Friday night lockdown
Everybody knows that Gov. Cooper issued Executive Order 121, a stay-at-home order that insists we only leave our homes for “Essential Activites,” government business and COVID-19-related work. For most of you, this means you can leave your house for doctor’s appointments, household errands (no haircuts or tattoos!), church and outdoor activity — walking, running, hiking, golfing and biking are specifically mentioned.
Seriously: Stay home.
Local news
- The city of Greensboro suspended yard-waste collection until further notice. Bulk pickup — like your refrigerator or that old couch you need to drag to the curb — is by appointment only.
- Twin City Fashion Week is postponed, to a date TBD. (We will resume our ticket giveaway when a date is announced).
- Old Salem laid off its hourly employees, announced in a very classy press release. Donate if you can.
- The North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association launched a Restaurant Workers Relief Fund. Get on it, friends!
The big story
- We’re all getting $1,200 — the House passed its rescue package for this hobbled nation today, and Trump signed it about half an hour ago. The NY Times has a pretty good explainer if you’re wondering about your check. But here’s a link to the actual bill if you feel like diving in. Just 247 pages!
The numbers
- Guilford County jumped to 32 cases today. Thats up six from yesterday. Forsyth added seven cases today, for a total of 24. That’s a total of 56, if you’re keeping score at home.
- The global database has North Carolina at 836 cases. The N&O puts it at 832. We’re still adding 100 cases or more a day. We’ve added another death in our state for a total of three: a person in their mid-60s with an underlying medical condition in Johnson County.
- Charlotte/Mecklenberg County is laden with 204 of those cases, another 24 in neighboring Union County. Durham has 93 and Wake has 105, for a total of 198 in the Triangle, unless you count Orange County, in which case add 16.
- We’re growing at a rate of 0.84 percent. Compare that with New Jersey, which jumped by 28.34 percent today, up to 8,825 from 6,876.
- Could be worse!
A diversion
I think you should watch James Booker’s performance at the Montreaux Jazz Festival in 1978. Dr. John called him “the best black, gay, one-eyed junkie piano genius New Orleans ever produced.” It’s a bit over an hour, but it’s not like you ain’t got the time.
Program notes
- Tonight’s featured image is “Madison Square, Snow” by Allen Tucker, 1904 courtesy of the National Gallery of Art.
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