21-year-old who bragged about not social distancing gets coronavirus
A 21-year-old Tennessee woman who bragged on social media about not taking the coronavirus outbreak seriously has been diagnosed with the deadly illness, according to a report.
Ireland Tate joked about not following instructions to stay home and practice social distancing amid the pandemic just days before she fell sick, news station WZTV reported.
In a social media video, the Nashville resident told her followers that she’s “aware that we’re supposed to be self-quarantining and social distancing” to “keep everyone safe” — but that she wasn’t worried.
“Cool. I get it. I just don’t think that I’m going to get the virus,” Tate said in the video.
But just days later, Tate found herself suffering from symptoms associated with the dangerous bug and tested positive.
“It feels like someone is sitting on my chest at all times,” she said. “It’s really hard to breathe. I’ve coughed until my throat has bled.”
Tate said she likely got the virus from a pal in her group of friends and she’s now warning other young people to stay home.
“While it may not be affecting you, you could be affecting someone’s grandma or grandpa or aunt or uncle or sister,” Tate told the outlet.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/03/26/21-year-old-who-posted-about-not-social-distancing-gets-coronavirus/
Photo Credit: WZTV
SCARFACE HAS TESTED POSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRUS
Houston rapper Scarface said he has tested positive for the coronavirus during a livestream interview with his longtime Geto Boys bandmate Willie D Thursday.
The rapper, whose real name is Brad Jordan, described a multi-week ordeal that started with an itch in his throat and included multiple stays in the hospital, pneumonia in both of his lungs, kidney failure and a fever that ran as high as 103 degrees. He also noted that, despite everything, he only officially got his positive COVID-19 test result Wednesday night. “I been to the point where I felt like I was going to die,” he said.
Jordon said the respiratory issues associated with the coronavirus were particularly brutal because he also has asthma. He said he could barely breathe and that it “felt like there was an elephant sitting on my chest.”
The rapper said he wasn’t sure where he picked up the virus, noting he hasn’t been traveling lately and lives a fairly sedentary life. To that end, he urged people to take the pandemic seriously, saying, “I don’t see how nobody can even want to play them games, I don’t want to have fun that bad, where it could take my life.”
Jordon said he was still in quarantine at his house, but believed he was finally recovered from the virus. With the end in sight after such an excruciating experience, he joked, “I’m finna go fucking live now, man! Like skydiving and shit, I’m gonna go do that. We’ll go on a safari trip.”
Multiple musicians and other celebrities have tested positive for the coronavirus in recent weeks. One of the first, and most notable, was Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson, while others include Idris Elba, Jackson Browne and Kevin Durant.
via: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/geto-boys-scarface-coronavirus-positive-test-973856/
Photo Credit: the source
The dirty truth about disinfecting wipes
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Cops arrest group that planned orgy amid coronavirus lockdown in Spain
Undercover cops in coronavirus-battered Spain have rounded up eight people accused of violating the lockdown by organizing a drug-fueled orgy in Barcelona, according to a report.
Over 3,600 people have died in Spain from COVID-19, but that apparently did not prevent the suspects from planning the sex bash, which was organized online, according to The Sun.
Amid a twang of remorse, one of the would-be revelers tipped off the authorities, who seized drugs including cocaine and liquid ecstasy from an apartment that had been rented for a week, the news site reported.
Twenty other people had planned to show up for the romp, according to local reports.
The suspects were expected to be fined for violating the strict lockdown rules, which over 31,000 people have so far also flouted, The Sun reported.
On Wednesday, police officials said 55 people have been arrested across the country and more than 6,000 fined for violating the rules.
Photo Credit: AP/Emilio Morenatti
The Cheesecake Factory cannot afford to pay April rent because of coronavirus restrictions
One of America’s most popular restaurants, The Cheesecake Factory, reportedly cannot afford April’s rent at any of its nearly 300 locations due to the financial strain caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Cheesecake Factory’s founder and CEO, David Overton, notified the company’s landlords of their inability to pay in a March 18 letter obtained by Eater.
Overton said the company’s revenue took a hit as some restaurants were forced to close in accordance with government restrictions that have been imposed across the country to prevent the spread of the virus.
Restaurants that have remained open are only able to provide delivery and takeout services, he said.
“The severe decrease in restaurant traffic has severely decreased our cash flow and inflicted a tremendous financial blow to our business,” Overton wrote.
He added: “Unfortunately, I must let you know that The Cheesecake Factory and its affiliated restaurant concepts will not make any of their rent payments for the month of April 2020.”
The Cheesecake Factory operates 294 restaurants. It has locations in 39 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Canada, according to Eater.
The company in 2019 acquired Fox Restaurants Concepts.
Overton, in the letter, said the company hopes to resume rent payments “as soon as reasonably possible.”
A company spokesperson told Eater, “We have very strong, longstanding relationships with our landlords. We are certain that with their partnership, we will be able to work together to weather this storm in the appropriate manner.”
