The Spill: China Lockdown Over

Chinese Lockdown Comes to an End

As countries around the world enter lockdown to prevent the spread of Coronavirus, the nation where the disease originated – China – is finally letting its people outside. Wuhan, the city where the virus was first seen, has ended its quarantine after 77 days. The city is now trying to get back to normal life, despite concerns that letting people outside could lead to a second wave of the outbreak. Residents are hoping to pick up where they left off – but the process is slow. Adults are allowed to go back to work, business and malls are opening again, but schools remain closed.

Some people celebrated by heading to the stores and parks. As soon as the lockdown ended, thousands of people started leaving the city.

Wuhan was not the only Chinese city in lockdown – the whole country has ended its two-month isolation period, and immediately saw a surge in travelers. People flocked to tourist destinations, which were densely crowded. Photos taken at the popular Huangshan mountain park show thousands of people squeezed together as they got outside after being freed from their homes. In fact, the park managers were forced to close it at 7.48 a.m., saying the venue had already reached its daily capacity of 20,000 visitors. The mountain park subsequently announced it would no longer accept visitors.

In the large cities of Beijing and Shanghai, shoppers filled the streets, people exercised in the parks and visited scenic sites, while restaurants were full.

While people are happy to return to normal life, some are warning that people crowding together could hasten the spread of the disease, and lead to a second and third wave of Coronavirus infections.

Is this what the United States and other countries affected by the virus can expect in a few weeks?

Bernie Sanders Suspends Presidential Campaign

Nobody is sure how the Coronavirus will affect this year’s election, and presidential campaigns have been struggling as candidates follow social distancing and try to seek out supporters without holding the traditional rallies. While the Republicans evidently plan to put forward President Trump for a second term, the Democratic Party has been trying to hold primaries to decide its candidate. The race now appears to be finished – unless there is a last-minute twist. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has suspended his campaign, leaving former Vice President Joe Biden as the only candidate left standing.

Although Sanders was already trailing behind Biden, the COVID-19 restrictions may have influenced his choice to suspend his campaign on April 8. Technically, however, Sanders is still a candidate for the election. His decision to put his campaign on hold doesn’t mean he has officially dropped out of the race. The Vermont senator said he plans to stay on the ballot during the next primary state votes, which means he would continue to collect delegates. Although he admitted that Biden would likely win the Democratic Party nomination, Mr. Sanders’ supporters will still be able to vote for him.

Social distancing has made it difficult for candidates, who have had to find other ways to reach the public. Some states have tried to cancel their primaries while others have limited all voting to mail-in ballots or postponed the events until a later date. These decisions make campaigning difficult as candidates normally use this time to reach out to voters. Instead, the presidential hopefuls have tried other methods to reach the American people. Sanders has appeared on news media shows, and Biden is trying his hand at podcasts.

Easter and Palm Sunday in the Year of Coronavirus

With Easter around the corner, many are wondering how to celebrate the holiday while social distancing. Some families are finding it difficult to travel to the store to buy Easter Eggs, and the usual Easter egg hunts are off the table this year. That doesn’t mean Americans can’t find new ways to celebrate, however. Some neighborhoods have set up hunts where kids can walk around and spot items left in neighbors’ windows. Other families might try baking hot cross buns or learning about the story of Easter.

Despite the Christian nature of the holiday, most people will not be able to go to church. Instead, some pastors may hold online services. The Pope – head of the Catholic Church – will broadcast services over radio, TV, and the internet. Palm Sunday may give us some clues about what to expect this Easter.

Palm Sunday is the end of Lent and the beginning of Holy Week, and this year it was on April 5. It celebrates Jesus Christ’s arrival in Jerusalem, just a few days before he was crucified. As he rode through town, villagers tossed clothes, palm branches, and other items to pay homage.

To this day, palm branches are still used for this commemoration. They are a symbol of peace. During Mass on Palm Sunday, palm leaves are blessed and then handed out to parishioners who then will carry them as they walk into church. The palm leaves can be kept for a year or returned to the church, but they cannot be thrown away since they were blessed. Once gathered, the leaves are incinerated and the ashes will be used for the next year’s Ash Wednesday.

This year was different from centuries of celebrations as the Coronavirus pandemic kept the faithful from attending any services. Usually, Palm Sunday at the Vatican would be celebrated outdoors in front of thousands of parishioners and tourists. But this year Pope Francis celebrated by holding a mass behind closed doors with only a few priests and nuns and a smaller choir in attendance, and they all practiced social distancing during the service. The service was televised.

The closing of churches in the United States has sparked serious debate on whether the government is infringing on constitutional rights by restricting holy services. Some say that during a pandemic crisis, the government should protect the public, while others argue it has no right to interfere in peoples’ faith. The issue has not yet been resolved, so this weekend’s Easter services will likely be much like Palm Sunday.