"As defiance brews, Baker remains cautious about restarting the economy; Business owners say the process of getting back to work needs to start now" by Shirley Leung Globe Columnist, May 6, 2020
Restarting the Massachusetts economy is starting to feel more fraught than shutting it down.
Just ask Charlie Baker. The governor is doing everything he can to buy himself more time. He extended the stay-at-home coronavirus advisory until May 18, and openly worries that reopening the state too soon will renew the deadly spread of the virus. He’s assembled a business advisory council that will deliver a report that day on how to safely reopen the economy.
The advisory panel is just the first step, and the spotlight is on Bain Capital and Celtics partner Steve Pagliuca as state officials figure out how to restart economy (why did they bring aboard an expert in retirement planning at Morgan Stanley?), and the Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck is part of a group that has pledged billions for vaccine research “to reach everyone, everywhere."
Which means that come a week from Monday, most of us will still be hunkered down at home.
It wouldn’t matter so much if everyone across the country was in shut-in mode, but many states are starting to move to the next phase of the pandemic: saving their economies. Most notably, Rhode Island and New Hampshire are on a schedule that will allow people to start shopping and dining out again over the next two weeks. Meantime, it’s status quo here, and for many people it’s grown awfully old. We just want to get out of this place.
Too late.
No wonder New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu is worried about hordes of Massachusetts residents driving up north to enjoy a few hours of normalcy.
The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce laid down the gauntlet on Wednesday by publicly urging Baker to detail criteria for an economic reopening and release a phased-in game plan by Friday, to give employers ample time to prepare.
“You have to rip the Band-Aid off and get people back to work,” said Tuscan Brands owner Joe Faro. He’s preparing to reopen two restaurants in New Hampshire for outdoor dining next week.
He is hoping Massachusetts, where he operates a Tuscan Kitchen in Burlington and another in Boston’s Seaport District, won’t be far behind. After furloughing 450 workers, Faro stands ready to reopen with masks and gloves for employees, new sanitizing procedures, and the observance of social-distancing measures. (Think tables spaced far apart, and no seating at the bar.)
Who would want to go out and eat, even if they had the money?
An economy propped up by government rescue packages “is not really sustainable,” Faro said. “What’s sustainable is getting people back to work, getting the economy standing on its own . . . There’s got to be a process to piece this back together.”
Residents have given the governor high marks on his handling of the pandemic, but defiance is in the air like a gathering storm.
From the bu$ine$$ community!
Some may say Cautious Charlie is exactly what we need now. Better to be safe than sorry, but if the rates of hospitalizations and new infections continue to fall for the next two weeks, it will be hard for him to keep the economy in hibernation for much longer.
He has no choice; otherwise, there will be a killer second surge as the coronavirus pandemic heralds a loss of innocence.
The governor had leverage in March: If you don’t want hospitals to get overwhelmed, stay home, and we did. Turns out we’re good at being shut-ins. Doctors didn’t have to do what they did in Italy: Choose who gets to live and who dies because there weren’t enough ventilators.
We’re past the surge — at least this one, but even with glimmers of hope, Baker keeps raising the caution flags, as if to incrementally lower expectations about reopening the economy any time soon. So far, he’s had widespread support. A recent Boston Globe/Suffolk University/WGBH News poll found 84 percent approve the governor’s handling of the crisis, and 85 percent back his decision to extend the stay-at-home advisory and closure of nonessential businesses until May 18, but people are getting restless. Hundreds showed up outside the State House on Monday to protest restrictive measures to contain the virus. The owner of Wachusett Country Club and Kettle Brook Golf Club outside of Worcester plans to reopen despite Baker’s ban on non-essential businesses, according to Fox News.
The front-page poll was a stroke job for the slave public, saying the farm animals remain resolute in battling coronavirus; however, just below that jerk-job was a a warning that state will reopen slowly (or not at all) amid protest -- although this statistic is giving people a glimmer of hope about the Massachusetts coronavirus pandemic.
The Globe ma$turbation continued the next day:
"For a state that is largely shut down, shut in, and starving for good news, this may be a start: Massachusetts appears to be descending from its coronavirus plateau. Key statistics on COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations, by which experts measure progress in the battle to contain the disease, are showing improvement. The trends are slow, agonizingly so, but going in the right direction....."
That planted hope amid the coronavirus and once you get through the 12 stages of quarantine, there is a flatter curve because the new classifications have led to an inflating, 'er, spike in cases. That means the fatality rates drop and herd immunity and antibodies have increased, so no need for shots and no sweat.
Then came the ejaculation:
"If encouraging downward trends in key coronavirus indicators continue, state officials hope to allow some businesses to reopen when a shutdown order expires May 18, Governor Charlie Baker said Wednesday, but for the first time in about a week, the daily statistics released by the state Department of Public Health appeared to leave little room for optimism....."
You can blame the discord on online conspiracies that have fueled coronavirus protesters, and the Globe has five talking points for someone who insists coronavirus is just a bad flu; thus, despite the recent downward trend, Baker says state ‘still has a lot of work to do’ before reopening because social distancing is a battlefield.
Some businesses have run out of patience because the financial pain has not been shared equally, creating economic winners and losers.
What was that la$t part?
Your kidding, right, because that is sure not the impre$$ion the pre$$ has fo$tered.
