Coronavirus daily update: Friday, July 24

The American school

Today, the nation continues to sort out the continuing crisis as it pertains to our children, who may or may not be starting school in a few weeks.

There are no good options here: If we send our kids to school, they — and their teachers, bus drivers, counselors, janitor, administrators and other staff — risk becoming infected with the coronavirus. If we don’t, they miss out on in-person learning, which is much more effective than distance learning, and the socialization and fellowship that comes with going to school every day. Plus, of course, their parents will have to enforce a curriculum while holding down their jobs.

Still, the newly reorganized Center for Disease Control put out a shocking document giving the all-clear to send our kids back to school, despite scientific evidence outlining the risk.

Meanwhile, a private school in Wake County began classes this week, and they’ve already had a staffer test positive for COVID-19.

Also meanwhile, the Republican National Convention in Jacksonville is off, because of safety concerns. Because that’s totally different from school.

And hey: 15 people got arrested in downtown Winston-Salem today after protesting the death of John Neville in the Forsyth County Jail. The protest was an extension of Occupy Winston-Salem, which is in its 10th day at Bailey Park downtown.

The numbers

• 2102 new cases in NC today, up from 1,892 yesterday, for 108,995 total. New recovery numbers on Monday, so 78,707 for now.
  • Our positive test rate is still at 9 percent.
• Forsyth County has 68 new cases, 4,470 total. 2,788 have recovered and 41 have died. So 1,641 current cases.
• Guilford County has 34 new cases, for 4,516 total. 2,367 recoveries and 136 deaths.

A diversion

I must thank my friends Frankenbrad for reminding me about “Madame’s Place,” the 1982 sitcom from the ventriloquist Waylon Flowers and his sidekick, Madame. It’s incredible — Flowers isn’t even in it, Madame is a character and everyone plays it straight-ish. And Corey Feldman plays the little kid. Here’s the pilot. I can’t take my eyes off it.

Program notes

• Tonight’s featured image is “The American School,” by Matthew Pratt, 1765. Taken from the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s public-domain collection.
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