SUNDAY MARCH 15 2020 UPDATE

CARLOS MARTINEZ IS A LEADER! As of Sunday he has shut down the PDs office to outside visitors. No depos. Carlos Martinez understands that if we flatten the infection curve we can save our health care system and keep this down to a month or less. THANK YOU FOR BEING A LEADER ON THIS. He is what we need as a public servant and leader. He is taking care of his employees and is ahead of the curve. Lest you think we are falling all over ourselves for a friend, long time readers know we have criticized him repeatedly on other issues. But when the chips are down, he is taking care of his employees and our community. Unlike certain people (see below) he understands that this is NOT "business as usual." 

RUNDLE RELENTS: After Public Defender Carlos Martinez took the lead and announced that PD employees would be able to take administrative leave if they had child care issues, your State Attorney changed her position on Saturday and allowed SAO employees to take Admin leave if the hyave childcare issues. Previously KFR had announced that SAO employees would have to take annual leave if they had childcare issues, demonstrating a shocking ignorance about the value of social distancing and the problems of her employees with young children. This is what occurs when you lose touch with your employees and don't understand how to flatten an infection curve. 

TAKE OUR NEW POLL

GOOGLE AGREES that it is setting up a website to allow people to track their symptoms. This after the White House's initial announcement on Friday appeared to catch Google by surprise. You can Google Google to get to the Google site. 

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT THIS WEEK: As testing ramps up in the US, the numbers of people infected with Covid19 will skyrocket. Understand that these people are ALREADY INFECTED. We just do not have official results. Our court leaders do not understand this which is why they are keeping courts -including the all important traffic court-open.  Somehow they imagine that the NY Times year in review will write "In a courageous display of bravery, Miami Dade County Court leaders kept their traffic court open while society around them collapsed. Leaders from around the world praised the decision as the turning point in the fight against the virus."

The opposite is true, Keeping traffic court and other court systems fully open just ensures that thousands of people who could otherwise stay home and let the infection levels flatten out will come into contact with each other and endanger citizens and court employees alike. We implore these people to review their decisions and change their mind. 

Movie Theaters are changing seating and reducing ticket sales by 50% so that every other seat is not sold and people practice social distancing. Only if you must- otherwise stay home. 

HERE IS A GOOD LINK ON WHAT SOCIAL DISTANCING MEANS- read it, especially if you are a decision maker in your family or workplace. 

DO: Go to the beach for a swim; play tennis or golf or go for a run or vigorous walk or a bike ride. Shark Valley in the Everglades is open for a nice long bike ride. Go shoot some hoops. Go to a batting cage in Tropical Park. Go to the park. Take vitamin C and Zinc and Garlic extract capsules.  You can go to your gym if you use Clorox wipes on the machines and do not use the public showers. 

DON'T: Use public swimming pools; avoid elevators and use hand wash immediately after using an elevator; touch handrails on escalators; eat out for the next week (including, sigh...Starbucks); Travel; go to friend's house or take your children to birthday parties or play-dates; shake hands or kiss upon greeting; go to court for traffic tickets or misdemeanors; watch the movie "Outbreak"; go to a spa for a massage; go to the beauty parlor and hang out all day with a manicure; go to bars (ouch) and hang out.  

IF YOU FEEL ILL: Relax. First, self quarantine yourself in your home which means limiting exposure to family. Second, start taking your temperature every hour. If your temperature responds to Advil or Tylenol, that is a good sign. You do not need to go to the ER if you have symptoms of a cold and no fever. Increase your consumption of Vitamin C, Zinc and Garlic extract. 

Do not go to the ER UNLESS you have a fever above 100 AND a persistent cough and aches and are having trouble breathing. One symptom of Covid-19 is a rapid onset of symptoms-essentially you cascade downward quickly. There are no antiviral drugs that have currently been approved for use-although an anti-viral drug for Ebola has had promising results in tests and may soon be available to treat symptoms. 

Email Rumpole. We will give you solid and impartial advice. 

STOCKS: The market will continue to be driven by emotions and fear and this is a bad thing for most investors ( we sold two major indexes short a month ago as a hedge). As confirmed cases in the US skyrocket based on increased testing, the market will fall further. You will not be able to catch the bottom. ONLY INVEST MONEY YOU DO NOT NEED FOR A YEAR. If you like Coke at 48, Netflix at 336. Microsoft at 159, Johnson and Johnson at 135, Apple at 277, Amazon at 1,785, Bristol Meyers at 55, and ATT at 34, then BUY. In a year from now you will be happy.

Stocks will fall further as the market reacts to numbers. Various additional celebrities, politicians and athletes will announce they have tested positive. The market will fall. As the numbers flatten out and people recover, the market will rise. As people return to work, the market will rise. As companies report Q1 and Q2 numbers, the market will initially fall, and then rise as companies give strong future guidance. 

Meanwhile Netflix has a show called "Love is Blind". People somehow meet through closed doors, fall in love and  get engaged before actually seeing each other. How is this possible??