My state, the commonwealth of Virginia, is going into Phase III of the reopen today. It means more businesses will open, but the governor still advises caution, and for people to wear masks as often as possible and to stay and work at home whenever possible. Virginia still has new coronavirus cases, but we’re not seeing “first wave” outbreaks in the thousands on a daily basis. But we could. It feels like every state that even attempts any kind of general reopen is seeing a spike in cases. Dr. Anthony Fauci testified in a Senate hearing yesterday and he painted a grim picture:
Dr. Anthony Fauci warned that the U.S. could soon see 100,000 new coronavirus cases a day if the current rate of infection continues. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that the soaring number of new infections in several states, primarily Arizona, Florida and Texas, “puts the entire country at risk.”
“We are now having 40-plus thousand new cases a day,” he said, while testifying at Senate hearings about COVID-19. “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.”
On Friday, the U.S. hit a new single-day record of infections with 45,498, far surpassing the record from April of 36,738. Fauci was responding to a question from Sen. Elizabeth Warren about what the likely U.S. death toll will be at the end of the pandemic. As of Tuesday, at least 126,161 Americans have died from the virus.
“I can’t make an accurate prediction, but it is going to be very disturbing,” he said. “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.”
During the Senate hearing, Sen. Lamar Alexander, a Republican from Tennessee and chair of the Senate health committee, urged President Donald Trump to wear a mask in public to signal to Americans that they are effective in stopping the spread of COVID-19. “The president has plenty of admirers,” Alexander said in his opening remarks. “They would follow his lead, it would help end this political debate. The stakes are too high for this political debate about pro-Trump, anti-Trump to continue.”
In some ways, it’s not rocket science: the states with a significant drop-off in positive corona cases are the states which took to mask-wearing and social distancing early, and kept it up throughout the past three months. The states with spiking corona cases are the ones who did a half-assed lockdown and tried to reopen businesses quickly, like Florida and Texas, or the states which long-resisted a face mask mandate, like North Carolina.
Dr. Fauci also told the Senate that bars are now the coronavirus hot spots in America: “Bars: really not good, really not good. Congregation at a bar, inside, is bad news. We really have got to stop that.” Other health experts are calling bars “the perfect breeding ground” for the virus. Which leads me to this – Texas’s Gov. Abbott closed down the state’s bars several days ago because he, like everyone else, understood that the bars were becoming breeding grounds and that bars were partly responsible to the huge spike in corona cases in Texas. On Tuesday, there were widespread “protests” in Texas to Gov. Abbott’s restrictions. Anyway, some of the signs at the Texas protests? “Bar Lives Matter.” This is disgusting. White people, do not do this. Do not trivialize a racial justice movement which is about life and death. Do not. And to those people who are this f–king upset about bars closing: are there liquor stores in Texas? Go to a liquor store, spend $50 and look up some cocktail recipes online. Either that or join a program.
Protesters are upset @GovAbbott shut down bars in order to help slow the spread of COVID-19. More than 30 bar owners are suing over the executive order. Protesters are demonstrating at the State Capitol and soon at the Governor’s Mansion. @KVUE pic.twitter.com/MaRSILqIxk
— Jenni Lee (@JenniL_KVUE) June 30, 2020
HAPPENING NOW: The “Texas Bars Fight Back” protest is happening outside the Texas Capitol to protest the closing the bars statewide. pic.twitter.com/NPLen0fFmF
— Kacey Bowen (@KaceyonFox7) June 30, 2020
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
The Bar Lives matter is so repellent. These people are repellent. they’ve lost their livelihoods, and would easily have my sympathy, but no they gotta go do this.
This country simply is not set up to take care of its citizens during something like this. If the Republicans let the 600 a week UI package expire in July, we are going to see homelessness, hunger, and social unrest the likes of which no one alive today born n this country can imagine. They need to extend it, and what’s more they need to expand it. You shouldn’t have to have qualified for UI to get that. We’re in a lot of trouble, and it’s nowhere near the worse it’s gonna get.
@Darla – I agree wholeheartedly! I feel this pandemic has literally revealed the most disgusting behavior in people – this is a perfect example! BAR LIVES MATTER? There are simply no words to describe my disgust with that statement!
