Another calendar page has turned and to start the new month, and week, we will take that large lens approach and see what the scene looks like overall heading into May when it comes to the Coronavirus pandemic.
So, to start the week we will start on the big world scene and shrink down to our back yard to get an overview of what we are dealing with right now as we know it.
First of all, COVID19 is the name given to COronaVIrus Disease 2019, for the year that it was first detected. Now that we have that established we will look at the latest cliff notes. From the world stage to here in our own Chippewa Valley.
WORLD: President Donald Trump is still pointing the finger at China for the coronavirus. At a Fox News townhall, he chided China for preventing people from traveling throughout China, but not from traveling internationally. Trump said China has done the world a disservice by not allowing the U.S. or the world in to investigate the beginnings of the virus.
A top health official from Johns Hopkins University doesn’t expect to see a lull in coronavirus cases heading into summer. Speaking on NBC’s Meet The Press, Dr. Tom Inglesby of the Bloomberg School of Public Health said folks shouldn’t assume that’ll happen. Inglesby also said he’s worried about a possible spike in the rate of hospitalizations as the coronavirus mixes with flu season this fall. The doctor urged everyone to continue wearing masks and keep practicing social distancing.
STATE: Wisconsin’s coronavirus numbers are going-up, but the percentage of people testing positive is holding steady. The state’s Department of Health Services yesterday reported 304 new cases. That brings the state’s total to just under eight thousand positive cases. Nearly 80 thousand people in the state have tested negative for the virus. Wisconsin’s positive-test-rate continues to be around 10 percent.
LOCAL: The Eau Claire Farmers Market has recently announced they are planning to be opening later than planned, possibly May 16th and we can expect social distancing measures in place as well. And as we are out in our community we can expect to see more of the same. For examply, customers must use a face-mask inside Menards stores. The Eau Claire based home improvement products retailer made the announcement yesterday. Store officials say if a person doesn’t have a mask the person can buy one at a Menards store for one-dollar. Menards joins other large retail chains such as Costco in the facemask requirement.
CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST PREVENTION TIPS AND INFORMATION FROM THE CDC.
