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Government Response to Coronavirus 5: We're On Our Own


GreyhoundFan

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You couldn't make this up:

We're living through a reality show that's a combination of Jackass + Punk'd + Real Housewives + Survivor.

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15 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

No surprise here:

 

With this evidence of his knowledge about the virus increasing and spreading and despite that knowledge still reopening his state, wouldn't that open him up for litigation by people who get infected after the reopening, or worse, by relatives of patients who die?

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16 hours ago, JMarie said:

What do you call the person who graduated last in their medical school class? A doctor.

Yeah same with lawyers. What do you call a person who just barely passed the bar exam?  A lawyer.  Bar prep company tends to emphasize that you don’t need to ace the test, just pass it. 

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5 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

You couldn't make this up:

We're living through a reality show that's a combination of Jackass + Punk'd + Real Housewives + Survivor.

Will people be handed an idiot hat after they get a dose?

My take:  Dumpy wants credit for the vaccine so he's sending Jared far and wide to snoop and to "help" move things along.  I see no legit way he could help, unless he's assigned to undo hindering that's already in place (and I don't discount this possibility), so that leaves PR.

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1 hour ago, Dandruff said:

Will people be handed an idiot hat after they get a dose?

My take:  Dumpy wants credit for the vaccine so he's sending Jared far and wide to snoop and to "help" move things along.  I see no legit way he could help, unless he's assigned to undo hindering that's already in place (and I don't discount this possibility), so that leaves PR.

He wants credit for the vaccine because he knows he's not getting a second term.  He didn't build that wall, he didn't dismantle Obamacare, and he'll be leaving office with the economy in worse shape than when his term started.  He needs to have some sort of accomplishment (that's his thinking, anyway).

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Some interesting points about Twitler's visit to the mask factory yesterday: "New questions arise about Trump’s event at Honeywell mask factory"

Spoiler

President Trump traveled to Arizona on Tuesday, where he toured a Honeywell plant that’s manufacturing N95 masks. Trump did not wear a mask during the visit, and neither did the Trump aides and Honeywell executives who interacted in close quarters with him.

In case you doubted that this was fundamentally a campaign trip, Trump tweeted out a campaign-style video of the event that depicted him as presiding over a robust effort to generate the supplies needed to combat the novel coronavirus, which he has in reality utterly failed to do.

But this visit raises some important questions — and potentially points to a serious dilemma for Trump’s opponent, Joe Biden.

Here’s the dilemma: It looks likely that Trump will be doing more such trips, which means he will basically be out campaigning, while Biden is not. Trump is able to stage these trips — and is conducting them and other events maskless, sending a message of normalcy to the country — because he’s able to benefit from special access to testing.

Will Biden be able to benefit from the same? Should he be able to benefit from the same?

At the Honeywell plant that Trump toured, many employees of the company wore masks. Trump’s video showed those employees wearing masks — in fairness, his team didn’t try to hide this — but he and the executives did not wear them, as the video also shows.

It appears this may have been in violation of company policy. CNN’s Jim Acosta tweeted that a sign in the facility said face masks were required.

So what happened here? A Honeywell spokesperson sent me the following statement:

Following White House recommended protocol, a small number of individuals directly interfacing with the President on Tuesday were tested for COVID-19 immediately prior to the event, received negative test results, and were permitted to not wear masks during portions of the visit based on that medical screening. All others present were wearing masks and social distancing in accordance with Honeywell’s site policy.

That strongly suggests the White House initiated this outcome: Honeywell executives, following the White House’s lead, got tested and cleared before interacting with Trump, which they did without masks. Trump aides traveling with him also didn’t wear masks.

Many of the others (such as those in the audience) wore masks, in accordance with Honeywell policy.

That means Honeywell executives might have violated their own company policy, in keeping with what Trump and the White House wanted, obviously for staging purposes.

Making this worse, the White House is offering a version of events that doesn’t exactly sync with Honeywell’s version. A White House official told CNN and CNBC that Honeywell told the White House that Trump and his entourage didn’t need to wear masks.

And on Wednesday afternoon, Trump told reporters the same thing.

“I asked specifically the head of Honeywell, ‘Should I wear a mask?’ and he said, ‘Well, you don’t need one in this territory,’” Trump said.

When I asked the Honeywell spokesperson for further clarification, he referred me back to the company’s statement — which, again, suggests that masks are required and that the White House initiated what happened.

