Cal OES Update:

• April 26, 2020 – pdf

Governor Update:

• Colorado & Nevada Join California, Oregon & Washington in Western States Pact – link

Important Updates:

• California Supreme Court orders delay of the July Bar Exam until September and asks the State Bar to try to work on remote options – link
• From Federal Housing Finance Agency – “No Lump Sum Required at the End of Forbearance” says FHFA’s Calabria – link
• Labor Secretary Issues Directive to Employment Development Department to Suspend Unemployment Insurance Certifications (April 23) – link

Social Media:

• Posts for Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – link
• Social Media Images – zip
• We recommend repurposing the COVID-19 social media posts and graphics that were previously delivered as the majority are still valid and warrant additional communication. You can find all of the previously delivered posts in the same Google spreadsheet that holds today’s copy. All previously delivered graphics can be found in English (zip) and in Spanish (zip). Please review the posts before posting to ensure they contain the most recent COVID-19 information.
• We recommend sharing pertinent social media posts from official local sources that pertain to your constituents, including posts from counties, cities, school districts, and local elected officials.

News Highlights:

• CA Senate is considering giving lawmakers an option to legislate remotely
• Keep California stay-at-home order for as long as needed, vast majority say in new poll
• California cities warn of widespread layoffs and service cuts due to nearly $7 billion in coronavirus losses
• Virtual medical visits are the new normal during the coronavirus pandemic
• Despite coronavirus, many flock to Orange and Ventura county beaches to beat the heat
• As coronavirus curve flattens, some California counties consider reopening
• Kaiser study finds coronavirus seriously affects people regardless of age
• Project Roomkey is saving lives in the coronavirus pandemic
• Social distancing could last months, White House coronavirus coordinator says
• USDA let millions of pounds of food rot while food-bank demand soared
• How Las Vegas became ground zero for the American jobs crisis
• Young and middle-aged people, barely sick with covid-19, are dying of strokes
• Coronavirus projected to trigger worst economic downturn since 1940s
• ‘No Evidence’ yet that recovered COVID-19 patients are immune, WHO says
• World leaders kick off initiative to fight coronavirus without US
• Speaker Pelosi told reporters on Friday that she expects the next coronavirus-related bill to include up to $700 billion for cities and states
• The White House is finalizing expanded guidelines to allow for a phased reopening of society
• Four states (Alaska, Georgia, Oklahoma and South Carolina) have begun to reopen businesses, while eight more will lift stay-at-home orders by Thursday

News Articles:

California:

• In the coronavirus crisis, California isn’t under one-party rule, it’s under one-man rule — With the legislative and judicial branches basically shut down because of the virus, the executive has seized almost complete control over state government. And many legislators are smarting. They’re antsy to reenter the political arena and resume exerting influence over decision-making, particularly regarding the state’s approach to taming the virus, returning to normal life, restoring the economy and managing a bleeding state budget. The Senate is considering giving lawmakers an option to legislate remotely if they fear contracting the virus. Assembly attorneys say remote legislating may be illegal. Senate attorneys say it’s OK. Do whatever works, I say. These are desperate times. Forget purity. LA Times – 4/27/20

• California lawmakers chafe at Newsom’s unilateral coronavirus actions — Members of the California Legislature are happy with the job Gov. Gavin Newsom has done in leading California’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, OK? They really, really want to make sure everyone knows that. And yet.  In a pair of recent legislative hearings — where Newsom administration officials appeared via videoconferencing and answered questions from a handful of mask-wearing lawmakers convened in Sacramento — there was clearly frustration with some of the governor’s recent go-it-alone decisions. Expect those rumbles to grow louder as the Legislature prepares to return to the state Capitol as soon as next week for at least basic preparations to craft a short-term budget before June 15. LA Times — 4/27/20

• New memos shed light on how California Legislature may operate upon return —As the California Legislature prepares to return May 4 under pressure to pass a state budget and respond to a new coronavirus world, legislators and lobbyists alike are discussing monumental changes to Capitol business like remote voting and limited in-person testimony to protect constituents — and the lawmakers themselves. Assemblyman Bill Quirk (D-Hayward) made a strong appeal this week to Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon to consider remote voting to protect people at high risk. Politico — 4/25/20

