Marshall Makes Necessary Budgetary Adjustments

[Marshall, Texas, April 27, 2020]

[Marshall, Texas] As the City of Marshall prepares for the full effect of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and its impact on city revenues, the city will furlough eleven full-time and five part-time employees within destination-related city departments currently impacted by COVID-19 community safeguards. To further the savings, the city intends to freeze the hiring of any open positions within all City of Marshall departments.

The City of Marshall is utilizing furloughs to protect the city’s financial condition yet maintain a level of support to employees impacted, through no fault of their own.

In addition to the furloughs, the city is reducing total expenses utilizing Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) Funds, some $250,000 from the 2020 budget.

City Manager Mark Rohr said, “We hope these adjustments are temporary, but we have got to keep a close eye on city revenues to make sure we meet our obligations. We will continue to monitor the fallout to determine if further modifications are necessary to meet the essential city services to citizens and our debt payments.”

In 2020, the City of Marshall will have a debt payment due to $362,000 for Memorial City Hall. A significant budget shortfall in HOT funds could cause a default on that debt payment and further impact the taxpayers of the City of Marshall. Rohr added, “These moves are an attempt to prevent that from occurring.”

It is imperative for the City of Marshall to get on the front end of this financial shortfall as we have already seen a projected 50% reduction in HOT Funds from March and a 10% reduction in sales tax for April. We anticipate the sales tax revenue and HOT revenue to drop further in the coming months based on the community COVID-19 safeguards implemented. “Ultimately, our goal is to be proactive to stabilize our budget and maintain the highest quality of city services, while impacting the fewest number of employees,” stated City Manager Mark Rohr.

THREE C’S

By George Smith

Three C’s that drive the Trump administration’s policies and agenda:

Consternation.

Chaos.

Cray-cray.

The president, the Exalted Whim Master, creates chaos for his staff, party and the nation with his serial dishonesty, constant mental meddling in medical matters and his belief that the world’s richest country can be run like a reality television show. His erratic actions have angered long-time allies around the world and have caused more in-White House turnover of key staff members than pancakes at a Waffle House.

Those that blindly follow this mental-breakdown-waiting-to-happen will, at some level (if they are attached to reality at any level) will have a WHOA! moment, a blast of clarity when they realize the man they once believed was ordained by God to be president is, in fact, on the downhill side of cray-cray.

The diagnosis is in … Trump is a sociopath with delusions of grandeur, a man devoid of normal human emotions. Unable to show empathy, he has, in his words and actions, placed dollar signs and stock market numbers ahead of human life.

Those that believe COVID19 is a hoax or akin to the regular flu and that the president is the best person to deal with the pandemic are delusional fools

If almost four years under the switcheroo policies of this president and his cast of boot-licking lackeys has not taught citizens that ABT (Anybody But Trump) has to be the choice in the 2020 general election, there is no hope to salvage their mental stability.

There is nothing the president can do to salvage his reputation as the worst president in the country’s history.

Those who voted for him in 2016 still have an opportunity to “come to the light”, so to speak, and right a historical General Election mistake by choosing a reasonable choice for president in November rather that the political equivalent of the “Seed of Chucky”.

In your heart, you know it’s time. Past time, even.

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Marshall and Harrison County Heighten COVID-19 Response

[Marshall, Texas, April 24, 2020]

The City of Marshall and Harrison County have remained on alert to safeguard the health of our community members as we face the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic together. To that end, the Marshall Police Officers, Health Inspector, and Fire Marshal have been on inspections to verify compliance with the Amended Declarations of Local Disaster and Public Health Emergency Due to a Communicable Disease. While it is their goal to ensure that everyone remains peaceful and follows the orders, the Marshall Police Department has made numerous warnings and three arrests due to significant violations. The Fire Marshal has also issued multiple warnings and closed nonessential businesses who failed to agree to close.

The City of Marshall and Harrison County asks all residents and businesses to follow the CDC, Governor Abbott’s Executive Orders, and Local Declarations of Local Disaster and Public Health Emergency Due to a Communicable Disease. Your health, the safety of your family, and the stability of our economy are our highest concerns. As your local government leaders, we cannot accomplish these goals without your immediate compliance. The Marshall Police Department, Harrison County Sherriff’s Department, the Health Inspector, and the Fire Marshal will continue inspections with warnings, fines and jail time if orders are not followed.

At the request of the Emergency Management Team, the City of Marshall and Harrison County request all businesses in Harrison County implement the following two guidelines. First, businesses should assign a safety monitor at the entrance to maintain social distance, to ensure that best-hygiene practices are in place and to limit the number of shoppers entering the store. Second, businesses should limit occupancy within their stores to 5 persons per 1000 square feet, with a maximum of 450 people. This maximum number of shoppers shall be posted on the front door.

The City of Marshall and Harrison County have seen a significant increase in positive COVID-19 tests in recent days. Therefore, The City of Marshall and Harrison County will work together to increase enforcement.

