Our colleague Donald G. McNeil Jr. is worried.
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 | | The New York Times |
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As the Northern Hemisphere enters summer this weekend, many experts are already looking ahead. Our colleague Donald G. McNeil Jr. told “The Daily” this week that he’s “very worried about the fall for several reasons.” |
His biggest concern: As cold weather returns, people will spend more time indoors, where we know the virus spreads more easily. “So the possibility for transmission is really high,” Donald said. |
He cited a study by Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota, who looked at eight influenza epidemics since the mid-1700s. In each case the virus faded only to come back in a much more lethal wave. |
The 1918 flu pandemic did the same thing, Donald explained. |
“The disease mostly disappeared from the United States, gone overseas and hit the troops in the trenches in Europe,” he said. “And then in the fall and winter, it came roaring back and a third of the deaths took place in a little tiny period between September and December 1918. So I’m very worried that something like that could happen this fall and winter and that we’re not mentally prepared for it.” |
Deaths in the city have slowed to a trickle. Still, authorities are worried that residents are letting down their guard. |
To crack down on the widespread violations, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Thursday that he would permit the immediate suspension of liquor licenses for bars that don’t enforce social distancing. |
- In New Jersey, residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities will be able to see visitors again starting on Sunday.
- Some restrictions in Washington, D.C., will ease on Monday, allowing gatherings of up to 50 people, limited indoor dining and the reopening of playgrounds and gyms.
- Japan lifted its domestic travel ban today and has started discussions to ease international travel bans for arrivals from several countries, including New Zealand and Thailand.
- AMC Theaters, the world’s largest cinema operator, reversed course and said it would require masks when it begins to reopen next month.
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What else we’re following |
- Apple will temporarily close some of its stores in Florida, Arizona, North Carolina and South Carolina, following a surge of new cases in some areas.
- The Oklahoma Supreme Court rejected a legal bid to stop President Trump from holding a rally in Tulsa over the weekend, despite fears that it could spread the coronavirus.
- It’s been 100 days since the N.B.A. suspended its season, kicking off perhaps the most bizarre months the sporting world has ever seen. Separately, three professional teams shut down training facilities in Florida after players and staff members tested positive.
- Many important clinical trials for coronavirus vaccines and treatments may be excluding older adults, who are among the most vulnerable to the disease.
- However, victims of the virus in developing countries tend to be younger, in part because of underlying conditions and poorer health care, The Wall Street Journal reports.
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| Every Friday night for the past 14 weeks, I have had a Zoom call with two of my best girlfriends. Last week we decided to try something new, and the week before the call, we gave ourselves a $10 limit and ordered funny presents for each other. Then we waited for the packages to arrive and opened them together on our Friday night call — it was really fun! Plus, now I have “Golden Girls” knee socks and a giant gummy bear on a stick. |
| — Danne Dzenawagis, Ann Arbor, Mich. |
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