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Monthly Archives: January 2021
TDH: 112 new COVID-19 cases in Northeast Tennessee; decrease in active cases continues – WJHL-TV News Channel 11
Posted: January 25, 2021 at 4:37 am
by: News Channel 11 Staff
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) The Tennessee Department of Health reported 112 new COVID-19 cases and five new deaths in Northeast Tennessee on Sunday.
New cases by county: Washington 36, Sullivan 29, Hawkins 20, Greene 17, Carter 8, Johnson 2, Unicoi 0.
There are currently 2,429 active cases in Northeast Tennessee, down from 2,505 yesterday. This marks the eighth consecutive day of declining active cases.
To date, there have been 45,468 cases and 813 deaths in Northeast Tennessee since the pandemic began.
The total COVID-19 case count for Tennessee is 708,717 as of January 24, 2021 including 8,859 deaths, 2,128 current hospitalizations and 654,335 are inactive/recovered. Percent positive today is 9.78%. For the full report with additional data: https://t.co/jlAz8a6Upp. pic.twitter.com/K3dDTOQSVc
The following data was reported in local counties: (number in parenthesis is change since yesterday)
Carter CountyTotal cases: 5,199Inactive/recovered: 4,874 (+7)Deaths: 119 (+3)Active cases: 206 (-2)New cases: 8
Greene CountyTotal cases: 6,766Inactive/recovered: 6,265 (+31)Deaths: 116 (+1)Active cases: 385 (-15)New cases: 17
Hawkins CountyTotal cases: 4,606Inactive/recovered: 4,228 (+31)Deaths: 72Active cases: 306 (-11)New cases: 20
Johnson CountyTotal cases: 2,052Inactive/recovered: 1,906 (+9)Deaths: 34Active cases: 112 (-7)New cases: 2
Sullivan CountyTotal cases: 12,961Inactive/recovered: 12,037 (+51)Deaths: 220Active cases: 704 (-22)New cases: 29
Unicoi CountyTotal cases: 1,700Inactive/recovered: 1,557 (+5)Deaths: 45Active cases: 98 (-5)New cases: 0
Washington CountyTotal cases: 12,184Inactive/recovered: 11,361 (+49)Deaths: 205 (+1)Active cases: 618 (-14)New cases: 36
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COVID-19 Daily Update 1-23-2021 – West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources
Posted: at 4:37 am
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of January 23, 2021, there have been1,831,351 total confirmatory laboratory results received for COVID-19, with 114,752 total cases and 1,872 total deaths.
A death reported on January 12, 2021 of a 72-year old female from Upshur County was reported in error and has been removed from the total death count.
DHHR has confirmed the deaths of an 80-year old male from Summers County, an 88-year old male from Summers County, a 65-year old female from Cabell County, an 87-year old male from Hampshire County, an 83-year old male from Wood County, an 84-year old male from Wood County, a 69-year old male from Pleasants County, a 64-year old female from Wood County, a 76-year old male from Harrison County, a 69-year old female from Preston County, a 65-year old male from Nicholas County, a 95-year old male from Lewis County, a 68-year old male from Preston County, a 62-year old male from Wood County, an 89-year old female from Wood County, an 81-year old female from Wyoming County, and a 70-year old female from Logan County.
We mourn the tragic loss of these West Virginians and send our deepest sympathies to their loved ones, said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary.
CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (1,057), Berkeley (8,469), Boone (1,372), Braxton (721), Brooke (1,837), Cabell (6,728), Calhoun (202), Clay (324), Doddridge (393), Fayette (2,274), Gilmer (549), Grant (946), Greenbrier (2,137), Hampshire (1,302), Hancock (2,380), Hardy (1,136), Harrison (4,215), Jackson (1,545), Jefferson (3,139), Kanawha (10,628), Lewis (782), Lincoln (1,093), Logan (2,218), Marion (3,122), Marshall (2,640), Mason (1,470), McDowell (1,183), Mercer (3,795), Mineral (2,403), Mingo (1,847), Monongalia (6,741), Monroe (849), Morgan (848), Nicholas (990), Ohio (3,218), Pendleton (518), Pleasants (749), Pocahontas (545), Preston (2,336), Putnam (3,647), Raleigh (3,883), Randolph (2,085), Ritchie (527), Roane (437), Summers (645), Taylor (955), Tucker (430), Tyler (540), Upshur (1,406), Wayne (2,220), Webster (236), Wetzel (952), Wirt (310), Wood (6,302), Wyoming (1,477).
Delays may be experienced with the reporting of information from the local health department to DHHR. As case surveillance continues at the local health department level, it may reveal that those tested in a certain county may not be a resident of that county, or even the state as an individual in question may have crossed the state border to be tested.
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COVID-19 Daily Update 1-23-2021 - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources
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Despite Carnival being curbed by COVID-19, many are bringing the party curbside with Yardi Gras! – FOX10 News
Posted: at 4:37 am
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Amherst organization helping those in need as COVID-19 and cold temperatures continue – WWLP.com
Posted: at 4:37 am
AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) As Massachusetts heads toward colder months, those experiencing homelessness will be facing dangers brought on by cold temperatures.
This is a life-threatening cold, New England is famous for this. And we are very careful on days like this with the heavy wind to make sure that people can get out of the cold. That is why we are open 24 hours a day, Kevin Noonan, Executive Director of Craigs Doors said.
