Tag: Coronavirus

Commentary: Michigan Is Already on Its Way to Full Economic Recovery

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With the “v-shaped” economic recovery taking shape nationwide, Michigan has begun to bounce back from the artificial coronavirus downturn sooner than most of us dared to hope. 

Despite Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s excessively harsh stay-at-home orders, Michigan regained more than 460,000 nonfarm jobs since the start of May, reducing the unemployment rate by almost a whopping 10 percentage points. Blue collar industries that provide the lifeblood for Michigan’s middle class, such as construction and manufacturing, are doing particularly well — those two sectors alone created more than 180,000 new jobs in May, no doubt fueled in part by the President’s focus on ramping up domestic production of medical supplies needed to confront the invisible enemy.

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Sen. Peters Asks FEMA to Help Fund Michigan Coronavirus School Response

Jordyn Pair

Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) sent a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Monday asking the agency to help fund schools in Michigan as they prepare to open during the coronavirus.

In the letter, Peters pushed FEMA to allow schools in Michigan and nationwide to access to funding from the Disaster Relief Fund to help pay for public safety trainings, adapting classrooms and acquiring personal protective equipment for students and staff.

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Minnesotans Divided Over ‘Safe Return’ to Schools

Corinne Murdock

This week, educators and parents wait with bated breath on Governor Tim Walz’s upcoming decision on a safe return to schools.
On the Facebook page, “Minnesota for a Safe Return to Campus”, the greatest concerns were mainly posted by educators. Death, unrealistic demands, a future lack of interest in teaching as a profession, and the inability to be with elderly loved ones were all consistent issues listed throughout the page.

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Virginia’s New COVID-19 Workplace Standards Amount to Unfunded Mandates on Businesses

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Virginia business groups are decrying the expanded COVID-19 regulations adopted by the Department of Labor and Industry, which include unfunded mandates and additional training and sanitization requirements.

Virginia became the first state to adopt temporary COVID-19 workplace safety and health standards last week through a vote by the department’s Health Codes Board, which did not consider many of the concerns from business associations.

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Critics: Changing Information about Coronavirus Transmission, Impact Leads to Backlash over Policy Decisions

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Since March, when U.S. policy makers implemented restrictive policies to limit the spread of the coronavirus, government agencies have collected data and reported their findings, which have significantly varied over time. As the data comes in, agencies have amended their guidelines, often to the frustration of policy makers and media critics.

Initially, the Centers for Disease Control argued that the coronavirus could be spread via surface-based transmission. It has since changed its position on this after scientific studies have shown the opposite. It recently stated that doorknobs and other commonly touched surfaces are not consistent with transmission. Rather, spread of the virus is believed to be mostly through droplets from respiratory exchanges, it states in its revised guidelines.

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Testing Supply Chain in Minnesota Re-Emerges as Concern

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Minnesota health officials are concerned about renewed pressure on the testing supply chain, which could affect the state’s response to a recent growth in cases and plans to continue to ramp up testing.

Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said during a press call Friday that state officials have received reports of delays or reductions in testing supplies like reagents and pipettes from some health systems across the state, which rely on their own supply channels for weekly shipments of testing equipment.

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Commentary: ‘Pandemic Pods’ Make Homeschooling Easier for Parents and Profitable for Teachers

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This tumultuous back-to-school season has parents and teachers alike scrambling to make sense of the madness: from ever-changing district directives to COVID-19 response protocols. Some school systems have announced that the academic year will start with remote-learning-only. Others are pursuing partial reopening options with both online and in-person instruction. Still others are planning to fully reopen for in-person learning.

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Worldwide Pediatric Experts Argue Schools Should Reopen

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Several reports published in western countries worldwide argue that children should be returning to in-person classrooms in the fall.

Reports by the top pediatric hospital in Canada and by a leading expert in the British government argue that schools should reopen with relatively few restrictions because of growing evidence that indicates that children appear to be at little risk of contracting or spreading COVID-19.

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Newt Gingrich Commentary: Cheating the Children or Empowering the Parents

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The United States is gradually grinding to an educational collapse as the giant bureaucracies and extraordinarily powerful teachers’ unions ignore children and education in pursuit of power.

Many of the wealthiest school systems have decided that they simply will not go back to school this fall. They will offer virtual classes even though the evidence is overwhelming that for younger children virtual classes are dramatically less effective than in person instruction.

