Free Republic

The media is full of stories of mask rationing and shortages. Health care professionals are reusing masks, slathering them with sanitizer, or substituting scarves in place of surgical masks. Democrats demand that President Trump make more masks immediately using the Wartime Production Act. But why aren’t there any masks? Surgical masks, like anything in the medical field, are tightly regulated. You can’t just make a mask. Some masks have to be certified by the FDA and others by the CDC. Some are certified by both the FDA and the CDC. Until recently, the public had no problem buying N95 respirators...

Second Amendment groups and gun stores are joining forces and lawyering up to remain open in the face of state and local orders to close up shop. While governors in several states from coast to coast– such as Illinois, Lousiana, and Mississippi– have recognized gun and ammo suppliers as “essential” during the COVID-19 quarantine, allowing them to remain open without question, some have gone the other way. In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy (D) is the subject of a federal lawsuit filed by the Second Amendment Foundation to keep the Garden State’s gun shops open to the public. Federal District...

Rhode Island police have begun stopping cars with New York license plates, and the National Guard will soon help officials conduct house-to-house searches to force anyone who has traveled from New York to enter isolation. “Right now we have a pinpointed risk,” Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) said, according to Bloomberg. “That risk is called New York City.” Raimondo on Thursday issued an executive order enforceable by law mandating that anyone who has traveled to New York via any form of transportation must enter into a two-week self-quarantine. The order applies to anyone who has been in New York within the...

who said that we should accept some lives lost to save the stock market, that is being attributed to Trump? I think it is wrong. I cannot remember who did say it After I get the answer I will requst that this thread be deleted.

What we’re learning from Iceland this week is as fascinating as it is crucial to fighting the coronavirus epidemic: That somewhere in the neighborhood of half of everyone testing positive for the coronavirus will show absolutely no symptoms. The hard data, out of Iceland, straight from their (impressive) health ministry’s dedicated COVID-19 page: – As of March 25, Iceland has administered 12,615 tests. – Of those tests, Iceland has found 802 confirmed cases. – While it might not sound like a lot, in a sparsely-populated nation of around 364,000 citizens, it’s an impressive number. They’ve nearly tested 3.4 percent of...

2 overall #1 draft picks who just did not live up to their #1 billing. They should both be entering the prime of their careers. Instead Winston's red flags included a rape allegation and doing a Trump to an uber driver. Never mind the 30 interceptions. Newton seemed to be more of a fashion model than a serious qb. Then there's Michael Vick-don't get me started. I wouldn't have given either of these folks a 2nd chance much less a first. The owners are either intrigued by their abilities or scared to be called racists. The money they threw away...

I am giving consideration to a QUARANTINE of developing “hot spots”, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. A decision will be made, one way or another, shortly.

Hundreds of Iranians seeking a "magic cure" for coronavirus paid with their lives after drinking methanol. Iranian media reported that at least 300 people died in the past few weeks after false reports claimed that drinking methanol aided recovery from coronavirus. After over 2,500 people in Iran died from the virus, and another 33,000 were confirmed carriers, many Iranians turned to the "magic cures" offered to them. One of these "cures" was drinking methanol, a flammable, poisonous and colorless form of alcohol which is used as fuel and anti-freeze, and which can be used as a lethal poison. Many Iranians...

On the stark difference between what experts are saying about the coronavirus and what President Trump is saying, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar says, “That kind of contrast is quite alarming and sort of shows you how much this president isn’t taking the time to hear what the experts are telling him and isn’t being honest with the public.”

Archaeologists have unearthed a number of pottery drain pipes at a Neolithic site of Longshan Culture dating back more than 4,000 years and believe they form China's earliest and most complete urban drainage system. The city drainage system was excavated in the Pingliangtai Ancient City ruins in central China's Henan Province. "The pottery pipes were connected with drainage ditches in the city," said Cao Yanpeng, associate research fellow with the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology. The development of public facilities and productivity are key indicators to measure the level of civilization in society. The discovery is of...

