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Mikel Amigot, IBL News | New York

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit museums hard, and over 10,000 may never reopen.

On May 18, International Museum Day, new studies conducted by UNESCO and the International Council of Museums (ICOM) found that 13% of the more than 85,000 museums across the globe that have closed due to the virus will stay shut down.

As a result of the closures, the losses have skyrocketed. In the United States alone, art institutions are losing an estimated $33 million a day, according to the American Alliance of Museums.

In addition, the global health crisis has exposed the precarious position of cultural workers, with thousands of employees laid off or furloughed.

“The museum field cannot survive on its own without the support of the public and private sectors,” said Suay Aksoy, President at ICOM. “It is imperative to raise emergency relief funds and to put in place policies to protect professionals and self-employed workers on precarious contracts.”

Audrey Azoulay, General Manager at UNESCO, promised to aid museums since “they play a fundamental role in the resilience of societies.”

That assistance may materialize on the ResiliArt movement, launched by UNESCO in April.

The UN agency will host a series of debates, panels, and other events to generate discussion about how art and cultural institutions, organizations, and workers will need to adapt in order to survive.

According to UNESCO, social protection of museum staff, digitization and inventorying of collections, and online content development, are among the top priorities that need to be addressed – all of which require financial resources.

UNESCO also pointed out that since 2012, the global number of museums has increased by almost 60%, demonstrating how important they have become in national cultural policies over the last decade.

Museums play a fundamental role in education, culture, and in supporting the local and regional creative economy, according to UNESCO.

 

IBL News | New York

The New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo, announced this week that the State will work with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a plan to “reimagine and build back our education system better, as we prepare to reopen”. 

New York’s schools –which is the country’s school biggest system, with 1.1 million children– are closed for the year, and authorities are considering what they should look like when they reopen.

“Bill Gates is a visionary in many ways, and his ideas and thoughts on technology and education he’s spoken about for years, but I think we now have a moment in history where we can actually incorporate and advance those ideas,” said Cuomo, a Democrat.

The Governor did not outline the scope of the state’s work with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a powerful player in the education space.

please also develop a plan to address the malpractice, neglect, and dangerous conditions at Quantum Rehabilitation & Nursing center in Middle Island NY. @ny1 @news12li @MedicaidMtrsNY @HealthNYGov

— Tyler Convery (@Ty_Dawgg) May 5, 2020

Some educators criticized Cuomo’s announcement, reminding the foundation’s failed initiatives. At least three organizations – New York State Allies for Public Education, Class Size Matters, and the Parent Coalition for Student Privacy – have already written to Cuomo and state education officials opposing the partnership.

New York State United Teachers President, Andy Pallott, said in a statement, “if we want to reimagine education, let’s start with addressing the need for social workers, mental health counselors, school nurses, enriching arts courses, advanced courses and smaller class sizes in school districts across the state.”

How the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will be compensated is unclear. So far, this non-profit has exercised a notable influence in pushing certain education policies, such as the so-called education reform movement, along with the Common Core, and other academic standards and teacher evaluation.

Other philanthropies lobbying for education reform are the Walton Family Foundation, the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, and the Emerson Collective.

Mikel Amigot | IBL News, New York

Google and Apple teamed up to develop a system for tracking the spread of the COVID-19, which will encourage users to share data through Bluetooth and approved apps from public health organizations.

These apps would exchange anonymous identified data with other participating phones.

If the user voluntarily reports having tested positive for the virus, the app then alerts those phones’ owners that they may have been exposed.

Experts explain that tracking is key to testing and self-quarantining yourself to avoid infecting others. But in the U.S. and the Western world, there isn’t a widely-used tracking tool, mostly due to privacy concerns. South Korea and Singapore have used similar COVID-19 tracking apps, although way more privacy-invading. These apps have been key to their success in containing the disease within these two countries.

Apple’s and Google’s system was announced on Friday and was laid out in a series of documents and white papers.

To be successful, the system will need to be widely adopted. The user would need to give explicit consent. In addition, tests will need to be available for all potentially infected people –although today there is still a shortage.

Privacy and civil liberties activists have warned that the apps need to be designed so governments cannot abuse them to track their citizens.

President Donald Trump called the technology “very interesting,” but expressed concern that “a lot of people worry about it in terms of a person’s freedom. We’re going to take a look at that.”

Apple and Google said that user privacy and security are baked into the design of their plan.

This is how the system works, according to Google:

To help public health officials slow the spread of #COVID19, Google & @Apple are working on a contact tracing approach designed with strong controls and protections for user privacy. @tim_cook and I are committed to working together on these efforts.https://t.co/T0j88YBcFu

— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) April 10, 2020

Contact tracing can help slow the spread of COVID-19 and can be done without compromising user privacy. We’re working with @sundarpichai & @Google to help health officials harness Bluetooth technology in a way that also respects transparency & consent. https://t.co/94XlbmaGZV

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) April 10, 2020

• The Verge: Apple and Google are building a coronavirus tracking system into iOS and Android

• AP: Apple, Google to harness phones for virus infection tracking

Mikel Amigot, IBL News | New York

Princeton, Berkeley, Rice, Fordham, Yeshiva, Hofstra, and Sacred Heart universities joined Columbia and Barnard College this Monday on the announcement that they were suspending in-person classes and teaching remotely, in order to head off the spread of the coronavirus.

