Memorial Day Edition
It’s Memorial Day, and no, I don’t feel like working. But I think I owe it to the 100,000 US victims of COVID-19 — a gruesome threshold we should cross at some point tomorrow — as well as to our fallen service members to report on the ongoing crisis.
This weekend North Carolina saw more than 4,000 people pack the stands at Ace Speedway for a car race — in flagrant violation of the governor’s executive order — a “Reopen” protest this morning in Greensboro, among other cities, and a threat by the president to pull the 2020 Republican Convention from Charlotte in August unless the governor lifts any restrictions for the event. That’s 50,000 maskless, spit-shouting Republicans, possibly armed.
I don’t know… kinda feels like we’re playing it fast and loose with the virus and all. Especially considering the numbers.
The numbers
- 742 new, lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in NC today, which is a bit lower than our seven-day average.
- Testing is slowing — 8,034 tests reported today (9.2 percent tested positive), compared with a high-water mark on May 20 of 13,841.
- 627 North Carolinians spent Memorial Day in the COVID-19 wards of hospitals around the state.
- Guilford County hasn’t updated since Friday, but these guys say we’ve got 1,033, up 56 since then. Two new deaths over the weekend gives us 52.
- Forsyth County registers 53 new cases of the disease, 968 total. 95 have recovered and nine have died, leaving 865 active cases in the county.
A diversion
Remember Planet of the Apes? Not the one with Marky-Mark, the other one: The classic film from 1968, with Charlton Heston, and its epic run of sequels. So awesome. But did you know there was a short-lived TV series that ran 14 episodes in 1974, with many of the same stars (not Heston)? Here’s Episode 2 — the first of a two-parter, with a link to the next.
Program notes
- I’m getting my public-domain images from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City these days. We just call it “the Met.” Tonight we’ve got Study for “Broken Eggs,” by Jean-Baptiste Greuz, 1756.
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