From Orban to Kaczynski, Wannabe Autocrats Love the Pandemic

Andreas Kluth,Bloomberg•March 30, 2020


(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Like war, pestilence requires unusual measures, including some that curtail civil liberties. That’s also why aspiring autocrats, throughout history and all over the world, secretly love such emergencies. When, if not now and in the name of public health, is a better time to usurp total power, eliminate opposition and discreetly bury liberty?

Take, for instance, two wannabe dictators in the European Union, which fancies itself a club of law-abiding democracies. One is Viktor Orban, the prime minister of Hungary, a nation that he’s shaped into an “illiberal democracy,” in his own proud words. The other is Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the chairman of the ruling Law & Justice (PiS) party and de facto ruler of Poland. Both are using the Covid-19 pandemic as a flimsy pretext to establish dictatorships in all but name.

This week, Orban had his pliant legislature adopt an “empowerment law” (doesn’t that sound vaguely like an “enabling act”?). It lets Orban rule by decree, and without any time limit whatsoever. Jaw-dropping in its brazenness, the new law also allows Orban to suspend any previous law he doesn’t like and changes the criminal code so that Orban’s government can imprison anybody who in its opinion “distorts” facts. In effect, it’s a silent coup d’etat that leaves Orban’s power completely unchecked. All in the name of fighting the coronavirus, you understand.

Meanwhile in Poland, Kaczynski just rigged the electoral system so that his party’s candidate, incumbent Andrzej Duda, is sure to remain president in the election slated for May 10. That ballot shouldn’t be taking place in the first place: Poland is in lockdown, which prevents the opposition from campaigning, whereas Duda still travels the country and appears on PiS-controlled TV.


But Kaczynski wants the vote to happen, and also wants to know the outcome already. So, between 2am and 4:20am on Saturday morning, in a largely empty parliament where PiS has the absolute majority, he suddenly introduced 79 pages of amendments into an emergency law ostensibly targeted at the coronavirus. The changes, which alter the election rules to favour PiS, violate parliamentary rules and the constitution. Jerzy Stepien, a former president of Poland’s constitutional tribunal, called the move another step toward a “dictatorship in Poland.”

The EU could and should punish Hungary and Poland, but that would take unanimity, and Orban and Kaczynski, along with a few of their eastern European pals, have each other’s backs. So the only remaining checks on the two leaders would in theory be their own countries’ courts. Conveniently, however, both have spent years stacking them with loyalists. With their new powers, they’ll be able to make their judiciaries fully beholden to them.

Poland and Hungary are in a sense providing a user manual for creeping autocratic takeovers, and lots of eager students are paying attention. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has just staged his own sort of “coronavirus coup.” Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen has arrested opposition critics in the name of cracking down on fake news over the coronavirus. From India to Russia and Brazil, leaders seem quite enthusiastic about all sorts of drastic emergency measures that just happen to eliminate political nuisances. China’s Xi Jinping already has, of course; but he at least never pretended to be a democrat.

None of this is really new. Epidemics have put freedom-loving societies to the test at least since the plague struck Periclean Athens in 430 BCE. The difference is that today the tools of epidemiology are also potentially perfect instruments of totalitarianism. From China to Singapore and the West, governments are using or deploying artificial intelligence, facial recognition and social-contact analysis to trace the viral pathways. These same technologies can also turn into permanent surveillance for other purposes.

But who wants to seem “unpatriotic” right now, or to put lives at risk by saying no to containment efforts as the bodies mount? And yet, we must insist on limits if we treasure our liberties. At some point, this pandemic will recede. And when it does, the extraordinary measures to contain it must end as well. Otherwise, we will have survived one hell only to enter another.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its

Sierra Leone overturns ban on pregnant schoolgirls

BBC•March 31, 2020

Teenage pregnancy is an issue in many African countries

Sierra Leone has overturned a five-year law barring pregnant girls from going to school.

