Tag: coronavirus

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Florida’s Governor Shuts Down Bars & Nightclubs For 30 Days

Hubby Michael actually had a weekend trip to Fort Lauderdale this weekend (you wouldn’t believe how quickly his upgrade happened!). But we have, of course, canceled that. From Tallehasse’s WTXL:

Gov. Ron DeSantis is suspending all bars and nightclubs in Florida for the next 30 days starting at 5 p.m. Tuesday night.

DeSantis made the announcement during a press conference Tuesday morning, where he also announced that Florida’s coronavirus cases have climbed to 192. He also announced the state’s 6th death from the coronavirus as a nursing home patient in Broward County.

Restaurants must also limit their seating capacity to 50 percent. All restaurant employees must also be screened for the virus. State officials are encouraging people to utilize takeout and delivery at local restaurants in lieu of dining in.

DeSantis also banned gatherings of more than 10 people on Florida’s beaches in compliance with the White House’s recommendations.

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InstaHottie Hosts Virtual ‘Dance Parties’ During Coronavirus Threat

Mark Kanemura (image via Instagram)
It seems practically every hour a new announcement is made that this event or that festival has been either postponed or canceled thanks to the ongoing threat from the coronavirus. We’re being told it’s best to stay home as much as possible to practice the latest craze, “social distancing.” But with so much home time on our hands, what are we to do other than binge-watch all those Netflix shows and movies we might be behind on? Instagram sensation Mark Kanemura decided he would dance the blues away. And he invited his 672,000+ followers to join him.

For the past few days, Kanemura, a former dancer for Lady Gaga and contestant on “So You Think You Can Dance,” has been hosting virtual dance parties on his Instagram Live. On Friday, he invited “people from all over the world” to join him in a “collective energy of love and dance!” And thousands showed up. By Sunday, Kanemura attracted national attention from outlets like the TODAY Show and more. “I am in the same boat,” he shared with the TODAY Show. “Everything that was lined up got canceled and postponed. I’m stuck at home and there’s not much I can do, but one thing I can do is these dance parties and connect with people.” The ‘dance parties’ last about 10-15 minutes. Sunday’s party (yes, we ‘attended’) consisted of two songs with the dance pro spontaneously teaching a set of easy to follow steps and repeating them so folks at home could dance along.

During the event, the Los Angeles-based dancer asked that folks chime in with where they were in the world. The list of locales included Florida, New York, Poland, Denmark, Italy and more. For most of the ‘dance,’ there were over 3,000 people taking part. For a finale, Kanemura ended his virtual-tea dance with a rain of confetti. He was back at it today decked out in hot pink shorts and rainbow socks and even added his own glitter ball. Let’s hear it for folks who are doing their part to lift spirits during an uncertain time. You can follow Kanemura on Instagram here. To watch the live dance parties, click over to his Instagram account at the announced time, then click on his avatar in the upper left-hand corner which will read “Live” when he’s logged in. Bravo, Mark Kanemura!

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Price Gouging During National Emergency Turns Capitalist Into Viral Villain

