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Quite a few items to unpack from Dr. Robert Redfield’s appearance on Good Morning America, but ABC does get the headline correct. The big news in terms of public policy is reopening schools, and the director of the CDC endorses that policy both professionally and personally. Redfield declares he would “absolutely” be comfortable seeing his grandchildren go back to school in the fall, with an exception for the one suffering from cystic fibrosis. Even that case depends on accommodation, Redfield says: .@ABC NEWS EXCLUSIVE: @CDCDirector Dr. Robert Redfield on how bad the COVID-19 crisis could get. “It is very...

Health professionals nationwide released statements in a Tea Party Patriots Action Second Opinion Project email on Thursday that they believe schools should reopen and that it is the safest option for kids. The consensus among the physicians, that kids would benefit academically, socially, and health-wise from schools reopening this fall, echoes a statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released on July 10 addressing the issue of schools reopening in the fall. “We recognize that children learn best when physically present in the classroom. But children get much more than academics at school. They also learn social and emotional...

After months of being cooped up at home to prevent the spread of coronavirus, people have taken to the streets by the thousands over the past few weeks to protest against police killings of Black people and decades of systemic racism. The gatherings have some people worried about a spike in coronavirus infections—but they have also been defended by some public health experts, who argue that racial injustice is itself a major public health threat. The risk of transmitting coronavirus is likely lower outdoors, and many of the protesters have been wearing masks. But some experts note there is still...

Following months of closing its gates to visitors due to the coronavirus pandemic, Disney World reopened in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday to mixed reactions. Some seemed thrilled on social media that the Happiest Place on Earth was open again, while others were panicked about what this could mean for the spread of COVID-19. The reopening comes as cases of the virus continue to spike in Florida — the state saw a record 15,283 new cases on Saturday, according to data shared by the Florida Department of Health. In Orange County, where Disney World is located, there were 8,672 confirmed COVID-19...

Here is a half-minute of pure political pleasure for conservatives – and parents of school age children. With many European countries already re-opening schools, and with science(!) telling us that otherwise healthy children almost ever get or transmit the COVID-19 virus, it really isn’t surprising that all 6 pediatricians on the video panel enthusiastically endorsed re-opening the schools and sending their own children to them. But it pretty clearly came as a shock to the MSNBC host. (I am afraid that I don’t watch enough MSNBC to know his name).

Teachers' unions across the United States are resisting a push from the Trump administration and House Republicans to reopen schools amid the coronavirus pandemic, instead opting for remote learning that experts say presents major risks to children. President Trump on Wednesday threatened to cut federal funding for schools that fail to reopen in the fall, echoing a recent bill proposed by Reps. Jim Banks (R., Ind.) and Tom Tiffany (R., Wisc.). Multiple states have followed suit—Florida announced Wednesday that it will require schools to hold in-person classes beginning in August, and Gov. Ralph Northam (D., Va.) in June unveiled a...

The State of Maryland, and most specifically my county, Charles County (in Southern Maryland) is still deciding if they will fully reopen in the Fall, and the county's Board of Education will be meeting this upcoming Tuesday, 7/14/20, to discuss. There is talk that about 7 out of the 9 board members will vote to NOT reopen and there is one member who seems to lean towards fully reopening. They are accepting comments from the public and I need help in drafting my comments and include many facts since the 'COVID death trend' is going down dramatically, despite the mainstream...

If there was ever an argument against one-size-fits-all government policy, it’s the COVID crisis. I’m going to inundate readers with data, but stick with me because the data is what tells us that there is no reason to keep the country shut down.Dying from COVID-19 is highly dependent on where one lives, and co-morbidity factors such as advanced age, poor respiratory health, and obesity. There are 2.78 million cases, or about 0.9 percent of the country’s entire population.The CDC reports 112,226 deaths from COVID-19 (4 percent mortality), of which 80 percent were age 65 or older. That translates to a...

Gov. Roy Cooper backed down Tuesday from a promise to announce a school reopening plan by July 1. Instead of the much-anticipated decision, his office sent a statement at 8:30 p.m. saying his Wednesday news conference "will not include an announcement on how statewide K-12 public schools will open this coming school year." The delay comes less than six weeks before schools are scheduled to open Aug. 17 for 1.5 million North Carolina students. Local school districts were poised to roll out plans this week. "Our basic plans are ready to go," Iredell-Statesville Schools board Chair Martin Page said Tuesday....

Walt Disney Co. (DIS) - shares slipped lower Thursday after the company said it would delay the re-opening of its hotels and theme parks in the state of California amid a new surge in coronavirus infections. Disney said it will publish a new re-opening schedule early next month after it receives new guidelines from state officials in Sacramento. Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park had been slated to re-open on July 17, but two consecutive days of record infection rate increases have forced health authorities, as well as Governor Gavin Newsom, into a more conservative strategy. The decision could...

