Category: Corona Virus

Workplaces pose a high risk of triggering a resurgence of Covid-19 cases in Australia, which means people should continue to work from home as long as they can, a report from public policy thinktank the Grattan Institute says.

Published on Sunday evening, the report, Coming out of Covid-19 Lockdown: the Next Steps for Australian Health Care, says schools can safely remain open as long as policies are in place to reduce the risk of outbreaks.

It comes as Victoria announced it would extend its state of emergency for at least four more weeks and ramp up its police enforcement of lockdown rules after a spike in Covid-19 cases in recent days.

The rise also prompted neighbouring South Australia to reconsider its decision to reopen its border, while Queensland declared all of greater Melbourne a Covid-19 hotspot.

The report uses new modelling to suggest that reopening shops and workplaces heightens the risk of new infections, especially if people perceive the threat is over and ignore social distancing rules.

Workplaces should be reopened slowly, with as many people as possible continuing to work from home, the report says. Social distancing in workplaces is crucial and must continue to be incorporated into workplace reopening plans. Schools must be closed, and rigorous contact tracing implemented when a case is detected.

For millions of working parents, having their children at home from school is a significant burden, the report says.

It also disrupts the education of children, particularly already disadvantaged children and those preparing for exams, it says. It is a potential restriction to the spread of Covid-19 with substantial costs to society. The literature finds school closures has minimal effect on the transmission of coronavirus diseases, including Covid-19.

Once there are no longer any active cases, testing must remain a routine part of life, the report says, and current mandatory quarantining of international arrivals must also remain in place. However, it suggests quarantine exemptions could be made with other countries that also have no active Covid-19 cases.

While the prime minister, Scott Morrison, has said Australia is pursuing a strategy of suppression and not elimination of the virus, the lead author of the Grattan report, health economist Stephen Duckett, said: Its really the states driving the public health response and theyre going for zero.

The report said states could only be confident of zero active cases once no new domestic transmissions had been recorded for several weeks.

If there are no local transmissions, governments can afford to allow all activity that would otherwise lead to new infections growing, the report said.

This may not amount to complete elimination, because travellers may enter with the disease, provided that they are quarantined, and care is taken to ensure that while in quarantine they do not infect anyone in the wider community. The elimination scenario is much less restrictive than the others. It would permit normal activity. A government can only afford to permit this much activity if it is confident that there really are no cases out in the community.

The report suggests people should only be permitted to move freely between states once this near elimination had been achieved.

It says the pandemic demonstrated a more effective, efficient and equitable health system is needed.

It would be a tragedy if lessons werent learned from the pandemic, the report says. We argue that Australia should not snap back to the old order, but rather that the changes that occurred during the pandemic should inform what happens during the recovery period and beyond.

Telehealth should become a central part of healthcare, and the government should address poor internet connectivity in rural and remote Australia as a priority, the report says.

In the new normal, health professionals and their patients need to assess when telehealth should be the preferred medium because of the nature of the problem, distance to be travelled, and other factors.

The pandemic had also exposed weaknesses in Australias disease-reporting system. Through the first few months of the crisis, there was no nationally coordinated approach to publicly releasing real-time data on confirmed Covid-19 cases and deaths. This needed to be addressed to better respond to future crises, the Grattan Institute suggests.

The chair of the Australian Healthcare Reform Alliance, Jennifer Doggett, said many of the problems with the heath system that obstructed the response to Covid-19, including a lack of real-time disease reporting, poor oversight of the private hospital system and a lack of coordination between governments, were well known before the pandemic. Once Covid-19 subsides, Doggett said, governments must continue to listen to the experts.

One reason for the success of our Covid-19 response is that policies were informed by expert medical and scientific advice, she said. It would be great if governments paid the same attention to expert advice outside of a crisis situation.

While Australia appeared to have emerged from the initial stages of the pandemic relatively well compared with other countries, Doggett said the government must also reflect on the near misses.

Had Covid-19 arrived only a few weeks earlier in Australia, the peak risk period for community transmission would have coincided with the mass evacuations due to the bushfires, she said. This would have dramatically changed our capacity to contain the spread of the disease at this crucial early stage with potentially catastrophic consequences. Next time we might not be so fortunate.

See the rest here:

High risk of coronavirus second wave as Australian shops and workplaces reopen, report says - The Guardian

The coronavirus is crippling Tampa Bays live-music scene.

The owners of the Orpheum in Ybor City and Skippers Smokehouse in North Tampa all announced on Instagram Saturday that employees testing positive for the coronavirus or fears that staffers had been exposed to the virus forced them to temporarily shut down their venues.

Thats also why Crowbar announced it cancelled Saturdays grand re-opening in Ybor City.

The news comes after St. Petersburgs Jannus Live announced Tuesday that it temporarily shuttered three of its businesses around the outdoor concert venue the Pelican Pub, the Landing and Detroit Liquors after an employee member tested positive for COVID-19. That also meant postponing Friday nights Pirate Flag concert.

The owners of Crowbar, the Orpheum and Skippers used social media to tell their fans to stay away until further notice.

