A cluster of COIVD-19 cases in and around the White House has caused several members of the coronavirus task force and VP Pence to self-quarantine. While the vice president’s communications director and one of President Trump’s valets have both tested positive, the president continues to test negative.
The point here is that if the White House, which likely has the highest concentration of tests as anywhere in the world, can get hit by the virus, is anywhere safe?
But as dangerous as the White House may be right now, it’s getting pretty hot for the former White House occupant as #ObamaGate trends on Twitter after news about who knew what when came out, making President Obama look like an accessory, if not fully culpable, to the shenanigans that took place before and during the transition and Russia Gate. As formerly suppressed documents are finally released to the public, people like Obama, James Comey and Adam Schift are squirming in the hot seat as the extent of corruption and outright lies used by the FBI and senior Democrats to start and perpetuate the investigations into Russiagate become clearer.
It’s the Economy, Stupid
As the main stream media fiddles and creates news from misleading edits, the rest of the country is starting to slowly burn. Unemployment due to the coronavirus was largely considered temporary, but more and more job cuts are becoming permanent as layoffs increase and some factories shut their doors permanently. Even when jobs are available, more and more employees are refusing to go back to work, either because of potentially unsafe working conditions or because they are making more on unemployment than their job pays. The Wall Street Journal is now calling this the Coronavirus Slump and says it may be like the great Depression, but shorter.
Meanwhile reopening continues slowly, one phase at a time in most states while other states like California, Washington and New York have extended their stay home orders. At best, the engine of the U.S. economy is functioning on only four of five of its eight cylinders. Meanwhile, fears of a second wave of viruses persist after there have been spikes in
The Latest Numbers
The U.S. continued to see the number of new COVID-19 cases lessen, as only 20,300 cases were reported in the past 24 hours, an increase of just 1.5 percent. Only 737 deaths were reported, bringing the total to 79,552, an increase of less than one percent.
Globally, cases increased by 86,000 to 4.137 million and there were roughly 3800 new deaths, with the global total now reported at 283,526.
As you can see in the opening graphics, which are from the New York Times, the downward arc of the curve continues and may even be growing steeper. Of even more note is that the number of states where the New York Times is reporting cases are increasing has dropped dramatically:
What This Means for Preppers
Today’s news impacts preppers in two key areas: Their health and their wallets.
Because COVID-19 is potentially deadly with the possibility of long term side effects for those who recover, preppers should continue to social distance to the greatest extent possible, minimizing contact with possible asymptomatic sources of the coronavirus. The older you are, the more precautions you should take. The more urban the area in which you reside, the more precautions you should take.
Because every state and county is different, you need to monitor local outbreaks, and the best resource maybe your state’s department of health, many of which have coronavirus pages and dashboards. If cases suddenly spike in your area, you need to be prepared to avoid all outside contact for at least several weeks.
Economically, it is clear that we are heading into a recession, a best. This means it is a time to save, to build up your preps rather than using them up, and a time to look at what you can due to increase your self-reliance, such as gardening or raising chickens. If you have a job, work at it to bank income while you can – there is no guarantee how long it will last.
Politically, the threat is that the coronavirus will contribute to America’s turn towards socialism and greater government control of our markets, our business and our people. While the election is yet a long way off, preppers should look at a candidate’s position on issues such as regulation (do they want more or less), individual freedoms, and the Second Amendment. Local elections, including the election of judges, are no less important than national elections and deserve your full attention. Just look at the role governors have played in the coronavirus crisis and their differences in reopening policies.
If you want to put this data into perspective, look back at yesterday’s report or data from a week ago.
