COVID-19 Update, October 28, 2020: Cognitive Dissonance

In a political spin that would leave George Orwell breathless, the presidential administration insists that the pandemic is ending. Meanwhile, hospitals are overwhelmed, the stock market is plunging, Congress can't agree on a stimulus bill, and the live events industry is struggling to survive. You decide.

The latest:

The White House science office makes a blatantly false claim, asserting that "ending the COVID-19 pandemic" as one of the president's signature achievements. The seven-day average for daily infections is at 70,000: tinyurl.com/y5u25jwb.

Mitch McConnell adjourns the Senate until November 9, leaving Americans without a hope of pandemic relief in the near term: tinyurl.com/y489t796. The president also predicts, without evidence, that a major stimulus bill is coming after the election: tinyurl.com/y25azuzl.

The FDA won't require inspections of vaccine makers facilities before getting emergency authorization to make the COVID-19 vaccine: tinyurl.com/y32vd67a.

The US casino industry looks for tax and regulatory relief as it struggles to come back from the pandemic: tinyurl.com/y2klgpb9.

Faced with pandemic-related losses, colleges across the US are making deep budget cuts: tinyurl.com/yxjr9j5p.

The European commission president asks member states for help in transferring COVID-19: tinyurl.com/y6qbav3h.

Food for thought:

How COVID-19 has transformed this year's election: tinyurl.com/y6yfal5e.

The COVID compliance officer is the new must-have on film and TV productions: tinyurl.com/y5enaflg.

Around the country:

In California:

Congratulations to World Series winners Los Angeles Dodgers, but one reason Southern California is reopening so slowly, officials says, is that Dodgers and Lakers viewing parties are continuing to spread COVID-19: tinyurl.com/yxe3ndwj. The Dodgers' Justin Turner is pulled from the game after testing positive, but he turns up on the field, wearing a mask, for the big celebration: tinyurl.com/y6os7l6c.

Students in the San Diego Unified School District won't return to in-person classes before January: tinyurl.com/yyx2fcxa.

The governor remains firm in his decision to not let theme parks reopen yet: tinyurl.com/y3tpteme.

Sony Pictures lays off staffers in its marketing and distribution departments: tinyurl.com/yydovugl.

In Florida:

Hospitals are filling up again in Miami-Dade County and the local government has few tools to do anything about it: tinyurl.com/y3fsro34.

The governor lobbies the president to loosen restrictions to various travel markets -- including Brazil and Europe, where coronavirus cases are spiking alarmingly -- to jump-start the state's travel industry: tinyurl.com/y4p6yztl.

The state adds 4,115 new coronavirus cases: tinyurl.com/y3xs4y3y.

More layoffs at Walt Disney World, leaving the fate of its big live shows in question: tinyurl.com/y6652957.

In Illinois:

The governor announces tough new restrictions for Chicago restaurants and bars. The mayor says she will try to talk him out of it: tinyurl.com/y3o2mjnb.

Faced with a continuing pandemic-induced downturn, Boeing will eliminate 7,000 more jobs: tinyurl.com/y26vsld3.

For parents of special-needs children, the current educational setup forces them to make terrible decisions: tinyurl.com/y2meky2b.

In Kansas:

COVID-19 case rates have increased so sharply that only one county in the state is in the school green zone, meaning five days of in-person classes and access to sports activities: tinyurl.com/y334cc6x.

In Massachusetts:

The governor says that people under 30 constitute a large part of the state's coronavirus: tinyurl.com/y5kvw673.

The state reports more than 1,000 cases for the fourth day in a row: tinyurl.com/y38wbykt.

Despite everything, film/television production is back: tinyurl.com/y6ba92gz.

In New York:

How long can New York City's museums survive at 25% capacity? tinyurl.com/y6n7645l.

The city's independent cinemas hang on for dear life: tinyurl.com/y6lwgun8.

In Texas:

The twin cities of El Paso and Cuidad Juarez are facing twin public health disasters: tinyurl.com/yykg96yj.

The American College of Emergency Physicians denounces as "reckless and false" the president's baseless assertion that hospitals are inflating numbers of COVID-19 deaths for financial gain: tinyurl.com/yxez6m66.

Around the world:

In Australia:

Melbourne, out of lockdown after nearly four months, revels in its regained freedom: tinyurl.com/y2r6mccn.

In Austria:

The government announces a €300 million fund to remove risks for event organizers; if an event is canceled or the audience is reduced, the government bear the costs: tinyurl.com/y3oeafjj.

In Canada:

A spike in new coronavirus cases is linked to the country's Thanksgiving; Americans, take note: tinyurl.com/y3z5g9g5.

In France:

The government will pose a four-week national lockdown: tinyurl.com/yxvrk9rm.

The Cannes Film Festival announces a three-prong contingency plan should it have to delay its May 11 - 22 dates: tinyurl.com/y389mbro.

The government unveils at €115 million package of aid for the culture sector: tinyurl.com/y3csjnc7.

In Italy:

In the fifth night of protests against anti-COVID-19 restrictions, unrest breaks out in the streets of Rome: tinyurl.com/y4gsajl6.

In Russia:

The government imposes a national mask mandate: tinyurl.com/y64alqu7.

In Venezuela:

Faced with a critical shortage of doctors and nurses, people are risking infection, entering hospitals to care for their loved ones: tinyurl.com/y3z4t7gr.

For your entertainment:

A production of A Christmas Carol, starring Jefferson Mays and directed by Michael Arden, will stream November 28 through January 3, with the proceeds going to theatres are around the country: tinyurl.com/y69kqrc4.

San Francisco Ballet plans to present a streamed, all-digital 2021 season, including three world premieres by Cathy Marston, Danielle Rowe, and Myles Thatcher fully conceived for film; three story ballets including George Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream; Helgi Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet and a new digitally conceived film version of Swan Lake; and George Balanchine's Jewels with a newly filmed version of Emeralds: www.Sfballet.org.

San Francisco Playhouse has received approval from Actors' Equity to film and stream the company's production of Art by Yasmina Reza. The announcement makes San Francisco Playhouse one of the first theatres in the United States to get approval for onstage filming, and the first to offer a professional, staged, in-person production since the beginning of the pandemic. The show is available on demand through November 7. For tickets: tinyurl.com/y5bu46d3.

For your pleasure:

Jennifer Hudson, soon to star in a biopic about Aretha Franklin, offers "I Am Changing," from Dreamgirls: tinyurl.com/y228qhc5.

That's all for today. Stay safe. Vote. -- DB

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