As States Reopen, Demand For Plexiglass Is Booming Like Never Before
States and businesses are trying to protect their residents and workers with new safety measures--including putting up plexiglass between cashiers and costumers. It's just one example of the new, booming marketplaces created by the virus. Media outlets also look at where states stand on their plans to reopen.
The Wall Street Journal:
Plexiglass Is The New Hot Commodity As Businesses Try To Reopen
Manufacturers are racing to crank out the hand sanitizer, masks and clear plastic dividers that are emerging as integral elements for reopening the U.S. economy amid the coronavirus pandemic. Stepped-up production has sent prices for materials soaring: The alcohol used in sanitizer has tripled in price since January. Wait times for plexiglass-style sheeting are now measured in months rather than weeks. Scores of companies are hunting for fabrics that block virus-laden particles to supply their employees with masks. All told, the $5 billion U.S. market for personal-protection equipment is expected to grow nearly 15% this year from 2019, according to IBISWorld, a market research firm. (Terlep and Hufford, 5/31)
The Washington Post:
Social Distancing Strictures Fall Away As Crowds Gather To Party And Protest
Melissa Shapiro, 26, sat in the sun under a sign suggesting social distancing at the Redhead Lakeside Grill on Saturday, as dozens stood shoulder-to-shoulder in waist-deep water before her. “We’re not in L.A. or New York,” she observed. “We’re at Lake of the Ozarks, and if there were as many people here as there was last weekend, we’d leave.” Besides, Shapiro said, “we’re millennials, we’re healthy,” and she and her friends planned to isolate themselves for 14 days after returning home to St. Louis. (DeYoung, James, Schneider and Farwell, 5/30)
The Washington Post:
Coronavirus-Battered D.C. And Northern Virginia Reopen, But Normalcy Remains Scarce
Beneath a gray-sky morning, the nearly 4 million people of Washington and its Northern Virginia suburbs woke up Friday in communities where, for the first time in 60 days, they were not ordered to stay home — though many did anyway. In the nation’s capital, rush-hour roads were still empty and stores were still shuttered. Apologies still hung in windows, promising everyone would be back “soon.” (Cox, Jamison, Stein and Zauzmer, 5/29)
The Associated Press:
Oklahoma Prisons To Reopen To Visitors
State prisons in Oklahoma will reopen for inmate visitation starting next weekend, but with precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, according to the state Department of Correction. Visitors must remain in their vehicle until called, wear a mask provided by the facility, complete a health-screening, show no symptoms of the virus and maintain social distancing, the department said Friday. Visitors will be allowed to carry only an identification card, car key, and baby care items if a young child is present. (5/30)
The New York Times:
Can 8 Million Daily Riders Be Lured Back To N.Y. Mass Transit?
As New York City prepares to reopen after enduring one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the world, officials are scrambling to avoid a new disaster — the gridlock that could result if many people continue to avoid public transportation and turn to cars instead. Before the crisis, eight million people in the region each weekday — including over 50 percent of the city’s population — used a complex network of subways, buses and railways that has long been a vibrant symbol of the largest metropolis in the United States. After the outbreak hit, though, ridership plummeted as workers stayed home to slow the spread of the virus. (Goldbaum, 6/1)
ABC News:
Lack Of Guidance Inspires Improvised Reopening Plans For Schools
Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott this month offered up a plan: Public schools could reopen for summer classes starting June 1, provided they follow the state education agency's guidelines like meeting in small groups and spacing desks 6 feet apart. But since that May 18 announcement, Texas has become an example of just how difficult returning to school can be. Some teachers in Texas now say they are worried about returning and getting sick, while administrators have said they need more guidance before making any definitive calls about what might happen in the fall. (Tatum, 5/31)
ABC News:
Hesitancy To Resume Activities Marks Reopening Challenges: POLL
With two-thirds of Americans worried about a second wave of the coronavirus, a new ABC News/Washington Post poll finds nearly 6 in 10 people are unready to resume their pre-pandemic activities, underscoring continued public unease as the nation seeks a return to normalcy. Impacts of the pandemic are vast. Seventy-nine percent in this national survey say their lives have been disrupted. Fifty-nine percent report severe economic impacts in their community -- up from 43% two months ago. Among those employed before the pandemic began, 24% have been laid off or furloughed. (Langer and Sparks, 6/1)
Los Angeles Times:
In Reopening Restaurants And Hair Salons, L.A. County Tests Whether It Can Prevent Second Wave Of Coronavirus
Despite having the most serious coronavirus outbreak in California, Los Angeles County on Friday was given the go-ahead to reopen restaurants for in-person dining, and resume services at barbershops and hair salons in the biggest test of whether the state can reopen the economy without causing COVID-19 to spread more rapidly. Gov. Gavin Newsom approved a request by L.A. County leaders to begin the next phase of reopening and businesses could be up and running this weekend. (Wigglesworth, Shalby and Chang, 5/30)
The Wall Street Journal:
Coronavirus Hits Small-Town Summer: No Riverfront Days, No Little League World Series
For the first time since it began 41 years ago, the Riverfront Days summer festival won’t take place in Decatur, Neb., a double whammy for the small farming town, which counts on the economic boost and cherishes the civic togetherness. The coronavirus pandemic forced the town to cancel the event on Father’s Day weekend. There will be no street dances or puppet shows, no kids’ fishing tournament, no out-of-towners filling Pop-n-Doc’s restaurant, no community play with a cast ranging from first-graders to great-grandparents. (Calvert, 5/30)
The Associated Press:
Virus-Proofing Sports Facilities Presents A Big Challenge
The jersey-wearing camaraderie. The scent of sizzling sausages. The buzz before a big game. The distinctive atmosphere of live sports, that feeling in the air, will return in time as pandemic restrictions are eased. But will that very air be safe in a closed arena with other fans in attendance? The billions of dollars spent on state-of-the-art sports facilities over the last quarter-century have made high-efficiency air filtration systems more common, thanks in part to the pursuit of green and healthy building certifications. (Campbell, 6/1)
Detroit Free Press:
US Department Of Justice Joins Businesses Fighting Whitmer Orders
The U.S. Justice Department put the weight of its office Friday behind a business lawsuit seeking to overturn some of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's executive orders related to the coronavirus pandemic. The governor said the development was a White House move that "seeks to undermine the health and safety of Michigan residents." (Egan, 5/30)
