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Cannuscio: I would recommend that people minimize social contact, and that means limiting all social engagements. That includes intimate gatherings among friends. I think the exception is if two households are in strict agreement that they are also going to reduce all outside contact and then those two households socialize together, to support one another. I can see social and mental-health advantages to that kind of approach.

Ko: Dating is usually one person and another person. What were really worried about in terms of public health are these large gatherings where you have people crowded together, and you can have what we call super-spreading events. The risk of those goes up exponentially the larger the size of the gathering. Dating is at the other end. I think you can still date.

Watson: I think dating is okay, if you believe with reasonable confidence that youre both well. I think were humans and we need human interaction; I think thats important for our sanity. Its important to focus on [avoiding] large crowds and indoor activities where you have lots of people touching the same surfaces.

Cannuscio: It is a time to be very cautious about initiating contact with new people. This seems like a great time to get creative with your text messages. [Or] take it to FaceTime or a phone call.

Ko: If you do go to the gym, again, maintain distances. Disinfect places in the gym people are always touching. Wash your hands regularly. Much of the transmission is person to person with people coughing, sneezing, or touching their nose and mouth and touching somebody else. You can get transmission on surfaces; thats probably a little bit lower-risk, but we still should disinfect surfaces that we touch.

Cannuscio: If youre going to go to the gym, try to go at a time when there are very few people there and definitely wipe down the equipment. However, as the weather warms in many parts of the United States, I would instead recommend that people go outside for walks or runs or bike rides in areas where there are not other people. This is really about depriving the virus the opportunity to move from one person to another.

Read: Heres who should be avoiding crowds right now

Cannuscio: I would say try to shop at times when there are very few other shoppers there. That [could mean] going first thing in the morning when the store opens, or late at night. I think many people will rely on delivery, and thats just the nature of our lives right now. For delivery workers, I would say, leave the food on the doorstep and ring the bell, rather than interacting face-to-face with the person whos ordered the food.

Cannuscio: First of all, people who have the opportunity or the option of working at home should absolutely use that option right now. For people who have essential functions and have to be at work, if they have any flexibility in their schedules they should try to ride at non-peak hours. On subways or buses, people should try to stand as far away from other people as possible. I think its important for planners to think about, for example, putting more buses on the most heavily traveled routes, to maybe thin out the crowds on those buses. In cities where its possible to walk, that would be a better option.

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The Dos and Donts of Social Distancing - The Atlantic

Ever since the coronavirus exploded outside of China at the end of January, Donald Trump has treated the public health crisis as a media war that he could win with the right messaging. But with cases now documented in 34 states and markets plunging, Republicans close to Trump fear his rosy assessments are fundamentally detached from reality in ways that will make the epidemic worse. He is trying to control the narrative and he cant, a former West Wing official told me.

Third rate Fake reporters, phony & boring hit pieces Donald TrumpSUBSCRIBE TODAY!

The problem is that the crisis fits into his preexisting and deeply held worldviewthat the media is always searching for a story to bring him down. Covid-19 is merely the latest instance, and hes reacting in familiar ways. So much FAKE NEWS! Trump tweeted this morning. He wants Justice to open investigations of the media for market manipulation, a source close to the White House told me. Trump is also frustrated with his West Wing for not getting a handle on the news cycle. Hes very frustrated he doesnt have a good team around him, a former White House official said. On Friday he forced out acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and replaced him with former House Freedom Caucus chair Mark Meadows. Trump thought the virus was getting beyond Mick, a person briefed on the internal discussions said. Trump has also complained that economic adviser Larry Kudlow is not doing enough to calm jittery markets. Last week Kudlow refused Trumps request that Kudlow hold an on-camera press briefing, sources said. Larry didnt want to have to take questions about coronavirus, a person close to Kudlow told me. Larrys not a doctor. How can he answer questions about something he doesnt know?

Trump found a willing surrogate in Kellyanne Conway, but Conways dubious claim on Friday that the virus is being contained only made the P.R. situation worse.

