeted .
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany claimed in a statement on Tuesday that the action was necessary “ at a time when Americans are looking to get back to work.
” As the coronavirus pandemic and the associated economic fallout has worsened , the Trump administration has shied away from aggressive action on addressing issues with testing and shortages of medical equipment .
It has been much less reluctant to crack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to advance the restrictionist immigration policies the president has pursued for years .
The Trump administration has already restricted immigration amid the pandemic .
The executive order goes a step further in curtailing legal immigration .
In March , the State Department suspended routine visa processing at its consulates and embassies abroad , which has significantly slowed legal immigration .
Some 9.2 million visas were issued at consulates and embassies abroad in 2019 .
The US ’ s borders with Canada and Mexico are also closed to nonessential travel .
The Trump administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turn away migrants arriving on the southern border during the pandemic .
Migrants from Mexico , Guatemala , El Salvador , and Honduras are processed in the field rather than inside US Border Patrol stations , and , without so much as a medical exam , are sent back to Mexico in an average of 96 minutes , the Texas Tribune reported .
The administration had further postponed all court dates prior to April 22 for migrants in the “ Remain in Mexico ” program who have been sent back to Mexico while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asylum applications in the US .
Their applications will now be delayed .
Trump also restricted travel from China and Europe , which he has repeatedly touted as key to keeping coronavirus at bay in the US .
The US , however , now has more reported coronavirus cases than any other country in the world , even though testing capacity is still well below that of some other developed countries .
All of these restrictions taken together have already made it much more difficult for legal immigrants applying for visas abroad , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and citizens of China and Europe to come to the US .
Trump ’ s executive order will now block , at least for the next two months , those looking to settle in the US permanently , whether they ’ re applying for green cards abroad or in the US .
Essential industries can still rely on immigrants Workers in essential fields will still be able to obtain visas under the executive order .
That ’ s particularly critical given concerns about labor shortages in health care and agriculture .
As patient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health care workers are unable to show up for work , either because they contract the virus or because they have to self-quarantine , many hospitals are facing staff shortages .
The US health system already relies heavily on immigrants , who make up 17 percent of all health care workers and more than 25 percent of all doctors .
And some states have sought to increase staff by waiving licensing requirements for foreign medical school graduates so they can contribute to the coronavirus response .
Farmers have also been voicing concerns about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could threaten the food supply .
They rely on seasonal agricultural workers , many of whom come to the US from Mexico on H-2A visas .
The US State Department recently eased restrictions on these workers , who numbered more than 250,000 in 2019 , eliminating requirements that they show up for in-person interviews .
That means that farms should still be able to access these workers , despite the fact that the agency shut down visa processing across Mexico .
The Department of Homeland Security also announced last week that it would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employers and stay in the US beyond the three-year period that their visas remain valid .
Still , farmers worry about visa processing delays and about the prospect that fewer workers may want to risk coming to the US this year amid the pandemic .
Every day 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 : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ 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 , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday night temporarily suspending the issuance of green cards to immigrants abroad, saying it’s needed to protect American jobs amid an unemployment crisis brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier drafts of the executive order would have also suspended the issuance of new visas. But the New York Times reported that Trump ultimately decided against it after pushback from business groups that rely on foreign workers, particularly in the tech sector.
Under the executive order, American citizens are still able to apply for green cards on behalf of their minor children and spouses, and immigrants residing in the US can convert their existing visas into green cards. But immigrants living abroad, including the family members of green card holders and adult children of US citizens, won’t be granted green cards for a period of 60 days unless they are seeking to enter the US to perform an essential job in the health care sector. Roughly 358,000 green card applications could be affected.
“As we move forward, we’ll examine what additional immigration-related measures should be put in place to protect US workers,” Trump said during a press conference on Tuesday. “We want to protect our US workers and I think as we move forward, we will become more and more protective of them.”
Trump had already shut down many parts of the immigration system prior to announcing the executive order: Migrants on the southern border are being turned away, and foreign consulates are no longer processing visas. Travelers from China and Europe are banned from entering the US.
But on Monday night, he signaled that he wanted to go further: “In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!” Trump tweeted.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany claimed in a statement on Tuesday that the action was necessary “at a time when Americans are looking to get back to work.”
As the coronavirus pandemic and the associated economic fallout has worsened, the Trump administration has shied away from aggressive action on addressing issues with testing and shortages of medical equipment. It has been much less reluctant to crack down on immigration — seizing the opportunity to advance the restrictionist policies the president has pursued for years.
Trump has already significantly restricted immigration
The Trump administration had already restricted immigration amid the pandemic. The executive order goes a step further in curtailing legal immigration.
In March, the State Department suspended routine visa processing at its consulates and embassies abroad, which has significantly slowed legal immigration. Some 9.2 million visas were issued at consulates and embassies abroad in 2019.
The US’s borders with Canada and Mexico are closed to nonessential travel.
The Trump administration has also implemented a system to swiftly turn away migrants arriving on the southern border during the pandemic. Migrants from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras are processed in the field rather than inside US Border Patrol stations, and without so much as a medical exam, they’re sent back to Mexico in an average of 96 minutes, the Texas Tribune reported.
