Four Spring Breakers Test Positive for Coronavirus
TAMPA, Fl. (WFLA) — Five University of Tampa students are recovering after testing positive for COVID-19 during spring break, the school said.
The university said the students were traveling together and with other UT students during spring break before testing positive. The school didn’t say where they went during their break or if they lived on or off campus.
The school did send its well wishes.
“We sincerely wish our students, and any others who may be affected, a full and rapid recovery,” UT posted on Twitter Saturday night.
The university switched to online classes only on March 17.
Photo Credit: Steve Nesius/Reuters
Domestic violence calls increase as people shelter in place during COVID-19 outbreak
During this time, as family are sequestered inside their homes, there is a dark side.
Domestic violence shelters are seeing a dramatic increase in calls for help as people shelter in place to avoid COVID-19 exposure.
Staying at home can be a horrible situation for domestic violence victims.
Jessica Garza is a survivor who fled an abusive husband, who beat her so bad she lost her unborn baby.
“Being there with your abuser, I can’t imagine what it’s like for them right now because me, I just needed to leave, “ said Garza.
Domestic violence shelters, like The Family Place, say they are seeing a big increase in calls for help.
”This is going to be similar to what happens during the holiday when everyone is together and a lot of frustration,” said Paige Flink, The Family Place CEO.
Some shelters have run out of room and are looking to put victims in hotel rooms and other places, because of social distancing rules.
“What has also happened is because some shelters don’t have private bedrooms, they are having to isolate people and spread them apart, which has reduced how many people they can take in,” said Flink.
Flink says they are getting extremely violent calls that are COVID-19 related.
“People being locked in rooms, being shot through the doors, prevented from leaving, having to stay because he’s afraid she will go out and get it. Crazy stuff,” said Flink.
Garza was able to go to her sister’s for help.
She says women should not hesitate to find a safe place to go.
“Let that shelter be something else. In this new norm we find ourselves in, let the new shelter be a friend’s home, a hotel room, anything,” said Garza.
The Family Place says it will not turn away someone in a lethal situation. The shelter will find a place.
The Family Places says it’s making sure the people coming in have no symptoms of the virus, and the shelter is being deep cleaned frequently to keep everyone safe.
If you need help, please call the one of the following numbers:
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233.
The Family Place Crisis Hotline: 214-941-1991
Genesis Women’s Shelter: 214-946-4357
Hope’s Door: 972-422-2911
Safe Haven of Fort Worth: 877-701-7233
Photo Credit: fox2now.com
‘Naturally antibacterial:’ Sex doll companies trying to cash in on coronavirus
Sex doll companies have an important public service message: Self-isolating can be fun and safe at the same time.
Abyss, the maker of sex robots RealDolls, assured potential buyers that its dolls are free of COVID-19 in an Instagram post.
“Self-isolating doesn’t have to be the worst! All RealDolls are made from Platinum Grade Silicone and are naturally antibacterial and nonporous! Want one?” The company’s caption reads.
An online publication that reviews sex dolls also posted a blog post trying to combat myths regarding sex dolls and the coronavirus.
“Sex doll industries have been greatly affected as most of these products were made and delivered from China,” according to the post at realsexdollreviews.com.
“But to break the existing perception toward China-made sex dolls, is there really a high-risk of product-to-human viral transmission? One firm answer: No!” the post continues. “There is no medical proof that upholds this claim. Sex dolls assembled or imported from China have no harm to the people.”
Sex doll maker Silicon Wives has also tried capitalizing on the pandemic, with a giveaway contest for free sex dolls “to help with the coronavirus quarantine,” according to its website.
“Are you stuck inside with nothing to do for the Corona virus (sic) quarantine? We’re giving away free sex dolls to ease your ‘social distancing,’” the website reads.
Local municipal and state governments across the country have started creating and enforcing strict rules to keep residents inside in order to “flatten the curve” and slow the spread of the pandemic — which has now infected more than 300,000 people globally.
In September, The Post reported that sales of male sex dolls were already on the rise.
Photo Credit: nypost.com
GameStop says it’s an essential business. Employees are outraged
Hundreds of GameStop stores around the United States remain open, despite the intensifying coronavirus outbreak and demands from irate employees to close the stores.