Trumps efforts to take control of the story himself have so far failed. A source said Trump was pleased with ratings for the Fox News town hall last Thursday, but he was furious with how he looked on television. Trump said afterwards that the lighting was bad, a source briefed on the conversation said. He said, We need Bill Shine back in here. Bill would never allow this.

Trumps press conference on Friday at the CDC was a Trumpian classic, heavy on braggadocio and almost entirely lacking a sense of the seriousness of the crisis. I like this stuff. I really get it, Trump told reporters, his face partly hidden under a red Keep America Great hat. People are surprised that I understand it. Every one of these doctors say, How do you know so much about this? Maybe I have a natural ability. Maybe I shouldve done that instead of running for president. At another point Trump compared the situation to the Ukraine shakedown. The [coronavirus] tests are all perfect. Like the letter was perfect. The transcription was perfect, he said.

By now many of the presidents advisers are numb to this kind of performance. Theres very little that fazes anyone now, a former official said. But one person who spoke to the president over the weekend saw the press conference as an ominous sign. Hes just now waking up to the fact that this is bad, and he doesnt know how to respond.

As Trump pushes a nothing-to-see-here message in public, sources said hes privately terrified about getting the virus. Donald is a famous germaphobe. He hates it if someone is eating nachos and dips a chip back in after taking a bite. He calls them double dippers, a prominent Republican said. Former Trump aide Sam Nunberg recalled Trumps response to the last major outbreak in 2014. When I worked for Trump, he was obsessed with Ebola, Nunberg told me. (One Mar-a-Lago guest disputed this and said Trump was handshaking with gusto this past weekend. He was acting like the opposite of a germaphobe, the source said.)

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Hes Definitely Melting Down Over This: Trump, Germaphobe in Chief, Struggles to Control the Covid-19 Story - Vanity Fair

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We are currently at the forefront of an IP revolution. For nearly 80 years, the broadcast industry relied on expensive, inflexible infrastructure comprised of bulky and disparate hardware systems and long-term vendor agreements that were ripe to be disrupted. But now, an industry that was slow to change has awoken to the possibilities of a more flexible, dynamic future and today we are seeing the adoption of IP for live and live linear video delivery across the media industry. We are going through one of the most rapid and significant industry transformations in history and IP is a huge enabler of this movement.

The media industry is migrating quickly to hybrid IP networks to transport broadcast-quality live and live linear video through and across its workflows. IP networks can be the internet, fiber, cellular (4G,5G), or IP over satellite, and with the right video platform can consist of combinations of hybrid networks with bonded or sequential hitless networks for 99.999% + reliability.

There are a number of factors driving this change:

Make no mistake, views are changing on how broadly to use IP networks as the backbone of media workflows, especially the open internet. Yet despite the prevalence of this IP Adoption trend, there remain some industry hold outs who still need to be persuaded that IP networks can be as, or even more reliable than satellite and fiber when architected correctly.

When I talk to folks still exploring the many faceted world of IP solutions, I often refer to a book I read recently from the 1800s called Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions, an allegory intended to facilitate a new view of the realm of the possible. In the book, a square meets a sphere but since the square lives in a flat, two-dimensional world, it can only see the sphere as a circle. It is not until the sphere brings the square into its multidimensional world and experiences life in 3D, that the square fully realizes the potential of the sphere, and whats possible for itself in this new world view. Like the sphere, Zixi sees that IP is already enabling a more multi-dimensional world, full of possibility for broadcast infrastructures, cloud architectures and streamlined workflows. What is happening over IP today was unheard of only a few years ago. Only once you experience the multi-dimensional world of IP do you realize fully the potential of what IP can do for your business.

Zixi has been around for 12 years focused solely on live and live linear video transport over IP. In that long history, we have seen almost every use case out there and helped many clients scale from simple point-to-point solutions to point-to-multipoint with thousands of channels. To manage and enable broadcast-quality content across that type of scale, a Software-Defined Video Platform (or SDVNTM) is required.

