May 10, 2020
GREATER HOUSTON EDITION
Vol. 25, Issue 16
REOPENING TEXAS: HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
moThErs oN ThE froNT LiNE
HOUSTON - Texas Gov. Greg Abbott outlined a plan to reopen Texas, allowing some businesses, including retail stores, restaurants, movie theaters and malls, to open in stages beginning on May 1, but there are some strict guidelines to follow.
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HOUSTON - As the novel coronavirus / COVID-19 pandemic sweeps the globe, many of our bravest souls are out there fighting the good fight trying to help save lives, keep the economy going and flatten the curve. In honor of Mother’s Day, we salute those moms who are on the front lines, providing service to others. They come from all walks of life: first responders, firefighters, police officers, doctors, nurses, public transportation workers, food delivery drivers, retail and grocery store clerks, etc. Happy Mother’s Day and thank you for your service! (01.) Dr. Heather Brown: Houston orthodontist taking emergency patients (02.) Dana Patterson, Baytown refinery and chemical plant worker: “Goal Zero. Safety First! The oil and gas industry is essential to the economy and keeps you mobile every day.” (03.) Pleshette Laws, Assistant manager at Walmart: “I’m working daily to ensure Houstonians have their essential needs.” (04.) Crystel Smith, Nursing Assistant, Traveled from Houston to New Jersey to fight the pandemic (05.) Ruth Elizabeth, RN: Houston woman working at Detroit’s Sinai Grace Hospital (06.) Vera Bumpers, Metro Police Chief (07.) Cassandra Morgan, driver, Metro Lift: “Thank you. We transport people with all types of disabilities, and we are not being recognized at all.” (08.) Liz Morrison, Houston health care worker serving in Dallas (09.) Karen Rice, TSA supervisor at Houston Hobby Airport (10.) Connie Young, delivery driver: “I’m doing deliveries through Uber and grocery shopping for the elderly through Favor.” (11.) Stephanie Payne, Respiratory Therapist: “No thanks needed, it’s my duty!’ (12.) Erica Parker, RN: Traveled from Houston to New York to take care of patients. “I don’t quit when I’m tired, I quit when I’m done.” (13.) Rochelle Walker, RN: Traveled from Houston to California to take care of COVID-19 patients. “People don’t realize we have viral pandemics every year. I take care of these patients the same as I would if they had TB, flu, MRSA, C Diff, or any other infectious disease. It’s what I signed up for as a nurse.“ (14.) Qween Brown, CNA: Traveled from Houston to Iowa to assist patients at nursing home (15.) Angela Louison, LVN: Silverado Hospice
HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT: Retailers and Malls Must keep capacity limited to 25%. But for rural counties with five or less confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, retailers can serve up to 50% of their regular capacity. Areas including food court dining space, play areas and interactive displays must remain closed. Retailers can offer customers in-store pick up or get items delivered by mail or to their doorstep. Restaurants Dine-in service is allowed at some restaurants, but capacity is limited to 25%. But for rural counties with five or less confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, restaurants can serve up to 50% of their regular capacity. Bars to remain closed, even if they offer food. Only six people allowed at a table and parties will be seated at least 6 feet apart from each other. New practices for dine-in services include disposable menus, condiments served only upon request and in single-use portions (exp. a side of ketchup instead of a ketchup bottle), buffets that aren’t self-serve and a hand sanitizing station at the restaurant entrance. Valet service is suspended except for cars with placards or plates for disabled parking Restaurants can still provide to-go and delivery service Movie theaters Movie theaters can reopen at 25% capacity, and 50% in rural counties with five or less confirmed cases of the new coronavirus. However, some of the state’s largest theater chains said they may not reopen until the summer. For open theaters….. Moviegoers will have to stay at least two empty seats apart from each other and there must be an empty row between customers. If you attend a movie with people you live with you can all sit together but must have two empty seats on either side of the group. If you want to watch a movie with someone you don’t live with, you can sit in the same row but still two seats apart. Seats and other frequently touched surfaces must be cleaned between each screening Theaters with food options must follow similar protocol as restaurants with disposable menus, single-use cutlery and condiments and some places will require customers to write down their order. Outdoor Sports Texans can only play sports that don’t include contact with other players and only four people can play at a time. That rules out most sports including basketball, soccer and football. Public swimming pools must remain closed. The governor’s group noted special instructions for golf courses, which can open. Golf carts must be cleaned between uses, only one person is allowed per cart, unless you’re of the same household and golfers must keep 6 feet apart. Cont’d on page 2
