Reopening Pushback, Virus Detection Drones & Virtual Draft

(+ Gymnast MyKayla Skinner)

All the news you need in less than 10 min:

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Story Summaries

All the news stories mentioned in today's episode are listed with links below, so you can spend as much -- or as little -- time as you want perusing the latest happenings...

Pandemic Evolves State-by-State
The spread of the new coronavirus is easing in some parts of the U.S. but getting worse in others. In Illinois, the state health department reported a new daily high of new COVID-19 cases. More than 2,000 people were diagnosed with the virus in just 24 hours. Still, experts project the state won’t hit its peak until mid-May. In the New York tri-state area, the outbreak is starting to ease. Now, the focus is on contact tracing. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said he’ll put up the money for tracing and testing people exposed to COVID-19 patients in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
Case Count & Death Toll: Johns Hopkins
Illinois New Daily High: Illinois.Gov, Chicago Tribune
Tri-State Contact Tracing: Twitter, NBC News

States Reopen
Oklahoma is allowing pet groomers, hair salons, and others to open tomorrow, as long as they can follow sanitary and social distancing standards. More Oklahoma businesses, like restaurants, movie theaters, gyms, and churches, should be able to open on May 1.
In Georgia, hair salons, gyms, and tattoo studios are all set to reopen tomorrow with some social distancing measures. Restaurants and theaters will be allowed to reopen Monday. Gov. Kemp says it’s “measured action” that will allow people to get back to work without undermining the fight against the virus. President Trump, however, called it “too soon.” At this point, Georgia has reportedly tested less than 1% of its population for COVID-19.
Oklahoma Reopening Friday: FOX News, The Oklahoman
Georgia Reopening Controversy: NBC News, WSJ, AP, The Hill

Trump’s Temporary Immigration Ban
President Trump signed an executive order to basically prevent foreigners outside the U.S. from trying to become permanent U.S. residents. The order does not apply to anyone already living and working here. It also doesn’t affect people like medical professionals or farm workers who enter temporarily. President Trump says his order will shield Americans from COVID-19 and also protect American jobs. Critics argue he’s using the virus as an excuse to push his agenda. For now, the ban will last 60 days, but Trump says he could extend them if the economy is still struggling in June.
Read More: WaPo, Axios, FOX News

First US Pets Contract COVID-19
Two house cats in New York have tested positive for COVID-19. The USDA says these are the first infected pets we know about in the U.S. Both of them only have mild respiratory symptoms and are expected to make a full recovery. Doctors and scientists say there is no evidence pets play a role in spreading the virus since humans likely can’t get the virus from animals. It only works the other way around.
Read More: CNN, WaPo

China Disinformation Campaign
More than a month after Americans received messages containing false information about lockdowns, new information is emerging about how they spread. U.S. intelligence officials told The New York Times those texts and social media posts were spread by Chinese operatives. At this point, it’s still not clear who created them or why China might want to spread false information, but a full report is expected to be released next month.
Read More: NY Times, The Hill

U.K. COVID-19 Study
A new large-scale study will track the spread of the new coronavirus in the U.K. The British government says up to 300,000 people will take part over the next year. The goal is to figure out how many people are infected with COVID-19 and how many develop immunity. We should expect the first results by the end of May and the final results in April 2021.
Read More: Bloomberg, Sky News

Virus Detection & Delivery Drones
A Connecticut town plans to use a drone to scan people for COVID-19 symptoms. It can reportedly detect fevers from 190 feet away, as well as coughing or sneezing. Officials say no personal information will be captured, but critics are still worried about privacy.
Also, the California-based drone start-up, Zipline, has drones operating in Africa. They’re taking COVID-19 testing samples from certain rural areas to a medical center where they can be analyzed. The drones can make the trip in 30 minutes. By comparison, it would take a driver a full day to make the trip in a car.
CT Drone to Detect COVID-19: NBC News, Fox News, Westport PD, Draganfly
Ghana Uses Drone Delivery: CNBC, Time

New Social Media Location Labels
A new tool on Facebook and Instagram could help prevent election meddling. The company will start labeling the location of certain accounts. The move could help crack down on outside influence in American politics.
Read More: TechCrunch, Engadget, Press Release

Zoom Security Update
A popular video conferencing app is rolling out a new update that should fix some privacy issues. In Zoom 5.0, the waiting room feature will now be on by default, even for basic accounts. That means anyone who wants to jump on the call will need to have the host’s permission first. Also, passwords can be enabled by default and new security features will be easier to access, thanks to a new security icon in the menu bar. All the new updates should be available by the end of the week.
Read More: The Verge, USA Today, Press Release 

NFL Draft Begins
Round 1 of the NFL Draft starts tonight. It will be held virtually for the first time, meaning teams will be making their picks from home. The original plan was for Las Vegas to host the draft with a huge event. That was canceled because of the pandemic. By the way, this event is also expected to set gambling records. Sportsbooks think up to $5 million could be wagered during the draft, compared to $1 million last year.
Read More: CBS Sports,  AP, Fox News

Start of Ramadan
This evening marks the start of the holy month of Ramadan. During the entire month, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk. That means they don’t eat or drink anything, not even water, while the sun is up. They’re also encouraged to pray, read the Quran, and participate in charity work. Ramadan will last until May 23. When it’s over, Muslims usually celebrate for three days.
Read More: Al Jazeera, Vox

Thing to Know Thursday:

Olympic Dreams Delayed

Read more: NYT, ESPN, AP

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