GameStop locations are still open in several states that have ordered non-essential retail to close, including New York and New Jersey. Starting Friday, the video game retailer began to close stores in California and Pennsylvania. California has been under a statewide shelter-in-place order since Thursday evening.
The company argues it is “essential” because it offers mice and keyboards that could help people work from home. GameStop told CNN Business in a statement that “we are one of many providers of these products that are remaining open at this time.” But it didn’t comment on why it must remain open if other stores are also providing those items.
Eight current employees told CNN Business that GameStop is keeping its stores open to profit off of a video game shopping spree during a global pandemic. Video game sales have risen for retailers and online stores, as analysts anticipate more people are playing as they stay home. PC game store Steam reported an all-time high of 21 million users on Friday.
“Animal Crossing: New Horizons” launched in stores Friday and “Doom Eternal” was available a day earlier. Ahead of those two major video game releases, GameStop sent out an internal memo Thursday to store leaders and other employees saying that it believed its stores should be “classified as an essential business” and remain open during the global pandemic. It told employees in a letter viewed by CNN Business that they should direct law enforcement to call a corporate number if they tried to enforce store closures.
Several current employees told CNN Business that only select shops carry the kind of equipment that can help people work from home. GameStop primarily carries higher-end PC gaming accessories, not the more affordable and simpler tools that are most suitable for office work.
“That’s absolutely ridiculous. If someone’s trying to work from home, they don’t want the $85 Razer keyboard we have or the $60 Razer mouse. Some cheap $20 Microsoft something is going to get them by just fine,” said Dustin Carson, 31, a game adviser at a GameStop in Athens, Georgia. “They can get that at Walmart. They can get that at any of these other stores that also have groceries and are arguably much more essential to being open right now.”
The Athens store opened on Friday morning, even though the county is under a shelter-in-place order.
Police went to the store Friday afternoon to order that it shut down. They showed GameStop employees an 11-page ordinance that included a list of essential businesses, which CNN Business viewed. GameStop was not listed as one of them. The store closed on Friday at around 4 pm ET and it is unclear if it will reopen Saturday. Athens’ police department did not return a request for comment.
“Honestly, I’m relieved,” said Carson, “No one needs to get sick or die over video games. They’re not essential items.”
Click to find out more about a new promotionDon’t miss this content from our sponsor
As states and districts adopt new rules to counter COVID-19, GameStop said it would shift its approach: “We are complying with all state, county, city and local ordinances and we will continue to adjust to any future developments.”
GameStop is struggling financially, going through considerable layoffs and closing stores. The pandemic could hurt the company because the bulk of its profit comes selling physical copies of the games.
“I never considered myself someone essential to a pandemic then, and I don’t now,” a GameStop shift manager in Illinois, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, told CNN Business.
The Illinois employee said their store made $4,000 in net sales on Sunday and Monday combined and “that is definitely out of the norm for this time of the year.”
“I think I’ve cried every day since Monday… I’m trying not to cry in front of my staff,” said a longtime current GameStop store leader in New Jersey, who didn’t want to be identified for fear of being fired. “I feel very much like a pawn. It doesn’t matter what the staff on the ground does. They’re just expendable.”
Employees are calling for GameStop to shut its stores, even though it will hurt them financially.
One assistant store leader in California said “I had asked my manager if we should call local law enforcement to try to enforce the closure… [the request] died in the chain of command.” He later added that his store has now closed as of Friday and that he does not expect to be paid beyond using up his vacation days.
Matthew, who asked to be identified by first name only, a longtime GameStop employee, worked in a New Jersey mall store he said recently closed because the governor mandated mall closures.
While most employees expressed they believe GameStop should close its stores during the pandemic, one keyholder in Virginia said, “I do believe that they should stay open. With unemployment buckling under the weight of the layoffs I can’t see a way to earn income at this moment in time… I need this job.”
Photo Credit: polygon.com
Redding officials ask residents not to flush shredded T-shirts used as toilet paper after sewer backup
A Northern California city is asking residents not to use T-shirts as toilet paper as panicked customers exhaust toilet paper aisles nationwide in response to the coronavirus.
