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The latest on the stimulus package
The Senate plans to vote on its $2 trillion stimulus bill this evening, though it is still being challenged on several fronts.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said the Senate's stimulus bill wouldn't be nearly enough to meet New York's need, saying it's "a drop in the bucket." Three Republican senators are opposing fast-tracking the vote because the unemployment benefits could mean people will make more money in unemployment than being employed. And it includes $17 billion in loans that is specifically worded for Boeing, The Post reports, which is already under intense scrutiny for its deadly mishandling of commercial jet safety.
If the bill passes the Senate today, the House expects to be able to vote on it Thursday. Here are some key pieces:
- Around $301 billion will go directly to taxpayers in the form of a one-time $1,200 check, or $2,400 for couples filing jointly for those making less than $75,000, plus $500 per child, with some caveats.
- A $367 billion loan program for small businesses, which will be able to take out loans of up to $10 million, and employers could use the money to pay employees making up to $100,000 a year.
- You can explore more details here.
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Other news
States are competing for hospital supplies as the number of cases in the U.S. surges. President Trump has repeatedly said he doesn't need to implement the Defense Production Act to force companies to produce supplies, but states and hospitals are describing extraordinary efforts to secure equipment. A former FEMA administrator told The Post the response should be led by governors but directed and funded by the federal government in order to avoid this problem.
The virus doesn't appear to be mutating rapidly, researchers say, which means a vaccine — when it comes — could be long-lasting. Scientists say it has looked the same almost everywhere it has appeared, and there's no indication that certain strains are deadlier than others.
A chorus of conservatives is lining up behind Trump's desire to "re-open the country" by mid-April, despite warnings from health experts that ending social distancing too soon would lead to an overwhelming spike in new cases and deaths. But Trump ultimately won't be the one who decides that. The 10th Amendment gives governors clear power to protect the health and safety of their residents, no matter the consequence to the economy, and some governors are already expressing skepticism that it would be possible to go back to normal by Easter.
Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen told law enforcement across the country that it should consider using terrorism laws to prosecute "the purposeful exposure and infection of others with COVID-19." On Tuesday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said some of the latest cases in his state were the result of a "coronavirus party."
Thousands of police are calling out of work in New York City. Around 3,2000 officers were out sick on Wednesday, which is 9 percent of NYPD's workforce and three times the normal rate. But Police Commissioner Dermot Shea told MSNBC serious crime was down 17 percent compared to this time last year.
Cramped and unsanitary conditions in jails and prisons could spread the virus rapidly, not only to inmates but to the people who work in those facilities. Counties and states are releasing thousands of nonviolent inmates to help control the potential spread, and the federal prison system is coming under intense pressure to take similar measures. |
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What is 'essential?'
Many states have ordered non-essential businesses to close in order to promote social distancing. A Washington Post survey of 10 cities shows distinct differences in what is considered "essential," not only in the enterprises allowed to remain open but in the efforts to enforce new restrictions. What qualifies where you live?
By Reuben Fischer-Baum, Daniela Santamariña and Juliet Eilperin ● Read more »
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Live updates
Submit a question and The Post may answer it in a future story, live chat or newsletter.
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Your questions, answered
As the crisis deepens, so do our negative emotions, a serious problem for many people suffering in quarantine. Dr. Andrea Bonior, a clinical psychologist with Georgetown University, hosted a live chat on washingtonpost.com Tuesday, She offered advice for coping with paranoia, insomnia, hopelessness, rage and many other common mental challenges for this moment.
The full transcript is here, with some highlights below:
"It's feeling like every time my front door opens is a death sentence," a reader at high risk for covid-19 complained. Others are facing fear and anxiety over the prospect of losing their income, or falling ill and abandoning their children.
"It's okay to be afraid," Bonior counsels. "But try to notice — gently — when your thoughts become distorted. Ask yourself, is this thought realistic, or is it an unreliable narrator that comes from my heightened anxiety?"
"Stress levels tend to lower when we increase our sense of predictability and controllability," she writes, and suggests keeping a daily routine to add "some structure in your day."
"I can't sleep because I am terrified," one reader wrote, speaking for many now facing insomnia.
Bonior warns that pressuring yourself to fall asleep makes doing so even harder, and suggests investigating meditation, breathing exercises and visualization.
She recommends those same techniques if you are prone to panic attacks. "Try to intervene in the moment to decrease that anxiety," she writes. Doing so will also help you avoid mistaking the panic for symptoms of covid-19.
A reader whose sister-in-law died of cancer during quarantine asks, "How do I deal with not saying goodbye before she passed or after since there can be no funeral for the foreseeable future?"
Grieving in isolation is especially hard. Bonior recommends creating your own rituals: write about the deceased, talk to friends about them, or even talk to the air about them. "A lack of memorial service now is not a lack forever, or an indication that your sister-in-law will be forgotten," she says.
As politicians debate whether it's worth the effort to protect vulnerable populations from the virus, one 65-year-old reader is losing hope, writing: "I can't stop feeling lately like I'm disposable — and that we older folks should just grin and bear it."
"Hopelessness and helplessness tend to go together and egg each other on," Bonior replies, and suggests creating a daily plan to protect yourself and feel more in control.
"There will always be people who value certain groups above others," she notes. "Let's not let those voices — which are being heightened in these times — indicate anything about our society right now. They are the dark parts, but we don't need to elevate them."
There is far too much advice in the transcript to include it all here. Read the whole thing for tips on specific situations such as pregnancy, mental illness and eating disorders — and remember that whatever you are feeling, many others are, too. |
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Today's top reads
Find more stories, analysis and op-eds about the outbreak on our coronavirus page, including:
- An endangered species under threat because of coronavirus
- Immigrant doctors blocked from helping the Army fight the outbreak
- Advice from astronauts on surviving isolation
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Levity in prayer
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