The Serious Side - part 8

[size=34]#BoycottCostco trends with people furious at the stores making masks mandatory but sparks a #SupportCostco backlash as shoppers come to the chain's defense[/size]

• Costco faced a backlash after requiring shoppers to wear masks in an attempt to control the spread of the coronavirus
  
  
• Some customers said they believed the rule is a violation of personal freedoms 
  
  
• Now shoppers are rallying around Costco to support the company's mask policy 
  
  
• The hashtag #BoycottCostco is now trending with: #SupportCostco
  
  
• Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
  
  

On Monday, Costco became the latest retailer to require shoppers to wear masks during the coronavirus pandemic with the company insisting face coverings be worn 'at all times' in the store. 
The company quickly faced a backlash for requiring customers to wear such accessories despite many states insisting on taking such precautions when social distancing is not possible. Angry customers called for a boycott of the chain in response.
On Friday, loyal shoppers appeared to be coming to the big box store's defense with the hashtag #SupportCostco trending on Twitter. 
Costco's policy is in line with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control, which is advising people to wear some type of face coverings 'in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.' 


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Costco faced a backlash after requiring shoppers to wear masks in an attempt to control the spread of the coronavirus









Costco faced a backlash after requiring shoppers to wear masks in an attempt to control the spread of the coronavirus
The company, which has more than 540 stores across the U.S., is facing threats from customers who say they will no longer shop at the retailer. 
'We cannot let them normalize the fear - it allows them to drag out the closures and restrictions and will make it easier for them to do this to the country every flu season moving forward,' Ashley Smith, a leader at ReOpen NC, posted on Facebook.
Some customers said they believed Costco's rule is a violation of their personal freedoms.  
Costco is also attempting to enforce social distancing in stores by limiting the numbers of people who can be allowed inside at once. 


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'We cannot let them normalize the fear - it allows them to drag out the closures and restrictions and will make it easier for them to do this to the country every flu season moving forward,' Ashley Smith, left, a leader at ReOpen NC, posted on Facebook


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Some customers said they believed the rule is a violation of personal freedoms
'The use of a mask or face covering should not be seen as a substitute for social distancing,'' the company said in its announcement. 'Please continue to observe rules regarding appropriate distancing while on Costco premises.' 
On Friday, however, #boycottcostco on Twitter was co-opted by people on Twitter who supported the retailers' stance with the hashtag #supportCostco. 
'I #supportCostco bc they pay employees a living wage, provide incredible healthcare & other benefits including paid family leave, & put the well-being of staff and their families ahead of the selfish demands of people who don't want to wear masks. Never#boycottcostco!' wrote one user.
'My mom works at costco as a supervisor and her safety is put at risk EVERY DAY and y'all really feel the need to complain about having to wear a mask when you go once!? y'all are selfish, ignorant, and ridiculous. get over yourselves and have some human decency. #boycottcostco.' 








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Now shoppers are rallying around Costco to support the company's mask policy
Costco's Facebook page has also been flooded with customers showing support for the chain.
'I think it is wonderful that Costco is requiring masks to go into their business,' one commenter said. 'They are working to keep me, my family and their employees safe during a difficult time. If [you] do not want to be safe, then go somewhere else.'
'I totally support your mask policy,' another said. 'It is small minded individuals who don't understand the reason for it. Covid is not a hoax. It is a serious problem. People are dying for God's sake. Suck it up and protect others.'
In response to the backlash last week, a Costco representative directed Business Insider to a message on the company's website from CEO Craig Jelinek.
'We know some members may find this inconvenient or objectionable, but under the circumstances we believe the added safety is worth any inconvenience,' Jelinek wrote. 'This is not simply a matter of personal choice; a face covering protects not just the wearer, but others too.'
[size=10][size=18]Comedian narrates exchange between Costco and customer boycott




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[size=34]Conservative talk-radio host Dennis Prager, 71, bemoans the loss of racial slurs in society to describe black people[/size]

• Dennis Prager from right-wing Salem Radio Network went on air to complain how society no longer uses offensive slurs coined during the era of slavery
  
  
• Prager, 71, went on to list various words that are no longer being used
  
  
• Twitter users were quick to roast Prager's preaching 
  
  
• Earlier this month he called the coronavirus lockdowns the 'greatest mistake in the history of humanity'
  
  
• Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
  
  

Conservative radio talk show host Dennis Prager has taken to the airwaves to air his grievances about politically correctness, blasting the loss of society's use of racist language and offensive slurs. 
Prager, 71, who was born in Brooklyn and who hosts a show on the right-wing Salem Radio Network used his show to bemoan society no longer using racist language coined during eras of slavery and segregation.
'I'm going to start a movement to change the name Native Americans — not to mock Native Americans but mock people who change names all the time...' 


