Workers On The Frontlines Of Pandemic Sound Alarm Over Lack Of Protection
Garbage collectors in Pittsburgh walked off the job on Wednesday after claims of lack of protective equipment during the coronavirus outbreak.
“We’re playing Russian roulette with every garbage bag that we’re grabbing,” employee Sheldon White said. “Half the people don’t tie their bags, so when the stuff spills out, they tell you to pick it up. There’s Kleenexes that people blow their nose and cough in.”
In a statement, the city of Pittsburgh said it “is taking all due precautions to protect refuse…due to fears over COVID-19 exposure” and performs health checks on all workers each day.
Daily sanitizing is not slowing the spread of coronavirus at Amazon warehouses around the country. Most of the nine affected facilities remain in operation. Workers, who are not paid sick leave, are concerned that they don’t have protective equipment or enough time to wash their hands.
STATE REPORTS
On Wednesday, officials in at least 11 states reported a spike of more than 100 new coronavirus cases. Virginia saw an increase of 101 while New York added over 5,000 new cases.
City morgues in New York city are expected to reach capacity next week as more succumb to the coronavirus.
A beloved principal at a transfer school in New York for high school students who have dropped out, has died from complications of the coronavirus. Dezann Romain, a 36-year-old African American woman, led the Brooklyn Democracy Academy in Brownsville.
Police in Chicago are being given 12,000 protective gear kits as the department has reported six cases of coronavirus.
The mayor for Rancho Palos Verdes, California and his wife contracted the virus after attending a birthday party at a Trump-owned golf course. Other current and former city officials also tested positive for coronavirus and are self-quarantined.
In opposition of a statewide shelter-in-place order, about 1,900 students at Virginia’s Liberty University are returning to campus after spring break amid the coronavirus crisis. The president of the evangelical university, Jerry Falwell, Jr., is a vocal supporter of the president.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Fourteen million US jobs could be lost by this summer due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Economic Policy Institute forecasts in a new report. The hospitality, leisure and retail industries are suffering the biggest losses.
WeWork, a coworking space provider, is facing backlash as it is giving $100 bonuses per day to employees to work in their offices during the pandemic. The coworking space provider says it wants to stay open for its members to conduct essential business.
Although Congress has agreed on the massive stimulus bill, lawmakers and the IRS aren’t expecting cash to be in the hands of Americans anytime soon. Trump continues to push for his initial April 6 deadline, but historically, these types of checks have taken between six weeks and three months to distribute.
Fifteen billion dollars in additional funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, will help those living at or below the poverty line.
LATEST NUMBERS
According to news reports, there are at least 63,109 cases of coronavirus in the U.S. At least 877 people have died.Workers On The Frontlines Of Pandemic Sound Alarm Over Lack Of Protection
