Cannabis cultivation could be a key economic driver for reconstruction after Covid-19 – Daily Maverick

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Covid-19 is having a disastrous effect on the South African economy that had already entered into recession, the Reserve Bank expects GDP to shrink by 6% adding pressure to the already high 2019 unemployment rate of 29.1% with an estimated loss of an additional one million jobs, taking the country to 7.7 million unemployed.

The lockdown will lead to a significant reduction in tax revenue at a time government has had to prioritise unplanned spending towards healthcare and economic support measures for disaster relief efforts, pushing the already high debt to GDP ratio of 62% to unsustainable levels.

SAs growth prospects are grim with the country facing a very real human catastrophe. Governments short-term policies are all focused on Covid-19 mitigation and disaster relief within the very limited means of state finances.

What will urgently be required post-Covid-19 is a clear and coherent economic policy where government can, through targeted interventions, achieve rapid socioeconomic development that has been elusive to date. Its clear that new regenerative thinking is required that seeks to provide long-term sustainability, is resistant to external shocks such as global economic markets and climate change and is based on maximising our abundant human and natural resources.

SA will need policy along the lines of Roosevelts New Deal that helped lift the US out of the Great Depression by putting people to work building social infrastructure and the Marshall Plan designed to rebuild Europe after World War II. What would this sort of policy look like for SA? Would it be an extension of business as usual? Or is it an opportunity to innovate out of the ashes of the old and chart a course for the much-vaunted African Renaissance?

In his acceptance speech to the African Union in Feb 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa said we have trained our sights on supporting green growth on the continent, and on ensuring that the continent takes advantage of the opportunities presented by the green transition. This includes new industries in energy, materials engineering, the circular economy, sustainable agriculture and clean production.

The time to implement this vision of advancing inclusive green economic growth and sustainable development has come. We boldly need to step into this green future and design systems that allow us to live within our economic and ecological limits. We can achieve this by setting our sights on genuinely transformative economic growth and the potential of a plant that has been naturalised and traded in Africa for a thousand years.

President Ramaphosa talked about this in his 2020 State of the Nation Address, acknowledging that cannabis farming happens throughout the country, pledging to open up and regulate the commercial use of hemp products, providing opportunities for small-scale farmers. Cannabis offers an opportunity unprecedented in South Africas history since the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand in 1886 as South Africas much-maligned and excluded green gold, with massive potential to birth a new sunrise industry to lift us out of economic recession, poverty and unemployment.

Globally, cannabis has a long history as one of the mainstays and drivers of early industrialisation, providing fibre for ropes and canvas for sails that powered maritime trade to help build the global market that exists today, as well as textiles for clothing and an important role in medicinal apothecaries.

It was South Africas colonial government that nominated Indian hemp to be listed as a dangerous drug by the League of Nations in the mid 1920s followed by the banning of industrial hemp as the result of a corporate agenda of nefarious interests in the US in the mid 1930s. It has been illegal for the past 80 years in most parts of the world for its narcotic properties while the industrial capacity continued to contribute to the economies of China, India and parts of Europe.

Currently, more than 30 countries have legal cannabis for medical use and a growing number of states in the US and other countries are legalising or tolerating cannabis for recreational use, including South Africa where the Constitutional Court ruled in September 2018 that it was legal to cultivate and use cannabis in the privacy of your own home and gave Parliament two years to amend legislation.

Today, the global medical and recreational cannabis market is growing from an estimated $9.6-billion in 2017 to a projected market value of $57-billion-plus by 2027. These estimates exclude existing and potential new markets for industrial cannabis for which little information is available.

The potential for cannabis in South Africa is enormous. The country has drought-resistant acclimatised genetic strains that have naturalised over hundreds of years, combined with tens of thousands of existing farmers who are familiar with the crop and how to grow it. The potential value chain is being explored by the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Agriculture, which have been tasked with finalising an agro-processing masterplan by the end of June.

What is not clear is whether SA will base its future cannabis industry regulations on the existing resource base and farmers or follow the western model of narcotic levels in the plant for which our country would have to import genetics, and is considerably behind the curve by global standards.

The cannabis value chain is based on the components of the plant that have economic potential: the seed offers food and oil that is high in essential fatty acids that will noticeably improve the diet of SAs poor, resulting in improved cognitive performance and boosted immune systems. In addition, the plant can be used to produce both ethanol and biofuel that could potentially feed directly into the energy and plastic sectors. The stalk offers two main agro-processing streams, the outer layer that can be stripped providing one of the longest fibres known to humanity to be used for an extensive range of consumer and industrial textiles. The inner part of the stalk is known as hurd and is used in the paper, automotive and building industries. The flower and most controversial part of the plant is where the medicinal and recreational benefits lie.

There is very little economic data available for an integrated cannabis model as the plant and its benefits have been suppressed for such a long time. Early estimates for a co-operative farming and agro-processing model based on empowering small farmers as a strategy to regenerate rural economies indicate considerable economic potential.

An agricultural co-operative hub model of 20,000 hectares supported by an estimated 10,000 small farmers, each farming two hectares and employing an additional agricultural labourer per hectare would create 30,000 jobs. The processing hub would house a series of decortication technologies required to process up to 50,000 tons of fibre and 120,000 tons of hurd employing 150 plant and support workers.

The potential income per farmer per hectare is dependent on bio-region, climatic conditions and seed strains. Conservative estimates indicate that per hectare, stalk biomass is worth R50,000, fibre R18,000, seed R155,000 and cannabinoids R100,000. Average income per hectare is about R175,000, generating revenue of R350,000 for a small farmer on two hectares and revenue of R3.5-billion per co-operative hub farming 20,000 hectares. Ten hubs farming 200,000 hectares could potentially generate R35-billion in revenue. Additional added value from developing finished products still needs to be determined.

There are also noteworthy climate crisis mitigation benefits to cannabis farming and the possibility to access climate funding to roll out an industrial cannabis strategy. Cannabis sequesters up to 10,000 tons of carbon per hectare, where one co-operative hub could sequester up to 200 million tons of carbon.

The objective is to develop a multi-billion-rand industrialised cannabis value chain that enables the empowerment of small-scale farmers and the development of agro-processing co-operative hubs that focus on developing the following value chains:

Seed

The seed can be processed into food with a focus on preventative healthcare to boost the diet of the poor in the form of hemp hearts, the inside of the seed, or protein powder made from crushing the seed shell. Both are extremely high in proteins and omega essential fatty acids. The seed can also be cold pressed into an oil for human consumption.

Bio-fuel and plastic

The seed can be cold pressed into oil, the whole plant can be processed for fuel through a pyrolysis process or converted into ethanol by a fermentation process. There is also huge potential for an eco-friendly bio-plastics industry that will start to reverse land and sea plastic pollution.

Building

The inner part of the stalk, the hurd, can be processed into hempcrete for building houses that are stronger, fire- and moisture-proof and more durable. Communities can grow and build their own homes transforming the governments housing programme from handouts to skills development and empowerment. The hurd can also be processed into eco-friendly insulation and pressed fibre-board similar to existing wood-based options.

Textiles

The outer part of the stalk, the bast fibres, can be used to make textiles that are extremely versatile and used for a wide variety of applications from accessories, shoes and furniture, to home furnishings.

Paper

Paper is made from either the hurd or bast fibre. Industrial cannabis/hemp paper is a valuable alternative to conventional paper made from trees, and could provide a more renewable source for much of the worlds paper needs one acre of hemp can produce as much paper as four to 10 acres of trees over a 20-year cycle. Hemp stalks grow in four months, whereas trees take at least 20 years.

Medicine

Cannabis medicines were once the most commonly used medicines in the world until the 1920s and were listed in the US Pharmacopoeia until the mid-1930s. Today medical cannabis is playing an increasingly significant role and offers potentially cheap healthcare solutions for a variety of ailments that can directly contribute to primary and preventative health care on a community level and pharmaceutical medicines for specific conditions.

There are also substantial opportunities to develop new technologies for modern processing and to adapt or use existing technologies lying dormant in the country such as the R100-million DTI-funded fibre processing plant near Winterton.

In order to rapidly develop the economic potential of cannabis in SA, innovative world-leading legislative changes will be required to create the enabling conditions to rapidly unlock cannabis markets where:

The existing Constitutional Court ruling for Responsible Adult Use needs to be expanded as it excludes all people without access to private land from cultivating cannabis and therefore access to cannabis so as to include the ability to cultivate, extract, process, manufacture and sell cannabis-based products for recreational use, along the same lines that alcohol and tobacco are currently regulated so as to be inclusive.

Covid-19 provides South Africa with the economic and social necessity to draw on all its available resources to ensure a resilient recovery and to make policy decisions that work towards rapidly regenerating our society and economy. The countrys long history of illicit cannabis production and export puts us in a strong position to develop a local cannabis market that unlocks the entire value chain, stimulates economic growth and generates substantial tax revenue for the fiscus.

The rapid introduction of far-reaching, proactive and empowering legislation is required to create the conditions to allow cannabis the possibility to restore the dignity of ordinary people, creating jobs for meaningful work, to grow and manufacture their own food, fuel, fibre, shelter and medicine in a green sustainable way. DM

Nicholas Heinamann is an African cannabis activist, policy strategist, and consultant. He is the co-ordinator of the SA Cannabis Lobby group, a partnership of the Cannabis Industry Development Council, WC, and Afristar Foundation. Afristar is a South African PBO that develops projects and strategies promoting Regenerative Futures focused on a nature-based economy. He has been lobbying cannabis as the Peoples Plant since 1996 and the role it can play to alleviate poverty and deal with the environmental, energy, food, water and climate crisis the world is facing.

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Cannabis cultivation could be a key economic driver for reconstruction after Covid-19 - Daily Maverick

Tom Gordon: Holyrood’s finances are out of step with the Covid crisis – HeraldScotland

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

THE gruesome economic impact of the coronavirus lockdown got several mentions in Nicola Sturgeons decision-making framework this week.

But while she set out the many factors which will determine the lifting of restrictions, there was little about how to lift the economy off its knees once they had passed.

Indeed, the document contained only a single pound sign, in a reference to the 2.3billion of Scottish Government support for business during the immediate crisis.

First things first, of course.

As we know, the priorities are suppressing the virus, saving lives and protecting the NHS. But the money to support public services and keep the country going through the long aftermath matters too. There was one brief passage about this at the end of the framework.

The austerity driven response to the 2008 financial crash did not work and worsened the inequality that was part of its cause; we must not repeat those mistakes, it said.

It was a reminder the big political debate of this crisis is yet to come.

Forget the marginal variations between Scotland and England over lockdown, the real differences will be in the policies Westminster and Holyrood try to recover from it.

Ms Sturgeons document was a signal that, once the health emergency is addressed on a broadly four-nation basis, she is far more willing to go her own way on the economic one.