Craigs Doors in Amherst has been running a 24/7 emergency shelter at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst for the winter. The organization provides a warm space, bed, and food, among other services to the most vulnerable of our community.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought challenges to the homeless community. Noonan said it is critical now more than ever that the needs of those experiencing homelessness are met.
COVID is a horrible nightmare, because of our limited capacity of 14 beds, we do try to find other shelters but they are all full. If people have sleeping bags or tents that they want to donate to we will be happy to receive them, Noonan told 22News.
People experiencing homelessness have a much higher risk of developing exposure-related conditions such as hypothermia and frostbite.
According to the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, 700 people experiencing or at risk of homelessness are killed from hypothermia annually in the United States.
To learn more about services provided by Craigs Doors, click here.
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Amherst organization helping those in need as COVID-19 and cold temperatures continue - WWLP.com
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Mass COVID-19 vaccination event begins at Greenville Convention Center with soft open for appointees on Sunday – WNCT
Posted: at 4:37 am
GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) Mondays mass COVID-19 vaccination event at the Greenville Convention Center got an early start Sunday with a soft open, a Vidant Health official on location told WNCT on Sunday.
The official start to the mass vaccination, put together by Vidant Health and the Pitt County Health Department, is Monday morning. However, WNCTs Ford Sanders reports the first round started on Sunday with the first batch of appointments starting at 1 p.m.
Organizers said theyre the first of what will eventually be thousands of vaccinations every week. Sundays appointments were few in number with the rest of the appointments scheduled for Monday and beyond.
Im thankful that I am able to get it, said Meriel Fornes, a Greenville resident who got a vaccine shot.
People who got the shot on Sunday during the soft launch hope their neighbors will follow suit when they are eligible.
I would say just go for it because I havent heard any backlashes about it and I think it is very good and would be very nice, Fornes said.
Meriel Fornes, granddaughter, Melissa Fornes, said this was an opportunity her grandmother could not pass up.
When she gets the special service of coming in today as one of the first ones here at the convention center its very exciting for me and I am glad I was able to take her, and we are keeping her healthy, Melissa Fornes said.
Melissa Fornes is a nurse and said she knows the importance of the vaccine.
I pray that everything goes well with everyone who is receiving it and that it does help stop all this that is going on in this world, making it weird now, so people are ready to get back to their regular lives, Melissa Fornes said.
Meriel Fornes said she is grateful to be one of the first in the area to get the shot at the Greenville Convention Center mass vaccination site.
I just hope and pray that it works, and I believe it will, Meriel Fornes said.
The mass vaccination was announced earlier this week and was eligible to eligible community members throughout eastern North Carolina as defined by the state of North Carolinas health guidelines. Appointments are be required for eligible community members.
Online scheduling began Friday and, after some technical issues with the online scheduling tool, people were able to log online and complete the scheduling process.
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268 new cases of COVID-19, one death reported in Vermont over two days – Bennington Banner
Posted: at 4:37 am
THE NUMBERS
One Vermonter died of COVID-19 over the past two days, the Vermont Department of Health has reported. The death toll is now 170.
Bennington County, which reported 35 new cases on Saturday and 15 on Sunday, continues to have the highest rate of COVID-19 among Vermont counties, at 256.5 cases per 10,000 residents. Chittenden County is second, at 235.0, and Windham County is fifth, at 176.1.
Forty-seven Vermonters are hospitalized with the disease, and eight of those patients are in intensive care units.
The health department reported 268 new cases of COVID-19 in Vermont over the past two days. The cumulative total reported is 11,033, which is 274 higher than the total reported Friday. The department did not explain the discrepancy.
All of Vermonts 14 counties reported new cases over the past two days. Chittenden County had 94; Bennington County had 50; Washington County had 24; Rutland County had 23; Windsor County had 19; Franklin County had 12; Addison and Windham counties each had 10; Lamoille County had eight; Orange and Orleans counties each had six; Essex County had four; and Caledonia and Grand Isle counties each had one.
Over the past two weeks, Bennington County has reported 285 new cases, and Windham County has reported 116. Chittenden County, Vermonts largest county, has had 694.
So far, 295,625 people have been tested. The reported seven-day average for positive tests dipped to 2.4 percent.
The number of Vermonters reported to have recovered from COVID-19 rose by 219 since Friday, to 7,396.
The health department reported that 364 people were being monitored for the disease as of Friday, a decrease of 83 from Friday. Of these, 133 are visitors to Vermont.
The statistics supplied by the Vermont Department of Health at midday each day are accurate as of the end of the previous day. The information is preliminary and subject to change.
Approximately 41,742 Vermonters have received at least one dose of vaccine to date, according to health department figures released Sunday. That includes 31,800 people who have received only their first dose, and 9,942 who have received their second.
That figure represents 7.3 percent of Vermonters who are 16 years old or older. In Southern Vermont, 8.2 percent of those eligible have been vaccinated in Bennington County, and 6.7 percent in Windham County.
The state has launched a new webpage healthvermont.gov/MyVaccine where Vermonters age 75 and older will be able to book an appointment for their COVID-19 vaccine starting Monday.
The page is accessible now, but cannot be used to make an appointment until Monday.
A call center number for anyone who is unable to register online, or who need to speak with someone in a language other than English will be announced on Monday and found on the MyVaccine website.