Australian reporter Rita Panahi slammed China's Communist Regime and the World Health Organization for their failures to prevent the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak. China was so worried about making sure they weren't blamed for the virus that they did everything in their power to keep whistleblowers quiet. Instead of sounding the alarm about the Wuhan coronavirus, the WHO parroted the regime's talking points, saying the virus wasn't transmitted through person-to-person contact. The organization also failed to recommend travel bans to China. "I want to talk about China's culpability and conduct throughout the coronavirus crisis that began in Wuhan...

The Sphinx had a "distinctive astronomical" moment with the sun during the spring equinox when, in a shining flourish, the sun set on the shoulder of the half-man, half-lion statue on March 19, according to the Egypt Ministry of Antiquities. This phenomenon happens only twice a year, during the spring in March and the fall equinox in September, according to the ministry. During the equinox, Earth's axis doesn't point toward or away from the sun, meaning that the Northern and Southern hemispheres receive equal amounts of the sun's light. In other words, the day and the night are equal in...

President Trump’s suggestion that he would like to see the country begin reopening by Easter, which is April 12, has met with a lot of skepticism. But it may not be that far-fetched. While almost all of the news about the coronavirus pandemic has been negative, there are reasons to think things won’t be as bad as many of the news outlets and talking heads are predicting. Here are some of them:

A 101-year-old Italian man born during the Spanish flu pandemic has reportedly survived a coronavirus infection as the outbreak continues to ravage his country and spread globally. Gloria Lisi, the vice mayor of Rimini, a city on the coast of the Adriatic Sea in the Italian north, said the man had been released from a hospital earlier this week and returned to his family. She identified him only as Mr. P. "He made it. Mr. P. made it," said Lisi, according to the ANSA news agency. Lisi said the man was admitted to a hospital in Rimini last week and...

“How would you describe the job President Trump is doing behind the scenes and in front of the cameras during these daily briefings that we’re seeing?” a Christian Broadcasting Network reporter asked. “What’s been your perspective, Dr. Birx?” “He’s been so attentive to the scientific literature and the details and the data,” Birx replied. “And I think his ability to analyze and integrate data that comes out of his long history in business has really been a real benefit during these discussions about medical issues,” she added. “That was translated from the original North Korean,” Williams announced with authority as...

Is it time to break out?

As policymakers around the world struggle to combat the rapidly escalating Covid-19 pandemic, they find themselves in uncharted territory. Much has been written about the practices and policies used in countries such as China, South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan to stifle the pandemic. Unfortunately, throughout much of Europe and the United States, it is already too late to contain Covid-19 in its infancy, and policymakers are struggling to keep up with the spreading pandemic. In doing so, however, they are repeating many of the errors made early on in Italy, where the pandemic has turned into a disaster. The purpose...

Something was wrong. The chow hall line at New York’s Rikers Island jail had halted. For three hours, the men stood and waited, without food, until a correctional officer quietly delivered the news: A civilian chef was among those who tested positive for the coronavirus. “We was like, ‘What? The cook?’” said Corey Young, who spoke to The Associated Press last week by phone from Rikers. He and others wondered if the chef had sneezed on trays or into the food. Some men later floated the idea of a hunger strike to protest. “I don’t want to eat nothing that...

Post Malone has helped create a virtual beer pong tournament featuring celebrities from sports, music and more to help raise money for COVID-19 relief. According to TMZ, Post Malone and rapper Mike put together a 16-team tournament heavy on athletes, featuring current and former NFL players such as Rob Gronkowski, Travis Kelce, Johnny Manziel and Danny Amendola; MLB players Trevor Bauer, Mike Clevinger and Marcus Stroman; and NHL star Tyler Seguin. The creators of the event, dubbed the Ballina Cup, provided more explanation (warning: NSFW language): **SNIP** The 16 teams will compete on Instagram live over the course of eight...