Feeling anxious lately? Yeah, me, too.
The anxiety has been due, in part, to rising COVID-19 numbers across the country and the world—combined with the fact that waaaaaaay too many prominent Americans, people who should know better, are undermining our democracy by trying to delegitimize an election without cause or evidence.
Add in the usual work and life pressures … and hello, anxiety!
Anytime I leave the house, it seems like I witness things—usually involving either complacency or stupidity (take your pick)—that contribute to my anxiety.
The latest example: Last night, we decided to enjoy a socially distanced patio dinner at El Jefe at the Saguaro. We were seated on the patio not too far away from the pool, but the noise from nearby DJ music was overwhelming. I went to see what the source of the noise was—and I saw a group of what appeared to be several dozen people, line dancing in close proximity to each other, at the outdoor events space across the walkway. It was apparently a wedding group of some sort.
Not one of the people, at least that I could see, was wearing a face mask.
We decided to find somewhere else to eat.
According to this fun and terrifying new tool from the Georgia Institute of Technology … if, let’s say, there were only 25 people line-dancing there, and all of them were locals—pretty much the best-case scenarios—there’s a 20-35 percent chance that one of those people is COVID-19 positive.
Hello, anxiety!
And now, today’s news:
• The governors of the three Pacific Coast states today requested that all residents stay put—and that visitors coming in from out of state quarantine for 14 days, given the COVID-19 spikes happening across the country. The request, however, is not a mandate; compliance is voluntary. Key quote, from a statement by Gov. Gavin Newsom, via CNBC: “California just surpassed a sobering threshold—one million COVID-19 cases—with no signs of the virus slowing down. Increased cases are adding pressure on our hospital systems and threatening the lives of seniors, essential workers and vulnerable Californians. Travel increases the risk of spreading COVID-19, and we must all collectively increase our efforts at this time to keep the virus at bay and save lives.”
• Oregon Gov. Kate Brown put her state on lockdown, more or less, for two weeks. From our friends at Willamette Week: “The new restrictions, which go into effect Nov. 18, include limiting bars and restaurants to takeout only, in-home gatherings to six people from no more than two families, grocery and retail stores to 75 percent of capacity, and attendance at churches to no more than 25 people indoors or 50 outside.”
• A similar lockdown is taking place in New Mexico, effective on Monday. From Newsweek: “Residents will be instructed to only leave home to take part in essential activities. Gatherings will be limited to no more than five people, with capacity at grocery stores and other essential businesses reduced to 25 percent. Plans for large celebrations on Thanksgiving, which falls within the two-week period, should be called off, the governor said.”
• Now, some sort-of good news: Dr. Anthony Fauci said yesterday that he’s confident the pandemic will come to an end in the foreseeable future thanks to vaccines—but we have a lot of work to do before we get there. Key quote from Fauci, via CNBC: “The cavalry is coming but don’t put your weapons down. You better keep fighting, because they are not here yet. Help is on the way, but it isn’t here yet.”
• Meanwhile, Gov. Newsom is in a bit of hot water after a report that he violated some of his own rules at a recent gathering. According to SFGate: “California Gov. Gavin Newsom reportedly violated his state’s COVID-19 guidelines by going to a birthday party in Napa with more than three households in attendance. The Chronicle reported that Newsom and his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom attended longtime adviser Jason Kinney’s 50th birthday party at French Laundry in Yountville (Napa County) on Nov. 6, and there were over 12 guests in attendance.”
• Speaking of governors: Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak announced this afternoon that he has tested positive for the coronavirus. He’s currently asymptomatic, he said.
• The Washington Post today posted a stunning story with this headline: “More than 130 Secret Service officers are said to be infected with coronavirus or quarantining in wake of Trump’s campaign travel.” That equates to about 10 percent of the agency’s core security team the newspaper said.
