Today's Topline - 5/13/20
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
Source: MedTech Association
Good Wednesday morning:
A striking new poll released this morning reveals that despite the visibility of angry protests over coronavirus closures, most Americans remain cautious about reopening their state economy, with about two thirds of adults now saying it will not be until July or later before gatherings of 10 or more can happen. As Dan Balz and Scott Clemment of the Washington Post report,
“[t]he findings provide more evidence that Americans remain worried about the threat of the virus and cautious about efforts to lift stay-at-home restrictions and to reopen businesses, even as many governors have begun to move in that direction. In the face of plans in many states to gradually ease those limitations, significant majorities of Americans continue to emphasize the need for social distancing and other safety measures.
Fully half of all Americans say in the poll that they think it will not be safe for gatherings of 10 or more until midsummer, including nearly one-quarter who say it will not be safe until 2021 or later. Just about 1 in 5 say they believe such gatherings are safe now or will be by the end of this month.
The timeline has shifted substantially in just the past few weeks, as the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to rise. In a similar poll in mid-April, 51 percent of all Americans said they thought gatherings of 10 or more people would be safe by the end of June. That has fallen to 32 percent in the latest survey, with 66 percent saying it will take longer for gatherings to be safe”
In other news, the New York State Senate and Assembly have announced a joint hearing to seek recommendations on how to approach and mitigate the disproportionate adverse impacts of COVID-19 on minority communities, which may include disparate impacts to industries, services and local governments and institutions including the surrounding health care system, through enhanced federal funding and appropriate policy initiatives. The hearing will be held online this Monday, May 18 at 10:00 am. The web link can be found here.
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