'Florida Lobster Got a Break on China Tariffs. Then Came Coronavirus.' diff viewer (17/18)

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Florida Lobster Got a Break on China Tariffs. Then Came Coronavirus.	Florida Lobster Got a Break on China Tariffs. Then Came Coronavirus.
2020-07-09 15:38:30 UTC	2020-07-17 20:24:35 UTC (8 days later)
MARATHON, Fla. — Like other commercial fishermen along the east and west coasts, Ethan Wallace had been waiting 18 months for China — the world’s largest importer of live lobster — to lift its crushing retaliatory tariffs on American seafood that had whittled down his profits.	MARATHON, Fla. — Like other commercial fishermen along the east and west coasts, Ethan Wallace had been waiting 18 months for China — the world’s largest importer of live lobster — to lift its crushing retaliatory tariffs on American seafood that had whittled down his profits.
This week, that moment came: Beijing started allowing Chinese businesses to apply for tariff exemptions. But for Mr. Wallace, it no longer mattered.	This week, that moment came: Beijing started allowing Chinese businesses to apply for tariff exemptions. But for Mr. Wallace, it no longer mattered.
Tariffs or not, no one in China is buying. The coronavirus outbreak meant the Lunar New Year banquets and wedding parties that feature a fresh lobster on every plate, a symbol of good fortune, were canceled. In several cities, restaurants are shuttered and public indoor gatherings are prohibited. And even if they weren’t, many of the planes that ferry live lobsters aren’t flying to China.	Tariffs or not, no one in China is buying. The coronavirus outbreak meant the Lunar New Year banquets and wedding parties that feature a fresh lobster on every plate, a symbol of good fortune, were canceled. In several cities, restaurants are shuttered and public indoor gatherings are prohibited. And even if they weren’t, many of the planes that ferry live lobsters aren’t flying to China.
“Boom! Coronavirus,” said Mr. Wallace, 28, after he had steered Piece of the Pie, his 43-foot Torres boat, into the Keys Fisheries marina in Marathon. Although the season continues through the end of March, he and his crew that day took home more lobster traps than pounds of lobster from the Gulf of Mexico.	“Boom! Coronavirus,” said Mr. Wallace, 28, after he had steered Piece of the Pie, his 43-foot Torres boat, into the Keys Fisheries marina in Marathon. Although the season continues through the end of March, he and his crew that day took home more lobster traps than pounds of lobster from the Gulf of Mexico.
“Normally I would still be out there fishing for the next 15 days or so,” he said as two mates unloaded wooden traps laced with brown garlands of seaweed that hung like tinsel. Even though the catch trails off near the end of the season, the premium price that buyers are willing to pay for live lobsters that can be shipped to China — $11 to $12 a pound when the year started — was worth the effort.	“Normally I would still be out there fishing for the next 15 days or so,” he said as two mates unloaded wooden traps laced with brown garlands of seaweed that hung like tinsel. Even though the catch trails off near the end of the season, the premium price that buyers are willing to pay for live lobsters that can be shipped to China — $11 to $12 a pound when the year started — was worth the effort.
In January, when the Chinese government closed the live-seafood market in Wuhan, the price of lobster in Florida fell overnight by as much as $5 a pound. Because they will now have to be sold for frozen use, the lobsters aren’t worth as much.	In January, when the Chinese government closed the live-seafood market in Wuhan, the price of lobster in Florida fell overnight by as much as $5 a pound. Because they will now have to be sold for frozen use, the lobsters aren’t worth as much.
“To not catch very much and have no price, it’s hard to leave your gear out,” said Mr. Wallace, who had already beached most of his 3,200 lobster traps. Between fuel and wages for his crew, a day of lobstering can cost him more than $1,000. “Once they dropped the price down, everybody made a beeline for the dock.”	“To not catch very much and have no price, it’s hard to leave your gear out,” said Mr. Wallace, who had already beached most of his 3,200 lobster traps. Between fuel and wages for his crew, a day of lobstering can cost him more than $1,000. “Once they dropped the price down, everybody made a beeline for the dock.”
All around the wharf, spilling over into the parking lot, on the grass and even, in some spots, along the Overseas Highway that traverses the Florida Keys, lobster traps are stacked.	All around the wharf, spilling over into the parking lot, on the grass and even, in some spots, along the Overseas Highway that traverses the Florida Keys, lobster traps are stacked.
