7 Major Coronavirus Developments — 75 to 79% of Deaths Linked to Nursing Homes — May 11, 2020

Factories Closed - Forever?

Some factories may be victims of the coronavirus economic crisis. Not furloughs, but permanent closures.

The Wall Street Journal reports:

Factory furloughs across the U.S. are becoming permanent closings, a sign of the heavy damage the coronavirus pandemic and shutdowns are exerting on the industrial economy.

Makers of dishware in North Carolina, furniture foam in Oregon and cutting boards in Michigan are among the companies closing factories in recent weeks.

Those factory shutdowns will further erode an industrial workforce that has been shrinking as a share of the overall U.S. economy for decades. While manufacturing output last year surpassed a previous peak from 2007, factory employment never returned to levels reached before the financial crisis.

Paying Utility Bills in RI

The Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission voted to extend an order that all regulated utilities--electric, gas, water, sewer--cannot be shut off or sent to a collection agency through May 31.

This applies to both residential and non-residential customers.

Wuhan Reports New Cluster of Cases

A new coronavirus cluster has been reported in Wuhan city - the city reported five new cases on Monday, after confirming its first case since 3 April on Sunday.

China has been easing restrictions in recent weeks and cases had been declining.

Health authorities and experts have warned that as countries emerge from strict lockdowns and people move around more freely, a rise in infections is likely, according to the BBC.

Germany Begins to Reopen Schools

"Restarting schools is at the core of any plan to restart economies globally. If schools do not reopen, parents cannot go back to work. So how Germany and other countries that have led the way on many fronts handle this stage in the pandemic will provide an essential lesson for the rest of the world," writes the New York Times.

“'Schools are the spine of our societies and economies,' said Henry Tesch, headmaster of the school in northern Germany that is piloting the student tests. 'Without schools, parents can’t work and children are being robbed of precious learning time and, ultimately, a piece of their future,'” the Times reports.

Shanghai Disneyland Reopens

The Disneyland in China has reopened.

The attendance was limited by 70%.

The tickets sold out in hours after the announcement.

Numbers

11,274 Cases in Rhode Island

77,793 Cases in Massachusetts

422 Deaths in RI

4,979 Deaths in Massachusetts

1,367,963 Cases in the United States

80,787 Deaths in the United States

4,198,418 Global Cases

284,102 Global Deaths

1,500,685 Global Recoveries

GoLocal LIVE -- Monday, May 11, 2020

10:00 AM - University of Massachusetts Professor Scott Latham discussing the impact of retail

12:00 PM - Dr. Michael Fine, Former RI Director of Health

1:00 PM - Governor Gina Raimondo Briefing

EDITOR'S NOTE: Gov. Raimondo has reversed her policy and is now allowing reporters to attend press conferences and directly ask questions.  For more than 6 weeks she had blocked reporters from directly asking questions for the public to hear.