Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on June 7, 2020

In Europe, the virus has taken some of the last witnesses of its grim history.

For years, Gildo Negri visited schools to share his stories about blowing up bridges and cutting electrical wires to sabotage Nazis and fascists during World War II. In January, the 89-year-old made another visit, leaving his nursing home outside Milan to help students plant trees in honor of Italians deported to concentration camps.

But at the end of February, as Europes first outbreak of the coronavirus spread through Mr. Negris nursing home, it fatally infected him, too.

The virus, which is so lethal to the old, has hastened the departure of these last witnesses and forced the cancellation of anniversary commemorations that offered a last chance to tell their stories to large audiences. It has also created an opportunity for rising political forces who seek to recast the history of the last century in order to play a greater role in remaking the present one.

Throughout Europe, radical right-wing parties with histories of Holocaust denial, Mussolini infatuation and fascist motifs, have gained traction in recent years, moving from the fringes and into parliaments and even governing coalitions.

The Alternative for Germany is looking to capitalize on the economic frustration the coronavirus crisis has triggered. In France, the hard-right National Rally had the countrys strongest showing in the last European Parliament elections. And in Italy, the birthplace of fascism, the descendants of post-fascist parties have grown popular as the stigma around Mussolini and strongman politics has faded.

KEY DATA OF THE DAY

The United States reported 21,614 new infections on Thursday, and while that number is below its April peak, the daily average has been rising slightly in recent days as the continued improvement in Northeast is offset by new outbreaks in the South and parts of the West.

The uptick appears to represent a combination of increased testing, the coronavirus taking hold in more regions and outbreaks in localized hot spots. It comes during a convergence of two developments that health officials are watching warily: states and cities pressing ahead with plans to allow more businesses to reopen, and masses of people gathering around the country in large-scale protests against police brutality and racism.

More states have seen an increase in new virus cases over the past two weeks than have seen a decline, according to a New York Times database: 18 have seen a rise in new cases over that period, 17 have seen the count of new cases stay largely the same, and 15 have seen decreases.

Nationwide the number of deaths recorded each day has fallen to less half of what it was at the peak, but the daily toll still averaged 938 a day over the past week. All told there have been 108,813 known deaths in the United States, more than any other nation in the world.

There are continuing signs that the geography of the outbreak is shifting.

The hardest hit state in the nation, New York, reported 42 new virus deaths on Friday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said on Friday, the states lowest figure since March. Some localities elsewhere have reported greater death tolls in recent days: Los Angeles County reported 44 deaths on Thursday, and Cook County, Ill., which includes Chicago, reported 66.

The death toll in Arizona passed 1,000 this week. Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, has been reporting a steady increase in new virus cases, which the public health department said showed increased spread in the community. There have been at least 22,818 cases in the state.

Texas, one of the earliest states to move forward with reopening, reported 1,784 new cases on Thursday, one of its highest tallies yet. Dallas County reported 285 new cases on Thursday, a new high. There have been at least 71,330 cases of the virus in Texas, and at least 1,793 deaths.

Trump tells governor of Maine: You better get the state open.

Speaking to the employees of a production facility that manufactures swabs for Covid-19 test, President Trump continued a war of words with the states Democratic governor, Janet Mills.

You have a governor that wont let you open up, Mr. Trump said Friday during a speech at Puritan Medical Products. I might as well say it while Im up here: You better get the state open, Governor.

Ms. Mills had told the president earlier in the week that his planned trip to the medical swab factory north of Bangor may cause security problems. Mr. Trump responded by dismissing her caution and saying he was even more determined to go.

During his speech, Mr. Trump suggested Maine was missing out on crucial tourism dollars

This is your time, this is your big month, this is your Christmas, Mr. Trump said. How can you be closed?

Earlier in the day, Mr. Trump had applied similar pressure to all of the nations governors in a speech in the Rose Garden, telling Americans to do social distancing, and you wear masks if you want. He equated the pandemic to a hurricane that goes away, and within two hours, everyone is rebuilding and fixing and cleaning and cutting their grass.

The president was not subtle in his desire to move on from lingering questions about the pandemic. Even you, Mr. Trump said to reporters assembled there, I notice youre starting to get much closer together, looks much better, not all the way there yet but youll be there soon. The White House Correspondents Association said later that White House officials violated federal social distancing guidelines by moving chairs in the Rose Garden closer together before the event.

