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Previous post explains the County of Los Angeles intends to continue the stay-at-home orders for another three months. That will make five months of the economy being shut down. Poor people falling behind five months on their rent and car payments. Five months of no revenue for most businesses.
This discussion will be posted on several of my blogs.
To highlight the devastation caused by the shutdown here are merely a few of the recent articles to consider for the consequences of said shutdown:
Increase in suicides
5/7/20- Breitbart – Report: Suicide rise from lockdowns to kill more than coronavirus in Australia – Researchers at a university in Australia estimate there will be a doubling of the suicide rate in the country because of the economic lockdown. If that horrible estimate is even close to correct, far more Australians will die by their own hand than are killed by coronavirus.
Devastation in healthcare industry
5/7/20 – Yahoo News – Hospitals are losing billions. Industry leaders say the aftermath could be “apocalyptic.” – The VA Secretary estimates that US hospitals could lose over $500 billion during the pandemic. The $175 billion stimulus payment from Congress will barely start to fill the gap.
Layoffs, furloughs, and pay cuts are spreading across the industry.
The financial devastation will force many hospitals, especially rural facilities, to decide which departments to keep open on an ongoing basis and which to curtail. Healthcare of all Americans will be reduced into the future.
Keep in mind prohibiting so-called “non-essential” medical procedures was an intentional policy imposed on the healthcare sector.
This is currently resulting in cancers growing undetected and life-extending surgeries not being performed.
Another retailer ready to file for bankruptcy
5/8/20 – Reuters – Exclusive: JC Penney to file for bankruptcy as soon as next week, sources say – I previously mentioned that Penney has been negotiating debtor-in-possession financing, which is a precursor to a bankruptcy filing. This article says the filing may come as soon as next week, which means sometimes in the next few days.
Expectation is that out of its 850 stores about one fourth, or somewhere in the range of 200 or so, will be closed. You can make your own guess on the employment situation since they have somewhere around 85,000 staff.
Ill. governor has no responsibility for extended loss of religious freedom
5/6/20 – Washington Examiner – Illinois governor says churches may not fully reopen for a year or more because of coronavirus – The state of Illinois has set up a five-phase plan to slowly let the people in the state out of home detention and eventually let the economy begin to operate.
Phase 2 starts on 5/8 and phase 3 will begin on 5/29.
In phase 3 up to 10 people may gather. In phase 4 up to 50 may gather. No gatherings over 50 people will be allowed until phase 5. Restaurants, bars, and schools will not be allowed to open until phase 4.
Churches will be subject to the same restrictions: 10 or less in phase 3, 50 or less in phase 4, nothing over 50 until phase 5.
Phase 5 will not begin until either a vaccine is in wide use or very effective treatment medicine is available.
The governor acknowledges it will be somewhere between 12 and 18 months before a vaccine is available, which means churches will have to wait that long to have regular worship services.
Article says the governor is denying responsibility for any of this. He indicates the health experts are actually running the state. Don’t believe me? Check out paragraph four of the article. He, as chief executive of the state, is disclaiming any responsibility for suspending the First Amendment for another year or 18 months.
Staff on cruise ships stuck at sea
5/7/20 – The Drive – Satellite Images Show Armadas Of Vacant Cruise Ships Huddling Together Out At Sea – Where do all those passenger-less cruise ships go during a pandemic? The entire industry of cruise ships and ports that can handle them is designed for the ships to spend the vast majority of their time out in the ocean somewhere.
Turns out large numbers of cruise ships are clustered in a few locations in the Caribbean and Atlantic. Article has one satellite photo showing 14 cruise ships in one cluster. Another photo shows eight anchored off the coast of Manila.
The human tragedy can be seen in the ships still having most of their crews on board. Global politics has left the crews in limbo, stuck on their ships. At first they enjoyed the luxurious sports facilities, but then they were put in quarantine, confined to their quarters.
Article quotes another report from CNN which said there are 74 ships idled outside US ports and in the Caribbean. There are 57,000 crew members stuck on those ships who cannot go home.
The damage is growing every day that governors postpone opening their state’s economy. We as a society are trading lives for lives.
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