A good metaphor for a Software-Defined Video Platform is the smartphone. Todays smartphone is hardware-defined communication and entertainment platform. The smartphone combines many disparate systems into one, but is open, so it is interoperable with many technologies and applications. In media, a Software-Defined Video Platform provides the feature capabilities of many disparate systems and is open to any IP network, any protocol, any cloud and any edge device. It must be complete, operate at true scale and be able to reliably distribute any live video from, and to anywhere in the world securely and at broadcast-quality.

There are 4 major components of a successful Software-Defined Video Platform. Think of a strong sturdy vehicle needed to transport your valuable content. You need wheels and tires (Protocol), you need the chassis of the vehicle (Video Solutions Stack), telemetry and steering (Control Plane) and the roads and infrastructure to get you there (The Network).

1) Protocol Acceptance:

A Software-Defined Video Platform should afford its users the ultimate flexibility, and this means the ability to accept any protocol content providers and distributors choose to utilize. The protocols in use should be congestion and network-aware, with the capability to dynamically adjust to varying network conditions and employ forward error correction techniques for error-free video transport. Not all protocols are created equal, so choose carefully.

2) A Video Solutions Stack:

A Software-Defined Video Platform should provide essential software tools and core media processing functions that enable broadcasters to transport live video over any IP network. The solutions stack should offer extensive media-processing features across all the protocols such as failover techniques to ensure reliability, compatibility with any public or private cloud, and any IP network type, protocol switching, live transcoding & repackaging, analytics and more.

3) A Control Plane to Cost-Effectively Manage Complex Deployments at Scale

A Software-Defined Video Platform must provide control over large complex networks with visual tools to configure, provision, orchestrate, manage and monitor live broadcast channels at scale across hundreds and thousands of compute instances. More than a monitoring tool, the control plane should also allow for control of the edge, network and cloud with full telemetry visualization of streams. Essential tools like workflow visualization, alerting, history, automation, scheduling, reporting, and root cause analysis across complex media supply chains is a must. This one centralized control plane allows broadcasters to manage complex deployments at scale with more cost-effective operations personnel rather than costly teams of video engineers, which are scarce.

4) A Network of Integrated Partners to Ensure Interoperability and Future Proofing The ANY Requirement:

A Software-Defined Video Platform must give its users the advantage of a wide range of hardware and software partners so that they can adapt to future pivots with ease. Users should be able to integrate seamlessly with hundreds of software and hardware partners to move live video across any IP network, any protocol, any cloud provider, and any edge device. With such openness and interoperability throughout the video supply chain, the extent of ones live streaming reach can be virtually boundless.

Given the great migration of TV audiences, the maturity of required technologies across networks and the relentless pressures to increase monetization while reducing costs, the age of broadcast IP has arrived. As you shape your strategy to adopt IP delivery, beware the Open Source is free trap. There is nothing wrong with Open Source at Zixi we support some Open Source protocols but Open Source is never really free and can be very expensive as you try to build your own Software-Defined Video Platform. Remember the protocol is just the tire of the vehicle you really need. One of our large customers did a build-versus-buy analysis and concluded that the total cost of ownership (TCO) to internally build versus buying was 4x more expensive. Analysis like this is why AWSs MediaConnect offering is built on Zixis Software-Defined Video Platform for the protocols they support.

The future of streaming is certainly over IP. In the global arena of media and entertainment companies, the acts of provisioning, deploying, orchestrating and monitoring large complex IP workflows require a full arsenal of capabilities that only a robust Software-Defined video solution can provide. If the major media networks and OTT providers trust IP solution for the Superbowl, Olympics, World Cup, Premier League, and much of the live linear TV that audiences enjoy today, you can as well, with confidence. As the great migration of the media landscape continues its trajectory, your success will be far greater with a Software-Defined Video Platform at your disposal.

Gordon Brooks is the Executive Chairman and CEO of Zixi. With more than 30-years of software and services technology leadership, Gordon not only leads Zixis strategic direction, but also oversees day-to-day execution of Zixis strategic plan. He has served as CEO for five different companies, founding, launching or turning around eight companies in total. Two of Gordons IPOs and five private sales created over $13 billion in value. Before joining Zixi, Gordon was President of C3 IoT, a big data, IoT and predictive analytics software platform company which provides the capability to design, development, deploy and operate complex large-scale AI applications. Gordon holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of New Hampshire. He has attended advanced graduate programs at Seton Hall University and Northwestern University.