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Dennis Prager from right-wing Salem Radio Network went on air to complain how society no longer uses offensive slurs coined during the era of slavery


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Prager, 71, went on to list various words that are no longer being used

Jason Campbell@JasonSCampbell





[ltr]Dennis Prager: "How many names have Blacks gone through in my lifetime?...What was wrong with Negro? What was wrong with colored? None of them, there's no problem with any of them"[/ltr]









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8:49 PM - May 7, 2020
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[size=34]On your bike, Boris! Commuters rebel against being given a choice between dangerously crowded trains and being crushed by a truck on a bike as Tory mayor hopeful tells Sadiq Khan to pull his finger out and get tubes running[/size]

• Rail bosses are urgently planning to revive train routes which have been mothballed during the lockdown 
  
  
• Sadiq Khan's plan to encourage Londoners to cycle and walk to work has been branded 'madness'
  
  
• Social distancing rules will likely slash capacity on public transport and push people to drive to work
  
  
• An influx of motorists risks clogging up the nation's roads and hamstringing plans to get Britain back to work 
  
  

Boris Johnson's back-to-work blueprint has already begun to unravel after the public poured cold water on hopes they could commute by bike. 
The government today announced a £2billion funding package to encourage people to cycle to work once lockdown is loosened.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told the daily Number 10 briefing his aim was to relax the strain on public transport, which will only run at a tenth of pre-lockdown capacity because of social distancing rules. 
Yet the proposal has already hit the buffers because workers have claimed it is impractical - and even potentially perilous for novice cyclists navigating busy city roads.
Many who live miles away from their workplaces stressed it would be impossible for them travel by bike or on foot, while others highlighted not all offices are kitted out with showers.
Mr Shapps is looking to overhaul the way millions of Britons commute because reduced train and bus services risk being overwhelmed.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has come under heavy fire for failing to increase capacity on the Tube ahead of an expected rise in passengers.
The Prime Minister is likely to sketch out a time-frame for workers to return when he sets out his road map from lockdown in an address to the nation tomorrow night.
But Londoners face the nightmare prospect of a crippled Underground network, which Mr Khan has previously said will not be back to full functioning for some weeks.    
Piling on the pressure, Shaun Bailey, Conservative candidate for Mayor, told MailOnline: 'The only way London can get back to work safely is if the Tubes are running at full capacity so social distancing is actually possible.'
He added: 'Londoners are past the point of excuses - what we need is a Mayor who will move heaven and earth to ensure TfL is ready to meet the increased demand.' 
Mr Khan is also urging people to cycle and walk to work, which politicians have branded 'madness' and rubbished the notion of people in outer boroughs commuting into central London in this way. 


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The PM's plan is expected to encourage people to cycle or walk to work if they can, with firms also due to be told to provide workers with face masks. Cyclists are pictured at Buckingham Palace today


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Commuters are still using public transport including the Northern Line in London, but there is a lot more space compared to passenger numbers before the coronavirus lockdown


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Boris Johnson, pictured in St James' Park in London this morning, will set out his lockdown exit plan tomorrow night





















Yet the trailed proposal has already been picked apart by workers claiming it is infeasible and even potentially perilous for novice cyclists trying to navigate busy city roads

[size=34]Teenage cyclists fights for life after suspected hit-and-run[/size]

A teenage cyclist is fighting for his life after being hit by two cars in quick succession on Friday night.
The 16-year-old boy was cycling along Streatham High Road in south London when he was involved in the suspected double hit-and-run, police said.
He was found by officers critically injured at the scene and taken to hospital, where he remains in a life-threatening condition.
It is believed he was in collision with a car and, seconds later, struck by a second car travelling close behind.
The drivers of both vehicles failed to stop at the scene, although two men were later arrested at separate locations in the local area.
Both men - each aged in their 20s - remain in custody at police stations in south London.
The two drivers are not thought to be known to each other, but enquiries as to the full circumstances are ongoing. 



