7 Major Coronavirus Developments — March 26, 2020

Numbers

132 Cases in Rhode Island

1,838 Cases in Massachusetts

15 Deaths in Massachusetts

68,460 Cases in the United States

1,044 Deaths in the United States

483,385 Global Cases

21,582 Global Deaths

110,984 Global Recoveries

Stocks Slide Ahead of Job Numbers

The national job numbers will be reported on Thursday and the expectation is that the losses will be at a record level.

The Wall Street Journal, "Stocks slipped Thursday as investors await fresh data on U.S. unemployment claims for cues on the economic disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced a shutdown of wide swaths of the country.

Futures tied to the S&P 500 dropped 1.3%, signaling an end to two days of gains in U.S. stocks. The pan-continental Stoxx Europe 600 declined 1.4%."

RI Job Losses Mount

New numbers from the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training on Wednesday report that 62,000 Rhode Islanders have filed for unemployment or temporary disability insurance.

The numbers continue to show that in less than a month Rhode Island has transformed from near-record low unemployment to now what are record layoffs.

Prior to the recent coronavirus crisis, Rhode Island had approximately 12,000 unemployed. 

50 Percent Infection Rate

New York City Health Director Dr. Oxiris Barbot said the percentage of infection could be higher than 50% by the fall in the city.

“We think 50 percent by the end of this epidemic, this pandemic, so by the time September rolls around likely 50 percent, but it could also be much higher,” Dr. Barbot said at the briefing.

De Blasio added that there’s no certain patient zero for the metropolis, even though officials had previously identified a Manhattan health care worker who’d returned from Iran as the first case in early March.

“We don’t even know truly when it first asserted here in the city,” Bill de Blasio said as reported by the New York Post.

Senate Approves Stimulus Package

The $2 Trillion federal stimulus package early Thursday morning by a unanimous vote. The legislation now goes to the House of Representatives.

The House is expected to pass the package and send it to President Donald Trump for signature on Friday.

Crack Down on RI Retailers

As of 5 PM Thursday, all retailers and grocers in Rhode Island must:

- Allow no more than 20% of stated fire capacity in the store at a time;
- Require staff to count the number of customers entering and exiting the store and enforce limits;
- Clearly mark 6’ spacing in lines and other high-traffic areas. Stores should consider posting signage or using ropes to direct customers and to limit bottlenecks/encourage flow in high-density areas of stores;
- Designate employees to monitor social distancing and assist customers;
- Maximize space between customers and employees at checkout;
Designate employee(s) to ensure the cleaning guidelines set by the CDC are followed;
- Discontinue self-serve foods and product sampling; and
Offer exclusive hours for those in high-risk populations, including seniors, where stores will restrict entrance to maintain 10% of fire capacity.

Larger grocery stores and retailers with more than 25,000 square feet are encouraged to offer pickup and/or delivery options.

Impact Spreads

GoLocal News Editor Kate Nagle has an in-depth story on the impact of the coronavirus on the summer rental markets in Rhode Island.

It is a segment of the local economy that will be hard hit in 2020.

READ HERE