huffpost--2020-04-29--How Coronavirus Created The Perfect Conditions For Conspiracy Theories

There ’ s a couple of factors .
One is that we ’ ve never really had a global story like this , where what we know is changing as quickly as it is .
It ’ s almost like we ’ re on quicksand and the absence of information that we can really hang onto means that we have these information voids .
That ’ s where we ’ re seeing this misinformation circulate .
Every week we ’ ve seen a different type of rumor .
The earliest ones were the kind of WhatsApp and text messages saying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s going to be a lockdown.
” The thing is that wasn ’ t that far from the truth , and every single week when we see these rumors circulating , it comes from a place of everybody being frightened .
It doesn ’ t matter your education level , it doesn ’ t matter really where you are or what you believe ― everybody is looking at this unprecedented situation and is desperately seeking information that will reassure them .
Because we don ’ t have much of that information , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You know when we think back to the 2016 election , there were a lot of fears about the traditional fake-news site created with headlines that said , “ Pope Endorses Donald Trump.
” We now have less of that kind of content and a lot of what we ’ re seeing is rumors circulating in closed Facebook groups or WhatsApp groups .
Earlier on , there were rumors about lockdowns , rumors about “ 10 things you need to know ” ― like if you can ’ t hold your breath for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve got coronavirus .
Not low-level misinformation , but there was nothing that really felt like it was harmful to life .
In the last two to three weeks , however , we ’ ve seen a lot more traffic around conspiracy theories which have been present since January .
Whether it ’ s about the 5G phone masts causing coronavirus or Bill Gates trying to microchip everybody or this virus was actually created in a lab as a bioweapon , that stuff has really come to prominence .
I would argue that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are starting to feel really out of control and people are looking for explanations for why their world has been turned upside down .
People are turning to these simple narratives and we ’ re seeing them take hold .
It ’ s gone from pretty low-level rumors about how to treat potential symptoms or how to prevent it , into much more of “ where does this come from and what does this mean.
” We ’ re seeing kind of an intersection with anti-vaxxer movements because the next phase here is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Last week , in particular , we ’ ve seen a lot more misinformation around Bill Gates .
Even in the protest movements , we ’ re seeing intersections with anti-vax groups who already had online networks and now have become activated .
I mean certainly .
On the financial side , we ’ ve seen a ton of people buying up coronavirus-related URLs and domains .
We ’ ve seen people trying to sell testing kits that are not actually there .
We ’ ve seen people trying to take people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In many ways , the tactics we ’ re seeing here are the tactics that we always see .
It ’ s just now we ’ re seeing them connected to coronavirus because people are scared and they ’ re more likely to click on something coronavirus related .
It ’ s the most effective way to use those old-fashioned scam tactics to get people to give away their information or to click on sites that will drive financial gain .
I think the platforms , quite rightly , have done more on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them do before .
But at the same time , I worry that there is a complete absence of oversight around what they ’ re taking down .
You can read the policies and say , “ Oh great , Twitter now has much stronger positions around taking down tweets if somebody goes against scientific advice.
” In theory , that makes perfect sense .
But they ’ re taking down a ton of stuff globally , and I don ’ t know what they ’ re taking down and who ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I think the strongest steps they ’ ve taken should be in some way applauded .
My concern is the absence of oversight and absence of independent researchers to ascertain the impact of these takedowns .
The level of conspiracies that still exist on YouTube I really struggle with , but at the same time , who ’ s studying this and really understanding what the harm might be ?
What we don ’ t have is longitudinal data about these conspiracies .
My fear is if we ’ ve got 18 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where does that lead us to as a society ?
We have to think about the longer term rather than if one particular piece of content breaks the rules .
Well , we ’ re in the same position as we were in after 2016 .
We just won ’ t have an archive of information .
Every day the team finds stuff and then if we don ’ t screen-grab it quickly enough , it gets taken down .
Right now we ’ re in this huge natural experiment of a global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on real-world behavior .
As researchers , we simply won ’ t be able to study what was there , how well it spread and how audiences changed their behavior because of it .
It kind of breaks my heart that most of the lessons from 2016 people have been shouting about , nobody moved on them enough and the platforms didn ’ t create environments where that kind of sharing of information could happen .
Facebook has set up its oversight committee but I don ’ t actually think it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this huge infodemic , but nothing has really changed .
In terms of what lessons will be learned in two years ’ time ?
The answer is very few .
A lot of this misinformation will have been taken down , and we won ’ t even know that it was ever there in the first place .

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The coronavirus pandemic has led to a flood of rumors and conspiracy theories across social media platforms and group chats — and they’re having consequences in the real world. People have drunk cleaning products, attempted to burn down cellphone towers and showed up at protests brandishing anti-vaccine signs. Although social media has struggled with misinformation from the start, rarely has it presented such an urgent threat to public safety on such a global scale.
Protesters hold banners and chant against state government measures intended to curb the spread of COVID-19 during an Open California rally on April 26, 2020, in San Diego. Sean M. Haffey via Getty Images
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HuffPost talked with Claire Wardle, co-founder of First Draft, a nonprofit organization that monitors misinformation, about why these falsehoods are proliferating during the pandemic and whether we can learn from their spread.
What is it about this particular event that’s made it so conducive to misinformation and disinformation?
There’s a couple of factors. One is that we’ve never really had a global story like this, where what we know is changing as quickly as it is. It’s almost like we’re on quicksand and the absence of information that we can really hang onto means that we have these information voids. That’s where we’re seeing this misinformation circulate.
Every week we’ve seen a different type of rumor. The earliest ones were the kind of WhatsApp and text messages saying, “Oh my god, there’s going to be a lockdown.” The thing is that wasn’t that far from the truth, and every single week when we see these rumors circulating, it comes from a place of everybody being frightened. It doesn’t matter your education level, it doesn’t matter really where you are or what you believe ― everybody is looking at this unprecedented situation and is desperately seeking information that will reassure them. Because we don’t have much of that information, we’re seeing misinformation spread.
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It’s also this moment where almost everybody has got access to a phone or computer, and everybody is consuming and sharing more information around one single topic. It’s no surprise in that environment we’re seeing a lot of rumors, falsehoods and misleading information.
You mentioned initially there were those text messages that circulated false information. Has the spread of misinformation changed during the outbreak?
You know when we think back to the 2016 election, there were a lot of fears about the traditional fake-news site created with headlines that said, “Pope Endorses Donald Trump.” We now have less of that kind of content and a lot of what we’re seeing is rumors circulating in closed Facebook groups or WhatsApp groups. Earlier on, there were rumors about lockdowns, rumors about “10 things you need to know” ― like if you can’t hold your breath for 10 seconds, that means you’ve got coronavirus. Not low-level misinformation, but there was nothing that really felt like it was harmful to life.
In the last two to three weeks, however, we’ve seen a lot more traffic around conspiracy theories which have been present since January. Whether it’s about the 5G phone masts causing coronavirus or Bill Gates trying to microchip everybody or this virus was actually created in a lab as a bioweapon, that stuff has really come to prominence. I would argue that has happened at a point where people are starting to feel really out of control and people are looking for explanations for why their world has been turned upside down. People are turning to these simple narratives and we’re seeing them take hold.
It’s gone from pretty low-level rumors about how to treat potential symptoms or how to prevent it, into much more of “where does this come from and what does this mean.” We’re seeing kind of an intersection with anti-vaxxer movements because the next phase here is people starting to think about the vaccine. Last week, in particular, we’ve seen a lot more misinformation around Bill Gates. Even in the protest movements, we’re seeing intersections with anti-vax groups who already had online networks and now have become activated.
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Have you seen a rise in people trying to profit off this virus and use it for personal amplification and gain?
I mean certainly. On the financial side, we’ve seen a ton of people buying up coronavirus-related URLs and domains. We’ve seen people trying to sell testing kits that are not actually there. We’ve seen people trying to take people’s information and phishing attacks. In many ways, the tactics we’re seeing here are the tactics that we always see. It’s just now we’re seeing them connected to coronavirus because people are scared and they’re more likely to click on something coronavirus related. It’s the most effective way to use those old-fashioned scam tactics to get people to give away their information or to click on sites that will drive financial gain.
In terms of how platforms are addressing this, Facebook issued a statement that they put a warning label on 40 million posts just in March alone, but there’s still clearly rampant misinformation on the platform. How platforms are adapting to this is the problem. Is it just kind of too big to control?
It’s a huge question because I think for the last three-and-a-half years, there’s been a lot of conversations about whether platforms are doing enough. We also haven’t really figured out how as a society we feel about different types of speech.
I think the platforms, quite rightly, have done more on coronavirus than I’ve ever seen them do before. But at the same time, I worry that there is a complete absence of oversight around what they’re taking down. You can read the policies and say, “Oh great, Twitter now has much stronger positions around taking down tweets if somebody goes against scientific advice.” In theory, that makes perfect sense. But they’re taking down a ton of stuff globally, and I don’t know what they’re taking down and who’s making those decisions.
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On one hand, I think the strongest steps they’ve taken should be in some way applauded. My concern is the absence of oversight and absence of independent researchers to ascertain the impact of these takedowns. The level of conspiracies that still exist on YouTube I really struggle with, but at the same time, who’s studying this and really understanding what the harm might be? What we don’t have is longitudinal data about these conspiracies. My fear is if we’ve got 18 months of conspiracies about Bill Gates, where does that lead us to as a society? We have to think about the longer term rather than if one particular piece of content breaks the rules.
When this is all over, what are the key questions that you and other researchers are going to look back on about how misinformation spread and how platforms addressed this?
Well, we’re in the same position as we were in after 2016. We just won’t have an archive of information. Every day the team finds stuff and then if we don’t screen-grab it quickly enough, it gets taken down. Right now we’re in this huge natural experiment of a global story where misinformation is having serious impacts on real-world behavior. As researchers, we simply won’t be able to study what was there, how well it spread and how audiences changed their behavior because of it.
It kind of breaks my heart that most of the lessons from 2016 people have been shouting about, nobody moved on them enough and the platforms didn’t create environments where that kind of sharing of information could happen. Facebook has set up its oversight committee but I don’t actually think it’s started yet. We’ve got this huge infodemic, but nothing has really changed. In terms of what lessons will be learned in two years’ time? The answer is very few. A lot of this misinformation will have been taken down, and we won’t even know that it was ever there in the first place.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.


