Good point by Nate Silver:

Then there's also that we have so many idiots like the kids in the East Village partying. No doubt not Trump nor GOP fans, but it doesn't matter. The overall independent spirit of the U.S. (give me liberty or give me death!) and public health projects are not a good match. We're probably better off with local governments in control, as scattered as the approach is, there's less ideology attached the lower down you go, less rebellion.

In the desperation to open, I really do wonder whether bigger business think through all the ramifications. I.E., those whose business relies on consumers who travel for pleasure and business, and not just locals. What do they think is going to happen when their county or state or country has raging epidemic numbers. Do they really think this through? Or are they thinking everyone's going to magically go back to the way it was?

Must be some interesting meetings of local business associations, arguments between those who realize the need to have coronavirus controls to get customers to come to the area-like hotels and rental cars--and those who could give a damn--like clothing stores and home servicing.

 Hancock County, Ga., a predominantly African American jurisdiction where most deaths have occurred in nursing homes, has the most rapidly growing Covid death rate in the country. McKinley County, N.M., and Hancock County are among the many low-income areas in the U.S. with swiftly growing death rates.

INSPECTION FAILURE — Thousands of nursing homes across the country have not been checked to see if staff are following proper procedures to prevent coronavirus transmission, Rachel Roubein and Maggie Severns write. Only a little more than half of the nation’s nursing homes had received inspections, according to data released earlier this month, which prompted a mandate from Medicare and Medicaid chief Seema Verma that states complete the checks by July 31 or risk losing federal recovery funds.

A POLITICO survey of state officials suggests that the lack of oversight of nursing homes has many roots. Many states that were hit hard by the virus say they chose to provide protective gear to health workers rather than inspectors, delaying in-person checks for weeks if not months. Some states chose to assess facilities remotely, conducting interviews over the phone and analyzing documentation, a process many experts consider inadequate. “It is not possible or believable that the infection control surveys accurately portray the extent of infection control deficiencies in U.S. nursing facilities,” the report states.

from Politico.com POLITICO Nightly: Coronavirus Special Edition for June 15

Also there see: thought you could get a job in the gambling industry? fuggeaboudit. It's more like: who is gonna pay for the kids' schools now?

Slots towns go bust — In January, 2020 was looking like it could be the sixth straight year of revenue growth for the U.S. gambling industry, especially after more states approved legal sports betting. In 2019, $10.2 billion was paid in gambling taxes to state and local governments.

The virus brought these dollars to a screeching halt, Myah Ward writes. The billions brought in by gambling to states and cities helps pay for education initiatives, health insurance programs, infrastructure and more.

Gambling destinations have been especially traumatized. Reno, Nev., saw 337,000 come through its airport, or 11,000 a day, in April 2019, Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve said. In April 2020, just 17,000 visited the “Biggest Little City in the World.”

In April last year, gambling revenue in the Reno area was more than $65 million, Schieve said. For April 2020, it was zero — with a nearly $80 million loss.

Rob Cashell, Jr., who owns three casinos in northern Nevada, and one outside of Carson City, spent almost $600,000 paying employees for six weeks before he furloughed them once he realized how long the shutdown would last. The state’s casinos shut down March 18, and were allowed to reopen June 4. In Reno, the family-owned Bonanza Casino had never before closed its doors during its 47-year existence, general manager Ryan Sheltra said.

It’s dire in Atlantic City as well, where casino operators are advocating for a reopening on July 4, historically the city’s most profitable weekend, said Jane Bokunewicz, a professor at New Jersey’s Stockton University and a former executive at Atlantic City’s Tropicana casino. The city where Donald Trump owned three casinos accounts for 20 percent of New Jersey’s tourism revenue.

In Biloxi, Miss., gambling accounts for upwards of 40 percent, or $20 million, of the city’s budget, Mayor Andrew Gilich said. He said it’s going to be hard to recover that money as the city scrambles to fill the hole.

Casinos nationwide have been reopening this month, following state and local guidelines. Cashell has seen signs of a promising rebound in Reno, but he worries his business couldn’t weather another shutdown.

“I've depleted all of our cash reserves, so I'm hopeful that between now and the end of the year we'll be able to rebuild those cash reserves and get back on our feet,” he said. “But if that shutdown were to come again between now and the end of the year at some point, I'm not sure what that would mean for us.”