COVID-19 Update, November 2, 2020: Pandemic Election Edition

As the nation goes to the polls -- those who haven't done so already -- the pandemic rages unabated. What role will it play in the outcome? Meanwhile, the president has all but disowned Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has some tough words for the way the pandemic has been handled. And as Europe undergoes another lockdown, the live events industry suffers a major setback. Will tomorrow constitute a turning point? Or are we looking at more of the same?

The latest:

The US sets a world record, with 100,233 new COVID-19 infections in one day: tinyurl.com/y654qrs8. The coronavirus is now spreading so widely that testing and tracing is becoming nearly impossible: tinyurl.com/y5cklagk. The coronavirus is less deadly overall, but deaths are rising again: tinyurl.com/y3tujkgj.

Will pandemic concerns affect in-person turnout on Election Day? tinyurl.com/y3p48ezw. How more than 94 million Americans have managed to vote so far, in spite of the pandemic: tinyurl.com/yxff3ste.

Dr. Anthony Fauci offers a blunt warning for the country, unless a sensible plan for controlling the pandemic is put in place: tinyurl.com/yxqh872c. In response, the president suggests he will fire Fauci after the election: tinyurl.com/y4h4z2fc.

The new wave of lockdowns on the European continent is spurring another round of protests: tinyurl.com/y4u7oo3c.

Meanwhile:

A study by Stanford economists indicate that the president's rallies have led to tens of thousands of infections and 700 deaths: tinyurl.com/y6qulebs.

Even as COVID-19 spreads with renewed vigor, state leaders resist taking restrictive measures, ignoring health experts: tinyurl.com/y2qn8xcy.

A test of the drug Regeneron is paused while a review is conducted regarding its effect on critically ill patients: tinyurl.com/y45om5gs.

A senior State Department official is diagnosed with COVID-19 just after a tour of Europe, leaving the European officials he visited anxious and angry: tinyurl.com/y5yauooa.

The head of the World Health Organization is in isolation following exposure to COVID-19: tinyurl.com/y5oz4vsq.

Food for thought:

How, during the early months of the pandemic, government inspectors cleared many nursing homes, setting the stage for tragedy: tinyurl.com/y2z8vdxw.

Artificial intelligence is enlisted to combat the coronavirus: tinyurl.com/y2hc3ck6.

A helpful guide to pending legislation offering pandemic relief to arts workers: tinyurl.com/yyj5drfo.

Around the country:

In California:

San Diego County bans college fraternity parties: tinyurl.com/y5ddh7po.

In Florida:

The state reports a lower number of infections than usual, at 2,331: tinyurl.com/y5pxm659. The next day, the numbers are up, hitting 4,865: tinyurl.com/y65yor72.

According to the teachers union in Miami-Dade Country, 1,000 students are now in quarantine: tinyurl.com/y5g8lq4o.

The already-announced Disney layoffs will mean 18,000 lost jobs at Walt Disney World: tinyurl.com/y6c5odnl.

The CDC issues a framework for restarting the cruise industry, and it's a long road to sailing day: tinyurl.com/y32wuo76.

A voting site in Brevard County is shut down when poll workers test positive for the coronavirus: tinyurl.com/y5gpk6jd.

In Illinois:

The state hits a dismaying new record of 6,943 new coronavirus infections: tinyurl.com/yyd7gc3k. The Saturday toll is nearly 8,000: tinyurl.com/y4q8uync.

Some suburban Chicago restaurants defy shutdown orders, mounting legal challenges to stay open: tinyurl.com/y5n5hzhj.

In Maryland:

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Marlon Humphrey tests positive for COVID-19: tinyurl.com/y5g789z9.

In Massachusetts:

With 1,488 new cases, Friday is the seventh day in a row with numbers topping 1,000: tinyurl.com/yyl9mr2m. Another day, another 1,000-plus cases: tinyurl.com/y444tqu7.

Most people in the state now live in a community at high risk for COVID-19: tinyurl.com/y3tfb9ra.

Businesses urge the state government to aggressively expand COVID-19 testing: tinyurl.com/yxce9uq.

In Nevada:

The state tops 100,000 coronavirus cases. "We are not rounding the corner," the governor says: tinyurl.com/y2ypq8zo.

In New York:

The governor orders COVID-19 testing for all travelers outside the metro New York area: tinyurl.com/yxjzflfg.

The governor reaches a deal to reopen schools in COVID-19 hot spots: tinyurl.com/y3cgzpn7.

New York City's hospitals use hard-earned knowledge to prep for the next wave of infections: tinyurl.com/y2vhofrk. And, thanks to the experience of healthcare workers, hospitalizations are up but deaths are down: tinyurl.com/y2prckc6.

The COVID-19 positivity rate in one community drops from 34% to 2% -- because people refuse to be tested: tinyurl.com/yyufgeyr.

A dozen owners of independent live theatres sue the state for the right to reopen: tinyurl.com/y5k95l75.

In Pennsylvania:

"These numbers have floored me." The pandemic spreads hunger in the state: tinyurl.com/y5nszwdh.

Around the world:

In Australia:

For the first time in five months, the country goes a full day without recording any coronavirus infections: tinyurl.com/y5vsqnup.

In Austria:

The county undergoes a new lockdown, which includes concert halls, opera houses, and theatres: tinyurl.com/y2upwfxw.

In Belgium:

The country faces a second lockdown as Germany starts taking its excess patients: tinyurl.com/y59ln5x9.

In China:

How the government impeded the WHO's investigation in the origins of the coronavirus: tinyurl.com/y29ppq98.

In Germany:

A four-week partial national shutdown begins: tinyurl.com/y6jshfyz.

That test concert in Berlin yields a raft of recommendations about how to proceed more safely with live performances: tinyurl.com/yxkqucfy.

In Greece:

The country's cinemas and theatres are closed during the latest shutdown: tinyurl.com/y2kt3es8.

In Indonesia:

With new COVID-19 rates soaring, Jakarta's cemeteries are running out of space: tinyurl.com/y3aumbhb.

In the UK:

The government imposes a four-week national lockdown across England: tinyurl.com/y57lcqyx. This means the theatres are shut down again: tinyurl.com/y6n8zsvm. The government warns that lockdown could last longer than four weeks: tinyurl.com/yydnutdr.

Prince William reportedly suffered a bout of the coronavirus last spring: tinyurl.com/y294yvru.

For your entertainment:

Los Angeles Opera presents an online version of The Anonymous Lover, a 1780 opera by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint Georges, on demand, beginning November 14 at 5:00pm PT until November 29 at 12:00pm PT. James Conlon conducts from the newly created first critical edition of the score. Details at www.LAOpera.org.

Syracuse Stage streams its production of Talley's Folly, by Lanford Wilson, starring Kate Hamill and Jason O'Connell, November 12 - 22: tinyurl.com/yxfuz5co.

Here's a roundup of opera productions being streamed: tinyurl.com/yysjsrs5.

For your pleasure:

Mickey Guyton offers "What Are You Gonna Tell Her?" tinyurl.com/y3b2dycu.

That's all for today. The Lighting&Sound America office is closed tomorrow for Election Day. We'll be back on Wednesday. Stay safe. Vote.-- DB

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Previous LSA COVID-19 Updates: plasa.me/lsacovid19resources.

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