• California may test state lawmakers before they return to Sacramento — Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins said in a statement that, given finite testing capacity, the Senate is not recommending testing for senators or staff unless they are at high risk for infection. Atkins said that the Senate has not heard from public health authorities about testing. “We continue to require essential employees, including Senators and staff, to practice self–assessment each day prior to coming into the Capitol, including taking their temperature and monitoring for signs of illness,” Atkins said. “Anyone experiencing any symptoms of illness has been instructed to stay home and not come into the Capitol.”  Politico — 4/24/20

• California’s jobless face jammed phone lines, computer glitches and bureaucratic blunders — With millions of Californians thrown out of work by the state’s stay-at-home order, services offered by the EDD have buckled under a lack of sufficient technology to support them, an issue that has plagued the agency for years but has now been put into stark relief by the current crisis. “I know this sounds crazy because we are in California, we are the tech center of the world, but our system is built on multiple antiquated systems, and because of that it is inflexible — it is very difficult to change,” California Labor Secretary Julie Su said in a Facebook Live chat Friday. LA Times — 4/27/20

• Nonstop calls and no answers: Why California wasn’t prepared for surge in unemployment — The losses have arrived, with 3.2 million people filing unemployment claims in the state in the last six weeks. Many said they have struggled with a clunky online system and maddening delays when they call — often hundreds of times — to try to reach a human at the Employment Development Department. The department’s leaders have faced criticism over its outdated computer systems since before the Great Recession. Yet a $30 million modernization project launched four years ago remains in the planning stages, even as a new recession seems to be arriving. Sac Bee — 4/27/20

• Who should pay for pandemic impacts? — In California, it’s renewed the perpetual conflict over liability — known colloquially as “tort wars” — pitting business, employer and insurance interests against lawyers who specialize in personal injury suits. The Civil Justice Association of California, a business coalition, fired a preemptive strike recently in a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, citing an “imminent threat of litigation.” It asks for an executive order and legislation to immunize “all private entities and their workers providing critical services, goods, and facilities during the COVID-19 state of emergency.” CalMatters — 4/27/20

• Virtual medical visits are the new normal during the coronavirus pandemic — California’s stay-at-home order to slow the coronavirus has significantly accelerated the use of telehealth visits. Some health systems in California report up to 80% of their patient visits are handled by video chat or a phone call. CalMatters — 4/27/20

• Despite coronavirus, many flock to Orange and Ventura county beaches to beat the heat — For many, the confluence of a heat wave and more than a month sheltering at home made a visit to the sand irresistible, prompting beach tableaux that looked more like a peak summer day in normal times than an April Saturday with a respiratory disease circulating among the population. LA Times — 4/26/20

• Governor’s quandary: Who should get California workers’ comp benefits for COVID-19? — Gov. Gavin Newsom is deciding whether to order that essential employees who contract coronavirus be presumed to have done so on the job — and thus automatically qualify for workers’ comp benefits. Businesses warn that could cost billions. CalMatters — 4/26/20

• Perfect storm clobbers California cities — California’s nearly 500 cities had been hurting financially even before the COVID-19 pandemic clobbered the state’s economy and triggered a downward spiral of tax revenues. Although their revenues had climbed sharply during the previous decade, cities had seen even sharper increases in spending for employee pensions and health care and an epidemic of homelessness. CalMatters — 4/26/20

• As coronavirus curve flattens, some California counties consider reopening — Gov. Gavin Newsom has promised a “bottom-up approach” to reopening that is responsive to regional differences across a vast state, but he has provided cities and counties with little flexibility so far. During his daily briefings last week, the governor repeatedly cautioned local elected officials about “taking the parachute off before we land,” and said Thursday that he would be able to loosen the stay-at-home order sooner if “all of us are checking off the same list.” SF Chronicle — 4/26/20

• Here’s when stay-at-home orders are expiring in each of California’s 58 counties — The county-level orders vary, as do their expiration dates. Some of the measures are in place until a specified date, others until further notice. Generally, local health officials can issue guidance that’s stricter, but not more lenient, than the state’s. LA Times — 4/24/20

• Kaiser study finds coronavirus seriously affects people regardless of age — A study of 1,300 Northern California Kaiser patients who tested positive for the coronavirus last month found that nearly a third were hospitalized and almost 1 in 10 ended up in intensive care — and nearly as many young and middle-aged adults were admitted as people age 60 and over, according to results published online Friday. SF Chronicle — 4/25/20