The ban was introduced in 2015 as schools reopened after the Ebola crisis, which saw a rise in pregnancies among school-age girls.

West Africa's top court ruled in December that the girls were discriminated against and their human rights violated.

Teenage pregnancy is a huge issue in Sierra Leone.


The UN children’s agency Unicef in a 2015 report found that 40% of girls are married before their 18th birthday

Young and pregnant in Sierra Leone


I was a teenage mother

Several rights organisations sued the Sierra Leone government at the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) court in May 2018.

The court ruled last year that the “discriminatory” policy had denied the girls their right to education.

Judges also criticised parallel learning centres that had been set up for the girls, saying it was “another form of discrimination” and ordered that they be abolished.

President Julius Maada Bio, who had come into office a month earlier, said in a statement after the December ruling that he was committed to "inclusion of every citizen” in his development plans.

There was an increase in underage pregnancy during the Ebola crisis, which left many girls vulnerable to sexual abuse and desperate for money.
Analysis: The stigma will continue

By Umaru Fofana, Freetown

Sierra Leone is a very traditional society. Many say much of the beliefs are misogynistic. It is a country where former President Ernest Bai Koroma refused to sign into law an abortion bill that was unanimously passed by parliament. Many activists say men are determining the future of women without regard to the women themselves.

Female genital mutilation is widespread, with an equally widespread resistance to stopping it by traditionalists. Any attempt to do so is resisted, with accusations of "foreign cultural interference".

During the Ebola outbreak in 2014 and 2015, the government closed all schools in order to halt the spread of the disease. Consequently, hundreds - some say thousands - of girls became pregnant. A 2010 policy of not allowing pregnant girls in school came to the fore. So the girls were shut out of school and not allowed to write their exams.

The policy received widespread public support and still does.

Memunatu Margao, a shop attendant in central Freetown, expressed disappointment with the overturning of the ban: "I will not allow my daughter to sit in class with someone pregnant - that's a very bad influence".

Asked whether she would keep her daughter in school if she became pregnant, the mother of two said emphatically: "No! She will stay at home."

But Education Minister David Moinina Sengeh described it as a great day for the children of Sierra Leone, and said the policy shift "was based on evidence and consultation with a diverse task force consisting of religious leaders, heads of schools and civil society organizations".

He said that "at a time of uncertainty, when schools are closing for what seems like an indefinite time for Covid-19, Sierra Leone is learning from its experience during the Ebola crisis".

A new policy of inclusion would apply to "all learners", while the government would also "engage communities to prevent teenage pregnancies", he added.

But many here believe that while the official policy may have changed, the stigma against pregnant girls will continue, so the girls may be kept out of school for a different reason.

The issue of pregnant girls going to school is also a big issue on the other side of Africa, in Tanzania.

President John Magufuli has defended the policy of banning pregnant girls from school, saying young mothers would be distracted if they were allowed back in school.

Coronavirus crisis creating new models of leadership, kindness for the future | Opinion
AMELIORATING CAPITALISM 
Shalom Saada Saar, Miami Herald•March 30, 2020


Coronavirus crisis creating new models of leadership, kindness for the future | Opinion

Crisis tends to produce more compelling leaders than do peaceful times. No wonder that, in ancient China, crises were always synonymous with opportunities. The current coronavirus pandemic is a case in point. In China, President Xi Jinping inspired a despaired nation by stating that the role of his government is “to do whatever it takes to save lives.”

It was a simple and authentic statement that spread hope. As a result, the Chinese people have followed the tough measures that the government put in place without panic despite the heavy loss of lives. Today by all accounts, China has contained the virus and slowly makes its way to normalcy.

Likewise, President Trump, for the first time since he took office, appears to be less self-centered, less critical and more sensitive to the growing pain and suffering of small business owners and the working people who live from one payroll to another. His more-humble demeanor and words, as well as his actions, are inspiring a nation to come together regardless of party affiliation. Not surprisingly, his public rating stands at an all-time high.

