Surfaces Mostly Safe, New Airline Safety Upgrades & Baby Bust

(+ Explaining COVID-Tracing Tech)

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...

WHO Global Rise in Cases
One day this week, the number of new COVID-19 patients was more than any other day since the start of the pandemic. The World Health Organization said in 24 hours, there were 106,000 new infections reported around the world. The W.H.O.’s director-general said he was especially concerned about this latest milestone since a lot of new cases are coming from poorer nations that aren’t equipped to handle a widespread outbreak.
Read More: ABC News, NBC News, Reuters

New U.S. Hot Spots
In the United States, more than 93,000 people have died from COVID-19 and new hotspots are cropping up every day. Cases have reportedly been spiking in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa, and Nebraska. PolicyLab researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia developed a model to predict what the next month will look like. It shows a surge coming for the southeastern U.S., where states are densely populated and reopening quickly. Still, new clusters are preventable. Experts say people just need to keep up social distancing and hand washing.
Read More: WaPo, PolicyLab
Case Count/Death Toll: Johns Hopkins

CDC on COVID-19 Spread
The CDC updated its website to say COVID-19 does not spread easily on surfaces. That’s a change from earlier when it said contaminated surfaces may be a source of concern. Fox News says the CDC updated its guidance because a preliminary study was disproven. Now, experts believe the main way to get infected is through person-to-person contact. They say still possible to get infected through a surface if you touch your face after touching that surface, but it’s still unlikely.
Read More: USA Today, FOX News, CDC

Trump Mail Voting Attacks
President Trump lashed out against Michigan and Nevada for their plans to expand voting-by-mail. They’re offering more voting options since the pandemic has made in-person elections challenging. The president doesn’t like the idea since he says it could lead to fraud. Yesterday, he threatened to withhold federal funding to the states, then backed off that threat. For now, both states are moving ahead with plans. An all-mail election will be held for Nevada’s June primaries. Michigan’s August primaries will be split, with everyone getting the option to vote absentee.
Read More:  ABC News, Axios, Reuters, Michigan Tweet, Nevada Tweet

Michigan Flooding Update
Michigan is dealing with severe flooding. 2 river dams broke in central Michigan Tuesday night, about 140 miles northwest of Detroit. River levels have since risen to record highs and sent feet of water rushing into neighborhoods. About 10,000 people had to evacuate their homes around Midland. Amazingly, there are no reports anyone was hurt or killed. It will reportedly take several days for the water to recede enough for evacuees to go home.
Read More: AP, Weather Channel, WSJ, CNN, Detroit Free Press, Midland Daily News

India, Bangladesh Cyclone
A powerful cyclone tore into India and Bangladesh, prompting nearly 3 million people to evacuate. Ultimately, at least 24 people died and thousands of homes were destroyed. The storm made landfall yesterday with 100 mile-an-hour winds and drenching rains. As of this morning, the storm has weakened, so recovery efforts are about to begin.
Read More: Reuters, Al Jazeera

Contact Tracing Software Released
Contact tracing technology from Google and Apple is now available around the world. Public health agencies can now start using the tech to create their contact tracing apps. With the update, a smartphone’s Bluetooth will keep a log of all other phones its been around. Then, if someone gets sick, an anonymous alert can give people a heads-up. You will have to opt-in with a system upgrade. So far, at least 3 U.S. states are working on apps that use it. Many more have shown interest.
Read More: TechCrunch, USA Today, WSJ

U.S. Airlines Safety Upgrades
U.S. airlines are stepping up safety measures. Delta and JetBlue announced this week they’ll start capping the number of passengers on their planes. Delta says it will only fill flights to 60% capacity, and avoid sitting people in middle seats. JetBlue will also block off middle seats. United Airlines, meanwhile, announced a partnership with Clorox. That should help equip crews with tons of Clorox disinfecting products. It also introduced sneeze guards and touches kiosks for check-in.
Read More: Reuters, FOX News, Delta, JetBlue, United

Victoria Secret, Bath and Body Works Closing Stores
Victoria’s Secret stores are the latest to crumble in the coronavirus pandemic. The retailer is reportedly permanently closing about 250 locations in the U.S. and Canada. Bath and Body Works, which is owned by the same parent company, is also closing 50 locations.
Read More: USA Today, Forbes, CNBC

Ford Temporary Shut-downs
Ford reopened assembly plants Monday, then had to shut some down just 2 days later. A few employees reportedly tested positive for COVID-19, so a plant in Michigan, and another in Chicago, had to close for deep cleaning. The factories have since reopened. President Trump will be touring a Ford factory in Michigan today, but not the one that was forced to close.
Ford Halts Production: CNN, WSJ
Trump to Tour Ford Plant Today: ABC News, CBS News

Baby Bust
Fewer Americans are deciding to have kids. Last year, the birth rate was the lowest its been in 35 years. The CDC reports 3.7 million children were born in the U.S. last year. That’s down 1% from the year before. The downward trend has been going for more than a decade. Experts say anxiety and uncertainty about the future are likely behind the trend.
Read More: AP, Bloomberg, The Hill, CDC

Red Nose Day
Today is Red Nose Day, a charity event that raises money to end child poverty. To take part, NBC is holding a Red Nose Day special tonight. It will feature celebrities, musicians, and comedians like Julia Roberts, John Legend, and Sarah Silverman. It airs tonight at 9 ET.
Read More: AP, Deadline, Red Nose Day
 

Thing to Know Thursday:

Contact Tracing Technology

Read more: About the Apple/Google Tech, Track the Trackers

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