Stranger Than Fiction

A brief daily note of things you might find interesting or useful

April 15, 2020

I’ll be sharing stories from doctors, nurses and other medical workers who are on the frontlines of COVID-19. You can read them here. The article will continue to be updated with new stories. If you know frontline workers who would like to be included, let me know.

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TOP NEWS

  • Trump looks to blame World Health Organization for COVID-19. The president said the U.S. would halt funding for WHO, saying they failed to adequately investigate the spread of COVID-19 and for not putting enough pressure on China.

  • Airlines reach deal on bailout. The biggest U.S. airlines reached an agreement in principle with the federal government to help the struggling businesses deal with the economic impact of COVID-19. A wrinkle in the deal would allow the airlines to layoff workers after October of this year.

  • A second round of layoffs are hitting workers who believed they were safe. Service workers were the first hit but now the cuts are beginning to impact those with jobs that do not require personal contact as well. As sales dry up, businesses that allowed employees to work from home are making cuts.

  • The CDC and FEMA have plans to reopen America. The plans contains granular instructions for a phased reopening of institutions such as schools, child-care facilities, summer camps, parks, faith-based organizations and restaurants. The Washington Post obtained details of the plan as follows:

    • The plan lays out three phases: Phase one is a communications plan that runs until May 1. Phase two runs through May 15 and involves ramping up manufacturing of testing kits and personal protective equipment and increasing emergency funding. Phase three is when reopenings would begin, depending on local conditions. The plan does not give dates for reopenings but specified “not before May 1.”

WHAT I’M READING + WATCHING + LISTENING TO

THE COMMENT

“The Postal Service cannot be allowed to crumble in the midst of a national emergency. Though organized as a self-sustaining quasi-governmental enterprise, run without taxpayer funding, it is not just another business. Even in an increasingly wired world, the agency’s mandate of “universal service” provides a lifeline to remote areas. As this pandemic rages, its 600,000-plus employees are working to ensure that Americans receive their prescriptions and protective equipment and other essential items, no matter where they live. Nearly 500 postal workers have tested positive for the virus, with hundreds more suspected of having it, according to The Washington Post.” - New York Times Editorial Board

THE STRANGEST

THE AV ROO