Emails obtained by Judicial Watch and the Daily Caller News Foundation via a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit show that White House coronavirus adviser Anthony Fauci in late January approved of a World Health Organization-sponsored press release supporting China's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The email refers to the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board, an independent advisory body created by WHO and the World Bank Group. It specifically notes "consensus for the GPMB to issue a statement supportive of countries’ (especially China) and WHO response efforts, and to call for urgent actions to further strengthen global preparedness and response to this outbreak."
"Looks fine," Fauci responded. "Please see my comments in attached document."
China, which claims to have suppressed the virus within its borders, instituted a severe lockdown of the Wuhan province at the outset of the pandemic, reportedly going so far as to lock citizens in their homes by welding their doors shut.
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The new decree gives regional governments the option to prohibit travel in and out of their territories unless it is justified, as well as imposing an obligatory nationwide curfew between 11pm and 6am.
The Spanish Cabinet on Sunday morning approved a new national state of alarm for the country, aimed at giving Spain’s regional governments the legal framework they need to limit mobility – in particular nighttime socialising – in a bid to combat the second wave of the coronavirus.
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The government is introducing an obligatory curfew for the entire country from 11pm to 6am, with regional premiers having a margin of one hour to bring forward or back the curfew times. They will not, however, be able to scrap the measure altogether.
Regions will also have the possibility of restricting the entrance to and exit from their territories unless this is for essential reasons such as going to work or to get to the doctor. This would allow regions to close their borders should they have a neighboring territory that is particularly hard hit by the virus. This is an idea that had been floated in the past by the regions that border Madrid, but until now was impossible to implement.
The decree will not see the closure of Spain’s borders, as was the case during the first wave of the pandemic. There are also exceptions, with the Canary Islands – the Spanish region that currently has the best coronavirus data – exempted from the nighttime curfew in a bid to aid the tourism sector. The text also limits social meetings between citizens to six people for the entire country.
“The whole of Europe is now taking measures to limit mobility,” said the prime minister on Sunday to justify the decision. “The situation in which we are in is extreme.”
This will be the second time in seven months that the coalition government – headed by the Socialist Party (PSOE) with junior partner Unidas Podemos – has made use of the emergency measure, the lowest of three that are set out by the Spanish Constitution.
Unlike in March, when the state of alarm was used to subject Spaniards to one of the world’s strictest coronavirus lockdowns, this time it will be used in a much less severe manner, in particular to introduce the curfew. Nearly all of the regions want to use such a measure in order to slow the second wave of the pandemic in Spain as quickly as possible, and reach the Christmas season with figures that are more under control.
Another difference between now and March is that the government is making clear its duration from the outset, and wants the measure – which will initially be established for 15 days – to remain in place until May 9, 2021.
The first state of alarm had to be extended every two weeks by Spain’s lower house of parliament, the Congress of Deputies, something that turned into a political headache for Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of the PSOE given that the coalition lacks a working majority and he thus needed the support of opposition parties to prolong the measure. The state of alarm came to an end in June when it was clear the government no longer had the votes it needed for another two-week extension and full powers to control the epidemic were returned to the regional governments.
For now, the government can only approve the state of alarm for 15 days, but in the text of the decree being prepared there is specific mention of the need to prolong the measure in Congress for a long period of time. The Valencia region, for example, has already talking about keeping a curfew in place until December 9. This way, the government can avoid having to seek support every two weeks in Congress, and is counting on having enough parliamentary votes to secure the measure. Spain would thus be in line with Italy and France, two countries where no one has contested the use of the juridical instrument. Italy has had a state of emergency in place since the start of the pandemic and it has been renewed twice without problems.
The government is also working toward the state of alarm granting powers to control the situation to the regional premiers, allowing them to take their own decisions and respecting the principle adopted in June that they should be the ones in charge of the control of the pandemic. There has been fierce opposition from some regions – in particular Madrid, which is controlled by the conservative Popular Party (PP) and center-right Ciudadanos (Citizens) – to the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis, with long-running disagreements over how to get the pandemic in check while protecting the economy.
In Congress, meanwhile, the government should not have problems securing the votes it needs. Ciudadanos has already pledged its support, while the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) will also lend its votes, having been the first region to call on the government to implement the state of alarm. Catalonia has also requested it, meaning that the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) and Together for Catalonia (JxCAT) will also support the coalition.
However, the government is insisting on trying to secure the support of the PP, which governs in five of Spain’s 17 regions. The PP voted against the extension of the state of alarm in June and has been reticent to call for it to be implemented again, stating instead that the government should reform existing laws to ensure that the coronavirus measures deemed necessary by regional governments enjoy legal backing. Regional High Courts across the country have been rejecting some of these restrictions, on the basis that only the central government can restrict fundamental rights such as freedom of movement.