huffpost--2020-04-29--The Coronavirus Stimulus Is An Especially Raw Deal For Single Parents

Then there ’ s Isabella Grandbois , 29 , a single mother in Yukon , Oklahoma , who took a job as an Instacart shopper on March 16 , just five days after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic .
Right before the crisis hit , she ’ d given up a position in the cannabis industry because her employer expanded its hours well beyond those covered by her son ’ s after-school program .
To continue working , she would have needed to hire a babysitter , which would have left her with just $ 7 in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month .
As a single mom of two myself , whose salary as contingent university faculty is rarely sufficient to pay the monthly bills , I often consider similarly agonizing questions .
When my semester contract ends a few weeks from now , I ’ ll have no guaranteed paycheck .
But former students will still ask me to write letters of recommendation and advise them on graduate school applications .
How can I attend to the needs of these young adults when I ’ m not sure how I am going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 27 , Congress passed a stimulus package intended to help keep the national economy afloat .
But the CARES Act failed to consider the specific needs of a constituency that will take one of the biggest financial hits from the coronavirus pandemic : single parents .
Nor has Congress made any special provision for the many single parents who work on the front lines : in health care , at essential businesses , as domestic workers and more .
Economic stimulus payments , which are still being distributed , gave two-parent families with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least $ 1,200 more than any single-parent household with the same number of children .
And yet dual-parent homes are likely to have more savings , more income and two people to juggle child care and household responsibilities in the months we ’ re likely to all be practicing social distancing .
Single-parent households are , by definition , sustained by just one income .
They typically have fewer resources than two-parent households , not only because single parents tend to earn much lower incomes than their married peers , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ solo moms and dads have to take on all the labor of parenting alone .
“ I know that everyone ’ s having a hard time adjusting to what we ’ re being asked to do to get through this .
Still , it ’ s a bit aggravating to see all these parents bragging about the means they ’ ve set up to deal with it , ” she said .
“ There ’ s two of them to help pick up the slack .
All I have is me.
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intentionally crafted to favor married couples over single parents .
Ever since President Bill Clinton signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 , assistance for struggling single parents has plummeted , even as the percentage of children living with one parent has steadily increased and entitlement payments for the elderly , the disabled and the unemployed have continued to rise .
Today , 15 million children under the age of 18 live with a solo mother , while 3 million live with a single father .
All told , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States is currently being raised in a household led by a single adult .
More than half of these families are headed by a parent who works full time , and , contrary to popular assumptions , most do not receive any form of public assistance .
Mireya Salas , who lives in Boulder , Colorado , is another single parent whose daily struggles have been compounded by the pandemic .
The 37-year-old domestic worker and mother of a 9-year-old usually takes home about $ 1,200 a month for housecleaning , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clean someone ’ s house was nearly two months ago .
Her rent and other bills are past due , and she has no way to pay them .
Like many single parents who live near the poverty line , Salas shuns “ handouts.
” At the same time , she hasn ’ t been able to find the kind of job that single parents normally get : in the gig economy , retail or the service industry .
“ My mind is spinning and spinning with thoughts about how to make money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Salas does not have a computer , so she can ’ t join the legion of parents frantically setting up home offices or updating their LinkedIn profiles .
She can ’ t apply for unemployment assistance and does not even know if she ’ s eligible to do so .
Nor can she access the vast resources available to parents online to raise emergency funds , to entertain their children , or to locate food banks and other sources of support .
Although a stimulus check will undoubtedly help Salas somewhat , Congress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strain single adults face .
At the very least , Congress should provide equal assistance to single- and dual-parent households caring for the same number of children .
They could easily do this by increasing payments to individuals who filed as head of household on their most recent tax return .
( Though not all people who took advantage of this filing status are single moms or dads , all are supporting a qualifying young or needy relative on their own . )
The United States currently has the highest rate in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
According to the Pew Research Center , 27 % of solo parents live below the poverty line .
The pandemic has made the solo parents I spoke to even more acutely aware of how close they are to losing everything they ’ ve worked so hard to provide .
As Salas told me : “ I ’ ve never been more worried about what the future is going to bring .
”

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This story was supported by the journalism nonprofit the Economic Hardship Reporting Project.
Even in the best of times, Samantha Coleman, a 36-year-old widowed single mother in Aurora, Colorado, had only pennies left at the end of the month after paying for her mortgage, her young son’s after-school care and her teenage daughter’s art lessons.
As a nurse educator at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center in Denver, she is now performing a near-impossible juggling act: stressing over her precarious finances, fearing for her own health after spending days in a hospital full of high-risk patients and trying to figure out how to look after her children with schools closed.
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“I keep asking myself: If I were to get sick and not recover, who would take care of my children?” she said. “I don’t know the answer, and that scares me.”
Then there’s Isabella Grandbois, 29, a single mother in Yukon, Oklahoma, who took a job as an Instacart shopper on March 16, just five days after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Right before the crisis hit, she’d given up a position in the cannabis industry because her employer expanded its hours well beyond those covered by her son’s after-school program. To continue working, she would have needed to hire a babysitter, which would have left her with just $7 in her pocket at the end of each month.
“I’m getting really freaked out about taking him to the store. But it’s my job. And if I don’t work, we don’t eat.” - Isabella Grandbois
“Besides being broke, I would have gotten home every night after my son was asleep,” she said. “I know some people have to do that to survive, but that’s not the kind of mom I want to be.”
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Searching for a new job and paying regular expenses has depleted Grandbois’ savings. With her 7-year-old’s school shuttered and no money for child care, she has been forced to bring him on many of the grocery store runs she makes daily for people who have the means to shelter at home.
“I’m getting really freaked out about taking him to the store. But it’s my job. And if I don’t work, we don’t eat,” she said. “When I can’t leave him with a neighbor, what other choice do I have?”
As a single mom of two myself, whose salary as contingent university faculty is rarely sufficient to pay the monthly bills, I often consider similarly agonizing questions. When my semester contract ends a few weeks from now, I’ll have no guaranteed paycheck. But former students will still ask me to write letters of recommendation and advise them on graduate school applications. How can I attend to the needs of these young adults when I’m not sure how I am going to feed my own kids?
On March 27, Congress passed a stimulus package intended to help keep the national economy afloat. But the CARES Act failed to consider the specific needs of a constituency that will take one of the biggest financial hits from the coronavirus pandemic: single parents. Nor has Congress made any special provision for the many single parents who work on the front lines: in health care, at essential businesses, as domestic workers and more.
Economic stimulus payments, which are still being distributed, gave two-parent families with annual incomes of up to $150,000 at least $1,200 more than any single-parent household with the same number of children. And yet dual-parent homes are likely to have more savings, more income and two people to juggle child care and household responsibilities in the months we’re likely to all be practicing social distancing.
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“I know that everyone’s having a hard time adjusting to what we’re being asked to do to get through this. Still, it’s a bit aggravating to see all these parents bragging about the means they’ve set up to deal with it.” - Samantha Coleman
Single-parent households are, by definition, sustained by just one income. They typically have fewer resources than two-parent households, not only because single parents tend to earn much lower incomes than their married peers, according to multiple studies, but also because most solo moms and dads have to take on all the labor of parenting alone.
Coleman, who’s new to being a single parent, has felt this most acutely when checking out her Facebook feed, which has recently been dominated by dual-parent families posting their plans for tag-team co-parenting.
“I know that everyone’s having a hard time adjusting to what we’re being asked to do to get through this. Still, it’s a bit aggravating to see all these parents bragging about the means they’ve set up to deal with it,” she said. “There’s two of them to help pick up the slack. All I have is me.”
The stimulus amounts to yet another government policy intentionally crafted to favor married couples over single parents. Ever since President Bill Clinton signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, assistance for struggling single parents has plummeted, even as the percentage of children living with one parent has steadily increased and entitlement payments for the elderly, the disabled and the unemployed have continued to rise.
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Today, 15 million children under the age of 18 live with a solo mother, while 3 million live with a single father. All told, nearly 1 in 4 children in the United States is currently being raised in a household led by a single adult. More than half of these families are headed by a parent who works full time, and, contrary to popular assumptions, most do not receive any form of public assistance.
The stimulus checks that are being sent to most Americans are higher for two-parent households. Eric Gay/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mireya Salas, who lives in Boulder, Colorado, is another single parent whose daily struggles have been compounded by the pandemic. The 37-year-old domestic worker and mother of a 9-year-old usually takes home about $1,200 a month for housecleaning, but the last time she was asked to clean someone’s house was nearly two months ago. Her rent and other bills are past due, and she has no way to pay them.
“I haven’t been sleeping at all lately,” she said. “I lie in bed worrying about how to get work, how to buy my son the things he needs, how to do something to get money.”
Like many single parents who live near the poverty line, Salas shuns “handouts.” At the same time, she hasn’t been able to find the kind of job that single parents normally get: in the gig economy, retail or the service industry. “My mind is spinning and spinning with thoughts about how to make money right now,” she said.
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Salas does not have a computer, so she can’t join the legion of parents frantically setting up home offices or updating their LinkedIn profiles. She can’t apply for unemployment assistance and does not even know if she’s eligible to do so. Nor can she access the vast resources available to parents online to raise emergency funds, to entertain their children, or to locate food banks and other sources of support.
Although a stimulus check will undoubtedly help Salas somewhat, Congress can do more to recognize the economic strain single adults face. At the very least, Congress should provide equal assistance to single- and dual-parent households caring for the same number of children. They could easily do this by increasing payments to individuals who filed as head of household on their most recent tax return. (Though not all people who took advantage of this filing status are single moms or dads, all are supporting a qualifying young or needy relative on their own.)
The United States currently has the highest rate in the developed world of single-parent families in poverty. According to the Pew Research Center, 27% of solo parents live below the poverty line. The pandemic has made the solo parents I spoke to even more acutely aware of how close they are to losing everything they’ve worked so hard to provide. As Salas told me: “I’ve never been more worried about what the future is going to bring.”