Photo Credit: Angel Chevrestt
Homeless man treated for coronavirus released back on the streets
A homeless man in Texas who tested positive for the coronavirus is back on the streets after being treated at a local hospital for the infection, according to a report.
The unidentified man was diagnosed with COVID-19 at St. Joseph’s Medical Center last week, KHOU 11 reported.
“St. Joe’s had him in the ICU for several days and now he’s been released and unfortunately, they released him to the streets,” Tommy Thompson, CEO of the nonprofit Open Door Mission in East Houston, told the outlet.
Local homeless advocates were aware of the man and attempted to find him a place to stay, but he was instead released with nowhere to go, the outlet reported.
Now he could be putting countless others at risk, Thompson said.
“It spreads so quickly,” he said. “You look at the encampments that are all around town, you know one person gets it, they’re all going to get it.”
A hospital spokeswoman told the outlet that the facility is “following the guidelines put in place by the CDC and the Houston Health Department for treatment and discharge of any suspected COVID-19 patient.”
Still, Harris County officials told the outlet they are trying to prevent situations like this one.
“We have been planning for a scenario where we have to house folks that test positive,” a spokesman for the Harris County Office of Emergency Management told the outlet. “Certainly the case at St. Joseph’s brought that to the forefront.”
“Right now, we have some folks that have tested positive that are homeless that are in hotels, so that’s the approach we are taking now,” he added.
Officials are also looking into possible housing options for people — not just the homeless — needing a place to quarantine away from family.
The Open Door Mission has agreed to give at least nine of its beds to the county — with the option to expand to 28 — for homeless people who are recovering from the coronavirus and other conditions.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/03/24/homeless-man-treated-for-coronavirus-released-back-on-the-streets/
Photo Credit: Google Maps
Man foaming at the mouth charged for allegedly yelling ‘corona,’ coughing in cop’s face
An Illinois man who was “foaming at the mouth” yelled “corona” and deliberately coughed in a Chicago cop’s face when the officer responded to a car accident, authorities allege.
Anthony Ponzi, 21, was “highly agitated” when Chicago police responded to the scene of a crash Sunday in the city’s Rogers Park section, according to an arrest report obtained by the Chicago Tribune.
Ponzi then yelled “corona, OK” and coughed directly into an officer’s face as the cop tried to check the Wilmette man for signs of impairment, police said.
The officer “immediately felt particles of saliva/breath” on his face, according to the arrest report.
Ponzi, who appeared in court Monday on charges including aggravated battery to a peace officer, twice deliberately coughed into the cop’s face, Cook County prosecutors said.
The cop attempted to “diminish the effect of the contamination” by tilting his head to one side and stepping backwards, according to a police report.
Ponzi, who was also charged with battery, resisting arrest and DUI, later told staffers at a hospital that he did not have COVID-19, a Chicago police spokesman told the Tribune.
Ponzi’s attorney, meanwhile, told a judge during Monday’s court appearance that the college sophomore is currently receiving treatment for mental health issues and substance abuse.
A judge ordered that Ponzi be released on his own recognizance, citing his lack of a criminal record and the possibility that he may have been inebriated during the alleged assault.
“I am concerned with the battery of a police officer … particularly spitting, especially in these times,” Judge Charles Beach said at a bond hearing using video conferencing software, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/03/24/man-charged-for-allegedly-yelling-corona-coughing-in-cops-face/
Photo Credit: Chicago PD
Woman coughs on $35K of goods at Pennsylvania grocery store in ‘very twisted prank’
A Pennsylvania woman ruined an estimated $35,000 worth of goods by intentionally coughing all over them while the coronavirus plagues nations worldwide, a grocery store alleged on Facebook.
The woman visited a Hanover Township location of the small grocery chain Gerrity’s Supermarket before 2:20 p.m. Wednesday and coughed on fresh produce, a small section of the bakery, meat case and grocery items, the store’s co-owner Joe Fasula wrote.
Authorities do not believe the woman, whose name is still unknown, is infected with COVID-19, but will “make every effort” to get her tested, Fasula wrote. The woman is also said to be a “chronic problem” in the community.
“While there is little doubt this woman was doing it as a very twisted prank, we will not take any chances with the health and well-being of our customers. We had no choice but to throw out all product she came in contact with,” Fasula wrote.
Gerrity’s Supermarket called cops immediately, and more than 15 employees worked with the Hanover Township health inspector to thoroughly clean and disinfect the store.
“The case has been escalated to the District Attorney’s Office. They have assured me that they will be aggressively pursuing numerous charges,” Fasula said.
The Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office and Hanover Township police could not be reached by The Post.
“The only silver lining to this travesty is that it gave us the unfortunate opportunity to test our protocols and demonstrate how seriously we take your safety,” Fasula said.
Luzerne County has 27 confirmed cases of the virus with one death, according to Johns Hopkins data. There have been 1,284 confirmed cases in the entire state.
A New Jersey man who was busted Tuesday after allegedly coughing on a Wegmans employee was charged making terroristic threats, obstruction of law and harassment, according to the state’s Attorney General.
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