Monday, May 25 Coronavirus Updates
Hello, welcome to The Daily Moth! It is Monday, May 25.
It’s Memorial Day, which is a federal holiday to honor members of our armed forces who died in their service. The day also is the unofficial start of summer. The official start of summer is June 20.
Here are coronavirus updates and top news briefs.
As of this afternoon, the U.S. has a total of 97,850 people who died from Covid-19. There are over 1.6 million positive cases and 366,000 people who recovered.
There were viral videos of a packed pool in the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. You can see between 100 to 200 people swimming or standing close to each other. Local law enforcement said they were focused on crimes and did not have enough deputies to enforce social distancing.
AlJazeera reported that in Florida, law enforcement worked on beaches to make sure people were socially distancing and even closed parking lots because there were too many people.
In West Virginia, hundreds of ATV riders flocked and camped in the Hatfield-McCoy network of trails.
This is a preview of what is coming this summer as America struggles with either staying at home or going out to visit others.
Dr. Deborah Birx from the White House coronavirus task force said she was very concerned and said that she wants to make it clear that social distancing is critical and if you are outside, you must wear a mask.
[Sponsored Video from Convo: https://bit.ly/2RyMogR ]
The White House announced a travel ban on Brazilians seeking to enter the U.S. due to concerns with coronavirus. Brazil is #2 in the world in Covid-19 cases, second to the U.S. The ban applies to any foreigners who have been in Brazil in the last 14 days. It will go in effect this Thursday, May 28. Those with green cards or are close relatives of U.S. citizens are exempt.
A hairstylist in Springfield, Missouri tested positive for Covid-19 and it is possible that they exposed 84 people who came in for appointments over 8 days. News reports say there is a second hairstylist who tested positive for Covid-19 and that an additional 60 may be exposed to the coronavirus. This shows the risks associated with reopening public places during the pandemic.
Now, top news.
A federal judge in Florida ruled that individuals who have a felony conviction can vote even if they have not fully paid off court fees or fines, as long as they have completed all terms of their sentence including probation and parole.
The judge said a Florida state law that required felons to pay fees or fines before they could vote is unconstitutional.
NPR said an analysis found that there are over 770,000 Florida citizens who have fulfilled the terms of their felony convictions but have outstanding legal financial obligations. This ruling can have a significant impact on how Florida votes in 2020.
If you live in southwest Virginia, North Carolina, or West Virginia, you may see millions of cicadas that will come out of the soil after 17 years. Male cicadas will sing to attract mates. The cicadas will live for two to four weeks as adults. The female cicadas will lay their eggs for the next generation who may come up in another 17 years. The bugs are not a threat to humans, but may cause damage to trees and annoy people with their singing. That means for deaf people who live in those areas, you only need to worry about trees. Why do they come up every 17 years? It’s not known why, but scientists think it’s to avoid predators. The nymphs live for 17 years underground but for only two to four weeks as adults.
On Wednesday afternoon, two U.S. astronauts will lift off in a SpaceX Dragon capsule on a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. They will be headed for the International Space Station. It will be the first time since 2011 that U.S. astronauts have lifted off from U.S. soil. The astronauts’ names are Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken. The launch will be streamed LIVE on NASA’s YouTube account. The scheduled liftoff time is 4:33 p.m. EST.
That is all the top news for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light!
Lake Ozarks: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/social-media-video-shows-lake-of-the-ozarks-packed-for-memorial-day-weekend-amid-coronavirus-pandemic/
Florida Beaches: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/05/beaches-parks-full-memorial-day-weekend-pandemic-200524183947394.html
Hairstylist: https://www.ozarksfirst.com/life-health/coronavirus/sgchd-announces-covid-19-public-health-exposures-covid-19-case-update/
Felons Voting: https://www.npr.org/2020/05/24/861776313/federal-judge-rules-florida-law-restricting-voting-rights-for-felons-unconstitut
Cicadas: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52793339
NASA: https://apnews.com/536cdbad77169d956e66836260347294
https://www.space.com/17933-nasa-television-webcasts-live-space-tv.html