But that will take money. And as a report out this week from the Scottish Fiscal Commission warned, that might be difficult for host of reasons, one of which looks particularly out-of-date.

Since it acquired more tax and welfare powers in 2016, Holyroods finances have been governed by a complex Fiscal Framework.

Unlike the UK, which can borrow as much as it can bear and plans to raise 225bn in bonds to help cope with Covid-19, the framework puts a tight cap on Holyroods borrowing.

Capital borrowing for roads and buildings is capped at 450m in any year up to a total of 3bn, a facility that is already half used up. While resource borrowing is capped at 600m in a year, up to 1.75bn in total, of which 200m has been used.

Moreover, this resource borrowing comes with strings.

Only 500m a year can be borrowed for in-year cash management, to help smooth out the 40bn budget if tax income and spending peaks are out of sync.

While only 300m can be borrowed to help fix forecasting errors. These arise because the budget is based on tax and spending estimates which are invariably off-beam, and so there is a reconciliation after three years to ensure we didnt get more or less than our due.

The dodgier the estimates, the bigger the reconciliation later. For instance, the 2017/18 budget saw Holyrood get around 200m more from the Treasury than it should have because of estimates, and this is being clawed back in 2020/21.

Only if there is a Scotland-specific economic shock, or a forecast of one, is this resource borrowing doubled from 300m to 600m to cope with an extreme forecasting error, such as Scottish income tax slumping.

Even then, this Scotland-specific shock has a very specific meaning.

Onshore Scottish GDP growth must be less than 1% in absolute terms (a given in the coming recession) and 1 percentage point below UK GDP growth (not a given).

There is also a Scottish Reserve fund of up to 700m Holyroods own money from which it can draw up to 250m a year for day-to-say spending.

But our Government, as the Fiscal Commission notes, cannot borrow to fund any additional Covid-19 related spending. The Fiscal Framework, which didnt foresee a pandemic, doesnt allow it.

The Framework should, however, keep the budget fairly stable this year as extra UK spending will mean extra cash under the Barnett formula.

But three years after Scottish income tax revenues nosedive in 2020/21, there could be one hell of a reconciliation falling due in 2023/24.

As the Commission put it: The Scottish Government is required to broadly balance its budget and has limited scope for borrowing and using its reserves. Given the uncertainties about the level of funding and the spending required to respond to the crisis this may present challenges.

The report prompted SNP Finance Secretary Kate Forbes to say the crisis showed the need for Holyrood to have more borrowing powers. She would, of course, have said Holyrood needs more borrowing powers pre-crisis.

But in light of Scotlands looming economic plight - the Commission calls this moment a structural break, a shock so bad that past shocks are no reliable guide - Ms Forbess point surely rings true.

The Fiscal Framework is a relic.

It was due to be reviewed next year anyway, but that exercise should now be expedited and expanded.

Holyroods finances are too rigid for the times, too stiff for the hills the country now has to climb.

If the Treasury tries to keep Holyrood on a short rein, MSPs of all parties, not just the SNP, will bridle at being denied the means to calibrate Scotlands recovery.

The electorate will notice too.

After Covid-19, the last thing Holyrood needs is a straitjacket.

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Tom Gordon: Holyrood's finances are out of step with the Covid crisis - HeraldScotland

They will pay you to take oil off their hands – and panic is deepening COMMENT – Express

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Attention moved to the June WTI contract, the new front month, where more gasoline was poured onto the fire, as worries continued about the Cushing Oklahoma oil hub running out of storage in the next few weeks. The June contract plunged by 43 percent at one stage, falling from $20.00 a barrel to $11.60 a barrel in frantic trading.I will deal with oil in more detail later, but needless to say, the ravages in energy spilled over into the broader financial markets. Equities finally had to confront reality - a seemingly rare event these days - with broader indices falling in Europe and the US. Price declines in oil driving home the extent of the economic slowdown on the global economy from COVID-19, as opposed to artfully constructed rallies on the back of flawed v-shaped optimism and Federal Reserve quantitative easings.

US Treasury yields also fell as safe-haven buyers returned to government bonds. Those flows and the general flight to safety also boosted the US Dollar generally, making its rally more broad-based having been previously confined to Petro-currencies. The market's sentiment is flip-flopping daily though on currency and bond markets, suggesting that the street is in headless chicken mode, chasing intra-day momentum while desperately awaiting clarity on the bigger picture. From an investors point of view in these types of markets, it is much better to be the chicken on a perch watching the world go by, than a headless one, running around in random directions covered in blood.

In more positive news, the US Senate appears to have passed the latest $500 billion stimulus package, which now moves to the House of Representatives. That has been balanced out though by President Trump issuing an executive order overnight, blocking all immigration to the US for 90 days, to protect American jobs ostensibly. That is an easy win for an election year President though; no one is immigrating anywhere in the world right now, unless it is on a repatriation flight. Nor is anyone likely to be migrating anywhere for the foreseeable future either. The net result has been market neutral, with both headlines cancelling each other out in effect.

Speculation out of North Korea that Kim Jong Un was on death's door yesterday caused a flurry of volatility in North Asian markets. Apart from the merits of some well-known tier-1 news channels placing a first Tweet above fact checking, no evidence has emerged one way or the other to confirm it. South Korea's Government denied there was any evidence that this was even the case, although President Trump wished him a speedy recovery this morning. Where there is smoke, there is fire perhaps. Until Mr Kim reappears in public, an uncertainty discount will be built into South Korean stocks and the Won, but not markedly so. Because of his relative youth, a succession battle to Mr Kim would likely be a messy one and would increase the uncertainty discount.

On the data front, Australia's March preliminary Retail Sales jumped by a seasonally adjusted 8.20percentM/M, an impressive result. The huge rise was led by food retailing, as Australian's rushed to supermarkets to stockpile toilet paper, pasta and canned food. That has mollified losses on their stock markets today and allowed the AUD to make back half of its risk-aversion losses from overnight.

Given that oil is the front and centre of the financial market's attention at the moment, the Official US Government, and American Petroleum Institute's respective crude inventory figures. will be tonight's data highlight. The EIA data is due at 2230 SGT with inventories forecast to fall from 19.25 million barrels to 16.15 million barrels. The API data is released at 0500 SGT tomorrow morning, with markets looking for a drop from last weeks climb of 13.15 million barrels. Given how tenuous oils recovery has been in Asia today, above forecast prints on either or both numbers could see another wave of sellers crash into oil markets.

Oil prices crashed again overnight, and they seem to have assumed a proxy role for the extent of the COVID-19 pandemic slowdown. Wall Street fell for the 2nd day in a row in a reality bites retreat. The S&P 500 fell 3.1percent, the NASDAQ declined 3.50percent, and the Dow Jones fell 2.70percentas the US earning season continued with its series of underwhelming results.

Asia's response has been somewhat less negative, although stock markets are mostly in the red. Mainland China has performed the best with the Shanghai Composite and CSI 300 both flat on the day. The Nikkei 225 and Korean Kospi are down by 1.0percent, with some Kim Jong Un nerves persisting.

Australia's ASX 200 is down only 0.35percentafter impressive preliminary retail sales data saved the day. News that Australia is preparing to buy, now very cheap oil from the US SPR has also had a boosting effect. The Hang Seng meanwhile, has eased in sympathy with the rest of the region, dropping 0.80percenttoday.

The Straits Times has eased 1.50percentas scandals shake the oil trading market there and the official lock-down was extended until the 1st June. The one-month extension is sure to hit Singapore REITS and mall retailers hard even as the Government announced another S$2.70 billion package. Singapore shares are likely to underperform the region in the near term.

Although Asia may well be viewing the travails of the US oil market as a US-centric problem, the falls of the last two days highlight the extent of the demand slowdown in the world. Hence, price action cannot be entirely ignored. Equity markets seem to be reluctantly facing up to this reality, with the US $500 billion stimulus package hardly causing a ripple on Wall Street. When good news stops lifting equity markets, momentum has likely waned for now. The downside of the equity markets globally most definitely is the soft side for now.

Asian markets remain reluctant this week to continue overnight moves, and given the flip-flop nature of daily sentiment, it is hard to blame them. Such was the case overnight, where another bout of volatility in oil markets saw the US Dollar strengthen on safe-haven demand. US Treasury yields also fell as investors piled into government bonds and out of commodities and equities.

Resource-based currencies such as the AUD and NZD were under pressure, with both falling around 1.0percentyesterday. The same could also be said for Petro-currencies, with the selloffs continuing on the Russian Ruble, Norwegian Krone, Canadian Dollar and Mexican Peso. The later not helped by a 50-basis point cut by the Central Bank. With oil focusing on the world's mind on the extent of the global contraction, the resource/oil grouping are likely to remain unloved this week.

Asian currencies have proved surprisingly resilient this week. Resource proxies the IDR and MYR easing only slightly against the Dollar. That same story is repeated elsewhere with USD/JPY unchanged for the week, and the KRW and CNY only modestly weaker. The fall in oil prices, while a burden for producing countries, is a boon for importing countries. Asia is the worlds largest importer, and the falls in oil are acting as a natural support for regional currencies. In Indonesia's case, although it exports crude, it refines very little and imports most of its refined petroleum products. Pertamina is chartering ships to go bargain hunting globally now, and thus the fall in crude prices has not been the burden on Indonesia, one would logically think it would be.

WTI's June futures, the new front month, fell the chill of the US oversupply situation yesterday, plunging 33percentto $12.80 a barrel, having tested $11.50 a barrel earlier in the session. Knowing what the price of US oil futures and the US over the counter grades is becoming a challenging business. I see a considerable divergence in my WTI feeds across different providers. Some physical delivery grades, such as Alaskan crude, are still trading at negative prices. That is, they will pay you to take them off their hands.

On a spot basis, WTI finished around $12.80 a barrel yesterday. After an initial profit taking rally, sellers have quickly swamped WTI, and it is now trading just above $12.00 a barrel. Sentiment has not been helped by the Texas Railway Commission -the state quango with the powers to enact production cuts- deciding to put off its decision on production cuts until early May. The urgency with which oil longs positioned in the June contracts, want to roll into a still illiquid July contract suggests that selling interest remains unabated. June WTI will move below $10 a barrel sooner, rather than later.

Brent Crude is seeing further panic selling in Asia today. Having fallen by a gigantic 24percentto $19.60 yesterday, Brent has collapsed again in Asia after an early dead cat bounce. Brent has fallen 16.0percentto $16.50 a barrel this morning, the November 2001 lows. The sell-off today has a capitulation look about it, after OPEC+ tried to convene communications last night, but with no signs of progress.

Brent should find technical support at this level initially, however, a move through $16.00 a barrel will re-open calls for a test of the late 1998 lows around $10.00 a barrel, which is the only meaningful technical support can see from here.