Meanwhile in Ybor City, hundreds walked around Saturday night without masks.

Nor did they wear them in bars, clubs and restaurants potentially violating Tampa Mayor Jane Castors order requiring residents who leave their homes to wear masks indoors if they cannot stay 6-feet apart. The measure took effect Friday.

On the other side of the bay, while protesters marched through downtown St. Petersburg, more patrons wore masks and sat outside.

The latest local closings comes on the heels of the states highest single-day report of positive tests, at 4,049 and the average age of those being diagnosed is getting younger.

The Orpheums owner said it closed because two employees tested positive for COVID-19. They last worked on June 13 and were asymptomatic. The entire staff was getting tested but there was no timeline yet for re-opening.

We believe we are doing the right thing in the interest of public health at this time, the owners of the Orpheum said on Instagram.

Crowbar owner Tom DeGeorge said he had hoped to be able to reopen Saturday after being closed since March. But when he learned that an employees was in contact with someone who tested positive, he said he called off the Road to Reopen event and told his entire staff to go get tested.

Were going to wait until we see these numbers going in a downward trend and then well reopen, DeGeorge said.

He lamented that, while in the waiting room to take his own test Saturday, he saw a video of a metal concert where the audience was in the mosh pit not practicing any social distancing.

He said its difficult for a responsible business to get back on track, when others are just doing whatever they want.

Skippers owners said on Instagram that they learned through contract tracing that a staffer may have been exposed to someone who tested positive. Theyve also been watching the coronavirus trends, and decided that closing was the most socially responsible thing to do.

A monetary amount, good times, delicious meals and tasty cocktails will never be more valuable than your life to us, they wrote. Therefore, we are erring on the side of extreme safety in this case.

View this post on Instagram

Urgent Update : : : Effective today and for the unforeseeable future, we are CLOSED. We will continue to post updates to social media as a reopen date becomes available. Why are we closing? : : : This morning, the Skipper's Smokehouse ownership and management have been notified that one of our employees was alerted through contact tracing that they may have been exposed to COVID-19 - this in addition to our carefully watching the numbers of positive cases and trends rise dramatically over the course of the past several days, we feel closing immediately is the most socially responsible thing for us to do to keep not only our staff but our patrons as safe as we possibly can. At this time, NONE of our staff have tested positive for COVID-19 - but, the contact trace alert is concerning to us. : : : What you can expect before we reopen? It will be required that ALL employees that work on site be tested for COVID-19 and be symptom free before returning to work. In addition to that, we will be performing extra deep cleaning processes during the closure and upon reopening. : : : We have worried this day would arrive for us and it has. There comes a time when being socially responsible and putting health, well being and safety above business as almost usual is the absolute right thing to do. A monetary amount, good times, delicious meals and tasty cocktails will never be more valuable than your life to us. Therefore, we are erring on the side of extreme safety in this case. : : : We are here to answer any questions or concerns our patrons might have - again, NO ONE has tested positive on our staff. If you have questions or concerns, you can contact us at cricket@skipperssmokehouse.com : : : We love you all so much. We appreciate just shy of four decades of your support. Now, we ask that those who disagree with this decision respect our choice to be socially responsible. Peace, Love, Good Health & Oysters

A post shared by (@skipperssmokehouse) on Jun 20, 2020 at 9:19am PDT

Other bay area businesses, such as Rollin Oats Market and Cafe and Noble Crust in St. Petersburg, have temporarily shut their doors, as well, after employees tested positive for the virus.

Before Castor dropped her mask order in Tampa, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman ordered that employees of all city businesses must wear masks.

In his Instagram post, Crowbars owner said:

I am extremely disappointed, but Id be much more disappointed with myself if I were to try and go forward in light of this new information, he wrote. Be safe out there, folks.

Times staff writers Divya Kumar and Josh Fiallo contributed to this report.

HOW CORONAVIRUS IS SPREADING IN FLORIDA: Find the latest numbers for your county, city or zip code.

THE CORONAVIRUS SCRAPBOOK: We collected your stories, pictures, songs, recipes, journals and more to show what life has been like during the pandemic.

SO YOU WANT TO LEAVE YOUR HOUSE? Read these 10 tips first

UNEMPLOYMENT Q&A: We answer your questions about Florida unemployment benefits

GET THE DAYSTARTER MORNING UPDATE: Sign up to receive the most up-to-date information.

HAVE A TIP?: Send us confidential news tips

Were working hard to bring you the latest news on the coronavirus in Florida. This effort takes a lot of resources to gather and update. If you havent already subscribed, please consider buying a print or digital subscription.