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US Supreme Court Denies Nevada Church’s Appeal of Virus Rule

The Associated Press

A sharply divided U.S. Supreme Court denied a rural Nevada church’s request late Friday to strike down as unconstitutional a 50-person cap on worship services as part of the state’s ongoing response to the coronavirus.

In a 5-4 decision, the high court refused to grant the request from the Christian church east of Reno to be subjected to the same COVID-19 restrictions in Nevada that allow casinos, restaurants and other businesses to operate at 50% of capacity with proper social distancing.

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Steve Bannon Presents ‘War Room: Pandemic’

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An all new LIVE STREAM of War Room: Pandemic starts at 9 a.m. Central Time on Saturday.

Former White House Chief Strategist Stephen K. Bannon began the daily War Room: Pandemic radio show and podcast on January 25, when news of the virus was just beginning to leak out of China around the Lunar New Year. Bannon and co-hosts bring listeners exclusive analysis and breaking updates from top medical, public health, economic, national security, supply chain and geopolitical experts weekdays from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon ET.

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Sen. Sherrod Brown Proposes a Resolution That Declares ‘Racism’ a Public Health Crisis

Zachery Schmidt

Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced a resolution along with Sens. Corey Booker (D-New Jersey) and Kamala Harris (D-California) that wants to say “racism” is a public health crisis.

“We will not make progress until we acknowledge and address all of the ways that centuries of racism and oppression have harmed Black and brown Americans,” Brown said. “This resolution is an important step toward recognizing the racial disparities in healthcare that have existed for far too long while also outlining concrete action we can take now to help reverse them.

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White House Drops Payroll Tax Cut After GOP Allies Object

The Associated Press

The White House reluctantly dropped its bid to cut Social Security payroll taxes Thursday as Republicans prepared to unveil a $1 trillion COVID-19 rescue package, yielding to opposition to the idea among top Senate allies.

“It won’t be in the base bill,” said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, speaking on CNBC about the payroll tax cut, killing the idea for now. The cut in the tax that finances Social Security and Medicare has been a major demand of President Donald Trump.

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Study Finds That Full Lockdowns Did Not Reduce Coronavirus Mortality Rate

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A study published Tuesday in The Lancet medical journal found that full lockdowns, border closures and high rates of coronavirus testing are not associated with a statistically significant reduction in the total number of critical cases or the virus’s overall mortality rate.

However, the study, which was based on data from the 50 countries with the most reported cases as of May 1, noted that lockdowns and border closures are likely associated with better overall health outcomes, as the measures helped drive down the rate of the virus’s transmission and reduce the load on hospital systems.

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Unemployment Claims Rise for the First Time Since March to 1.4 Million

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The Department of Labor reported Thursday that over 1.4 million Americans filed additional claims for unemployment last week, marking the first weekly increase in claims since March.

The number of Americans filing for unemployment had been declining each week before mid-July, but the Thursday report marks the 18th week in a row that unemployment claims have been above one million, CNBC reported.

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U.S. Will Pay $1.95 Billion for 100 Million Doses of Coronavirus Vaccine Doses

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The federal government pledged $1.95 billion for an order of up to 600 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine, which is set to enter key large-scale trials in the coming weeks. The average cost of a dose based on this deal is $3.25.

American pharmaceutical company Pfizer and German partner BioNTech announced the deal in a press release Wednesday. The companies are on track to produce 100 million doses by the end of the year and potentially 1.3 billion doses by 2022.

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Christopher Nolan’s ‘Tenet’ Delayed Indefinitely by Virus

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Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet,” which had hoped to herald Hollywood’s return to big theatrical releases, has yet again postponed its release due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Warner Bros. said Monday that “Tenet” will not make its August 12 release date. Unlike previous delays, the studio this time didn’t announce a new target for the release of Nolan’s much-anticipated $200 million thriller.

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Guidance for Masks in Schools Varies Widely Across US States

The Associated Press

School districts that plan to reopen classrooms in the fall are wrestling with whether to require teachers and students to wear face masks — an issue that has divided urban and rural schools and yielded widely varying guidance.

The divide has also taken on political dimensions in Iowa, among other places, where Democratic-leaning cities like Des Moines and Iowa City have required masks to curb the spread of the coronavirus, while smaller, more conservative communities have left the decision to parents.