Third Amended Declarations of Local Disaster and Public Health Emergency Due to a Communicable Disease

The new local orders stipulate that retail establishments will be able to operate as “Retail-to-Go” as delineated in the Texas Governor’s Executive Order GA-16, effective April 24, 2020. “Retail-to-Go” was defined by Governor Abbott as a safe, strategic reopening of select services and activities in Texas. This order establishes a temporary “Retail-To-Go” model that will allow select retail outlets in Texas to reopen beginning Friday, April 24. Under this model, reopened establishments are required to deliver items to customer’s cars, homes, or other locations to minimize contact. Customer admittance in the store will not be allowed under this provision.

In addition, the new local orders will require every Harrison County food establishment to have all employees wear a face mask at all times. In transactions with customers, cash handling functions and food serving functions are also required to be handled by separate employees.

Citizens are urged to follow following the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) national guidelines, Executive Orders by Governor Greg Abbott and the Local Amended Declaration Local Disaster and Public Health Emergency Related to Communicable Disease.

1. Restrict physical contact and publicly used areas.

2. Maintain Social Distancing with a safe distance of six (6’) feet between individuals.

3. Every person in Texas shall avoid social gatherings in groups of 10 or more per Executive Order of Governor Abbott.

4. Residents should not visit nursing homes, retirement, or long-term care facilities unless to provide critical assistance.

5. Per the CDC, people shall avoid eating or drinking at bars, restaurants, and food courts, or visiting gyms or massage parlors. Residents may still utilize drive-thru, pickup, or delivery options through the Executive Order.

6. Regularly wash hands with warm soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

7. Avoid touching eyes, nose, or mouth.

8. If soap is not available, use at least a 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

9. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. All persons should remain in the home if one person in the house exhibits symptoms.

10. Only one adult should conduct essential errands from the household. Other family members should remain sheltered at home.

11. CDC recommends wearing a cloth face mask in public. The mask will fit snugly, be secured with ear loops, and be able to be laundered and machine dried often. A mask should not be placed on children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or unable to remove the mask without assistance. A mask with multiple layers of fabric should allow for breathing without restriction. The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators as those critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and first responders.

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I WISH, I WISH, I WISH

By George Smith

I hate wishing for things that WILL NOT happen, but in this case I’m going to wish for it anyway.

I wish upon a star that Michelle Obama would agree to be Joe Biden’s choice for vice president.

Hoot and holler and laugh if you will, but adding her to the ticket would ensure Donald Trump would be a one-term, disgraced, impeached-for-eternity president.

That woman on the ticket would solidify every segment of the Democratic Party — true-blue party loyalists, women and minorities, and a goodly number of Republicans (men and women) dog-tired of the Trump shenanigans, lies and foibles.

Intelligent-cubed, scandal-and rumor-free, the former First Lady would excite the Democratic base like no other candidate.

And, she is the perfect fallback for any voter concerned about Biden’s age or overall health.

She won’t take the job; she’s already been in that public bubble for eight excruciating years. And, as the “most admired woman in America” several years running, she simply does not need the hassle of being hassled throughout a months’-long presidential campaign.

She won’t take the job. Or…would she if she believed her addition to the ticket would be the only way to oust Trump from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?

And, wouldn’t it be a certified YeeHaw moment to witness a debate between her and uptight Mike Pence? Now, that would be a Pay-for-View moment in TV history.

Shoot, I’d bet dollars to donuts that the current FLOTUS, Melania Trump, would vote for a Biden-Obama ticket…anything to get out from under the microscope of living in the White House.

Com’ on, Michelle. Give the country a little love. Sign up on Uncle Joe’s team.

Take one for the team!

Experience in Spain

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City of Marshall Third Amended Declaration of Local Disaster April 21, 2020

[Marshall, Texas, April 21, 2020]

City of Marshall and Harrison County Release Third Amended Declaration of Local Disaster and Public Health Emergency

[Marshall, Texas] In a joint effort, the City of Marshall under the authority of Mayor Terri Brown and Harrison County under the direction of County Judge Chad Sims announce today, that both have issued a Third Amended Declaration of Local Disaster and Public Health Emergency Related to Communicable Disease. These orders are released in compliance with Governor Greg Abbott’s Executive Orders GA-15 and GA-16 advanced on Friday, April 17, 2020.

In addition, the new local orders will require every Harrison County food establishment to have all employees wear a face mask at all times. In transactions with customers, cash handing functions and food serving functions are also required to be handled by separate employees.

The City of Marshall will perform a second round of inspections to verify proper implementation of all regulations.

Under the Third Amended Declaration of Local Disaster and Public Health Emergency, residents of the City of Marshall and Harrison County are still requested to shelter at home while still allowed to perform essential duties for their families. These duties may include obtaining medical supplies, visiting a health care provider, obtaining supplies they need to work from home, grocery shopping, engaging in outdoor activities while maintaining social distancing, and to perform work defined as an essential service. Citizens at a high risk of illness from COVID-19 and people who are sick are urged to remain in their residence except to receive medical care. Guidance on the Essential Critical Infrastructure workforce may be found at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (version 3.0 dated 4/17/2020).

