>>8325682

Just in time:

The global impact of coronavirus on education

More than 290 million students have been disrupted worldwide by COVID-19.

Educators and students around the world are feeling the extraordinary ripple effect of the novel coronavirus as schools shut down amid the public health emergency.

While health officials scramble to get a grip on multiple outbreaks, here is how education systems have responded.

Signs announcing a closure and cancelled activities are pictured at Ferrucci Junior High School after two schools were closed for cleaning due to flu-like symptoms of a relative in Puyallup, Washington, March 2, 2020.

Schools Close Around the World

There are school closures of some kind in 22 countries on three continents with hundreds of millions of students around the world facing upheaval, including 13 countries that have shut schools nationwide.

The United Nations has warned of the unparalleled scale and speed of the educational disruption being caused by coronavirus.

Currently, school closures in over a dozen countries due to the COVID-19 outbreak have disrupted the education of at least 290.5 million students worldwide, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

"We are working with countries to assure the continuity of learning for all, especially disadvantaged children and youth who tend to be the hardest hit by school closures," UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said in a statement Wednesday. "While temporary school closures as a result of health and other crises are not new unfortunately, the global scale and speed of the current educational disruption is unparalleled and, if prolonged, could threaten the right to education."

https://abcnews.go.com/International/global-impact-coronavirus-education/story?id=69411738

Coronavirus Is Turning Seattle into a Ghost Town

Toilet paper is selling fast, sweatpants are the new normal, and gloves are hot.

Bryn Nelson

Updated Mar. 05, 2020 2:23PM ET / Published Mar. 05, 2020 2:17PM

SEATTLE—At a regular Tuesday night pickup hockey game in this city’s Shoreline suburb, so many tech workers arrived wearing telecommuting sweatpants instead of their slightly more formal work clothes that the players jokingly called their new look, “COVID Casual.”

Businesses such as Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook and Salesforce have told many of their employees to work from home. Downtown crowds have dwindled. The region’s notorious rush hours have become minutes. Local officials have demonstrated how to do elbow bump greetings instead of hugs or handshakes. And shoppers have cleared store shelves of toilet paper in anticipation of hunkering down at home.

Welcome to the strange new world of social distancing in Seattle, national epicenter of the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak that causes the infectious disease known as COVID-19.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/coronavirus-is-turning-seattle-into-a-ghost-town

ICYMI: Important info in this article, especially the book prediction:

Six Reasons Why Covid-19 Fails The Sniff Test

“The Eyes of Darkness”

Paradoxically, Coronavirus Was Eerily Predicted in a 1981 Novel:

…Throughout his career, [Dean] Koontz wrote under several pen names including David Axton, Deanna Dwyer, K.R Dwyer, Brian Coffey, and Leigh Nichols. It is with this last pen name that Koontz wrote the novel The Eyes of Darkness in 1981 – a “suspense thriller” that is causing even more “suspense thriller” nearly 40 years after its original publication.

….the virus is called Wuhan-400 because it was developed at their “RDNA labs outside of the city of Wuhan”. As you might know, the epicenter of the actual Coronavirus outbreak is in Wuhan.

The severe “pneumonia-like illness” was to “spread throughout the globe” in what year? Answer: “in 2020”.

The story also featured a scientist named Li Chen which is an amazing coincidence considering a guy by the name of Li Wenliang was the actual COVID-19 whistleblower in Wuhan who, by the way, was a 33-year-old ophthalmologist. Yes. An eye doctor.

Coronavirus kills Chinese whistleblower ophthalmologist – American Academy of Ophthalmology

The 33-year-old doctor was the first to raise the alarm about the coronavirus in late December. Using the Chinese social media platform Weibo, Li attempted to warn his colleagues about a cluster of SARS-like pneumonia cases. As his posts went viral, he realized that he “would probably be punished.” Within days, he was summoned by Chinese officials and forced to sign a letter accusing him of “making false comments” that had “severely disturbed the social order”. A copy of that letter was later posted on Weibo.

Following the incident, Dr. Li returned to work and, unfortunately, contracted the virus from an asymptomatic glaucoma patient…

So, let’s see…

> 2020

> Wuhan, China

> Pneumonia-like illness

> Spread throughout the globe

> Li Chen (when Li Wenliang was the actual whistleblower – an actual eye doctor)

Kind of adds a whole new dimension to 2020 vision, no?

https://www.zerohedge.com/health/six-reasons-why-covid-19-fails-sniff-test

>>8326122

>Active shooter at San Diego base.

Missouri man dressed as Joker charged in terrorist threats

Updated: March 5, 2020 - 12:42 PM

UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. — (AP) — A suburban St. Louis man accused of livestreaming threats to bomb and kill people in a bustling entertainment district while dressed as the Batman villain the Joker has been charged with terrorism.

Forty-eight-year-old Jeremy Garnier, of University City, was charged Tuesday with a felony count of making a terrorist threat. A judge ordered Garnier held without bail, with court documents noting that he was a “danger to the community." Court records did not list an attorney who can speak on his behalf.