Effective leaders also are surfacing throughout the nation at all levels, from Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York to Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis. Mayors and other leaders such as Miami-Dade public schools chief Alberto M. Carvalho more than ever are demonstrating effective leadership.

Clearly, this is no time for politics. We must work together and collaborate across all groups and all states to get through this challenging phase’.

Chief executive officers of national companies are extending the utmost respect to employees, urging them to weather the storm and not worry about their future employment. Leaders of health services are working relentlessly, assuring medical services to all residents. University presidents communicate constantly with thousands of students, reducing their anxieties and assuring them that they will graduate despite the interruption.

Faculty throughout the country continue to teach over the internet, warming students’ hearts by showing empathy and concern.

Our revitalized leaders from all walks of life are balancing command and control with compassion and caring. They communicate consistently and, most of all, appear humble and more human. Hence, we are willing to follow their advice and appreciate their counsel and guidance.

This stands as a critical moment in our history. We have come to learn the power of unity and cohesiveness. When we get through this trying moment, lessons will have been learned and what seem to be destructive winds will be transformed into better organizations and a better society. We are in the midst of a fundamental social revolution that will affect the way we learn, work and treat each other.

I am witnessing a more mature, considerate and kinder nation. All of us are experiencing the beauty of spending more time with our families. We are calling our friends and loved ones to make sure that they are OK.

Unlike during previous epidemics and fuel shortages, we are demonstrating our true values as a great nation. The virus that knows no boundaries, in many ways, has brought out the best in us. May we sustain such attributes for many years to come and serve as role models and a shining beacon of light for future generations to see.



Shalom S. Saar is associate dean of executive education at the University of Miami Herbert Business School.

Black, Asian and Hispanic House caucus chairs unite in 'no tolerance' for coronavirus racism

Kimmy Yam, NBC News•March 31, 2020

FIRST THING I NOTICE IS NO ONE IS PRACTICING SAFE DISTANCING

The leaders of the congressional black, Asian and Hispanic caucuses gathered Monday to condemn the racism that the Asian American community is confronting during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The chairs of all three caucuses, as well as leaders of the full Democratic caucus, called for unity at a virtual news conference against increasing attacks against Asian Americans in association with the coronavirus. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, or CAPAC, said about 100 hate incidents a day have been directed toward those in the community, according to data from three hate incident reporting sites.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, chairman of the Democratic Caucus, said before addressing reporters' questions: "In times of crisis, it's important for us all to stand together. It's particularly important for leaders of every race, every religion, every background to raise your voices as we are doing today to make it clear we will not tolerate anti-Asian rhetoric or violence against the community."

Chu said at least 1,000 hate incidents have been reported since the beginning of the pandemic across the online reporting forum Stop AAPI Hate, a separate site led by OCA — Asian Pacific American Advocates and a third initiative spearheaded by Asian Americans Advancing Justice.

Leaders also took a stand against rhetoric that promoted the racist association between the disease and location or ethnicity, including terms like "Chinese virus" and "Wuhan virus," saying it could cause people to misdirect their anger and put Asian Americans in harm's way.

Previously, President Donald Trump had used the term "Chinese virus" multiple times, both during news conferences and on Twitter. However he abruptly shifted his tone last week, tweeting that "it is very important that we totally protect our Asian American community in the United States, and all around the world." He later said on Fox News that he doesn't regret having used the terminology but "decided we shouldn't make any more of a big deal out of it."

Answering questions from reporters, Chu credited a letter condemning the language, spearheaded by Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs with the involvement of "powerful" Republican and Democratic Asian Americans, for Trump's shift. However, she said, the change was "too little, too late."

"He continues to double down on that term, and his followers continue to double down on that term. What he should do is send a strong message to his followers to not say that. He should start with his task force," Chu said.

"Of course, there are the other people in his party that are in Congress that have continued to use that term, including our minority leader, Kevin McCarthy," she said. "So he should send the message directly to them if he really means what he said when he said 'Asian Americans should not be blamed for the coronavirus.'"

