Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Spring 2020

How the coronavirus shapes this year’s holy month of Ramadan

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By Ainsley Ash

MAIN IMAGE: Due to coronavirus restrictions, Muslims are celebrating Ramadan a little differently this year. SOURCE: Ali Arapoğlu on Pexels

Across the world, the coronavirus pandemic is changing the way that millions of people are marking Ramadan.

The holy month is a time when Muslims traditionally focus on prayer, spiritual rejuvenation, charity, and time spent with loved ones. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, however, this year’s Islamic holy month looks very different for the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims.

Worshippers typically gather to celebrate each evening with friends and family, to break the fast that is observed during daylight hours throughout the month, but coronavirus lockdowns imposed by governments across the world are making it impossible for many to join together in person.

In Saudi Arabia, mosques in Mecca and Medina, two of Islam’s most holy sites, are closed throughout the month.

“It pains me to welcome the glorious month of Ramadan under circumstances that forbid us of prayers in Mosques and of performing the Ramadan prayers,” King Salman said, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.

Indonesia, the country with the world’s largest Muslim population, banned all forms of travel on April 24, the first day of Ramadan, CNN reports. The night before, thousands of worshippers gathered in Aceh, one of the more conservative provinces in the country, and defied social distancing guidelines, Aljazeera reports. 

In Pakistan, mosques are allowed to stay open, so long as they follow public health guidelines that religious leaders and the Pakistani government have both agreed upon, Dawn reports.  This compromise comes after many worshippers had defied more stringent restrictions.

“We knew that people will definitely go to the mosques even after the government stops them by force. We did not want to send police to the mosques to impose a ban on congregational prayers and for arrests,” Prime Minister Imran Khan told reporters.

Technology is helping worshippers to find ways to maintain traditions.

In the United Arab Emirates, the General Authority of Islamic Affairs has launched a smart interactive platform with teachings from the Quran and special activities “to encourage the public to be committed to social distancing and stay at home”, Gulf News reports.

According to the Middle East Eye, authorities in Kuwait have altered the call to prayer to include “pray in your homes” instead of the regular “come to pray”.

Since lockdown began, many mosques have begun holding prayers and services online.  “There’s only so much you can listen to on YouTube but having a live connection with your imam and local scholars through Mixlr, GoMeet or Zoom, is a great way of keeping spirits high,” Imran Choudhury, a British mosque volunteer told The Guardian.

Africa’s malaria deaths could double due to coronavirus fallout

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By Skylar Thoma

MAIN IMAGE: The WHO warns that as many as 769,000 people could die from malaria this year if current efforts to combat the disease, such as the distribution of treated mosquito nets, are interrupted. SOURCE: Twitter @WHO

As many as 769,000 people in Africa could die from malaria this year as efforts to combat the disease are interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, the WHO warned Thursday.

The global health body’s Regional Director for Africa Dr Matshidiso Moeti warned that malaria deaths could soar if the distribution of treated mosquito nets is interrupted.

She said a recent analysis had found that if the net distribution outlets were closed and malaria case management was halted, malaria deaths could match numbers last seen in 2000.

In 2018, Africa recorded 213 million malaria cases and 380,000 deaths, accounting for the vast majority of malaria deaths worldwide.

WHO officials are concerned that as countries combat the coronavirus pandemic, malaria will not be the only disease that spikes – other diseases will also not get the attention or resources they require.

These fears are based on the experience of the 2014 Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa. According to Moeti, malaria and other diseases were reponsible for more deaths than the Ebola virus itself during that epidemic.

“Let us not repeat that again with COVID-19,” Moeti said.

Moeti urged countries to follow the updated WHO vaccination guidelines, which recommend that countries prioritize routine vaccinations for children and adults who are at risk of catching diseases like influenza. Vaccination campaigns for diseases where there is no active outbreak may need to be put on hold.

She said one in four African children remain under-immunised. “To protect communities from diseases like measles, polio and yellow fever, it is imperative that routine immunization continues,” she said.