The City of Marshall Emergency Management Team will continue to meet with leaders from Harrison County, Marshall – Harrison County Health District, CHRISTUS Good Shepherd Health System – Marshall leaders to monitor this evolving situation on an ongoing basis and provide notices to residents.

The City of Marshall and Harrison County urge all resident to use best practices to safeguard themselves and their families from the coronavirus (COVID-19).

1. Restrict physical contract and publicly used areas.

2. Maintain Social Distancing with a safe distance of six (6’) feet between individuals.

3. Every person in Texas shall avoid social gatherings in groups of 10 or more per Executive Order of Governor Abbott.

4. Residents should not visit nursing homes, retirement, or long-term care facilities unless to provide critical assistance.

5. In accordance with the CDC, people shall avoid eating or drinking at bars, restaurants, and food courts, or visiting gyms or massage parlors. Residents may still utilize drive-thru, pickup, or delivery options through the Executive Order.

6. Regularly wash hands with warm soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

7. Avoid touching eyes, nose, or mouth.

8. If soap is not available, use at least a 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

9. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. All persons should remain in the home if one person in the home exhibits symptoms.

10. Essential errands should be conducted by only one adult from the household. All other family members should remain sheltered at home.

Experience in Spain

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Marshall Begins Mosquito Spraying

[Marshall, Texas, April 20, 2020]

The Public Works Department will begin its spraying program this week to combat the number of mosquitoes in the area after recent rains.

With the recent heavy rains and warmer temperatures, Marshall has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The City of Marshall is actively addressing the issue by spraying the entire city twice a month until cooler temperatures arrive in the fall.

“The City of Marshall has recorded over eighteen inches of rain the first three months of the year, so the ground is saturated and there’s standing water everywhere which breeds mosquitos,” Public Works Director Eric Powell, PE, said.

The spraying program involves driving every street in the city and spraying with an Ultra-Low Volume machine that produces an ultra-fine mist of mosquito killer. The ultra-fine mist is not harmful to humans and pets. The ultra-fine mist allows tiny droplets to drift over a much larger area than will be sprayed. The spraying zones will remain the same from 2019, but the time will be changed to 8:00 – 11:00 p.m. The spraying occurred in the early morning hours in 2019, but research has shown city-wide spraying to be more effective in the evening hours.

The spraying isn’t just for the mosquitoes; it’s also for the diseases and viruses they carry. All residents should take proper precautions to avoid being bitten. “We urge citizens to enjoy their outdoor areas and use common sense,” Powell said. “Wear a mosquito repellant, consider adding mosquito repellent plants to your landscape, and don’t open windows unless they have screens on them.”

“To combat this issue, we are asking residents to help the entire community to reduce and eliminate standing water on private property.” Marshall has numerous creeks and drainage ditches and almost all are privately owned as they run across private property, neighborhoods, and subdivisions.

Powell urged private owners and their neighbors to take action and work together to eliminate any unnecessary standing water which serves as a breeding ground for mosquitoes. “If there’s standing water, try to eliminate it. Fill it with dirt or turn it over if there’s an object holding water,” he said.

“It’s a hard battle if we don’t have help from residents,” he said. “As long as we have warm weather reports, we’re going to continue to spray for mosquitoes.”

If there’s an area that’s badly concentrated with mosquitoes, Mr. Powell asks residents to call the City of Marshall Public Works Department so they can double up on spraying in that area. For more information or if an additional application of spray is needed in an area, call the Public Works office at (903) 935-4485.

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CORONAVIRUS INFO PROVIDED BY DR. JIM HARRIS – 4/17/2020

April 17, 2020

Harrison County reports 36 COVID-19 cases

COVID-19 cases increase slightly in Caddo, no new deaths reported

What’s Happening With Remdesivir?

(A CAUTION TO A HOT STORY AND RUN ON THE MARKET TODAY)

Editorial: We know who really decides when Texas gets back to work. It’s not President Trump or Gov. Abbott.

CDC REPORT FOR 16 APRIl

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

PRO CYCLIST DELIVERS MEDICINE

MARSHALL WOMAN MAKES HUNDREDS OF FREE MASKS FOR THOSE IN NEED

AT WAR: NATIONAL GUARD CONSIDERATIONS

If you are having a bad day, don’t read the rest of this.

STATISTICAL MODELS AND CONSIDERATIONS:

Influential Covid-19 model uses flawed methods and shouldn’t guide U.S. policies, critics say

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Covid-19 model (IHME) is what the U.S is using to make many decisions. Many, many, (most?) statisticians consider the IHME model badly flawed and inaccurate and dangerous.

Caution Warranted: Using the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation Model for Predicting the Course of the COVID-19 Pandemic (ANNALS OF INTERNAL MEDICINE)

“Major policy decisions need model input, but models are valuable only to the extent that outputs are transparent, are valid, are based on accurately documented sources, are rigorously evaluated, and yield robust and reliable projections.”