While the caucus chairs condemned the anti-Asian discrimination, they praised a resolution recently introduced by Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., that would condemn all forms of racism and scapegoating and call on public officials to denounce anti-Asian sentiment. The bill drew overwhelming support, with more than 120 co-sponsors.

"I'm so thankful for the fact that it's not only Asian American leaders that are condemning these attacks but leaders from all around the country, from different backgrounds," said Meng, vice chairwoman of CAPAC. "The AAPI community has benefited so much from the struggles and the achievements of the black, Latino and Native American communities."

Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, reminded listeners that the U.S. has a history of discrimination toward Asian Americans, starting with the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The legislation put a 10-year moratorium on Chinese labor immigration and was later extended with the Geary Act.

Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said: "These attacks are nothing new, unfortunately, in the history of our country at different points in time. White supremacy rears its head, and there have been attacks on one of our communities.

"And so, us standing in solidarity today, the Congressional Black Caucus, the Hispanic Caucus and CAPAC, that amounts to us continuing a historical tradition," she said. "I hope that we don't have to have this historical tradition forever."

THEODORE ROOSEVELT DEMOCRAT 

WELL AT LEAST A ELIZABETH WARREN DEMOCRAT AT THAT

Trump accuses hospitals of hoarding ventilators

WE DID NOT FAIL TO SUPPLY VENTILATORS THE HOSPITALS ARE HOARDING 

By Nandita Bose and Phil Stewart,Reuters•March 29, 2020

Trump orders ventilators, demands appreciation

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump accused hospitals on Sunday of hoarding ventilators that are in scarce supply across the United States as the coronavirus spreads, adding any hospitals not using the devices must release them.

Trump, whose critics have accused him of trying to deflect blame over his handling of the crisis, did not cite any evidence to back his accusation that hospitals were hoarding the devices. It was also unclear which medical facilities he was referring to.

"We have some healthcare workers, some hospitals ... hoarding equipment including ventilators," Trump said at the White House following a meeting with corporate executives, including from U.S. Medical Group.

"We have to release those ventilators -- especially hospitals that are never going to use them."

His remarks came just two days after Trump invoked emergency powers to require General Motors Co to build much-needed ventilators for coronavirus patients after he accused the largest U.S. automaker of "wasting time" during negotiations.

Trump was more upbeat about GM on Sunday, saying the auto giant was "working very hard."The Trump administration has been under pressure to ramp up the production of ventilators, which are essential to saving the lives of patients who develop complications with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, estimated in an interview with CNN on Sunday that the pandemic could cause between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths in the United States.

Speaking earlier on Sunday, Dr. Deborah Birx, a member of Trump's coronavirus task force, told NBC television's "Meet the Press" program that the administration was asking U.S. governors and mayors to know "where your anesthesia ventilators are."

On March 25, Trump issued an executive order to prevent hoarding of essential medical equipment to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, including ventilators and masks.

The executive order authorized the U.S. government to directly target hoarders, who can be criminally prosecuted.

But with the infection rate rising rapidly, Reuters has documented shortages of vital protective equipment in hospitals in hard-hit New York, where healthcare workers are hiding supplies such as facemasks from colleagues in other departments.

As supply chains break down or delay delivery of vital equipment, nurses say they are locking away or hiding N95 respirator masks, surgical masks and other supplies that are prone to going missing if left unattended for long.

(Additional reporting by Jan Wolfe and David Shepardson; Editing by Daniel Wallis)

Nearly Half of Gen Z and Millennial Respondents Don't Consider COVID-19 Pandemic Very Serious, According to New Survey

PR Newswire•March 31, 2020


SAN MATEO, Calif., March 31, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A new national survey from Swytchback, a leader in mobile visual surveys, found that nearly a quarter (23%) of Gen Z and Millennial respondents consider COVID-19 not at all serious, not very serious or mildly serious, and only about half (51%) consider it very serious. The survey of more than 20,000 men and women between the ages of 16 to 30 years old examines young people's perceptions of and knowledge about COVID-19, and identifies areas for improved communication and education to help prevent its spread. The survey was conducted in partnership with Tap Research.