And let’s face facts here: It’s obvious that if Trump wants to hold an event without masks, as he clearly does, his corporate hosts will feel pressure to go along with it (as Honeywell’s statement suggests happened).

The reason this matters: Trump is almost certainly not wearing a mask at such events to send a message to the country that we’re approaching normalcy. That’s likely why Trump and Vice President Pence have been lately holding other events without masks and proper social distancing.

Another reason this matters: As David Nakamura reports, Trump and Pence are able to do this because they have special access to a rapid testing mechanism. Indeed, the White House has defended these mask-free events on precisely that basis.

It’s not surprising that Trump and his entourage have such special testing access, given that he’s president. But this still raises the question of whether Trump is exploiting this access to mislead the country into believing things are normal when the rest of the country lacks this access to testing and thus doesn’t enjoy the safety or quasi-normalcy Trump does.

“Particularly to his supporters, the behavioral choices he makes carry far more weight than virtually anything else,” Jeremy Konyndyk, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development, told me. Konyndyk added that even if Trump and those around him benefit from special testing, “what’s seen” by Americans is, “don’t wear a mask.”

All this raises another question. Given that Trump will almost certainly now start traveling more — again, using this special testing access to facilitate it — where does that leave Biden, who’s stuck broadcasting from his basement?

“The big question now is should the Biden campaign be given access to these same tests, which would allow him to also begin to travel, meet with staff and stay competitive with the GOP ticket?” Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg told me.

“None of these trips Trump and Pence have done were essential to their jobs or in defeating the virus,” Rosenberg added. “They were very elaborate campaign photo ops.”

On top of all that, one can imagine that at other staging grounds for Trump’s future events, company executives will feel pressure to do events without masks. That is, they’ll feel pressure to help Trump send this message of normalcy, too.

 

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10 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

You couldn't make this up:

We're living through a reality show that's a combination of Jackass + Punk'd + Real Housewives + Survivor.

Ok this is an absolutely godawful move. But I am sitting here dying laughing, because I know how much work goes into making a vaccine, and Kushner? Is not even close to having any of the knowledge or ability or skills to develop a vaccine, or move candidates into trials, or bloody anything. The people that I know who are working on this right now are scarily intelligent, highly motivated people who would leave Kushner in the dust. They have at minimum two degrees, usually more. Kushner's role is likely to be rolling out a partially tested vaccine in time for the elections so Trump can shout victory.

You know what would actually help here? Getting these goddam, over-entitled princelings and their patron out of the damn way and letting the people who know what the hell they are doing take over. And tax their fortunes to fund the roll out of a vaccine that works across the population.

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Apparently someone dropped a judicial deuce during virtual oral arguments at the Supreme Court...

 

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Meanwhile here in Texas:

Quote

DALLAS (AP) — Texas’ Republican governor and top law enforcement officer on Wednesday came to the defense of a Dallas hair salon owner who was jailed for keeping her business open in defiance of the governor’s restrictions meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Shelley Luther was booked in the Dallas County jail on Tuesday following a video hearing during which she refused to apologize for repeatedly flouting the order, leading the judge to find her in contempt of court and sentence her to a week behind bars.

Luther was cited last month for keeping her salon open despite state and local directives that kept nonessential businesses closed, but she continued to defy the order and tore up a cease and desist letter in front of TV cameras.

“I couldn’t feed my family, and my stylists couldn’t feed their families,” Luther testified Tuesday, saying she had applied for a federal loan but didn’t receive it until Sunday.

Dallas County Judge Eric Moye said during the hearing that he would consider levying a fine instead of jail time if Luther would apologize and not reopen until she was allowed to do so, but Luther refused.

“Feeding my kids is not selfish,” she told Moye. “If you think the law is more important than kids getting fed, then please go ahead with your decision, but I am not going to shut the salon.”

Moye wrote in his judgment of contempt: “The defiance of the court’s order was open, flagrant and intentional.” He noted that despite being given the opportunity to apologize, Luther “expressed no contrition, remorse or regret” for her actions.

Annette Norred, a paralegal with the law firm representing Luther, said they are preparing a court filing seeking her release. Luther isn’t sure which program gave her the loan or how she’s allowed to spend it, Norred said.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a letter to the judge Wednesday asking him to release Luther from jail. U.S. Senator Ted Cruz also expressed support for her. Both are Republicans.