Our Administration has failed completely in dealing with this global crisis and we are witnessing the fall-out. And yes, while I sympathize with the people that who own these bars/restaurants who are forced to close, I am appealed that this is what they resort to do! Align their plight with the Black Lives Matter movement of racial injustice.
Just vile!
Darla- I’d bet my bottom dollar these “bar lives matter” folks aren’t struggling bar owners.
It’s 40,000 covid cases a day now. Keep up the inconsiderate and selfish behavior, one being hanging out at the bar socializing with your friends and you’re going to be looking at 100,000 cases a day…..is it really true that you can’t fix stupid? Seems that way….or maybe it just hasn’t gotten bad enough yet.
This is so frustrating because its really not rocket science. Look at what the countries are doing who have contained this, and then….do that. Look at what the states are doing that have contained this, and then….do that.
Part of the problem with the US is that each state is in control of their own response to this and we have free travel between the states. So Maryland is doing really well, even though we have reopened restaurants (50% capacity) and most of our businesses etc, but if a lot of Marylanders decide to travel to Florida, that could impact our cases. Or if a lot of Floridians decide to travel here. So we really do need everyone to be on the same page and that’s just not happening.
Some kid and his family flew in from Florida to Westchester, went to a graduation and now there’s an outbreak again in that part of New York.
DiBlasio finally did one thing right and has delayed reopening of bars and indoor dining after seeing the cluster f in other states and in the east village. New York has come very far and I’d hate for it to go to the toilet cause some bored 20 year old decides to do a bar crawl.
I read the titled post as “bras” instead of “bars”!😬 Whew, where is my coffee?!😪😂
As for the topic on hand, no words! These racist A-holes🖕🏾 will view any and every inanimate object as more valuable than our Black lives!!
I bet someone thinks “ bar lives matter” is just so witty. Like some alcoholic Karen painted that sign and then texted a pic to all her friends and laughed smugly at her own hilariousness for hours.
More white men than white women voted for Trump, and Trump is still pulling crazy high levels of support from white men.
I went with Karen because that is a white woman, not a white man, holding the “bar lives matter sign”. And I was partially on board with “not all white women” complaints until recently. The reaction to the protests among the liberal, not leftist, white woman in my circle has been either crickets or some kind of “black lives matter but i don’t agree with looting” bs. The reaction among the conservative white women I know through social media because of activities my kids do has been outright racism, white supremacy, and extreme bootlicking. To the point where I am going to be very uncomfortable seeing these people once things open back up. So I’ll stick with Karen.
I voted for Hilary in 2016…I do not support Trump. And this is Texas you’re talking about.
Bar Lives Matter Karen has a ‘It’s Wine O’Clock!” diy sign hanging in her she-shed from her Painting with a Twist class that she attended without a mask.
Perfect @Sara! And for sure at least one “Live, laugh, Love” sign on shiplap displayed prominently in the kitchen. I hate Karen.
These people make me so afraid we are gonna hit the 100k a day reality that Dr. Fauci warned about. The stupidity is stunning.
That man must have enormous patience. He told us exactly what would happen if states reopened too soon. Now reports are that he has security protection because of threats.
At nearly 80 years old with decades of working on viruses, Fauci has to be so disgusted with the arrogant stupidity of some people.
His expertise has been treated so condescendingly by the Tangerine Tyrant. He must feel like he is banging his head on a giant orange wall. And the stupid people who believe Trump over all of the doctors are risking all of our lives.
And where does that leave bar owners and employees? Forced to open. If you believe “bar lives matter,” demand better financial protections for small businesses and their employees to stay closed.
Exactly! And in urban areas, when it’s safer, ask for streets to close to cars so that bars and restaurants can expand their patio and have more space for pedestrians (cuz you should never drive to a bar anyway). But no one should have to choose between their health and being able to pay their bills
Bar Lives Matter. I just can’t be surprised anymore at the vileness of human beings.
To play devils advocate-I get bar owner general frustration. Abbott announced at 10 am that all bars had to close by noon. He kept restaurants with bars open, didn’t tel them the metric for reopening or even a end date.
But ugh-you lose all that empathy with bar lives matter. Way to co-opt a movement fighting to keep POC alive with a bar opening. It’s disgusting.