See original here:

Coronavirus shuts down Crowbar, the Orpheum and Skippers Smokehouse - Tampa Bay Times

After spending 13 years at her school, MaST Community Charter in Northeast Philadelphia, Sophia Shaloka imagined the fall of her senior year would be the joyous culmination of growing up, laughing and learning with her classmates. But that was not to be. Its weird having such a large chapter of your life end on a random Thursday, said Sophia. When youre with people for so long, you expect a different ending. Still, there has been beauty in the pandemic. Sophia is the youngest of four children, and when quarantine was mandated, all of her siblings hunkered down at the familys home in Holmesburg. With both parents working from home and the kids all trying to work or complete schoolwork, life has been busy, and food disappears from the fridge much faster. A couple of us are in the dining room, and we have a couple people in their rooms, people just scattered everywhere, Sophia said. You almost have to rent out a desk. And then theres the extrovert challenge, the being in the house challenge. I go for walks with my mask, but it would be nice to interact with people outside of my family. Still, having everyone at home has made her family closer, for sure, with dinners together and nights by the fire pit. Were all that we have right now.

View original post here:

We wouldnt shut down: How the Class of 2020 is grappling with what was lost due to coronavirus - The Philadelphia Inquirer

A worker administers a test to a passenger at a drive-through site to collect samples for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic testing in Leesburg, Virginia, May 20, 2020.

Kevin Lamarque | Reuters

One of the components of contact tracing programs public health experts deem critical to controlling the Covid-19 outbreak includes finding and testing close contacts of known positive cases.

In terms of Covid-19, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines a close contactas anyone whowas within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes starting two days before the onset of symptoms until the time the patient is isolated. For asymptomatic patients, or those who don't show symptoms, it would be anyone in contact with them two days before a positive specimen was collected, the CDC advises.

Family members under the same roof or close acquaintances usually fit the bill, public health and infectious disease experts say. However, coming into contact with the coronavirus can be much more nuanced, especially as large gatherings have resumed in cities across the nation where people from different regions might assemble in close proximity, increasing the risk of transmission.

"People like to think in terms of light switches of on and off, risk or no risk, but the truth is it's a dimmer switch," said Dr. Greg Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group. "The more people you come into contact with, the higher the probability of coming in contact with someone who's infected."

Someone who attended a large gathering doesn't necessarily meet the general definition of a close contact, Dr.Mike Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization's emergencies program, said during a press conference at the agency's Geneva headquarters on June 8.

However, there may be situations where public health officials, out of an abundance of caution, could advise people to either quarantine or get tested, he said.

"There are any number of actions that could be taken, but by the strict definition of what risk is in the context of Covid-19, the riskiest situation to be in is to be in close proximity to a case, particularly a symptomatic case of Covid-19," Ryan said.

There are a number of high-risk situations that could increase your likelihood of Covid-19 transmission, experts say. Attending a large gathering for a prolonged period of time where people may not be wearing face coverings and are in close proximity would be considered higher risk.

Indoor gatherings with less air circulation are also considered higher risk than outdoor, experts say.

Context also has to be considered when attending mass gatherings, such as the nationwide protests for the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, where people could be chanting while not wearing masks,said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security.

Scientists know the coronavirus can spread through respiratory droplets that pass when an infected person coughs, sneezes or even breathes.The droplets of infected fluid can land on nearby surfaces like desks, tables or telephones and infect anyone who touches them.

"These are not just people sitting quietly outdoors listening to a Mozart concert. There is screaming, chanting, yelling. They're being sprayed with pepper spray and tear gas, all of which increase the transmission risk," Adalja said.

Adalja also said the 15 minute mark outlined by the CDC isn't necessarily a magic number and transmission can be possible in a shorter time frame, but the figure is typically used to determine where the most value would be derived during a contact tracing investigation, he said.

Where you live in the U.S. could also increase your risk as some states,likethoseintheWestandSouth, report record-breaking daily new cases figures.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to get tested if you attended an event where Covid-19 cases were increasing, especially if tests are easily accessible, said Dr. Preeti Malani, chief health officer and professor of medicine and infectious disease at the University of Michigan.

Malani added that testing people at gatherings could also help public health experts determine what local transmission is like in the area. You should absolutely be tested if you went somewhere and begin developing common symptoms, like a cough, fever or shortness or breath, she said.

The best time to know whether you were infected with Covid-19 during an event would be several days after, Adalja said. Otherwise, you could still test positive, but it would take further examination to determine whether you were infected before or after a certain event.

"If you just get tested four days afterward, you could've still been incubating it, it's not necessarily you got it there, so you have to look at the timeline," he said.

Studies suggest that the virus can be undetectable within the first few days of infection, depending on the test.Research also shows that it can take anywhere from five to 12 days for people to show symptoms from thecoronavirus.

Ravina Kullar, an adjunct faculty member at the University of California Los Angeles and a member of the Infectious Disease Society of America, suggests anyone who attends a mass gathering or protest quarantine for a few days before getting a test.

"You need a high enough viral load for the test to pick it up and in those early days, one to two days, has been shown to not be that accurate," Kullar said.

See the article here:

What it means to come into close contact with a coronavirus case and your risk of infection - CNBC

But critics say that instead of tackling the crisis head-on -- perhaps with a reshuffle of his ministerial team; a shakeup of government policy; or the announcement of an inquiry -- Prime Minister Boris Johnson has engaged in a tactic of an altogether more Trumpian style. He has launched a culture war.

