Light at the end of the tunnel?

In the spirit of spreading happy, positive, and/or silly vibes:  

•     Matthew McConaughey plays virtual bingo with senior home residents.
•     Sir Patrick Stewart reveals he’s a socialist during interview with Pete Buttigieg.
•     Surprising facts about coffee.

Daily pandemic update:  

The US entered one of the most critical weeks so far, with government officials warning the high death toll in New York, Michigan and Louisiana was a sign of trouble to come in other states. The US overall death toll topped 10,000 exceeded only by Italy with 15,887 and Spain with 13,055. In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was moved into intensive care as his condition has worsened since being hospitalised with persistent COVID-19 symptoms.  Aljazeera.com timeline

7 Apr 2020	Cases		Deaths		Recovered
11:37 GMT*	Yesterday	Today	Yesterday	Today	Yesterday	Today
World	1,285,257	1,360,233	70,344	75,961	271,847	293,617
US	336,851	367,659	9,620	10,943	17,977	19,814
NY	123,018	131,916	4,159	4,758	12,977	14,236
CT	5,675	6,906	189	206	0	0
NC	2,677	3,039	39	48	118	140

*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/  

A moment of silence for those we’ve lost to coronavirus, including the first 100 in the US.

In the news:

•     Congress and White House working toward phase 4 coronavirus economic relief bill.
•     While most student loan payments have been temporarily suspended, more than 500,000 people have signed a petition urging congress to cancel student loan debt to stimulate the economy.
•     Wisconsin primary proceeding after court ruling. 
•     2 dozen at Henderson, NC assisted living center test positive for coronavirus. 
•     Thousands of Americans are still stranded overseas due to international lockdowns. 
•     UK PM Boris Johnson receiving ICU oxygen treatment. 
•     Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly apologized to Captain Crozier after firing.
•     Peter Navarro’s role in administration’s coronavirus response. 
•     White house daily press briefings increasingly hostile. 
•     “Light at the end of the tunnel” and “Has anyone found Trump’s soul?” trending. 

Following Kenny Beck’s lead to share a few signs of hope:

•     Pfafftown teens make face masks for doctors and nurses working in local hospitals.
•     Chicago couple got married during a Zoom video conference.
•     Boy with autism gets surprise parade after birthday party cancelled.
•     Community holds parade to celebrate woman’s 105^th birthday.
•     MN trooper pulled over driver for speeding, gave doctor N95 face masks.
•     Gears 5 accessibility features mean more people can play the game.
•     Tyson Foods to provide $60 million for thank you bonuses to front line workers.

In my personal life…

Monday I received an email from my dad. We have been estranged for a long time so I’m not sure what might happen next. This subject is too personal to share details in the blog. That is all I have to say/write about that.  

A friend of mine in Greensboro shared an email she received from a friend of hers in Hangzhou, China. Hangzhou has a population of over 10 million, and they were hit hard by the virus. The city was shut down sometime in early December. Below is what she said about the conditions there and what they are hearing about the US.

"The coronavirus in China has been basically controlled and most of the people have started to work.  Schools are still on-line and will open in late April.  The shops are open and the state calls on people to wear masks, reduce concentration in shops.  We all take it seriously.  Now the new coronavirus in the United States is more serious.  You must stay healthy, do not travel, go to the supermarket, if you must, wear a good mask and cook food at home."