INFORMS Open Forum

Good evening,

Please find today's Daily COVID-19 Update for May 12th below and attached. Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.

Thank you,

Jeff Cohen

INFORMS Members in the News

• Out-of-State Visitors Rushed to Reopened Georgia (Route Fifty)

Member: Pinar Keskinocak

• Georgia Tech model predicts alarming coronavirus numbers (Fox 5 Atlanta)

Member: Pinar Keskinocak

• Krannert and Kelley business schools collaborating to help IU Health manage surge of Covid-19 patients (Press Release Point)

INFORMS Health Applications Society

• As Georgia Reopens, Its Intensive-Care Beds Are Largely Full (Center for Public Integrity)

Member: Pinar Keskinocak

• As Georgia Lifts Restrictions, Its Hospitals May Be Unready For A COVID-19 Surge (NPR)

Member: Pinar Keskinocak

• Would airport coronavirus testing get people flying? Not alone, experts say (ABC News)

Member: Laura Albert

  

U.S. Federal Policy Update 

• House Democrats unveiled their highly-anticipated CARES 2.0 coronavirus relief package – the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act (H.R. 6800). Valued at over $3 trillion, the legislation provides for almost $1 trillion to state and local governments, a second round of $1,200 economic impact payments, the creation of a $200 billion Heroes Fund for essential worker hazard pay, $75 billion for coronavirus testing, and more. The House is scheduled to meet on Friday morning to consider the legislation. 
• In response to the House Democrats' legislation, Republicans warned that the legislation is not going to receive support in the Senate. Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso (R-WY) announced that the bill "will not pass," and "it's not going to be supported." Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-SC) added that "it's got so much unrelated to coronavirus," so "it's dead on arrival here."
• The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions convened a hearing entitled "COVID-19: Safely Getting Back to Work and Back to School." The hearing featured testimony from National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield, Assistant Health & Human Services Secretary Brett Giroir, and Food & Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn. For more information, please see Signal Group coverage.
• The Treasury Department published a report showing that the United States posted a record $738 billion budget deficit during the month of April.
• At today's Senate Banking Committee hearing on "Oversight of Financial Regulators," Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Randal Quarles cautioned that "profound economic disruption persists," and the Federal Reserve "may be required [to take further action] before the current crisis ends."
• The White House published a comprehensive data set on how coronavirus tests have been allocated by state and funding amount.

 

Global Response

• The Spanish government announced that travelers will now be allowed to enter into Spain, but will have to complete a 14-day quarantine – effective on Friday. 
• The Philippines' lockdown has been extended until May 31^st. 
• Following an increase in cases, Lebanon will re-enter a complete lockdown from tonight until Monday morning.
• Authorities from the Chinese city of Wuhan – the original epicenter of the coronavirus – announced that they are planning to test all 11 million residents of the city for COVID-19 by the end of the week.

 

State Update 

• New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the state will need approximately $61 billion from the federal government to support the state's recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
• California's state government will be increasing its emergency COVID-19 response funding by $27.4 million to enhance the state's contact tracing efforts.
• Delaware's Governor John Carney announced that the phased reopening of the state's economy is scheduled to begin on June 1^st.
• North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper announced that the state will permit outdoor church services as long as social distancing is maintained.
• Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced a $1 billion budget bill to authorize spending covering the costs incurred by the state due to the pandemic.
• New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced that the city would begin a "very slow" reopening this Saturday, May 16^th – with face coverings remaining mandatory.
• Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer announced that she can say with almost "all certainty" that the county's stay-at-home orders will remain in place through the end of July.

 

Economic Update (as of close of the markets)

• U.S. stocks fell today, with all three indices closing the day with a range of losses. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined by 1.9%, the S&P 500 by less than 2.1%, and the Nasdaq Composite also by 2.1%.

Latest Impact Data 

• In the United States: Over 1,406,797 cases and 83,284 deaths in 50 states, 4 territories, and Washington, D.C.
• Worldwide: Over 4,334,874 million cases and 292,269 deaths in at least 204 countries and territories.

 

In the News

• Pelosi unveils $3 trillion coronavirus relief plan amid squeeze from left and right (Politico)
• Five takeaways as Senate panel hears from Fauci, Trump health officials (The Hill)
• U.S. Stocks Extend Fall as Dow Drops More Than 450 Points (Wall Street Journal)
• Trump pick to oversee COVID-19 money advances to Senate floor (Roll Call)
• Democrats move to allow voting changes for presidential convention amid health crisis (Reuters)
• More than 100,000 small businesses have closed forever as the U.S. pandemic toll escalates (Washington Post)

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Jeffrey M. Cohen, MBA
Director, Public Affairs & Marketing
INFORMS
jeff.cohen@informs.org
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