Tag: pandemic

U.S. stocks tank as bleak news mounts on health, economic fronts

Washington Post logoThe Dow slides nearly 1,000 points coming off its worst first quarter ever

Stocks descended deeper into their month-long funk Wednesday as the nation entered one of its most dire periods in memory. Coronavirus deaths are piling up, vast swaths of the population are confined to their homes, and tens of millions are hurting while the pandemic squeezes the life out of the economy.
As the nation looks for a whisper of good news, Wednesday’s sell-off suggests Wall Street is bracing for even deeper losses after finishing one of its worst quarters ever.

“We are in for shockingly bad labor market numbers in Thursday’s unemployment claims,” said Luke Tilley, chief economist at Wilmington Trust. “We are in for the sharpest quarterly decline in economic activity that we have ever seen. And the recovery in the second half of the year is going to be slow, challenging and disappointing. It’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better. Continue reading.

GOP’s Devin Nunes once again questions social distancing measures despite repeated warnings from experts

AlterNet logoRep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., argued Tuesday that it was “way overkill” for California to keep schools closed for the rest of the academic year in order to combat the spread of the new coronavirus.

Nunes, who previously urged Americans to go out to their local restaurants and pubs amid the pandemic, argued that schools should reopen within weeks rather than months during an appearance on Fox News.

“The schools were just canceled out here in California, which is way overkill,” Nunes said. “I mean, it’s possible the kids could have went back to school in two weeks, four weeks. But they just canceled the rest of the schools.” Continue reading.

Social Security recipients who don’t usually file tax returns will automatically get $1,200 payments, Treasury says in reversal

Washington Post logoMost high school seniors and college students still won’t get any money at all.

The Treasury announced late Wednesday that Social Security beneficiaries who typically do not file a tax return will automatically get the $1,200 payment.

The announcement is a reversal from earlier in the week when the Internal Revenue Service said everyone would need to file some sort of tax return in order to qualify for the payments. Democrats and some Republicans criticized the IRS for requiring so many extra hurdles for this vulnerable population to get aid when the government already has their information on file.

The reversal came as the Trump administration tries to rapidly get stimulus payments out to Americans in the face of the quickest economic decline in modern history. Continue reading.

Social Distancing To Fight the Coronavirus Saves Lives and Preserves the U.S. Economy

Center for American Progress logoIn the midst of an exponentially rising global coronavirus pandemic, the Trump administration—after first denying the severity of the crisis and then reacting too slowly and haphazardly—remains eager to relax measures that have belatedly been put in place to limit its effects.

The rationale for the administration’s stance is purported to be purely economic, based on a claim that the economic consequences of social distancing and other life-saving measures are just too high. But like so many of the claims this administration makes, it is false. Evidence overwhelmingly suggests that our economy would be much better off if we take strong measures to limit spread of the virus.

COVID-19 has the potential to harm many people. The virus is highly contagious and has a significant mortality rate. A surge in the numbers of those seriously affected is already overloading hospitals in hard-hit areas, leading to preventable deaths and making it difficult for the U.S. health system to provide care for non-COVID-19 patients. Continue reading.

Coronavirus: A new type of vaccine using RNA could help defeat COVID-19

A century ago, on July 26, 1916, a viral disease swept through New York. Within 24 hours, new cases of polio increased by more than 68%. The outbreak killed more than 2,000 people in New York City alone. Across the United States, polio took the lives of about 6,000 people in 1916, leaving thousands more paralyzed.

Although scientists had already identified the polio virus, it took 50 more years to develop a vaccine. That vaccine eradicated polio in the U.S. in less than a decade. Vaccines are one of the most effective modern disease-fighting tools.

As of this writing, the fast-spreading COVID-19 has already infected almost half a million worldwide, and has killed over 22,000 patients. There is an urgent need for a vaccine to prevent it from infecting and killing millions more. But traditional vaccine development takes, on average, 16 years. Continue reading.

Go grocery shopping every two weeks? You can — and without hoarding.

Washington Post logoAmong the essential activities allowed during mandatory stay-at-home orders caused by the coronavirus pandemic is grocery shopping, but most experts agree that residents should cut back on the number of trips they make to the store as part of their social-distancing strategy.

One key to doing that is to create a list of essentials and stick to it, said Joanna Michalowska, a dietitian and doctoral candidate from the Medical University of Poznan in Poland, who worked with a team of health professionals there to create a tool — the Omni Food Calculator — designed to help people understand how much food they need for a two-week period.

“When something like this happens, we don’t know what’s going on, how to behave,” Michalowska said. Continue reading.

What happened to the ‘rally around the flag’ effect

Movement in Trump approval and ballot numbers amid crisis is small compared to past examples

ANALYSIS — With the Democratic presidential contest suspended, President Donald Trump appearing daily at briefings and former Vice President Joe Biden largely invisible, it wouldn’t be surprising if the president’s job approval numbers ticked up. That’s exactly what usually happens when the “rally around the flag” effect kicks in.

In times of crisis, Americans rally behind the president, who invariably stands as a symbol of national pride and unity. They place country above party, even putting aside their ideological differences. That’s what happened after September 11, during the Persian Gulf War in 1991 and during the Cuban Missile Crisis of late 1962.

The result in each of those cases was a spike in the president’s job performance numbers, invariably by more than 10 points, often by 20 or 30 points or more. Continue reading.

