Raimondo has removed reporters from press conferences
More than five weeks after Reynaldo Almonte of Latino Public Radio pleaded with Governor Gina Raimondo at a press conference to take proactive steps to translate coronavirus messaging into Spanish, the Raimondo administration announced Saturday, "Spanish translation: As of this week, the full video of the daily press briefings will be available in Spanish on the Governor's Facebook page every evening."
Raimondo has removed reporters from press conferences and does not allow the public to hear reporters directly ask questions or allow for follow-ups.
Latinos have suffered 44 percent of all cases in Rhode Island.
Joseph Molina-Flynn, head of the Rhode Island Latino PAC tweeted, Sunday, "Why did Rhode Island start paying attention to the Latino community once staggering statistics came out? It’s happened for many years with our education system; now the health inequities are being revealed. We need to do more."
See Below 7 Major Coronavirus Developments
Related Slideshow: 7 Major Coronavirus Developments — April 26, 2020
The World Health Organization warns that there is no evidence that individuals can’t be infected multiple times.
WHO writes:
WHO has published guidance on adjusting public health and social measures for the next phase of the COVID-19 response. Some governments have suggested that the detection of antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, could serve as the basis for an “immunity passport” or “risk-free certificate” that would enable individuals to travel or to return to work assuming that they are protected against re-infection. There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection.
WHO continues to review the evidence on antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection.2-17 Most of these studies show that people who have recovered from infection have antibodies to the virus. However, some of these people have very low levels of neutralizing antibodies in their blood,4 suggesting that cellular immunity may also be critical for recovery. As of 24 April 2020, no study has evaluated whether the presence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 confers immunity to subsequent infection by this virus in humans.
RI Department of Health Refuses to Release Information on Businesses with More Than 10 Cases
Since last Wednesday, GoLocal has sought from the RI Department of Health the list of businesses that have clusters of coronavirus cases - more than 10 or more.
The Department continues to refuse to release the information.
China Claims No Cases in Wuhan, Should We Believe Them?
The New York Times is reporting, "Wuhan, the original epicenter of the pandemic in China, now has no coronavirus patients in its hospitals, a government official said on Sunday.
The city, an industrial metropolis of 11 million, was the first to experience total lockdown and road bans as its hospitals became overwhelmed with patients. Officials reported 46,452 total infections and 3,869 deaths from Wuhan in a tally published Sunday, though critics believe the actual figures to be higher."
Some RI Banks and Credit Unions Step Forward With Pledge to Help Homeowners Facing Economic Hardship
A group of banks and credit unions has agreed to give flexibility to lenders during those impacted by the coronavirus economic crisis. According to the plan, the group of financial lenders has agreed to the following “Financial Institution COVID-19 Relief Pledge" below.
And a few notable players have not joined the program -- TD Bank and Chase are two significant banks who have not signed on.
At least 13 of the public companies that received coronavirus hardship loans said they would return the money amid mounting scrutiny, while some of the smaller public companies said they needed the money to keep employees from losing their jobs.
The decisions are the latest twists in the rushed and turbulent rollout of the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program, a portion of last month’s $2 trillion stimulus package intended to help small businesses and limit layoffs through the coronavirus pandemic. Lawmakers and independent business owners have criticized public companies for tapping a program that quickly ran out of funds.
On Friday, AutoNation Inc., the nation’s largest car-dealership chain with a $3 billion market capitalization, gave back $77 million it received in forgivable loans. An AutoNation spokesman said the company was eligible and applied on behalf of the 7,000 employees it furloughed.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Raimondo does not allow Rhode Islanders to hear reporters' questions. Nearly all governors across the country and the White House allow reporters to ask questions directly and for the public to hear the questions and the responses.
