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NO SHIRT, NO SHOES, NO MASK, NO SERVICE
Since early April, In Depth has been following a nurse who came down with COVID-19, recovered, and has returned to work. The show has followed her from illness to recovery as new questions emerge as to how medical systems have been impacted by the virus both in patient care and economically – leading to layoffs of doctors and nurses.
Meanwhile, the nurse – who is not authorized by her hospital system to speak to the media, so her name and where she works is being withheld to protect her job – is also offering a bit of advice as things start to change, some people head back to work, and public spaces loosen a bit in Michigan.
“Just because it’s being lifted doesn’t mean its not widely out there for people to catch and pass around. Real soon it’s going to become unfashionable to wear a mask in public and I get that people see it as an 'injustice' and 'an assault against their rights' to have to wear the mask. But, stores ask you to wear a shirt and shoes when you come in to buy something there… I understood that you had to be dressed in the proper clothing to come out to a public place and for right now this mask is kind of your shirt and shoes… and you kind of need to take it upon yourself to remember this is a public health issue and you play a role in it,” said the nurse.
RED INK RISING ON LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
A week ago, Livonia passed 100 deaths due to the outbreak — the highest total for a city in Wayne County outside Detroit.
Over a week ago Mayor Maureen Miller Brosnan launched "Together Livonia Cares" — a program led by fire officials to train staff and residents in proper anti-virus protocols at the city's 28 different senior care centers.
"We're still working to get Lansing and Washington to step in and help especially on the PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) front and that goes to the National Stockpile. We're also looking for support through the Community Development Block Grant Fund which seems to be where all the FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Administration) money is funneling through," said Miller Brosnan.
Miller Brosnan said the city along with Livonia businesses and non-profits have been stepping up where state and federal government has failed including donating much needed protective equipment like masks.
The Mayor of Livonia said she has furloughed 37% of city employees in recent weeks. This as her city will miss out on at least $3 million in state shared taxes, local fees and other revenues during the outbreak.
"We think this proactive furlough program, which saves us about 160 a week, is going to be instrumental in helping us to not only bring back that talented workforce but help us to rebound a little quicker," said Miller Brosnan.
BAKING A COMMUNITY CONNECTION
Since 1997, Avalon International Breads has been on the rise. Originally starting in the Cass Corridor, the bakery has since opened several cafe locations and build out a bake house in an old warehouse on Detroit's eastside.
But, in mid-March Avalon co-founder Jackie Victor had to make some hard decisions. She laid off 135 employees. She's been able to bring back about a baker's dozen back to work in the bake house and start deliveries of bread to grocery stores.
Victor received a Payroll Protection Program loan from the federal government. Under the program, a small business can get the loan that can turn into a grant if a business owner can spend the funds within 60 days to keep 100% of their employees on staff.
The Avalon International Breads co-founder said that isn't possible for her to do because the got the loan after she laid off her staff. Plus, with the shuttering of her cafes, she has to focus on just baking for delivery. Then, Victor said, the 18-month payback window under the program that is too short for most businesses including hers.
"Even if we could use it on payroll (and pay it back) for five to 15-years that still would be helpful but we would be able to pay it back over a reasonable period of time," said Victor.
The Detroit bakery co-founder said she's been in touch with federal lawmakers to see if they can make some changes to the program. Because, without some changes, she doesn't expect the Payroll Protection Program to be successful in its aims.
"Businesses are going to go out of business who don't receive it. Business who do receive it may use the money quickly but then they are not going to be able to pay the money back and they're going to go out of business and the government's going to lose that money," said Victor.
Victor recently wrote about her concerns over the PPP loan program as well as being a small business in one of the major epicenters of the epidemic for the New York Times.
You can learn more about the Avalon International Breads at this link.
You can read Jackie Victor’s New York Times op-ed here.
IMPACT ON DETROIT & STATE PRISONS
As Detroit has become a major epicenter for the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and worldwide, some have been asking questions about why the city and been hit so hard.
For former inmate turned neighborhood activist Yusef Shakur, the answer is simple – Detroit has been left to be “social distanced” from support that moves people from surviving to thriving.
Shakur wrote about it for a recent op-en in Deadline Detroit.
Beyond the city streets, Shakur said close quarters and overcrowding makes state prisons a breed ground during the coronavirus pandemic. So far, almost 1,900 people have been sickened and 48 prisoners have died as activists have been pushing to let prisoners out in a bid to spot the spread and save lives.
"Again, imagine we're on the outside struggling with the virus. Can you imagine what them on the inside (are dealing with)? They are going to struggle three or four times worse, and we're just going to sit down and let them die," said Shakur.
Shakur said Michigan taxpayers are already paying $30,000 to $40,000 thousand a year to lock up a prisoner. He said it could be cheaper and safer if some inmates were placed under house arrest to allow for better social distancing during the outbreak.
More about Yusef Shakur here. Read his recent op-ed in Deadline Detroit at this link.