The health of the press corps should not be put in jeopardy because the White House wants reporters to be a prop for a news conference where the president refused to answer any questions, said Jonathan Karl of ABC News, the president of the White House Correspondents Association.

China warns against travel to Australia, citing fears of racial violence.

China has warned its citizens against traveling to Australia because of what it describes as rampant racial discrimination and violence in the country in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

The move was mostly symbolic, given that most foreign nationals are barred from traveling to Australia and that tourism has plummeted across the world because of the pandemic. It follows a series of economic punishments by China against Australia, after Australian officials led a call for an independent investigation into the spread of the coronavirus, which first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

In its announcement on Friday, the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism said that racial discrimination and violence against Chinese and Asians in Australia has increased significantly.

Attacks against people of Asian descent have risen sharply across the world during the pandemic as xenophobia spreads. Asian Australians say they have endured harsh verbal harassment as well as physical attacks, including being spit on and coughed upon.

Relations between Australia and China have worsened significantly in recent weeks, as Australian officials have pushed China to allow an investigation into the virus. In response, China suspended some Australian beef imports and raised tariffs on Australian barley. China has denied that its decisions were politically motivated.

The travel warning on Friday stirred patriotic feelings in China, with many people criticizing racism in Australia.

Dont go, dont go, a Chinese internet user wrote on Weibo, a popular social media site. The motherland is the safest place.

While the early response of the French government could be faulted for some sluggishness and a shortage of masks, and more than 29,000 people died, the country has fared better than many in the pandemic, especially when compared with the United States, Italy, Spain and especially Britain.

On Friday the head of the governments scientific council, the immunologist Jean-Franois Delfraissy, declared Frances epidemic under control in an interview on French radio. Many experts credit the governments tightly enforced lockdown, mobilization of technology like high-speed trains to save patients, and closely followed counsel from scientists.

Just dont tell that to the French, who resent President Emmanuel Macron more than ever.

As they celebrated their provisional release from lockdown this week with the much-anticipated partial reopening of cafes and restaurants, the coronavirus has only reinforced the paradox of the presidents uneasy relationship with his own citizens.

On average, over half of Europes citizens outside of France even in countries with far worse records view their governments virus response favorably. In France, 66 percent have an unfavorable view, according to a recent Figaro poll.

In some ways, Mr. Macron is his own worst enemy, with a style that can come off as imperious. His speeches during the crisis were lengthy and literary, both trademarks. He reproached the French for lacking a sense of responsibilities, then later praised them for their discipline.

Asked recently on French television about his unpopularity, Mr. Macron stiffened and looked impatient.

Look, I dont sit around feeling sorry for myself, he said. Im looking ahead.

In New York City, concerns are growing that mainly peaceful protests are exposing many people to the possibility of infection, as many police officers and protesters, who are often in close quarters, were not wearing face coverings. Mayor Bill de Blasio emphasized on Friday that officers are supposed to be wearing face coverings.

It has not been happening consistently, Mr. de Blasio said on WNYC radio, adding that he was frustrated and had asked his police commissioner multiple times to address the laxness. It has to be fixed.

The mayor reiterated that the city was set to start reopening on Monday, with nonessential retailers open for curbside pickup, construction at more than 30,000 sites allowed to restart, and manufacturing resuming. Here are some other important developments around the country.

In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order late Friday afternoon allowing necessary in-person special education instruction to resume but it was not immediately clear how individual school districts would choose to implement such an order. The order also did not include specifics on where this in-person instruction would take place or what safety protocols would be implemented to protect students, teachers and parents.

In California, several new economic sectors will be allowed to reopen beginning June 12 including restaurants, gyms, museums and day camps. The states public health department released detailed guidance for reopening emphasizing maintaining social distancing, face coverings and limiting patrons. Music, film and television production and professional sports without live audiences would also be allowed to resume pending safety protocols agreed upon by labor unions, management and county health officials.

Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota signed an executive order Friday easing restrictions on bars and restaurants, gyms, entertainment venues and salons beginning Wednesday. As a condition for reopening, businesses must maintain social distancing between patrons and limit occupancy. Workers and customers will also be required to wear masks whenever possible.