The findings show that many Gen Zers and Millennials continue to have significant knowledge gaps concerning the coronavirus pandemic. Other topline findings from the survey include:


More than a quarter (26%) of respondents did not know there is no current cure for COVID-19.


14% of respondents did not know that asymptomatic people can spread the virus.


Only 40% of respondents knew that the virus can also sicken 20 to 54 year olds to the point of hospital care.

Despite the gaps in knowledge highlighted in the findings, the free form responses to the survey reflect concern among most respondents, especially for their family members.

Swytchback created and flighted the mobile info-survey in response to the current coronavirus crisis, as companies around the world do what they can to help. Swytchback leveraged its unique ability to quickly engage young people with a visually rich mobile study to address reports that Gen Zers and Millennials are not practicing social isolation, which can lead to severe delays in containment. The survey simultaneously assesses respondents' knowledge and educates on best personal practices for preventing the spread of COVID-19, based on CDC recommendations.


"Swytchback runs an innovative mobile-base insight platform for companies to engage hard to find consumers including Millennials," said Bruce Bower, Swytchback founder. "We wanted to help during this crisis, and it was clear to us that we could use our platform to understand information gaps while educating about the virus and containment. Our goal is to work with the CDC and other government organizations to monitor the state of young people throughout the crisis."

Swytchback continues to help address the crisis through its educational survey. The survey remains open and available on the Swytchback home page and live results are available here.

About Swytchback™

Swytchback is a unique survey solution that boasts completion rates that regularly exceed 90% and provides immediate access to high-quality, highly actionable insights data. Our patent-pending platform leverages a mobile optimized, visually focused and gesture driven format to allow you to engage and delight even the hardest to reach audiences. For more information, visit swytchback.com or follow the company on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

About the survey

Swytchback launched the COVID-19 survey on March 20, 2020 and since then, more than 20,000 men and women between the ages of 16 to 30 years with a profile to match US census have taken the survey. The mobile survey – the "Swydget" – has been shared 793 times and has generated a 97% completion rate.

For more information please contact info@swytchback.com
Cision

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SOURCE Swytchback, Inc.

Movie Theaters and Concerts Could See Major Attendance Drop Post-Pandemic (Study)

By ADAM B. VARY 

Adam B. Vary

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After a month of increasing anxiety and self-isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic, audiences in the U.S. are largely not eager to return to public events once the crisis subsides, according to a new study.

In a survey of 1,000 consumers in the U.S., 44% of respondents said they would attend fewer large public events, even once they are cleared by the CDC, with 38% saying they’d attend about the same number, and 18% saying they’d attend more. And 47% agreed that the idea of going to a major public event “will scare me for a long time.”

The study was published by Performance Research, a sports and events research firm, in partnership with Full Circle Research Co.

The news for movie theaters was particularly grim, with 49% of respondents saying it would take a few months to never for them to return, and 28% saying that they will attend movie theaters less often once they’re safe. While 15% of respondents said they plan on going to the movies more often post-pandemic (and 58% said their attendance won’t change), the net effect suggests an alarming erosion of theatrical returns that theater exhibitors and studios alike can ill afford.

Major indoor concert venues, indoor sports venues, and — of significant interest to the Walt Disney Company — theme parks appear to be the hardest hit by the pandemic, with 56%, 51% and 50% of respondents respectively saying it would take anywhere from a few months to possibly never for them to return, even after they’ve been deemed safe. A third of respondents further said they plan to attend indoor sports venues and indoor concert venues less often after the COVID-19 epidemic has subsided.

Outdoor parks and beaches, outdoor sports venues, and zoos and aquariums appear to be the least affected, with 64%, 56%, and 55% of respondents respectively saying they would return right away or within a few weeks.