And while his government struggles in the face of the onslaught of Covid-19, Johnson announced the merger of two big government departments -- the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), which oversees the UK government's foreign policy, and the Department for International Development (DFID), which runs aid policy. The purpose: To fulfil a policy aim favored by the conservative right that foreign aid should be tied to the UK national interest.

Johnson's government is sitting on a thumping 80-seat majority. It could do anything it wants. Yet experts say the Prime Minister -- a former journalist who is an instinctive campaigner -- appears to be indulging in what amounts to a re-election effort four years before the date of the next poll. The mystery is -- why?

"His reflex is to go back to newspaper commentary and to write columns on statues, to seed stories in the press about trans issues, because that's a way of mobilizing his own base and to throw a hornet's nest at his opponents," Robert Saunders, a British political history expert at Queen Mary University of London, told CNN.

That base is considerably larger than it used to be, and includes many voters in areas that were formerly strongholds of the opposition Labour Party, like the former industrial towns of the English Midlands, Wales and northwest England. Many of those voters were drawn to Johnson by his straightforward electoral promise to "get Brexit done."

That promise was fulfilled when Britain officially left the European Union at the end of March, and the debate switched from an ideological "in or out" battle to the practicalities of trade and fishing rights. With Brexit largely resolved in the minds of the electorate, the Conservatives might be seeking a new way to "reinforce the impression that the Labour Party only stands for liberal, educated young people, and does not really have a sense of what is going on in middle England," said Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London.

By stoking the divisions that emerged from Brexit, the Prime Minister's team "are hoping to keep the flame of polarization alive by generating other issues that are likely to trigger the same adversarial feelings," he added.

The polemicist

Johnson's dog-whistling added to the straightforward narrative of an island nation under siege, an effective distraction from more prosaic concerns like access to the single market. "A culture war is fundamentally about distraction," Saunders added. "You're trying to distract your opponent from issues that you don't want to talk about and move them onto issues that you do."

Pejorative language

Culture war issues are not just an instrumental technique "to shore up the base and expand it," Bale added. "Some people around Johnson literally believe this stuff and do think traditional British values are under threat from a 'cancel culture,' which they think is inimical to the traditions of this country."

Johnson announced the launch of a Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, which will also examine why white working-class boys fell behind in school. Downing Street policy chief Munira Mirza has reportedly been tasked with helping to set up it up.

The Prime Minister defended his aide in Parliament on Wednesday, saying he was a huge admirer of Mirza as she is "brilliant thinker about these issues."

Johnson said the new commission would learn "very fast" what changes needed to be made, according to PA news agency.

Encouraging majoritarian fears

"Johnson is a pound shop Trump, slightly more acceptable and less utterly crass," Christine Burns, a trans campaigner and author of "Trans Britain: Our Journey from the Shadows," told CNN. "Just as Brexit emboldened people to be racist," to roll back on transgender rights at such a febrile moment "is not just emboldening people to be transphobic in their language, but also to use physical force," she warned.

The axing of the Department for International Development (DFiD) demonstrated Downing Street's preference for ideology over capacity, according to David Hudson, Professor of Politics and Development at the University of Birmingham.

"It is somewhat astonishing that it has happened right now in a middle of a pandemic [when] the government and civil service are massively stretched," Hudson told CNN. The merger, criticized by three former Prime Ministers, would lead to less transparency on how aid is spent and risks diluting DFID's poverty alleviation agenda, he said.

Johnson defended the move on Tuesday, saying: "for too long, frankly, UK overseas aid has been treated as some giant cashpoint in the sky that arrives without any reference to UK interests or to the values that the UK."

Will Johnson focus on governing rather than rule via press release as Britain's economy nosedives, the country faces "appalling levels of unemployment, and probably further waves of the pandemic?" Saunders asked.

There are one of two routes the UK could go, he added. The public's "patience for these stunts might diminish" and Johnson focusses on "talking about jobs, employment, and health policy," he said. "Or the stunts are going to have to become nastier and more divisive to hold the public's attention."

More:

Tens of thousands of Britons have died from coronavirus. But Boris Johnson is stoking a culture war. - CNN

Florida again broke its record for single-day coronavirus cases, adding 3,822 infections Friday and bringing the state total to 89,748 cases.

The state also recorded 43 new deaths and 200 additional hospitalizations. In Tampa Bay, Hillsborough and Pinellas County set new records for single-day recorded cases, adding 372 cases and 266 cases respectively.

In the past week, Florida has repeatedly hit new highs for single-day coronavirus cases. Friday was the 17th consecutive day with caseloads more than 1,000.

About a quarter of Floridas total coronavirus cases have been recorded since June 11, when the state had the highest single-day number of new cases since April.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has said the increasing number of coronavirus cases is because of expanded testing, especially to asymptomatic people and targeted populations who come in close contact with each other particularly farm workers.

About 1.5 million people have been tested statewide. DeSantis spokeswoman Helen Aguirre Ferr tweeted that the focus shouldnt be on the rising cases, but rather on Floridas preparedness and that the median age of people testing positive is younger.

