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COVID, Police Powers & the Surveillance State
- “California lawmakers bristle at Newsom’s use of executive power during coronavirus crisis” – https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-06-12/california-lawmakers-frustration-gavin-newsom-executive-power
- “Landlord group sues city of L.A. over coronavirus anti-eviction protections” – https://www.latimes.com/homeless-housing/story/2020-06-11/landlord-group-sues-city-of-la-over-eviction-protections
Reopening California
- “Officials say no turning back on reopening even as coronavirus cases rise” – https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-06-10/newsom-says-no-turning-back-on-reopening-plans-even-as-coronavirus-cases-climb
- Testing, Cases, Transmission
- “California coronavirus deaths near 5,000, as cases rise to almost 140,000” – https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article243465586.html
- “Coronavirus transmissions keep rising in L.A. County, bringing new dangers for hospitals” – https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-06-11/coronavirus-transmissions-rising-l-a-county-hospital-danger
- “All COVID-19 testing sites in the city and county of Los Angeles are back open Friday after temporary shutdowns during a week of demonstrations.” (We highlight this both as awareness and for the fact that suspending testing was paraded as a mode of security and acted as a form of biowarfare by the state.) – https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/coronavirus/coronavirus-covid-19-testing-open-los-angeles/2375553/
- “The continued increase comes as hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets to join dozens of sweeping protests against the police killing of George Floyd and other black [sic] Americans.” (We highlight this one for how the media considers protest against anti-Black state violence and in grief/mourning/joy is considered a greater health threat than anti-Black state violence itself or far-right and largely white pro-reopening armed actions.) – https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-06-07/la-county-coronavirus-cases-near-64-000-amid-protests-reopenings
Contact Tracing
California
- “California is launching a comprehensive contact tracing program to help stop the spread of coronavirus along with a public awareness campaign to educate Californians about the program, with emphasis on underserved communities, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday.” – https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2020/05/22/california-connected-contact-tracing-pr-campaign-covid19/
- “State Attorney General Xavier Becerra this week warned residents to be aware of scam artists pretending to be contact tracers.” – https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/06/09/new-coronavirus-worry-contact-tracing-scams/
- “California Contact Tracing Program Launched” 5/26/2020
“Information provided to local public health departments is confidential under California law. Public health authorities will not share that information with outside entities. That information will be used for public health purposes only. Contact tracers will not ask for financial information, social security numbers or immigration status.”
https://www.pasadenaindependent.com/news/californias-contact-tracing-program-launched/
National
- “Most states are giving the cold shoulder to smartphone apps, though some developers think there’s still a chance for them to catch on.” – https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/coronavirus-contact-tracing-apps-were-tech-s-chance-step-they-n1230211
- “Apple and Google’s ambitious COVID-19 contact-tracing tech can help contain the pandemic if used widely. But so far only 3 states have agreed — and none has started to use it.” – https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-google-coronavirus-contact-tracing-tech-states-dont-plan-using-2020-6
- “When You Can’t Quarantine At Home: COVID-19 Contact Tracers Aim To Help.” (Largely on contact tracing and houseless people, people living in assisted living facilities, etc.) – https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/06/10/869223792/when-you-cant-quarantine-at-home-covid-19-contact-tracers-aim-to-help
- Kansas “celebrated” as model for privacy and contact tracing. “Thus, Kansas law requires contact-tracing information be limited, confidential, made available to the government only through agreement of all parties or through a judicial warrant, and destroyed when no longer needed. In addition, to make certain Kansas really has thought this through, the program expires a year from now, to ensure its reviewed next legislative session.” – https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/editorials/article243438946.html
Global
- “Contact tracing could become a regular part of office life. Here’s how it will work” – https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/10/success/employee-contact-tracing/index.html
- Cities and false positives – https://www.zdnet.com/article/contact-tracing-apps-might-not-work-in-some-busy-city-environments/
- “How Digital Contact Tracing for COVID-19 Could Worsen Inequality” –
https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/06/04/how-digital-contact-tracing-covid-19-could-worsen-inequality?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Syndromic Surveillance
- “As public-health experts have known since the 19th century, information can be the best medicine. What new data streams could help quell future outbreaks?” – https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/06/10/magazine/covid-data.html