The government has no intention of returning to the total lockdown of March and the almost total shutdown of the economy that this involved. But, like the vast majority of the regions, it does believe that a nighttime curfew will reduce infection rates. More than 30% of transmissions are taking place during social meetings in homes. All of the regional governments are seeing that early closing for bars is not enough, as many people – in particular youngsters – are resorting to late-night socialising in private residences.
Pedro Sánchez also called on Sunday for an “overwhelming parliamentary backing” for the measure, thus piling the pressure on the PP to back it. Sánchez also announced that he had been in touch with the PP leader, Pablo Casado, to communicate the measures and request his support.
The objective, Sánchez explained, is to get the cumulative number of coronavirus cases down to 25 per 100,000 inhabitants over a two-week period. Spain currently exceeds 400. “We have a long road ahead, we are going to have to deploy a huge exercise of resistance,” he added, explaining that the six-month time frame for the state of alarm will not be immovable should the coronavirus data improve.
English version by Simon Hunter.
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With the United States reaching its highest daily case total of the pandemic yesterday, the case for masks continues to become more perilous. At no point has the country had more widespread mask mandates and usage than now, yet once again, we see almost no correlation between face coverings (most of which were never previously thought to be effective) and infection numbers.
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One study may have shown just that, and it may have happened all the way back in June. Unfortunately, the “scientific community” has decided that religious devotion is more important than an honest assessing of the facts.
A major study out of Denmark that sought to examine the efficacy of face masks at limiting the spread of COVID-19 has reportedly been rejected by multiple academic journals amid hints that the study found face coverings are not effective in protecting individuals from the coronavirus.
Masks have been among the most persistent and controversial flashpoints of the COVID-19 epidemic for months. Health officials around the world initially argued strongly against their use, claiming that studies over the years had demonstrated that masks were ineffective at stopping respiratory viruses and unnecessary for the current pandemic.
Ironically, one of the journals that has rejected the major study, which included 6,000 people, is The Lancet. That’s the same scientific journal that had to retract a scam study that purported to show hydroxychloroquine was not only ineffective (that’s still debatable), but was also highly dangerous (see That Big Hydroxychloroquine Study the Media Went Nuts About Turned Out to Be a Scam)
The Lancet would go on to give a full retraction after even more information was released. This is also the same study that people like Fox News’ Neil Cavuto used to go on air and claim that if you took hydroxychloroquine, that it would literally “kill you.”
But this study from Denmark, which is rumored to show that masks have little correlation to infection rates, is being censored without even being given a chance. That’s not a coincidence, as any study that goes against the current Fauci-esque orthodoxy is shunned. Even the World Health Organization’s latest guidance on masks has been called “obscure” by Dr. Deborah Birx because it went against her narrative.
These are dangerous times. Science as religious dogma is not healthy. It decreases the confidence in actual science while potentially putting people in danger because other avenues of research are systematically shut down. If The Lancet and other journals are going to reject this study from Denmark, then they should answer why they are doing so.
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Wait a minute....Donny said we are turning the corner. Don't tell me he lied again. I shocked.
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Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said on Friday that the U.S. may want to mandate face coverings amid the latest surge of coronavirus cases.
In a CNN interview on Friday, Fauci was asked if he thought Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s plan to fight for mandates on mask-wearing across the country would be helpful.
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Fauci told CNN’s Erin Burnett that it would be a “great idea” to have everybody wearing masks uniformly. He also responded to criticism that mandates on masks would be difficult to enforce.
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Trudeau announces made-in-Canada vaccine deal, but warns vaccines months away from rollout | National Post
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deaths in England rose to 117 on October 17, the highest number in the country since May 29. Of that number, 45 were reported in the North-West of England.
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Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday rejected the announced purchase of 46 million doses of a potential vaccine against the coronavirus being developed by a Chinese company and tested in a state governed by a political rival, prompting some to question if he was allowing politics to steer public health decisions.
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"The Brazilian people will not be anyone’s guinea pig,” Bolsonaro said on his social media channels, adding that the vaccine has not yet completed testing, which is the case with all potential vaccines for the virus. “My decision is to not purchase such a vaccine.”
Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello had announced the purchase Tuesday in a meeting with Sao Paulo Gov. João Doria, a foe of Bolsonaro’s whose state is participating in the vaccine’s development through its Butantan Institute. The cost of the acquisition was estimated at 2 billion reais ($360 million).
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New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy abruptly left a press event in Camden County on Wednesday minutes after learning that one of his senior staffers had tested positive for the coronavirus.
Though Murphy has tested negative for the virus, he and First Lady Tammy Murphy will quarantine until the end of the weekend, Communications Director Mahen Gunaratna said in a statement.