“I find it outrageous and out of touch that during this national pandemic, a judge, in a county that actually released hardened criminals for fear of contracting COVID-19, would jail a mother for operating her hair salon in an attempt to put food on her family’s table,” Paxton said.

Abbott called the salon owner’s punishment “excessive.”

“Compliance with executive orders during this pandemic is important to ensure public safety; however, surely there are less restrictive means to achieving that goal than jailing a Texas mother,” Abbott said in a statement.

In response, a letter to Paxton signed by Moye and the 11 other Dallas County civil district court judges called the attorney general’s letter to a judge about a pending case an improper communication under the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct. The judges told Paxton they “trust this shall not happen further.”

Some online fundraising efforts have been mounted on Luther’s behalf, the largest of which had collected more than $440,000 as of Wednesday evening.

The governor coming to the defense of someone violating his own executive order reflects the increasing pressure he faces to reboot the state at a much faster pace.

As Luther appeared in court Tuesday, Abbott gave permission for hair salons and barbershops in Texas to reopen by Friday, accelerating his own timeline.

Although Abbott last week allowed restaurants and retailers to reopen with limited capacity, he said at the time that mid-May was his goal to get hair salons and gyms up and running.

But some Texans haven’t been willing to wait, including two GOP state lawmakers who let reporters film them getting haircuts outside Houston on Tuesday.

Mark Jones, a professor of political science at Rice University, said Abbott has to balance opening up too slowly and alienating the right wing of his party, and moving too quickly in a way that risks a resurgence of COVID-19 and the loss of moderate Republicans and swing voters.

“Gov. Abbott has been forced to follow a very narrow path,” Jones said.

State Rep. Chris Turner, who chairs the House Democratic Caucus, compared Luther’s case to that of a woman who was sentenced in 2018 to five years in prison for casting a provisional ballot in the 2016 presidential election while on probation.

“To all who are distraught over proud lawbreaker Shelley Luther getting 7 days in jail, I’d like to introduce you to Crystal Mason,” Turner wrote on Twitter.

There are law enforcement officers in my region who have received death threats because they attempted to enforce Abbott's executive orders as written.  :shakehead2:

 

Edited by Cartmann99
Forgot to add the link because it's late, and I'm pissed at my governor.
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Because of course: "Admin shelves CDC guide to reopening country"

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A set of detailed documents created by the nation’s top disease investigators meant to give step-by-step advice to local leaders deciding when and how to reopen public places such as mass transit, day care centers and restaurants during the still-raging pandemic has been shelved by the Trump administration.

The 17-page report by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention team, titled “Guidance for Implementing the Opening Up America Again Framework,” was researched and written to help faith leaders, business owners, educators and state and local officials as they begin to reopen.

It was supposed to be published last Friday, but agency scientists were told the guidance “would never see the light of day,” according to a CDC official. The official was not authorized to talk to reporters and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.

The AP obtained a copy from a second federal official who was not authorized to release it. The guidance was described in AP stories last week, prior to the White House decision to shelve it.

The Trump administration has been closely controlling the release of guidance and information during the pandemic spurred by a new coronavirus that scientists are still trying to understand, with the president himself leading freewheeling daily briefings until last week.

Traditionally, it’s been the CDC’s role to give the public and local officials guidance and science-based information during public health crises. During this one, however, the CDC has not had a regular, pandemic-related news briefing in nearly two months. CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield has been a member of the White House coronavirus task force, but largely absent from public appearances.

The dearth of real-time, public information from the nation’s experts has struck many current and former government health officials as dangerous.

“CDC has always been the public health agency Americans turn to in a time of crisis,” said Dr. Howard Koh, a Harvard professor and former health official in the Obama administration during the H1N1 swine flu pandemic in 2009. “The standard in a crisis is to turn to them for the latest data and latest guidance and the latest press briefing. That has not occurred, and everyone sees that.”

The Trump administration has instead sought to put the onus on states to handle COVID-19 response. This approach to managing the pandemic has been reflected in President Donald Trump’s public statements, from the assertion that he isn’t responsible for the country’s lackluster early testing efforts, to his description last week of the federal government’s role as a “supplier of last resort” for states in need of testing aid.

White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany echoed that at a briefing Wednesday. “We’ve consulted individually with states, but as I said, it’s (a) governor-led effort. It’s a state-led effort on ... which the federal government will consult. And we do so each and every day.”