• Exclusive: Coronavirus caused heart to rupture in nation’s first known victim, autopsy shows — Patricia Dowd, 57, died Feb. 6 and had reported flu-like symptoms in the days before her death, according to the report. The autopsy, performed by medical examiner Dr. Susan Parson, found COVID-19 viral infection in her heart, trachea, lungs and intestines. “There’s something abnormal about the fact that a perfectly normal heart has burst open,” said Bay Area forensic pathologist Dr. Judy Melinek, who was not involved in the autopsy but read the report at the request of The Chronicle. “The heart has ruptured. Normal hearts don’t rupture.” SF Chronicle — 4/26/20

• Building dense cities was California’s cure for the housing crisis. Then came coronavirus — For more than a decade, California lawmakers have pushed with increasing urgency to build more housing near transit stops and job centers. Density, they’ve reasoned, is the best way to control the exploding cost of living and reduce residents’ reliance on carbon-spewing vehicles in a state best known for its sprawling suburbs. But now density has a new foe: the coronavirus. LA Times — 4/26/20

• Project Roomkey is saving lives in the coronavirus pandemic — This is one state program that actually is a win-win-win. First, protecting some of the most vulnerable — which also, of course, protects you and me. Second, allowing social workers to have a much better chance of getting these people permanent housing when this pandemic passes since they are available for counseling in one place in which they are fed and have access to showers and beds. Third, as you can imagine, hoteliers are thrilled with the $75 a day per room they’re getting for their formerly empty businesses. California also got FEMA to reimburse 75 percent of the cost for this life-saving mission, a model for other states. OC Register— 4/26/20

• ACLU sues California to block ICE transfers, reduce prison population amid coronavirus outbreak — Gen. Xavier Becerra and come as the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego and Lompoc penitentiary in Santa Barbara County have become home to some of the worst outbreaks in the federal prison system. In the lawsuits, the ACLU argued that outbreaks behind bars pose threats not only to the incarcerated, but also the families of jail and prison employees. LA Times — 4/25/20

• Top policymakers weigh in on coronavirus — “Priority number one in terms of the budget, it needs to be to stabilize the budget,” Rendon said. “There are a lot of unknowns, a lot of unknowns with respect to our revenue projections, a lot unknowns with respect to how much COVID is going to cost. Those unknowns, once we figure those out, will then determine how much money there is for other things.” Fox 11 — 4/25/20

• Symptoms or not, Sacramento County wants California lawmakers tested for coronavirus — California lawmakers should be tested for coronavirus before they return to Sacramento regardless of whether they are showing symptoms of COVID-19, according to guidance from the county’s health department. Assembly Rules Committee Chairman Ken Cooley disclosed the request from the health department Thursday during a Democratic Caucus meeting, according to notes from the meeting that were shared among lawmakers and others who do business in the building. The health department also wants lawmakers to have one key staff member tested for the virus before lawmakers resume their legislative session on May 4. Sac Bee — 4/24/20

• Here’s where California has distributed its protective masks and equipment — So far, the state has distributed more than 46.5 million masks — both N95 respirators and surgical masks — across the state, according to data from the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. The data, which are current as of April 17, provide a breakdown of how state agencies have spread coveted protective supplies on a county level. Generally, counties with a high number of confirmed cases have received the most shipments. SF Chronicle — 4/24/20

• Plan to change workers’ comp rules for employees with COVID-19 angers business, ag groups — A proposed executive order from Gov. Gavin Newsom to substantially expand protections for coronavirus-infected employees who qualify for workers’ compensation insurance is raising concerns among leaders in the agriculture and business communities, who say it could cost billions of dollars.  Although few have seen a copy of the draft proposal, the details leaked out several days ago and industry groups have rallied to kill it. Sac Bee — 4/24/20

• Coronavirus: Cases and deaths surged last week. Is California really flattening the curve? — Geographically, Los Angeles County remains the state’s coronavirus epicenter and suffered by far its worst week so far in terms of new cases: On Monday, it reported more than twice as many new cases as on any previous day. In the Bay Area, increases are more modest, but Santa Clara County became the first in the region and the fourth county in the state Friday to soar past 2,000 total cases. Mercury News — 4/24/20