Coronavirus cases at two correctional facilities and an ICE detention center in Otero County, New Mexico swelled to 583, according to the states department of health. Otero County has become a growing hot spot in recent days, according to a New York Times database, and cases in the state have continued to rise amid efforts to reopen.

In Michigan hair and nail salons will be allowed to reopen in June 15, under an executive order issued Friday by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

In Louisiana, where Tropical Storm Cristobal is expected to make landfall on Sunday, the governor has declared a state of emergency and warned that the pandemic will complicate efforts for people seeking shelter. Along with the typical preparations residents would make ahead of a major storm, he has urged them to also prepare a supply of face coverings, hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes.

Airlines say passengers must wear masks. But the rules arent enforced.

As airlines try to convince Americans to fly again, they have touted their policies for keeping passengers safe, including the requirement that everyone onboard a plane wear a mask.

But travelers on recent flights said the rules are not being enforced. And flight attendants said they have been told not to confront passengers who opt to not follow them.

Airlines have said follow the guidelines, but dont enforce them, dont tackle people to the ground and dont turn flights around if they dont listen, said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants union. That gets around to the public then its, I dont have to do this. There are no consequences if I dont do this. That, too, can lead to conflict, not just with the flight attendants, but with other passengers, who get angry and all of a sudden we have to break up a fight.

On social media and in emails to The Times, travelers described facing scenarios of having to choose between confronting fellow passengers about wearing masks and possibly encountering hostility, or sitting on a flight for hours potentially being exposed to the coronavirus.

After one doctors Twitter post about the lack of social distancing on a United Airlines flight went viral, another United traveler said shed had to ask a gate agent to put on a mask before getting on a full flight to Chicago from New Jersey.

If youre traveling right now, be prepared to advocate for yourself, she wrote, adding that, United did not follow their own social distancing guidelines, and many travelers were not wearing masks.

Public health experts in the United States reacted to Mr. Trumps announcement with alarm.

We helped create the W.H.O., Dr. Thomas Frieden, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told The New York Times.

Turning our back on the W.H.O. makes us and the world less safe, Dr. Friedan said.

Experts argued that global cooperation would be crucial to containing the virus, as it did six years ago during the Ebola outbreak that was raging through West Africa.

At the time, President Barack Obama sent 3,000 American troops to the region to help with the response on the ground. And Samantha Power, former ambassador to the U.N., convened the U.N. Security Council for its first ever meeting over a public health crisis and helped pass a resolution declaring the outbreak a threat to international peace and security a step that led to an infusion of funds and resources for the response effort.

Like so many 21st-century challenges, Ebola was not a zero-sum fight in which some countries could win by pursuing their interests in a vacuum, Ms. Power wrote in her book The Education of an Idealist.

The Timess Alisha Haridasani Gupta spoke to Ms. Power about what the W.H.O. would look like without the United States.

The federal government undercounted the number of virus deaths in U.S. nursing homes.

In data published for the first time on Thursday, the federal government counted 32,465 deaths of residents and workers in nursing homes, but the tally is missing thousands of deaths that occurred in facilities for the elderly and excludes some of the most notorious episodes.

The Times has been tracking outbreaks in all types of long-term care centers for the elderly, based on data provided by states, counties and nursing home operators. As of Thursday, at least 46,000 workers and residents have died of the virus.

For example, the federal account of the Life Care nursing center in Kirkland, Wash., which in late February became the first U.S. nursing home to report a major outbreak, listed one suspected infection and zero virus deaths. Health officials in Washington State have tied at least 45 deaths to that facility, dating back to February.

Though nursing homes were allowed to report infections dating back to January, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services only required data on cases from May onward, after the virus had already peaked in the United States.

Seema Verma, the administrator of the C.M.S., said her agency was not able to require nursing homes to report infections and deaths from prior months, but that many nursing home operators had chosen to do so.

We are prohibited to do retroactive rule-making, and so we couldnt require them to do so, but we feel pretty comfortable that thats what theyve done, Ms. Verma said.

Some unemployed people in New York City are waiting hours to reach a single A.T.M.

The line started small about two months ago with a handful of people who had recently been laid off. But now, nearly three months into the economic crisis, it stretches 50 or 60 people long throughout the day and down almost an entire Manhattan block.

They are all waiting to access the same thing: the lone A.T.M. inside the only New York City branch for KeyBank, a regional Ohio bank in charge of distributing unemployment benefits to out-of-work New Yorkers.