The Measles and Rubella Initiative reports that 24 countries have postponed their measles vaccination campaigns as a result of the coronavirus. The global coalition warned that over 117 million children are at risk of not getting a vaccine for measles, despite the fact that a vaccine has been available for over 50 years.

“Disease outbreaks must not remain a threat when we have safe and effective vaccines to protect us”, WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a press conference on Friday. “While the world strives to develop a new vaccine for COVID-19 at record speed, we must not risk losing the fight to protect everyone, everywhere against vaccine-preventable diseases”.

Health officials are also concerned that as some countries begin to allow people to return to work and begin to reopen commercial buildings, there may be an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, reports Reuters. The severe form of pneumonia develops in water pipes that have not been used for an extended period, meaning building owners have been advised to take extra sanitation precautions as they reopen.

Ramaphosa mask flub goes viral

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By Renny Simone

MAIN PHOTO: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa struggles to put on a cloth mask. The incident has been heavily lampooned on social media. SOURCE: eNCA

With the eyes of the nation upon him, President Cyril Ramaphosa gave his fellow South Africans something they desperately needed: a good laugh.

The moment came at the end of Ramaphosa’s Thursday-night address, in which he announced the government’s plans to begin easing lockdown restrictions starting 1 May. 

Ramaphosa said that even as the country begins to reopen, all citizens will be urged to wear facemasks whenever they leave their homes.

The President then took out a cloth mask he had brought with him to the podium, intending to lead by example.

And, after ten grueling seconds of struggle that temporarily blindfolded him, he managed to put it on, before turning quickly from the podium and shuffling off the stage.

This clip shows the mask incident in its full glory.

The response from social media was nearly instantaneous.

“If I can’t see the virus, the virus can’t see me”, wrote one Twitter user, along with a screenshot of the mishap in which Ramaphosa’s eyes are totally covered by the mask.

https://twitter.com/Ntsako_Shibambo/status/1253405909663047682?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1253405909663047682&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.timeslive.co.za%2Fnews%2F2020-04-23-in-memes-mzansi-has-zero-chill-when-it-comes-to-that-ramaphosa-mask-fumble%2F

Others referenced Bird Box, a 2018 horror film in which characters have to cover their eyes to avoid an evil force that kills all who see it.

https://twitter.com/IamLeeCore/status/1253409890107719680

In a lighter vein, SABC presenter Minnie Dlamini Jones thought the moment revealed something about her country’s sense of humor.

“I don’t know a nation on this planet that loves to laugh like South Africans”, the actress tweeted.

https://twitter.com/MinnieDlamini/status/1253415309135867907

And at least one person wondered whether the flub was, in fact, an act of patriotic self-sacrifice.

“What if Ramaphosa was struggling to wear the mask on purpose in order for us to laugh,” @GetsonChirwa said.

Whether or not the act was intentional, Ramaphosa has since embraced the joke.

“For those of you who were laughing at me yesterday”, Ramaposa told reporters on Friday, as he pulled out another mask, “I’m going to open a TV channel where I am going to teach people how to put on a mask.”

Ramaposa joked about the incident with reporters on Friday.

The President, however, made no attempt to don the mask while cameras were rolling.

Ramaphosa announces 5-stage plan to ease lockdown

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By: Laura Peterjohn

MAIN IMAGE: Ramaphosa addresses South Africa in a national broadcast on Thursday night, detailing a 5-stage plan aimed to re-start the economy while easing the nation’s lockdown. SOURCE: Siyabulela Duda/GCIS

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has unveiled plans to begin easing the country’s lockdown in a week’s time.

On Thursday night Ramaphosa addressed the nation, revealing a 5-stage plan to move South Africa out of its 35 day lockdown and help re-start the economy.

From 1 May, South Africa will move from level 5 to level 4 which will allow for the relaxation of some restrictions and the gradual re-opening of businesses. The Daily Maverick reports that food retail stores will be able to sell all products normally sold in their stores (there have been severe restrictions on what can be sold under the hard lockdown), mines will begin to reopen, and schools will begin to reopen in phases. 