Mr Shapps said the first phase of the £2bn package would be £250million emergency funding to shore up cycle path safety and create wider pavements for walking.
He said he was confident Britons would embrace this new 'fitter' lifestyle and pointed to the 70 per cent uptick in cycling since lockdown begun. 
But it was met with fierce push-back from the public who pointed out the flaws. 
One person said: 'I'd like to cycle to work every day Prime Minister, but as a novice having to navigate dual carriageways and the like I wouldn't last a day.'
Another said: 'More than happy to cycle to work if the government can promise I won't be squashed by a lorry on the way through central London...'   
A Tory MP told MailOnline: 'It sounds like a very London-centric policy. In most parts of the country it is not an option. 
'We are in a situation where if you can do that you probably already do.
'It almost sounds a bit gimmicky. We should be looking at ways to make it easier for people to drive at the moment because that actually from a health point of view is better.' 
In London, the Mayor has poured cold water on hopes the Tube network will be brought back to full functioning to accommodate the return of workers.  
Transport for London (TfL) will require four weeks to prepare for the easing of lockdown as 7,000 staff have been furloughed and a fifth are self-isolating. 
TfL said it is currently 'running the maximum frequency' possible, but even during lockdown the Tube has been seen rammed.  
Nurses have even been forced to fork out for Uber rides across London for fear of becoming contaminated on their normal Tube journey to work.


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Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told the daily Number 10 briefing his aim was to relax the strain on public transport, which will only run at a tenth of pre-lockdown capacity because of social distancing rules
[size=10][size=18]Grant Shapps reveal changes to public transport when lockdown lifts




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[size=34]Employees 'could get legal right to work from home'[/size]

POLITICS

The United States Postal Service is getting a new postmaster general. Louis DeJoy is set to take over in June.
Paul Ratje/AFP via Getty Images
Louis DeJoy, a North Carolina businessman who has given millions of dollars to the Republican Party, including the Trump campaign, has been named the nation's new postmaster general.
The U.S. Postal Service's Board of Governors made the announcement Wednesday night.
"Louis DeJoy understands the critical public service role of the United States Postal Service, and the urgent need to strengthen it for future generations," said Robert Duncan, chair of the Board of Governors. "The Board appreciated Louis' depth of knowledge on the important issues facing the Postal Service and his desire to work with all of our stakeholders on preserving and protecting this essential institution."
DeJoy said in a statement that he looks forward "to working with the supporters of the Postal Service in Congress and the Administration to ensure the Postal Service remains an integral part of the United States government. Postal workers are the heart and soul of this institution, and I will be honored to work alongside them and their unions."

ELECTIONS

Ballot Printers Increase Capacity To Prepare For Mail Voting Surge

The New York native was chairman and CEO of New Breed Logistics, which among other things worked with the Postal Service. He is expected to begin serving in his new role effective June 15.
DeJoy has contributed more than $1.2 million to the Trump Victory Fund, and millions more to Republican Party organizations and candidates, according to Federal Election Commission records. He was also in charge of fundraising for the Republican National Convention.
DeJoy's appointment was immediately criticized by Democrats.
"The idea that we would appoint and accept the appointment of a partisan political donor with no credentials ... is reckless and irresponsible ... and a stick in the eye by Trump to a service Americans count on every day," Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., told NPR.

