Weekend news roundup

US President Donald Trump extended federal guidelines on social distancing until April 30 after a top health official warned between 100,000 to 200,000 people could die from coronavirus in the United States. The US has more confirmed cases than any other country in the world.  France announced it would pay for hotel rooms for victims of domestic violence and open pop-up counseling centres after figures showed the number of abuse cases had soared during the first week of the lockdown. Italy reported 812 deaths in one day (11,591 total) and 4,050 new cases, the lowest amount of infections since March 17. More than 800 people died in Spain over the last 24 hours (7,340 total) while deaths in Iran went up by 117 to 2,75. Aljazeera.com daily snapshot

30 Mar 2020	Cases		Deaths		Recovered
10:58 GMT*	Yesterday	Today	Yesterday	Today	Yesterday	Today
World	679,091	735,029	31,773	34,806	146,352	156,131
US	123,781	142,746	2,229	2,489	3,238	4,562
NY	53,455	59,648	883	965	40	67
CT	1,524	1,993	33	34	0	0
NC	1,022	1,167	4	7	0	0

*Documenting time of day because real time data updates continuously.
Tracking specific states:  NY is US epicenter, son Reid lives in CT, and I live in NC. 
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/               https://www.coronainusa.com/  

In the news…

President Trump announced federal social distancing guidelines will be extended through April 30, dismissing his earlier plan targeting Easter to reopen the country. His current aspirational goal for economic recovery is June 1. Over the weekend Trump tweeted about his TV ratings as well as security costs for members of the British royal family.

After Dr. Fauci reported the US could have millions of corona virus cases and more than 100,000 deaths, President Trump said based on that projection, his administration would “have done a good job”.

The CDC issued a travel advisory for NY, NJ and CT shortly after President Trump briefly considered an enforceable tri-state quarantine then decided it was not necessary.

In NY, refrigerated trucks are being used as makeshift morgues. In CA, a silicon valley energy company is repairing broken ventilators.

Since the US sent medical aid to China when the outbreak began, FEMA is now coordinating airlifts to bring medical supplies into the US from Asia. While the President said hospital workers might be stealing masks, capitalism and Covidien are likely to blame for the current ventilator shortage.

25 states have issued stay at home orders so far, highlighting differences between blue states and red states.

In nearby Guilford County, NC there is now an online form to report stay at home violators.

Moscow imposed a mandatory lockdown after more than 1,000 infections. Worldwide more than 1.5 billion people have been asked or ordered to stay home to flatten the curve.

  

While the US Defense Dept and military personnel are providing support in a variety of ways, the Pentagon announced nearly 15,000 National Guard troops have mobilized across the US to battle the spread of coronavirus.

Liberty University students returned to campus though some have exhibited coronavirus symptoms.

The first infant has died after testing positive for coronavirus.

Media Matters reported Fox News is rethinking their coverage of the pandemic while fringe right wing groups increase their attacks against Dr. Fauci.

In an ABC poll, 80% of Bernie Sanders’ supporters reported they plan to vote for Biden if he wins the nomination. 15% said they would vote for Trump, representing just 6% of voters who lean Democratic.

Amazon and Instacart workers are striking to pressure employers to provide more protections from the virus, including masks. Full disclosure: I canceled my Prime membership last year when I learned about other strikes over warehouse conditions. Until Jeff Bezos, the richest man in America, does better for his workers then he won’t get another dollar from me -- even if we run out of toilet paper. That’s how strongly I feel about this issue.

In my personal life…

I’m a novice blogger, learning day by day, hoping to attract more readers over time. Even if this blog never gains traction, at least it will be a record for grandchildren and others who might be curious what it was like living through the pandemic day by day, month by month.

Sunday morning Greg made Scotch eggs in our air fryer while I weeded and planted our third raised garden bed. After our homemade brunch I went back outside to continue pulling weeds from the mulched areas around our house. Later we moved the hammock into the shade where I relaxed listening to 80s music on Pandora in between naps. 

Greg spent most of the afternoon watching TV and enjoying the air conditioning inside the house. He also worked on his ’55 Chevy a little bit. It’s a beautiful classic car but problematic. Seems like every time he fixes one thing, something else breaks.

With sunny skies and a high of 85 degrees, the weather was more like summer than spring. After working around the house we spent quality time together, balanced with a little personal space too. All things considered it was a nice weekend, simple and sublime.