Physical distancing

Study: Emergency COVID-19 Measures Prevented More Than 500 Million Infections

June 9, 2020 By Edward Lempinen, Berkeley News. Educate! COVID-19, Pandemic, Physical distancing, Public Health

“The last several months have been extraordinarily difficult, but through our individual sacrifices, people everywhere have each contributed to one of humanity’s greatest collective achievements,” Hsiang said. “I don’t think any human endeavor has ever saved so many lives in such a short period of time. There have been huge personal costs to staying home and canceling events, but the data show that each day made a profound difference. By using science and cooperating, we changed the course of history.”

Universal SARS-CoV-2 Testing Is The Answer To Social Distancing

May 25, 2020 By Milton Packer, MedPage Today Educate! COVID-19, Physical distancing, Public Health, Reopen Economy

The U.S. has squandered its most important opportunity. Much of the nation implemented lockdowns or "stay-at-home" orders, which slowed the spread of the virus but had important social and economic consequences. The implementation of the lockdowns made perfect sense as an emergency measure, and it undoubtedly saved lives. However, the whole idea of imposing a lockdown is to buy time until the infrastructure for universal testing and the quarantine of infected people and their contacts can be implemented. This has simply not happened. As far as I know, there is no realistic possibility that the U.S. can implement universal testing, contact tracing, and selective isolation of high-risk individuals in the foreseeable future.

81 Percent Of NYPD Social Distancing Summons Were To Black Or Latinx People

May 12, 2020 James Gordon, Daily Mail. Educate! COVID-19, New York City (NYC), Physical distancing, Police abuse, Racism

New York City - Black and Hispanic people appear to be feeling the brunt of the NYPD’s force when it comes to the enforcement of social distancing measures in New York City. Data released by the police show that out of 374 social distancing-related summonses that have been issued since restrictions came into effect six weeks ago, some 81 percent, or 304 of them, were issued to Hispanic or African-American people. Such statistics marry with figures released by police in Brooklyn, which noted that that 35 of 40 people arrested in that borough between March 17 and May 4 for social distancing violations were black. A total of 193 summonses issued were to black residents and 111 were to Hispanic people, according to the NYPD. All told, 81% of people issued summonses were black or Latino.

Advocates Push For More Prison Releases Amid Outbreak

May 7, 2020 Melanie Lekocevic and Kate Lisa, Hudson Valley 360. Resist! COVID-19, health, Physical distancing, Prison

Albany - Advocacy groups are urging the state to release more inmates from prisons in an effort to stem the spread of COVID-19 in correctional facilities. Supplies of personal hygiene products such as soap, hand sanitizer and face masks are in short supply, advocates said. Prison reform advocates met Tuesday in a Zoom teleconference call to campaign for changes in the correctional system in response to the outbreak. “COVID-19 is ravaging communities across the state, across the country, and across the globe, and causing devastation like many of us have never seen before. This is especially so in prisons, jails and detention facilities where rates of infection are higher than that of the general population, where social distancing is near impossible, and where little attention has been paid, especially here in New York,” said moderator Rodney Holcombe, from the advocacy group FWD.us.

Armed Right-Wing Protesters Are Extending The Economic Lockdown, Demonstrating White Privilege

May 4, 2020 By John Pavlovitz, Stuff That Needs To Be Said Educate! COVID-19, Economic shutdown, Physical distancing, Recession

As a white man watching the Michigan protests of Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-at-home orders, all I could think was: Black people don’t get to do this Muslims don’t get to do this. Latinos don’t get to do this. People who don’t look like this don’t get to do this. They don’t get to swarm American capitol buildings in tactical gear with high-powered weapons, screaming in close proximity to police officers.They don’t get to dress up like Call of Duty cosplayers and attempt to physically intimidate politicians into bending to their wills. They don’t get to get to stop traffic in city streets decked out like they work at the Death Star and brazenly wield semi-automatic rifles. They don’t get to terrorize decent people and walk away. Only white people get to do this.

The Homeless Can’t Shelter-in-Place

April 12, 2020 LibRainey, The Indypendent. Resist! COVID-19, Homeless, New York City (NYC), Physical distancing

Chris was given a test for COVID-19 in the middle of the night. It was just past 1 a.m., and he entered Lenox Hill Hospital’s emergency room on the Upper East Side with a headache and runny nose. He had been living unsheltered on and off since 2018, passing many nights sleeping in hospital waiting rooms or 24/7 FedEx stores throughout Manhattan. But then early March hit. The city began to close down as the coronavirus spread. His usual resting spots — including Starbucks and Pret a Manger — were closed. In need of a place to rest and use the bathroom, he entered the Lenox Hill emergency room where he’d taken refuge many nights before. This time, Chris, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, was tested for the coronavirus.

Rolling Protest For Rent Forgiveness

April 8, 2020 Staff, Daily News. Resist! COVID-19, Evictions, Physical distancing, Rent

Protesting in a method that aligned with the social distancing urged by the state, county and city, tenant advocates climbed into their vehicles and rolled past the traditional Los Angeles Mayor’s residence — Getty House in Windsor Square — in a demonstration intended to urge Mayor Eric Garcetti to support sweeping anti-eviction measures amid the widening coronavirus crisis. The protesters, rolling up and down the street in cars bearing pro-eviction-ban messages, called for a complete moratorium on evictions, full rent forgiveness or the suspension of rent for those who can’t afford it and making hotel and motel rooms available for people without homes. In a marathon meeting on Friday, the City Council passed a collection of measures providing protection for people hit hard by business closures, layoffs and other aftershocks of the pandemic.

COVID-19: Isolation Is A Marathon, Not A Sprint

April 8, 2020 Catherine Hanrahan and Matt Liddy, ABC Australia. Educate! Australia, COVID-19, Health Care, Physical distancing

Australia is only a few days into its latest regime of strict self-isolation measures designed to fight the coronavirus pandemic, but already, many people are asking — when will they end? Not before late July at the very earliest, modelling from the University of Sydney suggests. The model, first published last week and now updated, shows: Strict physical-distancing measures are beginning to work and Australians appear to have been about 90 per cent compliant with advice to stay at home wherever possible However, scaling back our isolation regime would cause case numbers to spike dramatically — until such time as new measures, especially more testing, are in place With the current measures, Australia should be close to the peak of new infections

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