7 Major Coronavirus Developments — CDC Director Warns of Potential Fall Lockdown — May 21, 2020
Thursday, May 21, 2020
GoLocalProv News Team
Overnight in an interview with the Financial Times, Robert Redfield, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, painted a potentially dark picture for the fall and warned that the United States would need to increase its "disease-tracking capabilities rapidly in the next few months to avoid another public health crisis as seasonal flu coincides with a second wave of Covid-19."
“We’ve seen evidence that the concerns it would go south in the southern hemisphere like flu [are coming true], and you’re seeing what’s happening in Brazil now,” Dr Redfield said. “And then when the southern hemisphere is over I suspect it will reground itself in the north.”
“This simple respiratory viral pathogen has really brought my nation to its knees, and the reality is, it’s no one particular person’s fault,” Dr Redfield said. “This nation has been unprepared for that for decades.”
“I can’t guarantee; that’s kind of getting into the opinion mode, we have to be data-driven. What I can say is that we are committed to using the time that we have now to get this nation as overprepared as possible.”
He added: “If we have a [flu] season like we had the year I became CDC director [2018] — almost 80,000 people died — it’s going to put a lot of stress independently by itself on our health system . . . and then you add on coronavirus and you can see the stress on the health system.”
WATCH AT NOON: Former Director of Health Dr. Michael Fine on GoLocal LIVE
See Slideshow: 7 Major Coronavirus Developments Below
Related Slideshow: 7 Major Coronavirus Developments — May 21, 2020
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Macy's is facing a $1 billion loss and sales nearly halved. Victoria's Secret sales numbers were not much better.
On Thursday, Macy’s Inc. offered a glimpse of the damage wrought by the virus, saying that first-quarter sales fell by as much as 45% and that it expects to record a roughly $1 billion operating loss when it reports financial results on July 1.
Victoria’s Secret parent L Brands Inc. said quarterly sales fell 37% and that it would close about a quarter of the lingerie brand’s stores in North America. And Kohl’s Corp. reported a 41% drop in sales for the spring quarter, even as digital sales increased 24%.
Macy’s closed all of its roughly 775 stores on March 18. It began reopening locations on May 4, and Chief Executive Jeff Gennette said early results are encouraging.
“Demand is moderately higher than we anticipated,” he said. “We expect business to recover gradually.”
Bishop Thomas Tobin has issued a series of guidance documents and produced a video as to how the Diocese will reopen parishes across Rhode Island. The Diocese announcement comes after Governor Gina Raimondo announced that houses of worship could reopen.
On Wednesday Raimondo announced that houses of worship, when they begin reopening the weekend of May 30th, will be limited to 25% of their overall capacity. "This decision was made in consultation with faith leaders across Rhode Island," said Raimondo's press office.
Rising tensions between the United States and China brought fresh mudslinging Wednesday as a sharp dispute over responsibility for the coronavirus pandemic spills into new forums such as Taiwan.
In the span of several hours, the feud swung from Taipei to Beijing to the Internet, where an animated "credibility test" on Chinese state TV's Twitter feed mocked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
President Trump then lashed out at China for a "worldwide killing" from covid-19 — part of messages that could become talking points in the presidential election campaign.
11:00 AM - Vanessa Volz, Executive Director of Sojourner House to discuss domestic abuse during the pandemic
12:00 PM - Dr. Michael Fine, Former RI Director of Health -- Coronavirus update
1:00 PM - Dennis DeJesus, Special Olympics RI -- Virtual Summer Games
1:00 PM - Governor Gina Raimondo Briefing
EDITOR'S NOTE: Gov. Raimondo has reversed her policy and is now allowing reporters to attend press conferences and directly ask questions. For more than 6 weeks she had blocked reporters from directly asking questions for the public to hear.