The rejected reopening guidance was described by one of the federal officials as a touchstone document that was to be used as a blueprint for other groups inside the CDC who are creating the same type of instructional materials for other facilities.

The guidance contained detailed advice for making site-specific decisions related to reopening schools, restaurants, summer camps, churches, day care centers and other institutions. It had been widely shared within CDC, and included detailed “decision trees,” flow charts to be used by local officials to think through different scenarios. One page of the document can be found on the CDC website via search engines, but it did not appear to be linked to any other CDC pages.

Some of the report’s suggestions already appear on federal websites. But the guidance offered specific, tailored recommendations for reopening in one place.

For example, the report suggested restaurants and bars should install sneeze guards at cash registers and avoid having buffets, salad bars and drink stations. Similar tips appear on the CDC’s site and a Food and Drug Administration page.

But the shelved report also said that as restaurants start seating diners again, they should space tables at least 6 feet apart and try to use phone app technology to alert a patron when their table is ready to avoid touching and use of “buzzers.” That’s not on the CDC’s site now.

“You can say that restaurants can open and you need to follow social distancing guidelines. But restaurants want to know, ‘What does that look like?’ States would like more guidance,” said Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

The White House’s own “Opening Up America Again” guidelines released last month were more vague than the CDC’s unpublished report. They instructed state and local governments to reopen in accordance with federal and local “regulations and guidance,” and to monitor employees for symptoms of COVID-19. The White House guidance also included advice developed earlier in the pandemic that remains important like social distancing and encouraging working from home.

A person close to the White House’s coronavirus task force said the CDC documents were never cleared by CDC leadership for public release. The person said that White House officials don’t want to offer detailed guidance for how specific sectors can reopen, calling it a “slippery slope” because the virus is affecting various parts of the country differently.

CDC is hearing daily from state and county health departments looking for scientifically valid information with which to make informed decisions.

Still, behind the scenes, CDC scientists like those who produced the guidance for “Opening Up America Again″ are working to get information to local governments. The agency still employs hundreds of the world’s most respected epidemiologists and doctors, who in times of crisis are looked to for their expertise, said former CDC director Tom Frieden. People have clicked on the CDC’s coronavirus website more than 1.2 billion times.

States that directly reach out to the CDC can tap guidance that’s been prepared, but that the White House has not released yet.

“I don’t think that any state feels that the CDC is deficient. It’s just the process of getting stuff out,” Plescia said.

 

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Hmm: "One of Trump's personal valets has tested positive for coronavirus"

Quote

(CNN) A member of the US Navy who serves as one of President Donald Trump's personal valets has tested positive for coronavirus, CNN learned Thursday, raising concerns about the President's possible exposure to the virus.

The valets are members of an elite military unit dedicated to the White House and often work very close to the President and first family. Trump was upset when he was informed Wednesday that the valet had tested positive, a source told CNN, and he was subsequently tested again by the White House physician.

In a statement, the White House confirmed CNN's reporting that one of the President's valets had tested positive.

"We were recently notified by the White House Medical Unit that a member of the United States Military, who works on the White House campus, has tested positive for Coronavirus," deputy White House press secretary Hogan Gidley said in a statement. "The President and the Vice President have since tested negative for the virus and they remain in great health."

A White House source said the valet, a man who has not been identified, exhibited "symptoms" Wednesday morning, and said the news that someone close to Trump had tested positive for coronavirus was "hitting the fan" in the West Wing.

Trump, who is a self-described germophobe, has chastised aides before who coughed or sneezed in his presence. He has claimed to rarely get sick himself.

Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and the senior staffers who regularly interact with them are still being tested weekly for coronavirus, two people familiar told CNN.

The White House is continuing to use the rapid Abbott Labs test, which provide results in about 15 minutes. Several officials who have received the test said it's often administered in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, next door to the West Wing on the White House grounds. A medical official swabs the staffer's nostrils and informs them that they'll be notified within the next several minutes if it's positive.

Still, the White House has not enforced strict social distancing guidelines for staffers and few people inside the building wear masks during the day, including valets.

Trump said before traveling aboard Air Force One earlier this week that he was not concerned about being in close quarters with other people since those around him are regularly tested.