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Michigan’s Hillsdale College Defies Governor’s Shutdown, Holds Outdoor Commencement Ceremony

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Hillsdale College hosted a three-day commencement event despite coronavirus restrictions. The private Michigan college hosted a dinner for graduates Thursday night, a party for seniors Friday night, and an outdoor graduation ceremony on Saturday.

In a statement released in April, Hillsdale College Provost Christopher VanOrman said, “We could not say goodbye to our graduating seniors without celebrating their accomplishments. We look forward to having them return to us for a three-day-long celebration.”

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Ohio in the ‘Yellow Zone’ Accounting to White House Task Force Report

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Ohio is in the “yellow zone” for coronavirus cases, according to a White House Coronavirus Task Force report that presents a list of suggested actions.

The July 14 report is available here. The Ohio data begins on Page 246.

The classification means Ohio had between 10 to 100 new cases per 100,000 residents the week before the report was released, and the yellow zone for test positivity, indicating a rate between 5 percent to 10 percent.

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White House Coronavirus Task Force Report Classifies Tennessee a ‘Red Zone’

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Six metro areas and 19 counties in Tennessee are designated as coronavirus red zones in a private report prepared for the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

The 359-page report, dated July 14, identifies local COVID-19 hotspots across the U.S. and recommends increased restrictions for those areas. It was obtained and published by The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit newsroom based in Washington. The authors of the report are not specified.

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Commentary: Why Sweden Succeeded in ‘Flattening the Curve’ and New York Failed

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Coronavirus deaths have slowed to a crawl in Sweden. With the exception of a single death on July 13, no deaths in this nation of 10 million have been reported since July 10.

But the debate over Sweden’s approach to the COVID-19 pandemic, which relied on individual responsibility instead of government coercion to maintain social distancing, is far from over.

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Pandemic Triggered Massive Decline in US Prison Population: Report

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More than 100,000 state and federal prisoners were released from custody between March and June as the coronavirus spread nationwide, according to analysis from a criminal justice organization.

The overall U.S. prison population declined by 8% over the course of those four months compared to the 2.2% decrease that occurred in the entirety of 2019, according to data compiled by The Marshall Project and The Associated Press. The decrease was mostly a result of prisons not accepting individuals from county jails to stop the virus from spreading and court closures, although some facilities did elect to release some prisoners early, The AP reported.

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Nearly 60 Percent of Ohio Now Required to Wear Face Coverings in Public

Zachery Schmidt

  Gov. Mike DeWine announced on Thursday that eight new counties were added to the Red Level 3 Public Emergency. When an Ohio county reaches this level its population is required to wear a face covering in public. Level 3 is considered an area where exposure and spread of the coronavirus is very high. According to the governor’s press release, almost 60 percent of the state’s population will be required to wear face coverings in public. The new counties added to Level 3 are Athens, Allen, Delaware, Licking, Lucas, Richland, Scioto and Union. Currently, 19 counties have reached Level 3. Trumbull County dropped down to Level Two which means people who live in this county aren’t required to wear face coverings in public. The other twelve counties in Level 3 are Butler, Clermont, Cuyahoga, Fairfield, Franklin, Hamilton, Lorain, Montgomery, Pickaway, Summit and Wood. These new counties were expected to follow this mandate on Friday. Athens County is approaching Purple Alert Level 4 which means the coronavirus has severe exposure and spread. The Ohio Department of Health uses seven indicators to determine what level a county is at in terms of coronavirus risk level alerts: New cases per capita Sustained increase…

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Man Arrested After Illegally Obtaining $8.5 Million in Coronavirus Relief

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A California man was arrested on Thursday after being charged with fraudulently claiming $8.5 million in coronavirus relief funds through the Payment Protection Program (PPP) and spending hundreds of thousands at a Las Vegas casino, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced.

The criminal complaint charges Andrew Marnell, 40, of Los Angeles, CA, with submitting fake documents in the PPP funding application, lying about the expenses and business operations of several businesses and using fake aliases to obtain these federal government sourced funds.

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Gov. DeWine Vetoes Bill Looking to Limit Emergency Public Health Order Violations

Zachery Schmidt

For the first time as governor, Mike DeWine vetoed a bill Friday that restricted penalties for people who violate public health orders.