“… but countries that have flattened death curves earliest may not provide a basis for extrapolating trends in areas where similar control could prove elusive.”

“… The model rests on the likely incorrect assumption that effects of social distancing policies are the same everywhere and that suppression policies will be implemented in all regions and will remain effective throughout.”

*J. Harris note: I never knew much about statistics, and I don’t expect politicians to know much about them either. Today, I include articles with criticisms of some U.S. efforts and statistical guesses. I’d like to see more open discussion about our statistical model (IHME) before we guess wrong and relax our vigilance too early or incautiously. I hope that medical and political leaders will be very, very, very cautious in their decisions making and not get in too big a hurry. I’d rather see the U.S. make people unhappy rather than dead.

In addition, the Chinese count of deaths is now known to be maliciously inaccurate and might further invalidate the IHME.

COVID-19 in the USA: a question of time

*J Harris:This is the British medical view of what has happened in the US and does not necessarily reflect my views. If you are feeling edgy, don’t read it. I am not interested in political squabbles.

COVID-19 exacerbating inequalities in the US

More British opinion. I have included it because of the mention that many of our rural hospitals closed or were acquired by large hospital corporations because some states refused to accept the Affordable Care Act Medicaid. Rural America is lucky that we aren’t too crowded but unfortunate that definitive medical care is lacking in many rural areas.

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CORONAVIRUS INFO PROVIDED BY DR. JIM HARRIS – 4/16/2020

April 16, 2020

NORTHEAST TEXAS CASE COUNT

On the bottom right of the page that comes up, select “News and Updates” which gives you’re the current C-19 count for counties to the west of Harrison County.

Caddo, Bossier coronavirus update: COVID-19 cases rise to more than 1,300 , deaths hit 71

FROM JOHNS HOPKINS 15 APRIL:

TEMPORAL DYNAMICS OF VIRAL SHEDDING A Brief Communication article published in Nature presents analysis on temporal trends in viral shedding in COVID-19 patients. The study included data from 94 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients in Guangzhou, China—including 414 total throat swabs taken as long as 32 days after symptom onset—to analyze trends in SARS-CoV-2 viral load.The study also included information on 77 identified transmission events, from both inside and outside China, to analyze SARS-CoV-2 transmission dynamics. The researchers observed high viral load in COVID-19 patients immediately after symptoms presented, which tapered off over a period of approximately 21 days. The researchers concluded that the viral load could potentially peak around the time symptoms present, or possibly slightly earlier. Based on the viral load data and case data from the 77 transmission events, the researchers estimated that 44% of the transmissions occurred during the index case’s pre-symptomatic period and that COVID-19 patients become infectious 2.3 days before symptom onset, with a peak in infectiousness around 0.7 days before symptom onset. The study does not evaluate transmissibility of individuals with asymptomatic infection, and the viral load data may not directly correlate to an individual’s degree of infectiousness. Additionally, the article notes that clinical treatment could affect viral load in COVID-19 patients.

COVID-19 IMPACT ON KIDNEY FUNCTION There is growing evidence that COVID-19 can have serious effects on organs far beyond the lungs. Respiratory distress and failure is perhaps the most recognized clinical presentation in severe COVID-19 patients, but patients are also experiencing damage to the heart, kidneys, central nervous system, and other parts of the body. In particular, kidney failure among COVID-19 patients resulting in increased demand for dialysis and continuous renal replacement therapy. This could be due to a variety of factors, including the treatments used to care for COVID-19 patients or a “cytokine storm” (i.e., overwhelming immune response that can also damage organs and tissues), but there is also preliminary evidence that the damage could be caused by the disease itself. Additional data and research are needed to fully characterize the clinical progression and manifestation of COVID-19, but it appears that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can infect a variety of cells and result in a broad scope of symptoms and damage.

More than 9,000 health-care workers in the United States have tested positive for covid-19

April 13, 2020 Pharmacologic Treatments for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

This is a long, detailed Journal of the American Medical Ass. (JAMA) article of more interest to medical people than civilians, but it looks like a very thorough review which, unfortunately shows no pharmacological help yet. The entire article is available:

“Conclusions and Relevance: The COVID-19 pandemic represents the greatest global public health crisis of this generation and, potentially, since the pandemic influenza outbreak of 1918. The speed and volume of clinical trials launched to investigate potential therapies for COVID-19 highlight both the need and capability to produce high-quality evidence even in the middle of a pandemic. No therapies have been shown effective to date.”

Tech companies step up fight against bad coronavirus info

A Scientific American article about immunity. Readable.

What Immunity to COVID-19 Really Means

Prominent scientists have bad news for the White House about coronavirus antibody tests

COVID-19 poised to hit Americas nations with more force

Gen. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, directly addressed ‘rumor and speculation’ that COVID-19 is a made-in-China weapon of war.

