COVID-19 Update, September 25, 2020: When Life Gives You Lemons

Having past the point of seven million COVID-19 infections, and despite stirrings of another pass at a pandemic relief bill, the US remains mired in confusion and inaction. At the same time, something is happening. People and organizations -- especially those related to the arts -- are pulling together and looking for ways to move forward -- or, at the very least, deal with it. And, at the moment, some of the data related to the virus isn't as bad as it was. Is this a prelude to another wave? Time will tell. But as the stories listed below indicate, where there's a will, there's a way.

The latest:

"One day, it's like a miracle; it will disappear:" The US has now recorded seven million COVID-19 infections: tinyurl.com/yydw4ol9.

Representative Nancy Pelosi moves to restart negotiations for a pandemic relief bill: tinyurl.com/yym94awq.

A Business Roundtable survey reveals that most executives want more government relief to shore up the economy: tinyurl.com/yxsez3oh.

The CDC's flip-flops about virus transmission is sowing confusion in hospitals about the right type of PPE to use: tinyurl.com/y22uv4x3.

The usually even-keeled Dr. Anthony Fauci loses his temper with Senator Rand Paul, in Congressional testimony: tinyurl.com/y2pccm9m.

New unemployment claims come in at a slightly higher-than-expected 870,000 this week: tinyurl.com/y5fcqtmr.

Interestingly, the pandemic is not raging through schools as previously feared: tinyurl.com/y3kubu73. Indeed, child deaths remain strikingly low: tinyurl.com/y4r6kbfl. People in their 20s now account for the majority of new infections: tinyurl.com/y5xp3ez7. The coronavirus keeps mutating; the good news is that it isn't getting deadlier: tinyurl.com/yybsmkwm.

The reopening of the country's colleges and universities may be undone by partying students: tinyurl.com/y3u8e3yd. Florida's governor calls for a "bill of rights" to protect college students from partying in the pandemic: tinyurl.com/y2wp953s.

Representatives of NIVA and NITO foresee a "roaring Twenties" when the concert industry returns post-pandemic, but they warn that many won't last that long: tinyurl.com/y3p4uc7n.

Elton John reschedules his Farewell Yellow Brick Road US Tour dates for 2022: tinyurl.com/y2bsnc8k.

Food for thought:

"I cry before work;" burnout rises among essential workers: tinyurl.com/y4grceuy.

One lost weekend: A stunning photo essay detailing what New York has lost during this time: tinyurl.com/y3oedsmw.

Around the country:

In California:

Disney postpones by several months the release dates for Black Widow, Death on the Nile, and West Side Story: tinyurl.com/y486ymzd.

The producers of The Masked Singer discuss production in a pandemic: tinyurl.com/y4t8m54x.

San Diego Opera plans a drive-in production of La bohème: tinyurl.com/y5oa4boq.

In Florida:

The governor removes capacity restrictions on restaurants, bars, and retail stores: tinyurl.com/y34hoceu.

The state's COVID-19 positivity rate drops below 5%: tinyurl.com/y4zvrnan.

Miami New Drama plans to stage theatre in seven vacant storefronts: tinyurl.com/yyuvqeld.

In Miami, you can attend a drive-in Yom Kippur service: tinyurl.com/yyr4yusd.

The state's arts season starts up, with many adjustments: tinyurl.com/y539yg6x.

In Illinois:

Restaurants float new strategies to convince patrons that dining is safe: tinyurl.com/y5w8jyx.

United Airlines pilots a rapid COVID-19 testing program for customers: tinyurl.com/y4jebx9f. Lufthansa is trying the same thing: tinyurl.com/y3smgze3.

In Maryland:

The Novavax vaccine enters Phase III trials: tinyurl.com/y2pkl5m9.

In Massachusetts:

Starting next week, restaurants can serve tables of up to ten, and also serve food at bars: tinyurl.com/y3d2u2vn.

Brigham and Women's Hospital races to contain a new cluster of COVID-19 cases: tinyurl.com/y3cuwpv3.

In Missouri:

Governor Mike Parsons, who declined to enforce mask-wearing, has COVID-19: tinyurl.com/yyggh64c.

In New York:

The Metropolitan Opera will not reopen until September 2021: tinyurl.com/yyrnz7bh.

The New Year's Eve Ball Drop will be virtual and crowds will be banned in Times Square: tinyurl.com/y29sjrvk.

