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Post by Admin on Apr 13, 2020 8:33:31 GMT -7
Covid 19 News for Monday April 13th, 2020[
The Latest: Electric bands for Koreans who break quarantine
and more from around the world. The AP reports:
"In a controversial step, South Korea’s government says it will strap electronic wristbands on people who defy self-quarantine orders as it tightens monitoring to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.
Senior Health Ministry official Yoon Tae-ho on Saturday acknowledged the privacy and civil liberty concerns surrounding the bands, which will be enforced through police and local administrative officials after two weeks of preparation and manufacturing.
But he said authorities need more effective monitoring tools because the number of people placed under self-quarantine has ballooned after the country began enforcing 14-day quarantines on all passengers arriving from abroad on April 1 amid worsening outbreaks in Europe and the United States."
Read the full story here. |
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Post by Admin on Apr 13, 2020 8:35:58 GMT -7
World’s militaries face a new enemy in virus outbreak The AP reports:
"The coronavirus pandemic has forced militaries and militias to adapt to an invisible enemy, even as traditional conflicts grind on.
Armies have had to enforce social distancing rules among troops while helping with national outbreak containment and postponing maneuvers.
On Thursday, Saudi Arabia declared a temporary halt to fighting in Yemen because of the pandemic, while in Libya and Afghanistan conflicts are intensifying despite U.N. appeals for a global cease-fire. An outbreak in poor or war-scarred nations would be particularly devastating."
Read the full story here. |
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Post by Admin on Apr 13, 2020 8:40:40 GMT -7
Dumped Milk, Smashed Eggs, Plowed Vegetables: Food Waste of the Pandemic
Time to get the economy up and running again? Yahoo News and the NY Times reports:
"In Wisconsin and Ohio, farmers are dumping thousands of gallons of fresh milk into lagoons and manure pits. An Idaho farmer has dug huge ditches to bury 1 million pounds of onions. And in South Florida, a region that supplies much of the Eastern half of the United States with produce, tractors are crisscrossing bean and cabbage fields, plowing perfectly ripe vegetables back into the soil.
After weeks of concern about shortages in grocery stores and mad scrambles to find the last box of pasta or toilet paper roll, many of the nation’s largest farms are struggling with another ghastly effect of the pandemic. They are being forced to destroy tens of millions of pounds of fresh food that they can no longer sell.
The closing of restaurants, hotels and schools has left some farmers with no buyers for more than half their crops. And even as retailers see spikes in food sales to Americans who are now eating nearly every meal at home, the increases are not enough to absorb all of the perishable food that was planted weeks ago and intended for schools and businesses."
Read the full story here. |
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Post by Admin on Apr 13, 2020 8:44:30 GMT -7
Federal Tax Collections Were Up in March—Despite COVID-19 Shutdown; Total Taxes Set Record in First Half of FY2020 CNS News reports:
"The federal government collected more money in taxes in the 31 days of this March—even when adjusted for inflation—than it did in any of the previous three Marches, according to the Monthly Treasury Statement released on Friday afternoon.
On March 16, as the second half of the month began, the White House advised Americans to avoid discretionary travel, eating out and gathering in groups of more than ten. Three days later, as reported by CNN, California’s governor ordered residents to stay at home.
Even so, the federal government collected the highest amount of taxes in March since 2016--and an all-time record amount in total taxes through the first six months of fiscal 2020 (October through March)."
Read the full story here. |
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Post by Admin on Apr 13, 2020 8:49:14 GMT -7
Jane Goodall says 'disrespect for animals' caused pandemic AFP and Yahoo News report:
"World-renowned British primatologist Jane Goodall says the coronavirus pandemic was caused by humanity's disregard for nature and disrespect for animals.
Goodall, who is best known for trail-blazing research in Africa that revealed the true nature of chimpanzees, pleaded for the world to learn from past mistakes to prevent future disasters.
During a conference call ahead of the release of the new National Geographic documentary "Jane Goodall: The Hope", the 86-year-old also said everyone can make a difference.
- How do you view this pandemic? -
Goodall: It is our disregard for nature and our disrespect of the animals we should share the planet with that has caused this pandemic, that was predicted long ago."
Read the full story here. |
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Post by Admin on Apr 13, 2020 8:52:08 GMT -7
Gorillas under lockdown as vets fear coronavirus could spread to endangered apes
Gorillas and chimpanzees can fall prey to viruses that infect humans and wildlife sanctuaries are observing strict precautions to prevent an outbreak among mankind's closest cousins The Daily Star (UK) reports:
" Great apes like gorillas and chimps are closely related to humans. And because of that, they are vulnerable to many of the same viruses that came infect us, such as ebola, the common cold and – scientists fear – coronavirus.
Dr Kirsten Gilardi, the chief veterinary officer for wildlife charity Gorilla Doctors, doesn't know if it has yet infected mountain gorillas.