• Keep California stay-at-home order for as long as needed, vast majority say in new poll — Despite several protests over California’s stay-at-home order to slow the spread of coronavirus, a new poll shows the vast majority of residents support the restrictions. Among those polled, 75% want the order to continue as long as it’s needed, according to a California Health Care Foundation/Ipsos survey. Only 11% wanted to stop the stay-at-home order, while 13% had no opinion. Among low-income residents, support was even stronger: 78% support the  stay-at-home order and only 3% oppose it. LA Times — 4/24/20

• COVID-19 has brought havoc to nursing homes. Will pandemic end ‘warehousing’ the elderly? — As many as 1.3 million Americans live in nursing homes. Despite the shutdown orders, unofficial tallies indicate more than 6,700 skilled nursing home residents have died from the virus nationwide. The World Health Organization says up to half of all coronavirus deaths in Europe are in long-term care facilities. Sac Bee — 4/26/20

• California doesn’t disclose coronavirus deaths at nursing homes — As deaths from the coronavirus rise, topping 1,500 across California, families are left in the dark about how many of those occur in the nursing homes, where their ill parents and others they love remain isolated, because the state Department of Public Health has so far declined to say. In Santa Clara County, which does disclose the data, nearly 30% of all coronavirus deaths have occurred in nursing homes. SF Chronicle — 4/24/20

• After miscommunication, here are the nursing homes where National Guard is deployed — New details emerged on Friday around the California National Guard’s deployment to Los Angeles County nursing homes inundated with staff who tested positive for COVID-19, as initial reports provided by the military force proved to be inaccurate. Daily Breeze –4/24/20

• California paying Sacramento Kings $500,000 a month to rent Natomas arena for field hospital — The expenses are detailed in a state contract The Bee obtained after filing a request under the California Public Records Act with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Office of Emergency Services. The contract — signed quietly and without public announcement — now raises questions about the expenditure of taxpayer money to enrich an NBA franchise that paid its top player Harrison Barnes $24.1 million in 2019. The Kings are owned by a wealthy group of investors that includes Ranadivé, a software multi-millionaire. Sac Bee — 4/24/20

• Yolo County will require face masks in public, authorities say — Yolo County officials said Friday they are requiring that residents wear face coverings in public. The order is effective immediately but is not enforceable until April 27 at 8 a.m. As of Friday morning, Yolo County had 155 confirmed coronavirus cases and 12 deaths related to the virus. At least six deaths have been tied to a nursing home in Woodland that has seen an outbreak in cases. KCRA 3 –4/24/20

• California cities warn of widespread layoffs and service cuts due to nearly $7 billion in coronavirus losses — California cities expect to lose nearly $7 billion over the next two years because of the coronavirus pandemic, a fiscal emergency they warn could lead to widespread cuts in staffing and services without more federal and state aid. In a new analysis, the League of California Cities estimated that the state’s 482 cities will face a $6.7 billion decline in their local budgets in the next two fiscal years, largely from a drop in sales and hotel tax revenue. Those losses could climb by billions of dollars if widespread shutdowns of businesses and tourism continue past the end of May. San Francisco Chronicle — 4/24/20

• LA city and county aim to help domestic abuse victims during coronavirus pandemic — Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer and District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced a program Friday aimed at providing resources to victims of domestic abuse, as reports of those types of crimes have declined since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Feuer said he was “very alarmed” at the decline in reports of domestic and other forms of abuse during the pandemic because people may continue to be abused, but they’re not coming forward due to the Safer at Home Orders. Daily Breeze — 4/24/20

• Two Bakersfield doctors cite their testing data to urge reopening — Their message: COVID-19 is more ubiquitous and less deadly than we think. It’s similar to influenza and we should therefore reopen society and stop treating the situation like the lethal menace it was initially thought to be. Andrew Noymer of UC Irvine disagreed with the doctors’ premise that COVID-19 is as widespread as Erickson and Massihi think, saying the idea that nearly 5 million Californians have had the virus is a gross overestimate. The people tested in California were not a random sample; they were mostly people who were symptomatic, Noymer said. Bakersfield Californian — 4/23/20

National:

• Here’s when all 50 states plan to reopen after coronavirus restrictions — Governors are beginning to announce timelines for relaxing strict measures taken to mitigate the coronavirus. Many states are dropping stay-at-home orders beginning May 1, while several states have not yet announced an end to restrictions. The Hill — 4/27/20