The panic buttons will be being pushed across OPEC+ this morning and rightly so. State budgets will be devastated if prices remain at these levels, exacerbating the COVID-19 slowdown to many countries who can least afford to sustain it. I suspect the IMF's phone will be ringing hot this morning. The only plausible action from here would be another round of follow-up cuts from OPEC+ and enacted immediately.

The correlation to equities for gold reappeared with force overnight, investors selling gold to raise case as stock markets dived sharply lower. Gold slumped by $36 at one stage to $1661.50 an ounce. It salvaged some pride later in the session and rose to close at $1687.00 an ounce. Gold has eased with equities again in Asia, falling five dollars to $1682.00 an ounce in muted trading.

With the return of the linear equity/gold correlation, the positive outlook for gold fundamentally becomes far more muddied. Equity markets face a potentially tricky couple of weeks ahead. If the correlation holds true, gold will now struggle to sustain gains above $1700.00 an ounce, let alone mount a challenge to $1800.00 an ounce. The latter now looks technically insurmountable in the current environment.

If anything, further losses in equity markets make a retest of the $1640.00 support region more likely for gold. Stop-losses from frustrated longs will inevitably appear if that support breaks. Gold probably trades in a wide, but real, range of $1640.00 to $1710.00 an ounce for the remainder of the week.

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They will pay you to take oil off their hands - and panic is deepening COMMENT - Express

Tales of love and loss: people from Oceania share their ‘extinction stories’ – The Guardian

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

The first time poet Craig Santos Perez encountered a bird native to his homeland of Guam it was in a cage at San Diego zoo.

Growing up on Guam in the 1980s and 90s, Perez, a native Chamorro, had learned about the islands lost birds at school. Children studied pictures and listened to audio recordings of their calls but by then, the islands forests were silent.

Of Guams original 12 species of forest birds, ten had been eaten to extinction by the invasive brown tree snake. Just two narrowly escaped its jaws: the Guam rail and an endemic subspecies of the Micronesian kingfisher, which the Chamorro call sihek.

In the late 1980s, the last siheks were taken off the island to be reared in captive breeding programmes at zoos on the American mainland. Though there are now plans to release some on Guam, they are still considered extinct in the wild.

That day at the zoo, Perez finally came face to face with a real-life sihek, its gold-and-turquoise feathers shining behind the bars. It was very profound, very touching I talked to it, and started crying, he says.

To Perez, the birds fate echoed that of his people: San Diego is home to the largest diaspora of Chamorros outside of Guam. For many years, Perez was one of them. We migrate to survive and to have better opportunities, but at the same time, were far from home, were in a new situation, and it can be very traumatic for the sihek as well as the people.

A poem Perez wrote about the sihek is among those featured on the Living Archive, a new multimedia web platform that provides a space for people from Oceania to tell their extinction stories.

When a species goes extinct, so much is lost, says Perez, who is now an associate professor of English at the University of Hawaii. Not only from the environment and the ecosystem, but culturally as well. We lose our cultural connection to these important species, and we lose the deep meaning that they added to our lives.

The site is the brainchild of Thom van Dooren, an Australian environmental philosopher at the University of Sydney. He hopes it will be a way of creating space for others especially the Pacifics indigenous peoples, but anyone is welcome to contribute to share their tales of love and loss. A storytelling competition will be held later in the year.

As the sixth great extinction gathers pace, stories are more important than ever, van Dooren says. Focusing on stories is about moving away from the simple listing of endangered species.

Multiplying voices and diverse perspectives from around the world helps us to see the significance of extinction as it actually touches down in particular lives and places.

In Indonesias West Papua province, it is the disappearance of the sago palm that is causing heartbreak for the indigenous Marind people. To the Marind, the plant is of central significance for both subsistence and cosmology, but Papua is the new oil palm frontier, and as plantations spread across the landscape, groves of sago are being destroyed.

Even though the communities I work with are facing all kinds of adverse social impacts from this deforestation, whenever I asked them what the worst impact was, they would invariably tell me that oil palm kills the sago, says Sophie Chao, an anthropologist from the University of Sydney who has spent a decade living alongside the Marind.

They would almost place the fate of this tree before their own lives it was the threat to the sago, this nourishing, life-giving plant, that they considered to be the most dramatic rupture caused by deforestation and oil-palm expansion.

Together with members of the Marind community, Chao co-wrote an extinction story about sago for the Living Archive. It includes a translation of a song sung to the plant by a Marind elder: From eating sago, we grew bone; from eating sago, we knew home.

Marind call themselves sago people, and the palm entwines with every aspect of their life, Chao says. Children are said to grow best in the company of sago, and particular palms are named after children that came into the world at the same time. Those babies are often carried in bags made from the fronds of their namesake palm so that, as one young mother told Chao, sago and Marind can follow each others lives.

People also talk about being good food for sago, Chao says. Palm starch nourishes the Marind through their life; but when a person dies, they must be buried in a sago grove so that their body becomes food for the microorganisms that in turn feed the forests roots.

Now, conventional palm oil companies clear-cut the groves, and even sustainable projects can exclude local people from conservation zones, severing the Marinds lifelong connection to their kindred sago.

This plant is culturally meaningful, and it is politically meaningful too, says Chao.

When people are talking about this kind of localised extinction they are also speaking about what they see as their own possible extinction as West Papuan people: the cultural dilution, forced sterilisation, systemic incarceration, and all sorts of other processes that are very much part of the collective identity of West Papuans.

And yet, the whole point of the Living Archive is to avoid the politics of despair, Chao says. As she tells in her extinction story, the Marind themselves have found some hope and resilience in the possibility of reaching a kind of understanding with oil palm: So we cannot deny ourselves hope when they are finding glimmers amid the rubble!

There is power in good stories, Chao says. They might not be able to change the status quo or the structural processes and violence that are causing extinctions, but caring matters. Fleshy stories make us care more.

And theyre more important now than ever, van Dooren says. Covid19 is seen by many as a product of a dysfunctional relationship between humans and animals, and the broader environment too.

Extinction is only part of that puzzle but its a significant part - its a symptom of a broader set of problematic relationships that were being reminded of, not just by Covid 19, but by climate change.

Storytelling is a big part of how we manage those relationships and how we imagine other possibilities.

Find more age of extinction coverage here, and follow biodiversity reporters Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield on Twitter for all the latest news and features

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Tales of love and loss: people from Oceania share their 'extinction stories' - The Guardian

Navigating Through the Disruption An Oceania Perspective – Global Trade Magazine

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Logistics has always been the backbone that silently keeps the world moving but, in this time of uncertainty, its importance has been magnified. COVID-19 has caused disruption globally to all business, in one way or another, and navigating this unprecedented time has highlighted many challenges.

With the evolving landscape, forward planning has become essential to ensure business continuityplans are effective. The need for a recommencement plan for businesses who have temporarily closed and a diversified supply chain for those who operate as essential services is paramount to ensuring business survival for now and success in the future.

The level-4 lockdown of New Zealand has shed some light on the potential challenges that may arise should Australia follow suit.

The Port of Tauranga has announced it is prioritizing the unpacking of essential goods so that the cargo can be handled and transported first. Container loads are able to be delivered to customers sites, if the site is accepting deliveries, however, they cannot be unpacked until the level-4 lockdown period has finished. By doing this, the Port and Government are ensuring the movement of essential goods remains efficient and that essential services can continue operations as usual.

Where a customer site is closed, we see the Port of Wellington waive storage fees for shipments that cannot be transported out of the Port.

We are working with our clients to identify if their goods would be considered essential in the event of a complete lockdown. Wed advise that all companies start considering what sort of goods they have incoming and work with their strategic partner to qualify if their goods would be restricted to such delays if a lockdown were in place in Australia.

Be realistic and confirm whether your goods are considered an essential service and put suitable business measures in place.

If you find that your business cannot be considered essential or it is not viable for you to remain open, youll need to prepare to get back to production quickly once the lockdown is lifted. We recommend that non-essential businesses put a plan in place for the commencement of reopening. It is important to consider whether the recommencement of operations would be staggered, what goods or orders are required to meet the operation recommencement timeline, and are these urgent.

Sometimes the best solution for a businesss supply chain issue is to consider diversifying your shipment options.

For example, it may be beneficial to combine different transport types by flying goods to Singapore before shipping them to Australia rather than just shipping from their location of origin. Combining the two transport types is a faster and cheaper option than purely using air freight in a volatile market.

Businesses may consider using Less than Container Loads (LCL) if they require certain goods for essential service production because it is more cost-effective than their standard full product shipment in a Full Container Load (FCL).

An alternative to air freight, road, and rail in Australia is the Domestic Coastal Shipping Service. After ships have unloaded goods in Eastern Australia, on their return journey to their location of origin, they are able to pick up and deliver domestic goods as they travel West along the coast. We have seen more than a 20% increase for the quarter year-on-year due to the additional pressure on the Australian road and rail market. Rail is at capacity with customers experiencing damage to goods, severe space, and equipment issues as a result whilst the state border closures are posing potential delays for trucking. Many major clients, especially in the food and beverage sector, are switching large volumes to our coastal service as a solution to ensure continuity of business supply.

This domestic shipping service provides a saving of up to 60% over rail and road services. Businesses would need to take into consideration the increased travel time required over other domestic modes of transport and plan this into their supply chain model.

When new challenges arise, it is best for businesses to discuss their options with their strategic partner, who will help navigate this uncertain time.

As businesses struggle to meet the demands of this new normal, C.H. Robinsons trusted advisors around the globe are continually looking for the best solutions to keep your supply chain moving.

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COVID-19 Impact on EV and EV Infrastructure Market – Exclusive Report by MarketsandMarkets – Yahoo Finance

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

CHICAGO, April 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Post COVID-19, the "COVID-19 Impact on EV and EV Infrastructure Marketby Vehicle (Passenger Cars and Commercial Vehicles), Propulsion (BEV, PHEV and FCEV), Charging Station (Normal and Super) and Region - Global Forecast to 2021", size is projected to reach 4.18 million units by 2021 from an estimated 3.42 million units in 2020, at a CAGR of 22.1%. The projection for 2021 is expected to be down by 34% as compared to the pre-COVID estimation Increasing vehicle range per charge for electric vehicles and the growing sensitivity of various governments toward a cleaner environment are the key factors driving the growth of the global electric vehicles and its infrastructure market. Technological advancements in EV charging and substantial investments from automakers in EVs are some of the major factors driving the growth of electric vehicles. Thus, the electric vehicle market is expected to grow significantly in the near future.

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"Asia Oceania is expected to lead the market during the forecast period"

Asia Oceania is expected to be the largest electric vehicle market by 2021 due to the rising demand for greener transportation along with several initiatives by private organizations as well as governments. The COVID-19 crisis has caused a slowdown in China's economic growth. Still, the country is in the leading position in terms of the largest EV market, followed by Europe and the US, thus making Asia Oceania the market leader during the forecast period.