[size=34]Dr. Anthony Fauci will tell the Senate at 10am today that opening US economy too soon will lead to 'needless suffering and death'[/size]

• Fauci, and four other government doctors, will testify at Congress on Tuesday
  
  
• He says his core point is 'the danger of trying to open the country prematurely'
  
  
• The infectious diseases experts said: 'This will not only result in needless suffering and death, but would set us back on our quest to return to normal'
  
  
• States have started reopening, despite not meeting the 'Open America Again' checkpoints - the three phase White House plan to guide states in opening up
  
  

Dr Anthony Fauci will today warn Senators that opening the US economy too soon will lead to 'needless suffering and death.'  
Fauci, America's top infectious diseases expert, and four other senior government doctors will testify remotely before the Senate Health Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
In an email to the New York Times, Fauci said his main intention was to get across 'the danger of trying to open the country prematurely.'
He added: 'If we skip over the checkpoints in the guidelines to: "Open America Again," then we risk the danger of multiple outbreaks throughout the country. This will not only result in needless suffering and death, but would actually set us back on our quest to return to normal.' 
It will be Fauci's first appearance before Congress - and it is a chance for him to address lawmakers and the public without Donald Trump at his side. 
Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer has urged Fauci to 'let it rip' when he testifies, calling it an opportunity for the American people to hear 'the unvarnished truth without the president lurking over his shoulder.' 


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Dr Anthony Fauci will today warn Senators that opening the US economy too soon will lead to 'needless suffering and death.'


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It will be Fauci's first appearance before Congress - and it is a chance for him to address lawmakers and the public without President Trump by his side.
[size=10][size=18]'We have prevailed,' Trump speaks on coronavirus testing progress




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[size=34]Senior Republican Liz Cheney calls Dr. Fauci 'one of the finest public servants we have ever had' after Rand Paul accused expert of wanting to be 'the end all' of coronavirus[/size]

• 'His only interest is saving lives,' Cheney wrote
  
  
• The daughter of the former vice president is a House GOP leader
  
  
• Defense came after GOP Sen. Rand Paul warned Fauci shouldn't be 'the end all' 
  
  
• Fauci responded that he wasn't the 'end all' and that he provides 'advice according to the best scientific evidence'
  
  
• Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
  
  

House Republican Rep. Liz Cheney is defending Dr. Anthony Fauci as one of the nation's 'finest public servants' after fellow Republican Sen. Rand Paul warned the disease expert shouldn't be the 'end all' on coronavirus policy decisions.
Cheney, who holds the Number Three leadership position among House Republicans as chair of the party conference, hailed Fauci as a non-partisan figure and said Americans should be thanking him.    
'Dr. Fauci is one of the finest public servants we have ever had,' Cheney wrote. 'He is not a partisan. His only interest is saving lives. We need his expertise and his judgment to defeat this virus. All Americans should be thanking him. Every day,' she wrote.


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'Dr. Fauci is one of the finest public servants we have ever had,' wrote Rep. Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican
Cheney, a Wyoming Republican, backed up Fauci after Paul, a Kentucky Republican, provided some of the fireworks during Tuesday's Senate hearing by challenging Fauci, who was participating remotely due to exposure to an aide to Vice President Mike Pence, who tested positive for the disease.
Paul, who previously had the coronavirus himself, was among the Republican participants who did not wear a mask during his own live participation. 
The spat happened when Fauci criticized Republican Senator Rand Paul for 'cavalier' comments on reopening schools. Paul said schools might reopen this fall because of the 'low mortality' rate in children from the coronavirus.  
'As much as I respect you, Dr. Fauci, I don't think you're the end all - I don't think you're the one person who gets to make a decision,' Paul said during his five minutes to question the infectious disease expert.



Cheney defended Fauci as 'one of the finest public servants' in the nation's history


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Fauci called in to participate in a Senate hearing on the coronavirus, and eschewed Paul's 'end all' label


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Paul, who preiously tested positive for the coronavirus, went after Fauci during a Senate hearing, saying he wasn't the 'end all'


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Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, top, speaks via teleconference during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, May 12, 2020
[size=10][size=18]Fauci slams 'cavalier' Rand Paul after he calls for schools to open




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[size=34]Donald Trump's administration reveals U.S. medical stockpile was down to just a week's worth of gear when coronavirus hit – despite early assurances that the nation had 'tremendous' supplies[/size]

• There were just 1-3 weeks of supply when the coronavirus hit
  
  
• Hospitals and nurses began using makeshift supplies
  
  
• n95 masks were not replenished after flu outbreak
  
  
• Now there is a plan to procure 1 billion of them 
  
  
• Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
  
  

The national medical stockpile was down to just a few weeks of supplies when the coronavirus outbreak occurred, according to Trump administration officials who said the nation's cupboards are now filling up.  
Hospitals around the country were overrun and warning about a lack of supplies as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The U.S. eventually turned to its national medical stockpile, with administration officials offering frequent assurances that there was enough equipment.
But a look-back has revealed just how close to the edge the nation's medical system was operating. 