huffpost--2020-04-29--How Aid Workers Are Preparing The World's Biggest Refugee Camp For Coronavirus

Moury Rahman , a senior public health officer for the charity Oxfam , has spent nearly three years working with refugees in Kutupalong , a settlement in Bangladesh , and other nearby camps , which together host over a million Rohingya , a minority group from neighboring Myanmar .
In the summer of 2017 , many Rohingya fled to Bangladesh after a government-backed assault on their population that bordered on genocide .
Those refugees , the aid workers who help them , and the country hosting them are now all vulnerable to the new threat of COVID-19 , the disease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic , they have to balance a broad national shutdown with the reality that , in order to ensure people are staying safe , aid workers “ need face-to-face visits ” with the refugees , Rahman told HuffPost .
Rahman and other Oxfam workers need to visit refugee camps to monitor whether limits on public life have had worrying knock-on effects like increased domestic violence ; to combat rumors and misinformation that could have life-and-death consequences ; and to learn about urgent problems as soon as they arise — like broken fixtures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ check if families have enough soap , a key defense against the new virus .
They need to sustain relationships with the dozens of Rohingya volunteers who are essential to keeping the camps running , and talk with community leaders like clerics and traditional healers who will be vital to helping people recognize symptoms and change their behavior to lessen the impact of coronavirus .
International experts believe encampments like Kutupalong , where social distancing is difficult and residents ’ immunity is already depleted , could become infection hotspots .
Bangladesh already has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; none have been reported among the Rohingya , who are being tested at low rates .
These refugees were already partially cut off from the broader country .
In September , Bangladesh cracked down on mobile services for the Rohingya , stopping them from buying SIM cards and confiscating thousands that they had already bought , and limiting internet coverage in the areas where they live .
The controversial policy , which authorities said was needed because of security concerns , now hinders aid workers ’ knowledge of the situation and refugees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hotlines , 50 human rights groups said in a letter to the government earlier this month .
Oxfam is still going to the camps , but it can ’ t serve them the way it used to .
Where it once regularly sent 100 aid workers in , it ’ s now sending 10 to 15 , according to Dipankar Datta , the organization ’ s country director , and doing so twice a week at most .
“ It ’ s our approach that we set up two-and-a-half years ago that ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What we have done is we have placed the community in the leadership , ” Datta said .
“ Imams are encouraging the community ― ‘ OK , don ’ t come to the mosque ’ ― or mothers are telling their children , ‘ Don ’ t go out.
’ ” Appreciating the Rohingya ’ s own priorities and sensitivities helped Rahman and her team in the early stages of their work ― for example , figuring out how to design a latrine that people , especially women wary of shared spaces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re bringing that knowledge to the coronavirus response , advising other groups on how to design clinics so refugees feel comfortable coming to them , and talking to community leaders about ways to ensure infected people or households aren ’ t shunned .
“ I find refugees are more responsible than us , ” said Datta , who ’ s worked in other similar contexts , most recently in South Sudan .
“ They have gone through a traumatic situation , they understand the great danger that they have and the level @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to messages than we are … They are good listeners and they try to put it into practice.
” While following new coronavirus prevention measures , it ’ s a different pace of work : Rahman and other field workers aren ’ t offering people information in large groups anymore , instead sticking to household consultations or one-on-one interactions .
But that isn ’ t always stressful : While managing queues at a distribution center for soap during a recent visit , Rahman turned the precaution into a game , asking people to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with chalk to demonstrate appropriate distance .
“ They were laughing , they were in a jolly mood ; they said , ‘ We feel really safe now , ’ ” she recalled .
Aid workers are urging international organizations and donors to make sure the coronavirus strategy for the camps doesn ’ t neglect the native community in the region , which is now less than one-third of the refugee population .
A response only focused on the refugees wouldn ’ t adequately limit the spread of the virus given the way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enmeshed , and it could risk animosity towards the Rohingya .
Malaysia has stopped accepting boats filled with desperate Rohingya , citing coronavirus worries .
Earlier this month , Bangladesh rescued a group of nearly 400 people who were left adrift because of the policy , but has since said it will not accept refugees in similar situations , prompting international criticism .
The nation ’ s increasing wariness of the Rohingya has worried some refugees and aid workers .
Oxfam officials are also trying to account for their aid workers ’ health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a crisis that could affect them and their families .
Datta realized the importance of keeping up morale after speaking with Oxfam colleagues who worked on the Ebola outbreak .
He encouraged those normally at his headquarters to work from home weeks ago , and has pushed local United Nations officials to develop personal protective equipment and treatment plans for the thousands of humanitarian staff that are in Bangladesh to help the Rohingya .