The governments of developing economies have recognized the growth potential of the electric vehicle market, and hence, have undertaken different initiatives to attract OEMs to manufacture electric vehicles in domestic markets. For instance, in March 2019, the Indian government announced the second phase of FAME II, which includes setting up 2,700 charging stations in metro cities. Also, the Indian government plans to make it mandatory for cab-hailing companies Ola and Uber to have 40% of their fleet as electric vehicles.

China is also investing heavily in the production of commercial electric vehicles with plans for export. OEMs such as BYD plan to open plants in other parts of the world to manufacture electric buses and electric trucks to meet regional demand. Despite COVID-19 impact, the EV charging infrastructure in Japan is already at an advanced stage; thus, EV sales and electric vehicle charging stations market are expected to grow significantly in the near future. All these factors will drive the electric vehicle market in the Asia Oceania region.

"Charging station market for electric vehicles to grow at the highest CAGR between 2020 and 2021."

The COVID-19 outbreak and the draconian measures deployed in China resulted in extensive disruptions to economic activities, which delivered a hard blow to the economy. Thus, most governments from affected regions have resorted to infrastructure rehabilitation as an economic stimulus method. The electric vehicle charging infrastructure sector has had a minimal impact from COVID-19. For instance, the Chinese government announced stimulation packages toward boosting the development of a network of electric vehicle charging stations. Increased focus on EV charging infrastructure means the sector could see exponential growth in what is already a hot market.

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"The supercharging segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR"

Tesla pioneered the installation of supercharging stations across the world. These super-fast charging stations can charge an EV battery in approximately 30 minutes. However, superchargers are exclusive only to Tesla EVs and do not function on other manufacturer's models. As of January 2019, Tesla had over 1,400 supercharging stations across the world. With the mounting planned production of Tesla EVs that are set to be launched over the next few years, the supercharging segment is expected to grow in tandem.

Some of the major players in the Electric Vehicle And Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Market are Tesla (US), BYD (China), BMW (Germany), Volkswagen (Germany), and Nissan (Japan), LG Chem (S. Korea), Panasonic (S. Korea), and Bosch (Germany) among others.

Browse Related Report:

Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Marketby Charging Level (Level 1, Level 2 & Level 3), Application (Public & Private), Charging Infrastructure, Electric Bus Charging, Installation (Portable Charger & Fixed Charger), Charging Station type & Region - Global Forecast to 2027

Wireless Charging for Electric Vehicle Marketby Power Supply (3<11, 1150, & >50 KW), Application (Home & Commercial), Distribution channel (Aftermarket & OE), Component, Charging System, Propulsion, Vehicle type, & Region - Global Forecast to 2027

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Mrs. Leba Qarase and family thankful for the Fijian Government’s decision to lift the ban on inter-island travel – Fijivillage

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Mrs. Leba Qarase and family thankful for the Fijian Governments decision to lift the ban on inter-island travel

Mrs. Leba Qarase and the family of the late former Prime Minister, Laisenia Qarase have stated they would like to place on the record the appreciation to the Fijian Governments decision to lift the ban on inter-island travel.

The Fijian Government has also offered to meet the cost of the plane to carry the late Qarase and the ship to take the family members to Lau.

Laisenia Qarase and Mahendra Chaudhry outside parliament complex during Qarase's term as PM.

The family's spokesperson, Mesake Koroi says now the vanua ko Qalitu can join the family of Tui Kobuca, Laisenia Qarase in according him a funeral that befits a leader that he really was.

Koroi says a government boat would depart for Vanuabalavu on Monday, carrying family members of the former Prime Minister.

The casket of the late former Prime Minister will be flown in a chartered aircraft to the island on Wednesday for burial.

Commercial operator, Goundar Shipping is also putting up a special trip to Vanuabalavu on Monday for mourners who would want to travel to the island. The company is offering a concession return fare of $100.

The family of the late Qarase has confirmed that the former Prime Minister will be laid to rest in his village of Mavana on the island of Vanuabalavu in Lau Province.

Koroi said in a statement that one of Qarases final wishes could now be fulfilled following the governments decision to relax inter-island travel from tomorrow.

Qarase was the countrys sixth Prime Minister from 2000 to 2006, and was also the chief of his village of Mavana, holding the title of Tui Kobuca.

He passed away at the Oceania Private Hospital in Suva on Tuesday after a short illness. He was 79.

He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Leba Qarase, seven children, 27 grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

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Mrs. Leba Qarase and family thankful for the Fijian Government's decision to lift the ban on inter-island travel - Fijivillage

City parks and state beaches re-open for exercise only – KHON2

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Most Honolulu city parks re-opened on Saturday after being shut down by Mayor Kirk Caldwell back on March 21.

At 5 a.m. caution tape and no parking signs were lifted and parking lots re-opened to the public.

However, what you can do at a park and beach park remains limited.

*At 2:30 p.m., on Saturday, April 25, Governor David Ige announced he had re-opened state beaches for exercise use only.

Governor Ige closed all state beaches last week due to the fact people continued to congregate and not follow proper social distancing guidelines. Others continued to sit on the beach, which has not been allowed for over one month.

No one is allowed to sunbathe, read a book, set up a towel, chair, or congregate with others on any beach in the state.

State and county officials emphasized that people must be moving (walking, running, jogging) on the beach or they can be cited by police.

As long as theyre not gathering or standing around, lying on the beach, or sitting on the beach, explained Michele Nekota, Director of Parks and Recreation for City and County of Honolulu. They have to be walking, running or jogging or biking of course on the proper path.

The same rules apply for parks in Honolulu. No one can sit down on a bench or have a picnic. People may only walk through the park to go to the bathroom or get to the ocean.

Honolulu police provides enforcement for the parks and I wouldnt be able to answer exactly what they would be doing, but theyre going to be around and monitoring and enforcing the parks, said Nekota.

KHON2 spoke to Melanie Vanepps, a 12-year-old Honolulu resident, who said she was happy to finally be outside again.

She told KHON2 that she hopes others follow the rules so parks dont have to shut down again.

You have to stay six feet away from people, and you cant stand still on the beach, she said.

If they keep not following it then more cases are going to go up, and we are not going to be allowed to walk in the parks anymore. And Ill be stuck in the house all day again, she said.

With beach parks open once again, Honolulu Ocean Safety are also back in their towers. Theyll be working their normal hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Playgrounds, off-leash dog parks, campgrounds, sporting activities (soccer, basketball, volleyball, tennis etc.), gyms, pools, skateparks and recreation buildings remain closed.

Hanauma Bay and Koko Head shooting complex are also closed.

State parks that have re-opened (for exercise purposes only) include but are not limited to, Polihale State Park on Kauai, Makena State Park on Maui, Malaekahana and Kaena State Park on Oahu.

Ocean activities like surfing, swimming and stand-up paddle boarding are allowed.

Everyone is to continue social distancing while on the beach and in parks.

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City parks and state beaches re-open for exercise only - KHON2

San Clemente beaches to reopen for residents this weekend – Los Angeles Times

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

As a heat wave bears down on Southern California, San Clemente plans to reopen city-owned beaches this weekend.

The beaches, along with coastal waters and trails, had been closed since April 8 in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Orange County public health officials had reported 43 COVID-19 patients in San Clemente as of Thursday.

San Clementes City Council voted Tuesday night to begin the process of reopening the citys beaches, which will be available for active use only, such as walking, running, swimming and surfing, officials said. Sunbathers are not welcome.

You cant bring your beach chair or your umbrella, set up for the day and spend the afternoon there, said Erik Sund, assistant city manager.

Representatives of the city and the Orange County Sheriffs Department will be posted at the beaches to ensure that people follow the rules and maintain social distancing, he said.

1/26

Zuma Beach Closed: Lifeguard towers sit on an empty Zuma Beach in Malibu. (Brian van der Brug/Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

2/26

Broad Beach Closed: Beachgoers walk on Broad Beach in Malibu. To fend off coronavirus contagion, Los Angeles County has kept beaches closed. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

3/26

Zuma Beach Closed: Nets were removed to foil beach volleyball players at Zuma Beach in Malibu. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

4/26

Corral Beach Closed: Los Angeles County lifeguards ask a couple to leave Corral Beach in Malibu. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

5/26

Venice Beach Closed: Beachgoers enjoy the sun and sand along the boardwalk in Venice Beach. Southern California beaches are expected to draw crowds this weekend as an early heat wave hits its peak on Saturday and Sunday, even though much of the shoreline remains closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

6/26

Venice Beach Closed: The setting sun casts a dark golden hue over everything. Southern California beaches are expected to draw crowds this weekend as an early heat wave hits its peak on Saturday and Sunday, even though much of the shoreline remains closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

7/26

Venice Beach Closed: Beachgoers never run out of ways to have fun. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

8/26

Manhattan Beach Closed: A lone figure walks onto a closed Manhattan Beach Pier in Manhattan Beach. (Genaro Molina/Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

9/26

Manhattan Beach Closed: Waves are minus surfers next to a closed bike path in Manhattan Beach. Even with the warm weather, the majority of beachgoers and surfers stayed away from beaches that have been closed to stop crowds from gathering to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

10/26

Hermosa Beach Closed: The only one surfing was a statue of surfer Dewey Weber as a visitor walks near The Strand which has been closed to stop people from gathering to reduce the spread of the coronavirus in Hermosa Beach. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

11/26

Huntington Beach Open: Beachgoers enjoying warm summer-like weather appear to be keeping their distance in Huntington Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

12/26

Huntington Beach Open: A man sprints across an empty stretch of sand in Huntington Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

13/26

Huntington Beach Open: Cailin Healy, right, of Calabasas and a friend take a selfie together in Huntington Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

14/26

Huntington Beach Open: Unable to go to the gym, Jeff Spirk, 31, of Huntington Beach does pull-ups on a lifeguard tower. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

15/26

San Clemente Open: Aerial view of the previously closed San Clemente pier and beach on April 8. The city is reopening the beach. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

16/26

San Clemente Open: A couple takes in a sunset together near the San Clemente pier. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

17/26

Malibu Closed: A jogger and her dog run on a closed Westward Beach Road at Westward Beach in Malibu. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

18/26

Hermosa Beach Closed: Daryl Presley and his son, Indy, 3, of Torrance play in the sand of Noble Park in Hermosa Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

19/26

Hermosa Beach Closed: Holly Martin, right, who works at Snapchat, brought her laptop to Noble Park in Hermosa Beach to get some work done in the sun. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

20/26

Hueneme Beach Open: Sisters Emily, 7, and Hazel Enholm, 4, spent the day at Hueneme Beach, which had a soft opening with restrictions as Ventura County modified its stay-at-home order. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

21/26

Hueneme Beach Open: Brian Ledis of Westlake Village gives surfing lessons to his 8-year-old son Rowan at Hueneme Beach. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

22/26

Hueneme Beach Open: People enjoy the surf and sand at Hueneme Beach. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

23/26

Point Mugu Closed: Visitors dont seem to be observing social distancing restrictions on April 11 at Point Mugu. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

24/26

Point Mugu Closed: California State Parks Ranger David Gunn warns visitors at Point Mugu that parking is not allowed due to coronavirus and social distancing restrictions. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

25/26

Point Mugu Closed: A surfer flies off his board to end a ride at Point Mugu State Park in Ventura County. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

26/26

Point Mugu Closed: Miriam Burciga enjoys a socially distant perch overlooking Point Mugu State Park in Ventura County. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Officials remain concerned that the reopening could lead to an influx of out-of-town visitors, which contributed to the citys decision to close its beaches in the first place.