"The test result comes back in five minutes, and we have great testing. Or they wouldn't be allowed to travel with me," Trump said. "It's not my choice; it's a very strong group of people that want to make sure they are tested, including Secret Service."

Still, a negative test and lack of symptoms isn't a sure sign that someone can't spread the virus.

Doctors say the incubation period for the coronavirus varies. The incubation period is the time that it takes from when you are exposed to the virus to developing symptoms. It ranges anywhere from 2-14 days. The average incubation period is estimated to be five days, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

People can be infectious, meaning they can transmit the virus to somebody else, up to two days before they start showing symptoms. Like any other virus, this can vary from person to person.

The coronavirus is spread between people mainly through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets can then spread to the nose or mouth of people nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs, according to the CDC. This type of spread is more likely when people are in close contact with each other, within about six feet.

The CDC says that people who feel healthy but recently had close contact with a person with Covid-19 should stay home and monitor their health. They should quarantine by staying home until 14 days after their last exposure and should check their temperature twice a day and watch for symptoms. The CDC also recommends they stay away from people who are at higher risk for becoming very ill.

The White House did not say whether Trump would adhere to those guidelines after his valet tested positive.

 

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Update on the story I posted earlier about Shelly Luther and her beauty salon:

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Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday removed jail as a punishment for violating his coronavirus restrictions following outcry by conservatives over a Dallas salon owner who was locked up for refusing to keep her business closed.

In a swift relaxing of his own rules, Abbott said his new order should free Shelley Luther, who was booked in the Dallas County jail this week for keeping her salon open in defiance of the governor’s restrictions meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Luther refused to apologize for repeatedly flouting the order, leading a judge to find her in contempt of court and sentence her to a week behind bars. Her punishment quickly became a rallying cry for Republican lawmakers and conservative activists, and one online fundraising campaign had raised more the $500,000 for Luther as of Thursday morning.

“Throwing Texans in jail who have had their businesses shut down through no fault of their own is nonsensical, and I will not allow it to happen,” Abbott said in a statement. He also mentioned two women along the Texas border who were similarly jailed for violating his executive orders, but whose arrests have not drawn as much attention or inspired protests.

The reversal reflects the increasing pressure Abbott is under to reboot the state’s economy at a much faster pace. It also comes just as Abbott was scheduled to meet Thursday with President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Shortly after Abbott softened the enforcement of his previous virus safeguards, the Texas Supreme Court ordered that Luther be released from jail.

Luther is probably out of jail by now, but the executive order that shuttered her business is still in place. When she opens up later today in defiance of Abbott's executive order, there's no point in calling the cops on her. If you own a business that has been closed because of the pandemic, and you are white and conventionally attractive, you might as well go ahead and open your doors back up if you feel so inclined. If you don't meet the above criteria, I suggest buying a bunch of MAGA-themed merchandise and wearing it to your place of business.

It's an ill-advised course of action to fling the doors of business wide open again if our goal here in Texas is to help stop the spread of the virus, but Abbott has decided that the only thing he cares about is his political future. He's pushing his chips out to the center of the table and betting it all on the fact that those of us who don't think the sun shines out of Trump's ass are not numerous enough to matter. He'll look anguished at the inevitable loss of life, and tell us to pray and hug our guns children like he always does when tragedies befall Texas, and then he'll go home and practice writing President Greg Abbott all over his notebook.

Please remember this episode in the future.

Edited to add:

The judge that ordered Luther to jail needs to be careful, because the nutters are circling:

 

Edited by Cartmann99
added Fuckabee tweet
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6 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

If the western state pact wanted to break off from this country I would not blame them at all. If we get out of this I’m going to see if there’s any communities up in Alberta or Manitoba needing legal services. 

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8 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

The person said that White House officials don’t want to offer detailed guidance for how specific sectors can reopen, calling it a “slippery slope” because the virus is affecting various parts of the country differently.

CDC is hearing daily from state and county health departments looking for scientifically valid information with which to make informed decisions.

Oh dear Lord, this is why you need the specific guidelines, so different parts of the country can make informed decisions based on their local situation. Seriously every time I think this can't get worse they start digging.

5 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

The CDC says that people who feel healthy but recently had close contact with a person with Covid-19 should stay home and monitor their health. They should quarantine by staying home until 14 days after their last exposure and should check their temperature twice a day and watch for symptoms. The CDC also recommends they stay away from people who are at higher risk for becoming very ill.

