USA.
BROOKLYN - “Almost all of us have been quarantined for the past couple of weeks. For single people, it’s a real date stopper. Well, this guy found a perfect solution for that. Jeremy Cohen noticed a girl dancing on the roof of a building next to his own house in Brooklyn. When she saw him, he waved and she waved back. Jeremy then sent a drone her way and that’s how this romantic story started…”
“With respiratory masks used by health workers battling the coronavirus in short supply, the University of Florida Health’s department of anesthesiology has developed masks that can be produced in large quantities using materials already found in hospitals and medical facilities.”
“…Thousands of these independently owned and operated gyms have been forced to shut down as a result of COVID-19, and O2 is donating 50% of online profits back to gym owners to support them in a challenging time. Those businesses and their owners now face indefinite closures and uncertainties…”
PITTSBURGH - “The Pittsburgh Pirates are buying lunch for Allegheny General Hospital workers, and supporting local restaurants at the same time. The Pittsburgh Pirates are buying Monday afternoon lunch — pizza and pasta from from Slice on Broadway and Pizzeria Davide — for AGH employees. The Pirates say pitcher Jameson Taillon reached out on behalf of the players, with the goal to support local businesses as most restaurants are now take-out only amid the coronavirus outbreak…”
“A fund has been created with more than $250,000 to help those affected by COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, according to a Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama announcement…”
SEATTLE - “Amazon will assist its hometown city of Seattle with at-home COVID-19 testing, according to a report from CNBC on Monday. The test kits are provided by the Seattle Coronavirus Assessment Network (SCAN), a research effort based on the prior Seattle Flu Study initiative that is now dedicated to better understanding the spread of the novel coronavirus.”
PHILADELPHIA - “Dozens of Philly parents are finding solace in a social-distance-friendly activity that’s sweeping cities around the nation: the rainbow hunt. In Philadelphia, entire neighborhoods have come together online to participate. Residents create some kind of rainbow art and hang it visibly in their windows, and then parents lead their kids on walks to find them. It’s an excuse to get outside and see your neighborhood, while keeping a safe separation to prevent the viral spread…”
PASADENA - “A business owner in Pasadena, Maryland, has been stockpiling masks for years. Now, that stockpile has come in handy, as the coronavirus pandemic has made masks harder to find for those who need them most. It took two trucks two days to transport the donation from Pasadena Boatworks to the Maryland State Health Department…”
“TV medical dramas like Fox’s “The Resident,” NBC’s “New Amsterdam” and ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Good Doctor” and “Station 19” are donating the medical supplies they use for their respective productions to hospitals and fire stations in need during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.”
NEW TRIPOLI - “Chad Butters of Eight Oaks Farm Distillery in New Tripoli, Pennsylvania, has completely shifted the focus of his business in order to serve—and possibly save—his community. Butters, an Army veteran, says that it was never a question of “if” but “how” Eight Oaks could shift their focus from making spirits to producing hand sanitizer, using their stores of grain to produce ethanol."..”
KENTUCKY - “Governor Andy Beshear has called on businesses and manufacturers to donate items they have around warehouses to the State Health Department which will be dispersed to various hospitals and medical facilities across the state. "Masks, gloves things like hydrogen peroxide, glycerin, things to make hand sanitizer," said Ashli Watts, President and CEO of Kentucky's Chamber of Commerce…”
TUCSON - “Sewing hope: student makes masks for healthcare workers…After classes were halted to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19, and her vet-tech friend ran out of personal protective equipment, she switched gears, to making masks—a stitch, and a few cuts at a time, she hopes to make something else people will feel good in, maybe a little safer.”
“The Kroger Family of Companies recently announced that the company will be giving a one-time bonus to every hourly frontline grocery, supply chain, manufacturing and customer service associate. The one-time bonus will amount to $300 for every full-time associate and $150 for every part-time associate…”
NORTH CAROLINA - “Amid warnings of an impending shortage of protective equipment for medical staff, a Gastonia-based textile company is organizing a national effort to ramp up production of face masks for healthcare workers. Parkdale Mills Inc., one of the country’s largest yarn spinners, is working with companies like Hanesbrand, Fruit of the Loom, and six others to build a manufacturing supply chain for the masks, the National Council of Textile Organizations said in a press release…”
“3M has a unique and critical responsibility in pandemic preparedness and response…more than 500,000 respirators are on the way from our South Dakota plant to two of the more critically impacted areas, New York and Seattle, with arrivals expected starting tomorrow. We are also ready to expedite additional shipments across the country.”
