A campus employee has tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the second confirmed case at the university. The staff member is currently at home following the city’s self-isolation guidelines, according to an April 17, university-wide email by Leticia Gutierrez-Lopez, the associate vice president for Student Health and Wellbeing.
The employee was last on campus on April 3 before feeling ill on April 6. The university has notified individuals who may have had close contact and has disinfected the locations visited by the employee.
However, CPP will no longer be alerting the campus community with further positive test results, according to the email.
“Going forward, as testing for COVID-19 increases in the region and statewide, we expect that more people may receive a positive test result,” Gutierrez-Lopez said in the email. “However, we will no longer send mass notifications to the entire campus community when it does not apply to the overwhelming majority of people.”
International Monetary Fund.
SARAH HAN | THE POLY POST
For students experiencing an unforeseen crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Broncos Basic Care Needs Program is offering housing and financial resources.
Short-term emergency housing, which will provide a maximum of two weeks of housing, is available for enrolled students experiencing shelter insecurity. The application to request emergency housing is posted on the CPP Basic Needs website. The Poly Post reached out to Judy Crawford, the care services coordinator for the Broncos Care Basic Needs Program, regarding the emergency housing options, but a response was not received in time for publication.
Students currently enrolled and in need of financial assistance can also apply for an emergency grant, a one-time payment of up to $500. Applicants must be able to provide proof of financial need by submitting necessary documentation. For further inquiries, contact the Care Services coordinator at basicneeds@cpp.edu or visit the Basic Needs website to apply.
To comply with state orders, all essential university workers reporting to campus are required to wear a face covering as of April 16, as announced by the Division of Administrative Affairs on April 14.
The campus police will be distributing reusable face coverings at the Parking Information Booth until April 24 between 7:30-10:30 a.m. each day. To receive a face covering, campus employees will need to drive up to the booth and present their Bronco ID number. Masks are limited to one per person.
On a national level
There are now more than 2 million COVID-19 cases worldwide, with the United States accounting for more than 30% of those cases. According to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, there are 755,533 confirmed cases and 40,461 deaths in the U.S. as of April 19.
The economy has taken one of the biggest hits since the Great Depression, triggering a global financial crisis. According to Gita Gopinath, the chief economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the “magnitude and speed of collapse in activity … is unlike anything experienced in our lifetimes.”
In a statement released April 14, Gopinath stated that global growth is expected to fall by 3% in 2020, which is significantly larger than the 0.1% drop during the 2009 Global Financial Crisis.
Assuming the pandemic will fade in the latter half of 2020 with measures taken to prevent widespread bankruptcies, the world economy is projected to rebound with 5.8% growth in 2021.
With businesses remaining closed, around 22 million Americans have filed unemployment claims since March 14, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. CPP Economics Assistant Professor Kellie Forrester explained that the U-3 unemployment rate measures the number of people without a job who are actively searching for employment as a fraction of the labor force.
This statistic, however, “doesn’t always tell the full story of what is going on in the labor market,” she said.
The unemployment rate is unaffected when people switch from being full-time employees to part-time for economic reasons and will be considered employed in both instances, according to Forrester. However, the unemployment rate will drop if those actively searching for a job become discouraged and drop out of the labor market.
In March, the number of discouraged workers and the number of those who have switched to part-time jobs for economic reasons increased drastically.
“Things are worse than the rate would suggest,” Forrester said. “It’s important to pay attention to other labor market statistics to get a full picture of what is going on in the economy and not just the unemployment rate.”
For the U.S. to get past the crisis as a nation, Gopinath emphasized the need for exceptional policy actions. “Countries should continue to spend generously on their health systems, perform widespread testing and refrain from trade restrictions on medical supplies,” she said.
Contradicting the recommendations by the IMF, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on April 14 that he is halting funding for the World Health Organization (WHO), accusing its role in “severely mismanaging and covering up” the magnitude of the virus.
A day after Trump’s announcement, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus responded by saying that he regrets the president’s decision, as the organization “works to improve the health of many of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people.”
Among the many disapprovals of Trump’s decision to withdraw valuable resources in fighting the virus, Rep. Nita Lowey (D-White Plains, N.Y.), congresswoman and chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, reinforced the importance of putting aside personal biases to work for the common good of the American people.
“I hope the president will see the need to use all avenues to defeat this virus. If not, Congress will ensure that the United States government will,” Lowey said in a press release issued April 14.
During a press briefing on April 14, Trump also announced his plans to reopen the economy by May 1, which Dr. Anthony Fauci, health expert for the White House Coronavirus Task Force, clarified is overly optimistic.
“We have to have something in place that is efficient and that we can rely on, and we’re not there yet,” Fauci told the Associated Press.
Amid concerns of health officials, President Trump on April 16 released new federal guidelines to reopen the economy.
Governors will determine when and how to implement the plan accordingly.
Under the first phase of the three-phase guideline, large operations — including dine-in restaurants, theaters and sporting venues — will be allowed to reopen under appropriate distancing protocols.
On a statewide level
In California, there are 28,963 confirmed cases and 1072 deaths as of April 17, according to the California Department of Public Health.
On April 14, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the key indicators that would guide the state’s decision to lift the stay-at-home order.
Though Newsom clarified that there is no precise timeline to make modifications, the six indicators for making the decision will include “the ability to monitor and protect (the) communities through testing … ability of hospital and health systems to handle surges … (and the) ability for businesses, schools and child care facilities to support physical distancing.”
California will also be the first state to provide payments to undocumented immigrants that are suffering from the pandemic. The state will offer $500 for individuals and up to $1,000 for households that were left out of the $2.2 trillion stimulus package, Newsom said during a press briefing on April 15.
On a local level
In Los Angeles County, there are 12,963 confirmed cases and 600 deaths as of April 19, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
City officials announced the extension of the stay-at-home order until May 15, urging residents to continue to practice social distancing.