After San Diego County elected to shut down its shores, every stretch of sand south of San Clemente to the border of Mexico became off-limits to the public. The nearby cities of Laguna Beach and Seal Beach had also chosen to close their beaches, as did Los Angeles County to the north.

That made San Clementes beaches a magnet for travelers, prompting residents to complain about crowds, Sund said.

Beach closures in neighboring cities and adjacent counties remain in place, although other stretches of Orange Countys shoreline are open.

But San Clemente along with all of Orange County is trying to discourage out-of-town visitors by keeping public parking lots closed, and the City Council also voted to put in place additional parking and beach-access restrictions.

If someone from another city is wanting to come to our beach, it is going to be very difficult for them to find parking, Sund said. And if they come here and think they can spend the day here, theyre quickly going to learn that is not something we are going to allow on the beach currently.

The city could not say exactly when beaches would reopen this weekend because it is still working through the logistics of parking and other restrictions.

Everyones looking at trying to ease back into whatever the new normal will be, as opposed to diving back in, Sund said. Were trying to do it right and not rush.

He said that the city also has been in contact with state officials about possibly reopening San Clemente State Park and San Onofre State Beach and expects a determination to be made on those areas soon.

Obviously, it poses some logistic challenges for [the state] if we open up, he said. One of our boundaries is San Onofre State Beach, and you cant just draw a line in the sand no pun intended.

He said that city officials will monitor the effects of the beach reopening and make adjustments if needed.

At the end of the day, the council is very much wanting to see the curve go down related to COVID-19, he said. But its also recognizing that residents who live in a coastal community choose to live here for the recreational opportunities a coastal community offers and trying to find that balance.

Earlier this week, Orange County officials debated but ultimately decided against closing all of the countys beaches for two weeks over concerns about the possibility of crowds in the wake of a heat wave thats forecast to peak Friday and Saturday.

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San Clemente beaches to reopen for residents this weekend - Los Angeles Times

Beaches are closed, but beach reads are still on the way – The Spokesman-Review

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

NEW YORK Mary Parker is a nurse from St. Louis so caught up in the beach novels of Elin Hilderbrand that she makes an annual trip to Nantucket, the Massachusetts island community where Hilderbrand sets her stories.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Parker isnt sure shell make it to Nantucket this year or even find herself close to a beach. But she will continue to make the journey in her mind through books by Hilderbrand and others.

We dont have anything that compares to a place like Nantucket where Im from, Parker says. So writers like Elin Hilderbrand are all we have now if those are the kinds of places you dream of being. You just need that escape.

The coronavirus has already shut down most of the countrys bookstores, led to the cancellation of the industrys annual national convention, BookExpo, and driven publishers to postpone many releases to the fall or next year. It now challenges another publishing and cultural tradition beach reads. While beach reads can include any kind of light fiction, many of these romances, thrillers and family dramas are actually set on beaches and summer resorts from Nantucket to the South Carolina coast to Florida.

Government officials in New York and California already have warned that beaches are likely to be closed this summer and travel restricted. Such summer literary institutions as the book festival in Nantucket will be online instead. And promotional tours for books will likely remain limited to virtual discussions.

Authors and booksellers contend, and hope, that you dont need a beach to read a beach book. Hilderbrand remembers a painful summer growing up when her father had died and the familys traditional summer outing was called off. Instead, she worked at a factory making Halloween costumes.

What I could have used that summer was a book to replace my summer beach vacation, something that would have let me escape, says Hildebrand, whose bestsellers include The Summer of 69 and The Perfect Couple.

Fellow author Mary Alice Monroe says readers tell her something similar about this summer.

Theyre hoping I can take them to a place they cant get to themselves, says Monroe, whose books include The Summer Guests and Beach House for Rent.

Beach reads are as carefully timed as Christmas books, so new novels by Hilderbrand, Monroe, Nancy Thayer and others remain scheduled for May and June. Hildebrands 28 Summers, inspired in part by the film Same Time, Next Year, traces a long-term affair that began in Nantucket in 1993. Monroes On Ocean Boulevard continues her Beach House series set in South Carolina.

In Barbara Delinskys A Week at the Shore, a New Yorker confronts family issues during a visit to the Rhode Island beach house where she spent summers as a child. Thayers Girls of Summer, like Hilderbrands new book, is set in Nantucket, while Mary Kay Andrews Hello, Summer finds a journalist returning to her home in Silver Bay, Florida, where her family runs local newspapers.

This year, maybe the beach read will be on somebodys back porch or hammock or in the corner of an apartment of wherever theyre sheltering at home, Andrews says. What I hope to do is take them to the beach in their imagination.

Authors already are looking to summer 2021 and considering whether their next books will mention the pandemic. Monroe says she is working on a story that will have her characters living through this virus saga and will bring back the Rutledge family of her Beach House series in the hope that readers will connect with them. Hilderbrand worked in a reference to the virus shortly before completing 28 Summers, and says that while it wont be a major plot point in her upcoming work, she might find it unavoidable to mention.

Other writers expect to avoid it, at least in the short term. Delinsky says she might refer to it in a book in a few years when theres a better sense of perspective. Brooke Lea Foster has no need to include it. Her upcoming novel, Summer Darlings, takes place on Marthas Vineyard, Massachusetts, in the 1960s. Shes currently writing a story set in the Hamptons in the 1950s.

Im sure the books that come out of this moment will be incredible, but I like to go back and escape in time, Foster said.

Florida lawyer to wear Grim Reaper costume to stop people visiting beaches – The-Latest News

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

April 23, 2020 | 11:17pm Many of you have asked if I am willing to travel around Florida wearing Grim Reaper attire to the beaches and other areas of the state opening up prematurely. The answer is absolutely yes. Beginning May 1 we will hit the road here in state. Please retweet and spread the

|people visiting beaches [ 19459000 ] to Prevent |people visiting with beaches [ 19459000 ] to Prevent |Grim Reaper costume to Prevent people visiting with beaches [ 19459000 ] }

April 23, 2020 | 11: 17pm

Many of you have asked if I am ready to travel to the beaches and other areas of the state opening up around Florida wearing Grim Reaper apparel. The answer is absolutely yes. We will hit the road here in state. Please retweet and spread the word. pic.twitter.com/UO7QKg161n Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) April 22, 2020

A lawyer in Florida said he will see beaches which openprematurely while dressed as the Grim Reaper starting in May.Many of you have asked if I am willing to travel about Florida wearing Grim Reaper apparel to the beaches and other regions of the country opening up prematurely. The answer is absolutely yes, lawyer Daniel Uhlfelder tweeted.Uhlfelders costumed tour comes as a response to information that the state had relaxed restrictions implemented April two to enforce social distancing practices to slow down the spread of COVID-19.Past weekend reopened and Floridians were seen flocking to Cocoa Beach to sunbathe after it reopened for social activities.Last month, the attorney made news for advocacy amid the pandemic by suing Gov. Ron DeSantis to seek an injunction to get a statewide closure of beaches and urging him to issue a stay-at-home order that he later did, NBC News reported.Also Uhlfelder traveled to Florida beaches wearing a paintball costume the socket reported. But he said a girl told him he had beenscaring peopleFlorida hasconfirmed a totalof 29,648 COVID-19 cases, together with 987 deaths.

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Florida lawyer to wear Grim Reaper costume to stop people visiting beaches - The-Latest News

Coronavirus has many beaches closed, but beach reads are still coming this summer – USA TODAY

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Associated Press Published 1:01 p.m. ET April 21, 2020 | Updated 1:01 p.m. ET April 21, 2020

This combination photo of cover images shows, from left, "Hello Summer" by Mary Kay Andrews, "Girls of Summer" by Nancy Thayer, "A Week at the Shore" by Barbara Delinsky, "28 Summers" by Elin Hilderbrand and "Summer Darlings" by Brooke Lea Foster.(Photo: AP)

NEW YORK (AP) Mary Parker is a nurse from St. Louis so caught up in the beach novels of Elin Hilderbrand that she makes an annual trip to Nantucket, the Massachusetts island community where Hilderbrand sets her stories.

Government officials in New York and California already have warned that beaches are likely to be closed this summer and travel restricted. Such summer literary institutions as the book festival in Nantucket will be held online instead. And promotional tours for books will likely remain limited to virtual discussions.

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Fellow author Mary Alice Monroe says readers tell her something similar about this summer.

Theyre hoping I can take them to a place they cant get to themselves, says Monroe, whose books include The Summer Guests and Beach House for Rent.

In Barbara Delinskys A Week at the Shore, a New Yorker confronts family issues during a visit to the Rhode Island beach house where she spent summers as a child. Nancy Thayers Girls of Summer, like Hilderbrands new book, is set in Nantucket, while Mary Kay Andrews Hello, Summer finds a journalist returning to her home in Silver Bay, Florida, where her family runs local newspapers.

Authors already are looking to the summer of 2021 and considering whether their next books will mention the pandemic. Monroe says she is working on a story that will have her characters living through this virus saga, and will brink back the Rutledge family of her Beach House series in the hope that readers will connect with them. Hilderbrand worked in a reference to the virus shortly before completing 28 Summers, and says that while it wont be a major plot point in her upcoming work, she might find it unavoidable to mention.

Other writers expect to avoid it, at least in the short term. Delinsky says she might refer to it in a book in a few years, when theres a better sense of perspective. Brooke Lea Foster has no need to include it. Her upcoming novel, Summer Darlings, takes place on Marthas Vineyard, Massachusetts, in the 1960s. Shes currently writing a story set in the Hamptons in the 1950s.

Im sure the books that come out of this moment will be incredible, but I like to go back and escape in time, Foster said.