Senate Bill (SB) 55, which was introduced by state Senator Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green), would have allowed Ohioans who violate public health orders to receive a warning rather than receive fines. According to the bill, if people did not follow the public health orders then it would result in a fine no more than $100 for each subsequent violation.

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Mortality Rate Not Listed as Factor in Davidson County’s Reopening Metrics Plan

Jason M. Reynolds

Davidson County has a plan for reopening the city from COVID-19. This plan uses a number of data points including the status of transmission rate, 14-day new case trend, public health capacity, testing capacity, and the number of regular hospital beds and ICU beds.

However, a key metric that is missing from the county’s reopening plan is mortality rate.

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Health Professionals Advocate for School Reopening Despite Coronavirus Pandemic

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Health professionals nationwide released statements in a Tea Party Patriots Action Second Opinion Project email on Thursday that they believe schools should reopen and that it is the safest option for kids.

The consensus among the physicians, that kids would benefit academically, socially, and health-wise from schools reopening this fall, echoes a statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released on July 10 addressing the issue of schools reopening in the fall.

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List of National Retail Chains Requiring Masks Is Growing

The Associated Press

Target, CVS Health and Publix Super Markets on Thursday joined the growing list of national chains that will require customers to wear face masks regardless of where cities or states stand on the issue.

Target’s mandatory face mask policy will go into effect Aug. 1, and all CVS stores will begin requiring them on Monday. Publix Super Markets Inc., based in Lakeland, Florida, said that its rule will kick in on Tuesday at all 1,200 stores.

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Gov. DeWine Calls for Unity to Help Fight Coronavirus

Zachery Schmidt

  In a special primetime address Wednesday night, Gov. Mike DeWine urged Ohioans to take the appropriate actions needed to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Since the beginning of July, the number of coronavirus cases in Ohio has increased by almost 20,000. Furthermore, since June 1 the state’s COVID-19 cases have doubled, according to covidtracking.com data. “Today, more Ohioans are getting sick than at any previous point in this pandemic. We are sliding down a very dangerous path, with our once flattened-curve starting to sharpen and spike,” said Governor DeWine. “This is a worrisome, disturbing reversal of our progress – a jarring reminder of just how quickly our fate can change.” The governor said if immediate action is not taken to stop the spread of the Chinese virus then Ohio could be headed towards what is happening in Florida and Arizona in terms of increased coronavirus cases. DeWine said during his press conference the new cases are not just a result of new testing. The governor said testing has increased 87 percent. According to covidtracking.com data, the percentage of Ohioans testing positive for the coronavirus as of July 16 is below 7 percent. When the coronavirus first came to…

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Commentary: Fake News Media Continues to Focus on the Wrong Things During the Coronavirus Pandemic

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Each new dawn brings another farcical rant from the mainstream media. Facts be damned, hypocrisy ignored, truth summarily rejected—all in the name of “But Trump!” and “Orange Man bad!” Pravda veterans would be proud and perhaps, even a little jealous, as nobody in the MSM is being forced to propagandize at the point of a gun, with threats of a permanent vacation to sunny Siberia. No, the American news media does all of this of its own volition.

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Grant Applications Open for Michigan Farms, Agriculture Processors to Offset Coronavirus Impact

Jordyn Pair

Applications are now open for $15 million in grants for Michigan farms and agricultural processors to offset damage done by the coronavirus pandemic, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development announced on Wednesday.

The Michigan Agricultural Safety Grant Program will allocate $15 million from funding from the federal CARES Act to farms and agricultural processors, with $10 million being provided to processors and $5 million provided to farms.

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Ohio Lawmakers Introduce Bill That Would Make February 26 ‘Dr. Amy Acton Day’

Zachery Schmidt

Two Ohio lawmakers want to honor former Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton by giving her own day.

State Reps. Kent Smith (D-Euclid) and Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville) introduced House Bill 724 on Monday that would be designated February 26 “Dr. Amy Acton Day.”

February 26 is the date of choice because Gov. Mike DeWine named Acton the ODH director on this date in 2019.

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Commentary: In-Person Schooling Would Be One of the Safest Activities to Reopen

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Most students around the country haven’t been to school since March, when large parts of the country began to lock down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the data increasingly suggests that reopening schools entails the least risks and should be a goal of every level of government.

The early hope was that the closures would be temporary, such as Michigan’s school-closure order that was originally meant to end in April—but that was extended for the rest of the school year.

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