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President Donald Trump speaks to the press as he departs the White House in Washington, DC, on May 14, 2020. - Trump is traveling to Allentown, Pennsylvania, to tour a medical supply company. A medical stockpile was down to just a few weeks supply, according to an administration official who briefed reporters
'When COVID broke out in the U.S. we had 1-3 weeks worth of supply for most of the items in our stockpile,' a senior administration official told reporters on a briefing call Thursday.
'That was based on a retrospective look at how much the surge demand was for certain products.'
Part of the problem is that the country sent out millions of the specialized masks during the H1-N1 flu outbreak – and never replenished. 
'When we started addressing COVID in January, we had 13 million n95 masks in the stockpile,' said the official. 'That's precisely the number we had right after H1N1 in 2009, 2010. So it was severely depleted after H1N1, never replenished.'
Now, with several months to get supplies on line, the stockpile is getting full again, according to officials.
'We are building the stockpiling such that we are fortified against a resurgence of COVID, a potential resurgence of COVID,' said an official, in part due to a 'tremendous' expansion of domestic capacity.


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Donald Trump told American consumers to stop buying and hoarding necessities as fears of the coronavirus outbreak rocks the nation March 15. His administration vouched for 'tremendous' supplies in the medical stockpile


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Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks to the media and tours newly opened drive through COVID-19 mobile testing center organized by Northwell hospital at Glen Island Park, New Rochelle, New York Coronavirus outbreak, USA - 13 Mar 2020


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A woman wearing a protective mask is seen in Union Square on March 9, 2020 in New York City. There are now 20 confirmed coronavirus cases in the city including a 7-year-old girl in the Bronx


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Medical personnel from the Somerville Hospital prepare tests for drive-thru coronavirus testing in Somerville, Massachusetts, USA, 18 March 2020. According to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), there have been at least 7,301 confirmed cases and 116 deaths from the pandemic COVID-19 disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in the US so far, although the number of tests has been strictly limited
Said another senior administration official: 'We had to go into intense mitigation early on. It was because we were fearful of not having the hospital capacity, not having the ventilator capacity, not having enough critical supplies not having enough tests. I think that now that we've caught up on all these items, we're making sure that as we go into the fall we're in a position where America never has to shut down again.'
 It wasn't just just specialized masks and ventilators that were low.
'Of all the items that a COVID patient in the hospital consumed during a length of stay, we only carried 28 percent of stock-keeping units. We didn't' carry a lot of critical care drugs,' said a senior administration official.
'We did not carry testing supplies. These were never in the strategic national stockpile,' the official continued.  
The stark look-back comes after the administration provided reassurances to the public when the impact of the virus hit. 
Health and Human Services Secretary said there were 'tremendous' supplies when DailyMail.com asked him about it during a March 15 coronavirus task force briefing. 
'We don't disclose concrete numbers on particular items for national security purposes,' he said.
'Obviously this is an unprecedented challenge, unprecedented,' Azar continued, keeping it vague. 'And so we will work to increase the supplies of personal protective equipment of ventilators of field medical units, hospitals.'
'We have tremendous supplies,' he added. 'But we want to acquire more. And that's thanks to the bipartisan work of Congress funding the emergency supplemental that gives us the money to scale up production here and abroad. And we're doing that.'
Now, there are plans to amass a stunning 1 billion n95 masks to protect against a potential outbreak in the fall or later.
'At the start of this pandemic we had 13m N95 masks. We have an Aspiration to actually have a billion of those,' said a senior official.
'We're not going to have all of those in the next 90 days for the fall but We do anticipate having 300 million, so you can do the math,' the official said. 
There were 2 million medical gowns. Now there are plans for up to 7 million of them. There were no critical care drugs for people on ventilators.  
'We will have millions of milliliters of those,' said the official, to 'be able to take care of any type of surge we anticipate in the fall and beyond.' 
'That is what is going to be stocked to take care of the American people,' the official concluded.
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany brandished a document called the 'Pandemic Crisis Action Plan' Thursday as she accompanied Trump on a trip to Pennsylvania. 
She said of a pandemic preparedness plan left by the Obama administration: 'It was insufficient, wasn't going to work. [What this] administration did, and leadership of President Trump, is an entire 2019 pandemic preparedness report. Beyond that we did a full exercise on pandemic preparedness in August of last year, and had an entire after-action report put together. In other words, the Obama-Biden was superseded by President Trump-style pandemic preparedness response.' 

