Northeast Germany considers ending mask wearing in August.
The rural state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in the northeastern corner of Germany is considering ending compulsory mask wearing due to a low coronavirus infection rate.
“If the infection rate stays so low I can’t see any reason to maintain the duty to wear masks in shops,” said the state’s agriculture minister Harry Glawe on Sunday. - https://www.thelocal.de/20200705/northeast-germany-considers-ending-mask-wearing-in-august

"we saw with great sadness that one musical heroe, Ennio Morricone has passed away. His music introduced me to albums and the first album I ever bought was one of his. He made beautiful emotional music and was the master of melody." - https://youtu.be/2s0-wbXC3pQ

Nick Cordero, a Broadway actor who had admirers across the world rallying for his recovery, has died after a battle with Covid-19, according to his wife, Amanda Kloots. He battled the virus and complications, including an amputated leg. She said Cordero battled the disease for 95 days - https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/05/entertainment/nick-cordero-obit/index.html

As COVID-19 cases surged in many parts of the world, the island nation of the Seychelles was looking good: 70-plus straight days without a single infection. Then the planes arrived.

Two chartered Air Seychelles flights carrying more than 200 passengers also brought the coronavirus. A few tested positive. Then, between June 24 and 30, the country’s confirmed cases shot from 11 to 81.

Now the Indian Ocean nation has delayed reopening for commercial flights for its lucrative tourism industry until Aug. 1 https://apnews.com/39229fce20bdf0cfa569b9167f9cd9ca

Let's start the week on a positive note..... China reports a suspected case of bubonic plague has been reported to Chinese authorities.
It is not known how the patient became infected, but the country is on alert for more cases. - https://www.bbc.com/news/health-53305721

Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, explains why a new model has projected that more than 200,000 Americans will die from Covid-19 by November if masks are not universally used. - https://edition.cnn.com/videos/health/2020/07/07/200k-us-deaths-coronavirus-model-dr-christopher-murray-sot-tsr-vpx.cnn

Authorities in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia have closed several tourist spots after a case of bubonic plague was confirmed this week.
The case was discovered in Bayannur, located northwest of the capital Beijing. Five nearby grassland scenic points have now been closed, with visitors "strictly prohibited from entering the affected area and visiting the surrounding region," according to state-run Xinhua news agency. - https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/inner-mongolia-plague-tourists-intl-hnk-scli/index.html

The city of Tulsa is experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases, a little over 2 weeks after President Donald Trump held a campaign rally in an indoor arena there. - https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/08/us/tulsa-covid-trump-rally-contact-tracers-trnd/index.html

After months of study, scientists have better clarity on the coronavirus's lethal potential—which makes recent case surges all the more alarming. - https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/07/coronavirus-deadlier-than-many-believed-infection-fatality-rate-cvd/

German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that "lies and disinformation" have emerged during the coronavirus pandemic and warned against allowing hatred to spread as the world battles the virus.
"We have seen lies and disinformation, and that is no way to fight the pandemic," she said yesterday at the European Parliament in Brussels.
She added the virus has highlighting the limits of ''fact-denying populism," saying, "The limits of populism and denial of basic truths are being laid bare." https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-07-09-20-intl/h_92797f2b07edce8fc90a27a4bea47e8c

Wear a mask!! https://twitter.com/CultureCrave/status/1281148608381808641

The U.S. Roman Catholic Church used a special and unprecedented exemption from federal rules to amass at least $1.4 billion in taxpayer-backed coronavirus aid, with many millions going to dioceses that have paid huge settlements or sought bankruptcy protection because of clergy sexual abuse cover-ups.
The church’s haul may have reached — or even exceeded — $3.5 billion, making a global religious institution with more than a billion followers among the biggest winners in the U.S. government’s pandemic relief efforts, an Associated Press analysis of federal data released this week found. - https://apnews.com/dab8261c68c93f24c0bfc1876518b3f6

"You cannot fight the pandemic with lies" - Angela Merkel knows how to insert a dagger - Trump, as well as Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro and Russia's Vladimir Putin, must have felt his ears burning when the German Chancellor demolished their approaches to the coronavirus in a speech Thursday. https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/10/world/meanwhile-in-america-july-10-intl/index.html

What is Antifa? History, ideology and tactics explained
Is Antifa a ‘terrorist organization’ as US President Donald Trump claims, or are they small, scattered groups, trying to fight fascism? Let us unpack their story, from Nazi-era Germany to the present-day United States. - https://p.dw.com/p/3ejDu

“The Virus Must Be Contained Before the Economy Can Recover”
In an interview, Clemens Fuest, one of Germany’s top economists, discusses the impact of the coronavirus on governments and business. He says bankruptcies are inevitable and that the effects of the crisis will be with us for a long time to come. - https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/leading-german-economist-the-virus-must-be-contained-before-the-economy-can-recover-a-652a4098-ad44-4fb1-a2e2-a46776d56217

Covid-19 may also be much worse the second time around. During his first infection, my patient experienced a mild cough and sore throat. His second infection, in contrast, was marked by a high fever, shortness of breath, and hypoxia, resulting in multiple trips to the hospital - https://www.vox.com/2020/7/12/21321653/getting-covid-19-twice-reinfection-antibody-herd-immunity

A group of partygoers were slapped with a $26,000 fine for breaching coronavirus stay-at-home restrictions in Melbourne last week after police tracked a bulk KFC order back to the gathering. - https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/akzjee/cops-raid-melbourne-party-during-lockdown-after-guests-put-in-a-20-meal-order-with-kfc

If you are a person who believes in Hell, you have to think this is the thing for which multiple Trump administration officials are most likely to spend eternity in cosmic penance and damnation. - https://twitter.com/MaddowBlog/status/1280337715574251522

Forty-eight Florida hospitals, including eight in Miami-Dade, have reached their ICU capacity, according to the Agency for Health Care Administration - https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/14/health/us-coronavirus-tuesday/index.html