“COR Wastewater Management responded to a sewer backup from shredded t-shirts being used in place of toilet paper,” the City of Redding tweeted Thursday. “Remember, if you use anything other than toilet paper, Bag it. Don’t flush it.”
Wastewater management employees worked Wednesday night to clear the strips of T-shirt behind the clog at a lift station, according to the Redding Record Searchlight.
Officials warned that just because something will flush, it doesn’t mean it will pass through the system. Paper towels, tissues, napkins, rags and disposable wipes, even those that advertise as being “flushable,” can damage and clog lines, sending sewage back up into peoples’ homes.
For anyone forced to use something other than toilet paper, the city has one request: “bag it.”
Photo Credit: twitter
Online toilet paper calculator developed to tell you just how long your supply will last
As households continue to stock up on toilet paper — emptying shelves across the country — a new website is attempting to answer the question: How much TP do we really need?
Howmuchtoiletpaper.com is a website created by student software developer Ben Sassoon and artist Sam Harris, both based in London, in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The tool calculates just how long your stash of TP will last you during a quarantine.
The idea came to them naturally, while talking about how much toilet paper they used, and how that would change during the pandemic.
Thus, the website was born.
The layout is simple. Users enter how many rolls of toilet paper they have and how many times they visit the loo.
If you scroll to the “Advanced Options” section, you can really get detailed, customizing the average number of wipes per trip, the number of sheets per wipe, sheets on the roll, and people in the house.
More than 2 million people have used the tool, the website says, and the average user has a whopping 500% more toilet paper than they need for quarantine.
The whole point of the tool is to reduce the toilet paper shortage around the world, which has begun as folks panic-buy rolls out of fear of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“Not everyone is able to get to a store and stock up on toilet roll. Don’t be selfish,” the website says bluntly.
Demand for toilet paper has jumped
The sudden high demand of toilet paper has resulted in the industry working hard to meet the raised need, said the American Forest & Paper Association, an industry group representing paper product makers.
Last week, some orders from retailers nearly doubled, said Georgia Pacific, which makes Angel Soft and Quilted Northern toilet paper. The company shipped 20% more than its normal capacity.
Meanwhile, retailers in the US and Canada have begun limiting the number of toilet paper packs customers can buy in a single trip.
Photo Credit: ktla.com
Police investigate ‘disturbing’ video of teens coughing on produce
PURCELLVILLE, Va. (KRON) – Police in Virginia are warning of a “disturbing trend” after a group of teens were caught on camera coughing on produce at a grocery store, then posting it on social media.
This all comes amid the growing coronavirus pandemic, which continues to spread across the United States and around the world.
“We have learned that this appears to be a disturbing trend on social media across the country, and we ask for help from parents to discourage this behavior immediately,” Purcellville police said in a Facebook post Thursday.
“We are asking for parental assistance in monitoring your teenagers’ activities, as well as their social media posts to avoid the increase of any further such incidents.”
Specific incidents were not detailed by police, but authorities urged parents to “talk with your children and explain to them why such behavior is wrong.”
The grocery store, which was not mentioned by name, removed the tainted fruits and vegetables, police said.
None of the teens have been arrested.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University’s real time map, there were more than 19,000 coronavirus cases in the US with 260 deaths reported as of Saturday morning.
via: https://fox2now.com/news/police-investigate-disturbing-video-of-teens-coughing-on-produce/
Photo Credit: fox6now.com
Couple forced to cancel wedding due to COVID-19
Many local brides and grooms and now having to cancel their weddings because of COVID-19.
One Chicago woman’s wedding was supposed to be Saturday. She says it is the day she’s been dreaming about since she was a little girl. But because of COVID-19, her special day has been put on pause.
“We actually met in high school,” said DaJuana Sampler. “We went to Simeon Career Academy together.”
Sampler could not wait to marry her high school sweetheart and best friend, Marques.
The Chicago couple got engaged in 2018 and from that moment on, they’ve been planning every detail of their wedding.
“13 months of planning and anticipation. So I was very excited,” Sampler said.
Amid COVID-19 concerns, Governor JB Pritzker announced that he was limiting social gatherings to less than 250 people.