More than 75 percent of Floridas adult ICU hospital beds are occupied, according to a WUSF analysis. More than 13,000 Florida residents and non-residents have been hospitalized because of the virus, and 3,197 people have died. Just over half of those deaths are tied to long-term care facilities, which will begin testing all staff every two weeks.

The number of average deaths per week has held steady with numbers from the start of the month. For the week ending June 18, there were 31 average deaths.

The Tampa Bay area added 864 cases Friday, 23 percent of the states daily total. There were also eight additional deaths, four in Hillsborough, two in Manatee and one each in Pinellas and Polk.

The new deaths include an 89-year-old Hillsborough woman, a 70-year-old Hillsborough man, a 74-year-old Hillsborough woman, an 80-year-old Hillsborough man, a 55-year-old Manatee man, a 68-year-old Manatee man, a 91-year-old Pinellas woman and a 73-year-old Polk man.

As of the latest counts, Hillsborough has 4,982 cases and 112 deaths; Pinellas has 3,153 cases and 114 deaths; Polk has 1,856 cases and 77 deaths; Manatee has 1,649 cases and 126 deaths; Pasco has 686 cases and 17 deaths; Citrus has 168 cases and 12 deaths; and Hernando has 158 cases and six deaths.

In countries that have mostly tamped down coronavirus, the U.S. numbers raise alarm.

It really does feel like the U.S. has given up, said Siouxsie Wiles, an infectious-diseases specialist at the University of Auckland in New Zealand in an interview with the Washington Post.

According to the report, in countries where cases have come back, drastic measures have been taken to control the virus. In China, 150 new cases in Beijing led to sealed-off neighborhoods, mass testing and travel restrictions.

Wiles, the specialist from New Zealand, said the U.S. rollout has affected how she sees some of our top-regarded institutions.

Ive always thought of the CDC as a reliable and trusted source of information, she told the Post. Not anymore.

HOW CORONAVIRUS IS SPREADING IN FLORIDA: Find the latest numbers for your county, city or zip code.

THE CORONAVIRUS SCRAPBOOK: We collected your stories, pictures, songs, recipes, journals and more to show what life has been like during the pandemic.

SO YOU WANT TO LEAVE YOUR HOUSE? Read these 10 tips first

UNEMPLOYMENT Q&A: We answer your questions about Florida unemployment benefits

GET THE DAYSTARTER MORNING UPDATE: Sign up to receive the most up-to-date information.

HAVE A TIP?: Send us confidential news tips

Were working hard to bring you the latest news on the coronavirus in Florida. This effort takes a lot of resources to gather and update. If you havent already subscribed, please consider buying a print or digital subscription.

See the original post here:

Florida sets another single-day coronavirus case record with nearly 4,000 infections - Tampa Bay Times

ASHEVILLE - North Carolina COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to rise.

As of noon June 20, 883 people were hospitalized with the disease in the state, the highest number since the start of the pandemic, and the fifth consecutive day of record-setting numbers.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services tallied 51,389lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 statewide as of noon June 20, an increase of 1,549 from the previous day. That is the third-highest one-day case increase since the start of the pandemic.

NCDHHS counts a total of 1,212 deaths associated with lab-tested COVID-19 cases statewide, an increase of 15 over the previous day.

Those numbersdiffer from the Johns Hopkins University report in the graphic above.As of about 1:30 p.m. June 20, JHU counted 2,2028,368 confirmed cases and 119,241deaths as a result of COVID-19 in the Unites States. Its worldwide tally was 8,705,724 cases and 461,037 deaths.

As of about noon June 20, Buncombe County reported 487cases, up four from the previous day. The number of COVID-19 related deaths in the county remained at 36

Confirmed cases in other Western North Carolina counties, according to state counts:

The Citizen Times is providing this story for free to readers because of the need for information about the coronavirus. We encourage you to further support local journalism by subscribing.

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper on Friday vetoed another attempt by Republican legislators to accelerate the speed in which North Carolina commerce is being restored through his COVID-19 executive order.

Gary D. Robertson of the Associated Press reports that the vetoed measure would have allowed fitness centers and gyms shuttered since March to reopen at 50% capacity and require they follow social distancing and cleanliness rules. The bill also tried again to let still-closed bars reopen for outdoor patrons only and expand current outdoor seating for restaurants already partially reopened for sit-down service.

Two weeks ago, Cooper vetoed a bill containing help for bars and restaurants, saying legislation was the wrong way to reopen during uncertain times in which virus cases could spike. The bill vetoed Friday had offered the governor the authority to still shut down the bars and gyms under his emergency powers, but only with the agreement of the Council of State. The veto shows the "fail-safe" legislators said they gave him wasn't enough.

The Stony Fork Picnic Area in Pisgah National Forest is open.(Photo: John Boyle, jboyle@citizen-times.com)

Looking for something to do on Father's Day?

The weather is expected to be sunny and warm in the Western North Carolina mountains, and more recreation areas are now open in Pisgah National Forest, reports Karen Chvez.

These include the ultra-popular Looking Glass Falls and Picnic Area, and the picnic areas at Pink Beds, Stony Fork, Sycamore Flats, and Coontree in the Davidson River Corridor, as well as all the picnic areas along U.S. 276, and Wash Creek Road/FSR 5000, in the Pisgah Ranger District.

