CBS News -
October 21, 2020
We already are experiencing a second wave of layoffs," said Danielle Goldfarb, head of research at the polling company RIWI, which specializes in tracking and predicting trends. A high number of these are repeat layoffs, Goldfarb said. A survey from RIWI and Cornell University released last month found that, among an estimated 36 million workers called back to their jobs after a layoff this year, 27% have been laid off again, while another 36% were told they could still be laid off again.
NPR -
October 21, 2020
Millions of working moms [have] sidelined their work in the pandemic, stepping back from hard-earned careers to take care of the overwhelming needs at home. … While working fathers have not been spared in the pandemic, data collected by the Labor Department indicate that it's largely mothers who are dealing with children who are not in school full time this fall. In September, 865,000 women dropped out of the workforce — four times the number of men who did. Countless others like Chen are struggling to get anything done.
PEOPLE -
October 21, 2020
Melania Trump is reportedly canceling her return to the campaign trail this week due to continued symptoms after contracting the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). A spokeswoman for the 50-year-old first lady said she is still improving despite a "lingering cough," causing her to avoid a rally for her husband's re-election campaign as a precaution, according to the Associated Press.
AP -
October 21, 2020
The nation’s capital has become one of the first jurisdictions in the country to employ a new COVID-19 notification system, a joint Google-Apple venture that delivers alerts to people’s phones, notifying them that they may have been exposed to the coronavirus. … The new Exposure Notification Express model is a major tweak to existing Google-Apple contact tracing software that became available earlier this year. But that tool was not readily embraced by health departments around the country, partially because it required jurisdictions to build and maintain their own apps.
11ALIVE -
October 21, 2020
USA Today -
October 20, 2020
The CDC endorsed Monday what has already become a required practice around the country: recommending that anyone traveling on airlines, trains, subways, buses or other public transport wear a mask. If passengers don't comply, those who won't put on masks should be ordered to get off when possible, the CDC says in its interim guidance on the issue. … The only exceptions for not wearing a mask should be for those travelers who take them off while eating, drinking or taking medication; those who become incapacitated for any reason or can't remove their masks by themselves; or when needed to show their identity, such as when traveling through a TSA checkpoint at an airport.
Reuters -
October 20, 2020
Thirty-four out of 50 states have seen cases increase for at least two weeks in a row, up from 29 the prior week. They include Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and North Carolina — all battleground states for the Nov. 3 U.S. presidential election. In Nevada and South Dakota, more than 35% of tests came back positive for COVID-19 last week, the highest in the country, according to data from The COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer-run effort to track the outbreak. A total of 14 states have a positive test rate of over 10%.
STAT -
October 20, 2020
Here we go again. As hospitalizations for Covid-19 inch up around the country, some states are readying plans for field hospitals. Communities are delaying reopening plans and even imposing new measures, though some governors remain opposed to additional restrictions. Deaths — currently standing about 220,000 — have not surged again yet, but that might just be a matter of time. The current rise in coronavirus cases around the U.S. is reminiscent of the summer crest, and has flashbacks to the emergence of the national crisis in the spring.
CNN -
October 20, 2020
A frustrated and at times foul-mouthed President Donald Trump claimed on a campaign call that people are tired of hearing about the deadly pandemic which has killed more than 215,000 Americans and trashed Dr. Anthony Fauci as a "disaster" who has been around for "500 years." Referring to Fauci and other health officials as "idiots," Trump declared the country ready to move on from the health disaster, even as cases are again spiking and medical experts warn the worst may be yet to come.
NPR -
October 20, 2020
The U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico will stay closed to nonessential travel for at least another month. Bill Blair, Canada's public safety minister, tweeted on Monday, "We are extending non-essential travel restrictions with the United States until November 21st, 2020. Our decisions will continue to be based on the best public health advice available to keep Canadians safe." The United States and Mexico have both seen far higher COVID-19 mortality rates than Canada.
USA Today -
October 20, 2020
More than 6 million households failed to make their rent or mortgage payments in September, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's Research Institute for Housing America, a sign that the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic is weighing on jobless Americans as Congress stalls on relief measures. In the third quarter, the percent of homeowners and renters behind on their payments fell slightly from the prior quarter. Still, the overall amount remains high, experts caution.