During the pandemic, Baker and economists have used science as their guide to balance public health with commerce. So I asked Dr. Helen Boucher, the infectious disease chief at Tufts Medical Center, to predict when the state can put out the “open for business” sign.
Boucher monitors the three T’s: treatment, testing, and tracing. Massachusetts, she points out, has been making progress on all three fronts, with hospitals able to treat patients without operating in crisis mode and the state becoming a leader nationally in testing and tracing.
Still, she’s not ready to declare we’re out of a viral spiral. “The bottom line," Boucher said, “is we want to see these trends continue for two weeks."
So how likely is it that by Memorial Day we can grab a beer and sit on the outdoor patio of our favorite restaurant?
“I think it is possible,” she said.
Pence said this would all be over by Memorial Day.
In the age of the coronavirus, reopening the economy will feel as scary as shutting it down, but Baker shouldn’t act like he wants to delay the inevitable. Otherwise he’s going to lose his grip on the state.....
Oh, this is all about him LOSING HIS GRIP on the STATE!
Well, TOO LATE!
He is HATED NOW, I don't care what the Globe poll says.
--more--"
Here is the organi$ation re$pon$ible for the defiance in the air:
"Boston Chamber presses Baker administration for clarity on reopening the economy; More details could be forthcoming within days" by Jon Chesto Globe Staff, May 6, 2020
Executives across Greater Boston are preoccupied with a thorny challenge right now: plotting a path to bring employees back to the workplace safely once Governor Charlie Baker gives the green light.
There’s only so much they can do, though, without the Baker administration answering several questions first.
That’s a big reason why the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce is pressing the administration for clarity on the issues of child care, transportation, and coronavirus testing. Baker appointed an advisory board last week to develop back-to-work protocols for the state by May 18; however, the chamber wants some answers, particularly on these three key issues, by the end of this week.
Baker reiterated on Wednesday that this will be a gradual, phased approach, and only certain types of businesses will be allowed to reopen right away, probably “in a limited fashion.” He said the May 18 date hinges on seeing more progress toward curbing the spread of COVID-19, such as trends of declining hospitalization and deaths. He also hinted his advisory board might provide a bit more clarity before that deadline, possibly within the next few days. That would be welcome news to chamber chief executive Jim Rooney and many of his group’s members as they stare out at uncharted waters. Rooney said chamber officials want to see a target date for when tests are widely and easily available for employers that want them — like, say, Labor Day, or Nov. 1.....
In the interim, PwC will employ social-distancing measures and regular deep-cleanings, mandate masks in the office and temperature scans at the door, and put a contact-tracing network to work to inform employees if they might have been exposed by a co-worker.
--more--"
Here is what Charlie is watching during the lockdown (as if we gave a damn):
"Governor Baker gives a scorchingly honest take on Netflix hit ‘Ozark’; ‘If I kept watching it, I’d have to jump off the roof of my house.’" by Jaclyn Reiss Globe Staff, April 30, 2020
Governor Charlie Baker’s daily coronavirus press conference took a surprise turn on Thursday when he went on a tangent about shows and documentaries he’s been streaming — including a scorching take on the hit Netflix series “Ozark.”
The remarks came as Baker spoke about how his daughter has been taking part in a book club in an effort to keep up with her friends during quarantine, which “might be the only good thing I can think of that has come out of all this.”
Baker then decided to entertain a reporter who apparently asked the Republican governor what he’s been watching, gushing about one documentary in particular.
“The one thing I would recommend to anybody on Netflix is ‘The Biggest Little Farm,’ which is one of the best documentaries ever,” Baker said. "It’s magical, it’s lyrical, and it’s beautiful — and it’s only 90 minutes, so it’s not like you have to watch 14 parts to get to the end.
“It’s about two people who lived in an apartment in Santa Monica,” he continued. “They got a dog from a pound. They loved the dog, but every time they left the apartment to go to work, the dog would start barking and it would bark until they came home, so they eventually got an eviction notice from their landlord. It was either the dog or they had to move, and at that point in time they decided that they would get a series of investors and go do something they always wanted to do, which was create a natural farm. It’s awesome. I would highly recommend it to anybody.”
The documentary appears to be available on Hulu, or can be watched for $3.99 on a variety of platforms, including YouTube, Google Play, and Amazon Prime.
Baker also gave his honest thoughts on the popular series “Ozark,” starring Jason Bateman and Laura Linney. The show is about a financial planner who decides to move his family from Chicago to the Ozarks in Missouri in a last-ditch attempt to save their lives while laundering money for a Mexican drug cartel.
“I could only watch a few episodes of ‘Ozark’ before I decided if I kept watching it, I’d have to jump off the roof of my house,” Baker said.
--more--"
I don't watch any of those shows or channels. They have no appeal to me, and are usually nothing but the usual filth troweled out by Hollywood.
Related:
"The Massachusetts economy shrunk at a 6.1 percent annualized rate in the first quarter of the year but the damage from the pandemic is likely far worse, according to a new estimate offered by local economists who edit the MassBenchmarks report. It compares to an estimated 4.8 percent decline in gross domestic product nationwide over the same time period. Both the state and national economies grew by an annualized rate of just over 2 percent in the final three months of 2019. The MassBenchmarks economists said those national and state estimates for the first quarter don’t fully reflect the severity of the pandemic-induced downturn, in part because the recession didn’t begin until the middle of March. Alan Clayton-Matthews, a Northeastern University professor and MassBenchmarks senior editor, noted that 650,000 people filed unemployment claims in Massachusetts between March 15 and April 18. That number implies roughly 20 percent of the labor force was unemployed or on furlough as of mid-April. With that in mind, Clayton-Matthews expects the decline in gross state product to be at least 25 percent in the second quarter, which would be the worst on record."