The Forest Service began closing some of its most popular recreation areas in late March and early April as the coronavirus pandemic swept across the country.

More: Summer starts with more Pisgah National Forest openings including Looking Glass Falls

Clarence Robinson, owner of Cooking With Comedy.(Photo: Courtesy of the YMCA)

Local food insecurity has increased during the COVID-19 shutdown, along with unemployment and uncertainty about the economic future. Since mid-March, the YMCA of Western North Carolina has scaled up its traditional nutrition outreach program to meet community needs.

Mackensy Lunsford reports that over the past three months the Y has served more than 40,000 prepared meals through its ongoing partnership with Wicked Weed and Food Connection as part of the Beers That Build initiative. The delivery program has brought meals to children, families, seniors, veterans and shelter residents.

Additionally, the YMCAs award-winning summer feeding program is partnering with three local chefs to serve healthy, delicious food at its summer day camps.

The Ys vending partners are Chef Gene Ettison of the Ettison Investment Group, Chef Aaron Mathews of McDowell Local and Chef Clarence Robinson of Cooking with Comedy Catering.

More: As need expands, Asheville chefs throw support behind YMCA's summer feeding programs

Anthony Little, left, with members of his family.(Photo: Courtesy Photo)

David Thompson reports in this story for subscribers:

Jackie Little would've said goodbye in a different way if she knew this could be the final moment with her husband of 45 years.

Little, a 63-year-old Asheville resident, watched from the parking lot as her husband's silhouette disappeared through the entrance of Mission Hospital on June 15. Anthony Little, 68, had been ill for a week and was suffering from COVID-19 symptoms. .

His wife had not been allowed to follow. Instead she remained in her car alone, amid a fog of worry and confusion.

"I was expecting to see him very soon," Jackie Little said. "He told me through FaceTime that they were going to put some tubes in him and that he'd contact me as soon as he could."

The next day, Jackie Little received a call from a Mission doctor: Anthony Little was dying.

He had tested positive for COVID-19 and had been placed on a respirator. The doctor told Jackie that her husband's kidneys were failing and to begin making end-of-life arrangements.

Read the fullstory: Coronavirus: A COVID-19 diagnosis, a death prognosis and a family's claim of Mission's disparity

Read or Share this story: https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2020/06/21/coronavirus-pandemic-what-you-need-know-asheville-wnc-june-21/3232712001/

See the rest here:

Coronavirus pandemic: What you need to know in Asheville, WNC, June 21 - Citizen Times

(CNN) The bars and restaurants are full. People are out enjoying themselves. Spectacular geological attractions are wide open to tourists. Anyone visiting Iceland right now could be forgiven for thinking they've arrived in a parallel universe where the coronavirus never happened.

It's a tantalizing prospect. For people arriving from countries still under lockdown, the sheer normality of eating lunch in a bustling Reykjavik cafe is almost as thrilling as peering over the thundering abyss of Iceland's mighty Gullfoss waterfall.

There's an added bonus for anyone who does make the trip here at the moment. Usually crowded with travelers at this time of year, the country is empty. Visitors will more or less have attractions like Gullfoss or the explosive hot springs of Geysir to themselves.

All to yourself: Iceland's now-empty Gullfoss waterfall.

Mick Krever/CNN

This isn't because Iceland has been immune to Covid-19. In its early stages, the infection wreaked havoc among the island's relatively small population. But thanks to a rigorous regime of tracking and tracing, it has more or less been eliminated, giving the country confidence to reopen borders on June 15.

Two days later, on June 17, Iceland celebrated its annual national day with its usual zeal, locals mingling in the pretty Nordic streets of the capital. There were no face masks or social distancing as Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdttir came out to address the crowds.

Airport swabs

Masks are worn at the airport, but not in the rest of Iceland.

Mick Krever/CNN

There's no complacency though. Before entering Iceland, travelers must wear a mask on flights and within the arrival halls of Keflavik Airport. On landing, they join a new queue for nose and throat swabs to filter out anyone who might be carrying Covid-19.

This can be an unsettling experience. It involves being ushered into a cubicle where two people dressed in full medical protective gear use long plastic sticks to prod much deeper than you might expect to take a sample.

From July 1, when Iceland opens up to countries beyond Europe's Schengen Zone, visitors will have to pay $114 for this process.

Results come by text message several hours later. If positive, visitors must enter quarantine for 14 days regardless of any plans they might have for their visit. There's also the option of forgoing the test and going straight to quarantine.

If the test is negative, visitors are free to enjoy Iceland with no restrictions. As of this coming weekend, they could head straight from the airport to the steaming waters of the Blue Lagoon, just a few miles down the road.

Ultimately, Iceland's screening and contact tracing system has been so efficient that it can boast one of the lowest virus death rates in the world: three per 100,000 people compared to 440 per 100,000 in the UK.

Iceland's bars and restaurants are crowded.

Mick Krever/CNN

What makes that even more notable is that they started off with one of the highest infection rates in Europe -- 513 cases per 100,000 compared to 450 per 100,000 in the UK.

