IT IS OUR HIGHSCHOOL GRADUATION!! that is one of the biggest milestones in our lives. we dont deserve to have that taken away! help us so we can all resolve this is a better way than a “emailed” diploma.

The coronavirus is a pandemic emergency and should be considered a national emergency in the United States. The piecemeal attempts to control the spread by local or scattered state mandates is not effective. The whole nation must be involved. The coronavirus does not respect borders. If the national government refuses to make the guidelines a national mandate, we need to pressure the state governors into doing that for it. We are all in this together.

As of March 31, 2020, there are 100 reported cases of COVID-19 in Lubbock. Yesterday there were 41 cases. Depending on the level of testing, there will be many more reported cases by the end of the week, probably approaching 200 and counting. This number is arrived at by taking the number of new cases since yesterday 36, and adding it for each day until Saturday. This is a simplistic estimate that will certainly underestimate the true number, since this assumes that the growth won't increase each day but instead remain constant. This is an underestimate since, in exponential growth, the rates increase depending on the previous rate (so the growth rates are not constant). Further, the people who are being tested are those who have the most severe symptoms, leading to the reported cases underestimating the true cases. Many asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic cases of COVID-19 have not yet been tested. This implies that the growth rate, which depends on reported cases, is an underestimate of the true growth rate, so COVID-19 is spreading more rapidly in Lubbock than we currently understand. Lubbock hospitals are exemplary and have substantial resources prepared to handle this pandemic, however, the growth rate is larger than we hope and may soon inundate the hospitals. Whether the hospitals can handle a large number of cases or not, it is still a good decision to protect their resources available to fight the virus. This is best done as a community by sheltering in place for a longer period of time, so as to reduce the number of cases the hospitals need to care for. This preserves the resources needed to safely care for the patients as well as the doctors and nurses working on the front lines. It is a difficult decision to order a shelter-in-place for a longer period of time when there is hope that such an order isn't needed, since it could appear to be a greater measure than what is necessary. However, by not ordering a shelter-in-place for a long enough time, the virus will spread beyond control so that other actions cannot rectify the situation. The longer the order is extended, the better. This is an opportunity for Lubbock to emerge as a leader in West Texas on how to combat COVID-19, and protect the wonderful people and healthcare workers in the city.

Donald Trump just told Fox & Friends outright: he doesn’t want to make our elections more accessible to eligible voters. Why? Because, according to him, “You'd never have a Republican elected in this country again.” That’s right -- the President of the United States openly admitted that he doesn’t care if Americans are denied one of their most fundamental rights in our democracy… as long as it benefits him and his party. Trump made this shameless remark in response to the House’s efforts to include crucial reforms, like expanded vote-by-mail and increased early voting hours, in Congress’ latest COVID-19 stimulus bill. These reforms are essential to protect voters during this global public health crisis -- and to ensure nobody loses their voice in our democracy this year. But Trump has made it clear that he doesn’t care about preserving our rights and defending our nation’s values. He cares about his party’s chances of winning. We must show Donald Trump just how wrong he is: EVERY eligible American should be able to vote, no matter who they want to vote for. Add your name to condemn the president’s remarks -- and urge Congress to pass the reforms voters need to cast their ballots safely this year.

We are unbelievably upset by the decision to host the graduating class of 2020 Commencement events online. This is incredibly unfair and feels like a slap in the face to not only the seniors who have worked hard and put in a tremendous amount of time and hard work to get to this position, but to the supporting families who have spent a fortune for us to even be at this school in the first place, as well. This ceremony is not only for us but for the families who have continuously supported us AND this institution. We understand the current events occurring in the world are out of your control. However, this decision completely discounts our experience, especially in regards to the Commencement Concert. A virtual Commencement concert is not realistic or ideal and does not encapsulate our experiences at this college. This concert is a culmination of all the work we have individually put into our different crafts. It is our final chance to perform together as one graduating class and show that we are ready to take on the music industry within whatever route we choose to pursue. There is no reason why, when things return to a normal state, the school cannot host the exact same caliber of event as they have in previous years. We have earned it and deserve to be celebrated.

The problem of overloaded hospitals can be solved by moving mobile hospital units around the country where they are needed. It is not a matter of flattening the curve. We are already too late for that. Call for Mobile Hospital Units!

During this stay home order we are only supposed to be shopping for life sustaining supplies. Lotto is NOT life sustaining. It puts my team and myself at risk. It puts customers shopping for life sustaining supplies at risk.

I am the father of two kids under 6 and husband to a tenure-track professor at The College of New Jersey. On Friday, March 27th, in the middle of a global pandemic of COVID-19, my wife went to get the groceries we need at the Wegmans in Nassau Park Pavilion located in West Windsor Township in order for us to continue to shelter at home until it is safe to end social distancing. It was a shocking experience. Wegmans had very few COVID-19 precautions in place. There were no limits on the number of people entering the store. There were no ways to sanitize the shopping carts. Workers were not wearing protective gloves or masks, nor were they practicing social distancing except at check-out. No one else in the store was practicing social distancing. This is an immediate health risk to both customers AND workers. There is no excuse for this. Other stores are doing this right now. The West Windsor Trader Joe's is doing everything Wegmans is not. They limit the number of people in the store at any one time. They sanitize the carts. They enforce social distancing. And it's not just Trader Joe's. Other Wegmans stores in the chain ARE taking these measures. At least one store in Northern Virginia is also taking all the measures described above. Tell the General Manager of the Nassau Park Pavilion Wegmans to immediately implement all COVID-19 safety measures including limiting customers, sanitizing carts and check-out lanes, providing protective equipment for workers, and enforcing social distancing throughout the store, especially during re-stocking. Tell the Health Officers for West Windsor and Mercer County New Jersey to immediately order this Wegmans store to implement these health measures. UPDATE April 2, 2020: I want to be clear that Wegmans corporate guidelines for COVID-19 are very clear and very good, including a number of actions around pay and sick days that prioritize their employees' well-being. But how the social distancing and sanitizing guidelines are being implemented on the ground leaves a lot to be desired. On this point, Trader Joe's is a model. Wegmans' Princeton store can and should do better in meeting their responsibilities in this moment. You can see what Wegmans corporate guidelines are here: https://www.wegmans.com/news-media/press-releases/wegmans-response-to-covid-19-2/

The United States is one of the world’s top importers of wildlife, representing an estimated 20% of the global wildlife market. By capturing, trading and slaughtering wildlife, humans are spreading disease and driving species like pangolins toward extinction. It has to stop now. Wildlife should never be commodities, especially when the trade puts species at risk of extinction and us at risk of disease outbreaks.

Las Vegas has approximately 150,000 hotels with a homeless population of approximately 5,286, as reported by their survey in 2019. There is more than enough room among those hotels to house those who are suffering from homelessness. These people being forced to stay in the streets and in parking lots are human beings. They deserve to have a safe place to stay at all times, but especially in the middle of a global pandemic. Show Las Vegas and the rest of the country that this treatment of those suffering is unacceptable. Demand they open up their hotels for those without homes.

Because it is spreading the Covid 19 virus. It is dangerous. Over 500 health care workers have tested positive.

IT BREAKS MY HEART TO HEAR SOMEONE BEG FOR FOOD CHILDREN ARE STARVING & I JUST CAN'T SIT BACK AND DO NOTHING