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For millions of people worldwide, no longer going in to work is a way to limit the spread of the coronavirus. For aid workers who serve the world’s largest refugee camp, staying home could mean making the outbreak worse.
Moury Rahman, a senior public health officer for the charity Oxfam, has spent nearly three years working with refugees in Kutupalong, a settlement in Bangladesh, and other nearby camps, which together host over a million Rohingya, a minority group from neighboring Myanmar. In the summer of 2017, many Rohingya fled to Bangladesh after a government-backed assault on their population that bordered on genocide.
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Those refugees, the aid workers who help them, and the country hosting them are now all vulnerable to the new threat of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. To combat the pandemic, they have to balance a broad national shutdown with the reality that, in order to ensure people are staying safe, aid workers “need face-to-face visits” with the refugees, Rahman told HuffPost.
Rahman and other Oxfam workers need to visit refugee camps to monitor whether limits on public life have had worrying knock-on effects like increased domestic violence; to combat rumors and misinformation that could have life-and-death consequences; and to learn about urgent problems as soon as they arise — like broken fixtures in bathroom facilities. They have to check if families have enough soap, a key defense against the new virus. They need to sustain relationships with the dozens of Rohingya volunteers who are essential to keeping the camps running, and talk with community leaders like clerics and traditional healers who will be vital to helping people recognize symptoms and change their behavior to lessen the impact of coronavirus.
“We really need to understand what people in the community understand,” Rahman said.
International experts believe encampments like Kutupalong, where social distancing is difficult and residents’ immunity is already depleted, could become infection hotspots. Bangladesh already has more than 7,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus; none have been reported among the Rohingya, who are being tested at low rates.
Humanitarian organizations like Oxfam have had to adjust quickly as the years-long crisis they’ve been trying to manage has become more complicated.
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On April 9, Bangladeshi authorities ended travel to and from Cox’s Bazar, the southern district home to Kutupalong and other camps. The government has also deployed security forces to limit movement into and within the crowded facilities of the refugee camps.
These refugees were already partially cut off from the broader country. In September, Bangladesh cracked down on mobile services for the Rohingya, stopping them from buying SIM cards and confiscating thousands that they had already bought, and limiting internet coverage in the areas where they live. The controversial policy, which authorities said was needed because of security concerns, now hinders aid workers’ knowledge of the situation and refugees’ access to coronavirus-related information and emergency hotlines, 50 human rights groups said in a letter to the government earlier this month.
Oxfam is still going to the camps, but it can’t serve them the way it used to. Where it once regularly sent 100 aid workers in, it’s now sending 10 to 15, according to Dipankar Datta, the organization’s country director, and doing so twice a week at most.
“We are respecting the government’s regulatory framework … Our regular program is affected, but if it saves human lives, that’s more important,” Datta added, noting that education services and most outreach to combat gender discrimination are on hold.
Amid the sudden jolt to humanitarian operations and the challenge of COVID-19, aid workers say they are freshly reminded of the importance of being guided by the communities they serve: It’s Rohingya refugees themselves, not outsiders, who will determine how the camps fare.
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“It’s our approach that we set up two-and-a-half years ago that’s now giving us the benefit: What we have done is we have placed the community in the leadership,” Datta said. “Imams are encouraging the community ― ‘OK, don’t come to the mosque’ ― or mothers are telling their children, ‘Don’t go out.’”
Appreciating the Rohingya’s own priorities and sensitivities helped Rahman and her team in the early stages of their work ― for example, figuring out how to design a latrine that people, especially women wary of shared spaces, would actually use. Now they’re bringing that knowledge to the coronavirus response, advising other groups on how to design clinics so refugees feel comfortable coming to them, and talking to community leaders about ways to ensure infected people or households aren’t shunned.
It helps that the Rohingya aren’t doubting the seriousness of the new threat.
“I find refugees are more responsible than us,” said Datta, who’s worked in other similar contexts, most recently in South Sudan. “They have gone through a traumatic situation, they understand the great danger that they have and the level of vulnerability. They are more responsive to messages than we are … They are good listeners and they try to put it into practice.”
While following new coronavirus prevention measures, it’s a different pace of work: Rahman and other field workers aren’t offering people information in large groups anymore, instead sticking to household consultations or one-on-one interactions. But that isn’t always stressful: While managing queues at a distribution center for soap during a recent visit, Rahman turned the precaution into a game, asking people to gather in a wide circle marked out with chalk to demonstrate appropriate distance. “They were laughing, they were in a jolly mood; they said, ‘We feel really safe now,’” she recalled.
Aid workers are urging international organizations and donors to make sure the coronavirus strategy for the camps doesn’t neglect the native community in the region, which is now less than one-third of the refugee population. A response only focused on the refugees wouldn’t adequately limit the spread of the virus given the way the two groups of residents are now enmeshed, and it could risk animosity towards the Rohingya.
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Malaysia has stopped accepting boats filled with desperate Rohingya, citing coronavirus worries. Earlier this month, Bangladesh rescued a group of nearly 400 people who were left adrift because of the policy, but has since said it will not accept refugees in similar situations, prompting international criticism. The nation’s increasing wariness of the Rohingya has worried some refugees and aid workers.
“If we do not provide adequate support to the host community, you have the potential to prop up tension,” Datta said.
COVID-19 is just one challenge the Rohingya and the area’s longtime inhabitants share, noted Rahman, who lives in Cox’s Bazar. Cyclone season is setting in too ― and that requires its own set of precautions for both communities.
“We are all in the same boat,” Rahman said.
Oxfam officials are also trying to account for their aid workers’ health, including their peace of mind amid a crisis that could affect them and their families. Datta realized the importance of keeping up morale after speaking with Oxfam colleagues who worked on the Ebola outbreak. He encouraged those normally at his headquarters to work from home weeks ago, and has pushed local United Nations officials to develop personal protective equipment and treatment plans for the thousands of humanitarian staff that are in Bangladesh to help the Rohingya.
Throughout the little ecosystem that has developed in response to the Rohingya’s plight, the rise of the virus has made solidarity more important.
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huffpost--2020-04-29--Just Because I'm 90 Doesn't Mean I'm Ready To Die ― Or Disposable

I ’ ve been a senior citizen for a quarter of a century and I still sculpt , read and write essays .
I speak five languages , and I use email and WhatsApp to communicate with family and friends in Finland , China , Norway , England , Israel , Russia , Thailand and throughout the U.S .
I run a foundation I created that assists immobile seniors .
I attend classes , and I ’ m organizing a philosophy club via Zoom that discusses ethics , forgiveness , anger , creativity and various other topics .
Certainly now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has shut down everything in one shot .
At age 90 , I have lived through a lot of history , but I ’ ve never seen a situation like this .
My daughter was concerned that in the city I would be a lot more exposed while facing a lower level of care .
I left Brooklyn and am now with her , my son-in-law and teenage grandson , secluded and safe , upstate in the Peekskill mountains .
My only outings , masked and gloved , are to the nearest labs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in which direction the changes to come will take us .
What I ’ ve seen so far is that the crisis has brought out the best in good people and the worst in bad people .
What I see now is that cooperation and empathy on a massive scale are needed to bring the world back on track .
I was born in China to Jewish parents who left Russia after World War I to seek refuge from anti-Semitism , famine and pogroms .
I spent the first 20 years of my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ occupation of my town , Tientsin , during World War II .
Then , I spent the next 30 years in Israel .
I taught Hebrew to Jewish immigrant children , served in the Air Force and worked as a graphic artist .
I got married and raised two daughters .
Finally , my husband ’ s work took us to the U.S. in 1979 .
I was 50 years old and unaware that this would be the start of a period during which I would grow and flourish as an artist .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ large outdoor sculptures in Israel for institutions such as Tel-Aviv University and the Ghetto Fighters Museum of Resistance .
At age 70 , I began to find my voice as a writer and collaborated on “ The Defiant , ” my husband ’ s memoir about fighting Nazis as a partisan in Eastern Europe .
At 82 , I created a nonprofit organization , the Rose Art Foundation , which has donated 800 Geri-recliners to immobile patients in facilities throughout the U.S .
Even now , during the coronavirus pandemic , I get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been changed by these donations .
Last year , at 89 , I published my second book .
And there is still much to do .
I ’ m not disposable , and I ’ m saddened that there are people who think age dictates whether a human life is worth saving .
I can tell you that I , and my loved ones , want me to live for many years to come .
I want to attend my grandson ’ s high school graduation and see which college he ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my older grandson , who is married , become a father .
I want to continue my joyful life .
I am unable to travel as extensively as I once did , but I want to visit Israel again .
Just because I ’ m 90 doesn ’ t mean I don ’ t have things to learn and skills to hone .
I have more physical limitations and ailments than I choose to mention but that won ’ t stop me .
I ’ m growing as an artist .
Last September @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brooklyn Clay Studio , learning to glaze and fire in the kiln .
In February , before social distancing was put in place , I sought a new approach , visited Urban Glass in Brooklyn and found a teacher to show me the process .
My twin sister passed away 15 years ago so when the quarantine is over , I hope to finish a sculpture that represents our relationship .
Our lives , our dreams , our productivity don ’ t end when we turn 65 , an age that society decided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can be productive and contribute to the world , bringing to it their added dimension of age and experience .
I think no limit should be set on when a person ’ s life is no longer valuable .
I ’ m 90 and I ’ m waiting for the quarantine to end .
As long as I ’ m still creative and surrounded by the love of family and friends , as long as I still enjoy life , nobody has the right to write me off .

The author. Photo credit: Ana De Orbegoso
I’ve been a senior citizen for a quarter of a century and I still sculpt, read and write essays. I speak five languages, and I use email and WhatsApp to communicate with family and friends in Finland, China, Norway, England, Israel, Russia, Thailand and throughout the U.S. I run a foundation I created that assists immobile seniors. I attend classes, and I’m organizing a philosophy club via Zoom that discusses ethics, forgiveness, anger, creativity and various other topics.
Certainly now, my routine has changed. COVID-19 has shut down everything in one shot. At age 90, I have lived through a lot of history, but I’ve never seen a situation like this. My daughter was concerned that in the city I would be a lot more exposed while facing a lower level of care. I left Brooklyn and am now with her, my son-in-law and teenage grandson, secluded and safe, upstate in the Peekskill mountains. My only outings, masked and gloved, are to the nearest labs for regular blood tests.
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Who knows in which direction the changes to come will take us. What I’ve seen so far is that the crisis has brought out the best in good people and the worst in bad people. What I see now is that cooperation and empathy on a massive scale are needed to bring the world back on track.
“What I've seen so far is that the crisis has brought out the best in good people and the worst in bad people.”
Some people may suggest that if I were to die of the coronavirus, I at least have lived a full life. And yes, I have lived a full life.
I was born in China to Jewish parents who left Russia after World War I to seek refuge from anti-Semitism, famine and pogroms. I spent the first 20 years of my life in China, surviving the Japanese occupation of my town, Tientsin, during World War II. Then, I spent the next 30 years in Israel. I taught Hebrew to Jewish immigrant children, served in the Air Force and worked as a graphic artist. I got married and raised two daughters. Finally, my husband’s work took us to the U.S. in 1979. I was 50 years old and unaware that this would be the start of a period during which I would grow and flourish as an artist.
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In my 60s, I created five large outdoor sculptures in Israel for institutions such as Tel-Aviv University and the Ghetto Fighters Museum of Resistance. At age 70, I began to find my voice as a writer and collaborated on “The Defiant,” my husband’s memoir about fighting Nazis as a partisan in Eastern Europe. At 82, I created a nonprofit organization, the Rose Art Foundation, which has donated 800 Geri-recliners to immobile patients in facilities throughout the U.S. Even now, during the coronavirus pandemic, I get requests from patients whose quality of life has been changed by these donations. Last year, at 89, I published my second book. And there is still much to do.
I’m not disposable, and I’m saddened that there are people who think age dictates whether a human life is worth saving. I can tell you that I, and my loved ones, want me to live for many years to come. I want to attend my grandson’s high school graduation and see which college he’ll attend. I want to see my older grandson, who is married, become a father. I want to continue my joyful life. I am unable to travel as extensively as I once did, but I want to visit Israel again. Just because I’m 90 doesn’t mean I don’t have things to learn and skills to hone.
“I'm not disposable, and I’m saddened that there are people who think age dictates whether a human life is worth saving.”
I have more physical limitations and ailments than I choose to mention but that won’t stop me. I’m growing as an artist. Last September I began a three-month class at the Brooklyn Clay Studio, learning to glaze and fire in the kiln. In February, before social distancing was put in place, I sought a new approach, visited Urban Glass in Brooklyn and found a teacher to show me the process. My twin sister passed away 15 years ago so when the quarantine is over, I hope to finish a sculpture that represents our relationship.
Our lives, our dreams, our productivity don’t end when we turn 65, an age that society decided was “old enough.” Senior citizens can be productive and contribute to the world, bringing to it their added dimension of age and experience. I think no limit should be set on when a person’s life is no longer valuable.
Advertisement
I’m 90 and I’m waiting for the quarantine to end. As long as I’m still creative and surrounded by the love of family and friends, as long as I still enjoy life, nobody has the right to write me off.
Have a compelling first-person story or experience you want to share? Send your story description to pitch@huffpost.com.


