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Well, someone forgot to mute. The Supreme Court was making history Wednesday afternoon, holding arguments over the phone because of Covid-19, when all of a sudden there was the distinct sound of a toilet flushing. Across the country, the public that has never before this week been able to listen in real time to oral arguments held remotely was treated not only to deep questions related to the First Amendment and robocalls but also to someone’s apparent bathroom break. The errantflush from an unknown source comes as the justices, lawyers and the country are dealing with the new realities — and hazards — of conducting their business over teleconference lines.
Eleven-year-old Jorja Boller wanted to cheer up older adults in the nursing homes around her hometown of Beatrice, Nebraska. And when she thought of who makes her smile when she feels lonely, she knew her little pony Peanut would have to pay them a visit while they are isolated during the coronavirus pandemic. “We brushed him and braided his hair with some colored pipe cleaners,” Jorja told CNN. ” And we put on a unicorn horn but he shook that off!” Jorja and her 8-year-old sister Jurnee led Peanut up to the windows of the nursing homes. Staff on the phone helped facilitate conversations with the residents. “I would talk to them … and Peanut was acting up so he put on quite a show.” Jorja explained. “And of course, my sister was dancing around.” The residents really enjoyed seeing Peanut. Some would follow the girls and their pony from window to window.
You make reservations at restaurants, sure. But how about booking in advance just to get a spot on the sand at the beach? That’s exactly what some beachgoers will have to do in Spain this summer, thanks to the coronavirus crisis. Canet d’en Berenguer, a Mediterranean town located just north of Valencia, will only allow 5,000 daily sunbathers on its local beach, around half the usual number, in order to maintain social distancing. These spaces will need to be reserved in advance via a mobile phone app. “This summer will be very different,” Pere Joan Antoni Chordá, the town’s mayor, tells CNN. “There’ll be more space between you and your neighbor. Like a ‘business-class’ beach.” Canet will use a grid pattern to divide its broad, flat beach into square sections, each separated by two meters (six feet). The sections are to be delineated by laying a series of nets on the sand that look like huge soccer goal post nets to accommodate bigger groups of sunbathers. Beachgoers will be allowed to book a sunbathing session for either the morning or afternoon, but not all day. According to the mayor, sunbathers can reserve any available area, much like selecting seats online at a movie theater, and arrival times will be staggered to avoid crowds. Access points to the beach are also to be reduced. Once they arrive and confirm their reservation with staff, beachgoers will be led to their allocated section.
If you love your mom, consider staying away from her this Mother’s Day. Health officials are warningAmericans to avoid celebrating Mother’s Day in big groups, saying physical distancing is still critical to reducing the spread of coronavirus. All it takes is one infected person at a gathering to launch a new outbreak. In Pasadena, California, officials traced a cluster of coronavirus cases back to one person at a birthday party who was coughing and not wearing a face mask. “Guests were also not wearing face coverings or practicing social distancing,” the city of Pasadena posted on Facebook. “As a result, COVID-19 spread among attendees. Remember, the best way to celebrate #MothersDay and any other occasion is by STAYING HOME and staying healthy”.
Nearly all states partially reopened last week and businesses across the country are preparing to welcome customers back. But because of the coronavirus pandemic, things are far from normal. An ice cream shop in Massachusetts had to close its doors on Saturday, just one day after reopening, because customers refused to follow social distancing rules and even harassed employees. Things got so bad at the Polar Cave Ice Cream Parlour in Mashpee that an employee quit the same day. “One of my best workers quit yesterday at the end of her shift. She stuck it through her shift,” owner Mark Lawrence told CNN. “But the words she was called and the language, you wouldn’t even say in a men’s locker room. And to say it to a 17-year-old kid, they should be ashamed of themselves.”
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