(NAPSI)—The warning bells are ringing. From regulators, law enforcement agencies and consumer organizations around the globe, the message is clear: Fraudulent schemes related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have arrived, and they are coming in many forms, from investment fraud to fake CDC emails to phishing scams.

Job loss, financial strain, and social distancing are conditions that present fraudsters with an opportunity to pounce. A study by the FINRA Foundation, the BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust, Stanford, and the Federal Trade Commission found that social or physical isolation can increase anyone’s susceptibility to schemes.

In times like these, it can be difficult to separate fact from fiction. Now is the time to move slowly, pay attention to details and not make rash decisions. Dramatic news coverage of viral outbreaks and pandemics can be an opportunity for scammers to pump inaccurate information into the marketplace to try to manipulate markets and investors. Following these hints can help you keep your money and personal information safe:  Continue reading →

OCALA, Fla.-If you have cancer, diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, or a chronic or underlying health condition, you are at a higher risk for more severe illness if you contract COVID-19. This means it’s important to pay extra attention to your health needs right now.

Cancer

If you have cancer now or had cancer in the past, you may need to take special steps to protect your health. This is especially important for cancer patients who are treated with chemotherapy. They are more likely to get an infection because chemotherapy can weaken the immune system, and for the same reason, the infection may be more severe. To take care of your health:

–        Before going into your appointments for cancer treatment, ask your doctor how you can help protect yourself from catching COVID-19.

–        Check if any oral medications that you are taking can be sent directly to you so that you don’t have to go to the pharmacy or clinic.

–        Ask your doctor if there are other things that you can do to isolate yourself from others.

Diabetes

When people with diabetes don’t manage their blood sugar levels well, they can have more trouble fighting off illnesses like COVID-19. Because of this, people with poorly controlled diabetes are more likely to become very ill or die if they get COVID-19. If you have diabetes:

–        Ask your doctor how often you should check your blood sugar and what your target blood sugar levels should be. Keep records of your results.

–        Recognize the signs of high or low blood sugar and make sure you know what to do about it. Monitor your feet, skin and eyes to catch problems early.

–        Take your medication on time as directed. Continue reading →

After reading each bill, remember we are in the middle of a Pandemic and that is why the budget was so important! To pass some relief bills for the sick and dying.

From the Newspaper Association!!!

This is how disingenuous our Congress really is!

$20,000,000,000 (Billion!!!) to the USPS (because, why not?)

$300,000,000 to the Endowment for the Arts (Ah, let’s do it!  They’ll never know)

$300,000,000 for the Endowment for the Humanities (because, not that many people even knew that was a thing?)

$15,000,000 for Veterans Employment Training (for when the GI Bill isn’t enough)

$435,000,000 for mental health support  (Man, oh man, thats a lot of suicide hotlines) Continue reading →

From the net:

It was reported that State Rep. Karen Whitsett of Detroit has credited the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine with saving her life after she tested positive for COVID-19.

President Trump publicized the drug during a briefing, Trump said that the drug as shown promise for a possible cure.

When Whitsett got to the hospital, she found a state order prohibiting the use of hydroxychloroquine.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, issued the order and retract it several days later.

Whitsett said: Continue reading →

By TomL

China and the COVID-19 threaten shortage of Smithfield meat processing plants.

Large number of employees at the slaughterhouses and meat processing plants are diagnosed with COVID-19 putting America’s supply of meat in jeopardy. If you can’t process or no one is there to process the meat the farmers take a hit. We should never have allowed our food chain supply be dominated by another country.

Smithfield products are also sold under other names like Nathan’s Famous, Farmland, Eckrich, Armour and Healthy Ones, etc.

This started in 2013, lets see who was in office??? A Chinese holding company bought the long time Smithfield brand based in Virginia. Many plants remain in America but are under holding company control.

Some of the plants involved in the closures are in Cudahy, Wisconsin; Martin City, Missouri; and Sioux Falls, South Dakota and others. Smithfield with plants across our country employ ten of thousands of Americans. Continue reading →

Dear Friends,

As I write this column, the COVID-19 crises is still underway but we are seeing some signs that the precautions we have all been taking are beginning to work. Models and projections that we have seen are continually being readjusted in a positive direction. The number of infections, hospitalizations and deaths are much lower than previously thought. Progress is being made, thanks to strong leadership by our Governor and his emergency management team. His actions have been balanced and reasonable because he recognizes that statewide shutdowns, quarantines and curfews are not effective as a one-size-fits-all approach. Allowing local communities to address their specific circumstances and identifying virus “hot spots” are much more efficient at controlling further outbreak.