Kri Stefnsson, CEO of deCODE, the private lab in Reykjavik that handles all of Iceland's testing, tells CNN that part of this success is down to efforts to identify regional accents displayed by mutations of the virus arriving from different parts of the world.

"When a virus moves into a new region, it continues to mutate somewhat randomly," Stefnsson says. "Since we have sequenced the virus from everyone in Iceland, we can first determine where the mutation came from and then we can follow it as it's spreading in society."

That data is passed on to the health authorities who use it to trace anyone who might have come into contact with the virus.

Back to work

Crowds hit the streets during Iceland's national day on June 17.

Mick Krever/CNN

Kristin Yr Gunnarsdottir got to experience this first-hand when she was called up by the tracing team and told she had been served by a waiter with Covid-19 during a lunch she'd had six days earlier.

She had to go into isolation and soon developed virus symptoms. Then she was tested positive.

"It was a bit shocking because then I knew I had to be home for at least two weeks, but I ended up being at home for 23 days because you have to be at home without symptoms for seven days before they let you out."

Stefnsson is baffled that other countries aren't using the same system.

"We have been able to work on this in an informed manner rather than poking in the dark and I insist that what has happened in the United States, what has happened in Great Britain, is that, because of lack of screening or lack of an attempt to understand what is really going on, it has been really difficult to contain the infection."

With the virus under control, the government is stepping up again, to help restart the economy, particularly the hard-hit tourism sector. That's why it's so keen to reopen its borders, despite the risk of arrivals bringing in fresh infection.

"I am obviously worried about a second wave, but in Iceland we are faced with very high unemployment rates right now," Prime Minister Jakobsdttir tells CNN. "We are not very used to high unemployment rates, so our guideline now in the government will be how to lower that number and to have more people working again."

The latest official figures show the unemployment rate in Iceland doubled from January to April to 7% and has presumably been climbing ever since.

Attractions such as the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa have been closed since March, which has lost it the revenue from 2,500-3,000 paying visitors on average per day. While it is set to reopen this weekend, numbers will be restricted to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.

Reconnecting with the world

A wide open road: Iceland is hoping more tourists will come.

Mick Krever/CNN

"We were able to hold on for a little while, but it was getting to that point where it wasn't going to be that much longer that we could hold on for with no revenue," he says.

Now that the border is reopening, things are looking up. "Our website traffic surged 500% in a matter of days as soon as the announcement came."

Tourism only accounted for 8% of GDP in 2019 and economists warn that the border opening won't necessarily help the wider economy.

"It's devastating for the tourism industry for sure but as an overall effect, the balance of trade in Iceland has not been hit that severely and opening the borders will also cause currency to flow out of the country with Icelanders traveling abroad," says Professor Tinna sgeirsdttir of the University of Iceland.

"Icelanders, up until now during this Covid crisis, have been spending their money to a greater extent within Iceland, so there are a lot of things to consider."

A group of Polish visitors enjoy a waterfall near Reykjavik.

Mick Krever/CNN

Prime Minister Jakobsdottir also recognizes the pent-up demand among Icelanders for reestablishing connections to the outside world.

"It's not just about the economy, it's also about the fact that we are an island and in our modern times, just having a normal transport between countries is an essential factor and it's very different when you're an island or when you have borders lying with other countries all around. It's a very different situation."

Iceland now hopes to be an example of how to recover from a pandemic as well as how to handle the virus itself.

It'll be an equally challenging test for the cohesiveness and resolve of this small island nation.

Go here to read the rest:

Iceland now feels like the coronavirus never happened - CNN

Texas has seen a recent uptick in the number of COVID-19 cases, with a record level of new cases and hospitalizations announced Tuesday. People are seen here Monday along the San Antonio River Walk. Eric Gay/AP hide caption

Texas has seen a recent uptick in the number of COVID-19 cases, with a record level of new cases and hospitalizations announced Tuesday. People are seen here Monday along the San Antonio River Walk.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Tuesday the state's highest-ever number of new COVID-19 cases: 2,622.

He also reported a second record high: 2,518 people hospitalized with the virus in Texas, up from 2,326 a day earlier.

Despite the concerning uptick in people sick with the virus, Abbott said that the reason for his news conference was to let Texans know about the "abundant" hospital capacity for treating people with COVID-19. He and other officials spent much of the briefing touting the state's hospital bed availability.

Disclosing the new record high number of hospitalizations related to COVID-19, Abbott emphasized that figure is "really a very small percentage of all the beds that are available."

Texas has so far been spared the high case numbers in other populous states. While it's the second-largest state by population, Texas currently ranks sixth in terms of cumulative case numbers.

Before releasing the number of new cases, Abbott delved into what he said accounted for the previous daily high on June 10, which had 2,504 new cases. The governor said that spike could be largely attributed to 520 positive tests of inmates in Texas prisons being reported at once as well as a data error in a rural county.

He said there are also reasons for why Tuesday's new case count was so high: tests results coming from an assisted living facility near Plano; a county south of Austin where positive cases seemed to be reported in batches; and 104 cases in one East Texas county that appear to be primarily from tests at a prison.