The administration had further postponed all court dates prior to April 22 for migrants in the “Remain in Mexico” program who have been sent back to Mexico while they wait for the outcome of their asylum applications in the US. Their applications will now be delayed.
Trump also restricted travel from China and Europe, which he has repeatedly touted as key to keeping the coronavirus at bay in the US. The US, however, now has more reported coronavirus cases than any other country in the world, and testing capacity is still well below that of some other developed countries.
All of these restrictions taken together have already made it much more difficult for legal immigrants applying for visas abroad, asylum seekers at the southern border, and citizens of China and Europe to come to the US. Trump’s executive order will now block, at least for the next two months, those looking to settle in the US permanently, if they’re applying for green cards abroad.
Essential industries can still rely on immigrants
Workers in essential fields will still be able to obtain visas under the executive order. That’s particularly critical given concerns about labor shortages in health care and agriculture.
As patient demand continues to increase nationwide and with more health care workers unable to show up for work, either because they contract the virus or because they have to self-quarantine, many hospitals are facing staff shortages.
The US health system already relies heavily on immigrants, who make up 17 percent of all health care workers and more than 25 percent of all doctors. And some states have sought to increase staff by waiving licensing requirements for foreign medical school graduates so they can contribute to the coronavirus response.
Farmers have also been voicing concerns about potential labor shortages that could threaten the food supply. They rely on seasonal agricultural workers, many of whom come to the US from Mexico on H-2A visas.
The US State Department recently eased restrictions on these workers, who numbered more than 250,000 in 2019, eliminating requirements that they show up for in-person interviews. This means that farms should still be able to access these workers, despite the fact that the agency shut down visa processing across Mexico. The Department of Homeland Security also announced last week that it would allow H-2A workers to more easily switch employers and stay in the US beyond the three-year period their visas remain valid.
Still, farmers worry about visa processing delays and the prospect that fewer workers may want to risk coming to the US this year amid the pandemic.


vox--2020-04-21--The Senate just passed a $480 billion “interim” stimulus bill to tide over small businesses

After weeks of infighting , the Senate has passed another deal aimed at tiding over small businesses during this economic downturn .
The legislation , which lawmakers are describing as an “ interim ” spending package before the next major stimulus bill , includes roughly $ 480 billion in funding , $ 380 billion of which is dedicated to small business loan programs .
It ’ s a much-needed boost for hundreds of thousands of small businesses , as the money that Congress previously allocated for forgivable loans and grants has run out .
It ’ s worth noting , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loopholes that enable larger corporations — like Ruth ’ s Chris Steak House — to apply for these loans still remain .
In addition to the funds for small business loans , this bill also includes $ 75 billion for hospitals — which are experiencing severe revenue shortfalls as they combat the coronavirus — and $ 25 billion to establish testing programs , money that experts say is much needed in order to build out the country ’ s testing capacity .
This package doesn ’ t contain , however , several priorities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as additional funding for states and cities that are also struggling financially during this crisis .
These omissions have prompted some progressive members , including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D-NY ) , to signal opposition to the proposal .
“ We have not seen the final text of this bill , but what I can say is that if it matches up with what has been reported , I will not support this bill personally , ” Ocasio-Cortez said on Monday .
The size of this “ interim ” spending bill , while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stimulus that passed in March , is still significant : In 2009 , the entire cost of the Recovery Act was pegged at around $ 840 billion .
The bill now heads to the House , which is slated to consider it as soon as Thursday .
If it ’ s approved there , lawmakers will turn their attention to the next stimulus package , which Democrats are pushing to include more comprehensive support for essential workers along with funding for states .
“ As soon as [ the interim bill ] has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advance CARES 2 , which must be transformative and far-reaching , ” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement .
What the bill contains Due to Democratic pressure , the “ interim ” funding bill has expanded notably since Senate Republicans ’ initial proposal .
The original Republican offer , announced roughly two weeks ago , was limited to $ 250 billion in funding for the Paycheck Protection Program , which provides forgivable grants to businesses and nonprofits .
The newer version includes $ 320 billion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program , which offers emergency grants that can expedite relief .
Of the $ 320 billion allocated for PPP , there ’ s also a $ 60 billion carve-out for community-based lenders , as well as mid-sized banks , which can better serve smaller businesses and minority-owned firms , organizations that are less likely to have an existing relationship with a larger bank .
Additionally , the deal contains $ 75 billion for hospitals , which have been overwhelmed by the simultaneous costs of preparing for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resulted as elective procedures are postponed .
Another $ 25 billion is intended to help ramp up the country ’ s testing capacity , a development that experts view as vital to determining when to reopen the economy more fully .
The main Democratic demand that has been omitted from this deal is the additional funding that lawmakers would like to see go to cities and states , many of which are facing incredible financial strain given reductions in tax revenue .
Mnuchin signaled that this issue would be addressed as part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The president has heard from the governors and he ’ s prepared to discuss that in the next bill , ” Mnuchin said during an appearance on CNN ’ s State of the Union .