Moving forward, test and treat is going to be the best long-term solution we have at fighting this problem. No one can say for sure how long this virus will be around, and whether or not it will come back in another season. This is brand new to all of us and is, in part, what makes it scary for most people. Now is a time for faith, not fear. The media is constantly showing us the numbers of deceased victims, and images from New York hospitals that are struggling, but what they aren’t showing is the number of people that have fully recovered. Our healthcare systems are some of the best in the world and the professionals caring for our sick people there are highly trained and competent. For that, we are extremely blessed. Continue reading →

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran announced that 32,614 laptop computers are being distributed to 34 mostly small, rural school districts throughout Florida and the Florida A&M University Developmental Research School. This was made possible through a partnership with the Panhandle Area Educational Consortium (PAEC), Northeast Florida Educational Consortium (NEFEC) and Heartland Educational Consortium (HEC), and three additional school districts that are not members of a consortium.

“Today’s announcement speaks volumes about how the Department of Education, our school districts and our teachers are coming together to ensure Florida students have the resources they need to continue their education through the COVID-19 crisis,” said Governor DeSantis. “Florida is truly raising the bar for distance learning.”

“I am grateful our staff at the Department were able to quickly identify funds and work with Florida’s educational consortiums, whose membership is made up of smaller rural districts that often need help consolidating resources, and determine the gaps in device accessibility for students, many of whom are low income and in need of this critical support,” said State Board Chair Andy Tuck.

When the COVID-19 crisis indicated the need for distance learning, the Department proactively began calling laptop suppliers throughout Florida and reaching out to Florida’s rural county school district consortia to identify both available supply and demand.

“I am grateful for the work that all 67 county school districts did to implement their distance learning plans by March 30, and I’m equally grateful to support these students in districts that lacked the resources to fully equip their students and teachers for success,” said Commissioner Corcoran. “Nearly all of these students are low-income students, and Florida making the extra effort to fight for these students is another example of how Florida never relents in the fight to close achievement gaps.”

For more information on the Florida Department of Education’s response to COVID-19, please visit http://www.fldoe.org/em-response/index.stml.

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis signed the following bills:

• CS/CS/CS/SB 140 – Fireworks
• SB 348 – Florida Kidcare Program
• CS/CS/SB 1060 – Public Records and Meetings
• SB 828 – Florida ABLE Program
• CS/CS/CS/SB 1794 – Constitutional Amendments
• SB 362 – Florida Tourism Marketing
• CS/HB 7097 – Taxation

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, during a COVID-19 response roundtable at the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee, Governor Ron DeSantis announced actions the state is taking to improve Florida’s reemployment assistance program. The Governor was joined at the roundtable by Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) Executive Director Ken Lawson, Department of Management Services (DMS) Secretary Jonathan Satter and Department of Revenue (DOR) Executive Director Dr. Jim Zingale.

“A lot of people are hurting right now through no fault of their own,” said Governor DeSantis. “A flawed and bureaucratic reemployment system should be the last thing that prevents them from getting assistance. Last week, I directed DEO to take whatever means necessary to fix the system and since then they have made significant progress. I appreciate the many state employees that have been working around the clock to help their fellow Floridians.”

Last week, Governor DeSantis signed Executive Order 20-93, directing DEO and other executive agencies to take necessary actions to improve DEO’s Reemployment Assistance Program. Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody today issued a Consumer Alert warning Floridians about an increase in COVID-19 related robocalls. Even before the crisis, robocalls were a continuing problem for many Floridians. Now that more Floridians than ever are working remotely and responding to an increasing volume of phone calls, some may find it difficult to ignore unknown numbers.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Times of crisis can bring out the best in people, as we are seeing with our brave medical professionals and first responders who are answering the call of duty in the face of this deadly pandemic. Sadly, they can also bring out the worst in people, like scammers exploiting the fear surrounding these challenging times, to try and steal personal or financial information. Floridians need to be on high alert to guard against scams—especially robocalls claiming to offer COVID-19 related products or benefits.”

There are recent reports of robocalls that offer everything from COVID-19 treatments and cures to work-from-home schemes. To listen to a few examples of recent calls, go to MyFloridaLegal.com. Continue reading →