But she told the BBC: "Because mountain gorillas are susceptible to human pathogens, we know that they can develop respiratory illnesses."
As a precautionary measure, gorilla tourism in Africa has been suspended. Public access to many other animal sanctuaries, such as Borneo’s Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, has also been restricted."
Read the full story here. |
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Post by Admin on Apr 13, 2020 8:54:43 GMT -7
Wildlife is reclaiming Yosemite National Park: 'The bear population has quadrupled' The Los Angeles Times and Yahoo News report:
"Yosemite Village is normally a crush of humanity and traffic congestion. On Saturday, it was peaceful like few times before — the only sounds coming from the wind and the few local residents.
A young bobcat ambled by the nearly abandoned administrative buildings, while ravens prattled and danced in the empty parking lots, and coyotes trotted along the valley's empty roads and walkways.
Tourists aren't allowed in California's most popular national park, but if they could visit, they might feel as if they had been transported to another time. Either to a previous era, before millions of people started motoring into the valley every year, or to a possible future one, where the artifacts of civilization remain, with fewer humans in the mix."
Read the full story here.
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Post by Admin on Apr 13, 2020 8:58:14 GMT -7
Untamed Montana: Protecting your property from bears KBZK reports:
"Bears are out and about now from their dens in Montana which means it’s time for residents to prepare their properties.
It’s a wake-up call for bears and people across the state and it’s also time to start containing all bear attractants on your property so you don’t get an unwanted visitor in your backyard
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks recommends pulling all bird feeders and making sure all garbage, livestock feed, and pet feed be completely contained.
Bears have acute eyesight and hearing and their sense of smell is seven times greater than a dog’s -- s and 100 times more sensitive than a human’s.
This means they have a keen ability to detect pet food, garbage, barbecue grills, and bird feeders and once they locate a food source, they always remember where it is."
Read the full story here. |
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Post by Admin on Apr 13, 2020 9:01:06 GMT -7
Montana reports 387 COVID-19 cases (Sunday, 4-12-2020)
Gallatin County has had four cases in two days
KBZK reports:
"According to the Montana Response COVID-19 tracking map, Montana confirms 387 cases of COVID-19 as of Sunday morning.
On Saturday, the state reported 377 cases.
Gallatin County now reports 138 cases, more than any other county in the state, reporting 1 new case overnight.
The state reports that 8,913 tests have been completed, with 169 people recovering from the virus.
There have been three deaths in Toole County, and one each in Lincoln County, Madison County, and Missoula County."
Read the full story here. |
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Post by Admin on Apr 13, 2020 9:09:30 GMT -7
Trump says decision coming ‘shortly’ on reopening economy, as task force formed Fox News reports:
"President Trump said Monday he would make a decision -- "in conjunction" with governors and other officials -- on reopening the economy "shortly," as the White House forms a second coronavirus task force focused on that goal.
"For the purpose of creating conflict and confusion, some in the Fake News Media are saying that it is the Governors decision to open up the states, not that of the President of the United States & the Federal Government," Trump tweeted Monday.
"Let it be fully understood that this is incorrect. It is the decision of the President, and for many good reasons," he continued. "With that being said, the Administration and I are working closely with the Governors, and this will continue."
He added: "A decision by me, in conjunction with the Governors and input from others, will be made shortly!"
Read the full story here. |
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Post by Admin on Apr 13, 2020 9:16:36 GMT -7
CDC director says COVID-19 cases have 'stabilized,' will soon start to decline Fox News reports:
"Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, discussed on “Fox & Friends” Monday when he thinks the U.S. will hit the coronavirus peak and said, “we're going to need to reopen gradually in a thoughtful, prudent way.”
Redfield, a long-time infectious disease specialist, made the comment on Monday as the Trump administration has been trying to reopen the economy by May.
Redfield said on Monday that “we are still not reached the peak, but we’re close.”
He acknowledged that “the outbreak has stabilized across our country,” but added that people will know that the United States has reached the peak when the numbers start going down.
As of Monday, more than 557,000 positive coronavirus cases have been reported in the United States with more than 22,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University."
Read the full story here. |
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Post by Admin on Apr 13, 2020 9:19:27 GMT -7
Huckabee: We are 'shredding the Constitution' while enforcing quarantine measures Fox News reports:
"Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said on Monday that coronavirus quarantine enforcement is infringing on American’s constitutional freedoms.
“We live in a democracy. We live in a country where we elect our leaders to make decisions — we do not relegate, delegate, and give over those decisions to people, no matter how smart they are; we don’t give them to people who haven’t been elected by we the people,” Huckabee told “Fox & Friends.”
Huckabee’s comments came after Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in an interview Sunday that he “can’t guarantee” that it will be safe to physically vote at polls in November due to coronavirus.
“I hope so, Jake,” he said, in an interview on CNN with Jake Tapper. “I can’t guarantee it.”
Read the full story here. |
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