Fascist Politicians Handle Pandemics Poorly

"That ain't nuthin'" by Chip Proser

Yesterday, at a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing, Dr. Fauci responded to a question from Elizabeth Warren about how out of control the pandemic is becoming in the U.S. by saying that he "can't make an accurate prediction, but it is going to be very disturbing. I will guarantee you that, because when you have an outbreak in one part of the country, even though in other parts of the country they're doing well, they are vulnerable. I made that point very clearly last week at a press conference. We can't just focus on those areas that are having the surge. It puts the entire country at risk. We are now having 40+ thousand new cases a day. I would not be surprised if we go up to 100,000 a day if this does not turn around, and so I am very concerned." Fauci's boss, Señor Trumpanzee, no longer says it's a hoax but claims it is under control and will disappear any moment.

Also yesterday-- just a coincidence-- the EU made it formal: they don't want citizens of countries run by fascists coming to visit. Oh, wait! I misread the NY Times report. It isn't their fascist leaders that are causing citizens of the U.S., Russia, India and Brazil to be banned; it's that the fascist leaders have botched their handling on the pandemic and the EU doesn't want the contagion being brought over. Makes sense. Today the European Union is open its borders to visitors from 15 countries "putting into effect," reported Matina Stevis-Gridneff, "a complex policy that has sought to balance health concerns with politics, diplomacy and the desperate need for tourism revenue." Among the countries approved are Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Algeria, South Korea, Uruguay and even China, all of which took the pandemic seriously, while Trump was still calling it a hoax and has run U.S. pandemic policy into a ditch off a cliff.

The plan was drawn up based on health criteria, and European Union officials went to great lengths to appear apolitical in their choices, but the decision to leave the United States off the list-- lumping travelers from there in with those from Brazil and Russia-- was a high-profile rebuke of the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus crisis.

Travelers’ country of residence, not their nationality, will be the determining factor for their ability to travel to countries in the European Union, officials said, and while the policy will not be legally binding, all 27 member nations will be under pressure to comply. If not, they risk having their European peers close borders within the bloc, which would set back efforts to restart the free travel-and-trade zone that is fundamental to the club’s economic survival.

Still, some European countries, especially those in the south that see millions of visitors from all over the world throng to beaches and cultural sites during the summer, have been eager to permit more travelers in a bid to salvage their ravaged, and vital, tourism industries.

The United States was the first country to bar visitors from the European Union in March as the pandemic devastated Italy and other European nations.

The bloc implemented its own travel ban in mid-March and has been gradually extending it as the pandemic spreads to other parts of the world. It had set July 1 as the date to begin allowing non-European Union travelers to return, even as Portugal and Sweden, both members, and Britain, which is treated as a member until the end of the year, still grapple with serious outbreaks. Others, such as Germany, are seeing new localized outbreaks drive up their national caseloads.

Britain was exempt from consideration for the list because of its current E.U. status, and countries like Spain and France are considering allowing direct flights from Britain to bring in crucial tourism revenue.

...The prolonged severance of travel ties between the bloc and the United States has disrupted a critical economic, cultural and diplomatic relationship. Business travelers on both sides of the Atlantic are desperate to resume their visits, couples and families have been split up for months, and the differences between the European and American approaches to combating the pandemic have brought to the fore divergent views on science and policy.

While most European nations went into strict lockdowns early in their outbreaks and have promoting the wearing of masks and other measures to try and control the resurgence of the illness, the United States has seen a patchwork response and the number of new cases has continued to balloon.