Businesses will be permitted to open in a gradual manner, reports CNBC Africa. Before allowing workers to return to work, strict sanitation protocols must be observed to prepare the workplace. But workers will not be allowed to resume work in batches of more than one-third. This is in order to maintain strict social distancing guidelines.

The sale of cigarettes will also resume.

Bars, shebeens, conference and convention centres, entertainment venues, cinemas and theatres will stay closed. Concerts, sporting events, and religious, cultural and social gatherings other than funerals will all still be not permitted.

South Africa will also keep its border closed to all international travel, except for repatriation of South African nationals and foreign citizens. Travel between the provinces will remain forbidden except for the transport of goods. 

The Daily Maverick reports that though Ramaphosa aims to begin the re-opening of SA, the virus peak is still expected to be months away and people should expect the lockdown to fluctuate between levels 5 and 3 until September.

DRC attack leaves 12 rangers dead in park famed for gorillas

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By: Ayinde Summey

MAIN IMAGE: 12 rangers from the Virunga National Park in the DRC, famed for its gorillas, have been killed in an attack by suspected Hutu rebels. SOURCE: Francesco Ungaro, Pexels

A deadly armed attack on a village in the Virunga National Park in Democratic Republic of Congo has left 18 people dead.

According to park officials, among those killed in the raid by about 60 suspected members of Hutu militia Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) were 12 park rangers who were protecting a convoy of civilians.

Virunga is the oldest national park in Africa and is home to about half of the world’s gorillas drawing many visitors. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The park authorities said the attack near Rumangabo Village has resulted in substantial loss of life. Park staff and rangers were killed as they tried to defend villagers. However, a statement added, the information about the attackers was still not clear.

“At this time, all available information indicates that this was an attack on the local civilian population.”

While rangers and other workers were not the primary target many lost their lives helping villagers. About 200 rangers have been killed in past attacks.

The armed Hutu rebel group was formed in 2000 with the aim of countering Tutsi influence in the region. They are considered to be one of the last factions still involved in remnant battles arising from the 1994 Rwandan Genocide that resulted in the deaths of almost a million Rwandans. 

Coronavirus entered US weeks earlier than previously thought

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By: Laura Peterjohn

MAIN IMAGE: Post-mortem testing has shown that people thought to have died of flu in California in February actually died of coronavirus, suggesting that the virus was present in the US weeks earlier than previously believed. SOURCE: Gustavo Fring, Pexels

California officials have confirmed that the coronavirus was likely to have caused the deaths of two people in the US state in February – suggesting that the disease was present in the US weeks earlier than previously thought.

Until now the first US death was thought to have occurred in Washington on February 29th.

But new tests show that coronavirus caused a death on February 6th – that of a woman who had developed flu-like symptoms in early January. Patricia Dowd, 57, had tested negative for the flu and the coroner was reportedly “baffled” by the death. In the last week, tissue samples from Dowd have tested positive for Coronavius.

Dowd had not traveled outside the country since November.

This news comes as cases worldwide are reported to have topped 2.6 million, with deaths exceeding 184,000. Some countries that had hoped to have already seen peak infection rates, such as Spain and Singapore, are reportedly seeing new growth. Spain’s daily rate of infection has been slowly climbing and on Tuesday it reported its highest number of new cases, and fatalities in a week. Singapore today reported more than 1,000 new infections for the fourth straight day.

In the US, Bloomberg reports, there have been more than 839,675 confirmed cases with 46,583 deaths.

However, the news of earlier deaths has prompted authorities to start re-evaluating those numbers and the timeline of the disease. 

CNN reports that California governor, Gavin Newsom has begun instructing medical examiners from all 58 counties in California to research deaths that might have been COVID-related as far back as December

Newsom said the move was intended “to ultimately help guide a deeper understanding of when this pandemic really started to impact Californians directly”.

It is thought that a bad flu season may have meant that some deaths were misclassified.

In Indiana, officials are beginning to track possible cases from mid-February, while the first cases previously reported were in March.

