COVID-19 Update, October 29, 2020: "A Very Difficult Trajectory"

These are the words of Dr. Anthony Fauci, arguing that, despite the president's insistence at we are at the beginning of the end of the pandemic, we aren't even at the end of the beginning. Meanwhile, COVID-19 runs riot in Europe, causing new lockdowns, and reaches into the most remote corners of the US.

The latest:

"We are on a very difficult trajectory. We are going in the wrong direction." So says Dr. Anthony Fauci, offering a tough indictment of the country's response to COVID-19: tinyurl.com/y2puzrfj.

"This is actually terrifying:" Central Europe scrambles to control the pandemic: tinyurl.com/y3wpklw3.

New coronavirus restrictions are imposed in Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, and Texas: tinyurl.com/y5mez9hj.

Unemployment claims hit 751,000 this week, slightly better than expected: tinyurl.com/y2pydshz. US GDP hit a 33.1% annualized rate in the third quarter, but the economy has a long, long way to go: tinyurl.com/y67okkz9.

China and Russia are leading the way in vaccine diplomacy; the US, not so much: tinyurl.com/y2squ9gp.

Federal health officials move to ensure that Americans will have free access to COVID-19 vaccines: tinyurl.com/y6edfgzm.

Federal officials warn of ransomware attacks on hospitals and healthcare workers: tinyurl.com/yxwm4xpl.

Nancy Pelosi now says that she and Steven Mnuchin never got close to stimulus deal: tinyurl.com/y3gz5ah3.

To combat the coronavirus, schools around the country experiment with outdoor classes: tinyurl.com/y2xx245r.

Around the country:

In California:

Los Angeles Unified School District schools are likely closed until January: tinyurl.com/y37gou4k.

LA Dance Project reacts to the pandemic with a series of drive-in events: tinyurl.com/yyuwpep9.

Old Globe's annual production of How The Grinch Stole Christmas will be on radio this year: tinyurl.com/yy9qpvok.

In Florida:

Hundreds of students and dozens of teachers at two campuses in the Miami-Dade school district are quarantined: tinyurl.com/yxp5n6fu.

The state adds 4,198 new coronavirus cases: tinyurl.com/yyh3xp5l.

In Illinois:

Chicago's mayor won't try to block the governor's new pandemic restrictions: tinyurl.com/y4bgszm5.

The Illinois High School Associations defies the governor, okaying basketball season: tinyurl.com/yxrxsf4u.

A new antibody drug tested in Cook County shows promise: tinyurl.com/y2r7mntq.

In Massachusetts:

Health officials says more testing is needed to combat the state's rising number of coronavirus infections: tinyurl.com/y4tbcjtw.

The state records more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases for the fifth day in a row: tinyurl.com/y3kma9v9.

The 2021 Boston Marathon has been postponed with an eye to a date in the fall: tinyurl.com/y2atnbgd.

In New Jersey:

Newark undergoes a new shutdown: tinyurl.com/y5p2o835.

In New York:

NYC's Open Storefronts initiative will allow retailers to sell merchandise on the streets outside their stores: tinyurl.com/y3pn6d6s.

A new bill in city council would pay stipends to low-income New Yorkers who have to go into quarantine: tinyurl.com/y2lotn32.

Inside a nursing home where 40 patients have died and 40 workers have lost their jobs: tinyurl.com/yxbgqleg.

Suffolk County heath officials struggle with two events -- a wedding and a birthday party -- that left 300 people quarantined: tinyurl.com/y56yy6g5.

The crew of The Rachael Ray Show demand payment after being cut loose during the pandemic: tinyurl.com/y4a7twxm.

An offensive lineman for the Giants tests positive for the coronavirus, causing eight players to be quarantined: tinyurl.com/yxdjtlf7.

In North Dakota:

A Bismarck city commissioner falsely pitches Vitamin D as a "scientifically proven" way to fight COVID-19: tinyurl.com/y2jcdmfl.

In Texas:

A requirement that voters wear masks lasts less than a day after a federal appeals court weighs in: tinyurl.com/y4wodb8c.

In West Virginia:

"You know it's real when it's in Doddridge County;" the pandemic reaches into the state's rural districts: tinyurl.com/y5nh3gv9.

Around the world:

In Belgium:

Hospitals are so short-staffed by the pandemic that hospitals are asking COVID-positive workers to stay onboard as long as they are asymptomatic: tinyurl.com/yykxheos.

In Canada:

IMAX Corporation is hit hard by the pandemic: tinyurl.com/y33nrqqs.

In France:

Bookstores ask the government to be considered essential services during lockdown: tinyurl.com/y2r66v2u.

In Germany:

The country joins France is imposing a four-week lockdown: tinyurl.com/y5cxmlnl. The decision causes political blowback for the prime minister: tinyurl.com/yyc8b4jh. Of course, the country's theatres, opera houses, and concert halls are closed, too: tinyurl.com/y3w5kob9.

In India:

The country passes eight million COVID-19 infections, putting it just behind the US: tinyurl.com/y5xadel9.

In Spain:

The country enters a six-month state of emergency to get the pandemic under control: tinyurl.com/y4msydaq.

In Switzerland:

Hospitals are overwhelmed by surging COVID-19 cases: tinyurl.com/y5xv9nqa.

In Taiwan:

The country marks 200 days without a domestically transmitted coronavirus infection: tinyurl.com/y4ckjjq4.

For your entertainment:

Off Broadway's Atlantic Theater Company presents a reading of Guards at the Taj, by Rajiv Joseph, November 5 - 7. Amy Morton directs. For tickets: tinyurl.com/y6nvcy4r.

I Put a Spell on You, a spoof of the film Hocus Pocus, streams tonight at 8:00pm ET as a benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. (It's free but donations are cheerfully accepted.) The cast includes Gavin Creel, Drew Gehling, J. Harrison Ghjee, Todrick Hall, Robyn Hurder, Eva Noblezada, and Will Swenson: www.broadwaycares.org/spell.

Off Broadway's Red Bull Theater presents a reading of The Courage to Right a Woman's Wrongs, by Anna Caro, November 16 at 7:30pm ET. The cast includes Helen Cespedes, Natascia Diaz, Carson Elrod, Alfredo Narciso, and Matthew Saldivar. It's free but reservations are recommended: tinyurl.com/y5gwmhby.

For your pleasure:

Mark Knopfler offers "Brothers in Arms:" tinyurl.com/y4ppadcf.

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

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