A roundup of articles on the status of the Coronavirus and ways we can help….
There are so many stories coming out now, we may need to post several roundups throughout the day….
Thanks to Nathalie.
Locked-down Paris takes to balconies to applaud health workers
Reuters, March 17, 2020
PARIS, March 17 (Reuters) – Residents of the French capital, subject to a virtual lockdown to combat the coronavirus outbreak, stepped out on their balconies on Tuesday evening to applaud healthcare workers in a collective act of solidarity.
Over the course of Tuesday, messages had been circulating on social media in Paris encouraging people to gather at 8 p.m. (1900 GMT) to show their gratitude for doctors and nurses on the front line of fighting the outbreak.
Barred from stepping outside their homes without a justification approved by the state, Parisians instead made the show of support from the balconies of their apartment buildings, according to Reuters witnesses around the city.
France’s death toll from the coronavirus has reached 148 and a total of 6,600 people have been confirmed as infected.
On a residential street in Paris’ 14th district, on the left bank of the River Seine, the sound of applause echoed through the streets at 8 p.m. One woman could be heard shouting: “Bravo to the carers!”
One resident of the street turned up the home music system and opened the windows to blast out a classic French ballad.
In the 18th district, on a hill dominated by the Sacre Coeur church, the sound of people clapping, cheering, and whooping could be heard at the designated time, according to a Reuters reporter.
The sentiment was not universal. On one residential street in the 16th borough, a stone’s throw from the Arc de Triomphe and home to some of the city’s most expensive real estate, there was silence and no people on their balconies. (Reporting by Caroline Pailliez and Gus Trompiz; Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Peter Cooney)
Thanks to Kat.
Restaurant owners appreciate landlord’s advice to ‘pay employees’ instead of rent
By Region 8 Newsdesk, KAIT 8,
https://www.kait8.com/2020/03/18/property-owner-tells-restaurants-pay-employees-instead-rent/
JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) – As more and more restaurants make the difficult decision to close or change the way they do business, one Jonesboro property owner wants to make it a bit easier for them.
Young Investment Company announced Tuesday night on social media it would “not expect its restaurant tenants to pay April rent.”
In an effort to do our part, Young Investment Company will not expect its restaurant tenants to pay April rent.
Posted by Young Investment Company, L.L.C on Tuesday, March 17, 2020
The company’s downtown Jonesboro properties house several of the area’s favorite restaurants including Eleanor’s Pizzeria, Roots, Main Street Coffee, The Parsonage, and City Wok.
Instead of paying rent, Clay Young urged owners to “pay your employees and take care of your family. We will get through this together.”
“This is a new experience for everyone,” said Karl Lowe, co-owner and executive chef at Roots.
More people staying home means less money in the restaurants’ pockets, and that of their employees.
“This past weekend, we saw a 60 percent cut in attendance in what we were bringing in revenue-wise,” said John Myers, co-owner and chef at The Parsonage.
Both he and Lowe are praising Young for his act of kindness.
“I’ve been in this industry for 27 years and I’ve never seen anything like this,” Lowe said.
Both he and Myers are heeding Young’s advice.
“Mr. Young doing that for us this month…that money goes straight to the employees,” Myers said.
Ensuring that the lights are on and mouths are fed, even for their staff.
“We consider them family, we don’t consider them employees,” Lowe said.
Not having to pay next month’s rent lifts a weight off their shoulders, yet both chefs are concerned about what comes next.
“That old story about the grasshopper and the ant, we have to be the ant now,” Myers said. “We got to really plan and store and calculate everything that is happening and store it up.”
“This is a crisis that the restaurant industry has never faced before,” said Paula Lowe, co-owner and executive chef at Roots. “There’s nothing that we can change. Every day is day-by-day.”
Young is modest about the decision. As small business owners, he says everyone is hurting right now.
“It was just the right thing to do,” he said.
The company’s downtown Jonesboro properties house several of the area’s favorite restaurants including Eleanor’s Pizzeria, Roots, Main Street Coffee, The Parsonage, and City Wok.
Instead of paying rent, Clay Young urged owners to “pay your employees and take care of your family. We will get through this together.”
“This is a new experience for everyone,” said Karl Lowe, co-owner and executive chef at Roots.
More people staying home means less money in the restaurants’ pockets, and that of their employees.
“This past weekend, we saw a 60 percent cut in attendance in what we were bringing in revenue-wise,” said John Myers, co-owner and chef at The Parsonage.
Both he and Lowe are praising Young for his act of kindness.
“I’ve been in this industry for 27 years and I’ve never seen anything like this,” Lowe said.
Both he and Myers are heeding Young’s advice.
“Mr. Young doing that for us this month…that money goes straight to the employees,” Myers said.
Ensuring that the lights are on and mouths are fed, even for their staff.
“We consider them family, we don’t consider them employees,” Lowe said.
Not having to pay next month’s rent lifts a weight off their shoulders, yet both chefs are concerned about what comes next.
“That old story about the grasshopper and the ant, we have to be the ant now,” Myers said. “We got to really plan and store and calculate everything that is happening and store it up.”
“This is a crisis that the restaurant industry has never faced before,” said Paula Lowe, co-owner and executive chef at Roots. “There’s nothing that we can change. Every day is day-by-day.”
Young is modest about the decision. As small business owners, he says everyone is hurting right now.
“It was just the right thing to do,” he said.
GiveDirectly will start giving away $1,000 to people most affected by the coronavirus shutdown
The government has talked about sending everyone a check to respond to the economic crisis. GiveDirectly, a charity known for its cash transfers to the poorest people in Africa, is going to start now.