But he also pointed to uncareful behavior as a possible driver in some of the new cases. Abbott said there were a number of counties where a majority of those who tested positive for the coronavirus were under the age of 30, which he attributed to people going to "bar-type" settings or Memorial Day celebrations and not taking health precautions.

Abbott said that measures such as wearing masks, hand sanitizing and social distancing are what make it possible to reopen the state's economy.

Dr. John Hellerstedt, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, struck the same note.

"The message is we are seeing some increase in the number of COVID patients in the state. We expected this," he said. "But we are seeing it occurring at a manageable level. I really want to stress that the continued success is up to the people of the state of Texas."

Despite Abbott's emphasis on the importance of masks, he has barred Texas cities from implementing any rules that would require face coverings.

Abbott signed an executive order on April 27 that says while individuals are encouraged to wear face masks, "no jurisdiction can impose a civil or criminal penalty for failure to wear a face covering."

On Tuesday, the mayors of nine Texas cities including Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Fort Worth and El Paso sent a letter to the governor asking for the authority to set the rules and regulations on the use of face coverings.

"A one-size-fits-all approach is not the best option. We should trust local officials to make informed choices about health policy. And if mayors are given the opportunity to require face coverings, we believe our cities will be ready to help reduce the spread of this disease," they wrote. "If you do not have plans to mandate face coverings statewide, we ask that you restore the ability for local authorities to enforce the wearing of face coverings in public venues where physical distancing cannot be practiced."

Abbott said Tuesday that judges and local officials have other tools available for enforcement such as issuing fines for gatherings that don't follow state protocols.

Austin Mayor Steve Adler extended a stay-at-home warning on Monday amid the news of rising cases but that warning could only be advice to residents and not an order due to the state's preemption.

"People are confused," Adler told NPR's Steve Inskeep on Tuesday. "They just don't know at this point if it's really important to wear face coverings or not, because I think they're feeling like they're getting mixed messaging not only from state leadership but from national leadership. So we're just not getting the vigilance that we need on these efforts."

In Austin, Adler said, you'll see most everyone wearing a mask in grocery stores but not in restaurants or music clubs: "When we started opening up the economy and when the governor took away from cities the ability to make it mandatory, more and more people stopped wearing them."

Adler said he agreed with Abbott that face coverings are key to reopening parts of the economy, even if they're unpleasant for wearers.

"I know it's inconvenient. I know it's hot. I know it's a nuisance," Adler said. "And it's hard to do, and people don't like it. But at the same time, our community has to decide just how much we value the lives of folks in our community that are over 65 and older. We have to decide how much we value the lives of the communities of color that are suffering disproportionately because of this virus."

Continue reading here:

Texas Governor Says 'No Reason Today To Be Alarmed' As Coronavirus Cases Set Record - NPR

For years officials in Worcester have lauded the citys growth as strong as any in the country. On Friday, data backed those claims up placing Worcester among national metropolitan titans like Washington D.C., Seattle and San Francisco.

As Massachusetts navigates through phase two of its four-phase reopening strategy, the commonwealths two largest cities are poised to rebound from the coronavirus better than almost every city in the country.

According to analysis from Bloomberg, which ranked the largest 100 cities in the United States, Boston and Worcester fell within the top 10 of metropolitan areas set for growth moving forward.

San Jose and San Francisco captured the top two spots and Boston was third. Worcester ranked eighth far outslugging its weight class. The cities separating Boston and Worcester including Madison, Wisconsin, Seattle, Washington D.C. and Minneapolis.

Worcester ranked higher than New York City, Miami and Denver to name a few.

What catapulted New Englands two largest cities was their foundation of education and a strong health care center, Bloomberg said.

Together, they are home to about 40 colleges and universities and more than 20 hospitals, along with many of the worlds leading biotech companies, Bloomberg said.

Peter Dunn, Worcesters chief development officer, said in the report that health care and education are typically stable industries and tend to be less vulnerable to recession.

Each city also has a high student population due to the array of colleges, meaning that people in the area tend to be younger and not as susceptible to severe outcomes of coronavirus.

Diverse urban economies ranked in the Bloomberg gauge, especially ones that dont rely mainly on leisure and hospitality or on small businesses, the report said. Metro areas with strong human capital - a highly educated labor force - and lower consumer debt also scored higher.

The coronavirus has claimed more than 7,000 lives in Massachusetts so far. Thats the third highest in the country. As of Thursday, the state had confirmed 106,422 cases of the virus.

Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday said the progress made in the fight against the virus puts the state on a good trajectory toward the last two phases of its plan to reopen all sectors of the economy. Phase 2 of the states plan began on June 8.

His comments come as Arizona, Florida and Texas on Tuesday all reported their largest single-day increase in case numbers to date, the New York Times reported. The newspaper reported that, based on these spikes in new infections, the U.S. could surpass Europe in overall deaths next week.

Related Content:

See more here:

Boston, Worcester projected to rebound from coronavirus better than almost every other U.S. city, new analysi - MassLive.com