[size=34]'I gave them the option.' Donald Trump appears with unmasked officials despite Dr. Fauci standing behind him wearing one - then says it only kills a 'tiny percentage'[/size]

• President Trump said he made mask-wearing optional at a Friday event in the White House's Rose Garden 
  
  
• 'We've all been tested and we're quite a distance away and we're outdoors, so I told them, I gave them the option and they could wear it or not,' Trump said 
  
  
• He added, 'So you can blame it on me,' as he appeared without a mask, as did Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar 
  
  
• Drs. Anthony Fauci, Deborah Birx, Surgeon General Jerome Adams, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and other officials all sported masks 
  
  
• At the event that was dedicated to vaccines, Trump noted that the coronavirus killed a 'very, very small percentage' of people  
  
  
• Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
  
  

President Trump said he made mask-wearing optional at a Friday afternoon Rose Garden event. 
Trump appeared mask-less, along with Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, while both Drs. Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx sported masks. 
'We've all been tested, I've been tested, we've all been tested and we're quite a distance away and we're outdoors, so I told them, I gave them the option and they could wear it or not,' Trump explained when asked about the inconsistent appearance of officials. 'So you can blame it on me,' Trump said. 
'I gave them the option, they could wear it or not,' he repeated. 
The president remarked of the coronavirus that it kills a 'very, very small percentage' of people.
'I say it all the time, it's a tiny percentage,' he said. 'The vast majority - many people don't even know they have it.' 
COVID-19 has left more than 86,000 Americans dead.  


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President Trump again appeared without a mask during a White House Rose Garden event on vaccines Friday. He told reporters he gave officials the option to wear a mask since they all had been tested, were standing several feet away from one another and were outside 
[size=10][size=18]Trump says he gave officials a 'choice' to wear masks




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[size=34]Italy reopens: Restrictions are eased after three months of lockdown with people free to fly from June 3 and shops set to reopen on Monday[/size]

• Italy will be open to European tourists from June 3 after three-month lockdown
  
  
• Regions could also reopen their economy fully under strict safety measures
  
  
• Country did not specify which foreign nationals would be allowed to enter Italy
  
  
• In a press release, the government said it respected the 'legal order' of the EU
  
  
• Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
  
  

Italy will reopen to European tourists from June 3 and scrap a 14-day mandatory quarantine period, the government said on Saturday, as it accelerated its exit from the coronavirus lockdown.
The move will also apply to countries in the Schengen Area, and comes as the Italian government announced plans to also lift some travel restrictions on people within the country.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte enforced an economically crippling shutdown in early March to counter a pandemic that has so far killed more than 31,500 people in Italy.
The Prime Minister has resisted calls from some regions to open sooner, and has instead lifted measures gradually fearing a second wave of the virus. 
From the same date, regions will be allowed to reopen all sectors of the economy, providing strict safety and social distancing measures are observed.
This includes restaurants so long as customers are kept one meter apart, with staff wearing mandatory face masks. Customers will also be required to wear face masks if they are not sitting at tables.


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Italians return to the streets, all wearing face masks, as the country enters phase 2 of its pandemic response. Pictured: Viale Papiniano market, Milan, May 16


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Italy will reopen to tourists from June 3, by which point regions will also have been allowed to reopen all sectors of their economy, providing strict safety measures are followed. Pictured: Thermal cameras are use to monitor body temperature at Fiumicino airport, near Rome, May 15
Shops in Italy are set to reopen on May 18, and people will be allowed to move freely within individual regions, allowing people to visit their friends.
Italy is holding off lifting travel restrictions further until after its June 2 Republic Day in an attempt to limit any mass travel over the long holiday weekend. 
The shutdown halted all holidaymaking in a country heavily dependent on the tourism industry.
Although Italy never formally closed its borders and has allowed people to cross back and forth for work or health reasons, it banned movement for tourism and imposed a two-week isolation period for new arrivals.
[size=10][size=18]Italy decides to lift international travel restrictions from June 3




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• 16 May 2020
  

• 'Ousted' US vaccine expert to file complaint
  
• The White House revolving door: Who's gone?
  