The White House did not say whether Trump would adhere to those guidelines after his valet tested positive.

Oh yeah, Trumps totally going to follow those guidelines. At this rate we'll find out he's caused the face mask facility to be closed for cleaning and decontamination.

3 hours ago, Cartmann99 said:

Luther refused to apologize for repeatedly flouting the order, leading a judge to find her in contempt of court and sentence her to a week behind bars

She was jailed for contempt of court. Not for flouting the order. They should have left her there.

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What. A. Waste.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/07/coronavirus-trump-says-tests-are-overrated-but-will-get-tested-daily.html

Quote

President Donald Trump said Thursday that testing for the coronavirus is “somewhat overrated” shortly after announcing that he will be tested for the disease every single day.

Daily tests will also be conducted for “everyone that comes into contact with the president,” Vice President Mike Pence added to reporters at the White House.

The new daily testing policy for the president and those in his circle comes hours after the White House acknowledged that a personal valet for Trump tested positive for Covid-19.

Trump and Pence have since been retested after coming into contact with the valet, who among things serves the president’s meals.

Both Trump and Pence tested negative for the coronavirus, the White House said.

 

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Where I live they have emergency housing now...

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The City of Dubuque has provided emergency housing for five people since April 1 who have tested positive for COVID-19 or were believed to have the coronavirus.

Three have since recovered and been cleared by Visiting Nurse Association staff. Two people are currently being provided shelter, according to city staff.

The city has negotiated agreements with a hotel and a privately owned apartment complex to rent rooms to isolate people who are homeless or otherwise have limited ability to self-isolate at home.

City officials declined to release the locations of the rental property and hotel “for the safety and security of the facility and people inside the facility.” Steger cited reports globally, nationwide and locally of harassment and hostility against health care workers and patients over the spread of the highly contagious virus.

Yeah I wouldn't want these Branch Trumpvidian freaks knowing where I was staying if I came down with covid-19. 

I hope the hotel is a halfway decent one and not some dump like Motel 6. 

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Hey, @47of74 and @clueliss did you see this op-ed in the WaPo? It was penned by Kimmy, Parson,  and other Rethug governors. So many lies all in one editorial: "Five Republican governors: Our states stayed open in the covid-19 pandemic. Here’s why our approach worked."

Spoiler

Mark Gordon is governor of Wyoming. Pete Ricketts is governor of Nebraska. Asa Hutchinson is governor of Arkansas. Kim Reynolds is governor of Iowa. Mike Parson is governor of Missouri. They are all Republicans.

The diversity of the 50 states is what makes our nation’s economy great, and each state’s response to the novel coronavirus is as diverse as the pandemic’s impact on each of us. Here in the country’s heartland, decisions have been made based on sound medical and social science, positioning our states to thrive individually as our economies reopen.

While our specific approaches may differ, we have all kept our states “open for business” and delivered food and other goods Americans need during this pandemic. Our collective experience ensures that our contribution toward reopening our nation’s economy is stable, safe and durable. Restarting our economy is not a race to be won but a cooperative effort. Our approach has created a model for success that can be applied throughout the country.

When emergencies hit, our tradition has been to plan and manage in consultation with community partners. Just as our states worked together to power through historic flooding last year, we applied that same will to overcome the threat posed by the coronavirus. In early March, as coronavirus cases hit the coasts and even before New York City had closed its schools, our states were putting plans in place for temporary business closures and virtual learning for K-12 students.

The Plains states have managed this emergency exceptionally well by many measures. Our states have simultaneously ranked low in terms of infection rates and deaths. We protected our health-care systems by allowing retired physicians and nurses to return to practice, and at no point have our hospitals been at risk of being overwhelmed.

There is no universal approach to navigating this pandemic that would work perfectly for every state. By contrast, our states’ experiences offer collective proof that a one-size-fits-all approach is not the best way to address unique circumstances. When shaping our state plans, each of us has relied on our own public health teams, informed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other national experts.

We knew it was critical, even as the coronavirus has spread, that our state economies keep moving. Agriculture, energy and manufacturing are the backbone of the Midwest and Great Plains. Our beef, pork and poultry feed the world. Our oil, ethanol, coal and wind fuel the country’s businesses.