Even for those who do say they will return to public venues, however, the possibility of catching a pathogen will be front of mind: Two-thirds of respondents said their concern over the cleanliness and sanitation of venues and restrooms will be higher than prior to the pandemic; 65% stated concern for the cleanliness of food service areas; and 59% said they will be concerned about crowds and their general proximity to strangers.

The news isn’t entirely bad, however: 46% said they will value going to public events more than they did before, and 53% reported a “pent-up desire to attend the events I love” once the pandemic is over.

A vast majority of respondents — 66% — said the decision by major sports organizations to suspend public events was “about right.”

The study, which has a margin of error of 3%, drew from consumers in Full Circle’s research panel, who were surveyed between March 23 to 26 — when the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. nearly doubled from 43,667 to 83,836. The number of confirmed U.S. cases currently stands at over 184,000, as of Tuesday afternoon.

Todd Spangler contributed to this report.

A shutdown - but not for government: how US federal employees provide vital services
TRUMP MAY NOT BE BUT THE GOVERNMENT IS...WORKING

While Washington appears to have come to a grinding halt, more than 2 million federal workers across the US continue to provide vital services

Joan E Greve THE GUARDIAN Sun 29 Mar 2020
 

A significant percentage of government employees are still reporting to their place of work while public health experts urge Americans to stay at home. Photograph: Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images


White House tours have been canceled; Capitol Hill hallways are mostly empty; the Smithsonian museums have been closed. Washington DC, like much of the rest of the country, appears to have come to a grinding halt as America grapples with the coronavirus crisis.

But government goes on. More than 2 million federal employees spread out across America are continuing to provide vital services to keep the country running amid the crisis, often putting themselves in harm’s way to do so and dealing with previous decisions by the Trump administration that are hampering the effort.

How US governors are fighting coronavirus – and Donald Trump

The Trump administration has told federal agencies to postpone “non-mission-critical functions” to mitigate the spread of the virus, but a significant percentage of government employees are still reporting to their place of work while public health experts urge Americans to stay home.

“There are hundreds of thousands of federal workers that are still going to work today, and they have the same kind of concerns as any other worker in other sectors of the economy,” said Randy Erwin, the national president of the National Federation of Federal Employees, a union representing government workers.

Many of those government employees still reporting to their posts are unable to shift to working from home due to lack of equipment or the nature of their jobs.

For example, the Department of Defense, which reported its first coronavirus-related death on Sunday, employs many workers who retrofit critical military equipment like tanks. Hundreds of thousands of healthcare professionals working for the Department of Veterans Affairs will also need to continue caring for veterans as they contract coronavirus.

A number of those federal workers have expressed concerns about their safety, as many workplaces go without personal protective equipment to limit their risk of becoming sick. “You’d be shocked at how ill-prepared a lot of federal agencies are with even the basics,” Erwin said. He described one work site that didn’t have soap in the bathrooms, even though public health experts are recommending frequent hand-washing to mitigate the spread of the virus.


For the hundreds of thousands of federal workers who have desk jobs, the shift to telework amid the pandemic has not always been seamless. The Trump administration has tried to limit telework at multiple government agencies, after the Obama administration made efforts to expand remote working opportunities. The policy shift appears to have left the government without much of a broad strategy for how to keep federal employees working while they cannot safely go to their offices.

Some employees lack government-issued laptops, and concerns have been raised about the virtual private networks (VPNs) employees use to connect to government networks while working remotely. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency at the Department of Homeland Security warned in a memo earlier this month that the VPNs expose more technical “vulnerabilities”, which can be “found and targeted by malicious cyber actors”.

The agency also noted the “limited number of VPN connections” could prevent some employees from working remotely, urging senior officials to update and test VPNs to prepare for mass usage.

“I think it is obvious from the lack of equipment that our federal government was caught completely with its pants down,” Erwin said. “It’s not as easy as flipping a switch and shifting to telework.”

