This 28 March 2020 video from the USA is called US Nurses Lacking Proper Protection Wearing Garbage Bags.
The Covid-19 crisis is undermining the global credibility of capitalism: here.
By Peter Lazenby in Britain:
Monday, March 30, 2020
Stand down all non-essential staff, transport union TSSA urges train operators
TRAIN operators should be forced by the government to stand down all non-essential staff for the duration of the coronavirus crisis, transport union TSSA said today.
General secretary Manuel Cortes called on the Department for Transport to order companies to stop requiring workers such as ticket-office and platform-gate staff to report for duty.
The union criticised the actions of “callous rail bosses on six-figure salaries working from home who are needlessly putting our members in harm’s way.”
Union sources told the Star that if the government ignores the call, TSSA may hold a strike ballot.
By Lamiat Sabin in Britain:
Monday, March 30, 2020
‘Benefits need reform to save at-risk groups’
100 organisations call for reshaping of universal credit for the disabled as Labour demands boost to C-19 safety net
URGENT changes should be made to the benefits system to protect disabled people and those who are seriously ill during the coronavirus pandemic, the Disability Benefits Consortium (DBC) says.
In a letter to Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey published today, the consortium of more than 100 organisations says that these groups are among those most at risk financially during the crisis.
Disabled people in work and parents of disabled children could lose out financially as a result of the state of emergency, it also warns.
By Ceren Sagir in Britain:
Monday, March 30, 2020
Union blasts government for putting private hire drives at risk by failing to impose heath standards
THE government was accused today of putting lives in danger by failing to impose health regulations on private-hire vehicles to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The United Private Hire Drivers (UPHD) union warned that a “deadly combination of mixed messages and poor safety guidance” from the Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport for London (TfL), together with “operator greed” on the part of firms such as Uber and Addison Lee, could put the lives of drivers and passengers at risk.
Last week, the DfT said drivers should not be “generally considered critical workers” but they might be “considered so on a case-by-case basis.”
By Lamiat Sabin in Britain:
Monday, March 30, 2020
Johnson showing ‘scary degree of incompetence’ if Trump‘s claim that he asked him for ventilators is true
Global Justice Now says it hopes the PM’s ‘desire to turn Britain into a US satellite state is not taking precedence over the urgent need to save lives’
BORIS JOHNSON asking Donald Trump for help in obtaining extra ventilators for coronavirus patients shows a “scary degree of incompetence”, Global Justice Now told the Star.
The campaigning group was responding to the US president’s claim that the Prime Minister had made a “plea” for him to help.
Mr Trump said that he called Mr Johnson after the latter had been diagnosed with coronavirus and asked how he was doing. He claimed that Mr Johnson’s first words to him were “we need ventilators.”
Spain goes into mourning as coronavirus death toll keeps rising around the world: here.
From daily The Morning Star in Britain, 30 March 2020:
Adidas decision to stop paying rent raises a stink in Germany
A ROW has erupted in Germany over corporate exploitation of emergency coronavirus measures after sportswear giant Adidas announced it would not pay any rent while closed.
The announcement was quickly followed by one from retail giant H&M stating that it too would withhold rent payments on high-street stores.
The steps take advantage of a temporary ban on evictions aimed at protecting private renters and echo similar decisions by firms such as Burger King in Britain.
Dear Kitty. Some blog 
USA: After last week’s announcement that the Trump administration will enact a complete and indefinite suspension on the enforcement of environmental laws, we’ve just received more alarming news: They are pushing forward a new proposed rule to block scientific research that helps our government respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, at the behest of industry lobbyists.
Senators are PLEADING right now to stop the new rule from taking effect, but there’s no movement yet.
Our top priority right now is doing whatever we can to pressure the EPA to toss this anti-science rule so we can still use all the science needed to respond to COVID-19 outbreaks across the country and keep our air and water safe.
We need your help. We set an ambitious goal to raise $100,000 by the end of the month to keep campaigns like this running — but we’re running behind, and the deadline is tomorrow.
A donor has offered to TRIPLE match every gift made to LCV through tomorrow. Making a donation now means making triple the impact, but not for much longer — please, donate today. Even $5 can make a huge difference »
The restricting science rule would prevent policymakers from using any study if the study’s data, code, and models aren’t made public.
This would make off-limits critical public health studies based on confidential medical information — data that is incredibly private and should never be made public. These public health studies are absolutely critical to how the EPA implements clean water and air laws — and now, they could provide valuable insights in how we respond to the COVID-19 outbreaks sweeping the country.
This wrongheaded policy was designed by lobbyists for the oil industry and big tobacco — pretending that they care about transparency, when their ultimate goal is to gut key protections that keep our land, water, and public health safe. Right now, having ALL that science available to policymakers is ESSENTIAL to protecting the public.
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