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Thursday that the state will pause any further reopening as the state continues to report record increases in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations. Businesses that were permitted to open under the previous phases can continue to operate at the designated occupancy outlined by the Texas Department of State Health Services, according to statement from Abbott’s office. “The last thing we want to do as a state is go backwards and close down businesses. This temporary pause will help our state corral the spread until we can safely enter the next phase of opening our state...

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said Thursday the state will pause its efforts to reopen the economy as the number of confirmed coronavirus infections spikes and hospitals begin to fill. Abbott has been warning of a mounting catastrophe for days, as new cases rise precipitously in Houston, the Dallas metroplex and in cities like Austin, San Antonio and El Paso. Abbott said businesses that are already allowed to operate under the current reopening phase will continue to be able to do so. "As we experience an increase in both positive COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, we are focused on strategies that...

Illinois is one of the states that’s currently reopening in “phases” after the pandemic lockdowns. On Friday, the next phase kicks in and most restaurants will be allowed to reopen for indoor dining, but only at 25% capacity. While that no doubt sounds like good news to both diners and unemployed restaurant wait staff, not all of the owners are excited about it. Some of them in Chicago are telling CBS News that they aren’t going to open up this week under the new rules. If they do, their return to “the new normal” would most likely bankrupt them....

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has warned that the state’s phased reopening may have to be reversed after tens of thousands of complaints of violations of social distancing and other emergency requirements were received statewide.The governor revealed June 14 during a daily press briefing that more than 25,000 complaints were made against businesses in New York—the state hardest hit by the CCP virus—with the majority of the complaints in Manhattan and the Hamptons, affluent beach communities on the east end of Long Island. We have received 25,000 complaints of reopening violations.Bars or restaurants that violate the law can lose...

Today, Vice President Mike Pence led a discussion with the chief executives of approximately 50 States, territories, and the city of Washington, DC, and the White House Coronavirus Task Force to update our Nation’s governors on local, State, and Federal COVID-19 response and recovery efforts, with a focus on re-opening schools, camps, and universities.Vice President Pence led a discussion of best practices from our Nation’s governors on re-opening their States and communities, including schools, camps, and universities. Federal leaders continue to support State leaders as they expand testing, protect long-term care residents and healthcare workers, and increase healthcare capacity....

It’s time for schools to figure out how to safely reopen this fall as the coronavirus pandemic continues, the nation’s top infectious disease expert said. In a CNN interview Wednesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci said when and how schools reopen will vary by state and community, depending on the rate of infection. “In some situations there will be no problem for children to go back to school,” Fauci said during the interview. “In others, you may need to do some modifications. You know, modifications could be breaking up the class so you don’t have a crowded classroom, maybe half in the...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday that most of the state can enter Phase 2 of its coronavirus reopening, which further eases restrictions on gyms, bars and movie theaters, among other businesses. “I'm pleased to announce that the Original Phase 1 Florida counties (all except Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach) may enter Phase 2 effective Friday, June 5, 2020,” DeSantis tweeted early Wednesday afternoon. Reopening businesses must still adhere to state health guidelines on social distancing and sanitization, which vary somewhat for each sector.

State Dining RoomMay 29, 2020 4:54 P.M. EDTTHE PRESIDENT:  All right.  Thank you very much.  Appreciate it.  I want to express our nation’s deepest condolences and most heartfelt sympathies to the family of George Floyd.  A terrible event.  Terrible, terrible thing that happened.I’ve asked that the Department of Justice expedite the federal investigation into his death and do it immediately, do it as quickly as absolutely possible.  It’s a local situation, but we’re also making it into a federal situation.  And it’s — it’s a terrible thing.  We all saw what we saw, and it’s very hard to even...

Today, Vice President Mike Pence led a discussion with the chief executives of approximately 50 States, territories, and the city of Washington, DC, and the White House Coronavirus Task Force to discuss best practices and continue the dialogue on the important Federal-State partnership on COVID-19 response, recovery, and re-opening efforts.  Vice President Pence led a discussion of best practices from our Nation’s governors on re-open strategies, expanding testing capacity, and supply chain management. In addition to the Vice President, governors heard from White House Coronavirus Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx on maximizing testing and outbreak modeling, Centers for Medicare &...

It has become a common theme at Church Answers. We are hearing from pastors and other church leaders about members who have divergent opinions on the timing for regathering the in-person services. No surprise here. It might be helpful, however, to understand the reasons behind the disagreements. We see five major themes. Strong extroverts and strong introverts will have major disagreements on timing. The reason is obvious. The extrovert is dying to resume interaction with fellow church members. He or she thrives on in-person gatherings and conversations. The strong introvert, however, has done well seeing few people and interacting with...