Reopening America

Coronavirus case counts continue to rise in many places as the country fights to contain the spread, but throughout the pandemic, there have been some bright spots in states’ responses. President Trump gave states the opportunity to call their own shots and some have been more successful than others. Speaking to public health experts and officials, Politico has a list of which states had the best pandemic response whether it is fighting the virus, managing the economic fallout, or getting kids back to school. Tucker Doherty, healthcare reporter at Politico, joins us for who did it best.

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The coronavirus pandemic has sparked a need for more plastic. Demand for everything from face shields, gloves, takeaway food containers, and even bubble wrap for online shopping has gone up, and with that demand it has severely set back the effort to recycle. This is happening as big oil companies are investing hundreds of billions of dollars to create new plastic. Companies that have made pledges to use more recyclable materials are even in a tough spot as new plastics are far cheaper than using recycled plastic. Joe Brock, special correspondent at Reuters, joins us for how the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the trend of creating more and not less plastic trash.

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Scientists are looking into what is becoming known as Covid brain fog. These are lingering symptoms of memory loss, difficulty focusing, dizziness and even grasping for everyday words. Some Covid survivors say that it’s impacting their ability to work and function normally. Pam Belluck, health and science writer at the NY Times, joins us for what to know about Covid brain fog.

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There was a time early in the pandemic where employers thought they would be relying on rapid response tests to get employees back to work safely. But as we have seen with recent events, testing alone won’t stop the spread of COVID-19. These tests were not designed to be used this way and is only one part of a full response plan. Aarian Marshall, staff writer at Wired, joins us for how and when tests should be used for returning to work.

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VICE News Reports launches October 15, 2020. With so much going on around the world and so many people telling you they have the definitive take on the news -- we bring you to the news so you can hear it for yourself. VICE News reporters and producers take you along as we travel across the globe to where it is all happening, right up to the frontline as a story is unfolding. Hosted by Arielle Duhaime Ross.

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Calling into question how long people are immune after being infected with COVID-19, we have a 25-year-old man that is the first American confirmed to have been infected twice with coronavirus. We know this is a reinfection because the virus was genetically different the second time around and his symptoms were also worse. Karen Weintraub, health reporter at USA Today, joins us for what we know about this reinfection.

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When will theme parks come back to California? Disney and the city of Anaheim is in a battle with the state to reopen Disneyland and get back to normal. Full guidelines on reopening have not been released, but we do know some of the requirements. The park would be limited to 25% capacity and restricted to visitors that live within 120 miles. The park is a huge economic driver for local businesses, but a balance must be struck in protecting the health of the public and employees. Tarpley Hitt, reporter at the Daily Beast, joins us for the fight to reopen Disneyland.

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To survive the pandemic, the restaurant industry has had to adjust and reinvent itself. While many can’t wait to get back into a buzzing restaurant, the reality is that it might still be far off. So restaurants are focusing on outdoor patio dining, takeout options, keeping menus smaller, and being creative in how to retain their customer base. At least 100,000 restaurants have closed in the past six months and the industry is on track to lose $240 billion. Tom Sietsema, food critic at the Washington Post, joins us for how restaurants are changing with the pandemic.

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The spooky season is here and Halloween is on a Saturday, meaning that in a normal year we would see parties and a lot of trick-or-treaters. But this is not a normal year and many parents are wondering whether they want to risk sending their kids out at all. Rudri Patel, contributor to The Washington Post, spoke to the experts and shares their advice on how to assess the risk of trick-or-treating.

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The CDC has updated its guidelines once again and finally acknowledged that COVID-19 can spread to aerosolized particles in the air. These particles can linger in a room and spread beyond 6 feet. While the CDC has said it can spread this way, they say it isn’t the main way the virus spreads. This all means that it is important to have proper ventilation inside and also wear a mask. Caitlin McCabe, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how these tiny air particles can spread the virus.

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