The Daily Valet. - 4/16/20, Thursday
✔️ Ready for a New Normal?
Thursday, April 16th Edition
I don’t care what they say, I’m getting in my 10,000 steps today.
Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf
Today’s Big Story
We’d Better Get Used to the Masks
Americans face ‘new normal’ of life with face masks
As more and more information emerges about the need for continued social distancing and self-isolation, talk is slowly turning to what we might expect as we rebound and incrementally emerge back into society.
But make no mistake, this will not be returning to normal. We’re being told that this will be a “new normal.” The CDC has recommended masks as a way to slow the virus’ spread and it sounds like they’ll become a fixture of daily life for the foreseeable future.
California Governor Gavin Newsom sketched out what reopening the nation’s most populous state could look like on Wednesday. Restaurants may reopen with only half their usual seating capacity; face masks will be ubiquitous; school attendance may be staggered; mass gatherings banned.
Wearing masks when shopping or doing essential business in public is now the law in Los Angeles County, reports the LA Times. And Mayor Eric Garcetti said on Wednesday that large gatherings like concerts and sporting events were not likely to be allowed in Los Angeles until 2021.
According to Reuters, the governors of Connecticut, Maryland, New York and Pennsylvania each issued orders or recommendations that residents wear face masks as they emerge from isolation in the coming weeks.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said at a press briefing Wednesday that he will be issuing an executive order requiring all New Yorkers to wear a mask or face covering in public situations. “You’re right to go out to go out for a walk in the park. Go out for a walk because you need to get out of the house, the dog is getting on your nerves. Fine,” he said. “But don’t infect me. You don’t have a right to infect me.”
↦ Go Deeper: The right way to use and clean your personal non-surgical face mask (like the one above from Raleigh Denim Workshop).
China Concealed Early Coronavirus Outbreak
So says the former head of British spy agency MI6
As coronavirus infections around the world surged past two million on Wednesday—with nearly a third of those in the United States, where more than 30,000 people have died—news broke that China concealed crucial information about the novel coronavirus outbreak from the rest of the world.
According to US News & World Report, John Sawers, who led the UK's MI6 intelligence service until 2014, said that China should be held accountable for its deception and failure to contain the outbreak adequately.
“Intelligence is about acquiring information which has been concealed from you by other states and other actors,” he said. “There was a brief period in December and January when the Chinese were indeed concealing this from the West.”
According to the Associated Press, China waited six days before going public with a warning about the virus, at a time when millions began traveling through the epicenter of the disease for Lunar New Year celebrations.
Lyft Finally Wades Into Delivery
But it’s not exactly a food service like Uber Eats
Lyft on Wednesday said it has launched a new on-demand delivery service to provide essential goods, including groceries, meals and medical supplies, to people in need during the coronavirus crisis.
According to The Verge, the company said the service will also provide earning opportunities to drivers suffering from a near-total collapse in demand for ride-hailing trips.
Lyft has lagged behind its rival, Uber, in delivery, but with demand rising, the company is finally testing it out. The initiative, first teased last month, is called Essential Deliveries, and it will be available in nearly a dozen cities, reports CNN.
The service will look a lot different than customer-facing services like Uber Eats or Door Dash. Approved partners, which include government agencies, local nonprofits, businesses, and health care organizations, can schedule customer deliveries through an online portal that will then be picked up by Lyft drivers.
↦ FYI: Lyft is also providing free and discounted bike-share passes and e-scooter rides to essential workers in half a dozen cities.
10,000 Steps Is a Lie
Walk all you want, but here’s the real story behind the mysterious fitness benchmark
In recent years, the 10,000-steps-a-day regime has become entrenched in popular culture. Niche fitness industries have been built on the 10K benchmark. Just ask anyone wearing a Fitbit.
It's just too bad that the gold standard wasn’t based on any scientific evidence. Harvard epidemiologist I-Min Lee writes in Popular Science that it all started in the 1960s with a Japanese marketing campaign for an early pedometer.
It was called the Manpo-kei, which means “10,000 steps meter.” The Japanese character for 10,000 looks almost like a person walking , which is how they landed on the name—and the number.
She then did her own research and found that in older adults, half that number of steps (4,400) still lowered their risk of death, and that the benefit actually tapered off at around 7,500. Similar findings were reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Of course, the more you walk, the more calories you burn ... how much will I have to walk to reverse the damage done by my daily PB&J quarantine habit?
↦ FYI: A 99-year-old British veteran has raised $9 million for health service by walking laps.
In Other News
Other Things We’re Talking About Today
+
You Can Now Buy a New iPhone for $399
It looks like an iPhone 8, but it has more modern specs
After months of rumors, Apple officially announced the new iPhone SE on Wednesday. The lower-cost iPhone starts at $399 for a version with 64GB of storage.
According to CNET, “it's essentially an iPhone 11 stuffed into the revamped body of an iPhone 8.” It has the same basic shape and look as the original SE (released four years ago), which means it has a 4.7-inch screen, large bezels on the top and bottom, along with a home button with Touch ID.
Of course, this probably isn't the best time to launch a new phone. But with so many Americans confined to their homes and dependent on their devices to connect with the outside world, there might be demand for a zippier and more financially accessible iPhone.
↦ Buy: You can preorder the iPhone SE on Friday April 17, and it should arrive by April 24.
Weekend Shopping Plans
From WFH staples to proper cookware, our picks from three can’t-miss sales going on this weekend.
25% off w/code PICKMEUP
Travel jeans $98 / $73.50 xxxCREDITxxx
Up to 60% off
Billy Reid pullover $225 / $90
20% off
Round Dutch oven $155 / $124
Special Promotion
What We’re Buying
This is a powerful anti-aging must have that’s also easy on your skin. Onekind’s Midnight Magic PM Serum mixes potent retinol and peptides with soothing botanicals to even out skin tone, shrink problem pores and smooth fine lines (without any redness, irritation or dryness). What’s more, it also helps to reduce ingrown hairs and razor bumps after shaving. Get it today for $10 off with our exclusive promo code.
↦ Get It $42 / $32 w/code VALET10 at Onekind
Morning Motto
Plant your seeds and water with patience.
↦ Follow: @woowoo.nz
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