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Global coronavirus deaths have surpassed 100,000, and over 1.6 million people have been infected. New York state alone now has more reported cases than any country in the world outside of the U.S., which probably wasn't what Sinatra had in mind when he said, “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere.”
- The Trump administration, having learned nothing from its thwarted dream of overpriced Easter brunches, is now pushing for a May 1 “reopening”. Health officials say that’s unlikely. Whenever we do start venturing outside, it’s likely to be under a fair amount of digital surveillance: Google and Apple have launched a joint contact-tracing system that’s meant to help people determine whether they’ve crossed paths with anyone who has tested positive for coronavirus. All major plans for relaxing social distancing call for similarly expansive systems, and tracking measures may include requiring people to scan QR codes when boarding mass transit, and even GPS tracking to enforce quarantine for those who have tested positive.
- That level of surveillance will come with a host of technological and political challenges, and even then it'll probably only work if we also implement mass testing, which the government has failed to make a plausible option. Adequate testing for the whole country would require something like 22 million tests per day—the U.S. currently has nowhere near that capacity per week. No matter how we go about ending lockdowns, there won’t be a sudden return to normal. Some businesses will be able to open before others, and only at partial capacity. Workplaces may have to bring employees into the office on staggered schedules, and large gatherings might still be out of the question. Until there’s a vaccine, or effective and widely available therapeutics, we should expect waves of lockdowns, as new outbreaks flare up.
- Any easing of social distancing will require a clear strategy, and the federal government isn’t working on one. The Trump administration has calculated that punting responsibility to the states is in Trump’s best political interest, and continues to prioritize that over what the country needs. While Trump pounds the table about reopening the economy, governors and health experts are on their own to figure out what that will actually look like. It’s not clear whether any state-based plans will be possible without federal support. A refusal to devise and execute a national strategy has been a hallmark of Trump’s non-response response since the beginning: Here’s a good behind-the-scenes look at what that wholly intentional leadership vacuum looks like in practice.
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The Trump administration has made two notable reversals since yesterday, presumably because it got caught acting indefensibly.
- Vice President Mike Pence’s office has reversed course on blocking health officials from appearing on CNN until the network agreed to air the White House’s full daily propaganda briefings/campaign rallies, and the Department of Health and Human Services has backed off from its plan to stop funding coronavirus testing sites. It now says that local authorities can choose whether to run the sites themselves, or continue to receive federal help.
- A growing chorus of Republicans are suggesting that Trump needs to shut the fuck up at coronavirus task-force briefings, a rare point on which we wholeheartedly agree. Of course, Republicans think Trump should stop because he’s hurting himself, and we think he should stop because he’s harming the country and directly causing more death, but let’s celebrate this bipartisan common ground, however narrow it is.
In the many months until we have a coronavirus vaccine, the only way out of permanent lockdown is through widespread, easily available testing. The U.S. still doesn’t have it, and far from taking aggressive steps to address that problem, Trump refuses to acknowledge the problem exists at all. If you were on the fence about buying more sweatpants, maybe go ahead and splurge.
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We all need a break from the news. Maybe it's cooking, maybe it's watching a podcast host do it for you. Jon Lovett made Allison Roman's famed shallot pasta recipe LIVE on our Instagram! Make sure you're following us (@crookedmedia) for that sweet, carb-filled content you crave →
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The United States Postal Service has been hit hard by coronavirus, and President Trump has reportedly refused to bail it out. USPS has seen mail volume drop by nearly a third relative to the same time last year, as businesses drastically scale back the ads and mailings that make up most of the service’s revenue. The postmaster general has asked Congress for an $89 billion bailout, which Democrats are willing to deliver. Trump has opposed it, apparently as part of an effort to exploit the pandemic to shift the mail service towards privatization, which would help its commercial competitors like UPS and FedEx. If USPS doesn’t get the relief it needs, it could cease to exist, and at a moment when people are dependent on the mail for virtually everything—including, in November, what may be the only safe way to vote in the most important election of our lifetimes. Another reason for House Democrats to pass the rescue America needs and make Trump, who’s desperate for more economic stimulus, sign it.
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- The European Union’s finance ministers have reached a deal on a $590 billion coronavirus rescue plan. E.U. leaders are expected to sign off on it next week.
- Russia and Saudi Arabia have called off their oil-price war, and OPEC has reached a tentative deal to reduce production to stabilize the oil market. Mexico has declined to support that agreement, but negotiations continue.
- Trump’s trade advisor Peter Navarro publicly said Americans had “nothing to worry about,” while simultaneously circulating memos within the administration warning of an impending coronavirus disaster.
- At least 5,400 health-care workers in the U.S. have been infected with coronavirus, and the real number is undoubtedly much higher. Infection rates among medical professionals aren’t being tracked at all in at least nine states, including New York and Louisiana.
- The IRS has launched a web tool to allow people who don’t usually file tax returns to receive their stimulus check. People on Social Security will receive the checks automatically.
- Trump has announced that student loan payments have been waived for six months, and that the waiver may be extended further.
- An internet conspiracy theory linking the coronavirus to 5G wireless-data technology has fueled over 100 frightening incidents in Britain this month, including arson, vandalism, and harassment of telecom technicians.
- AOC will be a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race tonight, in a glittering little time capsule of our pre-COVID past.
- Finish off your week with the legendary, pissed off stylings of Katie Porter.
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The CDC conducted an investigation into a cluster of infections in Chicago, IL, and detailed how a lone “super-spreader” may have kicked off an outbreak in the city. One man in Chicago shared a take-out meal the night before a funeral, attended the service the next day and hugged those in mourning, and went to a birthday party a few days later. In the process, health officials think he unwittingly spread COVID-19 to up to 16 people, resulting in three deaths. The case study illustrates how easily the virus propagates, even through limited contact between individuals, and the importance of implementing social-distancing practices before community spread has been detected. Or, if you’re done reading for the day, here’s a video of mousetraps and ping-pong balls that gets the same idea across.
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New non-profits are springing up to support frontline workers: Feed the Fearless has raised more than $20,000 to purchase meals for health-care workers in Oregon and Washington, and Off Their Plate has raised over $1 million to feed hospital workers in nine states.
Delta Airlines pledged to donate 200,000 pounds of food to hospitals and community food banks.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) announced that all health-care workers can receive vouchers for hotel rooms and stipends, so they can more easily self-isolate from their families or be closer to work. California now has 86,000 signups for its newly launched California Health Corps, and United Airlines is offering free flights for volunteers who need to travel to the state.
Amazon has begun providing protective equipment and implementing other safety measures, following a string of worker protests.
This is a limited data set with no control group, but the experimental antiviral drug remdesivir has shown promise in treating seriously ill COVID-19 patients. Fifty-three patients were given remdesivir, and more than two-thirds of them saw their conditions improve. More definitive results from clinical trials in China are expected this month.
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