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Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/books/2020/04/21/coronavirus-even-beaches-closed-beach-read-books-still-here/2997018001/

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Coronavirus has many beaches closed, but beach reads are still coming this summer - USA TODAY

What’s open and closed this weekend: Beaches, parks and trails in Southern California – Los Angeles Times

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

So long as Southern Californians remain close to home and wear masks outdoors, they can still exercise outdoors without violating Gov. Gavin Newsoms stay-at-home order. But as the fight against the pandemic evolves, the rules at many beaches, parks and trails have been changing.

As this roundup shows, local, state and federal agencies continue to enforce closures or severely limited access at hundreds of beaches, parks, trails and forests, all phased in since early March. Yet some public agencies are easing restrictions while others hold firm.

San Diego County officials decided Friday to ease ocean-access restrictions on Monday so that cities there could reopen beaches.

In San Bernardino County, the Mt. Baldy Resort reopened for skiers on Wednesday, saying its new limits would allow for proper social distancing.

Orange Countys board of supervisors on Tuesday cleared the way for public and private golf courses to open.

Riverside County leaders did the same on Monday.

Ventura County on Saturday allowed the reopening of golf courses and bike shops among various modifications to its Stay Well at Home order. That order, which continues to close campgrounds, gyms, swimming pools and many other facilities, is effective through May 15.

Meanwhile, state and L.A. officials have taken a more guarded stance. Newsom said Wednesday he may soon modify his statewide stay-at-home order but so far, There is no date. ... We have to look every day at the data.

L.A. Police Chief Michel Moore called upon Angelenos to resist the urge to head for forbidden beaches and trails as temperatures reach the 90s in coming days.

Avoid those nonessential activities, Moore said. Save us the awkwardness of us having to admonish you.

Los Angeles Countys beaches, piers, beach bike paths, beach access points, public trails, trailheads and tennis courts are closed through May 15 under the countys current Safer at Home order. That order covers beaches in every coastal city and unincorporated area of the county.

Heres an update on whats happening where. If you do go outside for a walk, remember these tips for keeping safe. Local and state officials stress the need to take greater care in maintaining a distance of at least six feet from others.

City Recreation and Parks officials say most most park areas remain open for walking and running. But they are enforcing a broad range of restrictions. Among them: All public hiking trails and trailheads in the city of Los Angeles have been closed since March 27.

Also closed are all public beaches, public beach parking lots, beach bathrooms, piers, beach access points and the Venice Boardwalk and Ocean Front Walk (with limited access to essential businesses).

All recreation centers, aquatic facilities, golf courses, skate parks, tennis courts, playgrounds, baseball fields, soccer fields and basketball courts are also closed, as are other indoor and outdoor sport amenities.

In Griffith Park, authorities have closed all facilities and trails, including the Pbservatory, Travel Town, train rides, the pony rides, the merry-go-round and some roads.

Elsewhere, the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro remains closed, as is the Sherman Oaks Castle, the Expo Center in Exposition Park; and the Silver Lake Meadow. Since April 11, walkers and joggers have been required to travel counterclockwise on the 2.2-mile loop trail around the Silver Lake and Ivanhoe reservoirs.

Some 24 farmers markets remain open in the city, including the Sunday Hollywood Farmers Market, after the city tightened safety and social-distancing requirements in early April.

Henry Brown, 42, exercises in MacArthur Park in the Westlake District of L.A. on March 31.

(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Since March 27, L.A. County officials have enforced the closure of trails, trailheads, beaches and other public lands. All of the countys park play and sports amenities, including golf courses, are also closed.

Parks officials noted on their website that you can still enjoy time outdoors at your local park for passive use, such as walking, jogging, or leisure time outdoors for individuals or families. Social distancing is still required, and group gatherings are prohibited by the health order.

Since March 23, the county has forbidden use of its multiuse trail system, a network of more than 220 miles that includes the popular Eaton Canyon Trail; all interior trails at Vasquez Rocks; all interior trails at Placerita Canyon; the Loop Trail, Devils Chair and South Fork Trail at Devils Punchbowl; the San Dimas Nature Trail; the Schabarum-Skyline Trail in the San Gabriel mountains; and dozens of other popular routes.

In Santa Monica, city beaches, the beach bike path and Ocean Front Walk closed March 27 as part of the countywide order to shut down beaches. The citys Palisades Park, which overlooks the beach and pier, is also closed.

In Hermosa Beach, the pier, Strand and beach itself are closed as part of the countywide beach closure.

In Redondo Beach, too, the pier, Strand and beach are closed. City officials also closed the Esplanade area; Veterans Park and nearby parking areas; all public walkways, stairways, ramps and paths to the beach; and a coastal bluff trail between Knob Hill Avenue and George Freeth Way.

On Catalina Island, the Catalina Chamber of Commerce is urging non-residents to stay away. The Catalina Express, which normally runs boats to the islands Avalon and Two Harbors landings from Long Beach, San Pedro and Dana Point, has cut its service back to two round-trips a day between Long Beach and Avalon. At the Catalina Flyer, which normally offers one departure daily from Newport Beach to Avalon, a phone recording warned that the boat has suspended service until further notice. The Catalina Island Conservancy has closed its visitor facilities, services and trails.

On March 18, state parks officials closed all state campgrounds. On March 29, they tightened restrictions further, closing vehicle access to the entire state park system 280 parks, including off-road vehicle areas.

Since then, the state has fully closed dozens of parks, banning pedestrians as well as vehicles. Among them: The Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve; more than a dozen state parks and beaches in L.A. County; San Clemente State Beach in Orange County; seven state beaches in San Diego County; and four state beaches and parks in Ventura County.

At Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area in the Baldwin Hills area of L.A., officials said in a statement that the park is closed to vehicular access but remains open for locals who wish to walk, hike and bike (in parks with bike trails) in the park, provided they practice social/physical distancing of six feet or more. This is not the time for a road trip to a destination park or beach.

In the first week of April, Pasadena city officials closed the Rose Bowl Loop, a popular 3.1-mile-long walking path around the famed stadium.

The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens is closed through at least May 15.

Descanso Gardens in La Canada Flintridge is closed until further notice. The L.A. Arboretum in Arcadia is open, with advance reservations required to prevent crowding.

The National Park Service has imposed weekend closures on all Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area trails, trailheads, restrooms, overlooks and pullouts in Ventura County. Authorities said those areas will remain open on weekdays, when crowds are thinner.

Those weekend closures begin at 2 p.m. Fridays and reopen at 6 a.m. Mondays until further notice, an NPS release said.

That policy covers Rancho Sierra Vista (including the Wendy Trailhead); Cheeseboro Canyon Trailhead; the Deer Creek area; and all trails within Circle X, which includes Sandstone Creek, Mishe Mokwa, the Grotto Trail, the trails and overlooks along Yerba Buena Road and the Backbone Trail along the spine of the Santa Monicas.

As part of the earlier L.A. County-wide closure of hiking trails, the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area had already shut down all of its trails and restrooms in L.A. County.

Also, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority on March 23 closed all of its parklands, trail and facilities close to 75,000 acres of parkland, including all parks owned by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.

The authoritys busiest parks, now closed, include Wilacre Park in Studio City; Temescal Gateway Park in Pacific Palisades; Franklin Canyon Park off Mulholland Drive, Beverly Hills; Ed Davis Park in Towsley Canyon, the Santa Clarita Valley; all the overlooks on Mulholland Drive; Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve at the west end of Victory Boulevard; and Escondido Canyon Park in Malibu.

The City of Ventura on April 20 reopened its beaches, pier, promenade and parks, subject to requirements that people keep their distance and dont linger.

The City of Port Hueneme, experimenting with a soft reopening, has reopened its beach (and a parking lot) to walking, running, biking and solo surfing and paddleboarding, but said it would discouraging sunbathing or any stationary presence on the sand. Its pier, restrooms, playground and street parking remain closed.

Orange County on March 25 closed parking lots at all county beaches, regional and wilderness parks; parking spaces at all trailheads; parking lots at Irvine Lake; parking along Black Star Canyon Road; pedestrian access points at Thousand Steps, Table Rock, West, Camel Point and Treasure Island beaches; restrooms; playgrounds; exercise equipment; shelters and trailheads. Pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians were permitted.

Orange County also banned vehicular traffic to Carbon Canyon, Clark, Craig, Irvine, Laguna Niguel, Mason, Mile Square, Tri-City and Yorba regional parks. Pedestrians, bicyclists and equestrians were permitted.

Among individual Orange County coastal cities, north to south:

Seal Beach has closed its beach, pier and many park amenities. But green space within its parks remains accessible with social distancing required.

Huntington Beachs pier and beach parking lots have been closed since late March, followed by closure of street parking along Pacific Coast Highway April 16 and closure of Huntington Harbor beaches on April 17. But other beaches and park areas remain open.

Newport Beach on March 25 closed its beachfront parking lots and piers, and later added its Oceanfront Boardwalk on the Balboa Peninsula and the Balboa Island Bayfront Walkway to the forbidden list. On April 10the city banned surfing at the Wedge between 10 a.m and 5 p.m., citing large numbers of surfers attracted by growing swells.

Laguna Beach has closed all city beaches, all basketball, volleyball and tennis courts; all playgrounds; its community pool; parking lots at Aliso Beach; and three beach-adjacent city parks: Main Beach city park, Heisler city park and Treasure Island city park.

In Dana Point, city, county and state beach and harbor public parking lots are closed, as is Dana Cove Beach and many coast-adjacent streets. (Others are limited to local traffic only.) Noting that police recently wrote 158 parking citations in one weekend, city officials said in a statement, If you have to use your car to get here, there is nowhere to park.

San Clemente in late March closed its city-owned beach parking lots and municipal pier and many other facilities. On April 1 it closed tennis courts, ball fields and picnic areas as well, but the citys trails remained open.

The Safer at Home order from Los Angeles County Public Health officials, issued March 21 and updated April 10, prohibits all public and private group events and gatherings through May 15. It also says that individuals and families are not prohibited from hiking, walking, biking or shopping at [e]ssential [b]usinesses, so long as they keep their distance from others.

The order also notes that if local entities (like municipal governments) choose to impose stricter limits, the county order does not supersede them.

Los Angeles County has closed all indoor and outdoor playgrounds, along with indoor shopping centers and all swap meets and flea markets.

Under a vote by San Diego Countys Board of Supervisors Friday, that countys ocean reopens Monday morning to swimming, surfing, kayaking and paddle-boarding, but not group activities, sunbathing or boating. Parking lots and boardwalks will stay closed and the decision does not apply to state beaches. Cities within the county can choose to stick with stricter restrictions.

Most of San Diego Countys parks and preserves have remained open for pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians, but their parking lots and many facilities and amenities are closed.

Among cities within San Diego County, San Diego, Carlsbad, Encinitas and Imperial Beach agreed Wednesday to coordinate their beach reopenings -- but didnt set a specific reopening date.

The city of San Diego closed its beaches, parks and trails on March 24.

The Port of San Diego, which controls 34 miles of the countys coastline, including many parks, on March 24 closed all of its parks, beaches, parking lots, piers and boat launches.

The U.S. Forest Service on March 26 closed campgrounds, picnic areas, bathrooms and other developed recreation sites in its California forests through April 30 and left Southern Californias four forests Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres and San Bernardino to make their own decisions on trail access and parking.

In the Angeles National Forest, authorities on April 3 closed 23 well-used San Gabriel mountaintrails, four popular trailheads and 19 roads through at least April 30.

This map shows the affected areas. The closures about 81.5 miles of trails and 54.5 miles of roads include the Millard Canyon above Altadena, San Antonio Falls, Icehouse Canyon and North Devils Backbone trailheads.

The forest order shuts routes to Echo Mountain and Mt. Lowe, such as the Sam Merrill Trail, above Altadena, as well as others leading to Mt. Wilson, San Gabriel Peak, the Rim Trail and other routes in the San Gabriel Mountains.

In the San Bernardino National Forest, whose 680,000 acres include four mountain ranges in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, a spokesman said trails, trailheads, staging areas that function as trailheads and parking areas at trailheads remain open. Hikers should practice social distancing, sticking to wide fire roads instead of single-track trails that are too narrow, the spokesman said.

In Los Padres National Forest, which includes roughly 1.95 million acres reaching north from Ventura County into Central California, spokesman Andrew Madsen said trailhead parking and trails remain open, as do dispersed camp sites in the backcountry.

In Cleveland National Forest, which reaches into San Diego, Riverside and Orange counties, the list of sites closed through April 30 includes all trails and picnic areas where an Adventure Pass is normally required.

In the forests Trabuco ranger district, a spokesperson said closures include: El Cariso north/south picnic area; Hot Springs trailhead; San Juan loop trailhead; Tenaja trailhead; Trabuco creek picnic area; Wildomar staging area; Maple Springs day use area.

In the forests Descanso Ranger District, closures include Agua Dulce; Bear Valley OHV (off-highway vehicle) area; and Corral Canyon.

In the forests Palomar Ranger District, closures include: Crestline; Henshaw scenic vista; Inaja Memorial; Kica Mik Overlook; Palomar Mountain Interpretive Station; San Luis Rey Picnic Area; Fry Creek Trailhead; Observatory Trailhead; and Barker Valley Trailhead. The popular Cedar Creek Falls and Three Sisters Falls trails have been closed since March 21.

The National Park Service closed Yosemite National Park March 20; Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks on March 25 Joshua Tree National Park on March 31; and Death Valley National Park (except for State Route 190 and Daylight Pass) on April 4.

Meanwhile the NPSs federal cousin the Bureau of Land Management has left open much of Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area. A BLM spokeswoman estimated 9,000 visitors brought dune buggies ad dirt bikes there during the week after Easter, but attendance is expected to dwindle as temperatures rise.

Californias Department of Fish and Wildlife director, Charlton H. Bonham, has postponed the start of the trout season in Alpine, Inyo and Mono counties. Once set for April 25, the season is now set to open May 31.

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What's open and closed this weekend: Beaches, parks and trails in Southern California - Los Angeles Times

Coronavirus: City of Ventura to allow limited access to closed beaches, parks, pier – VC Star

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Hospital nurses are moving into RVs because they are worried they could be exposed to COVID-19 at work. Ventura County Star

The city of Ventura updated its closure orderof parks and beaches Monday night, allowing people to walk, jog, bike and surf.

People will have limited access tocity parks, beaches, the promenade and pier. But they won't be allowed to linger, sit on the sand, fish from the pier,picnicor stick around in any fashion.

It's open for movement, not for gathering, city officials said. Park- or beach-goers also must practicephysical distancing, keeping at least six feet from others and avoiding groups.

Parking areas will continue to be closed and restrooms, playgrounds, picnic areas, courts and fields also will stay shuttered.

Sand along the Ventura coast is a patchwork of state and city jurisdictions. In early April, days after the city announced it was closing its beach, promenade and pier, the statealso closed its beaches in the area and Ventura Harbor did the same.

Ventura Harbor said Tuesday that it again would follow the city's decision, allowing the same limited access at its beaches.

California State Parks also said it was easing restrictions at San Buenaventura, Emma Wood and Mandalay beaches.

Editor's note:The Star is making this storyfreeto readers due to public health concerns related to coronavirus.Please consider a digital subscription to The Star so we can continue doing this important work.

"We are removing our full closure and going back to our soft closure," said Dena Bellman, state parks spokesperson.

That means all facilities are closed, but active recreation is allowed on beaches, trails and in the water.

Gatherings are not allowed, she said, and ifpeople are in a group and not practicing physical distancing, they will be contacted by a ranger and may have to leave.

Parking areas at state parks properties also will stay closed. Authorities have urged people to stick closer to home and not travel to beaches or parks outside of their community.

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The changes are expected to be rolled out over the next several days. The Ventura City Council called for clear signs to be posted around parks and beaches and a stepped-up enforcement system.

If a city park becomes overcrowded or people do not comply with physical distancing practices, the on-duty watch commander of the Ventura Police Department can order the park cleared.

The first time that happens, the park or beach would be closedfor 24 hours.

If it happens a second time, the closure would last 48 hours, and a third closure would leave the spot closed indefinitely, according to the council's decision.

"This is not considered opening. It's considered a limited closure," Council member Cheryl Heitmann said Monday.

Coronavirus:Patchwork of jurisdictions and closures add confusion to beach, park access

"Not everyone is going to be happy. There are people who really desperately want to come to the beach or the park, bring their kids and let their kids run around, play and picnic,"she said. "That just isn't where we are yet. We'll get there."

Farther down the coast, Port Hueneme recently had "a soft reopening" of its beach.

City officials said people could walk, run,surf, bike or swim at Hueneme Beach, but not hang out or socialize. The pier, picnic areas, restrooms, and playground equipment will stay closed.

People also have to practice physicaldistancing and avoid groups.

This will be a slow rollout," said Port Hueneme Police Chief Andrew Salinas, according toa statement. "If beachgoers can follow social distancing guidelines and these new beach restrictions, we will not need to reinstate another beach closure."

People were discouraged from sunbathing, gathering or sitting. Beach-goers won't be allowed to bring blankets, chairs, coolers, umbrellas, tents or similar items onto the beach.

Does this mean County Line beach is open?

County Line beach is part of Leo Carrillo State Park, which was closed as of Monday. It is one of several state beaches and state parks along a stretch of the south coast of Ventura County. Those also were still closed Monday.

What about Chumash Trail, Sycamore Canyon or La Jolla Canyon?

Those are part of Point Mugu State Park, which also were still closed as of Monday afternoon.

Are trails open in the Conejo Valley area?

On Wednesday, the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency is expected to reopen its trails on weekdays only. Trails will be closed on weekends and parking areas will stay closed.

Are other beaches or parks open in Ventura County?

As of late Friday, county-run parks were reopened. Those are only sites managed by the County of Ventura. A list is available here: https://www.ventura.org/parks-department/. Beaches at Channel Islands Harbor, including Silver Strand, Kiddie and Hollywood, also are open.

Outdoors: Some Conejo Valley trails will reopen later this week, but only on weekdays

Cheri Carlson covers the environment for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0260.

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Coronavirus: City of Ventura to allow limited access to closed beaches, parks, pier - VC Star

Will IRCSO patrol county beaches when they re-open Tuesday? ‘Absolutely,’ sheriff says – TCPalm

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

19-year-old Jose Zacapa was released from Lawnwood Thursday, April 23, 2020, to a crowd of cheers after beating COVID-19 Wochit

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY Just one week ago, Indian River County officialssaidthere were no plans to re-open county facilities in an effort to help curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

"I know everyone is eager to put this event behind us," County Administrator Jason Brown said at an afternoon news conference seven days ago,"But we need to make sure that we finish strong."

But on Friday, noting a "leveling-off" of COVID-19 cases,Brown announced anew plan for the county's facilities: Public beach access points will re-open Tuesday, followed by the re-opening of Sandridge Golf Club May 1.

"We're going to see how it goes," Brown said,"We're doing this on a weekday first, so that we're hoping that we have a nice opening experience for everyone."

Brown added that the county should not let its guard down in the battle to prevent the spread of the virus.

More: 'Jose is a miracle': St. Lucie ESE student discharged from hospital after battle with COVID-19

During Friday's weekly COVID-19 press conference at the county's Emergency Operations Center, law enforcement joined county and health officials toshed new light on the countywideresponse to the virus.

Indian River County Sheriff Deryl Loar said deputies will "absolutely" be patrolling the beaches to ensure beach-goers are adhering to social distancing guidelines and avoiding large groups. There will also be county ambassadors on the beach reminding everyone to be responsible, Loar said.

"We are prepared to enforce," Loar said. "But again, our mission is to educate and inform before any type of enforcement."

Loar alsosaidthere are no confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in the Indian River County Jail.

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Miranda Hawker, the county's health officer,confirmed four of the county's five COVID-19 deaths are associated with assisted living facilityHarborchase of Vero Beach.

The Health Department is reporting the facility at 4150 Indian River Boulevard also has seven cases of the virus, Hawker said. The Departmentis constantly communicating with assisted living facilities on the status of their residents, Hawker added.

"Consistently, we have our nursing homes and our assisted living facilities reporting those residents who may have symptoms," Hawker said. "So we're tracking that across the board."

For more news, follow Max Chesnes on Twitter by clicking here.

Max Chesnes is a TCPalm breaking news reporter for Indian River County. You can keep up with Max on Twitter @MaxChesnes, email him at max.chesnes@tcpalm.com and give him a call at 772-978-2224.

If you are subscriber, thank you. If not, please consider supporting quality local journalism bysubscribing here.

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Will IRCSO patrol county beaches when they re-open Tuesday? 'Absolutely,' sheriff says - TCPalm

COVID-19: Satellite Beach, Cocoa Beach reopen beaches to sunbathers, groups of 5 or less – Florida Today

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

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A Satellite Beach police officer patrols the sand March 28 near Pelican Beach Park after city officials closed the beach between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. because of the coronavirus pandemic.(Photo: Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY)

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Satellite Beach and Cocoa Beach officials have reopened beaches for sunbathing, sitting in chairs and all other activities within city limits during the coronavirus pandemic but groups must be five people or fewer.

Since April 2,both cities joineda group of Brevard County beachside communities in limitingbeach activities to walking, jogging, biking, fishing, surfing and swimming during Florida's 30-day"safer at home" order.

"The City would like to thank our community for continuing to abide by the social distancing measures we have put in place at our beaches to safeguard our residents during this pandemic response," Satellite Beach City Manager Courtney Barker wrote in a Tuesday afternoon Facebook post.

"Since these measures have been put in place, the beaches have been areas of strong compliance, while still giving our residents a place to exercise and relax," Barker wrote.

"As such, the City is now allowing all beach activities to take place, including sunbathing and sitting on the beach. However, we will be limiting activities on the beach to groups of fiveor less, and we will continue to limit any congregating on the boardwalks," she wrote.

"Our beach public parking remains closed as well," she wrote.

Cocoa Beach's executive order specifies that beachgoers must practice social distancing of at least 6 feet in all directions. Beach parking, beach access parking and the downtown parking garage remain closed.

Cocoa Beach's ban on beach alcohol remains in effect. What's more, thecity's public beach parking closure includescommercial lots and motorists whoparkillegally face $500tickets, saidMelissa Byron, director of economic development.

The Indian Harbour Beach City Council will discuss the topic during a Thursday afternoon workshop, City Manager Mark Ryan said.

Indialantic Mayor Dave Berkman andMelbourne Beach Town Manager Elizabeth Mascaro said their neighboring communities will continue limitingbeach activities to walking, jogging, biking, fishing, surfing and swimming.

Berkman and Mascaro said their respective towns will review the topicnext week.

During the last weekend of March,Satellite Beach,Cocoa Beach, Indian Harbour Beach, Indialanticand Melbourne Beach announced temporary daytime beach closures, fearing a crush of visitors from Orlando and Central Florida.

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Our journalists are working hard to report on the coronavirus and its effects on the Space Coast, and bring you the stories free of charge as a service to the community. If these local stories are important to you, support us by becoming a subscriber. Right now you can try a digital subscription for $3 for 3 months. (link: https://cm.floridatoday.com/specialoffer/)

Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY.Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1.To subscribe: https://cm.floridatoday.com/specialoffer/

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COVID-19: Satellite Beach, Cocoa Beach reopen beaches to sunbathers, groups of 5 or less - Florida Today

Heat wave has people even more anxious to hit the beach – CBS News 8

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

An NWS heat advisory for the inland valleys was slated to remain in effect through 6 p.m. Saturday.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. A spring heat wave sent temperatures soaring in the San Diego area Friday, providing a toasty preview of summer as thermometer readings neared triple digits in the inland valleys and broke past that barrier in the deserts.

The hot spell, which has been building since midweek, is expected to continue in earnest Saturday before beginning to ebb on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

This afternoon, the mercury edged into the low to mid-80s along the coast and in the mountains, reached the mid-90s in locales in between those zones and climbed to 103 in the desert community of Ocotillo Wells, according to the NWS.

Yesterday was the first time I noticed we had the air on at our house. We were getting really hot in there for the first time, and tomorrow is going to be even worse, Tim Gaylord told News 8 during his walk along Windansea beach.

As temperatures soar, San Diegans are getting their first feel of summer weather, but there's just one problem: San Diego County's beloved beaches will remain closed during the peak of the heat wave.

Today was the first day I woke up sweating. I couldnt put my wet suit on and run down here [to the beach] but hopefully soon, said local surfer Nathan Bohmhoff. Its torture, I pay so much money to live here and I cant go in the ocean so its sucks."

On Friday, San Diego County health officials lifted ocean restrictions for swimmers, surfers and those using kayaks or paddleboards.

Piers, boardwalks and parking lots are still closed to the public, and the order does not include boat ramps or watercraft. It also does not apply to state parks and beaches.

The decision of beach closures has been left to the cities.

Its like being at an amusement park and being too short to ride the rides, said surfer Dylan Cheema.

Each municipality can make the call on opening beaches. Any beaches that do open will be subject to the county's "passive use" definition, and visitors must avoid sitting, lying and engaging in group activities -- any open beach can be used for walking, running or as an access point to the ocean.

Cheema is one of many people who live near the water and does not have AC, but does have other ways to cool off.

Open the windows, go for some walks and take cold showers, he said with a laugh.

City of San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer said the next phase of opening city beaches would consist of beaches shorelines, all activities with physical distance, boardwalks, piers, parking lots, and Fiesta Island.

Gatherings would still not be allowed.

An NWS heat advisory for the inland valleys was slated to remain in effect through 6 p.m. Saturday.

Temperatures will drop Sunday and Monday, though afternoon highs in the deserts will remain around 100 through at least Thursday, forecasters advised.

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Heat wave has people even more anxious to hit the beach - CBS News 8

When Pinellas County reopens its beaches and businesses, officials want to move slowly – Tampa Bay Times

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Municipal leaders along Pinellas Countys shoreline support opening nonessential businesses, but are divided on how beaches, eateries and bars should open if Gov. Ron DeSantis emergency stay-at-home order expires next week.

At the request of county administrator Barry Burton and Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, leaders of many Pinellas towns submitted dozens of ways to ease restrictions so residents can again earn paychecks and possibly enjoy the 35 miles of pristine beaches.

While divided on beaches and businesses, the leaders are united in requiring people to maintain a 6-foot distance from one another and to avoid gathering in large groups, so they can limit a further spread of COVID-19. They also want to fall back under the countys earlier safer-at-home order that required many businesses to close at 10 p.m. When residents return to beaches, it could only be for exercising under a phased plan, some suggested, and restaurant capacities should be reduced by 50 percent.

Several municipal leaders also want the public to wear face masks, according to a review of records.

This will become the new normal for quite some time, so the more we practice it, the less of an inconvenience it becomes, Madeira Beach City Manager Bob Daniels wrote about the social distancing and masks.

The governors emergency order has limited all activity in Florida to essential services since April 3, but the County Commission closed all beaches five weeks ago to limit the spread of COVID-19. County leaders want to lay the groundwork for a new plan in case DeSantis lifts his order.

Gualtieri and Burton are examining medical data, including the percentage of positive COVID-19 tests and the number of people in the 14-day incubation period, to determine if the pandemic has peaked in the county. They expect to inform commissioners on Tuesday.

County and city leaders dont want a repeat of last month when thousands of people packed Clearwater Beach and a viral video unleashed a flood of accusations from across the globe that Pinellas elected officials were enabling a public health crisis.

Clearwaters detailed plan comes with several caveats, City Manager Bill Horne said in an interview. The three-phase approach does not describe a hard and fast plan, but rather a list of guidelines the city could change at any time in response to future COVID-19 outbreaks.

Like the White Houses Opening Up America Again guidelines, Clearwater and others prefer openings to come in phases.

For example, in the first phase, Clearwater Beach would open from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. to recreational users only. There would be no relaxation or sunbathing allowed, only exercise. The city would station lifeguards and police officers to make sure beachgoers behave. In phase two, the beach would reopen with no special time or lawful activity restrictions, but people would have to maintain a social distance of 6 feet on the sand. Umbrella rental companies could serve customers, but only at 50 percent capacity.

Beach reopening drew the most suggestions.

The Belleair Shore Commission wants beaches fully opened. Indian Rocks Beach wants public parking and restrooms opened. Treasure Island doesnt want parking opened, but prefers parks and recreation centers to open.

Tarpon Springs said beaches and pools should open only after nonessential businesses have returned for two weeks. St. Pete Beach agreed.

Getting people to jobs should be a priority," St. Pete Beach City Manager Alex Rey wrote. All businesses should be open before getting them to have a good time at the beach.

Dunedin supports a countywide approach to opening to ensure equitability among businesses" and wants ample notice so businesses can recall employees.

Still, Gualtieri said, the number of positive COVID-19 tests has to go in the right direction to open back up. He cautioned that the number of positive cases could rise, but the county is below its projected peak.

We are not going to have robust testing in the foreseeable future," he said Wednesday. We have to manage expectations.

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After two-week closure, three Brunswick beaches reopen; Kure and Carolina still closed [Free read] – Port City Daily

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Public beach accesses in Kure Beach remain closed as several beach communities along the coast reopen access points, allowing existing residents to exercise on the beach strand. (Port City Daily photo/Johanna F. Still)

SOUTHEASTERN, N.C. Less than two weeks after closing the public beach strand due to the coronavirus, many of Brunswick Countys southern beach towns have reopened their public access points.

Holden Beach and Ocean Isle Beach lifted their beach access restrictions effective noon Tuesday. Public parking remains closed in both towns, so the reopening will largely serve existing property owners. Holden Beach will allow exercise and relaxation while Ocean Isle Beach limits access to only exercise activities.

Related: From Surf City to the South Carolina border, most public beach access now closed [Free read]

Oak Island will reopen its beach strand Friday at noon, with access points staying open between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. The town will not allow beach equipment and only permit non-stationary exercise activities. Public parking lots remain closed and no one is permitted to park in a private parking lot for the purpose of accessing the beach. Violators of the towns order could be fined up to $1,000.

The public strand on Sunset Beach remains closed. Caswell Beach, one of the few municipalities that did not close off public access, has not lifted its public parking ban.

After four weeks of closure, Wrightsville Beach reopened its public access points at noon Monday. Parking remains closed and non-exercise activities and beach equipment are not permitted. In a statement late Friday after a small protest to reopen town businesses, Carolina Beach Mayor LeAnn Peirce said a soft reopening was in the works. In a live video streamed Wednesday afternoon, Pierce said staff is considering reopening the beach strand Monday to only exercise activities while limiting beach equipment.

In a Tuesday letter, Kure Beach Mayor Craig Blozinsky shared concerns about reopening too quickly before a greater percentage of the population is tested for the virus. Kure Beachs public beach strand remains closed.

Excerpt from:

After two-week closure, three Brunswick beaches reopen; Kure and Carolina still closed [Free read] - Port City Daily

Oak Island opening beaches Friday, with restrictions – WWAY NewsChannel 3

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

OAK ISLAND, NC (WWAY) The Town of Oak Island is opening its beaches to the public on Friday morning, but there will be restrictions in place.

All access points and beaches will open for exercise, such as walking, jogging, and biking between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.

Exercise groups should not have more than 10 people.

Sunbathing, sitting, fishing, games and all other activities will not be permitted on the beaches at this time.

All beach equipment such as towels, blankets, chairs, tents, coolers, and umbrellas are also not allowed. The cabana restroom facility will remain closed.

Public parking at the beach accesses and parking lots, as well as parking within the town rights-of-way is prohibited, except for town employees, government officials and contractors. Towing will be enforced.

Parks and recreational facilities, public boat ramps, and kayak launches will remain closed.

The public is also prohibited from parking in private lots in order to access the beach. This includes all private business, commercial and club parking lots and parking spaces.

See more here:

Oak Island opening beaches Friday, with restrictions - WWAY NewsChannel 3

Futurist Transhuman News Blog

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After two-week closure, three Brunswick beaches reopen; Kure and Carolina still closed [Free read] – Port City Daily

Oak Island opening beaches Friday, with restrictions – WWAY NewsChannel 3