The EU was looking at numbers like the daily caseload increases across the globe. The U.S., Brazil, Russia and India are always at the top. Even the dozen worst-performing EU countries are in relatively good shape, even if you want to count Britain and Sweden as part of the EU. These were the daily increases reported on Monday ----> and Tuesday:

• UK +814 ----> +689
• Germany +528 ----> +440
• France +280 ----> +541
• Romania +269 ----> +388
• Portugal +266 ----> +229
• Poland+247 ----> +239
• Czechia +202 ----> +90
• Spain +200 ----> +301
• Bulgaria +140 ----> 158
• Italy +126 ----> +142
• Sweden +125 ----> +198
• Netherlands +76 ----> +50

Now compared that to the fascist-run countries with leaders who don't care if their citizens die:

• US +44,734 ----> 46,042
• Brazil +25,234 ----> 37,997
• India +18,339 ----> +18,256
• Russia +6,719 ----> +6,693
• Saudi Arabia +3,943 ----> +4,387
• Pakistan +3,557 ----> +2,825
• Iran +2,536 ----> +2,457
• Egypt +1,566 ----> +1,557
• Turkey +1,374 ----> +1,293

Yesterday, David Hall, reporting for the Wall Street Journal, noted that "A surge in new coronavirus cases and rising hospitalization rates in states such as California and Texas are jeopardizing reopening plans elsewhere, while other countries are struggling to stop clusters of infections from spreading.

Los Angeles officials have banned all July 4 fireworks displays and ordered beaches closed over the coming holiday weekend.

In Texas, coronavirus patients have filled about 10% of the state’s hospital beds, and 80% of all available beds are occupied, according to data from the state health department. “It’s going to become unsustainable to have this number of admissions if this trend continues,” said Federico Vallejo, a pulmonary critical-care doctor from South Texas.

In New York, where cases have been declining, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said they were considering postponing the return of indoor dining at the city’s restaurants because of the surge of cases elsewhere. The state last week delayed the opening of malls, gyms and movie theaters.

Governments in other parts of the world were also taking steps to contain outbreaks.

India’s government said schools would stay shut for a further month and restrictions would be extended until the end of July on nonessential services and movement of persons in containment zones-- coronavirus hot spots where lockdowns are still in effect. A nighttime curfew will also be kept in place across the country. Confirmed coronavirus cases in India rose by 18,522, pushing up the total number of infections to 566,840, while the death toll rose to 16,893, according to data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

In China, Beijing municipal health authorities on Tuesday reported seven new locally transmitted infections, bringing the total to 325 since a new wave of infections was identified earlier this month. Wu Zunyou, the chief expert at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an interview with state-run television that Beijing could reduce the number of new daily cases to zero in about a week.

Health authorities in South Korea said that while the current level of infections is manageable, restrictions could be tightened if transmissions at small gatherings continue across the country. South Korea added 43 new cases, bringing the nation’s total to 12,800.

The country has also proposed other measures to counter the spread of the virus, such as staggering workers’ vacations to prevent crowding in popular areas during the summer. South Korean baseball fans will be able to return to stadiums in July-- wearing face masks and sitting spaced out. They will go through temperature checks and won’t be allowed to cheer or eat.

In Australia, the premier of Victoria state on Tuesday reimposed stay-at-home orders for four weeks in 10 areas of Melbourne suffering outbreaks. Businesses in those areas that have been able to reopen recently will again face restrictions, and restaurants will be allowed to offer only takeout and delivery services. The premier also said he had asked the country’s prime minister to divert all flights away from Melbourne to other cities for the next two weeks.

And Andrew Cuomo has banned residents of 16 states from traveling to New York without a 2 week quarantine. This sounds arbitraty and unconstitutional. These are the states and how many new cases they reported Monday ---> and Tuesday:

• Alabama +1,734 ---> +870
• Arkansas +439 ---> +520
• Arizona +3,079 ---> +2,228
• California +6,896 ---> +7,906
• Florida +5,266 ---> +6,093
• Georgia +2,207 ---> +1,874
• Iowa +327 ---> +192
• Idaho +433 ---> +365
• Louisiana +837 ---> +1,042
• Mississippi +675 ---> +680
• North Carolina +1,537 ---> +1,663
• Nevada +734 ---> +562
• South Carolina +1,324 ---> +1,755
• Tennessee +2,125 ---> +1,212
• Texas +6,135 ---> +7,959
• Utah +564 ---> +553