People are urged not to call any other Health Department number to make an appointment, or to call hospitals, health care providers, pharmacies or 2-1-1.
Vaccination appointments will begin on Wednesday.
If you plan to make an appointment for yourself or a loved one, visit healthvermont.gov/MyVaccine ahead of time to learn what information you will need to make the appointment. Youll also find links to Frequently Asked Questions and a video about the online process.
There have been 25 outbreaks in K-12 schools, with a total of 84 cases, the health department reported Friday. On average, there are three cases per school outbreak.
The department found that, while COVID-19 is being transmitted at schools, transmission is occurring in a limited capacity, since outbreaks at K-12 schools are usually small. It found that 83 percent of those at schools who had COVID-19 did not spread the disease to anyone else.
Portland police have arrested two people they say attacked a man because his car had Vermont license plates.
The suspects yelled at the victim and told him that he shouldnt be in Maine, then assaulted him on Friday afternoon, police said in a Facebook post.
They damaged his car and tried to pull him out of the vehicle, police said. The victim, whose name was not made public, was not seriously hurt.
Police responding to calls from witnesses found that the suspects had fled by the time they arrived, but both were arrested a short time later.
Nathaniel Glavin, 41, and Vanessa Lazaro, 22, both face assault and drug charges. Lazaro was taken to the hospital and Glavin was held on $10,000 bail. It was not clear if they had attorneys.
The University of Vermont womens basketball team has decided not to play the remainder of its season, the school announced Sunday.
The decision was made by the players with the full support of the coaches and the athletic department.
The team has played just six of its 12 scheduled games this season and has not played since Jan. 4. They finish with a 4-2 record.
The university did not give a specific reason for the decision but it came two days after the school suspended all athletic activity due to COVID-19 cases within the athletic department.
A coronavirus treatment that was once only available in hospitals is now being offered more widely across New Hampshire.
Infusion clinics for monoclonal antibodies have been set up at 13 hospitals and urgent care centers, according to Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette. The treatment also has been distributed to nursing homes.
This is really set up for those that are at highest risk for hospitalization and very serious illness. It is not a treatment that is typically used for people that are in the hospital or receiving supplemental oxygen, she said. So it really is done on an outpatient setting.
Patients will be referred to the clinics by their primary care providers.
Rhode Island Lt. Gov. Daniel McKee, who is set to take over as governor if Gina Raimondo is confirmed as President Joe Bidens commerce secretary, says hed like to see changes to the states coronavirus vaccine distribution plan.
The Democrat said Saturday he wants to speed up vaccinations for all Rhode Islanders aged 65 and older as well as for teachers and school support staff.
Under current guidelines, adults younger than 75 who are not in a nursing home or in another high-risk group have to wait at least until the second phase of the vaccine rollout to get inoculated starting next month.
Vaccinating educators will speed up the economic recovery, he said.
Were not going to open the economy until we do that, and teachers are not going to feel comfortable by and large until we get them vaccinated, he said.
McKee said he also plans on enhancing the states COVID-19 Advisory Committee, including adding Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and a national expert on the pandemic.
School districts across Maine are cutting back on in-person classes in response to staffing shortages in a number of critical areas as a result of a statewide surge in COVID-19 cases that began more than two months ago.
The shortages are affecting not just teachers, but transportation and custodial staff, The Portland Press Herald reported Sunday.
The Maine Department of Education doesnt track the number of open positions in schools but is responding to feedback from school districts about staff shortages.
More than 600 reciprocal and one-year emergency certifications have been issued to date under an executive order from Gov. Janet Mills to provide more flexibility for certifying education professionals. Nearly 2,800 educators have been certified without taking a standardized test that is normally part of the process but was also waived by the executive order.
The department is working with Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor to provide free learning facilitator training to students who can serve as substitutes or paraprofessionals in schools after a one-week boot camp.
Buxton-based School Administrative District 6 moved to remote learning recently due to shortages of bus drivers and mechanics who were in quarantine after potential exposure.
Were all thinking about teachers, but theres another whole side thats critical to the ability to function, and thats maintenance and facilities. , Superintendent Paul Penna said the district (backslash)All the things that keep our schools functioning behind the scenes are critical.
Funeral workers in Massachusetts are asking to be included in the first phase of the states COVID-19 vaccination plan, but so far state officials have resisted the request.
C.R. Lyons, a Danvers funeral director and president of the Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association, said he was dumbfounded by the decision, The Telegram & Gazette reported.
The funeral association has been lobbying Gov. Charkie Baker to bump about 1,900 funeral workers into the first phase of vaccinations, noting that many other states have done so and funeral workers are the only COVID-19-facing workers in the state not currently in the first phase.
Funeral workers are caring for bodies of COVID-19 victims every day, requiring them to regularly visit COVID-19 wings of hospitals and nursing homes, they said. Many funeral workers have become sick with the virus, Lyons said.
A spokesperson for the state COVID-19 Command Center in a statement said the current plan is based on the recommendations of an advisory group made up of health professionals, community leaders and local officials, and that the funeral business was moved from phase three to phase two on Jan. 12.
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268 new cases of COVID-19, one death reported in Vermont over two days - Bennington Banner
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How Beijing Turned Chinas Covid-19 Tragedy to Its Advantage – The New York Times
Posted: at 4:37 am
One year ago this week, the Chinese Communist Party was on the verge of its biggest crisis in decades. The coronavirus had brought the city of Wuhan to a halt. In the following days, the governments efforts to conceal the pandemic would become public, sparking an online backlash of the kind the Chinese internet hadnt seen in years.
Then, as the blows landed faster than the Chinese propaganda machine seemingly could handle, a number of liberal-minded Chinese began to think the unthinkable. Perhaps this tragedy would impel the Chinese people to push back. After decades of thought control and worsening censorship, perhaps this was the moment that the worlds largest and most powerful propaganda machine would crack.
It wasnt.
A year later, the partys control of the narrative has become absolute. In Beijings telling, Wuhan stands not as a testament to Chinas weaknesses but to its strengths. Memories of the horrors of last year seem to be fading, at least judging by whats online. Even moderate dissent gets shouted down.
People in China should be bowing their heads this week in memory of those who suffered and died. Instead, the China internet is afire over the scandal of a Chinese actress and her surrogate babies, a tabloid controversy egged on by Chinese propaganda.
Anyone looking for lessons about China in the coming years needs to understand the consequences of what happened in 2020. The tragedy showed Beijing has the ability to control what people in China see, hear and think to a degree that surpasses even what pessimists believed. During the next crisis whether it be disaster, war or financial crisis the party has shown it has the tools to rally the people, no matter how ham-handedly Beijing deals with it.
This week I looked through my Chinese social media timelines and screenshots from a year ago. I was shocked by how many posts, articles, photos and videos have been removed. I was also surprised to remember the sense of hope at that moment despite intense anger and grief.
The shift was especially palpable the night that Dr. Li Wenliang, who was silenced after warning of the outbreak in late 2019, died of the virus.
That night, numerous Chinese people waged what amounted to an online revolt. They posted videos of the Les Misrables song Do You Hear the People Sing? They shared one of Dr. Lis quotes repeatedly: A healthy society should not have just one voice.
Even one of Chinas propaganda directives warned that Dr. Lis death was an unprecedented challenge. Young people told me that the official news media had lost credibility.
One of my followers on Weibo, the Chinese social media platform, apologized for attacking me before. I used to think that people like you were evil, he wrote. Now, he added, I know that we were fooled.
A middle-age intellectual told me that he expected the population of liberal-minded Chinese people those who want greater freedom from Beijings controls to expand from his estimate of 5 percent to 10 percent of the total population to 30 percent to 40 percent.
Jan. 24, 2021, 8:21 p.m. ET
As these hopes rose, others tried to tamp down enthusiasm. One political scientist guessed the share of liberal-minded Chinese internet users would shrink, not grow. In three months, she predicted, the Chinese public would be celebrating the glorious victory over the outbreak under the leadership of the great Communist government.
Unfortunately, she was correct.
To reclaim the narrative in the early days of the pandemic, as my colleagues have reported, the Chinese government began a tremendous behind-the-scene effort to make sure that the censors took control at even the most local level. They listened and read just about everything people posted. Then the censors either addressed the problems or silenced the dissenters. Chinese officials say the police investigated or otherwise dealt with more than 17,000 people who they said had fabricated or spread fake pandemic-related information.
After 11 weeks, the lockdown in Wuhan ended. By the summer, a photo of a crowded Wuhan swimming pool appeared on the home pages of many websites around the world. China emerged as a success story while the infection cases and death tolls in the United States and many other Western countries skyrocketed. The contrast made the effectiveness of the partys strong hand an easy sell.
The Chinese Communist Party has a long history of controlling history. In the United States, historical narratives shift and compete, leading to arguments and sometimes even violence, but constantly illuminating new perspectives and bringing greater understanding of what underpins the national identity. In China, by contrast, the government has successfully taught its people that the country is nearly ungovernable unless a strong hand controls the narrative.
The Communist Party has strict narratives about its most serious mistakes, including the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution and the Tiananmen Square crackdown. Immediately after the Cultural Revolution, the so-called scar literature memoir-style novels by those who suffered during that troubled time became a popular genre. The party quickly realized the danger of letting the public share its individual traumas and banned the books.
Under Xi Jinping, the party has become even less tolerant of unorthodox historical ideas. In 2016, Yanhuang Chunqiu, a monthly history magazine in which moderate-minded retired officials published articles, was forced to surrender its editorial power to the authorities.
The narrative about the current pandemic is no exception. Journalists, writers and bloggers whose portrayals of the outbreak differ from the official version have been jailed, disappeared or silenced.
Fang Fang, a Wuhan-based novelist, became the most vilified figure on the Chinese internet in 2020. Her crime? Documenting her lockdown experiences in an apolitical account in an online diary.
People online call her a liar, a traitor, a villain and an imperialist dog. They accuse her of maligning the government and causing the Chinese people to lose face in the world by publishing an English translation of her diary in the United States. One man called on the government to investigate her for the crime of subverting the state power. One high-ranking medical scientist chastised her for lacking patriotic emotions.
No publisher is willing or able to publish her works in China. The social media posts and articles that support her are often censored. A few people who spoke up for her publicly were punished, including a literature professor in Wuhan who lost her Communist Party membership and her right to teach.
I think Fang Fang wrote about what happened, said Amy Ye, the organizer of a volunteer group for disabled people in Wuhan. In fact, I dont think she included the most serious situations. Her diary is very moderate. I dont understand why even something like that couldnt be tolerated.
This demand for a single narrative carries risks. It silences those who might warn the government before it does something foolish, like stumble into a conflict or interfere with Chinas economic growth machine.
It also conceals the true feelings of the Chinese people. On the street, in person, most Chinese will be happy to tell you whats on their minds, perhaps in exhaustive details. But China became a more opaque place in 2020. Online censorship became even harsher. Few Chinese people are willing to take the risks of speaking to Western news media. Beijing expelled many American journalists.
This single narrative also means that people who dont fit into it risk getting left behind.
Ms. Ye, the Wuhan volunteer group organizer, doesnt believe that Wuhan could claim a victoryover the pandemic. My whole world has changed, and it will probably never go back to what it used to be, she said.
Shes still struggling with depression and the fear of getting out of her apartment. An outgoing person before the pandemic, she has attended only one social gathering since the end of the lockdown in April.
All of a sudden we were locked up at home for many days. So many people passed away. But nobody was held accountable, she said. I would probably feel better if someone could apologize that they didnt do their job.
I cant forget the pain, she said. Its engraved in my bones and my heart.
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How Beijing Turned Chinas Covid-19 Tragedy to Its Advantage - The New York Times
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What it’s like inside a luxury Caribbean ‘vacation bubble’ – CNN
Posted: at 4:36 am
Anguilla (CNN) Why on Earth would you take two kids younger than 3 to a remote island in the middle of a global pandemic? I asked myself this question many times last month as I embarked on my first attempt to get to St. Martin, my transit point to Anguilla, a Leeward Island in the eastern Caribbean Sea.
In addition to the safety dimension, there's another allure: travelers coming back to New York from Anguilla are not required to quarantine because the destination has managed the pandemic so well by remaining closed until November and implementing strict entry protocols.
Malliouhana Resort is one of the properties inside Anguilla's "vacation bubble."
Shawn Walters/Malliouhana Resort
Even in the best of times, Anguilla is hard to get to -- either two flights from New York or a flight and a boat -- making it an upmarket, but not stuffy, destination. I had visited Anguilla in 2018, right after Hurricane Irma devastated the island. While I was keen to see how a tiny island was once again managing a return to tourism, its CDC Level 1 status was definitely the No. 1 reason we chose Anguilla.
There, we could enter a "vacation bubble" -- designed so that hotels and resorts can offer guests access to a variety of amenities and activities within a restricted area. (Visitors aren't cleared to freely roam the island until passing a negative PCR test on day 14 of their stay, or day 10 if they are coming from a lower-risk country.)
A complicated arrival
Our trip got off to an inauspicious start, to say the least.
The family trek that began at 5 a.m. on a Friday at the end of December ended in us missing our flight, then spending six more hours in two airports in a desperate attempt to rebook.
Was this the best risk calculation? Maybe not. But after having packed and prepared to go on the road with a baby and a toddler, my husband and I went into our persevere-at-all-costs travel mode.
Following that debacle, my entire family, including my preschool-age daughter and nine-and-half-month-old son, went on standby to get retested since our initial Covid-19 test results for admission to Anguilla were due to expire that day.
This is Anguilla's first line of defense against the pandemic: requiring travelers to wait at least 72 hours after a negative test before traveling there. This policy -- mandating a gap between the test result and travel date -- is the equivalent of building a moat in front of the castle walls.
Open-air spaces are standard at Anguilla's luxury resorts such as Belmond Cap Juluca.
Courtesy Belmond Cap Juluca
I came to terms that we weren't getting on a plane that Friday and we all went home -- momentarily. A few hours later, I dragged everyone to Rapid Test Center on the Upper West Side, where they charge $250 for rapid PCR tests.
The multiple airports and Covid tests in New York weren't the full extent of our odyssey, since there are currently no direct commercial flights to Anguilla's tiny airstrip (private jets, however, are plentiful and convenient for those who can afford that route).
So after we were cleared to leave two days later, my family took the conventional method of entry to Anguilla: a four-hour flight from New York to Saint Martin (Sint Maarten in Dutch), followed by a luggage transfer, short trip by van, immigration check, private boat ride to Anguilla, a second Covid test upon arrival, and then another round of luggage transfer, immigration and a van ride to the resort. (Don't accuse me of promising the journey to Anguilla is easy -- even without little kids and a pandemic.)
There was a significant financial investment at stake as well: Anguilla opened its borders in November but with an asterisk. In their own words: "Anguilla is open to pre-approved visitors." So I applied, paid the required fees -- $1,350 for my family -- to cover our testing on the island (not including testing prior to arrival), provided proof of insurance and read up on the experience of entering a Covid-free fortress as a tourist.
Belmond Cap Juluca is one of the resorts inside the vacation bubble.
Richard James Taylor/Belmond Cap Juluca
Inside a luxurious Caribbean Covid fortress
I knew there was a vacation bubble, and we had to stay at our hotel until we received the results of our arrival PCR tests. Still, I didn't completely understand how that tracked with the promise I made to my almost 3-year-old that we were going through all this hassle so she could swim in a pool the MINUTE we arrived.
After a scenic, open-air, ocean spray-and-rain-speckled 30-minute ride on the ferry (think small boat with an outboard motor that seats a dozen people max) across Simpsons Bay Lagoon in Saint Martin and Anguilla Channel, we arrived at Anguilla's sole passenger port, the Blowing Point Ferry Terminal.
We were administered our arrival PCR test in an open-air facility nestled between the dock and the border control post, had our passports checked and then we bundled into a private chartered van.
But there would be no dip in the main pool until we cleared our arrival test. I found it difficult to explain to my daughter that Anguilla has caught a handful of cases through this two-stage testing protocol so no big pool until tomorrow.
Belmond Cap Juluca is situated on picture-perfect Maundays Bay.
Richard James Taylor/Belmond Cap Juluca
By the next morning, though, when we found that our Covid tests came back negative, it started to feel like a normal vacation. The sand was soft, Maundays Beach was postcard-picture perfect and we'd all (almost) forgotten all the swabs, planes and boats it took to get there.
This includes restrictions on walking down a beach from a hotel property or exiting its gates on foot or bicycle while you are still in the vacation bubble. (Those staying more than 10 days have the potential to test out of the vacation bubble and take off the red bracelet that flags quarantined visitors and residents. In December, two visitors were fined $5,000 for going outside of the tourist bubble during their quarantine period.)
Within the bubble, my daughter made a friend and it almost made me cry tears of joy that they could play in the sand and ocean without masks.
The bubble makes a range of amenities and activities at a handful of resorts accessible to guests whose movement is restricted.
Shawn Walters/Malliouhana Resort
A quieter peak season
Unlike St. Barths, which was almost completely sold out during festive season in December, according to their tourism board, Anguilla is a little less on the radar, or just a very well-kept secret for those who study the CDC list of low-risk Covid destinations.
"The testing protocols were not palatable to our traditional festive guests," corroborated Haydn Hughes, Anguilla's minister for tourism. ("Festive" is the industry term for the peak demand period of year-end holiday travel.) "They have been visiting the island for many years and like the ability to dine around and enjoy Anguilla. They have given this year a pass, but we could not compromise the health of our citizens, so we had to enact strict protocols even at the risk of possible poor arrival numbers," he added.
But that's the price of going to a destination that has such little community spread of the coronavirus that there is no mask mandate for residents, a rare case where it's actually not needed.
Sunset Lounge at the Four Seasons Resort was still lively over the holidays.
Courtesy Four Seasons
Still, there were signs that high season had arrived and the island has its game face on. Private planes were jetting in. Over the last weekend of December, Belmond Cap Juluca saw occupancy levels of over 70%. The outdoor Sunset Lounge at the Four Seasons Resort was still a lively -- but socially distanced -- scene. Tables for New Year's Eve were going for between $5,000 and $15,000.
Celeste, the restaurant at the glamorous Malliouhana, has a new, young talented chef, Angelica Ampil, who is upping the ante on the already strong culinary scene on the island.
There is no escaping the pandemic, but Anguilla's measures gave me some peace of mind, a headspace that is increasingly hard to find these days. And that sometimes comes at a hefty price tag that certainly does not make Anguilla a great travel equalizer.
Life on Anguilla does not feel like a normal freewheeling tourist experience. There are some absurdities like having to pay $25 for a taxi ride to go half a mile because movement is so restricted. And spas might not open until the second quarter of 2021.
Leon's at Meads Bay is one of the restaurants at Malliouhana Resort.
Courtesy Malliouhana Resort
Baby steps toward getting back to normal
But the vacation bubble is, ultimately, reassuring for Anguilla residents and visitors.
Naturally, some in the hospitality industry, which was at a total standstill for nine months and accounts for 95% of the island's economy, say the government's measures go a bit too far.
"I think the quarantine period could be shortened," said a restaurant worker at an establishment in the vacation bubble that is usually bustling during the holiday season but was half full that last week of December.
Hughes said there has been "tremendous pressure" to relax Anguilla's rules, but the government refused. "We observed the escalating cases of Covid across the world, particularly in our main markets," he said.
Like other small islands with limited accessibility, the economic impact of the global pandemic is palpable on the island. "People are going hungry. The situation is dire for many families," an employee at one Anguilla's top luxury hotels confided.
Still, the prevailing sentiment on the island seems to be that while its denizens desperately need tourism dollars to funnel into the economy, they are not willing to sacrifice the health of their friends and family since the healthcare system on Anguilla is already fragile.
"The key goal of Anguilla's approach is to make residents feel safe," said Tiago Moraes Sarmento, the general manager of Belmond Cap Juluca and a member of Anguilla's tourism board. "We wanted to start with baby steps," he said. "Ultimately, we want Anguilla to be the safest destination in the world."
Top image courtesy Belmond Cap Juluca
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What it's like inside a luxury Caribbean 'vacation bubble' - CNN
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Will Carnival, Royal Caribbean Or Norwegian Stock Grow The Most By 2022? – Yahoo Finance
Posted: at 4:36 am
TipRanks
Investing is all about finding profits, and investors have long seen two main paths toward that goal. Growth stocks, equities that will give a return based mainly on share price appreciation, are one route. The second route lies through dividend stocks. These are stocks that pay out a percentage of profits back to shareholders a dividend, usually sent out quarterly. The payments vary widely, from less than 1% to more than 10%, but the average, among stocks listed on the S&P 500, is about 2%. Dividends are a nice addition for a patient investor, as they provide a steady income stream. Goldman Sachs analyst Caitlin Burrows has been looking into the real estate trust segment, a group of stocks long-known for dividends that are both high and reliable and she sees plenty of reason to expect strong growth in three stocks in particular. Running the trio through TipRanks database, we learned that all three have been cheered by the rest of the Street as well, as they boast a Strong Buy analyst consensus. Broadstone Net Lease (BNL) First up, Broadstone Net Lease, is an established REIT that went public this past September in an IPO that raised over $533 million. The company put 33.5 million shares on the market, followed by another 5 million-plus picked up by the underwriters. It was considered a successful opening, and BNL now boasts a market cap over $2.63 billion. Broadstones portfolio includes 628 properties across 41 US states plus the Canadian province of British Columbia. These properties host 182 tenants and are worth an aggregate of $4 billion. The best feature here is the long-term nature of the leases the weighted average remaining lease is 10.8 years. During the third quarter, the most recent with full financials available, BNL reported a net income of $9.7 million, or 8 cents per share. The income came mainly from rents, and the company reported collecting 97.9% of rents due during the quarter. Looking ahead, the company expects $100.3 million in property acquisitions during Q4, and an increased rent collection rate of 98.8%. Broadstones income and high rent collections are supporting a dividend of 25 cents per common share, or $1 annually. Its a payment affordable for the company, and offering investors a yield of 5.5%. Goldmans Burrows sees the companys acquisition moves as the most important factor here. "Accretive acquisitions are the key earnings driver for Broadstone While management halted acquisitions following COVID-induced market uncertainty (BNL did not complete any acquisitions in 1H20) and ahead of its IPO, we are confident acquisitions will ramp up in 2021, and saw the beginning of this with 4Q20 activity We estimate that BNL achieves a positive investment spread of 1.8%, leading to 0.8% of earnings growth (on 2021E FFO) for every $100mn of acquisitions (or 4.2% on our 2021E acquisition volumes), Burrows opined. To this end, Burrows rates BNL a Buy, and her $23 price target implies an upside of ~27% for the year ahead. (To watch Burrows track record, click here) Wall Street generally agrees with Burrows on Broadstone, as shown by the 3 positive reviews the stock has garnered in recent weeks. These are the only reviews on file, making the analyst consensus rating a unanimous Strong Buy. The shares are currently priced at $18.16, and the average price target of $21.33 suggests a one-year upside of ~17%. (See BNL stock analysis on TipRanks) Realty Income Corporation (O) Realty Income is a major player in the REIT field. The company holds a portfolio worth more than $20 billion, with more than 6,500 properties located in 49 states, Puerto Rico, and the UK. Annual revenue exceeded $1.48 billion in fiscal year 2019 (the last with complete data), and has kept up a monthly dividend for 12 years. Looking at current data, we find that O posted 7 cents per share income in 3Q20, along with $403 million in total revenue. The company collected 93.1% of its contracted rents in the quarter. While relatively low, a drill-down to the monthly values shows that rent collection rates have been increasing since July. As noted, O pays out a monthly dividend, and has done so regularly since listing publicly in 1994. The company raised its payout in September 2020, marking the 108th increase during that time. The current payment is 23.45 cents per common share, which annualizes to $2.81 cents and gives a yield of 4.7%. Based on the above, Burrows put this stock on her Americas Conviction List, with a Buy rating and a $79 price target for the next 12 months. This target implies a 32% upside from current levels. Backing her stance, Burrows noted, We estimate 5.3% FFO growth per year over 2020E-2022E, versus an average of 3.1% fo rour full REIT coverage. We expect key earnings drivers will include a continued recovery in acquisition volumes and a gradual improvement in theater rents (in 2022)." The analyst added, "We assume O makes $2.8 billion of acquisitions in each of 2021 and 2022, versus the consensus expectation of $2.3 billion. [We] believe our acquisition volume assumptions could in fact turn out to be conservative as, eight days into 2021, the company has already made or agreed to make $807.5 mn of acquisitions (or 29% of our estimate for 2021)." Overall, Wall Street takes a bullish stance on Realty Income shares. 5 Buys and 1 Hold issued over the previous three months make the stock a Strong Buy. Meanwhile, the $69.80 average price target suggests ~17% upside from the current share price. (See O stock analysis on TipRanks) Essential Properties Realty Trust (EPRT) Last up, Essential Properties, owns and manages a portfolio of single-tenant commercial properties across the US. There are 214 tenants across more than 1000 properties in 16 industries, including car washes, convenience stores, medical services, and restaurants. Essential Properties boasts a high occupancy rate of 99.4% for its properties. In 3Q20, the company saw revenue increase of 18.2% year-over-year, reaching $42.9 million. Essential Properties finished the quarter with an impressive $589.4 million in available liquidity, including cash, cash equivalents, and available credit. The strong cash position and rising revenues had the company confident enough to raise the dividend in going into Q4. The new dividend payment is 24 cents per common share, up 4.3% from the previous payment. The current rate annualizes to 96 cents, and gives a yield of 4.6%. The company has been raising its dividend regularly for the past two years. In her review for Goldman, Burrows focuses on the recovery that Essential Properties has made since the height of the COVID panic last year. When shelter in place mandates went into effect in early 2020, only 71% of EPRTs properties were open (completely or on a limited basis). This situation has improved in the intervening months and now just 1% of EPRTs portfolio is closed We expect EPRTs future earnings growth to be driven by acquisition accretion and estimate 2.8% potential earnings growth from $100 mn of acquisitions, Burrows wrote. In line with her optimistic approach, Burrows gives EPRT shares a Buy rating, along with a $26 one-year price target, suggesting a 27% upside. All in all, EPRT has 9 recent analyst reviews, and the breakdown of 8 Buys and 1 Sell gives the stock a Strong Buy consensus rating. Shares are priced at $20.46 and have an average price target of $22.89, giving ~12% upside potential from current levels. (See EPRT stock analysis on TipRanks) To find good ideas for dividend stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.
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Will Carnival, Royal Caribbean Or Norwegian Stock Grow The Most By 2022? - Yahoo Finance
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CDC entry rule is testing resorts in the Caribbean, Mexico – Travel Weekly
Posted: at 4:36 am
Hotels and resorts across Mexico and the Caribbean have borne the brunt of the CDC's recent decision to require Covid-19 tests for all U.S.-bound flyers, with hospitality operators reliant on U.S. tourism moving quickly to ensure guests have access to convenient and reliable on-site testing.
According to Robert Sands, president of the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association and a Baha Mar senior executive, the new mandate has made testing "perhaps the single most important amenity at a hotel, as it relates to travel."
But while many larger and well-established properties have successfully rolled out on-site testing over the past week, broader efforts to make testing more accessible and cost-effective, as well as guarantee fast results, have hardly been without challenges.
In a statement, Vanessa Ledesma, acting CEO and director general of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, called testing requirements for entry back into the U.S., as well as Canada and the U.K., "a tremendous challenge for most of the small countries and jurisdictions in the Caribbean," citing insufficient testing equipment, lab facilities and manpower in some destinations.
Likewise, Felicia Knaul, a public health expert and the director of the University of Miami Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas, expressed some skepticism around the quick scaling of testing capabilities in markets like Mexico, "where the lack of testing, in general, has been appalling."
Under the CDC's new mandate, travelers must show proof of a negative Covid-19 antigen or PCR test taken with 72 hours in order to board a flight to the U.S., effective Jan. 26. In the U.K., a similar requirement went into effect earlier this month, while in Canada, proof of a negative PCR test prior to boarding has been mandatory since Jan. 7.
"When we saw Canada announce their policy, we knew the U.S. could follow," said Paul Gielen, general manager of the Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino. "The U.S. is our bread and butter, so we began calling around to [coordinate on-site testing] early. Our focus was making sure testing wasn't too expensive, and the next concern was, how do you make it easy, so people don't lose half their vacation getting tested?"
In partnership with local lab MedCare Aruba, the Renaissance Aruba was able to get its on-property testing site -- which it claims is the first resort testing facility on the island -- up and running in just a few days. Antigen tests are available for $50 each, with PCR tests -- which are generally considered the gold standard for Covid-19 testing but require a longer turnaround -- offered at $125 each.
The property has also launched a package for travel through April 4, offering complimentary antigen testing for up to two people per room, for stays of four nights or longer.
Though the tests themselves aren't in short supply in Aruba, Gielen did point out that the number of labs on the island able to perform them is relatively small, with only three in operation. While he predicted some larger resorts would forge similar partnerships and be able to bring testing in-house, the amenity isn't likely to be ubiquitous anytime soon.
"Obviously, they have the ability to come in and work with us, but by the time the third or fourth resort reaches out to them, it may not be so easy," said Gielen.
In the Bahamas, testing capacity has been relatively robust, due in part to a requirement, predating the U.S. mandate, that travelers staying in the country longer than five days take an antigen test. (Some resorts, including the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, even require their own testing prior to check-in, on top of the country's existing protocols.)
Sands characterized the Bahamas' existing testing strategy as "very proactive," but even so, he acknowledged that for Bahamian properties in more remote locations, accessible testing for travelers may be more difficult.
"I don't think we have to be concerned about Providence or Grand Bahama and some of the other tourist-heavy islands, but there's still work to be done to instill that same level of confidence on some of the other Family Islands," Sands said.
For AMResorts, which has properties throughout Mexico, Jamaica, Curacao, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Panama and Spain, dealing with each destination's disparate testing regulations has at times proven complicated.
Reynal discusses its testing rollout as well as the impact the CDC's new requirement could have on AMResorts' recovery.
While AMResorts has been able to roll out free antigen testing across the vast majority of its portfolio, antigen tests have yet to become available for use in Costa Rica or St. Martin. Consequently, the company's resorts in those markets instead work to facilitate off-site PCR testing for an additional cost.
"We have a strong relationship with the hospitals there, so we can prioritize the processing. Our scale helps a lot," said Gonzalo del Peon Suarez, group president for AMResorts Americas and global commercial. "Hopefully, we'll see those countries accepting the antigen test soon, because it is challenging."
Meanwhile, the University of Miami's Knaul hopes that the new testing requirement will have some positive impact on destinations like Mexico, where tourism demand has remained relatively steady, even as Covid-19 cases continue to surge.
"I would love to see a situation where this results in more reasonably-priced testing for [local residents] who need it," said Knaul. "A hotel could say to a tourist, you pay for a test, and your test will pay for five more tests for people who can't afford them. It's good to require tests to enter a country or get on a plane, as long as it doesn't come at the expense of the local population."
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CDC entry rule is testing resorts in the Caribbean, Mexico - Travel Weekly
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