New daily state figures show a total of 45,054 Covid diagnoses since March, including 657 since Tuesday. Cumulative fatalities rise by 71 to reach 4,250.
(Graphic: Michigan Department of Health and Human Services)
Nearly half the total deaths and more than one-third of all cases are from Wayne County, including Detroit. -- which have nearly 17,600 cases and almost 2,000 deaths.
For all of the three-county Detroit region, the figures now are 30,976 cases (including recovered patients) and 3,409 deaths.
State parks decision coming
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is expected to announce Wednesday whether Michigan state parks will be closed, along with businesses, in an effort to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. A ruling would apply to Belle Isle, which was temporarily closed twice over the weekend due to overcrowding.
On the state’s west side, Grand Haven State Park has been shut down, closed to vehicles, because of overcrowding. In northern Michigan, the Tippy Dam recreation area is completely closed. ...The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) already announced all state park campgrounds will be closed through at least June 21.
Cooler weather is expected this weekend.
Starbucks to brew again
If you've missed your macchiato, good news: Area Starbucks stores are going to start reopening.
The coffee chain announced it is reopening the 85 percent of their U.S. locations this week using a “monitor and adapt” strategy in the times of COVID-19.
According to a news release, cafes will reopen on a store-by-store basis and have modified operations to make sure the health and well-being of employees and customers are prioritized.
To find out if your local is open, use the company's store locator.
No stopping Cinco de Mayo
An impromptu Cinco de Mayo parade broke out last night on the holiday, growing from the seed of a teacher drive-by in Southwest Detroit.
Freep columnist John Carlisle was there:
Before long, hundreds of people along the way were enjoying a parade after all — in a year when no parade was supposed to happen here.
Instead of elaborate floats, here before them rode a string of cars decorated in colorful, cardboard signs and streaming ribbons. Instead of full marching bands, here were honking horns and someone’s stereo blasting as best as it could. Instead of local dignitaries, here was the social studies teacher.
Finally, the parade took over Vernor, the route of the canceled main Cinco de Mayo parade. By now it had become a spontaneous celebration beyond its original scope, a brief flash of happiness in the midst of all the dreariness. Traffic in every direction was brought to a stop as the little parade of teachers went through. And the drivers who were stopped by it started honking their horns and waving too.
It only lasted half an hour, but the celebration was felt by all.
JetBlue Suspends Detroit Flights Through September
JetBlue is suspending flights to Detroit and 15 other airports through Sept. 30 because of the coronavirus, WDIV reports.
In its request to the U. S. Department of Transportation, the airline noted “that there is extremely low demand" at the airports.
One-quarter of Detroit workers 'essential'
One clue to the pervasiveness of Covid-19 in Detroit may lie in this data point: Fully a quarter of Detroit workers are considered essential, and are working on the front lines, "risking their lives to help keep critical services running," The Detroit News reports.
The paper analyzed U.S. Census data and found:
More than two-thirds are women, and more than half have children in Detroit, according to an Associated Press analysis of census data in the country’s 100 largest cities. It looked at those working in six industries: grocery, public transit, delivery and warehouse, cleaning services, health care and social services.
In Detroit, nearly a quarter of front-line workers live in poverty and 12% report not having health insurance, suggesting many work with little to no safety net. The workers come from an area that mirrors Detroit's boundaries but includes residents from a few surrounding communities.
What's more:
More than a third of Detroiters working on the front lines are older than 50, but almost half of those working in public transportation are over 50.