(photo credit: Kelly Sikkema/Unsplash)
Matt Colvin, who became infamous over the weekend for stockpiling 17,000 bottles of hand sanitizer so he could resell them online at over-inflated prices on Amazon and eBay has now donated all of the bottles he bought. According to the New York Times, the Amazon reseller helped volunteers from a local church pack up two-thirds of his stash of hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes into a truck so they could be distributed to those folks in need. The remaining third was picked up by officials from the Tennessee attorney general’s office to be handed over to their counterparts in Kentucky for distribution there since Colvin and his brother purchased some of their stockpile in that state as well. Amazon and eBay have since suspended his accounts putting a stop to how he’s made a living for the past several years. And the Attorney General of Tennessee sent him a cease-and-desist letter AND an investigation into price gouging has been opened against him. Tennesee’s price gouging law bans charging “grossly excessive” prices for items like medical supplies after a state of emergency has been declared. Gov. Lee declared that state of emergency on March 12. The small bit of good news for Colvin might be that he bought up all his supplies before the declared emergency and didn’t sell any after. Colvin found himself in the national spotlight after the New York Times published an article on Saturday chronicling his efforts to clean out stores of wipes and sanitizer so he could hike the prices and sell them on Amazon in order to take advantage of the current public panic due to the coronavirus threat. His brother, Noah, reportedly emptied the shelves at every Walmart, Dollar Tree, Staples and Home Depot he could find during a 3-day, 1,300-mile road trip. Matt stayed home getting ready to set up storage for their supplies. The brothers initially sold 300 bottles of sanitizer on Amazon for between $8 and $70 each. “It was crazy money,” said Colvin.
(photo credit: Kelly Sikkema/Unsplash)
But it wasn’t long before Amazon shut down his online store warning against price gouging related to the coronavirus threat. “Price gouging is a clear violation of our policies, unethical, and in some areas, illegal,” Amazon said in a statement. “In addition to terminating these third party accounts, we welcome the opportunity to work directly with states attorneys general to prosecute bad actors.” Colvin has apparently been a reseller on Amazon since 2015. He told the NY Times he has developed “a six-figure career” by selling pet toys, sneakers and anything else he could see in pop culture trends. But with the oncoming coronavirus concerns, Colvin saw an opportunity when a local liquidation store put 2,000 “pandemic packs” up for sale. Each pack came with 50 face masks, four bottles of hand sanitizer and a thermometer.  Colvin negotiated a price of $3.50 per pack and then sold them all on eBay for between $40 and $50. To be clear, the Colvin brothers weren’t the only folks out there doing this. The Times also profiled a man who admitted to buying 10-packs of face masks for $20 and sold the bulk of them for $80 online. That individual didn’t allow his name to be used, though. But after Colvin’s article was published by the Times, widespread outrage erupted towards him. Not only were there thousands of angry comments on the internet, but Colvin says he received death threats and hate mail. He even had someone bang on his door in the middle of the night. The Times reports he “expressed remorse” about his scheme saying he “didn’t realize the gravity of the coronavirus outbreak or the severe shortage of sanitizer and wipes.” I personally think that’s a bit disingenuous as his entire buy low/sell high scheme was predicated on the idea that folks would pay the inflated prices due to unavailability of hand sanitizer and wipes. “I’ve been buying and selling things for 10 years now,” he told the Times. “There’s been hot product after hot product. But the thing is, there’s always another one on the shelf. When we did this trip, I had no idea that these stores wouldn’t be able to get replenished.” “It was never my intention to keep necessary medical supplies out of the hands of people who needed them,” he said, crying. “That’s not who I am as a person. And all I’ve been told for the last 48 hours is how much of that person I am.” Not to be harsh, but I would guess Colvin is most probably exactly THAT person. (source: New York Times)

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Stock Market Tanks 2,300+ Points In Virus-Fueled Sell-Off

The stock market took yet another nosedive on Monday triggering the New York Stock Exchange’s ‘circuit breaker’ stopping stock from plummeting even further. It was the 3rd time in two weeks the automated system kicked in to give stock traders a chance to catch their breath. The dramatic drop came after the Federal Reserve announced on Sunday it would slash interest rates to nearly zero, a move not taken since the crash of 2008. From the Washington Post:

It was the third time in two weeks the New York Stock Exchange triggered the so-called circuit breaker, a rarely used lever, to stop stocks from free-fall and give traders time to get their bearings. It’s activated when the S&P 500 falls 7 percent; on Monday the index skidded more than 8.1 percent before trading stopped for 15 minutes.

There was some recovery in the Dow by early afternoon, with the blue-chip index paring its losses to 1,935 points, or 8.4 percent. But by mid-afternoon all gains were gone. Shortly before 2:30, the Dow was down more than 2,350 points, or 10.1 percent. The S&P 500 and tech-heavy sank 9.6 percent and the Nasdaq declined 9.8 percent.

The Dow erased most of the nearly 2,000-point jolt it got Friday after President Trump issued an emergency declaration over the coronavirus pandemic, which has disrupted nearly every aspect of American life and threatens to catapult the United States into recession.

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White House: Avoid Social Gatherings Of More Than 10 People

The first confirmed case of the omicron variant in the U.S. has been discovered in California.