The state provides benefits through direct deposit or on KeyBank debit cards. KeyBank has higher one-time withdrawal limits than other banks and doesnt charge a fee, making it a better option for many unemployed.

Its terrible, said Mandy Zaxanz, who spent 45 minutes traveling from her Brooklyn home to the A.T.M. It took her more than two-and-a-half hours to reach the machine.

Ms. Zaxanz, who lost her job at a Manhattan hotel in March, said she needed money to pay rent and buy food.

KeyBank officials said they would step up efforts, including stationing employees outside the branch to let people know that they can withdraw money at other banks. But state officials criticized the bank for not doing more sooner.

As Ms. Zaxanz waited, she prayed the A.T.M. would not run out of money, as it had when she tried to use it last week. It also ran out on Wednesday afternoon, which led to furious people punching nearby windows.

So far this year, more than 2.5 million unemployment claims have been filed in the state. About 500,000 people in the state receive their benefits on a KeyBank card.

Mexico is starting to bustle again, as restrictions ease in virus-free communities, the mining, construction and auto industries, and thousands of select businesses.

But many Mexicans, including medical experts, fear even the countrys gradual reopening is coming too early, and will lead to more illness and death under a pandemic that has not been brought under control in Mexico and is surging across Latin America.

Dr. Francisco Moreno, who heads the Covid unit of ABC Medical Center, one of Mexico Citys top private hospitals, said that despite doubling capacity, patients were having to be turned away.

The governments message may lead many people to think the worst is over, he said, but we are at the peak of the epidemic.

President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador has struggled to balance a pandemic response with the economic needs of a country in which over half of the population lives hand-to-mouth.

Early on, he played down the severity of the viruss threat, allowing soccer tournaments, concerts and preparations for the busy spring tourist season to continue.

But the relaxation of restrictions comes at a moment when the disease appears to be peaking. On Wednesday, Mexico reported 1,092 deaths, its highest daily toll to date, though the Lpez Obrador administration said the increase was caused by an administrative delay in reporting deaths. By Friday morning, the total number of dead in the country was 12,545. More developments from around the world:

Britain became the second nation to suffer more than 40,000 deaths from the coronavirus on Friday, according to British public health authorities. The country has confirmed at least 283,300 cases of coronavirus and is surpassed only by the United States in both cases and deaths.

The head of Frances governments scientific council declared Frances epidemic under control. Many experts credit the governments tightly enforced lockdown, mobilization of technology like high-speed trains to save patients, and closely followed counsel from scientists.

South Korea reported 39 new cases in and around Seoul, where a recent wave of infections had been traced to nightclubs and an e-commerce warehouse.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia warned people against attending protests this weekend organized in sympathy with American protests against racism and police brutality, saying that a large gathering could sabotage the countrys efforts to control the outbreak. Lets find a better way, and another way, to express these sentiments rather than putting your health at risk, the health of others at risk, he said.

In Indonesia, mosques opened for midday prayer in the capital, Jakarta, for the first time in more than two months, with social-distancing protocols, temperature checks, face masks and plenty of hand sanitizer.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey revoked a much-debated weekend lockdown, citing social and economic consequences. The countrys Interior Ministry had said residents would be confined to their homes during the weekend, but Mr. Erdogan said complaints from citizens had made him re-evaluate.

Las Vegas reopens with a new ethos: Think dirty thoughts but keep your hands clean.

Roulette wheels spun. One-armed bandits coughed out payouts. Customers erupted in cheers at hot blackjack tables. But at Las Vegass famed casinos, which reopened for business on Thursday after a 78-day shutdown, it was anything but business as usual.

Showgirls in the gambling capital of the world strutted their stuff wearing face masks. Hotel guests had their temperatures taken at check-in. Plexiglass partitions separated dealers from players, and dice were doused in sanitizer between throws.

A huge neon sign on the Aria Resort and Casino summed up Sin Citys new ethos: Think dirty thoughts but keep your hands clean.

Updated June 5, 2020

The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nations job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April.

Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission.

Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid, says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. When you havent been exercising, you lose muscle mass. Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home.

View post:

Coronavirus Claims Some of World War IIs Last Witnesses - The New York Times

Category: Holocaust Denial
Tags: