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The night before the lockdowns began, I laid alone in bed, listening to National Public Radio affiliate WNYC-FM in the dark. A newscaster grimly announced that New York Governor Cuomo would, the next day, issue a 15 day “Shelter in Place Order.” I couldn’t believe this was happening. Put a state of 22 million on house arrest? Over a respiratory virus that was linked to deaths of a tiny fraction of old Italians and Spaniards? Over a hokey video of some Chinese guy laying on the sidewalk scissoring his legs? When had healthy people ever been locked down? What made...

Public health officials’ efforts to protect citizens from COVID-19 infection and avert death may have backfired, a new study published in Health Economics suggests. What’s more, the efforts could be linked to excess deaths. Mandatory masking and social distancing became everyday directives for millions worldwide when the COVID-19 virus exploded onto the scene in 2020. Shelter-in-place (SIP) or stay-at-home orders quickly followed despite evidence supporting the protocol remaining mixed. Now, a cross-collaborative team of scientists from California, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts is expressing confidence based on results from rigorous research examining whether stay-at-home orders may not have been as effective...

...a study published ...reports that workers showed significantly lowered cognitive functioning after spending a day in a simulated office environment featuring high concentrations of carbon dioxide and volatile organic compounds. By contrast, in conditions set to simulate a green building — or better yet, a green building with enhanced ventilation — cognitive performance was higher.... Carbon dioxide levels, in particular, seemed to have a major effect. “Cognitive function scores were 15% lower for the moderate CO2 day (~945 ppm) and 50% lower on the day with CO2 concentrations around 1400 ppm than on the two Green+ days,”

MOUNT POCONO, Pa. (AP) — At least four people were injured Monday in a string of shootings that prompted a shelter-in-place order for some residents north of Mount Pocono, authorities said. Mount Pocono Borough Mayor Michael Penn posted on Facebook that there were four or five crime scenes Monday night and “multiple police forces at this time in the Coolbaugh/Tobyhanna areas.”

By treating Black Lives Matters protests differently than other large gatherings, public officials and health experts have exposed themselves as hypocrites. We’re told a second wave of coronavirus infections is coming. As businesses open back up and states relax lockdown orders, the number of new cases is ticking up in a handful of states. We’ve heard warnings in recent days from the Centers for Disease Control and various public health experts and elected officials that a new series of lockdowns might be necessary.What these experts and officials don’t seem to realize is that Americans will never comply with their lockdown...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Hundreds of protesters rallied outside the state Capitol on Saturday to protest against California's stay-at-home orders even as residents entered the Memorial Day weekend with newly expanded options for beachgoing, barbecuing and shopping. The rally to demand that Gov. Gavin Newsom lift his restrictions on business, religious gatherings and other activities took on the atmosphere of a political rally and festival on a closed-off street. California Highway Patrol officers closed the Capitol lawn to demonstrators, so speakers addressed the crowd from the back of a flatbed truck as an airplane flew above towing a banner with...

The pandemic has stripped millions of work, community, and hope. As local governments extend quarantine orders, urbanites like me are starting to wonder: what is the point of city life? This week marks just over two months since most states instituted shelter-in-place orders to contain COVID-19, and with this milestone came an apparent turn in the tide of public opinion—or at least, public behavior—on social distancing.Even as Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and one of President Trump’s most prominent pandemic advisors, warned against rolling back lockdown orders in his testimony to Congress...

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Doctors and co-owners of Accelerated Urgent Care in Bakersfield say it may not be necessary anymore for residents to shelter-in-place. Doctors Dan Erickson and Artin Massihi said their facilities have tested over 5,200 patients for the coronavirus throughout the county, making up for over half of all testing in Kern. According to their data, the death rate of the coronavirus is similar in prevalence to the flu. "Now that we have the facts," said Dr. Erickson. "It's time to get back to work."

Virus management is about power and control, the two things the elite always want and therefore don’t want to relinquish even when the virus recedes. The big-picture story of American politics of the last four years has been a battle royale between elite power structures and millions of ordinary Americans. Donald Trump’s 2016 election win, the Russia collusion hoax, and the impeachment drama were all essentially tussles between elite control and democratic norms, between the will of the powerful and the will of the 2016 voters, a.k.a. Trump supporters. A loose assortment of unelected bureaucrats, D.C. power players, Democratic leaders,...

Now we have better data and experience that beg a more sophisticated approach as our nation grapples with balancing public health and the economy. “First, do no harm.” It’s a saying almost as old as the idea of medicine itself. I heard it a lot in medical school. And it’s a saying that our state and national leaders need to think long and hard about right now. In many respects, I am proud of the way our leaders and experts have stepped up to find ways of fighting the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. They acted quickly, on limited information, and based...

On April 11, The Washington Post ran an article about plans being made to reopen the economy. The article complains that state governors (rather than the White House) are leading the planning, which has resulted in a “mind-boggling level of disorganization,” according to a Centers for Disease Control director. The incessant bleating of prominent health leaders over the lack of federal control in this crisis only underscores how little they understand or respect this country’s Constitution and the freedoms it seeks to protect. Although the White House certainly has emergency authority to mandate all number of efforts to respond to...

What the media and policymakers are not telling us is that the longer we delay the development of herd immunity, the more elderly or high-risk people will become infected and die. COVID-19 is severe. There is no doubt about that. We are now also learning that it is not a matter of if but when many of us will get coronavirus, whether we develop symptoms or not. Our only hope is to “flatten the curve,” relieve stress on the medical system, and wait for a vaccine.So, we isolate ourselves and stay at home. As a result, the economy is being...

This story first appeared in 1600 Daily, the White House’s evening newsletter. Subscribe now to get breaking news from President Trump before anyone else. On March 16, President Trump announced public health guidelines to slow the spread of Coronavirus in America. He asked every family to unite against this invisible enemy, making changes to our daily routines as part of a national effort to save lives.Thanks to you, it’s working. So many communities, small businesses, and Americans from all backgrounds are patriotically doing their part. President Trump knows these changes are difficult on many. To help as much as possible, he...

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is expected to announce a shelter-in-place order during Wednesday's daily coronavirus news conference, according to sources close to the situation. The order is not likely to be as extensive as the "Safer at Home" order put in place by Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers. The governor's briefing will be streamed live on KSTP.com at 2 p.m.

Straw Poll Create a Poll Do you think the extended severe restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are too extreme? Yes - too extreme: the long-term unemployment and lack of activity, and fear of others will do more harm than a more moderate or shorter period. No: long-term outlawing of most sports, recreation, many businesses is necessary to stop this deadly virus. Yes: a moderate response of wearing masks in mass transit, work and crowds instead of isolation, except for those in need of care, would be better. No: if anything, the most severe and extensive restrictions - from...

Why are bicyclists allowed to ride anywhere they want - out in the country, up in the mountains, etc, but I can't go for a ride in my car the same places? What reason do city/state officials give for people not being able to get out & enjoy a nice drive?

With cases of the coronavirus in California nearing 1,500, state officials called on residents to self-isolate and tried to increase the speed of testing. Amid some reports that people were gathering with friends or not maintaining the recommended social distance, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday pleaded for residents to avoid unnecessary social contact. The staff of the Los Angeles Times has been documenting the changing landscape of everyday life. Here are views from on high of the Southland in the time of the coronavirus.

I've been monitoring a lot of local San Francisco Bay Area boards for what people are doing during the "Shelter In Place" order. Turns out the outdoor trails are full with crowds not seen in years. It's like people are treating this as an unexpected paid holiday. Here is a sampling of what I've found...

In an extraordinary move, six Bay Area counties issued a sweeping “shelter in place” order Monday, directing residents to stay at home as much as possible to quell the spread of coronavirus. The directive, set to take effect at midnight and would last through April 7, bans all non-essential travel and social activities, even having friends over for dinner. Read more here: https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article241236871.html#storylink=cpy

DEVELOPING: NBC News staff at White House ordered to shelter in place as security incident unfolds - NBCNews.com