“At this point it’s inconclusive, although the weight of evidence seems to indicate natural, but we do not know for sure…”

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What A Long Strange Trip It’s Been – Feb. & Mar. 2020 — Morocco

What A Long Strange Trip It’s Been – Feb. & Mar. 2020 — Morocco

I left home for Madrid, Spain on 28 Jan. 2020. I picked Nancy up at the Casablanca International Airport, Morocco on 22 Feb.

I believe everyone is in agreement that our world has changed in the last two months. For those traveling like us the change presented challenges, worries, options to discuss, fall back plans and decisions.

2 Feb 2020 an email I wrote: “I am not saying to do nothing but a student at AZ State U wants to cancel classes, etc. and more people died of measles, flu, car accidents, gun deaths, etc last year and no one thought this was a pandemic and the President and at least one Secretary told us this isn’t an issue.” (My underline today not at the time of my email.)

The above is my reply to a short string of emails that I started. I can’t say I wasn’t aware of the C19 virus within days of leaving home. I will say it wasn’t for another month before I began to think the virus might not only impact our travels but the lives of friends and family.

Dec. 31 China confirms existence of a new virus.

Jan. 20 first reported case in U.S.

Jan. 22 China shuts down Wuhan

Jan. 22 trump: “We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China.”

I arrived in Madrid, picked up the 4Runner and drove northwest towards Segovia, Avilla, Salamanca, and the tiny village of Santa Cruz located in the Sierra de la Culebra. I left Santa Cruz for a night and morning in Ciudad Rodrigo before driving onto Toledo. Toledo to Marbella for new tires and hi-lift jack for the 4Runner. Broke the 4Runner’s new tires in with a short drive to a ferry from Spain to Morocco on 10 Feb.After new tires and hi lift jack were installed on the 4Runner I took a 10 Feb. afternoon car ferry to Morocco.

And 33 days later Spain declared a state of emergency due to the C19 virus. I left Spain and was unaware of any talk of the virus – 33 days later the country locks down!

On 22 Feb. I picked Nancy up at the Casablanca International Airport and we drove to Fez for a 4-day/5-night stay. Our travel plans were based on us staying in Morocco and the Western Sahara until late April – experience maybe the first week of Ramadan. Then take the ferry back to Spain for a month or more of spring wild flowers and birds. We were planning on returning home sometime in mid May to early June.

Feb. 23 Italy locks down – 50,000 cases.

Feb. 27 U.S. stock market crashes.

Feb. 29 First C19 death in U.S.

Mar. 10 Morocco records first C19 death.

We arrived in Marrakesh on the afternoon of 12 March. This was the day of our C19 virus awakening and the possibility of not going home anytime soon. We did the typical Moroccan check-in that includes a 30+ minute conversation with the owner. This was when we heard Morocco had at least one confirmed virus death, people were buying and hoarding toilet paper just like in the U.S. and Europeans had been told to book flights for home by their Embassies.

Our riad owner, not the U.S. government made us start to think the C19 virus was something we needed to investigate and understand. We both spent the remainder of the day and the next morning on the Internet reading as much as we could digest about the C19 virus. It quickly became apparent that the scientific and medical experts believed this was more than just a serious flu, it was a killer virus that has no medical cure and a vaccine is at minimum 12 to 18 months and maybe several years away from widespread distribution.

Mar. 11 trump holds an Oval office speech – we watched. Stock market futures crash over 600 points during his talk.

Mar 12 trump: “If an American is coming back or anybody is coming back, we’re testing, We have a tremendous testing setup where people coming in have to be tested … We’re not putting them on planes if it shows positive, but if they do come here, we’re quarantining.”

Mar. 13 Morocco suspends all flights & ferries to Spain, Italy, France & Algeria.

Mar. 13 I sent an email to several doctors and family: Do we stay or do we go? Consensus replies was: stay. It was felt things were worse in the U.S. than Morocco.

Mar. 14 Spain goes into lock down.

Mar. 14 Morocco adds 25 countries to its list of no flights but the U.S. isn’t on the list.

Mar. 14 I spent 6+ hours trying to find a flight out of Morocco to anywhere – no luck.

Mar. 15 Morocco suspends all international flights.

Mar. 15 Watched videos of the complete unpreparness of our federal gov. and the resulting total chaos for returning Americans at U.S. airports – decided we had better chance of not catching C19 virus in Morocco than returning to a U.S. airport.

Mar. 15 Watched VP Pence’s live briefing on NPR – I felt we were hearing scientific/medical facts.

Everyday Nancy and I were spending several hours on the Internet and then discuss “Should we stay or Should we go” (Take off of Clash song in 1981 – thanks to cousin Rick on bringing this to my attention and yes I own the CD.) It was always the last thing we discussed before going to sleep and the first thing we talked about in the morning.

We knew the C19 virus cases were rising exponentially in the U.S. But the U.S. is home, family is there, and overall medical care for those with Medicare is good and yes we are in that group of privileged individuals with government provided Medicare. Morocco has few cases, took action earlier than the U.S., has poor public health care but good private care hospitals but no one – family – to help us if both of us catch the C19 virus.