WASH YOUR HANDS FREQUENTLY • AVOID PUBLIC SPACES OR EVENTS WITH MORE THAN 10 PATRONS • SANITIZE AND STOCK UP • AVOID TOUCHING YOUR EYES, NOSE AND MOUTH • PRACTICE GOOD HYGIENE
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May 10, 2020 Partin’ the Waters
Tristar
Griselda Ramirez: Production
By Omowale Luthuli-Allen
Do not give legs to creeping fascism
Office: (713) 692-1178
You decide, is America an exceptional nation? I have just finished reading and digesting Madeline Albright’s magnum opus book, FASCISM- A warning. Madame Albright was the Secretary of State during the reign of the comeback kid, ex POTUS Bill Clinton. She was a Fulbright Scholar who fled Czechoslovakia before a Soviet takeover with her family. She arrived in America with her father and family seeking liberty from an authoritarian black hearted oppressive regime that denied individual freedoms. She was only 6 years old then. The turning point was when her father’s friend and government official was thrown from a window and the hopes of Czechoslovakian people were smashed by a dictatorial steamroller. Their family fled for the last and best hope, America. In the wake of the Nazi and Soviet styled wreckage, she learned that three of her Jewish grandparents were slaughtered in the Holocaust. Her parents hid this travesty from her and raised the family as Roman Catholics. Ms. Albright explains – What makes a movement Fascist is not ideology but the willingness to do what is necessaryincluding the use of force and trampling on the rights of others-to achieve victory and command obedience. Fascism can be owned by the left, right and center. Fascism can be owned by Communists and Socialists, Democrats or Republicans, Atheist, or religious thumping evangelists. It is a deranged clique of altered reality decision makers on steroids and opioids that disrespect decency and the rule of law. The late Gil Scott Heron described this mindset as a God complex. Europe had been rolled by two world wars and was headed into the Cold War. America was the shining beacon light on a hill with an emblem that said “come and
give me your teeming masses, I am a refuge for the downtrodden and disinherited.” I think that she was qualified to warn Americans that our institutions with its democratic norms might not hold after the recent assaults through rule by the incompetent and unfit. Madeline Albright understands that the bully pulpit of the US President can set into motion a chain of events that will irreparably damage this nation and its potential. Mexicans have been characterized as rapists, thieves and criminals while helping to build the decaying infrastructure of America and harvesting the fruits, vegetables and producing the milk, eggs and cheese. Gratitude is shown by imprisoning children who are separated from their parents in cages along the border. Eleven million people perished after a madman named Hitler pursued racial purity along with his ally, Benito Mussolini. Hitler Mussolini found opportunity in crisis when they convinced the aggrieved that the crisis was caused by a minority group-the Jews. The final solution was to annihilate 6 million Jews, Catholics, Gypsies-Roma, labor leaders, disabled and homosexuals through organized state violence. Skillfully they convinced the populace to become deplorables and to take out their wrath on the defenseless populations. Hitler admired Americans for having murdered millions of red men. When their depravity was fully exposed, Hitler and his mistress committed suicide and sped to the gates of HELL. Mussolini and his mistress were hung by Italian patriots from the nearest lamp post. The American story starts with the genocide of the native Americans and the enslavement of black people. Historians often referred to this twin extermination and enslavement as America’s original sin. So now the wraps have come off and the hidden history is in plain sight. Yet, America is conceived of as an idea, noble and lofty, but unrealized. Rightfully so, because the socalled patriots fought a war to determine if this nation would exist half slave or half free. The last measure of devotion was given by 675,000 Americans to prove that this nation would exist as a nation that epitomized the principle of charity to all and Malice toward none. This was truly the beginning of an exceptional nation although