‘Reopen America’ protests linked to powerful Republicans

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By Renny Simone

MAIN PHOTO: A face mask on a pile of $100 bills. Some prominent Republicans have been accused of giving material and moral support to ‘Reopen America’ protests. SOURCE: Elliot Alderson from Pixabay

Are the ‘Reopen America’ protests the start of a new conservative movement, a cynical political ploy, or something in between?

America’s unprecedented economic shutdown, meant to slow the spread of coronavirus, has spawned protests in various US cities against social distancing measures. Many of the protesters are fans of President Donald Trump, a Republican, and Democratic governors have drawn much of the ire.

One protest this week, dubbed ‘Operation Queen’s Castle’, was the third directed against Democrat Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Demonstrators gathered on Thursday outside the Governor’s Mansion, demanding that she begin reopening the economy.

Connections to big-name conservatives (and their wealthy foundations) have prompted some outlets, such as the New York Times, to describe the ‘Reopen America’ protests as examples of ‘astroturfing’. A play on the concept of ‘grassroots’, or bottom-up, organising, ‘astroturfed’ movements are defined by The Times as artificial, top-down affairs ‘that are manipulated by Washington conservatives to appear locally driven.’ 

Whitmer supports this hypothesis.

‘This group is funded in large part by the DeVos family,’ Whitmer said of the Michigan protesters, reported The Daily Beast. 

Betsy DeVos, an influential Republican and native Michigander, is currently serving as Trump’s Secretary of Education. DeVos has been linked to the Michigan protests by way of the Michigan Freedom Fund, a group that helped organize the protests and which has received over $500,000 from DeVos’ family, according to Al Jazeera.

DeVos is not the only prominent Republican implicated in the protests. Stephen Moore, an economic adviser to President Trump, talked about his role in planning ‘Reopen’ protests in Wisconsin on a conservative YouTube show. In addition to a controversial remark comparing the protesters to American civil rights icon Rosa Parks, Moore divulged details of the political power behind the demonstrations.

‘We have one big donor in Wisconsin, I’m not gonna mention his name, and … he said Steve, I promise I will pay the bail and legal fees for anyone who gets arrested,’ Moore said.

The YouTube program on which Trump adviser Stephen Moore appeared. The quoted comments begin at 15:20.

The astroturfing theory leads some experts to conclude that the protests do not reflect a genuine movement. Harvard sociologist Theda Skocpol, who has written books on the Tea Party movement and the anti-Trump resistance movement, says that the “Reopen America” protests are not in the same league as these heavyweights.

“I suspect we’ve got a similar combination of top-down influence from high-dollar organizations and some genuine energy at the grassroots level,” Skocpol told Vox’s Sean Illing. “But I also suspect this is mostly being pushed and promoted from above.”

Skocpol’s theory may help explain why these protests have gotten so much attention, despite the fact that only 10 percent of Americans want to end social distancing to stimulate the economy, according to a POLITICO/Morning Consult poll. In the absence of widespread support, powerful voices – from Fox News personalities to President Trump himself – have helped to raise the profile of the ‘movement.’ But Skocpol says these tactics have their limits.

A tweet from President Donald Trump apparently supporting protesters’ demands that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer reopen her state’s economy. Trump also called for the ‘liberation’ of Minnesota and Virginia.

‘I don’t think it’s going to morph it into anything on the scale of … the Tea Party back in 2010. I just don’t see the conditions for that,’ Skocpol said.

‘But I expect it to bubble on, because I think Donald Trump will continue to encourage his hardcore supporters to show their support for him publicly until such time as he can hold big rallies again.’

SA mobilises army to maintain order

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By: Laura Peterjohn

MAIN IMAGE: A tweet posted by news outlet News24 showing police busy with anti-looting patrols. Source: Twitter @News24

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered the mobilisation of the entire South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to help with enforcing the country’s lockdown regulation – one of its largest deployments in its history.

On Tuesday, Ramaphosa informed parliament in a letter that in addition to the 3,000 troops already deployed for coronavirus duty, he had ordered that an additional 73,180 soldiers, including reservists, should be mobilised for a limited period. The decision, which places all soldiers on standby while a decision is made on how they will be deployed, will be in force until 26 June 2020, costing the nation R4.59 billion.

