COVID-19 Update, April 7, 2020: Is That a Plateau in View?

Good morning. The president has denounced his own government's report on the current crisis: tinyurl.com/saramm7. In the UK, Boris Johnson is in intensive care: tinyurl.com/yxxzrq3j. And the on-and-off Wisconsin primary is back on again: tinyurl.com/rnaqvct.

The country's most influential virus model has revised its efforts downward. Of course, not everyone agrees: tinyurl.com/ue4ssg6.

For the first time, China reports no new COVID-19 cases. Great news, if it is to be believed: tinyurl.com/ssxbnjh.

Both of the above stories have sparked a good mood on Wall Street: tinyurl.com/stcyly2.

There is cautious optimism in New York that a plateau is in sight: tinyurl.com/tv333j6.

Elsewhere, in Florida, infections are surging: tinyurl.com/urmmd75.

New Zealand has had remarkable success in flattening the curve: tinyurl.com/tszd6ww.

From the 1918 epidemic, evidence that extreme social distancing allows economies to bounce back faster: tinyurl.com/ty6zzz4.

But economist Paul Krugman argues that the government needs to respond more strongly and more efficiently: tinyurl.com/s77kzfv.

Experts weigh in on the all-important question for this industry: When will we know it is time to reopen the nation? tinyurl.com/yx69c43r.

In the Washington Post, Jennifer Rubin argues that much more testing and tracking are needed before we can all go out of doors again: tinyurl.com/rj8pnrt.

Major League Baseball is floating all sorts of ideas to facilitate a season: tinyurl.com/vy82e6w.

The CBS Series All Rise will film what is surely the first COVID-19-themed television episode. It will be shot using social distancing techniques: tinyurl.com/s8lts39.

Mobilizing and raising money:

Billboard has published this excellent, state-by-state guide to relief for music industry workers in need: tinyurl.com/wd6tomx.

Global Citizen and World Health Organization are teaming up to produce One World: Together at Home, to be seen on broadcast, cable, and online platforms on April 18, 8:00pm ET. The lineup includes Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney. Elton John, Billie Eilish and Finneas, Lizzo, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Chris Martin, Eddie Veddeger, Kacey Musgraves, J Balvin, Keith Urban, Alanis Morissette, Lang Lang, Andrea Bocelli, Billie Joe Armstrong, Bura Boy and Maluma. The plan is to raise money ahead of time and use the event as a celebration. Variety has much more: tinyurl.com/sdorgc6.

Production 4 Health has been organized to bridge the gap between the infrastructural challenges that the healthcare community is now faced with: production4health.com/.

Learning opportunities:

Bose Professional has released its latest podcast episode, "Being the Church During the COVID-19 Emergency." This episode hosts lead pastors Clint Nolder of Foundation Church in Newnan, Georgia, and Dr. Fayez Ayoub of North Florida Baptist Church in Tallahassee, Florida; and the resident of The NewGround Group, Don Allensworth. Together they explore how audio and technology within houses of worship can be adapted during the current health crisis and enable congregations to stay connected. The podcast is part of a series offered by Bose Professional in its ongoing efforts to provide educational information, voices of strength, and inspiration for the markets it serves: tinyurl.com/tzyhn9t.

CAST is offering training on WYSIWYG essentials (register at tinyurl.com/r6hgw2q) and BlackTrax (tinyurl.com/ucfsstg). The next webinar, "How to Optimize Your WYSIWYG File to Improve Performance," is April 15 at 2:00pm ET: tinyurl.com/v8lw6k8.

Chauvet DJ and Electro-Voice's road show has gone digital. You can learn about the companies' new gear on Friday, April 10 at 2:00pm EDT. Register at: tinyurl.com/v6yy5f3.

K-array is holding webinars on control software Wednesday and Friday (register at tinyurl.com/v4dru7e) and live sound (register at tinyurl.com/wm5raff).

Pangolin is hosting a livestream event on Thursday at 2:00pm, EST. Hosted by Lyra Letourneau, the company's creative director, it will cover "zone offset effects" inside the company's BEYOND software. A short Q&A will follow. Catch it at tinyurl.com/uq3pz5j.

Cancellations and postponements:

The national tour of the musical Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is on pause until the fall: tinyurl.com/spcfzgc.

The North American Theatre Engineering and Architecture Conference -- an important event in the architecture/theatre consulting world -- has been postponed. Instead, NATEAC will be held at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City on July 18 and 19, 2021.

New York's Public Theater is closed until May 17; performances at Joe's Pub, its cabaret space, are off until May 30: tinyurl.com/u3p46o2.

The Shaw Festival is extending the cancellation of all public events and performances through June 30. This decision has been made in response to the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake's declaration of a state of emergency and cancellation of all in-person events, meetings, and programming through to the same date. Also, Why Not Theatre and the Shaw Festival report that the 2020 production of Mahabharata is impossible to realize in the current circumstances and must therefore be postponed. Why Not Theatre and The Shaw are committed to bringing Mahabharata to a future festival season and are exploring a number of scheduling options.

Entertainment and the arts:

New York's Untitled Theatre Company #61 is offering online versions of its unique presentation, Theatre for One. It is just what it sounds like and you have to reserve. Find out more at tinyurl.com/se65lnt.

The Wooster Group has put online one of its most famous productions, BRACE UP, based on Chekhov's Three Sisters, with a cast that includes Willem Dafoe, Kate Valk, and Gary Wilmes: tinyurl.com/yx7pro82.

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