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Rip off the band-aid -Lets talk second wave…

If you’ve been reading along my Pandemic Blogs… you know that I trust nothing our Washington DC leadership says… I do trust Dr Fauci … for now… and I do trust my local state government… our Governor has been amazing! I had no idea… all of our Utah leadership has been nothing but forthcoming… and with our lives at the forefront of their minds… I didn’t know… but consider me schooled… that being said… school … our State Superintendent (Really the most beautiful woman inside and out) stoically took the pulpit and announced our children would not be going back this school year… My lil miss b is heartbroken to say the least… and she is only an 8th grader… I cannot imagine what seniors are going through… I can’t … it must be awful… that said… Lets talk second wave… and how they are protecting our youth at all costs from it….

A little history lesson please… The Spanish Flu…

Between September and November, a second wave of flu peaks in the United States. This second wave is highly fatal, and responsible for most of the deaths attributed to the pandemic… The 1918 flu pandemic virus kills an estimated 195,000 Americans during October alone. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-commemoration/pandemic-timeline-1918.htm

The Asian Flu of 1957…

In the first months of the 1957 flu pandemic, the virus spread throughout China and surrounding regions. By midsummer it had reached the United States, where it appears to have initially infected relatively few people. Several months later, however, numerous cases of infection were reported, especially in young children, the elderly, and pregnant women. This upsurge in cases was the result of a second pandemic wave of illness that struck the Northern Hemisphere in November 1957. At that time the pandemic was also already widespread in the United Kingdom. By December a total of some 3,550 deaths had been reported in England and Wales. The second wave was particularly devastating, and by March 1958 an estimated 69,800 deaths had occurred in the United States. https://www.britannica.com/event/Asian-flu-of-1957

Fast forward to today’s announcement about schools…

My opinion is… that unlike the President of the United States… our State Government is doing the very best it can to protect our children from the second wave… I am so grateful… and lets be honest… They are the experts… Leave it to the people who know! if I had been in charge… you all would’ve died way before this pandemic.

Meanwhile…

https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/the-new-coronavirus-threat-to-the-world-is-the-usa,13788

The point of all this… if you are not the expert… either become one… recognized by someone other than yourself (in trumps case for sure!) or let them do their job!

If you are reading this … you have air in your lungs… you are alive. No thanks to me! NO thanks to Trump… for damn sure… So Thank the ones who are keeping us safe…

<Kicks metaphoric soapbox to the curb… again> poor beaten lil soap box

I WAS WRONG!!!

All of my life…

As someone who has always been into politics and civil activism… I’ve always followed National stuff… campaigned for presidential candidates… protested or supported what they are doing in the white house (okay… not very often supported) I have never really paid much attention to our local leadership… other than our state representatives… that are headed to Washington…. I have been so wrong in this … because here we are… in what very much feels like the apocalypse… and the Governors across our great country are who really did what needed to be done… our city councils… our local health departments… and law enforcement. I have never in my life been more proud to be a Utahn. <Kicks soapbox to the curb> Thank you to each and every one of them…. seriously.

Today, a public/private partnership was announced with Silicon Slopes to accelerate COVID-19 testing in Utah. Testutah.com is an assessment tool being launched as part of an effort to assess symptoms, test citizens, determine who is infected with COVID-19, treat them and eventually eliminate the spread of COVID-19 in our state. The goal is to dramatically increase the capacity to test. Two testing sites in Provo and Orem run by medical professionals were opened today. An additional six testing stations are coming soon. The three #TestUtahChallenge steps:

1. Assess: All Utahns should visit testutah.com and take the 5-minute online assessment.
2. Test: Those who qualify for a COVID-19 test will receive an email with a unique QR code and a time to get tested at one of the mobile sites. Results and next steps will be emailed to individuals.
3. Trace: Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 will be asked questions to help assist state health officials trace the spread of the virus.

• If you think you may have COVID-19, use online resources or call 800-456-7707. For moderate to severe symptoms, find a testing facility in your community by visiting coronavirus.utah.gov.