Like other states, we did have to close pieces of our economies temporarily. To meet this challenge, our states moved quickly to cut red tape and allow private employers to pivot to new business models. Successes include restaurants selling food packaged for commercial use and loosened regulations for day care to expand access to child care for our workforces. The relationships our community bankers have built with businesses over the years helped our region lead the nation for the amount of eligible payroll funding enrolled in the Paycheck Protection Program. All of this helped mitigate the job losses that are drowning unemployment benefits systems nationwide.

Private-sector businesses in our states, as elsewhere, stepped up to fill gaps for key products that have been in short supply. Distilleries and ethanol plants teamed up with community partners to produce hand sanitizer. Wyoming and Utah have partnered with industry to manufacture swabs and other supplies necessary for transporting coronavirus tests to laboratories. Missouri has created a marketplace where in-state manufacturers can pair with in-state providers to meet demands for personal protective equipment.

As we move into the next phase of managing the pandemic and consider President Trump’s guidelines for “Opening Up America Again,” we are applying our propensity for planning to reopen the segments of our economies that temporarily closed. Each of us has identified triggers for when regions of our states and sectors of our economies should reopen, based on metrics tailored to our unique circumstances. As we navigate this new phase, we are sharing expertise and best practices on how to safely reopen restaurants, churches, gyms and other businesses while continuing to slow the spread of infection.

Arkansas has announced conditions to restart elective surgeries. Iowa has deployed strike teams to conduct proactive surveillance testing of essential employees in areas where virus activity is high. Nebraska has drawn on its world-renowned infectious disease experts to create safety standards for meat-processing facilities.

We are all using expanded testing, rigorous contact tracing and strong pipelines for PPE to keep people safe in the coming months. Getting this job done the right way will be key to slowing the spread of the coronavirus and protecting our nation’s health-care system in the long run.

The core reasons our states are open for business are the tenacity, grit and heart of our residents. Their clear-eyed, common-sense approach helped keep our states on track and have set us up to come out of this pandemic stronger than ever. We look forward to leading the way.

That last paragraph is nausea-inducing.

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Because a pandemic is a great time to enrich the president:

I'm sorry, that mask doesn't fit right and looks like it's made of neoprene, which isn't a good material for masks.

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I guess twitler has never looked in a mirror.

 

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23 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Because a pandemic is a great time to enrich the president:

I'm sorry, that mask doesn't fit right and looks like it's made of neoprene, which isn't a good material for masks.

It can't be machine washed and dried. It's a nonbreathable fabric. It looks pretty close to the skin, so possibly the wearer could suffocate. And it's Democrat Blue. Bad all around, but at least it has Trump's name on it.

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1 hour ago, JMarie said:

possibly the wearer could suffocate.

That was my first thought, and I really had to fight the urge to follow that up with some thought about karma and just rewards.

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2 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Hey, @47of74 and @clueliss did you see this op-ed in the WaPo? It was penned by Kimmy, Parson,  and other Rethug governors. So many lies all in one editorial: "Five Republican governors: Our states stayed open in the covid-19 pandemic. Here’s why our approach worked."

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Mark Gordon is governor of Wyoming. Pete Ricketts is governor of Nebraska. Asa Hutchinson is governor of Arkansas. Kim Reynolds is governor of Iowa. Mike Parson is governor of Missouri. They are all Republicans.

The diversity of the 50 states is what makes our nation’s economy great, and each state’s response to the novel coronavirus is as diverse as the pandemic’s impact on each of us. Here in the country’s heartland, decisions have been made based on sound medical and social science, positioning our states to thrive individually as our economies reopen.

While our specific approaches may differ, we have all kept our states “open for business” and delivered food and other goods Americans need during this pandemic. Our collective experience ensures that our contribution toward reopening our nation’s economy is stable, safe and durable. Restarting our economy is not a race to be won but a cooperative effort. Our approach has created a model for success that can be applied throughout the country.

When emergencies hit, our tradition has been to plan and manage in consultation with community partners. Just as our states worked together to power through historic flooding last year, we applied that same will to overcome the threat posed by the coronavirus. In early March, as coronavirus cases hit the coasts and even before New York City had closed its schools, our states were putting plans in place for temporary business closures and virtual learning for K-12 students.

The Plains states have managed this emergency exceptionally well by many measures. Our states have simultaneously ranked low in terms of infection rates and deaths. We protected our health-care systems by allowing retired physicians and nurses to return to practice, and at no point have our hospitals been at risk of being overwhelmed.