I feel like we’re living in a satire about America.
and the punchline is death
It’s been Idiocracy around here for a while. The US is a laughingstock and a pariah in the international community. And because of the vocal, visible, moronic “BuT mUh rIgHtS” crowd in my state (Texas), we are the pariahs of the pariahs. I am so sad…we’ve been home for months, only leaving for groceries and occasional takeout, wearing masks, socially distancing, and these idiots won’t wear masks or follow the rules.
It really is startling to me how clearly the lines are on this. If someone is saying masks are unconstitutional or that they cause CO2 to build up and hurt you, or that the virus is no big deal and talking about the media hyping it, they are invariably a Trump supporter.
A virus does not care if you bleed blue, support 2nd amendment sanctuaries and hate anyone different than you. It’ll kill you just the same.
Speaking as a foreigner and NATO ally, it’s truly disconcerting to watch Americans burn their own house down.
Speaking as an American, maybe it’s better to burn it all down and rebuild at this point. We are so far gone and it feels past the point of hope.
It enrages me to see how little Americans prioritized opening schools in the fall because they were greedy for nachos and hair cuts RIGHT NOW. You can throw money at small businesses and excuse rent, but you can’t replicate kids going to school with their peers and in front of an actual teacher. We learned nothing from April and May when schools shut down and we limped along to the end of the school year. Absolutely nothing.
I know, I am so sad for our children. We are collectively failing them, and there are children who will never catch up at this point. I know mine are privileged beyond reason, and they are still losing out. But the kids who don’t have healthy food, or safe adults, or anyone looking out for them…some of them will be irretrievably damaged. It haunts me. Some will (and already have) lose their lives. Some are scared, and hungry, and sad. It’s awful that school has to be the only refuge of so many children because of our war on the poor and refusal to support families, but it is unbelievably awful when that refuge is taken away for months or years at a time.
For the first time since moving to the States eight years ago, last night I started thinking about what the future might look like if things don’t start to turn around in the next year. Will i move ba I temporarily with the kids just to they can go to school? Because I’m not sending them here but in Canada they seem to have a better handle on things…
I fully agree that these people are idiots, and am in no way defending this protest. You couldn’t get me in a bar for anything right now.
Also, as a few other commenters said, these folks do need protections to pay their rent. That’s the real problem, not that the bar isn’t open, too bad they aren’t focusing on that.
Most folks I’ve known who worked in bars, didn’t have a whole lot of other job prospects and were living pay check to pay check.
So 126,161 deaths from CoVid so far in the U.S. and we are disturbed.
“The report from the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights, counted 862,000 abortions in the U.S. in 2017. That’s down from 926,000 tallied in the group’s previous report for 2014, and from just more than 1 million counted for 2011.” Source: Lawrence Bryant / Reuters file
Sept. 18, 2019, 3:55 AM EDT
By Associated Press
Yet no one gives a sh!t about that particular number of deaths? It doesn’t make sense. It kind of puts things into perspective.
Zwella, I totally agree.
I just do not understand why people are being so damn stupid about wearing a mask, social distancing, etc.
Personally, at 58 y/o I want to protect my health as much as I can during this virus.
Makes me really angry that people can be so pigheaded about such an easy thing to do.
Take an old shirt if thats all you have on hand, fold in sections, tape corners and tie it on as a mask. Easy.
All these idiots so desperate for bars to reopen….at the risk of lives?
Seriously, rethink that. If you can’t go a few weeks without a drink, you need help.
Liquor stores are still open, you can still smoke and drink and eat all the fatty, processed cheap food you want to. Just don’t think you have the right to kill me by your being an idiot.
You pig headed, bunch of tools..you make me tired as hell.
I’m a bartender. I was out of work and on unemployment for two months (I got $177 a week, which is way less than my paycheck, let alone tips). I’ve been back at work since May, and we just opened to 100% capacity (masks are optional, and I’m the only FOH employee who still wears theirs).
I love my job. I hated being on unemployment. I missed my regulars. But… yeah, bars and restaurants are a hazard. People are touching all these surfaces and then putting their hands on their face/putting things in their mouth. I’m pretty much resigned to the fact that I will get the virus. And I’m young and healthy with a great immune system, so I’ll probably be fine (I know there are cases of young people with no health problems dying from it, so who knows), but some of my regulars are older folks with lots of underlying issues. And most of the older folks think it’s overblown/a hoax, so they’re not even trying to protect themelves.