• Supreme Court Rules Government Must Pay Insurers Under Affordable Care Act Program — The court’s ruling clears insurers to seek roughly $12 billion under an ACA program in place during early implementation of the 2010 health law that sought to mitigate financial risks for insurers that sold policies on ACA insurance exchanges, to persuade them to set insurance premiums at prices consumers would accept. WSJ — 4/27/20

• McConnell’s rejection of federal aid for states risks causing a depression, analysts say — That’s a recipe for turning a potentially short recession into a prolonged depression, according to officials and analysts. The question of whether Congress and the White House should provide relief funding to state and local governments — as the feds have done already for private business — is about to reach a showdown in Washington. Washington Post — 4/27/20

• Trump’s Disinfectant Remark Raises a Question About the ‘Very Stable Genius’ — The reaction has so rattled the president’s allies and advisers that he was compelled over the weekend to remove himself from the pandemic briefings entirely, at least temporarily accepting two fates he loathes: giving in to advice (from Republicans who said the appearances did far more harm than good to his political standing) and surrendering the mass viewership he relishes. NY Times — 4/27/20

• The Secret Group of Scientists and Billionaires Pushing Trump on a Covid-19 Plan — They are working around the clock to cull the world’s most promising research for what they describe as a virus-era Manhattan Project. WSJ — 4/27/20

• Social distancing could last months, White House coronavirus coordinator says — Some form of social distancing will probably remain in place through the summer, Deborah Birx, the White House’s coronavirus task force coordinator, said Sunday — the same day several governors expressed optimism about the course of the virus and outlined their plans for a piecemeal reopening of their economies. It was the latest instance of conflicting signals coming not just from state and federal leaders but also from within the Trump administration in the midst of a coronavirus pandemic that so far has claimed the lives of more than 54,000 Americans. Last week, Vice President Pence predicted that “we will largely have this coronavirus epidemic behind us” by Memorial Day weekend. Washington Post — 4/26/20

• ‘We’re basically ill-prepared’: Hobbled House majority frets about its effectiveness amid pandemic — Yet amid the biggest national crisis in generations, the one branch of government where Democrats hold power has largely sidelined itself, struggling so far to adopt remote voting, Zoom video hearings or any of the other alternative methods that have become standard for most workplaces in the age of covid-19. No administration official has appeared at a congressional hearing in over a month. Committees have been unable to meet in person to debate and advance bills. There is no firm date for when the new oversight panel will start its work. Washington Post — 4/26/20

• Trump called PPE shortages ‘fake news.’ Health care workers say they’re still a real problem — President Donald Trump often opens his evening news briefings on the pandemic by rattling off a list of actions his administration has taken to secure protective gear for frontline health workers, claiming dire shortages have been resolved. But hospitals, nursing homes and caregivers across the country tell POLITICO they are still struggling to obtain medical masks, gloves and gowns, undercutting Trump’s assertions. Politico — 4/26/20

• USDA let millions of pounds of food rot while food-bank demand soared — Tens of millions of pounds of American-grown produce is rotting in fields as food banks across the country scramble to meet a massive surge in demand, a two-pronged disaster that has deprived farmers of billions of dollars in revenue while millions of newly jobless Americans struggle to feed their families. While other federal agencies quickly adapted their programs to the coronavirus crisis, the Agriculture Department took more than a month to make its first significant move to buy up surplus fruits and vegetables — despite repeated entreaties. Politico — 4/26/20

• Mnuchin: ‘You’re going to see the economy really bounce back in July, August, September’ — Treasury Secretary — “I think as we begin to reopen the economy in May and June you’re going to see the economy really bounce back in July, August, September,” Mnuchin said on “Fox News Sunday.” “We are putting an unprecedented amount of fiscal relief into the economy,” he added. “You’re seeing trillions of dollars that’s making its way into the economy, and I think this is going to have a significant impact.” The Hill — 4/26/20

• How Las Vegas Became Ground Zero for the American Jobs Crisis — Nearly 350,000 people in Nevada have filed for unemployment benefits since the crisis began, the highest number in the history of the state. Applied Analysis, a Las Vegas-based economic research firm, estimates the city’s current jobless rate to be about 25 percent — nearly double what it was during the Great Recession — and rising. NY Times — 4/26/20