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Why the future of IP streaming will be software-defined - NewscastStudio

The Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone Tribes are preparing for a possible outbreak of the coronavirus on the Wind River Reservation.

Both tribes' Business Councils say they are working closely with federally-run clinics on the reservation and communicating with state and federal officials. There are currently no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on the Wind River Reservation.

In a resolution released on Wednesday afternoon, the Northern Arapaho Business Council declared a state of emergency, saying that the virus could threaten the safety and well-being of the tribe.

"Until further notice, the NABC authorizes and directs every tribal program director to implement their own coronavirus prevention and response plan without NABC approval," the resolution reads.

Both Business Councils have advised tribal members and employees to follow Centers For Disease Control guidelines for preventing the spread of the virus, including washing their hands frequently, avoiding contact with people who are sick, and staying home if they are sick.

Clinics In Emergency-Preparedness Mode

Tribal leaders estimate that the majority of tribal members living or or near the Wind River Reservation rely on federally-run clinics for their healthcare needs, and that many do not have another form of health insurance.

The Wind River Service Unit in Fort Washakie is operated by the federal Indian Health Service (IHS). The Wind River Cares clinics in Ethete, Arapahoe and Riverton are funded by IHS, but run by the Northern Arapaho Tribe under a 638 self-governance contract. CEO of Wind River Cares Richard Brannan said that arrangement has given his staff some flexibility to prepare for the outbreak by ordering extra supplies a month in advance and drawing up their own treatment protocols.

"We've taken the matter into our own hands. Because of the lack of response by the federal government, we've developed our own plans here in terms of triaging patients, taking care of them and minimizing the spread. We figure there isn't anybody going to come in here and take care of us, so we have to be prepared," Brannan said.

Brannan said that the federal government has a treaty responsibility to provide healthcare on reservations like Wind River, and called on IHS to release emergency funding and resources to reservation clinics and hospitals.

In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, IHS said that "all IHS facilities are capable of testing patients for COVID-19," and that testing would be available to patients free of charge. However, Brannan said that Wind River Cares has requested test kits from the federal government but not yet received them, and that his clinics do not currently have capacity to test for COVID-19. Officials at the Fort Washakie IHS clinic have not yet responded to an interview request about whether the clinic has the ability to test patients.

Wind River Cares' Director of Nursing Michaela Sisneros said the clinic's ability to treat the illness is currently limited.

"Right now we would just screen them through a triage process, ask them if they have a cough or fever, give them symptomatic care and tell them to stay home," Sisneros said.

But Brannan said that a housing crisis on the reservation, and resulting overcrowding in many tribal homes, could make home quarantine orders ineffective.

"In some instances, we have three or four families, 24 to 30 tribal members living in a three bedroom home, and that represents a significant problem in terms of isolating individuals," Brannan said, adding that some tribal members may not have the resources, such as access to reliable transportation, to get themselves to the doctor if they are sick.

According to Councilman John St. Clair, the Eastern Shoshone Business Council has been in communication with officials at the Fort Washakie IHS facility.

"[The meetings] have been encouraging. Even though they are short on resources and understaffed, they are making every effort to try to deal with this," he said.

Travel Restricted, Events Cancelled

Employees of both the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes are currently under travel restrictions enacted by the Business Councils. In a memo to employees on Wednesday, the Northern Arapaho Business Council said work-related travel should be limited to "essential" trips pre-approved by the council. Eastern Shoshone Tribal employees and elected officials were notified of a travel restriction on Thursday.

In an interview last week, while the Eastern Shoshone Business Council was still weighing whether to restrict travel, Councilman John St. Clair said the policy would be intended to protect elders and the immunocompromised.

"It's not only for [the employees] safety, but for the safety of the tribe in case something is brought back here," St. Clair said.