Mar. 15 Contacted U.S. Embassy by email and provided requested contact information for the two of us.

Mar. 16 Received auto response from Embassy telling us if we die call the emergency number and same if we go to jail – nothing about C19 virus or evacuation flights to U.S.

Mar. 16 Morocco shuts down all restaurants, tourist locations, etc.

We spent our day at our hotel but went out at 4:30 to get dinner and watched the city shut down from our outdoor restaurant table. About 5:40 I told Nancy it was time to pay the bill and head home – the restaurant staff was moving chairs and tables into the building.

We decided that it would be safer for us somewhere other than Marrakesh. I decided the safer place at least for the next week would be Taroudant. Taroudant is 3.5 hrs south; only 80,000 people and I booked a room outside of town.

At this point in time I am beginning to think we won’t be able to travel home until June and maybe later. No flights out of Morocco and only foreign government sponsored flights are allowed to land and pick-up their citizens. I am reading the virus will peak in April/May in the U.S. If the U.S. is to peak in April/May hopefully Morocco will peak earlier and be able to open its airports to at least a limited number of international flights by June. Therefore we have sort of resigned ourselves to a long stay in Morocco.

Since it appeared we were going to be in Morocco for several more months I began looking for additional places with small populations and off the primary tourist path to visit and hunker down for days, weeks or months.

On our arrival we made the mistake of driving down this street. Although later we were told Marrakesh was almost empty of tourist on the day of our arrival we did no more than three or four miles per hour due to foot traffic, horse carriages, bikes and taxis.

minute walk.

Our bedroom and then there is the large bathroom, the larger sitting room and the covered porch which is two-thirds the size of the above three rooms combined.

18 Mar – Washington Post, Forbes, NBC, WSJ, NYT, etc. report on stranded Americans in Morocco, Peru, etc. and no help from the U.S. government in getting these Americans home.

An email by me on the morning of 19 Mar:

“Come to Morocco plenty of food and toilet paper. Unfortunately no U.S. government in Morocco is helping U.S. citizens.

If you want to see the State Departments total disregard for helping U.S. citizens go to US Embassy Morocco and check out their twitter response and then read the replies (by American citizens). I believe the last twitter message from Embassy was 30 hours ago; UK updates every hour and has been flying people home for at least the last three days. Believe the U.S. ambassador was head of Automobile Association and doesn’t believe in climate change. Arrived in Jan. and haven’t bother to check to see if he is still here.

We took a very nice drive for about 4.5 hours. I touched an ATM and washed hands and took a gas receipt paper and washed hands. Sitting on our terrace and waiting for dinner in about three hours.

Stay healthy!”

During our drive we beat the rain home but the effects of the rain beat us the next day.

A second email by me on the morning of 19 Mar.: “Hiding out in Morocco.

Will come home when flights are available or should the gov/US Embassy get its act together. Other countries flew or are flying citizens home and giving hourly updates.

U S is recommending you try to fly to another country and at this time don’t think helping citizens fly home is necessary. Last BS embassy twitter is 30 hrs ago. DRAIN THE SWAMP, BABY!”

Nancy’s phone woke her up at 3:40 am. Friday 20 Mar. It was an email from the State Department notifying Americans in Morocco that there would be five flights beginning at 9:30 Friday morning or less than six hours from the time of the message. Nancy woke me up and I in a less than good humor got up and politely replied to the Embassy requesting two seats for the U.S. and providing all requested information on the two of us. I then notified family we were coming home. Then back to bed for more sleep.

We got up early and packed. I asked for our breakfast about 30 minutes earlier than our previously requested 9:00 am time. We let the owner know we were leaving and would not be staying another night with them (or more). Settled up our bill and tipped our English translator and more importantly very good cook.

We were out the gate by 10:00 am and that gave us five and half hours to make a three and half hour trip – as long as you don’t drive into a sinkhole.

I hit the hole with the front tire and said something like, “oh shit!” The rear tire sank up to the axle.

I opened the door and squeezed out of my seat to the ground, climbed up to the roof rack, open the storage box and threw down our shovel, then unlocked our traction boards and threw them down, climbed down and began digging.

Nancy volunteered to walk back to our hotel to get help.

The digging: the tire is in mud but less than a foot forward of the tire or back from the tire is dry almost concrete, rocky dirt. I am thinking I may get the mud away from the tire but don’t think my collapsible shovel is strong enough to penetrate the dry rock hard dirt. Don’t think I can create a ramp so as to place the traction boards under the wheel. Keep digging, Tom.

In the next 15 minutes I made damn little progress in getting us out of the hole. Nancy returned with the owner and his grounds man. They spent the next 20 to 30 minutes trying to pull us out with the owner’s Land Rover. No luck.

The grounds man called for a tractor. About 15 minutes later a small farm tractor showed up. First try – nothing. The grounds man and an on looker using someone’s pick and my shovel spent ten minutes digging and then the tractor tried a second time. I was in 4-wheel drive, the tractor was pulling and slowly I began to move – Yes, we are on dry ground!!!