• Large, Troubled Companies Got Bailout Money in Small-Business Loan Program — Applicants for loans do not need to provide evidence that they have been harmed by the pandemic. They simply need to certify that “current economic uncertainty makes this loan request necessary” to support their operations. Instead of having the Small Business Administration, which is guaranteeing the loans, decide which companies get funding, the process was essentially outsourced to banks. The banks collect fees for each loan they make but don’t have to monitor whether the recipients use the money appropriately. NY Times — 4/26/30

• McConnell state bankruptcy remarks raise constitutional questions — Experts on state and local government finances say that Congress may not have the right to grant states the ability to file for bankruptcy under the Constitution. They also argued that bankruptcy wouldn’t be particularly helpful in addressing states’ coronavirus-related challenges. The Hill — 4/25/20

• Young and middle-aged people, barely sick with covid-19, are dying of strokes — Doctors sound alarm about patients in their 30s and 40s left debilitated or dead. Some didn’t even know they were infected. Washington Post — 4/25/20

• Editorial: Who do we save from coronavirus and who do we let die? Take wealth, race and disability out of that brutal equation — “Our society faces momentous decisions,” the chief of surgery explained to a young resident. “About terminal illness, prolonged coma, transplantation. Decisions about life and death. But society isn’t deciding. Congress isn’t deciding. The courts aren’t deciding. Religion isn’t deciding. Why? Because society is leaving it up to us, the experts. The doctors.” LA Times — 4/25/30

• Coronavirus Projected to Trigger Worst Economic Downturn Since 1940s — The economy is likely to shrink 12% in the second quarter—a 40% drop if it were to persist for a year—and the jobless rate will average 14%, the nonpartisan research service said Friday. Job losses will come to 27 million in the second and third quarters. The federal budget deficit is expected to reach $3.7 trillion by the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, the CBO said, up from about $1 trillion in the 12 months through March. WSJ — 4/24/20

• U.S. weighs taking equity stakes in U.S. energy companies, Mnuchin says — The U.S. government is considering taking equity stakes in U.S. energy companies as it seeks to help the nation’s oil and gas sector amid the coronavirus outbreak, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Friday. Reuters — 4/24/20

• Trump remarks on injecting disinfectants draw blowback from doctors — President Trump’s suggestion that people could inject disinfectants as a way to treat the coronavirus is drawing strong criticism from doctors who warn the remarks from the White House could endanger the public. In an unusual statement, the company that makes Lysol also warned against ingesting its products on Friday. The White House pushed back at the criticism on Friday morning, blaming the media for stirring up negative headlines. The Hill — 4/24/20

• NASA team developed a ventilator tailored for coronavirus patients in 37 days — It’s called VITAL, or Ventilator Intervention Technology Accessible Locally. And after passing a critical test at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York earlier this week, NASA is hoping for fast-track approval of the ventilator in the coming days so it can be used to help coronavirus patients. CNN — 4/24/20

• Workers Sue Smithfield Foods, Allege Conditions Put Them At Risk For COVID-19 — Smithfield Foods, one of the biggest meat producers in the country, is operating its plant in Milan, Mo., in a manner that contributes to the spread of the coronavirus, according to a federal lawsuit filed Thursday in Kansas City. The suit, brought by a plant worker identified as Jane Doe and by a nonprofit that advocates for plant workers, accuses Smithfield of failing to provide workers with sufficient protective equipment; forcing them to work shoulder to shoulder; giving them insufficient opportunities to wash their hands; discouraging them from taking sick leave; and failing to implement a plan for testing and contact tracing. NPR — 4/24/20

• Trump offered a confusing coronavirus theory. Conservative pundits explained it for him — The evolution of Trump’s idea that light might be used inside coronavirus patients shows the symbiotic relationship between the president and his boosters. At times, conservative outlets have promoted ideas, such as the possibility that the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine might help cure the disease, that Trump has then adopted. Other times, Trump throws out his own theories, and conservative outlets swiftly parrot them and defend the president. The president’s medical advisers expressed a desire for the media to spend less time dissecting the president’s extemporaneous remarks. Politico –4/26/20

• Dr. Fauci gets his wish as Brad Pitt plays him in ‘SNL’ cold open — “Saturday Night Live” aired its second at-home episode Saturday night, kicking off the remotely produced show with a cold open featuring Brad Pitt as Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. In a CNN interview earlier this month, Fauci jokingly requested Pitt to portray him on “SNL.” Los Angeles Times — 4/26/20