• If you want to go to a concert next year, you may need to prove you’ve either received a coronavirus vaccine, or recently tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. According to Billboard magazine, Ticketmaster has a plan: “After purchasing a ticket for a concert, fans would need to verify that they have already been vaccinated (which would provide approximately one year of COVID-19 protection) or test negative for coronavirus approximately 24 to 72 hours prior to the concert. The length of coverage a test would provide would be governed by regional health authorities.”
• Related: The Golden State Warriors, who play in San Francisco, have devised a plan to allow fans to attend home games—and the model, if successful, could spread to other teams and sports. The San Jose Mercury News explains: “The team submitted its plan to state and local officials a week ago to reopen the new arena at 50 percent capacity. The proposal called for every spectator to undergo a COVID-19 test. Attendees would be required to show proof of a negative test taken within 48 hours upon entering the arena. The proposed system could cost the Warriors about $30 million, a team spokesman said.”
• President Trump today spoke publicly for the first time since media outlets called the presidential race for President-elect Joe Biden last weekend—and he sort of threatened to withhold the vaccine, when it’s first ready, from people in New York. According to NBC News, the president said: “’As soon as April the vaccine will be available to the entire general population, with the exception of places like New York State, where for political reasons the governor decided to say—and I don’t think it’s good politically, I think it’s very bad from a health standpoint—but he wants to take his time on the vaccine,’ Trump said. He was referring to comments (Gov. Andrew) Cuomo made in September, where he said he planned to have a panel of experts review a vaccine because he was concerned that Trump was trying to rush one out ahead of the presidential election.” For what it’s worth, Gov. Newsom has announced similar verification plans for California.
• As for that vaccine: Pfizer’s vaccine is likely to be the first one made available—and it needs to be shipped and stored at cold temperatures. Like, really cold: 94 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, to be exact. This causes problems, as Time magazine explains: “Those cold storage requirements are raising serious questions about who could get the Pfizer vaccine if it’s approved, and when. The reality, experts say, is that the Pfizer vaccine probably won’t be available to everyone, at least not right away. Large medical centers and urban centers are the most likely to have the resources necessary for ultra-cold storage. People without access to these facilities, such as those living in rural areas, nursing homes and developing nations, may have to wait for other vaccines working their way through the development pipeline.”
• Man, people are just terrible sometimes. According to ZDNet: “Microsoft says it detected three state-sponsored hacking operations (also known as APTs) that have launched cyber-attacks on at least seven prominent companies involved in COVID-19 vaccines research and treatments. Microsoft traced the attacks back to one threat actor in Russia and two North Korean hacking groups.”
• I was a guest on the I Love Gay Palm Springs Podcast, where I joined Dr. Laura Rush and hosts John Taylor, Shann Carr and Brad Fuhr to talk about the mess in which the country finds itself. But it has funny parts, too! Check it out.
• Voters rejected Prop 15, which would have increased commercial property taxes to, in part, help fund California’s schools with billions of dollars. So … what does this mean for the future of California’s schools? Our partners at CalMatters, via the Independent, take a look.
• A communication professor from Colorado State University, writing for The Conversation, examined Tweets sent out by the president and the president-elect—and examined their very different views on masculinity. Key quote: “The 2020 campaign gave voters an opportunity to compare and contrast how the two campaigns modeled gender roles differently. These differences not only reveal important insights about each campaign; they also shape the roles of ‘president’ and ‘vice president,’ making it more or less likely that, in the future, those offices can be held by someone other than a heterosexual white man.”
• Finally, let’s end by looking at a shattered glass ceiling: The Miami Marlins today named Kim Ng as the team’s general manager. Not only is she the first woman to be a general manager for an MLB team; she’s the first female general manager in any of the four major North American sports leagues.
I could go on and on, but we’re at 1,500 words already, and that’s enough, I think. Everyone: Thank you for reading. Please consider becoming a Supporter of the Independent if you’re able, as we need help to continue producing quality local journalism, available for free to everyone. Have a safe, sane weekend, everyone.