Charlie won't be running for a third term.
"Baker also addressed the economic toll of the pandemic, saying the state continues to work diligently to pay out unemployment benefits to those who have lost their jobs. “Making sure workers get the benefits they’re entitled to is a critical part of how we deal with the very real economic impact" of the pandemic, Baker said. Baker said the state has also paid out benefits to more than 400,000 residents who qualify for the traditional program. According to the state, unemployment programs have distributed a total of $2.3 billion to the state’s workers since March 15. Baker acknowledged that deaths from the virus are likely undercounted. Experts have said early cases were likely missed as the virus circulated unseen in the state. "I think most people believe that COVID-19 death rates are probably undercounted because it was here … before people truly understood and appreciated what it was,” he said....."
Baker conveniently overlooked the bugs in the system as well as the fund running out of money as he told us what a great job they are doing.
{@@##$$%%^^&&}
One place where there isn't defiance is in the pews:
Pastors across Massachusetts sign letter asking Baker to reopen churches
They should not be ASKING if they can reopen they should be DEMANDING their CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT be RESTORED!
Faith leaders meet with Reopening Advisory Committee
They didn't discuss timing, and wouldn't you know who had to get involved.
It's going to be a long summer, by God.
"Worcester city officials this week slammed a local pastor’s decision to hold a church service Sunday that violated the state’s order banning gatherings of more than 10 people amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In separate statements Monday, Mayor Joseph M. Petty and City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. criticized Rev. Kris Casey’s decision to hold a service that, according to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, drew 56 people Sunday to Adams Square Baptist Church. Petty said he was “deeply disappointed and dismayed that Pastor Kristopher D. Casey chose to violate the orders of the Governor and the City Manager, and chose to endanger his parishioners and our city as a whole by holding services.” Across Massachusetts, Petty said, “men and women of faith have chosen to follow the best medical advice of professionals and conduct worship services virtually. This is a time when we all must make sacrifices for the good of our neighbors.” His words were echoed by Augustus, who said Monday in a letter to Casey that hosting gatherings of more than 10 people in violation of the order “flies in the face of the best medical advice at this time and increases the very real chance of contact spread of the virus to countless others.” The order, Augustus wrote, is not meant to suppress religious expression but is “reasonably related to the demands of of the public health [crisis] and the exigencies of the situation.” He said the order must be enforced and reiterated that Casey “may not gather” more than 10 people until the order, which Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday extended to May 18, “expires or is rescinded.” Voice and e-mail messages left with Casey’s church weren’t immediately returned Tuesday afternoon. From the pulpit Sunday, he offered a prayer in which he said “Heavenly Father, it is our great privilege and pleasure to be worshiping with you here this morning,” according to a recording of the service uploaded to YouTube. “Lord, thank you for the fact that we here in America have the ability to worship our creator and we our protected. Our founding fathers knew in 1780 how precious and valuable this was going to be. ... Thank you for the protections that we have here in America that other countries do not have around the world.” Casey also sent a letter last week to Baker, Petty, and Worcester Police Chief Steven M. Sargent informing them of his intention to hold Sunday’s service. He wrote in the letter, which was posted to the church’s Facebook page, that he decided to hold the in-person service “after much research, consultation and prayer,” adding that the church “will also gather at the same location on Wednesday evenings for our midweek service.” Casey wrote that his congregation would observe appropriate social distancing guidelines. Referencing the state’s order banning gatherings of more than 10, Casey added, “I notice that ‘liquor stores’ and ‘garden centers,’ for example, are designated under Exhibit A of the Order as COVID-19 Essential Services, but that religious services of 10 or more people are not. In fact, it would seem that religious services are the only essential function whose core activity – association for the purpose of worship – has been basically eliminated. Such a shut-down of religious services violates clear Constitutional rights under the 1st and 14th Amendments.” Asked Tuesday during his daily briefing about Casey’s decision to hold Sunday service, Baker said extending the emergency order to houses of worship was a hard decision. “I’m also very sympathetic to the fact that lots of data from around the globe” where religious services continued unimpeded showed “the virus went all over the place,” Baker said. In a separate statement Monday, Augustus said the city has delivered a letter to Casey’s church reminding them that hosting gatherings of more than 10 is currently prohibited. “While we certainly respect equality, religious freedom and the frustrations of not being able to host traditional public services, the Governor’s order is clear that it applies to the public safety of everyone,” Augustus said. "Self-exempting and disregarding this order puts the health of both parishioners and the wider public at risk.” Asked about possible sanctions the city may levy against Casey, Augustus’s office pointed to a provision in the state order indicating violations could bring a warning for the first offense, a fine of up to $300 for a second offense, and "a fine up to $500 or term of imprisonment or both” for further offenses."
That was s decision he was not allowed to make, one which violated the Constitution and was illegal. There is no public health exemption, and the Founding Fathers were certainly familiar with disease! They knew the King would use it to oppress!