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After the Michigan Supreme Court ruled last week that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer did not have the authority to extend her coronavirus lockdown beyond the date of April 30th, prosecutors had little choice but to void charges against an Owosso barber who famously violated the orders to open his business back up on May 4th. State prosecutors announced Friday that they would no longer seek to bring misdemeanor charges against Karl Manke, putting an end to his highly-publicized ordeal.
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“Our client is thrilled and pleased that he has been vindicated,” said Manke’s attorney, David Kallman.
In his own remarks, Manke said, “I appreciate the Prosecutor dismissing all criminal charges against me in light of the Supreme Court’s decision. It is definitely a weight off my shoulders. I just want to earn a living, and I am not a health threat to anyone. The Courts have consistently upheld my constitutional rights affirming that the Governor’s attempts to shut me down were out of line.”
The case against a barber trying to eke out a living was yet another black mark in a string of them for Gov. Whitmer, who has been accused of using the pandemic to give herself virtually unlimited powers over the citizenry of Michigan. Her power grab ran into a stiff legal wall last week when the Michigan Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that she had exceeded her limitations.
“We conclude that the Governor lacked the authority to declare a ‘state of emergency’ or a ‘state of disaster’ under the [1976 Emergency Management Act] after April 30, 2020, on the basis of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the court ruled. “Furthermore, we conclude that the [1945 Emergency Powers of the Governor Act] is in violation of the Constitution of our state because it purports to delegate to the executive branch the legislative powers of state government – including its plenary police powers – and to allow the exercise of such powers indefinitely. As a consequence, the EPGA cannot continue to provide a basis for the Governor to exercise emergency powers.”
Whitmer whined impotently after the ruling came out, insisting wrongly that the court’s ruling would leave Michigan uniquely exposed to another COVID outbreak.
“Today’s Supreme Court ruling, handed down by a narrow majority of Republican justices, is deeply disappointing, and I vehemently disagree with the court’s interpretation of the Michigan Constitution,” Whitmer said. “Right now, every state and the federal government have some form of declared emergency. With this decision, Michigan will become the sole outlier at a time when the Upper Peninsula is experiencing rates of COVID infection not seen in our state since April.”
More recently, Whitmer has come under fire for a “Meet the Press” interview in which an “8645” sign was seen in the background of her office. Critics say that the sign could be read as a call for President Trump’s assassination.
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An arthritis drug being used to treat coronavirus in China cured 95 per cent of critically ill patients, scientists have claimed.
Tocilizumab, marketed as Actemra, is taken by patients with rheumatoid arthritis to lower inflammation.
Chinese doctors gave it to 20 patients during the peak of the country's epidemic, and claim 19 were discharged from hospital within two weeks.
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South Korean health authorities said on Wednesday they would press on with a flu vaccine program as there was no reason to believe the scheme was linked to a number of reported deaths.
Jeong Eun-kyeong, the director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), told a briefing there would be an investigation into the deaths of nine people who had received the shots, but the agency had found no reason to suspend the program.
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And again a British squirrel is here to teach those who still believe in a "China virus". Trump is a mass murderer by active ignorance.
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COVID Madness – CA Compliance Law Requires Holiday Dinners Outside – Singing Must Be Done Quietly…
California Directorate Comrade Gavin Newsom has released the latest set of COVID compliance rules for family gatherings. This is not a spoof. These are the rules:
♦ “Gatherings that include more than 3 households are prohibited.” …
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♦ “The host should collect names of all attendees and contact information”…
♦ “All gatherings must be held outside. Attendees may go inside to use restrooms as long as the restrooms are frequently sanitized.” …
♦ “Seating must provide at least 6 feet of distance (in all directions—front-to-back and side-to-side)” …
♦ “any food or beverages at outdoor gatherings must be in single-serve disposable containers.” …
♦ “People who are singing or chanting are strongly encouraged to do so quietly (at or below the volume of a normal speaking voice).” (more at link)
Where freedom and liberty conservatives make the fatal mistake is not using Alinsky rule #4 against the dictates of the totalitarian regimes.
RULE 4: “Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.” I guarantee you California politicians, elected officials and bureaucrats will not abide by their own rules. If you deploy Alinsky Rule #4 their credibility and reputation can be leveraged against them.
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A mask-wearing PM Giuseppe Conte said the measures were needed "to avoid a new lockdown".
Mayors will get powers to close public areas after 21:00 and the opening times of restaurants and the size of groups allowed will tighten.
The moves came as Italy recorded its highest daily infection rate for the second day in a row.
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Another 11,705 new cases were announced on Sunday, beating the previous record, which came a day earlier on Saturday, of 10,925.
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Amid rising COVID-19 cases nationwide and a crackdown on a wedding in Brooklyn that reportedly planned to have 10,000 attendees, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Saturday announced a new strategy for combating COVID-19 into the fall and winter months by targeting micro-clusters.
Cuomo said that targeting coronavirus would no longer be at the statewide or regional level, but "block-by-block."
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