There is no universal approach to navigating this pandemic that would work perfectly for every state. By contrast, our states’ experiences offer collective proof that a one-size-fits-all approach is not the best way to address unique circumstances. When shaping our state plans, each of us has relied on our own public health teams, informed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other national experts.

We knew it was critical, even as the coronavirus has spread, that our state economies keep moving. Agriculture, energy and manufacturing are the backbone of the Midwest and Great Plains. Our beef, pork and poultry feed the world. Our oil, ethanol, coal and wind fuel the country’s businesses.

Like other states, we did have to close pieces of our economies temporarily. To meet this challenge, our states moved quickly to cut red tape and allow private employers to pivot to new business models. Successes include restaurants selling food packaged for commercial use and loosened regulations for day care to expand access to child care for our workforces. The relationships our community bankers have built with businesses over the years helped our region lead the nation for the amount of eligible payroll funding enrolled in the Paycheck Protection Program. All of this helped mitigate the job losses that are drowning unemployment benefits systems nationwide.

Private-sector businesses in our states, as elsewhere, stepped up to fill gaps for key products that have been in short supply. Distilleries and ethanol plants teamed up with community partners to produce hand sanitizer. Wyoming and Utah have partnered with industry to manufacture swabs and other supplies necessary for transporting coronavirus tests to laboratories. Missouri has created a marketplace where in-state manufacturers can pair with in-state providers to meet demands for personal protective equipment.

As we move into the next phase of managing the pandemic and consider President Trump’s guidelines for “Opening Up America Again,” we are applying our propensity for planning to reopen the segments of our economies that temporarily closed. Each of us has identified triggers for when regions of our states and sectors of our economies should reopen, based on metrics tailored to our unique circumstances. As we navigate this new phase, we are sharing expertise and best practices on how to safely reopen restaurants, churches, gyms and other businesses while continuing to slow the spread of infection.

Arkansas has announced conditions to restart elective surgeries. Iowa has deployed strike teams to conduct proactive surveillance testing of essential employees in areas where virus activity is high. Nebraska has drawn on its world-renowned infectious disease experts to create safety standards for meat-processing facilities.

We are all using expanded testing, rigorous contact tracing and strong pipelines for PPE to keep people safe in the coming months. Getting this job done the right way will be key to slowing the spread of the coronavirus and protecting our nation’s health-care system in the long run.

The core reasons our states are open for business are the tenacity, grit and heart of our residents. Their clear-eyed, common-sense approach helped keep our states on track and have set us up to come out of this pandemic stronger than ever. We look forward to leading the way.

That last paragraph is nausea-inducing.

Yeah Iowa is becoming a real Trumpian shit hole.  I'm looking at moving after I pass the bar.

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9 minutes ago, 47of74 said:

Yeah Iowa is becoming a real Trumpian shit hole.  I'm looking at moving after I pass the bar.

I have acquaintances who just moved to Iowa simply because it is very Trumpian. Seven years in blue Illinois was seven years too many apparently. They loved in rural Illinois, but railed against the liberals in Chicago who ruined everything for everyone everywhere in the state. The husband posted not long ago thanking God that Iowa’s governor was allowing freedom. 

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Not everyone is taking the Kluxer horseshit lying down

Quote

A black lawmaker came to Michigan’s capitol with an escort of armed black citizens on Wednesday, days after white protesters with guns staged a volatile protest inside the state house, comparing the Democratic governor’s public health orders to “tyranny”.

The state representative Sarah Anthony, 36, said she wanted to highlight what she saw as the failure of the Michigan capitol police to provide legislators with adequate security during the protest, which saw demonstrators with rifles standing in the legislative chamber above lawmakers.

“When traditional systems, whether it’s law enforcement or whatever, fail us, we also have the ability to take care of ourselves,” she told the Guardian. Anthony became the first African American woman elected to represent her district in Lansing, Michigan’s capital, in 2018.

One of Anthony’s constituents, a black firefighter, organized Wednesday’s capitol escort. While early reports focused on three black men with large rifles escorting Anthony, there were six participants, including two women, and some of them were armed with handguns, Lynn said. Five of the participants are black and one is Hispanic. Michael Lynn Jr, a Lansing resident, said he was frustrated to see his legislator being violently intimidated in her workplace. He said the escort was the first time he had ever chosen to openly carry his AR-15 rifle.

 

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