“I was like OK, well I just made the deadline,” Sampler said. “I was at 200 guests. Then the CDC came back with updated guidelines of 50, and that’s when my heart really started racing.”
She said the venue eventually called them, saying all events, including weddings would have to be postponed to a later date.
“It was to the point that when somebody brought up the wedding, I would just break down into tears,” Sampler said.
“It’s a lot like a grieving process. There’s anger, there’s frustration, there’s sadness,” said Lori Stephenson, owner of Lola Event Productions on the North Side.
Stephenson has been working around the clock to find plan Bs for her wedding clients. She’s encouraging all brides and grooms to postpone instead of canceling, which she believes will be best for couples and wedding vendors.
“The wedding industry is an industry of small businesses,” Stephenson said. “A lot of us are really hard hit by this. We want to do what’s best for our clients. We also need to think about our employees and our teams. Most people in the industry are willing to waive change fees, waive things that normally would be part of the contract and making it as easy as possible for people to postpone.”
It’s an option Sampler and her fiancé are seriously considering. They don’t want to cancel, but can’t help but feel saddened by the unknown of their special day.
“It was something that we were both just looking forward to just to way to finally show that expression of love,” Sampler said. “Just to be told that’s not happening this weekend was very disheartening.”
The bride-to-be said they’ve decided to have a small ceremony of about 10 people in their home Saturday so that they can get married.
They said perhaps they’ll celebrate their one-year anniversary next year in the venue but for now, they aren’t setting a date.
via: https://abc7chicago.com/society/chicago-couple-forced-to-cancel-wedding-due-to-covid-19/6031233/
Photo Credit: abc7chicago.com
Baby born in Walmart toilet paper aisle
There might be a lot of commotion in the toilet paper aisle at your local Walmart, but for one store in Springfield, Missouri, that commotion got a whole lot more intense.
According to KY3, a woman was shopping for toilet paper when her water suddenly broke.
“We were like ‘Oh my gosh, is this going to actually happen?'” Jessica Hinkle, the store manager, told KY3.
Right as the woman went into labor, she warned the Walmart staff that her last child came in just 30 minutes. The staff scrambled to help her as best they could, even holding up a sheet to block the aisle to give her more privacy.
As the woman was in labor, a delivery nurse who happened to be around the corner approached the staff and asked to help. The staff said it was okay, so the nurse pulled out a pair of gloves and got to work.
Eventually, firefighters arrived at the scene to help the woman through the rest of her 45-minute delivery.
The customers in the store were also very supportive, cheering and encouraging the woman the entire time.
Photo Credit: ky3.com
Mike Pence aide tests positive for coronavirus
An aide to Vice President Mike Pence has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Pence, point person for the White House response to COVID-19, did not work closely with the person, his press secretary Katie Miller said Friday night.
“This evening we were notified that a member of the Office of the Vice President tested positive for the Coronavirus,” Miller said in a statement. “Neither President Trump nor Vice President Pence had close contact with the individual.”
Miller added: “Further contact tracing is being conducted in accordance with CDC guidelines.”
Although businesses around the country established work-from-home policies, most workers in the White House and Eisenhower Executive Office Building still do their work in-person. It’s unclear where exactly the individual’s office was located, or if other staff members will undergo self-quarantine.
Trump’s outgoing White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney currently is in self-quarantine and the president’s Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham worked from home this week after a visit by infected Brazilian officials to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Trump’s incoming chief of staff Mark Meadows and other congressmen with whom Trump interacted self-quarantined after being exposed to the virus at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Trump tested negative for the virus, the White House said Saturday. His daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump tested negative Friday.
The number of coronavirus cases in the US approached 20,000 on Friday as a rollout of testing reveals the virus spread widely after emerging in China in late December. New York has the nation’s worst outbreak, with about 8,000 diagnosed cases.
Disclosure of the Pence aide’s diagnosis follows another dive for the stock market, which has lost a third of its value in one month as local governments order businesses closed. Senators are working late into the night Friday to finalize a more than $1 trillion economic stimulus package.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/03/20/mike-pence-aide-tests-positive-for-coronavirus/
Photo Credit: nypost.com