Moe Vela, who served as the director of administration and management to former vice-president Joe Biden, said the Trump administration had missed opportunities in the months and years leading up to the coronavirus pandemic to prepare for such a crisis.

“Our government was severely delayed in many ways in their response to the pandemic,” Vela, now chief transparency officer of TransparentBusiness, said. The former White House official noted the government “tends to operate somewhat like a dinosaur”, so federal agencies are often slow to implement beneficial changes to long-standing systems, which may have cost the Trump administration some critical time in responding to the pandemic.

“However, I do not think it’s irreparable, and it can be addressed,” Vela added. He argued the government needs to move quickly to implement a robust teleworking policy that would allow more employees to avoid public transportation and offices, limiting the spread of the virus.

As the country’s largest employer, the federal government could be setting an example on how to responsibly continue operations amid the pandemic, Erwin said. “The federal government should be a leader in these things, and telework is one of the primary ways that you can still get business done while respecting the guidance on social distancing,” the union president said.

But Donald Trump appears eager to resume normal operations, saying on Tuesday that he wants the country “opened up and just raring to go by Easter”. The comments raised concerns that federal employees who have been able to work remotely will be forced to return to their offices while the pandemic is still raging.

“If in the near term they make a shift to bring people back to work, I can promise you federal employees will be extremely concerned for their safety,” Erwin said. “And I can promise you that as the union representing them, we will fight that with every fiber of our being.”

Having served on the White House emergency preparedness council, Vela urged the president to defer to public health experts, who have warned the country may need to adhere to social distancing practices for at least several more weeks. “Please stop prescribing. Just facilitate and coordinate,” Vela said of Trump’s approach to the crisis. “That’s what the role of the federal government is, to keep our citizens safe, and you’re not keeping people safe when you don’t listen to the experts.”

---30---

Designers fabricate masks, shields and swabs to battle COVID-19

by New Jersey Institute of Technology

Justin Suriano and Daniel Brateris try on a face shield they designed and fabricated in the Makerspace at NJIT. Credit: New Jersey Institute of Technology

As emergency response teams in the region scramble to acquire dwindling medical supplies to combat the surge in COVID-19 (coronavirus) infections, diverse members of the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) community—from engineers to physicists to advanced manufacturing specialists to students—are designing and fabricating devices to help address the shortfall.


After consulting with emergency room physicians on specifications, a team in the Makerspace at NJIT designed and manufactured a prototype of a face shield that can be used by various emergency workers. The front of the mask is a long piece of clear polycarbonate plastic, while the frame is made from HDPE plastic—the material used in plastic milk bottles—which pathogens have difficulty clinging to. The shield covers most of the face and is held in place by a simple strap. It can withstand even industrial grade cleansers.

"Our goal was to build something as cleanly as possible that is easily sanitized and reusable," said Daniel Brateris, director of experiential learning at NJIT's Newark College of Engineering (NCE). Cutting the masks with lasers from sheets of plastic, rather than 3-D-printing them, allowed the effort to avoid the "little cavities that develop when objects are built up layer by layer," he said.

By early April, the team plans to send a batch of 100 shields, put together in safely spaced assembly lines, to New Jersey state agencies for testing. While requests for supplies have begun flowing in at a steady clip, NJIT didn't wait for them, said Moshe Kam, NCE's dean.

"We have the capability, so we started to work on designs, make prototypes and see who could use them," Kam said, adding, "As we are working on these face shields, other efforts have been launched."

The Makerspace team is working with a group from a public hospital in Michigan on a field ventilator for short-term use for patients waiting for standard ventilators to become available. They also are reviewing a request from a hospital in Ohio to make specialized vent filters.

"As long as this crisis continues, the Makerspace at NJIT will be fully dedicated to the design of prototypes, making and testing of these prototypes, and delivery of ready-to-manufacture designs of needed devices to industry," Kam said.

