President Donald Trump on Thursday evening revealed his framework for reopening America’s economy.
The document provides guidelines for three phases of reopening, and implementation is largely at the discretion of the nation’s governors and local authorities.
Plans to reopen could not come too soon for many in this state as an important piece of data was announced on Thursday.
277,607. That’s how many Alabamians have filed for unemployment since March 15. Last week saw 77,515 individuals in the state file their initial claim. The week prior, that number was 106,739. To put this staggering number in perspective, there were 61,114 total unemployed people in the state the week before Governor Kay Ivey issued her state of emergency order. Now having nearly 300,000 Alabamians on the unemployment roll would seem the most compelling piece of data, yet, for reopening.
Does the virus follow a fixed pattern regardless of freedom or quarantine policies? An Israeli professor contends it does. Professor Yitzhak Ben Israel of Tel Aviv University disclosed his research this week showing the coronavirus peaks and fades in the exact same way in countries with lockdowns as it does in those without policies restricting movement. “Is the coronavirus expansion exponential? The answer by the numbers is simple: no. Expansion begins exponentially but fades quickly after about eight weeks,” the professor wrote. He concluded that the last 50 days of data indicate the time is right to lift closure policies.
As of 6:30 a.m. on Friday. In the last 24 hours, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health, there have been 163 new cases of COVID-19 after 2,286 new tests were conducted. There have been 14 reported deaths and 29 new hospitalizations in the same time period.
‘THANK GOD FOR TRUCKERS!’ Trump brought several big rigs to the White House and was not shy about his admiration for the work of their drivers. “From the moment the invisible enemy landed on our shores, America’s 3.5 million truckers have never wavered at all, and they have never, ever let us down,” he said in a speech.
THANK GOD FOR TRUCKERS! pic.twitter.com/PNLPAkhNUK
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 17, 2020
Tim Howe is an owner of Yellowhammer Multimedia
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