huffpost--2020-04-29--Positive Test Rates For COVID-19 Are As High As 87% At Some Michigan Prisons

Carlos Osorio/ASSOCIATED PRESS At Lakeland Correctional Facility , about 57 % of some 1,400 prisoners have tested positive for the coronavirus .
The suit contends that the MDOC has the means to remedy the situation but has opted not to .
The plaintiffs want the court to order the state to implement and enforce the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines on social distancing , hygiene and safety during the pandemic .
Though the MDOC is already reopening one unused facility to house sick inmates , the suit also asks the court to order the opening of other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No One Is Losing Their Job Because Inmates Are Dying ’ “ The only thing to do is not let it get in there to begin with , because I ’ m not seeing anything that prisons are doing that ’ s been at all effective once it ’ s in , ” he said .
“ The mass decarceration that we ’ re going to see is prisoners in body bags , because they ’ re not being released.
” To get to the dining hall , for instance , Moberg said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other prisoners who were within several feet of him .
Inmates said the dining hall largely didn ’ t practice social distancing .
When Moberg hesitated to enter a shower after another man coughed while exiting , an officer told him to “ get into that shower or go back to your cell because you waived your shower , ” Moberg said .

At Lakeland Correctional Facility, about 57% of some1,400 prisoners have tested positive for the coronavirus. Carlos Osorio/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Michigan’s aging prisoners serve the final years of life sentences at the state’s Lakeland Correctional Facility. Inmates have dubbed it the “gangster retirement home,” a place where many have chronic health issues and are vulnerable to COVID-19.
The coronavirus has swept through Lakeland unabated, three inmates told HuffPost. At least 13 men have died and more than 50 have been hospitalized. Of 266 inmates that the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) tested for the virus in units that hold patients with other health issues, 208 came back positive. Overall, about 57% of Lakeland’s 1,400 prisoners have tested positive.
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“We weren’t sentenced to death, but as of now everyone feels like they’re on their way,” said Lakeland inmate Patrick Wilson, 49. Wilson, who is serving a life sentence, has had multiple open-heart surgeries and suffers from a range of health issues. “A lot of guys around here are nervous and scared that this is going to hit home and they’re going to die.”
Inmates say this misery and death could have been avoided. A class-action lawsuit that was set to be filed in federal court Wednesday on behalf of 37,000 state inmates alleges that the MDOC failed to protect them. Some at Lakeland take it a step further, accusing the MDOC of knowingly allowing them to get sick.
“We weren’t sentenced to death, but as of now everyone feels like they’re on their way.” - Patrick Wilson, an inmate at Lakeland Correctional Facility
They say that Lakeland in April abandoned even the minimal efforts it had put in place in March to separate sick prisoners and to implement social distancing guidelines that reduced the number of inmates at dining hall tables. The suit also says the MDOC conducted only limited testing until just last week.
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In mid-April, the MDOC administration ordered inmates not to report symptoms to corrections officers or medical staff unless the issues were “life-threatening,” several prisoners told HuffPost.
“They’re telling everyone ‘We know you all got it. We’re just letting it run through y’all’s system because there’s nothing we can do to stop it,’” said inmate Lamont Heard. “Now everyone in here is sick.”
‘Ticking Time Bomb’
Lakeland isn’t an isolated case, according to the lawsuit filed by the Michigan State University Civil Rights Clinic. In some corrections facilities, the positive rate among inmates who have been tested for the coronavirus is a startling 87%. More than 20 inmates spoke with HuffPost or filed affidavits that detailed similarly dire conditions across six Michigan prisons.
The class-action complaint argues that the plaintiffs face a “heightened risk of infection and death” because they’ve “been denied proper and equal access to vital preventative measures to avoid the transmission of COVID-19.” That’s a violation of Eighth Amendment protections against cruel and unusual punishment, wrote Dan Manville, an attorney for the inmates.
“Despite the ticking time bomb that COVID-19 represents, MDOC has failed to implement necessary or adequate policies and practices throughout its prisons,” he wrote. “Without swift intervention, it will undoubtedly run rampant through the halls of the prison.”
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Among other issues, the complaint alleges that the department has failed to properly isolate sick inmates, provide adequate testing, put in place or enforce social distancing guidelines, and provide adequate cleaning and hygiene supplies.
The suit contends that the MDOC has the means to remedy the situation but has opted not to. The plaintiffs want the court to order the state to implement and enforce the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines on social distancing, hygiene and safety during the pandemic. Though the MDOC is already reopening one unused facility to house sick inmates, the suit also asks the court to order the opening of other empty cell blocks and prisons.
“While the MDOC has implemented policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, these procedures are woefully inadequate and do not comport with many of the CDC’s recommendations,” Manville wrote. “Time is running out for the proper protections to be put in place.”
According to MDOC estimates, at least 1,364 inmates have contracted COVID-19 statewide. The system’s overall positive rate is a whopping 57% of those tested, and 38 inmates had died as of Tuesday evening. The numbers likely represent just a small percentage of the true number of cases, as the state has tested only about 2,300 out of 37,000 inmates, Manville said.
The MDOC has increased testing at Lakeland, department spokesperson Chris Gautz told HuffPost last Thursday. He called the inmates’ allegations “lies” and “sick.”
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“Literally nothing you said is true,” Gautz said in an email response to questions about the allegations. “Your questions are as offensive as they are ridiculous.”
“The department has been incredibly proactive in working to slow the spread and keeping our prisoners and staff safe,” Gautz added, pointing to the recent boost in testing at Lakeland. The prison also announced on Friday that it would begin serving meals in the inmates’ cells instead of the dining hall, and this week it began separating Lakeland’s sick and healthy inmates.
A spokesperson for Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) didn’t respond to a request for comment.
‘No One Is Losing Their Job Because Inmates Are Dying’
The Michigan lawsuit is one of several of its kind across the country as the nation’s penal system has failed to prevent the virus from spreading among the 2.3 million inmates housed in more than 1,700 state prisons, 100 federal penitentiaries, 1,770 juvenile correctional facilities and 3,150 local jails.
The American Civil Liberties Union estimates that 100,000 inmates may die if drastic action isn’t taken to curb COVID-19’s spread. That could become a reality as prison officials still don’t seem serious about protecting inmates, said Paul Wright, executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News.
“It’s spreading like wildfire, partly because the people who run prisons and jails are police state bureaucrats, and the only thing they’re good at is caging people,” Wright said. “Frankly, they don’t care. No one is losing their job because inmates are dying.”
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That leaves it up to nonprofits and the courts to force change.
Earlier in April, the Washington Supreme Court ordered the state Department of Corrections to develop a plan to protect inmates. The lawsuit, brought by Columbia Legal Services, sought the release of prisoners over 50 years old, those with serious health problems and those with a scheduled release date within the next 18 months.
Though the court didn’t order the release of the inmates, it gave the state four days to develop its plan and appointed a “special master” to oversee the corrections department’s handling of the pandemic. Anger over the state’s failure to protect inmates in one prison led to a riot in March.
In Texas, a federal judge ordered a state prison that houses geriatric inmates to provide hand sanitizer, masks and gloves to the inmates. The judge also required the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to develop a plan to test the prisoners.
A court went a step further in Michigan by ordering the Oakland County Jail — which is run by the county, not the state — to release medically vulnerable inmates.
Other jails and some prison systems around the country have slowly begun releasing inmates, but Wright isn’t confident there’s much that can stop the virus from spreading behind bars.
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“The only thing to do is not let it get in there to begin with, because I’m not seeing anything that prisons are doing that’s been at all effective once it’s in,” he said. “The mass decarceration that we’re going to see is prisoners in body bags, because they’re not being released.”
Why COVID-19 Is Exploding Inside Michigan’s Prisons
Parnall Correctional Facility in southeast Michigan is another COVID-19 flashpoint. The layout and movements of inmates in 10 Block, a minimum-security unit that houses 450 people, illustrate the challenges that the MDOC faces and the missteps it has made.
The five-story block is composed of individual cells facing one another with a narrow hallway between them, according to the federal lawsuit.
“Based on its design, there is no method for preventing the spread of the COVID-19,” Manville wrote.
“The mass decarceration that we’re going to see is prisoners in body bags, because they’re not being released.” - Paul Wright, executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center
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Still, Parnall housed COVID-19 patients in 10 Block, according to inmate Isaac Moberg’s affidavit. Prisoners were given no protections but were told to practice social distancing, which Moberg noted “is not possible.”
To get to the dining hall, for instance, Moberg said he had to pass up to 30 other prisoners who were within several feet of him. Inmates said the dining hall largely didn’t practice social distancing. When Moberg hesitated to enter a shower after another man coughed while exiting, an officer told him to “get into that shower or go back to your cell because you waived your shower,” Moberg said.
The prison has recorded at least 192 confirmed cases of the coronavirus among prisoners and 70 among staff. Inmate Robert Reeves wrote that he got sick while at Parnall after he was “forced to be around positive prisoners in the same block.”
On March 28, the MDOC sent Reeves to a quarantine unit at Cotton Correctional Facility, which has at least one unit dedicated to housing COVID-19 patients, but he said he hadn’t received adequate medical care there, either. Inmates at multiple facilities reported that medical staff don’t change gloves between patients as they screen and treat them.
“I have not seen a doctor, nor did I receive medical instructions on what to do if my symptoms got worse, despite complaining of chest pain, coughing up blood, and having problems breathing,” Reeves wrote. “I was just told it was normal and to go through it.”
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Cotton houses inmates in pole barns that put 160 men in a space described as “the size of a basketball court.” About 80 inmates on each side of a barn share four toilets, two computers, five phones and one store kiosk.
“I have not seen a doctor, nor did I receive medical instructions on what to do if my symptoms got worse, despite complaining of chest pain, coughing up blood, and having problems breathing.” - Robert Reeves, an inmate formerly at Parnall Correctional Facility
Inmate Craig Seegmiller was housed with seven other men in an approximately 10-foot by 12-foot cell in one of Cotton’s pole barns, according to his affidavit. Five people in the cell tested positive for the virus on April 20. Seegmiller was temporarily transferred to a different housing unit but was not tested.
Trever Killion, a prisoner at Gus Harrison Correctional Facility, reported being forced to clean in areas around infected inmates without being provided protective gear, and David Lyons, who is housed at Macomb Correctional Facility, said men are forced to share a bathroom and showers with those who are supposedly quarantined.
At Lakeland, Heard said only the sickest men are being removed from the general population, which has left his unit full of people with coughs, fevers, diarrhea and other COVID-19 symptoms. Prison staff ignore their concerns, he said.
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The situation is taking a mental as well as a physical toll, Heard said.


