Protect our children from COVID

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The Michigan Senate Education Committee advanced a series of bills that would bar local school districts from requiring masks and other measures to keep students and educators safe, denying schools the basic tools that are needed in order to keep their children in attendance and healthy.

Schools, as reported by A2D2-Ann Arbor inDivisible Dems, are placed in a difficult position. If infection rates get high enough that closing would be considered, under the new education budget rules, the schools could lose their state funding if 75% of students in a district aren’t in attendance for 180 days.

Eli Savit masked while holding vaccination card

A Full COVID-19 Recovery Requires Investment in People by PEG Guest Contributor Eli Savit

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Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, government entities, community leaders, and schools in Washtenaw County worked together to slow the spread of the virus and distribute the vaccine. More than 60% of Washtenaw County residents over 16 years of age have now received at least one dose of the vaccine. This public health achievement is in no small part due to the efforts of these groups to expand access and locate pop-up clinics in schools, churches, and community centers. Cross-sector collaboration allowed the county to overcome traditional barriers in serving the hardest-to-reach communities.

Amid threats and political pushback, public health officials are leaving their posts

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Public health workers, already underfunded and understaffed, are confronting waves of protest at their homes and offices in addition to pressure from politicians who favor a faster reopening.

More than 20 health officials have resigned, retired or been fired in recent weeks “due to conditions related to having to enforce and stand up for strong public health tactics during this pandemic” states Lori Tremmel Freeman, chief executive of the National Association of County and City Health Officials.’

Call the Governor to release Michigan state prisoners at risk of COVID-19

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The best way to manage the COVID-19 challenge in Michigan’s prison system is to release as many people as possible as soon as possible. It can be done quickly, without compromising public safety, and in the best interest of public health. To save lives, it is imperative that the Governor act immediately to expand who is eligible for parole, expand the use of her commutation powers, expand parole boards, and expedite the review of wrongful conviction cases in front of the conviction integrity unit.

The United States Postal Service

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It is urgent that Congress and the White House fully fund the United States Postal Service in the next stimulus bill. Private companies won’t deliver to certain remote areas — and, right now, the Postal Service is delivering lifesaving medications and food, supporting voting by mail-in primary states and helping other services necessary for our nation to continue to operate.

Image from Blac Detroit

Disproportionate: Over half the Covid-19 cases and 60% of deaths are in black counties

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Researchers at Amfar (Foundation for Aids Research) and Emory University led a study that included several other institutions to track disproportionately black counties, i.e., where black people constituted more than 13% of the population, in four southern states. Among their findings is that underlying health conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes, are not the primary case of disparities.

‘Working to Save Democracy’: Postal Service Reaffirms Policy of Delivering Mail-In Ballots Even Without Postage

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Common Dreams explains that the United States Postal Service (USPS) has been hit hard by the decline in mail volume resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, and the agency remains hindered by a congressional mandate requiring it to fund its retirees’ health benefits through the year 2056. Read to learn how you can help save the post office.