Page 25 - bon-dia-aruba-20200905

A25
u.s.news Diasabra 5 september 2020

Will long Labor Day weekend mean another coronavirus spike?

By PAT EATON-ROBB dren are going back to school,
and THALIA BEATY university campuses are see-
Associated Press ing soaring case counts, col-
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) lege football is starting, more
— Americans headed into businesses are open, and flu
Labor Day weekend — the season is around the corner.
unofficial end to the Lost And a few states are head-
Summer of 2020 — amid ing into the holiday with less
warnings from public health room in hospitals than they
experts that backyard par- had over Memorial Day and
ties, crowded bars and other the Fourth of July. Alabama,
gatherings could cause the for example, had about 800
coronavirus to come surging people hospitalized with the
back. virus on July 1. This week, it
“I look upon the Labor Day has just under 1,000.
weekend really as a criti- More beaches will be open
cal point,” said Dr. Anthony on Labor Day than on Me-
Fauci, the government’s top morial Day, but Fauci said
infectious-disease expert. that is not cause in itself for
“Are we going to go in the concern, as long as people
right direction and continue keep their distance.
the momentum downward, “I would rather see some-
or are we going to have to one on a beach, being physi-
step back a bit as we start an- cally separated enough, than
other surge?” someone crowded in an in-
The rise in infections, deaths door bar,” he said. A waiter in a face mask takes the order of customers inside a local restaurant during lunch during
and hospitalizations over the Americans, cooped up for the coronavirus pandemic on Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in Hoboken, N.J.
summer, primarily in the months, appeared more than Associated Press
South and West, was blamed ready to venture out and so-
in part on Americans behav- cialize — though with some “I monitored the quarantine ing their germs back with tance either.
ing heedlessly over Memorial precautions. list pathologically, and they them.” Dawn Love of Bolton, Con-
Day and July Fourth. In New York City, once of are finally a place I can visit,” “With the picnic being out- necticut, decided to host an
The landscape has improved the epicenter of the outbreak she said, referring to the list doors, we feel that we can outdoor breakfast Saturday
in recent weeks, with the in the U.S., Jennifer Bolstad of states that New York has space enough, and with the for her running group, The
numbers headed in the right of Brooklyn picked up the advised are safe to travel to. “I fresh air that we are going to Crazy Legs, at her cottage
direction in hard-hit states keys to a rented minivan with think a lot of people are go- be safe with it being outdoors on a lake. The 20 members
like Florida, Arizona and plans to drive with her two ing stir-crazy and are going and in the wide open,” McIn- normally run the local roads
Texas, but there are certain children to Maryland this somewhere this weekend and nis said. He said they won’t together every weekend but
risk factors that could com- weekend to visit family she possibly not be as cautious as be asking the eight children haven’t seen each other since
bine with Labor Day: Chil- hasn’t seen in a year. they should about not bring- at the picnic to socially dis- March.q

Pentagon orders shutdown of Stars and Stripes newspaper

By LOLITA C. BALDOR department is legally prohib- a unique First Amendment
Associated Press ited from canceling a budget organization that has served
WASHINGTON (AP) — program while a temporary U.S. troops reliably for gen-
The Pentagon has ordered continuing resolution to erations."
the military's independent fund the federal government The first newspaper called
newspaper, Stars and Stripes, is in effect. Stars and Stripes was very
to cease publication at the "Stars and Stripes is an essen- briefly produced in 1861
end of the month, despite tial part of our nation's free- during the Civil War, but the
congressional efforts to con- dom of the press that serves paper began consistent pub-
tinue funding the century- the very population charged lication during World War I.
old publication. with defending that free- When the war was over, pub-
The order to halt publication dom," the senators said in the lication ended, only to restart
by Sept. 30, and dissolve the letter. in 1942 during World War
organization by the end of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R- II, providing wartime news
January, follows the Penta- S.C., in a separate letter to Es- written by troops specifically
gon's move earlier this year per in late August, also voiced for troops in battle.
to cut the $15.5 million in opposition to the move, call- Although the paper gets
funding for the paper from ing Stripes "a valued 'home- In this July 10, 2020, file photo Defense Secretary Mark Esper funding from the Defense
the Defense Department town newspaper' for the speaks during a briefing on counternarcotics operations at U.S. Department, it is editorially
budget. And it is a reflection members of the Armed Forc- Southern Command in Doral, Fla. independent and is delivered
of the Trump administra- es, their families, and civilian Associated Press in print and digitally to troops
tion's broader animosity for employees across the globe." all over the world.
the media and members of He added that "as a veteran Activity, the memo says plans year, Sept. 30, 2021. Haver- The Pentagon proposed
the press. who has served overseas, I to close the paper are due on stick's memo says that in that cutting the paper's funding
Members of Congress have know the value that the Stars Sept. 15 and the last news- case, the last date for publica- when making its budget re-
objected to the defunding and Stripes brings to its read- paper is to be published on tion of the newspaper will be quest earlier this year, trig-
move for months. And sena- ers." Sept. 30. The memo adds determined based on budget gering angry reactions from
tors sent a letter to Defense In the memo, the department that if the paper continues or other circumstances. members of Congress.
Secretary Mark Esper this says Esper made the decision to be funded by either a con- The Stripes ombudsman, The House-passed version of
week urging him to reinstate as a result of his department- tinuing resolution "or other Ernie Gates, told The As- the Pentagon budget contains
the money. The letter, signed wide budget review. Signed unforeseen circumstances" sociated Press on Friday that funding for the paper's publi-
by 15 senators — including by Army Col. Paul Haver- then Stripes must submit a shutting the paper down cation, but the Senate has not
Republicans and Democrats stick, acting director of the plan by Sept. 15 to shut down "would be fatal interference yet finalized a defense fund-
— also warns Esper that the Pentagon's Defense Media at the end of the next budget and permanent censorship of ing bill.q