The White House task force addressing the ongoing coronavirus threat has now announced new guidance on how to best slow the spread of the disease. The new recommendations from Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus coordinator, include limiting social gatherings to ten people or less; avoiding non-essential travel; and avoiding eating or drinking in bars or public food courts. Also, if someone within your household is infected with the virus, everyone else within the home should also self-quarantine. The tougher guidelines come as the number of reported cases in the U.S. has surpassed 4,000 reports Axios. President Trump said that the new guidance could be the “new normal” in the U.S. until July or August. Remember just ten days ago when Trump called the coronavirus threat a “Democratic hoax?”

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European Commission Bans ‘Non-Essential’ Travel To EU

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
From CNN:

The European Commission will introduce temporary restrictions on non-essential travel to the EU, as part of its efforts to tackle and contain the ongoing spread of coronavirus across Europe, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen just announced.

“The less travel, the more we can contain the virus, therefore, as I have just informed our G7 partners, I propose to the heads of state and government, a restriction on non-essential travel to the European Union,” von der Leyen said in a video statement shared on her Twitter account.

“These restrictions should be in place for an initial period of 30 days, which can be prolonged as necessary,” she added.

However, she clarified that there will be some exemptions to the restrictions, including family members of European nationals, essential staff, such as doctors and nurses, and people transporting goods to the European Union.

Additionally, the EU is instituting green lanes/fast lanes to give priority to essential transport to keep the mobility sector going & ensure economic continuity.

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Devin Nunes: “It’s A Great Time To Go Out To Local Restaurants”

L-R Dr. Anthony Fauci, Rep. Devin Nunes
During an appearance on Fox News Sunday morning, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) advised Americans to “stop panicking” in regard to the coronavirus threat. “There’s a lot of concerns with the economy here because people are scared to go out,” said Nunes. “But I will just say, one of the things you can do if you’re healthy, you and your family, it’s a great time to just go out, go to a local restaurant.” At practically the same time, Dr. Anthony Fauci – one of the leading experts in the world on communicable diseases – told CNN he would prefer to see LESS ‘personal interaction’ in restaurants or bars.

Younger people “are not immune or safe from getting seriously ill,” he told CNN’s Brianna Keiler on ‘State of the Union.’ “There are going to be people who were young who are going to wind up getting seriously ill. So, protect yourself. But, remember, you could also be a vector or a carrier. And even though you don’t get seriously ill, you could bring it to your grandfather, your grandmother or your elderly relative.”

Who would you trust? #srsly

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Caesars Entertainment Suspends Performances At Las Vegas Shows

Caesars Entertainment has announced all of the shows on their properties will suspend performances beginning today through the end of March:

“All ticketed live entertainment held in Caesars Entertainment venues company-wide will suspend performances beginning this evening, Sunday, March 15, through March 31, 2020.

“Refunds and exchanges for affected dates are available at the point of purchase.

“We are taking these bold measures now and look forward to welcoming guests back to enjoy world-class entertainment experiences as soon as we are able. We thank you for your understanding and patience as we work through these challenging circumstances.”

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Randy Rainbow Parodies Guys And Dolls ‘The Coronavirus Lament’

Leave it to political satirist Randy Rainbow to bring some musical theater levity to the ongoing crisis that is coronavirus. God knows we can use it. To the strains of “Adelaide’s Lament” from Frank Loesser’s evergreen musical hit Guys and Dolls, Rainbow expounds on the stultifying misses and missteps of the Trump administration in regard to the worldwide pandemic. Rainbow’s lyrics are, as usual, on point with snap, crackle, and pop. Hit play and enjoy.

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Trump Awaits Results After Testing For Coronavirus

ABC News reports: Donald Trump said on Saturday that he has taken a COVID-19 test and is awaiting the results. Trump, who said on Friday he’d “most likely get tested,” said he’s unsure when his results will come back. His temperature was taken, and he said it was “totally normal.” On Friday, Trump said he’d “most likely” get tested after reports that multiple officials from Brazil who attended a dinner with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday tested positive for the virus. In related news, Vice President Mike Pence announced today the U.S. travel ban currently in place for parts of Europe has been extended to the UK and Ireland. A ban on some travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days was announced earlier this week by Trump. The original restrictions affected the area known as the Schengen zone and is made up of 26 countries including Italy, Spain, France, and Germany.