the moral bar was too high. On Fareed Zakaria’s CNN Global GPS, an Asian woman stated that a white woman shouted to her, “we do not want you in our country, you Chinese bitch!” Asian people are under the gun, whether they are Korean, Filipino, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese or Cambodian. Only because all Asians are viewed as Chinese by the ignorant and the deplorables. Although there is not a shred of evidence, a narrative is being written by the feebleminded that the Coronavirus started in a Chinese lab and is a bioweapon. All the reputable scientists that are not driven by political ideology are pushing back and sticking to the evidence that this virus started with bats via a wet (animal) market. The formula to scapegoat a people is to tell a lie, repeat it often enough and the feeble minded will believe the lie. Chinese and Asians are be coming the new victims of hate crimes as a fading POTUS struggles for reelection at any cost. All of 1600 Pennsylvania had an epic collapse in responding to the PANDEMIC. This failure is explained in my op-ed piece, “THAT USED TO BE US.” A SANKOFA moment for Asians is to remember the Asian Exclusion Act of 1882. President Coolidge signed the Act with the support of the KU Klux Klan and the American Federation of Labor AFL. Their ostensible reason for sponsoring and supporting the act was to stop the Yellow Peril. Malcolm X spoke about the slogan of not having a Chinaman’s chance to succeed. Whereas the supporters of the act claimed that it was necessary because of the Yellow Peril, which was based on a fake science called Eugenics in a continuing attempt to create a master race in America. This gaslighting peril surfaced with the argument that Asians posed a severe economic threat to white businessmen through cheap labor. Madame Albright exposes that so much damage is being done to our institutions that it will take decades to recover. I am asking all people of good will not to demonize Asians or Chinese. Again, there is no Chinese virus. Don’t drink the Kool Aid. Again, ignore the noise and focus on the signal. Do not give legs to creeping fascism.
GREATER HOUSTON EDITION Texas, cont’d
Churches and Places of Worship Places of worship can hold service, but the governor’s task force encourages at-risk groups to watch service remotely. Religious institutions should also have designated services or areas for atrisk people who choose to attend in-person service. Worshippers must sit at least two empty seats apart from others not in their households, and there should be an empty row between each person. Museums and Libraries Public museums and libraries must have permission from their local government to reopen. Once open, museums and libraries can only allow 25% capacity and must close interactive areas, like exhibits and play areas. Capacity jumps to 50% in rural counties with five or less confirmed cases of the new coronavirus. Abbott also said a second wave of openings will in-
Too much of a risk? GALVESTON, Texas - If there was ever a fear of the novel coronavirus and spread of COVID-19, that was not made clear last weekend in Galveston, as the island was flooded with bumper-to-bumper traffic on the first day the beaches were reopened. Images shared on social media appeared to show the beaches and seawall were reminiscent of the old “beach party” or holiday weekends as thousands flocked to Galveston on May 1. Health officials recommend that the guidelines for social distancing - not gathering in groups of more than 10 and remaining six feet between individuals - be adhered to, but that was clearly not practiced. Beachgoers traded in masks for swimsuits, and most appeared to be soaking up the sun and enjoying the beautiful weather worry-free, a complete turnaround from
clude barbershops, hair salons, bars and gyms could go into effect as early as May 18, as long as the state sees “two weeks of data to confirm no flareup of COVID-19.” Barbershops and Beauty Salons Abbott has moved up the plan to open cosmetology salons, hair salons, tanning salons and barbershops on May 8. The governor said he is allowing those businesses to reopen as long as they adhere to the following guideline: one customer per stylist unless they are waiting for service, six-feet distance between work stations, appointments encouraged to reduce crowding, in the event of allowing walkins -distancing required for people waiting for service, in addition to a strong recommendation of customers and stylists are wearing masks. STAY SAFE AND FOLLOW THE RULES!
the self-quarantine measures implemented recently. The fear is that the lack of caution will place the general population in harm’s way. “The risk, of course, is that we could see a resurgence of COVID-19 in a big way. It won’t happen right away, but we could see it later this summer or fall,” Baylor College of Medicine Dean Peter Hotez, M.D., told KHOU 11 News. Locally, the number of Houston-area coronavirus cases has topped 11,000 with close to 300 deaths. On the positive side, there have been more than 4,000 recoveries. So, while we know that many are experiencing cabin fever and want to go out and enjoy the waves and the pleasant breeze, we urge you to think of yourself and others, and follow the health tips the experts have provided.