Several community events on the reservation, including an honoring dinner for Wyoming Indian High School's state champion basketball teams and an informational event about the 2020 census, have been cancelled to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

In a joint statement from Wind River Cares and the Northern Arapaho Business Council, tribal members were urged not to attend next weekend's Denver March Powwow or similar large gatherings. Hours later, Denver March and Gathering of Nations in New Mexico- two of the largest powwows in the country- were both cancelled.

Visitation at Morning Star Care Center, an elder care facility serving many tribal members in Fort Washakie, has been restricted to protect residents.

"We understand keeping in touch with your family members is important," the center wrote in a statement on Thursday morning. "Please consider using telephone calls, email, text, Skype or other social media. We will continually monitor this restriction and keep in contact with families for when we can allow visitors."

Meanwhile, tribes and tribal leaders throughout our region are implementing emergency plans. The Yankton Sioux Tribe in South Dakota has closed tribal offices for sanitization. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in Montana have restricted work-related travel for employees. The Yankton and Oglala Sioux Tribes as well as the Navajo Nation have declared states of emergency on their respective reservations.

This post will be updated as more information becomes available. Visit the CDC's website for information on COVID-19 and how not to spread it.

Have a question about this story? Contact the reporter, Savannah Maher, atsmaher4@uwyo.edu.

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Wind River Tribes Enact Travel Restrictions, Prepare For The Coronavirus - Wyoming Public Media

Ohio State University suspended in-person classes through March 30. // AP, Angie Wang

Every day for the past week, colleges and universities around the country have made the announcement: in-person classes are cancelled due to fears over the spreading coronavirus.

Ohio State. Harvard. University of Virginia. University of Michigan. Duke. These are just some of the more than 100 universities across the country that are moving classes online.

Lecture halls will be empty. Labs closed. Concerts cancelled. Sports practices called off. Some universities are asking students to go home early for spring break, and if on break now, not to return to campus at all.

A massive shift like this is unprecedented in higher education. It's led to an onslaught of questions for online learning specialists such as Karen Costa.

"I think like many folks there has been a lot of shock and stress on a personal and professional level," Costa says. "My first instinct after that initial shock was how can we get our students and faculty the support that they need to navigate this crisis?"

She has been fielding questions on twitter, giving webinars online, and uploading youtube tutorials, all in hopes of easing this transition which she admits is less than ideal.

"To ask someone to go from a land based course to an online course without any previous online teaching experience is a huge ask and it's not something that can be done overnight," Costa says. "And we're trying to do it overnight."

She has spoken with professors who don't have staff or online systems in place to support the shift.

And Costa worries about the digital divide: if students aren't allowed back on campus some may not have access to reliable internet. As a result, students might drop out.

And online learning isn't for everyone.

"I'm worried about classes being cancelled physically, because me and virtual online learning does not get along," says Ohio State senior Cartier Pitts. "I don't like learning online so it's going to be a rough two weeks."

And much longer than two weeks for some schools. Pitts worries these changes could keep her from graduating on time.

The move has raised other critical questions about campus life: Just how safe is it to have students on campus at all?

"It's worth first thinking about people of college age they are not at great risk of getting severely ill with the virus that causes COVID-19," says Andrew Pavia, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at the university of Utah. "But they can act as tremendous amplifiers of the epidemic. And the behaviors that young people have in college: spending a lot of time close together, intimate contact, sharing food and drink, make the the spread of viruses in that setting a pretty high liklihood."

Pavia says spaces such as dormitories and cafeterias are indeed high-risk environments, but because of the population living there, they're not as risky as, say, a cruise ship.

"Big difference with cruise ships is they tend to have a lot of very vulnerable people," he says. "The population on cruise ships tends to be older and sicker. So you don't have that problem in college dorms. But it is a concrete living setting where it's a lot harder to do good infection control."

But he says evicting students from their dorms altogether carries its own set of risks: some of the students may not have anywhere else to go.

Excerpt from:
The Coronavirus Outbreak And The Challenges Of Online-Only Classes - Houston Public Media