“The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a coronavirus test that can deliver a diagnosis in 45 minutes. The test, made by California-based Cepheid, got emergency clearance on Saturday, eight days after the agency gave fast-track approval for a test by Roche, which can diagnose the novel coronavirus within three hours. Medical-equipment giant Thermo Fisher also has a test on the market…”
“iPhone users who are wondering whether they have COVID-19 can now turn to Siri. Apple has updated its voice assistant to provide users with a step-by-step questionnaire if they ask variations of, “Hey Siri, do I have the coronavirus?” Siri will ask users if they’re exhibiting symptoms of the disease, such as fever, dry cough or shortness of breath. Siri will advise people who say they have extreme or life-threatening symptoms to consider calling 911…”
“A truckload of 50,000 N95 surgical masks, critical for health-care workers fighting the novel coronavirus, arrived at the Seattle home of a UW Medicine physician on Sunday— courtesy of Elon Musk and Tesla.”
“Facebook donates 720,000 medical masks, 1.5 million gloves for coronavirus battle”
“U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that U.S. automakers Ford Motor Co, General Motors Co and Tesla Inc had been given the green light to produce ventilators and other items needed during the coronavirus outbreak.”
“Apple has pledged to donate 2 million industrial masks to help address the needs of health care workers in areas hit hard by the new coronavirus, the Trump administration said Saturday…Apple CEO Tim Cook alluded to the donation in a tweet later Saturday, saying Apple is donating "millions of masks for health professionals in the US and Europe."
“Minnesota and Vermont will classify grocery store employees as emergency workers…Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz issued an executive order over the weekend that provides childcare for school-age children of emergency workers, which now encompasses grocery store employees…Vermont has indicated it would do the same.”
“Distilleries Race to Make Hand Sanitizer Amid Coronavirus Pandemic…Many are reporting extraordinary demand for the product, which has been hard, if not impossible, to find on store shelves. Yet many distilleries are giving away hand sanitizer for free, despite losing sales of their traditional spirits because of the closing of restaurants, bars and their own tasting rooms.”
MAINE - “Meyers decided it might be helpful and uplifting for others also stuck inside to have a central place to share their karaoke videos, and by 11 a.m., he had created the Facebook group Quarantine Karaoke, where members can upload videos of themselves singing and watch those posted by others… it had more than 63,000 members and more than 1,000 videos had been posted. The group includes thousands of Mainers, but there are also people from dozens of others states as well as Canada, Australia, France and South Africa. Meyers said the group’s diversity is more than just geographical. “They’re old and young and in between. It’s been awesome.””
NEW YORK - “Chef José Andrés is transforming eight of his acclaimed restaurants in New York City and Washington, DC, into gourmet soup kitchens of sorts for those who are struggling to make ends meet in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.”
NEW YORK - “Elkind, a junior at Yale, and a friend, Simone Policano, amassed 1,300 volunteers in 72 hours to deliver groceries and medicine to older New Yorkers and other vulnerable people. They call themselves Invisible Hands, and they do something else in the process — provide human contact and comfort, at a safe distance, of course.”
“All over America good samaritans are taking it upon themselves to help their struggling neighbors by converting little free libraries into little free pantries…they convey a message we could all do with remembering during these distressing, isolated days: you are not alone.”
CHICAGO - “Koval Distillery, known for its whiskey and gin, is now making hand sanitizer to help Chicago medical facilities who don’t have enough to fight the global coronavirus pandemic. “
CALIFORNIA - “Shaivi Shah, 15, recruited her fellow Tesoro High School honor society members to assemble kits of hand sanitizer, antibacterial soap, lotion and reusable masks for distribution to help people experiencing homelessness in the middle of a pandemic.”