"Worcester Baptist church holds another service, but keeps numbers down" by David Abel, Travis Andersen and Jeremy C. Fox Globe Staff and Globe Correspondent, April 29, 2020
The pastor of a Worcester church will not be fined for a service held Wednesday evening because the congregation’s size did not violate a state ban on gatherings of 10 or more people during the coronavirus pandemic, officials said.
“There was no violations because there were less than ten people,” Kathleen Daly, a spokeswoman for Worcester police said.
In other words, God's servant backed down.
Earlier, a city spokesman said Worcester could fine the Rev. Kris Casey $300, as Governor Charlie Baker’s order on public gatherings allows for a second offense, after Casey once again opened the doors of Adams Square Baptist Church. The first service was held Sunday.
Worcester on Wednesday reported 1,986 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and said the city has had an average of 65 new infections each day in April. City health officials also ordered a Walmart store to close Wednesday after 23 employees tested positive for the virus. The store will not be allowed to reopen until it is cleaned, sanitized, and reinspected, officials said.
The church service proceeded after Casey had been reminded by city officials of the need to follow the state’s social-distancing guidelines.
Casey began the 7 p.m. Wednesday service with a reading from the book of Proverbs: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths,” according to a livestream video of the service.
His sermon focused on surrendering to God’s will rather than trusting one’s own judgment. He appeared to reference the criticism he drew from public officials for holding the Sunday service.
Casey said that the last few days had been difficult for him, his family, and the church, and that they had received calls from people who said “nasty things.”
The congregation was not visible in the video, and it was unclear exactly how many people were in the church, but Casey spoke during his sermon of the “many people in here this evening” who were earnestly seeking God.
The livestreamed service ended shortly after 7:30 p.m. Casey did not respond to multiple requests for comment this week from the Globe.
I wouldn't want to talk to them, either.
City officials had already issued a warning to Casey after the pastor drew 56 people to his church on Sunday, according to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. If he continues to defy the order, city officials said they could issue another fine up to $500 or jail the pastor for further offenses.
“We have been following the governor’s guidance and doing everything we can to protect public health,” said Mike Vigneux, the city spokesman.
Then he is aiding and abetting the unconstitutional and criminal dictator we call a governor.
On Monday, City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. wrote to Casey, telling the pastor he was endangering his congregants by holding in-person services.
In a letter to city officials and the governor that Casey posted on the church’s Facebook page, he wrote that he decided to hold the in-person services“ after much research, consultation, and prayer,” adding that the church would “also gather at the same location on Wednesday evenings for our midweek service.”
Casey wrote that his congregation would observe appropriate social-distancing guidelines.
Referencing the state’s order banning gatherings of more than 10, Casey added, “I notice that ‘liquor stores’ and ‘garden centers,’ for example, are designated under Exhibit A of the Order as COVID-19 Essential Services, but that religious services of 10 or more people are not. In fact, it would seem that religious services are the only essential function whose core activity — association for the purpose of worship — has been basically eliminated. Such a shut-down of religious services violates clear Constitutional rights under the 1st and 14th Amendments.”
Yeah, somehow the vice of the devil's brew is "e$$ential."
Asked Tuesday about Casey’s decision to hold a Sunday service, Baker said extending the emergency order to houses of worship was a hard decision. “I’m also very sympathetic to the fact that lots of data from around the globe” where religious services continued unimpeded showed “the virus went all over the place,” Baker said.
During Wednesday’s daily briefing, Baker said Worcester officials had “appropriate concerns” about the church holding services and that the issue was “most appropriately dealt with at the local level.”
In a separate statement Monday, Augustus said the city had delivered a letter to Casey's church reminding them that the hosting gatherings of more than 10 is currently prohibited.
"While we certainly respect equality, religious freedom, and the frustrations of not being able to host traditional public services, the governor's order is clear that it applies to the public safety of everyone," Augustus said "Self-exempting and disregarding this order outs the health of both parishioners and the wider public at risk."
I thought it was an advisory, not an order, and he just showed how he doesn't respect religious freedom with his statement.
--more--"
A man who declined to give his name but said he was a resident of New Hampshire with businesses in Massachusetts and Maine came to protest against Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker 's stay-at-home order and to support the Adams Square Baptist Church on Wednesday (Barry Chin/Globe Staff/The Boston Globe).
Wow, AWESOME SIGN, and it just so happens that the article appeared on the same day the burned body of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler was found in a bunker in the ruins of Berlin.
Related:
"The pandemic and the resulting economic collapse are causing significant stress for almost everyone, but the circumstances can be especially difficult for people who were already dealing with trauma, said Roxbury Presbyterian Church’s Rev. Liz Walker. Now, a program Walker started years ago to help people navigate life after trauma is finding its way in a world increasingly filled with it. Walker, the first Black woman to coanchor a newscast in Boston, started the Cory Johnson Program for Post-Traumatic Healing at the church six years ago....."
So that is why she is no longer doing the news.
