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What sparked the anti-lockdown push?

April 22, 2020
QuickTake Tonight
Bloomberg

Greetings, QuickTake readers! In this edition: Trudeau vows gun control, Trump to pause immigration, and the lasting harm of the BP oil spill.

Trump allies stir reopen rallies

Small bands of protesters are staging anti-quarantine protests mostly in Democratic states in the U.S., demanding an end to social-distancing restrictions. While the demonstrations have been relatively small, the movement has cultivated a louder voice through far-right social media.

Scores of newly registered domain names with the word "reopen" have been linked to gun advocates, and activists who oppose vaccines and abortions, in addition to "Truckers for Trump," have joined the fight on Facebook. Even Trump tweeted "Liberate Minnesota!" as well as Michigan and Virginia, encouraging followers to protest stay-at-home orders.

But the movement may be less of a grassroots effort than the online uproar suggests. A Pew Research Center poll found two-thirds of Americans were more concerned the economy would reopen too quickly, and three-quarters believed the worst is still to come in the U.S. outbreak.

Trump expressed support for the protesters again at Tuesday's White House press briefing: "People want to get back to work, and they're doing social distancing, if you can believe it."

$ignificant figures

60 days. Trump said he'd "pause" legal immigration to the U.S. for at least two months to help unemployed Americans during the virus crisis. Farm and health workers may be exempt.

$484 billion. The U.S. Senate passed a third virus relief package that includes $320 billion for small businesses, $75 billion for hospitals and $25 billion for virus testing.

15.8 million. Netflix smashed forecasts and added that many paid subscribers during the first quarter, but the company said it expects growth to level off "as home confinement ends."

Highly quotable

"We don't know." Trump said he's unsure of Kim Jong Un's health after U.S. officials said he was in "grave danger" but South Korea said things looked "normal" when he didn't show up to a major celebration.

"We are all Nova Scotian." Justin Trudeau vowed "unwavering support" to the 22 victims of Canada's deadliest mass shooting and said he'd swiftly press forward with gun-control legislation.

"Don't clip our wings." Virgin Australia employees pleaded with the government to keep their jobs before appointing Deloit to restructure the income-deprived airline.

This is not normal

BP's lasting harm. A decade after the Deepwater Horizon explosion spilled millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, scientists tested 2,500 fish in the basin. There was oil in all of them.

The future is now

Infrared eyes. Police in the UAE are using smart helmets with thermal cameras to screen the body temperatures of people on public transit that alert authorities when a rider has a fever.

What's good

"It's like freedom!" Hair salons and barbershops reopened in Denmark this week, setting off a frenzy of new business for hairstylists and a mood boost for customers from that fresh-cut feeling.

Now that you're caught up... Tell your friends to sign up to receive our newsletter five days a week. Follow QuickTake on Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.

BTW: This data viz shows just how much international travel has been decimated by coronavirus.

Thanks for reading!
-Andrew Mach
 

Before it's here, it's on the Bloomberg Terminal. Find out more about how the Terminal delivers information and analysis that financial professionals can't find anywhere else. Learn more.
 

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