Before I can pay for all this help – everyone was gone. Gone like in less than five minutes after I was out of the hole. Not a single person ever put their hand out, they just helped.

We drove back to the hotel. Dropped the grounds man off. But he wouldn’t let us leave until he has washed the mud off the 4Runner and cleaned our floor mats. I gave him money and asked him to spread it around to those who helped us. As is the custom in Morocco he refused the money but I told him the money was a gift for their generosity in helping us not a payment.

Out the gate and on our way again. Drove a little faster than the speed limit for the first hour. Then for the next two-hour we were on a 4-lane divided highway with a posted speed limit of 120 km/72 mph and I averaged a little more than 80.

We arrived at the airport and drove into the parking lot. Grabbed our bags, locked the 4Runner and began walking toward a very empty airport entrance.

I will state the Embassy people at the airport had everything in a very organized setup. First table you provide your name and they find you on a computer. They give you a promissory note to fill out and provided a pen. You fill out the form and drop your pen into a box – the pens are not reused. Next table an official checks your paperwork. This official then points you to the line to stand in for issuance of your ticket. We were a little surprised that we were flying British Airways rather than a U.S. carrier. Took us less than ten minutes in line before we were in front of a ticketing agent checked our bags and had our tickets handed to us. This was a very efficient ticketing process.

Our gate is A2 – middle far left in photograph. As you can see in the photograph not a lot of people at our gate and the other gates are not in use.

Our flight left about an hour late. I am guessing the flight was 60% or less full. We talked with one of the stewardesses for 45 minutes or more before and during the flight. She told us she was given only a couple of hours from notification at home to takeoff of the flight. There were almost no provisions on the plane – one water and one bag of nuts per person.

We landed and deboarded. We were met by a British Airway representative who passed out vouchers for a bus ride from and back to the airport. Took maybe three minutes to go through passport control. Five minutes to pickup our bags and then it was out the terminal doors to our bus. Less than ten minutes later our bus was on its way – and you were lucky if no one was less than three feet away from you. I will say it was a happy crowded bus and no one was complaining.

We arrived at a Radisson hotel. Stood in a line for a couple of minutes where everybody kept several steps away from the nearest person to them and then received our room number and entry card plus our dinner and breakfast vouchers.

Before we left our table for the dinner buffet I made a quick stop at the bar for two gin martinis up. We definitely are no longer in Morocco – (1) a bar is available and (2) the price of the martinis was about one sixth of our daily budget in Morocco. But after our day even a high priced martini didn’t bring our moods down.

I woke up the next morning and checked on our flight. Our flight was on British Airway not a U.S. carrier and to leave at 3:30 pm. We did breakfast and about 11:00 am caught the bus to the airport.

We stood in a very short line to check in. The British Airway agent asked for my name and I gave it to her. “Sir you don’t appear in our reservation system.” A couple of minutes later she finds William Allin which should have been Thomas William Allin. Five minutes later she has the name corrected and issues my ticket.

“Sir, your wife’s name.” Nancy answers with Nancy Melissa Key. “Hmm, I don’t see that name”. Five minutes later, “Sir do you have your ticket subs from yesterday’s flight?” I have no reason why but for one of the few times in my life if ever I say yes and hand our ticket stubs to her. Long story short, the agent spent 20+ minutes on the phone to someone and never let them hang up until she had printed a ticket for Nancy and handed it to her.

Our flight to Dallas was uneventful – just like I want every flight to be. Shortly after we boarded we were given a form to fill out and told to present it to some unknown person when we land. Deboarding was slow – they allowed 15 people at a time to get off. The person who collects our forms tells everyone we have been given the wrong forms, hands us new forms and we fill them out by using the jet way wall as a writing surface.

Once inside the terminal our forms are collected and we are told we are being requested to self-quarantine for 14 days – that’s it. No temperature taken and of course no test since the government still doesn’t have enough test for hospitals much less airports.

We pass through Pass Port control and into the United States. We were home.

Again, I must say as little help as the U.S. government and our State Department provided us the Embassy staff at the Marrakesh airport was very professional and friendly.

I can’t think of a time when it’s more important that factual information is provided from the President of your country than a worldwide pandemic or war. Individual citizens have to make decisions based on this information. If we had been provided factual information maybe we would have (or could have) left Morocco before Morocco shut down all international flights. Maybe we would have and maybe we wouldn’t have caught a flight out but I never had the opportunity to make this decision because of misinformation or no information.

I also want to state that even thought this pandemic virus is a complicated issue I felt the scientific and medical community provided easy to understand and straightforward information. My error was in not reading the scientific and medical information back in Feb. rather than waiting until early to mid March.

This debacle has been eye opener for me. I have always felt that our U.S. Passport provided a certain security other countries couldn’t provide their citizens and the backing of the U.S. government. I now know this is no longer a fact. Our Embassy diplomatic staffs no longer are able to provide timely information or assistance as quickly as other countries’ embassies.

We aren’t going to stop traveling but I now know I must rely on ourselves in times of trouble.