Also see:
"About 13,000 of the country’s 17,000 Catholic parishes applied for the government’s small-business stimulus program, and about half have so far received the requested funds, according to the church’s group for diocesan fiscal managers. The multitrillion-dollar Cares Act, which took effect in mid-April, covers employees’ salaries for private companies and nonprofit organizations through the Small Business Administration. The government money is distributed through banks and is like a loan — except the loan is forgiven if the money is used to pay workers’ salaries. In the first round of applications, about 10,000 parishes applied, Patrick Markey, executive director of the Diocesan Fiscal Management Conference, said Thursday. A bit more than 6,000 got their funding requests approved, while 3,000 did not, he said. In the second round — which is still in process — about 6,000 applied. Markey said that total includes roughly half repeat appliers and then 3,000 new ones. Of the approximately 6,000 Catholic elementary and secondary schools in the country, 2,300 applied for paycheck protection, Markey said, and 1,400 of those got funding in the first round. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops says it is not tracking the federal money, and Markey’s group doesn’t have a detailed breakdown to show whether certain types of churches are applying or having more success with their applications. Markey noted that the US Treasury Department in late April urged businesses and nonprofits not to apply if they don’t need the money and to return money if they have access to other funding. His group also urged dioceses: ‘‘If you don’t need it, don’t apply.’’ Some public companies, deep-pocketed chains and prep schools — among others — have come under pressure to return taxpayer money so needier small companies can receive assistance. It’s not yet clear whether the same dynamic will reveal itself in the religious world. Several other major religious denominations said they don’t have national data on who has applied and received funding. That includes the Southern Baptist Convention, the Episcopal Church, and the United Methodist Church. The Jewish Federations of North America has helped thousands of Jewish and other nonprofits apply for paycheck protection money, said spokeswoman Rebecca Dinar."
Oh, so THAT is why the CHURCHES have FALLEN in LINE!
They are all being BRIBED by the STATE!
Time to STRIP THEM of their TAX-EXEMPT $TATU$ since they are taking GOVERNMENT MONEY!
Just singing to the choir, right?
"Disease trackers are calling a choir practice in Washington state a super spreader event that illustrates how easily the coronavirus can pass from person to person. The act of singing itself may have spread the virus in the air and onto surfaces, according to a report from Skagit County Public Health published Tuesday. “One individual present felt ill, not knowing what they had, and ended up infecting 52 other people,” said lead author Lea Hamner. Two choir members died of COVID-19 after attending the March 10 practice of the Skagit Valley Chorale. The rehearsal was held nearly two weeks before the state’s stay-at-home order."
At least the gun nuts are still on the side of the angles, for the ‘Second Amendment should not be suspended during a health pandemic.’
{@@##$$%%^^&&}
"US shelves detailed guide to reopening country" by Abby Goodnough New York Times, May 7, 2020
WASHINGTON — As President Trump pushes to reopen the economy, a battle has erupted between the White House and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over the agency’s detailed guidelines to help schools, restaurants, churches, and other establishments safely reopen.
It is not a battle, they are simply at odds.
A copy of the CDC guidance obtained by The New York Times includes sections for child care programs, schools and day camps, churches and other “communities of faith,” employers with vulnerable workers, restaurants and bars, and mass transit administrators. The recommendations include using disposable dishes and utensils at restaurants, closing every other row of seats in buses and subways while restricting transit routes between areas experiencing different coronavirus infection levels, and separating children at school and camps into groups that should not mix throughout the day, but White House and other administration officials rejected the recommendations over concerns that they were overly prescriptive, infringed on religious rights, and risked further damaging an economy that Trump was banking on to recover quickly.
They are going to SEGREGATE the KIDS, huh?
A spokesman for the CDC said the guidance was still under discussion with the White House and a revised version could be published soon.
The rejection of the guidelines is the latest confusing signal as the Trump administration struggles to balance Trump’s desire to reopen the country quickly and public health experts, who have counseled reopening methodically through a series of steps tied to reduced rates of infection and expanded efforts to control the spread of the virus. Particularly contentious were the CDC’s recommendations for churches and other houses of worship.....
I don't think it is confusing at all; Trump is playing to his base because the last group he can afford to lose is the church-going American.
--more--"
The defiance is now out in the open and must be put down:
"Trump’s push for reopening clashes with reality in Senate coronavirus hearing" by Liz Goodwin Globe Staff, May 12, 2020
WASHINGTON — Top public health officials warned Tuesday that the United States risks new outbreaks of the coronavirus if cities and states reopen too quickly, and said the nation needs to beef up its testing and contact tracing capabilities to prevent a “resurgence.”
Yeah, they need that global surveillance grid up and running before you are.
Testifying before a congressional committee for the first time since March, Dr. Anthony Fauci said states must be prepared for an “inevitable” spike in cases when reopening and warned them not to loosen restrictions before seeing a decline in new infections over the previous 14 days, as recommended by federal guidelines.
The self-isolation came just in time!
Most states that are beginning to open have not seen such declines, according to an analysis by The New York Times.
“If that occurs, there is a real risk that you will trigger an outbreak that you might not be able to control,” Fauci said, adding that could lead to “suffering and death that could be avoided” — as well as economic damage.
I thought we already were in a pandemic, dick!
The frank warnings about the attempts to control the virus stood in stark contrast to the optimistic portrayal by President Trump, who just a day earlier appeared to declare victory on several closely watched metrics.
Fauci also warned that it was unlikely a vaccine would be ready by the fall, when principals and college presidents have to decide whether to bring students back. An antiviral drug has shown just “modest” benefits in treating coronavirus patients, he said, and a vaccine will almost certainly not be ready by the end of the year. Without a vaccine, the virus will continue to be a problem, he added.
