Corona Virus Update 5/17

“Last week, the House of Representatives did its part by introducing a new stimulus bill known as the HEROES Act. The Democrats’ plan provides $3 trillion in relief to support families, protect frontline healthcare and other essential workers, and sustain public education, public safety, healthcare and the Postal Service. It will help keep people fed and employed, continue unemployment benefits, preserve health coverage, protect elections and hasten economic recovery.
But Republican leaders in the Senate are ignoring the needs in their communities, even suggesting that states should just go bankrupt. That is an absolute dereliction of duty.” Randi Weingarten
(Read more https://aftvoices.org/dont-forfeit-the-future-c71d55fb73a3 )

We need your help on this one folks to get it through the Senate.
Among other things this bill
Provides Hazard Pay for frontline workers
Extends paid time off, family and medical leave to businesses over 500 employees (like hospitals) (businesses under 500 were included in an earlier stimulus bill)
Requires businesses to develop and implement an infectious disease control plan (This is the Emergency OSHA Standard that we have sought for protection in healthcare)


We are 71 days since the first confirmed case of Covid-19 in Connecticut. We are 56 days into a stay home/stay safe order. We are 3 days from a partial reopening.
Hospitalizations were down 57 today to 937
69 more deaths for a state total of 3,408

I think it’s easy to get so involved with our own lives and our own struggles that we can start to think we are alone in this. This is an article of a fight of our courageous sisters and brothers or AFT/HPAE in New Jersey are fighting.

https://www.nj.com/coronavirus/2020/05/fed-up-health-care-workers-allege-nj-hospital-is-putting-their-lives-at-risk.html

“They need to be provided with the resources they need to care for COVID-19 patients safely, including adequate amounts of PPE,” HPAE President Debbie White said in a statement.

Be well,
John