huffpost--2020-04-29--Coronavirus Is Bringing A Big, Permanent Change To Food Benefits

The death of her significant other meant Page would have to get by with only her meager Social Security disability benefits , and she would have to find a new place to live .
She calls it a new chapter in her life .
Last week , Page got good news : Missouri had applied for a waiver to let SNAP recipients buy their groceries online , and the U.S. Department of Agriculture had approved the request .
A spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Social Services said SNAP recipients would be able to use their cards online within the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Page to order groceries for delivery ― and she ’ ll be able to shop from home , just like pretty much everybody else is now doing .
“ Being able to order groceries online with my EBT card and have them delivered to my house will be a HUGE improvement in my situation , ” Page said in an email .
“ It gives me more independence and lets me retain some dignity .
I should be able to take care of myself and it ’ s a little bit humiliating to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ low-income individuals living with disabilities , the grocery store struggle may soon become a thing of the past .
Because of the coronavirus pandemic , the USDA has been rapidly adding states to its pilot program testing the feasibility of letting SNAP recipients use their EBT cards online , ahead of an eventual nationwide rollout .
Online ordering may still have been a bit of a luxury back when Congress last overhauled SNAP rules in 2018 , but it ’ s become a routine part of life and a necessity for more households @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people to stay at home .
Lawmakers told the USDA to allow online redemption of SNAP benefits nationwide , but never set a deadline .
The coronavirus has seemingly kicked the program into high gear .
“ Online purchases , whether or not they are made through SNAP , can increase access to fresh foods for customers in rural and urban communities alike who are not near , or able to travel to , a fresh-food retailer , ” Rep. Mike Conaway ( R-Texas ) , the former chair of the House Agriculture @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the topic .
Amazon and Walmart are the only two retailers that accept online SNAP payments in every state where the program operates .
The benefits can only be used to buy the food ― delivery fees have to be paid separately .
And if the time slots for delivery or pickup are all taken , then there ’ s not much good the option can do .
One SNAP recipient in Staten Island , New York , said she had been unable to get a delivery slot for the past six @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is “ profoundly medically complex , ” with panhypopituitarism ― a deficiency in his endocrine system ― and an acquired brain injury .
Charles said her son has already been to the hospital 11 times this year for pneumonia that resulted from saliva getting in his lungs .
The last thing he needs is a new acute respiratory illness .
Last month , Charles placed a pickup order for groceries from a nearby supermarket .
She had to place the order a week in advance to get a time slot .
When she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manager told her that if she was using an EBT card , she still had to go inside the store to pay for the food .
She couldn ’ t just pick it up curbside like everyone else ― essentially defeating the purpose of ordering online .
Virginia is not one of the states that the USDA has approved for online transactions , but a spokesperson for the state ’ s Department of Social Services said it had submitted a request .
“ Our EBT vendor will be able to support this request @ @ @ @ @ @ @ received support from participating retailers , some of which already offer on-line ordering and curbside pickup and payment , ” the spokesperson said .
Charles has basically been homebound to care for her son for the past several years .
With everyone else now stuck at home and worrying about the safest way to get their groceries , it ’ s as though the rest of society has caught up to her dilemma .
She doesn ’ t think food delivery should be out of reach for people who get help with their @ @ @ @ @ @

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Jeanne Page of Springfield, Missouri, lost her partner of 26 years to pneumonia at the end of January. It was right before her birthday, and right before their favorite team won the Super Bowl.
“He and I had already planned our Super Bowl snacks,” she said.
Page, 60, went from planning what to eat to figuring out how to eat.
The death of her significant other meant Page would have to get by with only her meager Social Security disability benefits, and she would have to find a new place to live. She calls it a new chapter in her life.
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She signed up for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and was quickly approved. But the benefits could only be redeemed in-store, and Page has severe agoraphobia, an anxiety disorder that makes it difficult to leave the house.
She soon learned she couldn’t use her food benefits to buy groceries online, either. So she began a cumbersome process of getting her next-door neighbor approved to use the benefits to buy groceries on her behalf.
And then a pandemic hit, pushing many people who never thought twice about going to the grocery store to avoid it as much as possible.
Last week, Page got good news: Missouri had applied for a waiver to let SNAP recipients buy their groceries online, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture had approved the request. A spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Social Services said SNAP recipients would be able to use their cards online within the next month. The change will allow Page to order groceries for delivery ― and she’ll be able to shop from home, just like pretty much everybody else is now doing.
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“Being able to order groceries online with my EBT card and have them delivered to my house will be a HUGE improvement in my situation,” Page said in an email. “It gives me more independence and lets me retain some dignity. I should be able to take care of myself and it’s a little bit humiliating to ask my neighbors for help.”
For low-income individuals living with disabilities, the grocery store struggle may soon become a thing of the past. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the USDA has been rapidly adding states to its pilot program testing the feasibility of letting SNAP recipients use their EBT cards online, ahead of an eventual nationwide rollout.
Food benefits were originally distributed on color-coded stamps; the shift to online retail is reminiscent of the transition from stamps to electronic benefit cards finalized in the early 2000s.
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has said online ordering will “go a long way” in helping Americans follow social distancing guidelines laid out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The online pilot program started in New York last April and expanded to Washington state at the beginning of the year. The USDA has since made online benefits available in Alabama, Iowa, Nebraska, and Oregon. They’re pending in Arizona, California, the District of Columbia, Florida, Idaho, Kentucky, Missouri North Carolina, Texas, Vermont and West Virginia.
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More than half of the 35 million SNAP recipients nationwide live in the states that have signed up for online ordering, the USDA said last week.
People wearing protective masks stand in line for a supermarket in New York City on April 16. Alexi Rosenfeld via Getty Images
Online ordering may still have been a bit of a luxury back when Congress last overhauled SNAP rules in 2018, but it’s become a routine part of life and a necessity for more households, especially since the government has urged people to stay at home. Lawmakers told the USDA to allow online redemption of SNAP benefits nationwide, but never set a deadline. The coronavirus has seemingly kicked the program into high gear.
When the stay-at-home orders are rescinded, SNAP benefits will still be online. There has been little opposition to the policy.
“Online purchases, whether or not they are made through SNAP, can increase access to fresh foods for customers in rural and urban communities alike who are not near, or able to travel to, a fresh-food retailer,” Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas), the former chair of the House Agriculture Committee, said at a 2016 hearing on the topic.
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Demand for grocery delivery and pickup has surged, with companies like Instacart planning to hire hundreds of thousands more workers to meet a crush of new orders.
Amazon and Walmart are the only two retailers that accept online SNAP payments in every state where the program operates. The benefits can only be used to buy the food ― delivery fees have to be paid separately. And if the time slots for delivery or pickup are all taken, then there’s not much good the option can do. One SNAP recipient in Staten Island, New York, said she had been unable to get a delivery slot for the past six weeks.
But there are probably a lot of people who receive food benefits whose lives would be significantly easier if they could shop for groceries on the internet. Nationwide, 81% of SNAP households include someone who is a child, elderly or disabled.
As news about the highly contagious coronavirus got more and more ominous, Lisa Charles, a single mom in Crozet, Virginia, wanted to avoid going to the grocery store if she could.
She said her 12-year-old son is “profoundly medically complex,” with panhypopituitarism ― a deficiency in his endocrine system ― and an acquired brain injury. Charles said her son has already been to the hospital 11 times this year for pneumonia that resulted from saliva getting in his lungs. The last thing he needs is a new acute respiratory illness.
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Last month, Charles placed a pickup order for groceries from a nearby supermarket. She had to place the order a week in advance to get a time slot. When she got to the parking lot, a manager told her that if she was using an EBT card, she still had to go inside the store to pay for the food. She couldn’t just pick it up curbside like everyone else ― essentially defeating the purpose of ordering online.
Rather than take her son who uses a wheelchair and his 5-year-old brother into the store, she went home empty-handed.
Virginia is not one of the states that the USDA has approved for online transactions, but a spokesperson for the state’s Department of Social Services said it had submitted a request. “Our EBT vendor will be able to support this request by June 1, and we have received support from participating retailers, some of which already offer on-line ordering and curbside pickup and payment,” the spokesperson said.
Charles has basically been homebound to care for her son for the past several years. With everyone else now stuck at home and worrying about the safest way to get their groceries, it’s as though the rest of society has caught up to her dilemma. She doesn’t think food delivery should be out of reach for people who get help with their groceries from a social program.
“It’s ridiculous,” she said. “It is not a luxury.”