'Retaliation'

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annemarie wrote:I'm sure they will go back for summer if it is safe. That is where he likes to spend the summer.

[size=34]Doctor slams President Trump for 'wasting' at least $5MILLION on Blue Angels and Thunderbird flyovers as a salute to medics, saying 'you want to help healthcare workers, get us PPE'[/size]

• Viral video has emerged of a doctor slamming Blue Angels and Thunderbird flyovers for healthcare workers as a waste of money
  
  
• 'Don’t flyover something so we can see some crap... to make the president look good,' a healthcare worker named Dr. Bill said on May 12
  
  
• 'You want to help healthcare workers? Get us equipment. Get us PPE,' he added
  
  
• The squadrons cost a reported $60,000 per hour and they have done over 92 fly overs which amounts to over $5.5million if each show lasts an hour 
  
  
• Four months into COVID-19 crisis in US, volunteer organization GetUsPPE has had requests for PPE and respirators from over 6,000 hospitals in all 50 states 
  
  

CityMD will provide free coronavirus tests to uninsured New Yorkers
By Lee Brown and Reuven Fenton
May 17, 2020 | 1:40pm

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[size=34]NYC's black and Latino neighborhoods have seen death rates nearly 15 times higher than wealthy white enclaves, new maps reveal as death toll hits more than 15,900[/size]

• Some NYC neighborhoods have seen death rates from coronavirus nearly 15 times higher than others 
  
  
• The pandemic has revealed wide disparities in how people have been affected   
  
  
• Starrett City in East New York, Brooklyn has the highest death rate in the city
  
  
• Far Rockaway and Flushing in Queens, followed by a section of the northeast Bronx, and Coney Island in Brooklyn have also been badly affected
  
  
• Only the Financial District in Lower Manhattan has recorded zero deaths 
  
  
• At least 190,000 cases of coronavirus have been reported in NYC as of Monday - in total there have been more than 15,900 confirmed deaths and a further 4,800 probable deaths 
  
  
• Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
  
  

Some New York City neighborhoods have seen death rates from the novel coronavirus nearly 15 times higher than others, according to data released by New York City's health department on Monday, showing the disproportionate toll taken on poor communities.
The data shows for the first time a breakdown on the number of deaths in each of the city's more than 60 ZIP codes. 
The highest death rate was seen on the edge of Brooklyn in a neighborhood dominated by a large subsidized-housing development called Starrett City which saw 612.24 deaths per 100,000.
Nearby Rockaway, Queens, a community that is almost 39% black and 21% Latino was the second most affected neighborhood with 444.73 per 100,000 deaths.
In Flushing, Queens, a predominantly Asian community, the death rate was at 434.09 per 100,000 deaths.  


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New York City has created a map that show the areas with the highest death counts from coronavirus. The darker the shade, the greater the number of deaths per 100,000


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The Bronx and Queens are shown to have the highest death rate. The Bronx death rate measured 236 deaths per 100,000 with Queens at 210 deaths per 100,000 people


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This map shows the percentage of positive tests for COVID. The darker areas show that up to 49% of those who were tested were positive for the virus


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The red circles show the amount of deaths in each zip code with the larger circles indicating a greater number of fatalities  


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This map shows the number of cases of coronavirus per 100,000 residents. The darker shades reveal numbers up to around 4,125 people per 100,000 residents 


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Figures from the city show that a housing project in Canarsie, Starrett City suffered the highest death rate with 612 per 100,000. Areas in the Bronx and Queens followed closely behind


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At the other end of the scale, there were zero deaths in two zip codes of Lower Manhattan and a relatively small number in Greenwich Village and Soho neighborhoods 

NYC's worst affected neighborhoods