The president’s letter was tweeted to the public by opposition leader John Steenhuisen on Tuesday evening, just before the President addressed the nation on measures to address the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. There have been calls from ANC members of parliament for him to be sanctioned for breaking parliamentary rules.

The deployment of the army follows several reports of looting of grocery stores and liquor outlets taking place across the country. 

In Bishop Lavis, a suburb of Cape Town, Checkers store delivery trucks were looted on Monday morning, reported Independent Online. Stones were reportedly thrown at 4 trucks, forcing them to a halt. Two of them had been delivering food relief parcels.

A major arterial road in the city, the R300, was closed by authorities several times this week as looters have stoned other delivery trucks and tried to force them to a halt, endangering other drivers and pedestrians

In Johannesburg, there have been reports of looting of vehicles carrying food parcels.

The SACP Gauteng second deputy secretary Sekete Moshoeshoe said in a statement his party was concerned that efforts to ensure that poor and vulnerable working class communities are cushioned during the lockdown were being “hijacked by opportunists who are diverting them for narrow selfish interests”.

Western Cape MEC for safety and security, Albert Fritz, has revealed that shop lootings took place in at least four areas on Tuesday, including the Cape Town suburbs of Manenberg, Sherwood Park, Nyanga Junction and Gatesville.

In a statement Fritz noted that a “humanitarian crisis” was unfolding because of the lockdown and it was “a struggle for many to put food on the table”. However, he said, “acts of criminality will not be tolerated”. He said he was engaging with the Cabinet on urgent solutions to address the spate of lootings.

Among several other incidents in the Western Cape this week, it was reported that a group attempting to overrun the Watergate Mall in Mitchells Plain were stopped, but looters managed to take goods from an Elsies River supermarket valued at over R3,000. Four people were arrested in this incident.

In another incident, in Delft South, about 50 people reportedly stormed a different supermarket, taking goods valued at around R4 000.

In Vredenburg on the West Coast, between 300 and 400 residents of Witteklip reportedly threw stones at the police who had stopped them from storming a local spaza shop. They had complained about not getting food parcels. Four people were arrested.

Fears of looting have caused some shop owners to clear their stores. DispatchLIVE reported that in the Cape Town suburb of Delft, shop owners had evacuated shops in the face of the risk from looters. 

Nurses’ union threatens strike unless Ramaphosa meets demands

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By Renny Simone

MAIN PHOTO: A frame from a video that has been widely circulated on social media, apparently showing police action against nurses demanding PPE equipment. Source: Twitter @MichaelSun168

Some South African nurses are threatening to stay home from work unless the government meets their demands for, among other things, increased compensation and more protective equipment by 1 May.

The Young Nurses Indaba Trade Union (YNITU), which represents nurses and other healthcare workers, made the strike threat on Wednesday in response to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s latest address to the nation. Ramaphosa’s Tuesday-evening speech outlined a R500 billion relief package designed to alleviate the economic crisis posed by coronavirus. But YNITU believes that not enough is being done for healthcare workers.

“[YNITU] couldn’t stomach President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address to the nation that once again failed to address the plight of those who are battling the Covid-19 pandemic in the frontline”, the union said in a media statement.

In addition to longstanding concerns about a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) in South Africa’s hospitals, the union believes that nurses should receive greater compensation for the work they are doing.

“The least the government could do is give nurses an income tax break or a Covid-19 danger allowance in these trying times”, the statement said.

The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU), with which YNITU is aligned, supported the demands in a media release that was generally critical of Ramaphosa’s address.

But the South African Department of Health has warned that a nurses’ strike would be a criminal offense, reported News24. 

“The Ministry of Health implores every health worker to contribute in the fight against this pandemic,” Popo Maja, spokesman for the Department of Health, told the outlet. 