That f**king $elf-$erving $icko!
He also has a $take in the drug remdesivir if I remember correctly, and that is a reality check for the kids as well as the rest of us.
Trump, whose aides are regularly tested for the virus, also said on Monday that Americans would “very soon” enjoy the same protections that he does of frequent testing, but his public health experts on Tuesday cautioned that testing everyone on a daily basis is not feasible, and that Americans should continue to try to social distance or wear masks when that’s not possible in order to keep themselves safe.
Trump and the rest rarely wear them, of course, and what makes him think we are going to "enjoy" a f**king nasal swab?
It makes one wonder if they are BEING TESTED AT ALL!
“If we’re able to get masks for everybody in the White House, I hope we can get masks to every nursing home employee who needs it,” said Senator Maggie Hassan, a Democrat from New Hampshire. Senator Elizabeth Warren asked Fauci directly if the United States had contained the virus and he acknowledged there was more work to do.
The hearing featured some bipartisan criticism of the administration, with several Republicans urging it to do better on testing. Senator Mitt Romney, a Republican from Utah, chastised one of the witnesses, Admiral Brett Giroir, the testing czar for the Health and Human Services Department, for painting a rosy picture of the country’s testing performance.....
Romney might as well change parties at this point.
--more--"
"Scientists warn May 18 ‘still feels too early’ to begin reopening Mass." by Naomi Martin and David Abel Globe Staff, May 12, 2020
Governor Charlie Baker’s plan to reopen the economy in phases starting as soon as Monday may come as a relief to struggling business owners and nearly 1 million people left unemployed by the coronavirus crisis, but many scientists caution that it may be too soon to broadly reopen Massachusetts, which has been among the hardest-hit states in the country, with 5,141 deaths so far.
I agree. I like things the way they are right now.
If the state moves too quickly, they warn, it risks a bleak calculus: a catastrophic second wave of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths — while further harming the economy. They warned the state may not yet have the needed infrastructure to adequately test and trace the contacts of those infected to control those new outbreaks that will inevitably occur as people mingle more, especially endangering the sick and elderly.
Better stay shutdown then.
“It still feels too early,” said Erin Bromage, a biology professor who studies infectious diseases at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. “The fact that we’re still seeing 1,000 to 1,500 new cases every day and we’re in lockdown means quite a lot of community transmission is still happening, and the biology says you increase contacts, you increase spread, and you’re off again.”
It means the POLICY has FAILED unless the purpose was to KEEP the VIRUS ALIVE and not allow the population HERD IMMUNITY!
As it is, we probably already have it anyway.
The scientists praised Baker’s establishment of a statewide contact-tracing program, aimed at isolating those who interacted with anyone infected, but they said the state still needs to be testing more people every day.
FUCK OFF, $CUM!
Dr. Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, said “If you go too fast, you get more outbreaks, you get increases in cases, increases in deaths, and you set the economy back. It isn’t about when a governor says things are reopened, it’s really about how much confidence people feel.”
I will never feel confident ever again, and the increase in outbreaks and death will also provide herd immunity -- which is the last thing these mad $cienti$ts want!
Baker plans to unveil his full plan by May 18, when his stay-home advisory expires. On Monday, he released a three-page document that offered hints at his thinking. The plan lacked details on which businesses would open first, how long each phase would last, or what the triggers would be to move forward or back.
Baker has consulted with public health experts and business leaders. He said he would base his decisions on scientific data and revert to more restrictions if the virus takes off again uncontrolled.
As opposed to the wildly inaccurate models he has been basing them on so far?
“We have to ensure that when we take one step forward, we do not end up taking two steps back,” Baker said.....
That's when I did, and I say STAY CLOSED FOREVER!
--more--"
(below the fold)
"Coronavirus deaths continue downward trend; Baker requests $1 billion to fight pandemic" by Victoria McGrane and Jon Chesto Globe Staff, May 12, 2020
Governor Charlie Baker offered few new details Tuesday on his plans for a carefully managed reopening of Massachusetts, saying residents and businesses will likely have to wait for specifics until Monday despite a growing clamor for more detail on the path ahead.
Baker acknowledged the urgency many businesses and residents feel for restrictions on daily life to be loosened, as the economic fallout mounts and neighboring states take steps toward normalcy, but he warned that going too fast risks a resurgence of the virus that could force the state to backtrack.
“I get the fact that everybody would like everything to be open sooner," Baker said during a midday news conference in Ashland on Tuesday, but "you want to do this in a way where you can sustain the opening when you go forward.”
Later in the day, the state announced the death toll had risen by 33 to 5,141. It was the lowest daily increase in more than a month, though the state noted that because of a later reporting deadline some deaths that might have been included in Tuesday’s report were instead in Monday’s report.
They have been fudging the goddamn numbers since the start!
The two-day average of deaths was 81, still a decline from the highest tally, 252, in late April.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases climbed by 870 to 79,332, as the number of new tests lagged by several thousand the average from recent weeks.
About those TESTS....
Overall, the data continue to show a general decline in positive tests from mid-April highs, when more than 30 percent of tests came back positive. The seven-day average for positive test rates, a number closely watched by public health experts, stayed stable at 14 percent, but overall continued a downward trend.
