The Countdown to the restart of the economy has begun.

[Darren]

When we have more drive through testing than drive by shootings you know things are getting better.

[BoSoxGal]

Some good news, anyway.

Some anti-vaxxers are changing their minds because of the coronavirus pandemic

[Scooter]

[Crackpot]

How fitting is it that the unfortunate subject in scooters post was named Karen?

[RayThom]

Pitiful.

God helps them who helps themselves.

And then they voted.

[Scooter]

[Scooter]

[Scooter]

Trumpanzees showing the world their fortitude and resolve:

[Bicycle Bill]

To all those people who want a haircut ... don't sweat it; the stiff-prettiers at the funeral home will take care of that for you.

-"BB"-

[Scooter]

[Scooter]

Man Who Called Ohio's Lockdown Order 'Bullshit' Has Succumbed To COVID-19

In March, John McDaniel called Ohio's shutdown order of non-essential businesses "madness." A few days ago he died.

Now, we don't know the circumstances of how Mr. McDaniel contracted the virus, nor do we know if he took foolish and unnecessary risks. But we do know what he thought of the measures put in place to keep him and the rest of the public as safe as possible. And we all know people who have similar opinions to those that McDaniel expressed on social media. If there's any good to come from his death, let it be that people take those measures more seriously. They're there for a reason.

Source: Marion Star

MARION — A Marion County man diagnosed with the coronavirus in late March has died.

OhioHealth officials confirmed Thursday that John W. McDaniel, 60, Marion, died at 1:34 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15 at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus. He was receiving treatment for the COVID-19 virus at Riverside when he passed away.

McDaniel is survived by his wife and children. He was the president of the O&M Company in Marion.

Marion Public Health confirmed that the county had its first confirmed COVID-19 related death, but did not disclose the deceased's identity.

“On behalf of the entire Marion County community, we express our deepest sympathies to his family and friends,” Marion Public Health Commissioner Traci Kinsler said in a press release issued Wednesday. “Our thoughts go out to the Marion County community, as well as all Ohioans, and those across the world battling this illness and the families of everyone affected by this pandemic.”

[Darren]

'Tennessee Republican Governor Bill Lee announced on Monday that a majority of the state's businesses will be allowed to reopen on May 1 after the state's stay-at-home order expires on April 30. Lee expects some businesses to open even earlier on April 27."

https://www.newsweek.com/tennessee-gove ... th-1499042

[Scooter]

A disturbing plan for an anti-lockdown protest in New York went up in smoke

Far-right groups opposed to social distancing measures and stay-at-home orders have been protesting at small rallies and demonstrations in different parts of the United States, some of which are reportedly funded by right-wing donors. An anti-shutdown rally was announced for Sunday on New York City’s Staten Island, but according to the SILive website, no one showed up — except the New York Police Department (NYPD).

It’s no secret that New York City has been hit especially hard by the coronavirus pandemic. According to researchers at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, more than 14,450 people have died from COVID-19 in New York City — and Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been emphasizing that its hospitals are absolutely overwhelmed. Nonetheless, the extremists who announced the would-be event circulated a flyer promoting an “End the Lockdown Rally” and declaring “Liberate Staten Island.”

It gets worse: the flyer urged Staten Island residents to “bring your children,” noted that “no mask” was needed and asserted, “If you’re sick, still come — it’s your right.”

But in a city where more than 14,450 people have died from COVID-19, it seems most people have enough common sense to realize that Cuomo isn’t shutting down NYC and other parts of his state because he wants to inconvenience people. He’s trying to save lives. And SILive’s Rebeka Humbrecht reports, “No one showed up for Sunday’s rally — except the police.”

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Humbrecht notes, has asked the NYPD to issue fines to people who violate social distancing guidelines.

[Scooter]

[Scooter]

[Scooter]

[Darren]

"Today, L.A. County Public Health provided new insight into just how small that fraction may be. According to a new study using antibody testing, experts are estimating that the total number of people infected could be 28 to 55 times higher than previous number of positive test results."

"Since antibodies develop from being exposed to the virus, that would suggest that 221,000 to 442,000 adults have had COVID-19. At the time results of this study were reached, earlier this month, only 7,994 cases of the virus had been confirmed via traditional testing. That number is now up to 13,816."

https://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/ant ... ic-health/

[Guinevere]

Massachusetts remains in the surge. Expect our (Republican) Governor to announce tomorrow morning that he is extending his essential services/stay ay home order through the end of May. That may mean closing schools for the rest of the school year - I cannot imagine the kids will be sent back for just a couple of weeks, but anything is possible.

[Scooter]

‘Worst is yet ahead of us’ in coronavirus outbreak, WHO warns

The head of the World Health Organization has warned that “the worst is yet ahead of us” in the coronavirus outbreak, raising new alarm bells about the pandemic just as many countries are beginning to ease restrictive measures.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus didn’t specify exactly why he believes that the outbreak could get worse. Some people, though, have pointed to the likely future spread of the illness through Africa, where health systems are far less developed.

So far, it has infected nearly 2.5 million people and killed over 166,000, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Tedros alluded to the so-called Spanish flu in 1918 as a reference for the coronavirus outbreak.

“It has a very dangerous combination and this is happening … like the 1918 flu that killed up to 100 million people,” he told reporters in Geneva.

“But now we have technology, we can prevent that disaster, we can prevent that kind of crisis.”

WHO officials warned against countries lifting restrictions and lockdowns too quickly, saying that early data shows that relatively few people have been infected with the virus, meaning that many would be susceptible to a resurgence.

“Trust us. The worst is yet ahead of us,” Tedros said. “Let’s prevent this tragedy. It’s a virus that many people still don’t understand.”

[Scooter]

Company With Ties To Trump Receives Millions From Small Business Loan Program

While many small businesses have found it difficult or impossible to get one of the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program loans, a company owned by a prominent Chicago family with close ties to the Trump Administration was able to get a $5.5 million loan under the program, according to documents the company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday.

U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Ronald Gidwitz, whom President Trump appointed in 2018, was then-candidate Donald Trump's campaign finance chair for Illinois in the 2016 presidential campaign. According to filings with the SEC, Gidwitz's family owns the majority of Continental Materials Corp., which secured the 1-percent interest loan.

Continental Materials makes heating and cooling equipment and construction products. While it had more than $100 million in sales last year, it qualified for the loan because it meets the Small Business Administration's industry-specific "small business" size standards, according to company chief financial officer Paul Ainsworth.

Still, the company's loan is much larger than the typical PPP loan, according to a summary released by the Small Business Administration last week. The average loan was just over $200,000, and fewer than 1 percent of the loans under the program were greater than $5 million.

Ainsworth told NPR the money would be used to pay the company's 445 employees in the face of slowing demand for its products.

"We had planned to furlough people and we delayed those plans," he said. "To the extent that we had to let people go, we're hiring them back."

While the company may qualify as a small business under the PPP program, there are many much smaller businesses that have been unsuccessful in obtaining or even applying for the loans from their banks.

The business advocacy group NFIB surveyed a random sample of the 300,000 businesses in its membership database, and found that only about 72 percent of businesses that tried to apply for a PPP loan were able to successfully submit an application.

Continental Materials will be able to pay back the loan over two years and may qualify for it to be forgiven.

When asked, Ainsworth said the loan is not related to any political activities of company leaders, and he noted Ronald Gidwitz' resignation upon his appointment as ambassador.

Gidwitz was confirmed to the ambassadorship by the Senate by voice vote in June 2018. He announced his resignation from the company's board a few days later in July, according to company SEC filings.