Trump ’ s reluctance to consider state funding in the current bill is the result of a couple of factors , according to Politico .
Among them : The administration is concerned that it would have less leverage over the states regarding when they reopen their economies if they had more funding to help them weather this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as soon as Thursday A vote in the House is expected Thursday , when lawmakers will consider some procedural changes , too .
Because most members have been working remotely during the pandemic , votes have posed a unique challenge .
When lawmakers were weighing the CARES package in March , for example , Rep. Thomas Massie ( R-KY ) demanded a quorum — or a majority of the House — be physically present for the vote .
It is possible that Massie or another member might make the same request again this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to travel back to the Capitol .
House Democrats have already urged lawmakers to be prepared to do so .
Pelosi has also said that the House could consider the use of proxy voting for future bills if members continue to work from their districts during the pandemic .
Were members to move forward with this approach , the House would have to vote on a rule to approve proxy voting .
Like the name suggests , proxy voting enables members to allow someone who ’ s physically present in the House chamber @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not everyone would have to travel back to Washington .
Both the votes on proxy voting and the interim spending bill are expected later this week .
Every day 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
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After weeks of infighting, the Senate has passed another deal aimed at tiding over small businesses during this economic downturn.
The legislation, which lawmakers are describing as an “interim” spending package before the next major stimulus bill, includes roughly $480 billion in funding, $380 billion of which is dedicated to small business loan programs. It’s a much-needed boost for hundreds of thousands of small businesses, as the money that Congress previously allocated for forgivable loans and grants has run out. It’s worth noting, however, that some of the same loopholes that enable larger corporations — like Ruth’s Chris Steak House — to apply for these loans still remain.
In addition to the funds for small business loans, this bill also includes $75 billion for hospitals — which are experiencing severe revenue shortfalls as they combat the coronavirus — and $25 billion to establish testing programs, money that experts say is much needed in order to build out the country’s testing capacity.
This package doesn’t contain, however, several priorities that Democrats had previously emphasized, such as additional funding for states and cities that are also struggling financially during this crisis. These omissions have prompted some progressive members, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), to signal opposition to the proposal.
“We have not seen the final text of this bill, but what I can say is that if it matches up with what has been reported, I will not support this bill personally,” Ocasio-Cortez said on Monday.
The size of this “interim” spending bill, while much smaller than the $2 trillion stimulus that passed in March, is still significant: In 2009, the entire cost of the Recovery Act was pegged at around $840 billion. The bill now heads to the House, which is slated to consider it as soon as Thursday.
If it’s approved there, lawmakers will turn their attention to the next stimulus package, which Democrats are pushing to include more comprehensive support for essential workers along with funding for states. “As soon as [the interim bill] has passed in the House, we will advance CARES 2, which must be transformative and far-reaching,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.
What the bill contains
Due to Democratic pressure, the “interim” funding bill has expanded notably since Senate Republicans’ initial proposal.
The original Republican offer, announced roughly two weeks ago, was limited to $250 billion in funding for the Paycheck Protection Program, which provides forgivable grants to businesses and nonprofits. The newer version includes $320 billion for PPP, and $60 billion for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, which offers emergency grants that can expedite relief.
Of the $320 billion allocated for PPP, there’s also a $60 billion carve-out for community-based lenders, as well as mid-sized banks, which can better serve smaller businesses and minority-owned firms, organizations that are less likely to have an existing relationship with a larger bank.
Additionally, the deal contains $75 billion for hospitals, which have been overwhelmed by the simultaneous costs of preparing for the coronavirus and the revenue declines that have resulted as elective procedures are postponed. Another $25 billion is intended to help ramp up the country’s testing capacity, a development that experts view as vital to determining when to reopen the economy more fully.
The main Democratic demand that has been omitted from this deal is the additional funding that lawmakers would like to see go to cities and states, many of which are facing incredible financial strain given reductions in tax revenue. Mnuchin signaled that this issue would be addressed as part of negotiations for the next funding bill.
“The president has heard from the governors and he’s prepared to discuss that in the next bill,” Mnuchin said during an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union.
Trump’s reluctance to consider state funding in the current bill is the result of a couple of factors, according to Politico. Among them: The administration is concerned that it would have less leverage over the states regarding when they reopen their economies if they had more funding to help them weather this period.
The House vote could happen as soon as Thursday
A vote in the House is expected Thursday, when lawmakers will consider some procedural changes, too.
Because most members have been working remotely during the pandemic, votes have posed a unique challenge. When lawmakers were weighing the CARES package in March, for example, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) demanded a quorum — or a majority of the House — be physically present for the vote. It is possible that Massie or another member might make the same request again this week, meaning some members would have to travel back to the Capitol. House Democrats have already urged lawmakers to be prepared to do so.
Pelosi has also said that the House could consider the use of proxy voting for future bills if members continue to work from their districts during the pandemic. Were members to move forward with this approach, the House would have to vote on a rule to approve proxy voting. Like the name suggests, proxy voting enables members to allow someone who’s physically present in the House chamber to vote on their behalf, so not everyone would have to travel back to Washington.
Both the votes on proxy voting and the interim spending bill are expected later this week.