huffpost--2020-04-29--U.S. Economy Shrinks 4.8% In Worst Showing Since 2008

WASHINGTON ( AP ) — The U.S. economy shrank at a 4.8 % annual rate last quarter as the coronavirus pandemic shut down much of the country and began triggering a recession that will end the longest expansion on record .
The Commerce Department says the gross domestic product , the total output of goods and services , posted a quarterly drop for the first time in six years .
And it was the sharpest fall since the economy shrank at an 8.4 % annual rate in the fourth quarter of 2008 in the depths of the Great Recession .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ quarter will be only a precursor of a far grimmer GDP report to come on the current April-June period , with business shutdowns and layoffs striking with devastating force .
The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that GDP will plunge this quarter at a 40 % annual rate .
That would be , by a breathtaking margin , the bleakest quarter since such records were first compiled in 1947 .
It would be four times the size of the worst quarterly contraction on record set in 1958 .
In just a few weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down and laid off tens of millions of workers .
Factories and stores are shuttered .
Home sales are falling .
Households are slashing spending .
Consumer confidence is sinking .
As the economy slides into what looks like a severe recession , some economists are holding out hope that a recovery will arrive quickly and robustly once the health crisis has been solved — what some call a V-shaped recovery .
Increasingly , though , analysts say they think the economy will struggle to regain its momentum even after the viral outbreak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suggest , could remain too fearful to travel , shop at stores or visit restaurants or movie theaters anywhere near as much as they used to .
In addition , local and state officials may continue to limit , for health reasons , how many people may congregate in such places at any one time , thereby making it difficult for many businesses to survive .
It ’ s why some economists say the damage from the downturn could persist far longer than some may assume .
There is also fear that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economy is re-opened , forcing reopened businesses to shut down again .
The Trump administration takes a rosier view .
President Donald Trump told reporters this week that he expects a “ big rise ” in GDP in the third quarter , followed by an “ incredible fourth quarter , and you ’ re going to have an incredible next year.
” The president is building his re-election campaign on the argument that he built a powerful economy over the past three years and can do so again after the health crisis has @ @ @

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy shrank at a 4.8% annual rate last quarter as the coronavirus pandemic shut down much of the country and began triggering a recession that will end the longest expansion on record.
The Commerce Department says the gross domestic product, the total output of goods and services, posted a quarterly drop for the first time in six years. And it was the sharpest fall since the economy shrank at an 8.4% annual rate in the fourth quarter of 2008 in the depths of the Great Recession.
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Forecasters say the drop in the January-March quarter will be only a precursor of a far grimmer GDP report to come on the current April-June period, with business shutdowns and layoffs striking with devastating force. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that GDP will plunge this quarter at a 40% annual rate.
That would be, by a breathtaking margin, the bleakest quarter since such records were first compiled in 1947. It would be four times the size of the worst quarterly contraction on record set in 1958.
In just a few weeks, businesses across the country have shut down and laid off tens of millions of workers. Factories and stores are shuttered. Home sales are falling. Households are slashing spending. Consumer confidence is sinking.
As the economy slides into what looks like a severe recession, some economists are holding out hope that a recovery will arrive quickly and robustly once the health crisis has been solved — what some call a V-shaped recovery. Increasingly, though, analysts say they think the economy will struggle to regain its momentum even after the viral outbreak has subsided.
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Many Americans, they suggest, could remain too fearful to travel, shop at stores or visit restaurants or movie theaters anywhere near as much as they used to. In addition, local and state officials may continue to limit, for health reasons, how many people may congregate in such places at any one time, thereby making it difficult for many businesses to survive. It’s why some economists say the damage from the downturn could persist far longer than some may assume.
There is also fear that the coronavirus could flare up again after the economy is re-opened, forcing reopened businesses to shut down again.
The Trump administration takes a rosier view. President Donald Trump told reporters this week that he expects a “big rise” in GDP in the third quarter, followed by an “incredible fourth quarter, and you’re going to have an incredible next year.”


huffpost--2020-04-29--Gavin Rossdale And The Turbulence And Loneliness That Drive Him

“ I feel like it ’ s a real dichotomy between staying at home being creative , or finding the best part of yourself and trying to improve , whatever your chosen system is to get through this , and then you see the front lines of the disasters and the deaths and the horror , ” Rossdale told HuffPost .
“ We did all the homeschooling and stuff , which was hilarious , ” the British singer said .
“ Actually it wasn ’ t so bad at all , but it was a lot .
Bouncing between the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ checking up on them and then being told off about my English metric system.
” “ How I do long division is not how he does his .
He said , ‘ I don ’ t know how they do it in London or in England , but it ’ s not the same.
’ I was like , ‘ Well I got my answers with the calculator , that ’ s all I know.
’ ” “ They ’ re isolated on a huge ranch in the middle of America , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safe , ” Rossdale said .
“ They were doing unbelievably well here in the house , two weeks locked up and it wasn ’ t so bad at all .
We would go out when you were still allowed to go to the parks just to get some air , but now I can ’ t compete with that kind of space they [ Stefani and Shelton ] have , and I feel safer about that.
” “ I can ’ t believe I ’ m a single father of three kids @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lonely or you might meet someone , you think that ’ s all happening and then doesn ’ t quite work out , ” he said .
“ And on paper , I should have been completely sorted and settled , but I feel really unsettled , and I think that , while it ’ s horrific for my personal life in quarantine , by the way , it ’ s really good for my work .
It ’ s not like you have to be a starving artist in pain , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said for turbulence.
” “ Flowers on a Grave ” was the last song written for the album .
Bush had turned in all the tracks for “ The Kingdom , ” but record label executives asked for a couple more to round out the album .
Without access to a studio , Rossdale sat in his bedroom with the same drum machine he used for Bush ’ s 1994 debut album , “ Sixteen Stone , ” to write what would become the first single on “ The Kingdom.
” “ It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ honest and confessional and as open as I can be , ” he said .
“ The last record was kind of a bruised response to where my life was at and the turbulence in that time and being divorced , which was terrible.
” “ I had a girlfriend for two years up until a year ago and that was the best , ” he said .
“ First time I ’ d ever had anyone to travel with me , obviously because Gwen was working .
So that was the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with me and do that stuff.
” “ Loneliness comes from not finding the right match or being insecure or not quite confident enough to express yourself and to show exactly who you are and what you need ... And then there ’ s the physical , there ’ s the loneliness of actually not being with someone .
I mean , I ’ m fully aware of that .
I really do love the feeling of finding someone , that special person , somebody not only special , but that person you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so guilty .
And then you ’ re like , why am I doing this [ touring ] ?
You feel like the worst person in the world and then you play the show and you go , this is why I do it , I love it , ” he said about performing live .