The city of Scarsdale in New York also announced it was closing its public schools for the week after a teacher tested positive for the virus.

Last week, the universities of Washington, Seattle, and Stanford shifted entirely to virtual courses.

With New York under a declared state of emergency and with over 100 people testing positive, Yeshiva University in Manhattan and Hofstra University in Long Island communicated that classes were canceled for the week.

A student and two faculty members at Yeshiva tested positive for the virus last week, and Hofstra said that a student had started showing symptoms after attending a conference; that test result is pending. Columbia said a university community member was quarantined for exposure to the new coronavirus.

Meanwhile, Princeton University said in a statement that new policies would be in place through Sunday, April 5.

“While much remains unknown about COVID-19’s epidemiology and impact, our medical advisers tell us that we should proceed on the assumption that the virus will spread more broadly and eventually reach our campus,” wrote Chris Eisgruber, President of Princeton University.

In Houston, Rice University canceled in-person classes for the rest of the week after staff member tested positive for the virus. It also banned meetings of more than 100 people until May.

The University of California, Berkeley, became the fourth major U.S. university to suspend classes for an extended period of time due to concerns over COVID-19.

Chancellor Carol Christ said in a message that the school will move all lecture courses and seminars to Zoom and other online tools starting today Tuesday and through spring break, which ends March 29. Courses that have to meet in person—such as labs, performing arts and physical education classes—will continue to meet as scheduled.

Also yesterday, the American Council on Education called off its annual conference, originally scheduled for March 14 to 16 in San Diego, Calif0rnia.

The coronavirus outbreak that originated in Wuhan, Chine, has killed so far over 4,000 people and infected more than 114,000. At least 875 people have died outside mainland China. The United States has reported over 700 cases and 26 deaths: 22 in Washington state, two in Florida, and two in California.

The World Health Organization considers the outbreak an international public health emergency.

 

• Johns Hopkins University’s dashboard tracking the disease in real-time

 

IBL News | New York

Columbia University in New York announced yesterday all classes had been canceled Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 after a school member was exposed to the Coronavirus and is now under quarantine.

“From Wednesday until the start of Spring Break on Friday, classes will be taught remotely,” said president Lee C. Bollinger in a message sent to the university community.

“We do not have a confirmed case of the virus on campus. This action is intended to prevent the virus from spreading,” Bollinger explained.

The closure came as the city’s mayor Bill de Blasio announced the 13th confirmed case in NYC and more than 105 people tested positive statewide.

Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency on Saturday.

Columbia University’s decision followed a similar decision made by a number of schools—most notably Stanford, University of Washington and Seattle University—to cancel in-person classes.

Resource:
• Columbia Spectator: Columbia temporarily cancels class, quarantines affiliate after exposure to COVID-19

Universities Adopt Emergency Plans

In this context, universities have activated serious measures against the Coronavirus at their campuses. Many of them created specific planning teams to fight the spread of the disease, following the CDC’s and local health agencies’ recommendations.

School officials sent emails and messages to their communities this weekend. For example, Sacred Heart University (SHU) in Connecticut set a pattern of precautions, along with a thematic website, that could inspire other institutions.

This message was sent to the SHU community this Sunday:

“Dear students, faculty, and staff,

Welcome back from break. In today’s update, we want to tell you about the precautions we have taken—and will continue to take—to protect the University community from the coronavirus. These are precautions recommended by the CDC and local health agencies:

• Bathrooms in all University housing have been disinfected in anticipation of students’ return
• Touchpoints (doorknobs, faucets, flushers, etc.) will be disinfected daily with more frequent cleaning and sanitizing of public/common restrooms
• Extra attention is also being paid to athletic areas because of the high traffic flow
  • Gym equipment is disinfected daily and wiped down with Clorox wipes
  • Hand soap is available in all restrooms and hand sanitizer can be found throughout the gym area
  • Clorox disinfecting wipes are also available throughout the gym area. These kill 99.9% of all bacteria in 10 seconds
• In addition, extra protocols will be in place in dining halls
  • Food services personnel will go above and beyond in following CDC hygiene guidelines Hand sanitizers will be available to workers at all food preparation sites
  • Touchpoints (doorknobs, horizontal services, tables & chairs, condiment dispensers, drink dispensers, etc.) will be cleaned often
  • In addition to other locations on campus, portable sanitizer stations will available for students, faculty, and staff in the dining halls
  • We ask that you practice good food hygiene—don’t touch food with your hands (a piece of fruit, for example) and then put it back
• The cleaning staff is available 24/7 to respond to any emergencies anywhere. Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., call 203-371-7870. Nights and weekend, students should report issues to their RHD to submit an off-hours MOP request

We are also asking that all students and employees do their part by following the hygiene guidelines set forth by the CDC:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
• Stay home when you are sick
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipes

We are in regular contact with our cleaning contractors and food services staff to ensure that CDC guidelines are being followed in all areas of the University.

More information can be found on the coronavirus page on the SHU website. In particular, you may want to check out the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on that page.

We want you all to have a great finish to the spring semester, while at the same time taking the necessary precautions to keep us all healthy and safe.”

 

Beyond these measures, several media outlets paid attention to the pressing questions around the virus. This New York Times’ article was one of the most remarkable.