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Yesterday Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R), Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) all announced stay at home orders, with Virginia’s to last until June 10th–the longest order of any state.
We also saw more cities and retail stores begin to furlough workers, as our institutions and economy begin to contend with a sustained period of Americans staying home.
Why This Matters: For many American workers the current outlook is impossible. Either they’re being sent home without pay or are deemed essential workers and risking their lives to provide essential services for the rest of us–like keeping our lights on and our water running. For utility workers especially, this is a dangerous time as New York’s historic decision to require workers to live at facilities operating the state’s power grid may become a test case for the rest of the nation.
Even worse, Amazon has fired a Staten Island warehouse worker who organized a strike to demand greater protections for employees amid the coronavirus outbreak.
What About Outdoor Exercise?: Gov. Hogan added that running, hiking, biking or walking are allowed during the stay at home order, but congregating in a park with hundreds of others or shopping for home furnishings is not.
What About Masks?: Though initially wearing masks in public was not deemed necessary, that narrative is shifting.
And speaking of medical supplies, one industry that’s set to boom (and become overwhelmed) is the medical waste disposal industry.
The Toll on Science: 2020 will see critical gaps in scientific data as COVID-19 has stalled fieldwork around the world. For instance, whales are dying off the coast of California and we have no idea of the numbers or the cause.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has required PFAS, cancer-causing chemicals used in manufacturing, in firefighting gear for years despite cancer being the leading killer of firefighters. An extensive investigative two-part story by E&E News’ Ariel Wittenberg reveals not only the dangers of current equipment standards but the lengths the NFPA has gone to hide them.
Why This Matters: A study of 30,000 firefighters from 2010 to 2015 found that firefighters have an increased risk of many different cancers including: leukemia, malignant mesothelioma, bladder and prostate cancers, lung cancer, brain cancer, and digestive and oral cancers.
by Natasha Lasky, ODP Staff Writer World Health Organization expert Dr. Peter Ben Embarek revealed this week that the organization’s team of researchers have found two scenarios that could have transferred COVID-19 to humans. He acknowledges that COVID-19 could have been transmitted through frozen products at the Wuhan fish market, but the most likely scenario […]
By Amy Lupica, ODP Staff Writer A new study published Monday has found that a second, sneezier plague is ramping up. Allergy seasons have increased in duration by an average of 20 days since 1990. Why? Rising temperatures and an abundance of atmospheric carbon are increasing the amount of pollen in the air, and researchers say the […]
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