- AANI
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ProTEcTiNG housToN’s homELEss aGaiNsT coViD-19 HOUSTON -- City officials are joining with several local organizations to help Houston’s homeless population during the COVID-19 public health crisis. Throughout the pandemic, more than 100 partner agencies in The Way Home homeless response system have been working diligently to provide services to this vulnerable population. On an average day, homeless men and women, who nearly all suffer from chronic, underlying health conditions, are some of our most vulnerable at-risk individuals in Houston. That vulnerability is compounded during a pandemic, as our homeless either do not readily have access to hand hygiene (like running water) or live in dense shelters where it is challenging to practice social distancing. “To prevent people from dying on our streets or in our shelters, the City worked quickly, engaging the CDC and HUD, local partners, and cities around the world. We have created and implemented a comprehensive threeprong response focusing on three key areas: prevention, emergency response and recovery,” said Mayor Turner. Prevention Ten area outreach teams distribute vital information and supplies to the unsheltered population while screening those on the streets for symptoms. Along with the County and the Downtown Management District, we have placed more than 20 handwashing stations in the areas with the highest concentrations of homeless individuals. The city has also distributed to homeless agencies and homeless individuals more than 8,800 face masks, 6,500 bottles of hand sanitizer and 15,000 antiseptic wipes.
The Fonde Recreation Center has been repurposed into an Ancillary Shelter, enabling our largest shelters to decompress and fully implement social distancing. The Salvation Army created intake and screening processes, assembled supplies and food services, and devised the operational and logistical plans to make this facility a reality. “We are grateful to be trusted with the task of providing a home for those experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 crisis, and we stand ready to support our government partners and city officials however we possibly can. While we will continue to operate the temporary emergency shelter as long as needed, our ultimate goal is to provide a permanent housing option to every resident we serve at the facility,” said Major Zach Bell, Area Commander of The Salvation Army of Greater Houston.” Emergency Response The City and County has launched an innovative Homeless Testing Program to ensure that all homeless individuals have access to testing. Homeless agencies, shelters, outreach teams and even homeless individuals themselves can call the Homeless Testing hotline at 713-286-6047 where they are quickly assessed, and provided with transportation to the Homeless Testing site by specialized Yellow Cabs through a partnership with METRO and operated by Healthcare for the Homeless - Houston.
Recovery Until test results come back, or in the case a homeless individual is positive, they need a place to stay and medically recover. The Joint, City and County Quarantine & Isolation Facility, provides shelter, food and medical care to enable individuals without a home to selfquarantine and isolate as needed. Individuals are referred through The Homeless Testing Program or directly from hospitals. “The three-prong action plan is operating now. This is just the beginning to make sure our homeless and other under-served communities are not forgotten and remain a top for my administration,” said Mayor Turner. “To help bring these efforts to fruition, we have depended on the Coalition for the Homeless, who has helped us plan, mobilize, and coordinate the 100-local agency – that make up our region’s homeless response system – during this time of need,” said Marc Eichenbaum, Special Assistant to the Mayor for Homeless Initiatives. “As lead agency to The Way Home, the Coalition for the Homeless has been proud to support them. We are distributing thousands of pieces of equipment and supplies, sharing guidance on how to remain open while limiting the spread of the disease, and helping to stand up access to testing and care for those in our region experiencing homelessness. And we are grateful to Mayor Turner and the City for their support of and contributions to this work,” said Michael C. Nichols, Coalition for the Homeless president and CEO. - AANI
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May 10, 2020
GREATER HOUSTON EDITION
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