COVID19 Update - Day 50

US Tests: 6,026,170
US Cases: 1,033,157
US Deaths: 55,225
Worldwide Cases: 3,187,030
Worldwide Deaths: 227,177

In yesterday's post, I pointed out that the Republican definition of 'freedom' is being forced to work during a pandemic.  Today we learned that in Iowa at least, anyone choosing to make their own safety, their families' safety, or public safety their top priority can say goodbye to unemployment benefits:

Gov. Kim Reynolds noted the requirement for workers to return when called back by employers during a press conference last week. IWD Director Beth Townsend said the return is critical to the state's fiscal recovery.

“To get the economy going, in order for us to have a good recovery, we need employees to return to work when there’s an opportunity for them to do that," Townsend said in a Des Moines Register interview last week.

Failing to return to work out of fear of catching the virus would be considered a voluntary resignation, which disqualifies workers from receiving unemployment benefits. Workers who do not return can collect benefits only under certain circumstances, such as being sick due to the virus or living with an infected family member, IWD officials said this week.

And as if forcing lower-wage workers to work during a pandemic weren't bad enough, Trump and the GOP have so far refused to contribute a dime to help cover funeral costs for any coronavirus victims, breaking from long-standing tradition:

Often in disasters, the federal government steps in to reimburse families for funeral expenses. FEMA offered funeral assistance after Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy. The amount varies, but a September 2019 report from the Government Accountability Office found that FEMA paid about $2.6 million in response to 976 applications for funeral costs of victims of three 2017 hurricanes, or an average of about $2,700 per approved application.

But with the coronavirus, the funding stream has remained closed, despite calls from politicians including New York Democrats Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. At least 58,000 people have died of COVID-19 in the United States, and those deaths are coming as tens of millions of people deal with lost jobs.

In response to questions, FEMA stated that the decision on which programs to fund is in Trump’s hands.

And on the personal side, today I learned that my childrens' high school will be having a 'Drive Through Celebration' of teaching and learning on Friday.  There will be an emphasis on social distancing; students and their parents will drive along a prescribed route past the high school, where teachers and staff will be cheering for the students.

Under different circumstances, I would find this all rather cheesy, but given the extraordinary times we're living through, I think it's a really nice effort to bring the community together.