• Gov. Herbert issued an executive order allowing remote signature gathering by email or fax for local referenda. The order suspends the requirement that the law being referred to is attached to the petition and the requirement each circulator personally witness each signature, which allows a packet to be submitted without the signature of the gather on the verification form.

• Gov. Herbert repealed his previous executive order regarding evictions and replaced it with a new order that more narrowly describes the tenants to whom the suspension applies.

• The Utah Department of Workforce Services (DWS) released the new number of unemployment insurance claims for the week of March 22-28 – 28,560. Part of the unemployment insurance system is filing a weekly claim, and there were 24,424 weekly claims filed that same week. A total of $3,972,938 was paid in benefits. There have been nearly more unemployment claims in the last two weeks than the number of claims filed in all of 2019. It is important to note unemployment insurance is not a single application but requires submitting a weekly claim to access benefits. DWS has processed many claims, though unable to provide the benefits to some who haven’t filed a weekly claim. Individuals impacted by COVID-19 can visit jobs.utah.gov/covid19 for more information, FAQs on the federal stimulus package – the CARES Act.

• TSA will accept expired driver’s licenses or state-issued IDs at the checkpoint a year after expiration or 60 days after the duration of the COVID-19 crisis, whichever is longer.

• The Democratic National Convention has been pushed to August 17 due to COVID-19 health concerns.

• Information on autodialers related to COVID-19 public service announcements. If an organization plans to use or is using automated dialing technology to make large numbers of voice telephone calls to citizens about COVID-19, there are measures to help ensure that calls are not inadvertently blocked as “spam” by service providers or other entities.

• The outbreak of COVID-19 can cause fear and anxiety for families and individuals. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s (SAMHSA) Disaster Distress Helpline – 1-800-985-5990 (or text TalkWithUs to 66746) – provides 24/7, 365-day-a-year crisis counseling and support to anyone who is seeking help in coping with the mental or emotional effects caused by developments related to the COVID-19 crisis.

• State leaders created an emergency bridge loan program for small business owners.

• As of April 2 at 1:00 p.m. Utah’s private and public laboratories have administered 21,065 tests with 1,074 testing positive, 100 have been hospitalized, and there have been seven fatalities.

Through this little door….

Once in a while… right in the middle of an ordinary life…. life gives us a fairy tale….

I am not even really sure how this happened… I posted about these little fairy doors a couple of weeks ago… about how I just wanted t make a few peoples days a little brighter…. well… things have certainly gotten brighter…. Lets start with some pictures and then I will tell you more about it…. These are out and about all over Bountiful Utah… and its is funny… because I really thought people would not see them… or ruin them…

Bees Buddha Courage Monkeys outandabout outandabout2 Rains Sparkle

as you can see from the images…. not only did people not take them… I felt this weird obligation once I realized people were looking at them… being careful with them… drawing hearts with rocks in front of them… stacking leaves in front of them (I am assuming these are little girls doing this) to well…. keep up the locations… we have had some insane weather around here lately… rain and wind… but my little doors just keep staying… I have had evidence (Such as chewed gum used as adhesive) that I am getting help with the upkeep of these…. Sooooooo I had some little stuff around my house… from other projects… and I began making additions…. LOL I have painted 26 doors now… I still have 20 of them out there… some have gotten taken… which was the original assumption… so I am not upset about that… but the ones that stay are the ones that make me laugh… I wonder what people think…. there is a sweet little path behind our local library (the bountiful library) that has several…. I think that at this point that is where I am going to have to focus most of my attention… I wonder if at some point the city will complain about these little fairies being about…. but so far they havent… and I suppose at this point also I am probably going to be a little sad when some kid, teen, or adult comes through and finally does break them… or throw them away…. or whatever…. but for now… I am going to continue my little game… I have no idea who is seeing them… if they like them? or what is going on… but about every 72 hours or so… I go a make a round to them all… and make sure I am not littering… that they are in good condition… and I usually add something to the site… Its small… I know… but I do feel like something is happening… even if it is to me.