On Monday, Baker announced a bare-bones outline for a four-phase reopening plan for the state. Nonessential workplaces have been shut in Massachusetts since late March, an order set to expire on May 18.
Speaking Tuesday following a tour of MatTek Corp., an Ashland life sciences company that makes equipment to aid in testing, Baker also pointed to the declining hospitalization rate as a positive development, but cautioned that “we are not yet out of the woods, and we should all remember that.”
Baker’s continued emphasis on proceeding deliberately and cautiously, based on the trends in COVID-related data, was echoed at the federal level Tuesday by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert. Testifying by video during a Senate hearing, Fauci warned that states that reopen without meeting public health benchmarks risk “really serious” consequences.
Opening too soon, he said, “could turn the clock back,” and that not only would cause “some suffering and death that could be avoided, but could even set you back on the road to try to get economic recovery.”
Still, various Massachusetts constituencies are getting antsy after six weeks of statewide lockdown — and with Baker declining to offer a detailed look at the road back.
Asked Tuesday when businesses in the first phase of reopening will know they’re in that group, Baker said, “I think it’ll probably be on the 18th,” but many industries are preparing.
Restaurateurs are gearing up by contacting employees, securing personal protective equipment, and redesigning their dining areas to ensure more social distancing, said Bob Luz, president of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association; however, he said they’ll still need more specifics before they can welcome the public.
Luz said in an ideal scenario, a restaurant manager would know all the safety protocols they will have to follow at least seven to 10 days in advance of an opening. “So that’s apparently not going to happen, if we’re going to open on May 19,” Luz said.
Those that are already open for takeout, he said, have a head start.
“Just like every other industry, we’re looking forward with bated breath to May 18, with restaurants gearing up to reopen hopefully as soon as possible after that,” Luz said. “Restaurants are flexible and adaptable [but] I don’t think a lot will be open on May 19″ if they don’t have more advance notice.
I'm not. We are not "reopening" then, or in June, or in July, August, September, or EVER!
The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce had publicly pushed the administration for more guidance ahead of May 18, and many of the business group’s big questions about child care, transportation, and testing remain largely unanswered.
Nonetheless, chamber chief executive Jim Rooney said he is “reasonably satisfied” by the framework the Baker administration has provided, while he is anxious to hear more details.
That framework includes “mandatory” safety standards, such as requiring face coverings for all employees and regular disinfection of common surfaces.
“Much of it was what we asked for,” Rooney said.
Of cour$e!
Chamber members had been worried that some of these regulations would be “one size fits all” as opposed to allowing flexibility for employers. In particular, there was concern that employers might face mandatory occupancy reductions of their office space occupancy limits — like, say, by 50 percent — until the virus is controlled, but Rooney said he is encouraged by the tone Baker has taken so far.
A trio of Republican state lawmakers, who are among the most conservative on Beacon Hill, urged Baker to accelerate opening the economy.
“It’s time to open Massachusetts without delay,” said Representative Marc Lombardo, a Billerica Republican who wore a red “Make America Great Again” cap on a Tuesday video press conference. “My fear is we’re not opening fast enough and we’re not bringing clarity to the rules businesses should use to reopen."
He is a little out of step around here, don't you think, what with all the hospitals marching in lock-step and no mention regarding the waves of layoffs during the #COVID-19 Planned$camdemic as "the pandemic has challenged hospitals like never before. Massachusetts hospitals were not overwhelmed by a surge in patients, thanks in part to the fact they had worked to expand capacity, but they continue to treat thousands of people seriously ill from the virus while most other medical services remain on hold."
That means cancers in you could be running rampant and you wouldn't even know it. The simulated drill has become an exercise in criminal negligence by the medical e$tabli$hment, either willingly or complicit via blackmail by the raw power of Gates and the pharmaceuticals who control global health policy.
Baker is facing criticism on the other side as well.
“I’m concerned that we’re moving too fast,” said state Representative Mike Connolly, a Democrat from Cambridge, in an interview.
Easy for him to $ay!
Massachusetts is experiencing one of the most severe outbreaks in the entire country, he said. “While we’ve seen a welcome improvement in the numbers, these numbers that we are hearing every day are still serious and very grave,” and represent a “completely unacceptable level of death and disease."
What is an acceptable level then?
I mean, the seasonal flu wiped out 80,000 people last year and no lockdown.
Separately, Baker on Tuesday filed a supplemental budget bill that would give his administration $1 billion to spend toward COVID-related costs, providing a rough sense of the scale of the pandemic’s cost to the state.
WhereTF is that money coming from?
Baker stressed, however, that he expects the federal government to pick up the entirety of that $1 billion tab, via reimbursements provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other sources.
“It’s actually a net zero to the state,” Baker said at the news conference. For Massachusetts to access resources the federal government made available by declaring a national emergency, “we need to spend first to get them to reimburse us,” he said.
Baker said the money would cover a range of expenses including purchasing protective gear, higher pay for human services workers, temporary field hospitals and shelters, and the statewide contact tracing program his administration launched.
And if Trump reneges on the money?
--more--"
Why was Mayor Walsh nowhere to be found in that article, because he says they will be shutdown until fall at the earliest?
Related:
Mass. reports 1,165 new coronavirus cases, 174 new deaths; Baker warns opening entire economy now would be ‘incredibly irresponsible’
He is going to keep us locked down for 18 f**king months so we can all be tested, traced, and tracked!