Bush has a new album coming out in July. Scott Dudelson via Getty Images
Gavin Rossdale has been oscillating between keeping busy and feeling a bit isolated since coronavirus stay-at-home orders came down last month. He’s also been thinking a lot about health care and other essential workers and those infected with COVID-19.
“I feel like it’s a real dichotomy between staying at home being creative, or finding the best part of yourself and trying to improve, whatever your chosen system is to get through this, and then you see the front lines of the disasters and the deaths and the horror,” Rossdale told HuffPost.
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The Bush frontman spent the first couple of weeks of the global pandemic with Kingston, Zuma and Apollo, the sons he shares with ex-wife, singer Gwen Stefani.
“We did all the homeschooling and stuff, which was hilarious,” the British singer said. “Actually it wasn’t so bad at all, but it was a lot. Bouncing between the rooms, like a schoolteacher, just checking up on them and then being told off about my English metric system.”
Things got particularly tricky when one of his sons asked for math help.
“How I do long division is not how he does his. He said, ‘I don’t know how they do it in London or in England, but it’s not the same.’ I was like, ‘Well I got my answers with the calculator, that’s all I know.’”
The boys are now back in the United States, staying with Stefani and her boyfriend, country singer Blake Shelton, at their home in Oklahoma.
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“They’re isolated on a huge ranch in the middle of America, and I support that because it keeps them safe,” Rossdale said. “They were doing unbelievably well here in the house, two weeks locked up and it wasn’t so bad at all. We would go out when you were still allowed to go to the parks just to get some air, but now I can’t compete with that kind of space they [Stefani and Shelton] have, and I feel safer about that.”
Now in an empty house, Rossdale is turning his attention to music. It’s lonely, he says, but it’s a feeling he’s gotten used to over the years. Life’s uncertainty has at least been good for one thing: Rossdale’s songwriting.
“I can’t believe I’m a single father of three kids. When I travel, it gets lonely or you might meet someone, you think that’s all happening and then doesn’t quite work out,” he said. “And on paper, I should have been completely sorted and settled, but I feel really unsettled, and I think that, while it’s horrific for my personal life in quarantine, by the way, it’s really good for my work. It’s not like you have to be a starving artist in pain, but there’s so much to be said for turbulence.”
Those turbulent feelings make up some of the songs on “The Kingdom,” Rossdale’s new album with Bush due out July 17. The 12-track set features lead single “Flowers on a Grave,” as well as “Bullet Holes,” which appeared in the movie, “John Wick 3: Parabellum.”
“Flowers on a Grave” was the last song written for the album. Bush had turned in all the tracks for “The Kingdom,” but record label executives asked for a couple more to round out the album. Without access to a studio, Rossdale sat in his bedroom with the same drum machine he used for Bush’s 1994 debut album, “Sixteen Stone,” to write what would become the first single on “The Kingdom.”
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"The Kingdom" follows Bush's 2017 album, "Black and White Rainbows." BMG
Tapping into the world around him fueled not only the sound but the lyrics, which right now feel “really vital” to Rossdale.
“It’s poignant, and I was honest and confessional and as open as I can be,” he said. “The last record was kind of a bruised response to where my life was at and the turbulence in that time and being divorced, which was terrible.”
This time, armed with a “a big drawer of issues,” Rossdale wrote about the ups and downs of living and loving to “holding on to things for too long.”
“I had a girlfriend for two years up until a year ago and that was the best,” he said. “First time I’d ever had anyone to travel with me, obviously because Gwen was working. So that was the first time that I ever had anyone travel with me and do that stuff.”
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Another theme on “The Kingdom” involves loneliness. It’s a topic Rossdale has written about before and it feels even more poignant now in the midst of coronavirus social distancing measures.
“Loneliness comes from not finding the right match or being insecure or not quite confident enough to express yourself and to show exactly who you are and what you need ... And then there’s the physical, there’s the loneliness of actually not being with someone. I mean, I’m fully aware of that. I really do love the feeling of finding someone, that special person, somebody not only special, but that person you want to text.”
Still, there’s some messages of hope throughout the new Bush album, even showcased in the title, “The Kingdom,” a place Rossdale imagines to be free of judgment and self-righteous people; a place where people can be free to express themselves.
“That’s what ‘The Kingdom’ wants to be, just like a utopian place,” Rossdale said.
GDP Photos/ MediaPunch / Getty Images
Rossdale looks forward to performing these new songs live with Bush as soon as it’s safe to hold big concerts. These days, he spaces out his tours so he can spend more time with the kids.
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“I feel so guilty. And then you’re like, why am I doing this [touring]? You feel like the worst person in the world and then you play the show and you go, this is why I do it, I love it,” he said about performing live.
For the English rocker, it’s all about striking a balance with playing shows and seeing his kids.


huffpost--2020-04-29--Trump Says He Won't Extend Social Distancing Guidelines

The administration says the its cautionary guidance issued 45 days ago has been incorporated into recommendations given to the states on how they can begin gradually easing restrictions and reopening their economies .
“ They ’ ll be fading out because now the governors are doing it , ” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Wednesday as he met with John Bel Edwards , the Democratic governor of Louisiana .
Edwards told Trump that his state has turned the corner in its fight against the virus , meeting on a day that brought hopeful signs for a new treatment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. economy shrank at a 4.8 % annual rate last quarter — a precursor to far grimmer reports that are expected this summer from the pandemic that has shut down much of the country and triggered a severe recession .
“ I just wanted to congratulate you , ” Trump said to Edwards , commending him on the job he ’ s done after New Orleans became one of the nation ’ s coronavirus hot spots .
However , Edwards is currently under fire from Republican lawmakers in his state after he extended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 15 .
As he was in Washington , some GOP legislators were trying to rally support to take the extraordinary step of trying to override the governor ’ s emergency decision-making about the state ’ s outbreak .
During the meeting , Trump , who has both threatened to force states to reopen and said decisions will be left to them , confirmed the White House will not be extending its “ 30 Days to Slow the Spread ” guidelines when they expire Thursday .
Those guidelines — which were originally supposed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an additional 30 — encouraged Americans to work from home and avoid restaurants and discretionary travel and advised older Americans and those with serious underlying health conditions to isolate themselves .
Vice President Mike Pence said the guidelines have been incorporated into the new guidance issued by the White House earlier this month that lays out how states can gradually begin to reopen as the rate of new cases slows .
The White House on Wednesday was also talking up the prospect of an experimental drug , Remdesivir , which proved effective against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run by the National Institutes of Health , shortening the time it takes for patients to recover by four days on average .
The White House and Trump in particular have been eager to give the country positive news as they work to move past the crisis and rebuild the economy , even as the country ’ s death tally continues to rise .
The U.S. has now recorded more than 58,000 deaths from the virus , surpassing the total number of Americans who were killed in the Vietnam War .
More than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The U.S. has dramatically increased its testing after a slow and rocky start , but many health experts say the country still must do more — as many as 5 million a day — to safely reopen the economy .
Otherwise , they warn , cases will skyrocket as Americans return to work , creating another deadly spike .
“ I think what you ’ ll see in May , as the states are reopening now , is May will be a transition month , ” he said .
“ And I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a lot of the country should be back to normal and the hope is that ... by July the country is really rocking again .
”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday the federal government’s coronavirus social distancing guidelines will be “fading out” when they expire Thursday, counting on states taking charge as they pivot to reopening .
The administration says the its cautionary guidance issued 45 days ago has been incorporated into recommendations given to the states on how they can begin gradually easing restrictions and reopening their economies.
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“They’ll be fading out because now the governors are doing it,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Wednesday as he met with John Bel Edwards, the Democratic governor of Louisiana.
Edwards told Trump that his state has turned the corner in its fight against the virus, meeting on a day that brought hopeful signs for a new treatment but also grim economic numbers.
The U.S. economy shrank at a 4.8% annual rate last quarter — a precursor to far grimmer reports that are expected this summer from the pandemic that has shut down much of the country and triggered a severe recession.
While Trump spoke confidently of the governors steering recovery in their states, transition is not going smoothly everywhere.
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“I just wanted to congratulate you,” Trump said to Edwards, commending him on the job he’s done after New Orleans became one of the nation’s coronavirus hot spots.
However, Edwards is currently under fire from Republican lawmakers in his state after he extended Louisiana’s stay-at-home order through May 15. As he was in Washington, some GOP legislators were trying to rally support to take the extraordinary step of trying to override the governor’s emergency decision-making about the state’s outbreak.
During the meeting, Trump, who has both threatened to force states to reopen and said decisions will be left to them, confirmed the White House will not be extending its “30 Days to Slow the Spread” guidelines when they expire Thursday.
Those guidelines — which were originally supposed to last 15 days and were then extended an additional 30 — encouraged Americans to work from home and avoid restaurants and discretionary travel and advised older Americans and those with serious underlying health conditions to isolate themselves.
Vice President Mike Pence said the guidelines have been incorporated into the new guidance issued by the White House earlier this month that lays out how states can gradually begin to reopen as the rate of new cases slows.
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The White House on Wednesday was also talking up the prospect of an experimental drug, Remdesivir, which proved effective against the virus in a major new study run by the National Institutes of Health, shortening the time it takes for patients to recover by four days on average.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, said the drug reduced the time it takes patients to recover by 31% — 11 days on average versus 15 days for those just given usual care.
“It’s highly significant,” said the usually cautious doctor. “What it has proven is that a drug can block this virus.”
The White House and Trump in particular have been eager to give the country positive news as they work to move past the crisis and rebuild the economy, even as the country’s death tally continues to rise. The U.S. has now recorded more than 58,000 deaths from the virus, surpassing the total number of Americans who were killed in the Vietnam War. More than one million people have now tested positive.
Trump said that number has risen so high in large part because of increased U.S. testing.
“That’s a tremendous amount and the reason is because of testing,” he said.
The U.S. has dramatically increased its testing after a slow and rocky start, but many health experts say the country still must do more — as many as 5 million a day — to safely reopen the economy. Otherwise, they warn, cases will skyrocket as Americans return to work, creating another deadly spike.
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Trump has dismissed that recommended number, calling it unnecessary and a “media trap.”
Separately on Wednesday, Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, told “Fox and Friends” that the administration is preparing the country to “get as close back to normal as possible as quickly as possible.”
“I think what you’ll see in May, as the states are reopening now, is May will be a transition month,” he said. “And I think you’ll see by June, a lot of the country should be back to normal and the hope is that ... by July the country is really rocking again.”
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