The charging document doesn't indicate whether he was in possession of any explosives or was otherwise armed.

https://www.fox23.com/news/national/missouri-man-dressed/OC47XKHE54A3JA33PBBWIEWCNA/

Gov. Greg Abbott asks 500,000 Texas educators to weigh in on preventing next school shooting

The survey on preparedness for active shooter situations and other crises will inform the largest needs assessment on school safety in Texas history.

Gov. Greg Abbott is asking 500,000 Texas educators to weigh in on what Texas needs to do to prevent the next school shooting.

In response to the May 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting, when a gunman killed 10 people and injured 13, Abbott announced a new survey Wednesday for educators on preparedness for active shooter situations and other crises. It will inform the largest needs assessment on school safety in Texas history.

The resulting needs assessment advise inform lawmakers of “ways in which the State of Texas can further support educators' needs regarding safety, mental health, and violence in schools,” according to a press release. Lawmakers passed a number of school safety measures last year that strengthened mental health initiatives for students and allocated money to districts toward “hardening” their campuses.

"The State of Texas remains committed to ensuring our educators and campuses have the support they need to address safety, mental health, and threats of violence in our schools," Abbott said. "This survey is a vital part of that commitment, and I encourage all potential respondents to participate. This will assist in our continued work to secure our schools and proactively address mental health among our students.”

The survey and assessment are being conducted by Sam Houston State University and the Texas School Safety Center at Texas State University, and funding for the survey has been provided by the governor's public safety office. The efforts are a continuation of the School and Firearm Safety Action Plan Abbott released after the Santa Fe shooting.

“I am grateful to Sam Houston State University and the Texas School Safety Center for their leadership on this important initiative,” Abbott said. “Together, we will ensure the safety and security of our students and teachers.”

The survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. It is not clear whether the survey results will be publicly available or when the needs assessment will be completed.

https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/texas/gov-abbott-school-shooting-prevention/269-55a0108d-144c-486b-baa6-34e4083ec6b2

>>8326213

The testing has begun…

Michelle Obama Is Going To 'The D' To Help Get Out The Vote

Former First Lady Michelle Obama will engage with young voters in the Motor City with the hope of encouraging them to get out the vote.

As the 2020 general election draws near, former first lady Michelle Obama is ramping up her efforts to get out the vote. This week, the voting organization founded by Obama will be heading to Detroit to get people excited about heading to the polls later this year.

Detroit will mark the first time the forever FLOTUS is holding a rally in 2020. The event is free and will take place at the University of Detroit Mercy. When We All Vote volunteers, partners, local high schoolers eligible to vote, leaders in the My School Votes program and the 2020 Prom Challenge, college students, and educators are all invited to attend. Mrs. Obama hopes that her presence in the Motor City will help to engage and inspire thousands of eligible voters in Michigan and across the country.

https://www.essence.com/news/politics/michelle-obama-detroit-get-out-the-vote/

House passes bill banning TikTok on TSA devices

The House on Thursday approved a bill that would ban Transportation Security Agency (TSA) officials from downloading social media app TikTok onto government-issued devices.

The ban was approved as part of the Rights for Transportation Security Officers Act, which a bipartisan majority of the House passed by a vote of 230-171. The ban on TikTok, which is owned by Chinese group ByteDance, was added to the bill by an amendment approved unanimously.

Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), the lead sponsor of the amendment, said on the House floor ahead of the vote that TikTok “presents a significant counterintelligence threat.”

Concerns around TikTok and other Chinese tech groups, such as telecom giant Huawei, have largely stemmed from a 2017 Chinese intelligence law that requires Chinese companies to participate in state intelligence work and turn over information and data if requested.

“There are real concerns that this app could also collect information on users in the United States to advance Chinese counterintelligence efforts,” Spanberger said. “Because it could become a tool for surveilling U.S. citizens or federal personnel, TikTok has no business being on U.S. government-issued devices.”

A spokesperson for TikTok did not respond to The Hill’s request for comment on the bill.

The passage of the measure came a month after TSA voluntarily banned employees from using TikTok on government-issued phones. The Army banned TikTok from government devices in December, with an Army spokesperson describing the app as a “cyber threat.”

More legislation around TikTok is also in the pipeline, with Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announcing on Wednesday that he plans to introduce a bill to ban all federal employees from using TikTok on government-issued devices.

"This is a necessary step to protect the security of the United States and the data security of every American," Hawley said.

https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/486172-house-passes-bill-banning-tiktok-on-tsa-devices

>>8326332

>>8326365

Health official goes viral after licking finger during coronavirus briefing

A health official from Santa Clara County, Calif., has gone viral online after footage surfaced of her licking her finger shortly after advising the public not to touch their faces to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

In footage of the moment at a recent press conference, Sara Cody, who serves as the public health officer and director for Santa Clara County, could be seen telling the public at one point, “Start working on not touching your face, because one main way viruses spread is when you touch your own mouth, nose, or eyes.”

Then, at a later point during the briefing when Cody began stressing the importance of “enhance cleaning of surfaces,” the health official could be seen licking her finger to turn a page while at the podium.

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/486180-health-official-goes-viral-after-licking-finger-during-coronavirus-briefing

The occurrences have been so frequent recently that The Washington Post created a video of more lawmakers and officials, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), Debbie Brix, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, and Robert R. Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), touching their faces while urging people not to.

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/486180-health-official-goes-viral-after-licking-finger-during-coronavirus-briefing