Another union representing nurses, the Democratic Nursing Organization of South Africa (Denosa), has also criticised the government’s position on nurses. A member of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), from which SAFTU split in 2017, Denosa has not called for a strike. But comments from Secretary-General Cassim Lekhoathi express similar disappointments to those raised in the YNITU statement.

“The frustration comes because in April there was supposed to be a salary increase, but [the] government has basically said they don’t have the money to do it,” Lekhoathi told The South African website. 

“It was a slap in the face of nurses,” Lekhoathi continued.

The strike threat has generated significant debate on social media. #CovidNurseStayAway has been tweeted over 10,000 times since YNITU tweeted the initial statement, and the hashtag spent hours as the top-trending in South Africa on Wednesday, according to trends24.

Some South Africans had harsh words for the nurses threatening to strike.

“This Hashtag is just pure arrogance,” one user tweeted. “[I’m] afraid for patients that are being treated by nurses with this mentality”.

“This hashtag tells me a lot about how many people didn’t know what becoming a nurse was all about,” said another.

https://twitter.com/EarlyKrish/status/1252934701280645120

Others are expressing solidarity.

“I stand with our nurses, They are the Most over worked and disrespected civil servants,” one user wrote.

President Ramaphosa is due to address the nation again on Thursday evening. The speech is set to focus on the government’s plan to ease lockdown restrictions, according to TimesLive.

US students sue colleges for loss of on-campus experience

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By Ainsley Ash

MAIN PHOTO: Due to the coronavirus pandemic, schools have sent students home to complete their semester online. Many students say this is not what they signed up for and want back some of their money. SOURCE: Edward Jenner on Pexels

Students in the US are suing universities that have closed their doors and moved classes online due to the coronavirus.

The online experience, they argue, is not what they paid for, and they want their money back. 

Students at Drexel University and the University of Miami have filed a class action lawsuit. They say that they should be reimbursed for the fees they have paid which are normally used to fund services such as computer labs, libraries, and social networking events, all of which the students can no longer receive.

A law firm based in South Carolina, the Anastopoulo Law Firm, is representing the Drexel students as well as students in a similar case against the University of Colorado. It is investigating “dozens” of other potential cases, a lawyer from the law firm told Inside Higher Ed. The firm has created a website, collegerefund2020.com where students can lodge their cases. 

At the University of Chicago, a private research university, students have organized a petition to ask for a drop in tuition fees for the final quarter of the 2019-2020 school year. Their campaign, called  “UChicago for Fair Tuition” has drawn over 1,700 student signatures. According to a survey conducted by the U.S. News and World Report, the university is the second most expensive U.S. college with $59,298 in tuition and fees. 

“The world-class education that consists in having opportunities to work and interact with academics and peers (not to mention the vast numbers of innovators, creators, doctors, organizers, and more that congregate on our campus) will no longer be provided,” the petition to the administration states. 

The campaign statement added that “families that rely on small business, service-industry and other precarious work will be hit far harder than a school with a multibillion-dollar endowment”.

The campaign is not supported by all at the campuses. Zarek Drozda, a UChicago employee and recent graduate wrote an article for The Chicago Maroon, the university’s student newspaper urging campaigners to consider the “unintended impacts of such a reduction.” 

“Such a significant loss in tuition payments will likely mean less money for the most financially at-risk employees: dining hall, cleaning, and other service staff. It will mean less money to support research and grants, including vital research on COVID-19”, Drozda wrote in the student publication.

Colleges and universities are taking substantial financial hits because of Covid-19. 

Even if campuses reopen in the fall, the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, both large public universities research universities, expect to lose $100 million, according to the Associated Press.  

Colleges and universities across the U.S. are set to receive approximately $14 billion dollars in grants from the federal stimulus package passed last month. Of this, $6 billion is to be used as emergency cash grants for students affected by the economic fallout of the pandemic. 

Colleges fear the lasting financial impact of the coronavirus. Colleges worry that students will not return to school in the fall, as they may be unable to afford tuition. For international students, the cost of studying abroad may not be feasible. And with many athletic seasons cut short, revenue from sporting events is expected to fall. 

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