Good afternoon, this is the KBOO news update.
The revered British medical publication The Lancet today praised Chinese efforts to disseminate information about COVID-19 and blasted President Trump for lying. Trump had published an attack on the World Health Organization's Director-General, claiming the WHO had failed to investigate the spread of the disease in China. The Lancet wrote QUOTE “This statement is factually incorrect; The Lancet published no report in December, 2019, referring to a virus or outbreak in Wuhan or anywhere else." The Lancet also said allegations leveled against WHO in Trump’s letter were “serious and damaging” to efforts to strengthen international cooperation to control the pandemic, saying QUOTE “It is essential that any review of the global response is based on a factually accurate account of what took place in December and January."
At least one hundred and thirty-eight people have died in Oregon after being infected with coronavirus. Yesterday the Oregon Supreme Court reversed a conservative Baker County judge's order countermanding Governor Kate Brown's stay-at-home mandate, so that for now, the set of mild quarantine measures for Oregon residents remains in effect. In other Oregon coronavirus news, crowds are arriving at the beaches as The Oregon Health Authority reported Monday that there are 62 new confirmed coronavirus cases and two presumptive cases, so that despite restricted and irregular testing in Oregon, positive and presumptive cases are at 3,687. In the US, there are more than 90,000 dead officially, with the actual number of dead sharply higher, and at least 319,000 have died across the globe.
Union power continues its roaring resurgence this week as six packing houses in the Yakima Valley face strikes for personal protective equipment and sustainable wages. Familias Unidas por la Justicia and individually led strikes have been mounted at Allan Brothers, Monson Fruit, Matson Fruit in Selah, Frosty Packing, and Columbia Reach Pack in Yakima, according to the Yakima Herald. The Guardian reports strikes among truck drivers in El Paso, Texas,and writes QUOTE "similar protests were held by truck drivers in southern California, Arizona, Sacramento, California, Lansing, Michigan, Washington DC, and Chicago, Illinois, over decreased freight rates and working conditions during the pandemic. Strikes hit the clothing manufacturer American Apparel and fast-food purveyors including MacDonald's.
The KBOO news hour begins at 5PM, be there! You have been listening to a KBOO Afternoon News Brief, I'm Theresa Mitchell.
- KBOO