Also see:
"Worries about the downside of reopening the economy too soon are weighing on markets, and Wall Street fell Tuesday to its biggest loss since the start of the month....."
WTF?
They have been the ones calling for a reopen! It is what has been driving the market higher!
"The economic paralysis caused by the coronavirus led in April to the steepest month-to-month fall in US consumer prices since the 2008 financial crisis — a 0.8 percent drop that was driven by a plunge in gasoline prices, and excluding the normally volatile categories of food and energy, so-called core prices tumbled 0.4 percent last month, the Labor Department said Tuesday in its monthly report on consumer prices. That was the sharpest such drop on records dating to 1957."
Taking food out of the equation really helped since April saw the sharpest increase in grocery store prices in nearly-50-years.
The prices are dropping now, but they will by rocketing through the atmosphere later after all the money printing.
"US small-business owners are more pessimistic about their revenue outlook than at any point in recent decades, even as a greater share anticipate the recession will be brief. The National Federation of Independent Business’s index of sales expectations for the next six months plummeted 30 points in April to minus 42, the lowest in the group’s monthly data back to 1986. At the same time, a net 29 percent of small-business owners, the most since October 2018, said the economy will be better in six months."
Yeah, Americans are still bulli$h on the economy even if the SBA loot was stolen.
Finally, $ome normalcy:
"Morgan Stanley agreed to pay a $5 million fine to settle a Wall Street regulator’s complaint that it loaded extra fees onto accounts of customers who were expecting to pay only a flat rate for its investment advice. The Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday said that the extra fees were levied from 2012 to 2017 on accounts that were part of its “wrap fee” program that was supposed to be managed for a flat fee. In marketing materials for the program, the bank told customers the accounts would connect them with top-notch investment advisers “while streamlining and simplifying the expense associated with such a portfolio.” The bank settled the SEC’s case without admitting or denying the regulator’s claims."
F**king THIEVES!
"Governors collectively have been winning widespread praise from the public for their handling of the coronavirus outbreak, often with the kind of bipartisan approval that has eluded President Trump, but a large-scale Washington Post-Ipsos poll finds that some Republican governors who have embraced reopening their states are struggling to achieve that consensus. In Ohio, 86 percent of adults say they approve of the way Republican Governor Mike DeWine, who moved aggressively to close down his state and has been cautious about lifting the restrictions, has dealt with the crisis. In Georgia, 39 percent of adults approve of the performance of Republican Governor Brian Kemp, who moved less swiftly than some other governors to mitigate the spread and has been in the forefront of reopening the economy there. Overall, 71 percent of Americans approve of their governors’ performances, with majority approval from people in both major parties. A much smaller 43 percent approve of Trump’s efforts. In Trump’s case, assessments are dramatically partisan, with more than 8 in 10 Republicans and Republican-leaning independents approving of his handling of the crisis and almost 9 in 10 Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents disapproving."
Another bull$hit poll claiming we are enjoying the tyrannical lockdown and loss of freedom.
"Florida’s two largest counties appear to be heading toward a partial reopening of their economies next week from the new coronavirus shutdown under a plan that would impose severe restrictions that mirror the rest of the state. Miami-Dade and Broward counties are finishing a plan that would allow retailers, restaurants, and personal care businesses like barbershops and salons to reopen on Monday, about two months after they closed. The two counties account for almost half of the state’s confirmed coronavirus cases. The rest of the state began reopening last week. The plan also calls for Broward and Miami-Dade beaches to remain closed, but several Broward commissioners said they would like them to also reopen Monday."
If you live in Florida, go to the beach!
"Two rural counties in Tennessee are reporting some of the highest per capita coronavirus infection rates in the United States. Trousdale County has the highest per capita coronavirus infection rate and Bledsoe County has the fifth highest, according to an Associated Press analysis. In both counties, the high infection rates are attributable to their local prisons. Trousdale, a county of just over 9,500 people, has reported 1,363 cases of the virus, nearly all of those at the Trousdale Turner Correctional Center run by prison contractor CoreCivic. Bledsoe County has reported 604 cases, including 586 at the state-run Bledsoe County Correctional Complex. Nearly all the inmates there completed 14 days of isolation without becoming ill, state corrections officials have said."
Did they let them out without breakfast like in Virginia?
"The Republican-led Michigan Legislature is suing Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, asking a judge to declare invalid and unenforceable her stay-at-home order and other measures issued to combat the pandemic. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in the state Court of Claims, says a 1945 law that gives the governor broad emergency powers to order such restrictions governs local, not statewide, declarations such as the one that has been in place since March. It contends Whitmer needs legislative approval to extend the declaration and keep intact the stay-home directive. The order is in place at least through May 15 and generally requires people to shelter in place except to do critical jobs, exercise outdoors, and buy groceries or other items. Nearly 4,200 people in Michigan have died of complications from COVID-19."
Why not RECALL HER like they did Walker in Wisconsin?
"Texas’ Republican attorney general and governor on Wednesday came to the defense of a hair salon owner who was jailed for keeping her business open in defiance of the governor’s restrictions. 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 and sentence her to a week in jail. 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. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a letter to the judge Wednesday asking him to release Luther from jail."
The governor came to her defense after it was his order that caused her arrest!
With "friends" like those.... whichever way the political PR blows, huh?