Gov. Walz’s COVID-19 Update: April 1, 2020

w

April 2, 2020

Below is an update on the COVID-19 pandemic as it pertains to Minnesota as of 4:30 PM on 4/2/2020.

Updates from the Governor

Governor Walz today announced that Minnesota’s health plans have agreed to waive costs for treatment of COVID-19. This move comes in response to a March 13 letter from the Governor and State Commissioners of Health and Commerce urging Minnesota health plans to remove barriers to coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minnesotans with commercial insurance—including individuals, small businesses, and some large businesses—are now eligible for the following benefits: Continue reading “Gov. Walz’s COVID-19 Update: April 1, 2020”

Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: April 2, 2020

Rep. Pryor

Neighbors,

Governor Walz’s Stay at Home Executive Order is nearly a week old and I have heard from many people that the directive is something they were already practicing. Minnesotans have been stepping up….and staying home. We know we can save lives if we use social distancing to lessen the severity and length of the pandemic. Friends and neighbors stay safe, stay home!

stayhomeFinancial Support

Many in our communities have lost their jobs because of the COVID-19 pandemic. You can apply for Minnesota’s unemployment insurance (UI) here.

If you are self-employed or an independent contractor, the federal government is making unemployment benefits available.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has created a new guide for small businesses needing help during this unprecedented public health crisis. Click here for the most up-to-date and accurate information about financial assistance for small businesses.

Food Resources

PROP Food Shelf
14700 Martin Drive, Eden Prairie, MN 55344
Monday-Friday 9:30am-1pm and Wednesday 4-6:30pm
952-937-9120  |  Visit Website  |  Get Directions

ICA Food Shelf
11588 K-Tel Drive Minnetonka, MN 55343
During this time, we are adjusting the way we provide food. We are now offering pre-packaged bags of food. When you come to the food shelf, check in at the front door, and then return to your car. Volunteers will pack your food and then bring it out to your trunk. We are trying to minimize physical contact to keep everyone as safe as possible.
952-938-7029  |  Visit Website  |  Get Directions

Interfaith Outreach & Community Partners (IOCP)
1605 North County Road 101, Plymouth, MN 55447
Serves residents of Hamel, Long Lake, Medicine Lake, Medina, Minnetonka Beach, Orono, Plymouth and Wayzata. Call to schedule an appointment: 763-489-7500.

COVID-19 Update: Starting 3/23 we will be operating our drive-up food shelf model on Mondays 3-6 p.m. and Fridays 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

763-489-7500  |  Visit Website  |  Get Directions

Other COVID-19 Resources

  • Child Care
    • Parents/Guardians needing child care resources can call Child Care Aware of MN at 1-888- 291-9811 or go to parentaware.org to search on-line for child care options
    • Peacetime emergency child care provider grants
    • Six Minnesota Initiative Foundations have launched an Emergency Child Care Grant Program to provide support for Greater Minnesota licensed child care providers serving families of essential workers needed to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Think Small” has launched an effort to issue grants to family child care programs in the metro area.
  • Driver and Vehicle Services at the Department of Public Safety
  • Health & Public Health Insurance
  • How can I help?
    • Suggestions for how you can help from the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC)
    • Guidance on how to donate or procure Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) from MN Management and Budget
    • If you are a business that has a service, equipment, or other capability that could be of value in fighting the COVID-19 virus, please fill out this form

Here are steps we can continue to all take to stay healthy:

  • COVID-19 primarily spreads by droplets. For your safety, the best thing to do is stay home.  Even if healthy, stay home as much as is possible. If you must go out, stay at least six feet away from others.
  • Wash your hands often and when you wash them, do so for 20 seconds before rinsing (that means singing Happy Birthday twice before rinsing).
  • COVID-19 can also spread from surfaces to you, but only via mucous membranes. In other words, it can only infect you by going from your hands to your eyes, nose or mouth (it cannot infect you through your skin). Therefore, don’t touch your face. This is hard to stop doing (we are creatures of habit), so if you touch your face think about why and look to identify triggers. That will help you break the habit.
  • If sick, stay home. If you are very sick (i.e. fever, cough, and shortness of breath) and you feel like you need to see someone, call first or do an e-visit. Do not just show up to your clinic, Urgent Care, or Emergency Dept. without notifying them first. This helps the clinic, Urgent Care, or Emergency Dept. prepare for you and helps avoid infecting others.
  • When you cough, use your sleeve to cover your mouth and help prevent forming droplets that can infect others.

Please continue to reach out with any input, ideas, or feedback about the issues important to you. I value hearing from you, so please don’t hesitate to call or email me any time. You can also connect with me on Facebook here. It’s an honor to represent you at the State Capitol.

Sincerely,

Laurie Pryor

State Representative

Small businesses can apply for forgivable COVID-19 loans Friday

Emergency loans were part of the economic rescue package enacted last week

Small businesses shuttered by coronavirus countermeasures can start applying for emergency loans to cover payroll and other costs as soon as Friday, according to Treasury Department guidance.

The Treasury published fact sheets for lenders and borrowers Tuesday for the $349 billion Paycheck Protection Program that was part of the $2.3 trillion economic lifeline package enacted March 27.

The program is relying on the Small Business Administration’s existing network of around 1,800 banks and credit unions in its Section 7(a) loan guaranty program to provide small businesses forgivable loans to cover payroll and other fixed costs while government COVID-19 containment measures shut down large swaths of the economy. Continue reading.