I hope everyone will get out and see the world. It’s a wonderful place to explore.

Tom Allin

CORONAVIRUS INFO PROVIDED BY DR. JIM HARRIS – 4/15/2020

April 15, 2020

MARSHALL: [Marshall News Messenger] No new cases reported for Harrison County; cases identified at Heritage House Senior nursing facility

[Marshall News Messenger] Christus Health begins testing to determine if people had COVID-19, have antibodies to fight virus

Lesson From Singapore: Why We May Need to Think Bigger

This article is worth a careful read. Basically, Singapore, a small city-state capable of tight monitoring (testing and contacts and cell phones), has had a “relapse” and have now had to shut things down tightly. They have gone from the most envied to just another country struggling and trying to figure out what to do and how to do it while remembering:

“All this sounds expensive. But consider that the cost of a shutdown is trillions of dollars. We clearly don’t want to do this again… if it costs a couple of hundred billion to avoid it, that may still be a relatively low price to pay.”

The letters to the editor are also interesting, some helpful. The bottom line is that we are not well enough to leave home yet.

Fort Worth: FWISD board votes to buy thousands of computers, hot spots for students learning at home

The purchase of 3,000 Chromebooks and 6,000 hot spots will cost nearly $2.5 million. Other school districts are making similar purchases.

Longview: There were no new cases of COVID-19 reported in Gregg County on Tuesday, according to Gregg County Health Administrator A.J. Harris. The case count remains 47.

New England Journal of Medicine.ICELAND STUDY:

Spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the Icelandic Population

Part of the study involved screening the population: “Although we asked participants who had respiratory symptoms that they described as more than mild not to participate in population screening, close to half the participants reported symptoms, most commonly rhinorrhea and coughing.….. Notably, 43% of the participants who tested positive reported having no symptoms, although symptoms almost certainly developed later in some of them….. Young children and females were less likely to test positive for SARS-CoV-2 than adolescents or adults and males. Whether the lower incidence of positive results in these two groups resulted from less exposure to the virus or from biologic resistance is not known. In other studies, investigators have found that infected children and females were less likely to have severe disease than adults and males, respectively.^”

^{My Comment: The Iceland studies will be exceedingly important as they progress. The population is contained and can be controlled. Travel can be limited. Their physicians and researchers are doing some elegant genetic studies of their population which may reveal genetic variations in susceptibility to this virus. Perhaps more importantly, they can rapidly and seemingly accurately detect genetic differences in the infecting viruses. The virus’ genetic patterns differ depending on the area a patient visited and became infected. Multiple mutations in the viruses are noted frequently.}

^{The virus’s genetic sequences and mutations might have significant importance in the development of functional vaccines. I do not pretend to understand modern virology or genetics, but I will attempt to” translate” what I can. JH}

^{Drug Evaluation during the Covid-19 Pandemic}

^{A readable explanation of how to scientifically perform and evaluate drug studies and medication treatments for our current epidemic and for the future:}

^{Excerpts: During a pandemic that is causing morbidity and mortality to grow exponentially, there is an understandable temptation to make unproven therapies widely available and not wait for rigorous clinical trial data. However, well-conducted randomized, controlled trials in these acutely ill patients can actually be carried out quite rapidly. Thousands of new patients with Covid-19 present for care each day and many can be (and are) quickly enrolled in pragmatic clinical trials. The most relevant clinical outcomes for evaluating these drugs — including death, hospitalization, number of days spent in intensive care, and need for a ventilator — are readily assessed and available within days or weeks……} ^{Rigorous premarketing evaluation of drugs’ safety and effectiveness in randomized, controlled trials remains our primary tool for protecting the public from drugs that are ineffective, unsafe, or both. It is a false dichotomy to suggest that we must choose between rapid deployment of treatments and adequate scientific scrutiny. For the Covid-19 pandemic and other pressing medical challenges, the health of individual patients and the public at large will be best served by remaining true to our time-tested approach to clinical trial evidence and drug evaluation, rather than cutting corners and resorting to appealing yet risky quick fixes. The pandemic will inevitably leave considerable morbidity, mortality, and loss in its wake. Damage to the country’s medication-assessment process — and the public’s respect for it — should not be part of its legacy….At least 25 drugs are under investigation for use in Covid-19, with 10 in active clinical trials. The first published major randomized, controlled trial of an antiviral drug combination (lopinavir–ritonavir) began enrolling patients in China just a week after the virus had been identified.5 Contrary to expectations, its results were negative, providing important clinical guidance….} ^{From the Program On Regulation, Therapeutics, And Law (PORTAL), Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston.}

MASKS FOR NY GROCERY SHOPPERS ???

WHY ROLLING CORONAVIRUS PATIENTS ONTO THEIR STOMACHS IS SAVING LIVES

A good summary article sent by Dr. J. Vassar.

We actually did this in back in the dark ages at Parkland Memorial Hosp. and tried other positions if needed (postural drainage) along with physical therapy (chest clapping) if indicated. JHarris

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