The New Victory Theatre, which targets young audiences, will remain closed through the spring of 2021: tinyurl.com/yydgx82w.

New legislation in city council could expand outdoor spaces for rehearsals and performances around town: tinyurl.com/y433caeq.

Nine out of ten of the city's bars and restaurants couldn't pay their rent in August: tinyurl.com/y5qd4cwc.

Governor Andrew Cuomo says that state will review any vaccine approved by the federal government: tinyurl.com/yxzvxv4k.

In North Carolina:

The state reopens for film and television production: tinyurl.com/y6742r6k.

In Texas:

South by Southwest announces a digital festival for 2021, with a live component: tinyurl.com/y4jgxd8c.

Around the world:

In Brazil:

Rio's annual Carnival parade gets postponed for the first time ever: tinyurl.com/y2n8b2l5.

Manaus may be the first city to achieve herd immunity; If it were a country, it would have the second-highest mortality rate in the world, at 100.7 deaths per 100,000 population: tinyurl.com/y6xtsorm.

Sao Paulo aims to start distribution China's Sinovac vaccine (as yet unproven) in December: tinyurl.com/y5xbsmeo.

In Finland:

Helsinki's airport uses sniffer dogs to detect the coronavirus, with a high degree of accuracy: tinyurl.com/yxh3kuv3.

In Israel:

The country tightens its lockdown, throwing a wrench into the High Holy Days: tinyurl.com/y6zovnek.

In Jamaica:

The US Southern Command sends a field hospital to help the country dealing with its surging COVID-19 cases: tinyurl.com/y5w22osb.

In the UK:

Producer Sonia Friedman denounces the government's new employment scheme as "a huge insult" to the theatre industry: tinyurl.com/y4ck2smg.

Andrew Lloyd Webber talks about his experience in the Oxford/AstraZeneca Vaccine trial: tinyurl.com/y632bkl9.

The Play That Goes Wrong will reopen in the West End in November: tinyurl.com/y2yc7kr3.

Mobilization:

The Artists Relief Fund, which provides grants to those affected by the pandemic, has raised nearly $20 million since starting up in April: tinyurl.com/y2cj5vnc.

For your entertainment:

Encore BSO Recitals stream features BSO violists Mary Ferrillo, Steven Laraia, Daniel Getz, percussionist Kyle Brightwell, and guest pianist Brett Hodgdon in a program of 20th-century works, including American composer Ulysses Kay's Sonatine for Viola and Piano -- composed in 1939 and performed and recorded for this first time this past summer -- and music by Rebecca Clarke, Paul Hindemith, and Luciano Berio, available for viewing at www.bso.org beginning Thursday, September 24 at noon through October 24; the Encore BSO Recitals series is offered as a nine-concert series for a donation of $25.

On Wednesday, October 7 at 7:30pm EDT, Carnegie Hall presents its first-ever Virtual Opening Night Gala Celebration, inviting music lovers worldwide to mark the Hall's 130th anniversary season. This free online program will feature Jon Batiste, Joyce DiDonato, Gustavo Dudamel, Michael Feinstein, Renée Fleming, Rhiannon Giddens and Our Native Daughters, Angélique Kidjo, Lang Lang, Wynton Marsalis, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, James Taylor, Michael Tilson Thomas, and more. The celebration, directed by Emmy Award-winner Habib Azar, will include highlights of legendary performances from throughout the Hall's history as well as newly recorded musical selections. Viewers everywhere will be able watch this complimentary streamed presentation on www.carnegiehall.org as well as on Carnegie Hall's YouTube channel and Facebook page.

A Time to Sing: An Evening with Renée Fleming and Vanessa Williams, livestreams on September 26 at 8:00pm ET. Your payment of $15 gives you access through the rest of 2020. Details at tinyurl.com/y3x9jta2.

Metropolitan Playhouse presents its next free "screened" reading: A Woman's Honor, a one-act play by Susan Glaspell, live streamed, with talkback to follow, on September 25 at 8:00pm EST. Running time is 30 minutes. The talkback includes audience questions via chat with J. Ellen Gainor, professor of performing and media arts at Cornell University: www.metropolitanplayhouse.org.

For your pleasure:

The Go-Go's, appearing on The Today Show, prove that they've still got the beat: tinyurl.com/y4bq45ca.

That's all for today. Have a good weekend. Stay safe. -- DB

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