NJIT's fabricators are collaborating with researchers, including as part of NJIT's partnership in the New Jersey Alliance for Clinical and Translational Science (NJ ACTS) led by Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, on studies that will, for example, better elucidate the rates and risk factors for transmission of SARS-CoV-2 among health care workers.

NJIT physicists John Federici and Ian Gatley and their team are developing a swab that will be used in a study at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences that seeks to characterize the factors related to viral transmission and disease severity in a large healthcare system, both in healthcare settings and in health care workers' households. The swabs, which are mostly 3-D-printed, will be used to collect serial biospecimens over a six-month period from a cohort of 500 health care workers and 250 age- and sex-matched staff members outside of clinical settings, all from within the same health care system.

"As COVID-19 spreads rapidly around the world, health care workers are the frontline of defense and highly vulnerable to acquiring the infection. In this sense, COVID-19 poses a double threat, endangering lives not only through its effects on the body and immune response, but through its potential to devastate workers essential for treating the sickest infected patients," said Rutgers University's Reynold Panettieri, the program director of NJ ACTS. "Our long-term goal is to protect the health care workforce caring for SARS-CoV-2-infected patients, their families, communities and the general population."

Procuring supplies for a research study, however timely and focused, has been an enormous challenge. "It is critical to do this sort of study right now, while the pace of infections is growing and the need is most time-sensitive," noted Federici, director of NJIT's Additive Manufacturing Laboratory (AddLab), which develops innovative manufacturing techniques in conjunction with embedded electronics.

Answering the call from a local emergency room physician, NJIT's Albert Dorman Honors College sponsored a design competition for both face shields and masks. Students were directed to follow CDC guidelines to ensure regulatory compliance and to use specified materials, and nearly two dozen took up the challenge. The winner of the face shield contest, whose design was approved by a regional medical system, produced more than 500 shields that were delivered to the Valley Hospital in Ridgewood. The winner of the mask competition sent 100 triple-cotton masks to Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan.

With requests flowing in, the Honors College is following up with a competition to build shields and masks for local emergency responders and other area hospitals as well.

The Makerspace at NJIT is central to both the university's hands-on learning mission and its growing relationship with New Jersey's manufacturing community. Students and faculty use it on a daily basis to create devices for research experiments, club team contests and research capstone projects, among other ventures. But it also is available to industrial partners to participate as mentors, trainers, and instructors, for companies to collaborate with students and faculty members on research and development projects, and for employees to receive customized training tailored to their needs.

The equipment inside ranges from small 3-D printers to large industrial machines such as an additive metal 3-D printer that uses powdered stainless steel to print parts, an optical scanner that effectively digitizes real life objects, enabling reverse engineering, and a continuous fiber 3-D printer that is capable of depositing strands of carbon fiber, fiberglass or Kevlar inside 3-D-printed parts, to add considerable strength. Labs across the campus, including the AddLab, also design and create prototypes for novel devices.

"Traditional factories are designed to manufacture specific products at very large volumes, while additive manufacturing labs are much more versatile. We instead fabricate whatever is required as the need arises, in much smaller amounts," said Samuel Gatley, the AddLab's senior additive manufacturing technician. "One day, we might make face masks and the next day, swabs."

NJIT labs also are donating supplies. In the early days of the regional surge in coronavirus cases, researchers emptied their closets of hundreds of gloves, goggles and gowns to donate to the Essex County Office of Emergency Management.

"As we respond to COVID-19, while keeping the well-being of students, faculty and staff at the forefront, NJIT is still operating. We are rethinking our approaches and making difficult decisions in real-time, from moving all our classes online, to carrying out our business functions remotely, to conducting our research computationally and sharing our laboratory supplies with our local community," said NJIT Provost Fadi Deek.

He added, "More importantly, NJIT is leading and collaborating with partner universities and government agencies to contribute to the collective fight against the coronavirus by rapidly developing in our additive manufacturing and prototyping facilities swabs, shields and masks, as well as other medical devices, to deliver into the hands of doctors and nurses."