NASCAR postponing races until at least May
NASCAR announced Monday that it would be postponing all its races until at least the beginning of May in order to abide by government guidelines designed to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
“We intend to hold all 36 races this season, with future rescheduling soon to be determined as we continue to monitor the situation closely with public health officials and medical experts,” the racing league said in a statement.
NASCAR joins other major leagues, including the MLB, NHL and NBA, in suspending sports seasons as the world combats the pandemic. The NFL is not currently in its regular season, but did announced Monday it was canceling its Las Vegas draft event amid the outbreak.
Scientists invite the public to ‘donate’ computing power to fight coronavirus
Members of the public are downloading software to donate some of their computers’ processing power to researchers seeking to understand and fight the coronavirus.
Folding@home and Rosetta@home are both distributed computing projects that divide up large data tasks that would otherwise require expensive supercomputers into smaller pieces that can be processed on personal computers at home.
Folding@home, launched by Stanford University in 2000, uses the idle resources from thousands of computers globally to simulate the way proteins fold, one of the most complicated processes in biology. Understanding protein folding is key to understanding diseases and identifying treatments.
Until now, Folding@home has been used to study diseases including cancer, Parkinson’s, influenza and Huntington’s. Now it’s simulating the viral proteins of coronavirus in an effort to guide the development of treatments. Rosetta@home, from the University of Washington, is a second distributed computing project analyzing the structures of proteins in an effort to identify treatments. The project has already uncovered the workings of some key proteins to help guide the design of novel vaccines and antiviral drugs.
McDonald’s is closing dining areas at company-owned restaurants
McDonald’s said Monday that it is closing seating areas and playgrounds in an effort to stem the spread of coronavirus.
In a statement, the company said the closures will go into effect Monday night. Drive through and take-out orders will still be available. Self-service kiosk areas will also be closed, the company said.
The shutdown applies to McDonald’s USA-owned restaurants, the statement said. It wasn’t immediately clear where those restaurants are or how many are company owned. McDonald’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The statement pushed franchise owners to “focus on the needs of their local communities and make safe and caring decisions. Franchisees are strongly encouraged to adopt similar operations procedures while keeping the needs of their people and communities at the center of their decisions.”
Kristofer Hivju, Tormund on “Game of Thrones,” announces he has coronavirus
Kristofer Hivju, the actor who played fan favorite Tormund Giantsbane on HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” announced on Instagram he has tested positive for coronavirus.
“Sorry to say that I, today, have tested positive for COVID19, Corona virus,” Hivju wrote as he’s quarantined in Norway. “My familiy and I are self-isolating at home for as long as it takes. We are in good health – I only have mild symptoms of a cold.”
“Together we can fight this virus and avert a crisis at our hospitals. Please take care of each other, keep your distance, and stay healthy!”
Coronavirus upends justice system as states close courts and halt trials
Across the country, attempts to slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus have thrown the criminal justice system into disarray as officials try to limit large courthouse gatherings, including juries, while also making sure that people accused of crimes aren’t deprived of their due-process rights.
Concerns about the outbreak seem to have hit a tipping point, with 27 states under orders to stop jury trials or restrict the number of people who can come to court, according to data collected by the National Center for State Courts as of Monday afternoon. Some federal courts, including districts in New York and Washington, have also postponed trials.
“The only time we’ve heard of anything vaguely like this was after 9/11 or a hurricane, but that was only for a few days,” said Bill Raftery, a spokesman for the center.
SoulCycle, Equinox to close locations worldwide as fitness studios face coronavirus
SoulCycle, a beloved fitness studio known for its cult-like following, announced Monday it would be closing its studios across the globe until the end of April as the world attempts to stop the spread of coronavirus.
“Never did we imagine a day where we’d have to close the doors to 99 studios and countless riders who turn to SoulCycle for a safe space,” the company said in a statement. “But what makes Soul so special is not our studios—it’s our people.”
Equinox, a fitness chain known for its luxury amenities, also announced on Monday it would be closing all locations until further notice.
The decisions by industry giants SoulCycle and Equinox comes after similar announcements from other notable fitness studios such as Barry’s Bootcamp, Flywheel Sports and Rumble.
Intensive care in Rome
Amazon hiring 100,000 people to help with coronavirus demand
Amazon announced Monday that it was opening 100,000 full and part-time positions as delivery demands increase and people begin to limit their movements to slow the spread of coronavirus.
“We also know many people have been economically impacted as jobs in areas like hospitality, restaurants, and travel are lost or furloughed as part of this crisis,” Amazon said. “We want those people to know we welcome them on our teams until things return to normal and their past employer is able to bring them back.”
In addition to the new roles, Amazon will be increasing its hourly pay across the globe through April, the company said in a press release. Amazon said the temporary pay bump was an effort to recognize “our employees who are playing an essential role for people” during the pandemic.
‘SNL’ suspends production
The “Saturday Night Live” episode slated for March 28 will not air and the show has halted production until further notice, a NBCUniversal spokesperson said Monday.
“The safety of our employees continue to be our top priority. We will monitor the situation closely and make decisions about future shows on an ongoing basis as further information develops,” the spokesperson said. The March 28 episode was set to be hosted by actor John Krasinski and musical guest Dua Lipa.
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