• Closed Hospitals Leave Rural Patients ‘Stranded’ as Coronavirus Spreads — Across the United States, hospitals serving rural areas have spent decades trying to provide medical care and produce enough revenue to stay open. They have closed in increasing numbers in recent years as local populations have declined. About 170 rural hospitals have shut down since 2005. New York Times — 4/26/20

• ‘No Evidence’ Yet That Recovered COVID-19 Patients Are Immune, WHO Says — The World Health Organization has pushed back against the theory that individuals can only catch the coronavirus once, as well as proposals for reopening society that are based on this supposed immunity. In a scientific brief dated Friday, the United Nations agency said the idea that one-time infection can lead to immunity remains unproven and is thus unreliable as a foundation for the next phase of the world’s response to the pandemic. NPR — 4/25/20

Global:

• Ardern: New Zealand has ‘won battle’ against community transmission of Covid-19 — Ahead of move to level-3 lockdown, PM says country must remain vigilant Level 3 will see retailers, restaurants and schools allowed to reopen on a smaller scale. Schools will reopen on Wednesday for children up to Year 10 who cannot study from home, or whose parents need to return to work. The Guardian — 4/27/20

• UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson returns to work after coronavirus hospitalization, but warns that this is the ‘moment of maximum risk’ — The U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson returned to work on Monday morning, completing his recovery after he was hospitalised for coronavirus and spent three nights in the ICU earlier this month. ABC— 4/27/20

• Could a ‘controlled avalanche’ stop the coronavirus faster, and with fewer deaths? — The strategy would mimic the effects of a vaccination campaign by encouraging a majority of a population to become infected with the coronavirus and recover. But embedded within are a plethora of practical, political and ethical dilemmas, experts warn. Political leaders will face the charge that they’re sacrificing lives to shore up their economies. Healthcare workers and first responders could be overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients. Low-income workers, already burdened by poorer health, would feel pressured to become infected so they could return to work. LA Times — 4/25/20

• Maas warns of second Coronavirus wave — Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has called for a very cautious approach to relaxing measures against the spread of the Coronavirus in a bid to prevent a second wave of the pandemic. Deutschland.de — 4/24/20

• Coronavirus will make life hard for a long time, Angela Merkel says — Despite positive developments in Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel has cautioned that the pandemic has only just begun. She also said Germany should be prepared to open its pocketbook to help the EU. dw.com –4/24/20

• Air France-KLM secures billions in government aid — Air France-KLM has secured at least €9bn (£7.9bn; $9.7bn) in government aid, as the Franco-Dutch airline group struggles to stay afloat because of the coronavirus outbreak. BBC News — 4/24/20

• World leaders kick off initiative to fight coronavirus without US — The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched an initiative in collaboration with world leaders to accelerate the development of tests, drugs and vaccines against the coronavirus and share them around the world, without the involvement of the United States. WHO on Friday launched the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator during a video news conference with world leaders, among those who joined the conference included France President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The Hill — 4/24/20

• Dutch students sail home across the Atlantic due to coronavirus — A group of 25 Dutch high school students arrived back in the Netherlands in a two-mast schooner on Sunday, after airline restrictions left them with little choice but to help sail it home from the Caribbean. The group, aged 14-17, had been halfway through a six week sail-study program in the region on board the “Wylde Swan”, which was built in 1920. But by mid-March, it appeared they could no longer fly home from Cuba as planned. Reuters — 4/26/20

• Berlin’s Anti-Lockdown Protests Are Getting Way Bigger, Crazier, and More Far-Right — Berlin’s wild anti-lockdown protests took a decided turn to the far right on Saturday as extremist activists — and reps from Germany’s far-right parties, for the first time — came out in big numbers to swell the crowds to about 1,000 people, double the size of last weekend’s protest. The protests are organized by a fringe group that considers themselves left-wing anticapitalists, they’ve increasingly attracted support from far-right groups and activists. VICE News — 4/26/20

For more resources and information on COVID-19:

• CA COVID-19 Response Website: link
• California Department of Public Health: link
• Centers for Disease Control: link
• California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services: link
• Employment Development Department (EDD) link
• Labor Workforce and Development Agency: link
• Tips for prevention: English | Spanish