The makeshift skyline of slatted wooden low-rises and high-rises is one emblem of how far and fast the coronavirus outbreak is reverberating throughout the global economy. Production and distribution chains, travel plans and social gatherings have been disrupted in Asia, Europe and North America. The effects are rippling out to the supply of Apple phones and demand for hotel rooms and lobsters.	The makeshift skyline of slatted wooden low-rises and high-rises is one emblem of how far and fast the coronavirus outbreak is reverberating throughout the global economy. Production and distribution chains, travel plans and social gatherings have been disrupted in Asia, Europe and North America. The effects are rippling out to the supply of Apple phones and demand for hotel rooms and lobsters.
“The effect of the coronavirus has been a shake-up across the entire lobster supply chain in the U.S. and Canada,” said Annie Tselikis, executive director the Lobster Dealers’ Association in Maine, where four out of five American lobsters are caught.	“The effect of the coronavirus has been a shake-up across the entire lobster supply chain in the U.S. and Canada,” said Annie Tselikis, executive director the Lobster Dealers’ Association in Maine, where four out of five American lobsters are caught.
Now is a slow time for fishing and sales in the state, she said, so the damage has been limited.	Now is a slow time for fishing and sales in the state, she said, so the damage has been limited.
Compared with those in Maine, the annual landings from the Florida Keys are tiny, about six million pounds. But half of the catch goes to China, the largest single customer.	Compared with those in Maine, the annual landings from the Florida Keys are tiny, about six million pounds. But half of the catch goes to China, the largest single customer.
Over the past decade, China’s demand for live lobster — a sign of wealth and status among the country’s rapidly growing middle class — has transformed Florida’s lobster industry. The clawless spiny Caribbean lobsters caught off its coast tend to be more prized in China than Maine’s pincered ones.	Over the past decade, China’s demand for live lobster — a sign of wealth and status among the country’s rapidly growing middle class — has transformed Florida’s lobster industry. The clawless spiny Caribbean lobsters caught off its coast tend to be more prized in China than Maine’s pincered ones.
Known as dragon shrimp, they could be shipped out of Miami and arrive — alive — in China 40 hours later. As prices headed past $20 a pound in 2014, more and more fishing boats, processors and buyers redirected their operations to sell to Asia. Lobster is now the most valuable seafood product harvested in the state.	Known as dragon shrimp, they could be shipped out of Miami and arrive — alive — in China 40 hours later. As prices headed past $20 a pound in 2014, more and more fishing boats, processors and buyers redirected their operations to sell to Asia. Lobster is now the most valuable seafood product harvested in the state.
“The Chinese market has upped the quality of our life,” said Ernie Piton, 55, who was repairing traps outside his garage. He, too, ended his season early. About 10 years ago, he switched to selling live lobsters directly to Chinese buyers who waited on the dock in Key Largo for his boat and then picked through lobsters as they were unloaded. “We’ve been able to put more money in the bank,” Mr. Piton said.	“The Chinese market has upped the quality of our life,” said Ernie Piton, 55, who was repairing traps outside his garage. He, too, ended his season early. About 10 years ago, he switched to selling live lobsters directly to Chinese buyers who waited on the dock in Key Largo for his boat and then picked through lobsters as they were unloaded. “We’ve been able to put more money in the bank,” Mr. Piton said.
D&D Seafood, which handles more than one million pounds of lobster a year, has a facility five minutes from Miami International Airport to speed shipments. “The virus has knocked out 100 percent of our live business to China,” said Dennis Dopico, the vice president. When the market shut, he got stuck with about 5,000 pounds in the tanks instead of the 15,000 carried on an average day. “We just got lucky,” he said.	D&D Seafood, which handles more than one million pounds of lobster a year, has a facility five minutes from Miami International Airport to speed shipments. “The virus has knocked out 100 percent of our live business to China,” said Dennis Dopico, the vice president. When the market shut, he got stuck with about 5,000 pounds in the tanks instead of the 15,000 carried on an average day. “We just got lucky,” he said.
For Florida’s fishing industry, the health scare is the latest in a series of unfortunate events. In 2017, Hurricane Irma ripped through the region, wrecking lobster traps and boats and reducing the commercial fishing harvests, said Gary Graves, manager of Keys Fisheries, one of the state’s largest seafood processors and distributors.	For Florida’s fishing industry, the health scare is the latest in a series of unfortunate events. In 2017, Hurricane Irma ripped through the region, wrecking lobster traps and boats and reducing the commercial fishing harvests, said Gary Graves, manager of Keys Fisheries, one of the state’s largest seafood processors and distributors.
In 2018, a trade feud with the United States prompted China to impose an additional 25 percent tariff on American lobster imports — payback for tariffs that the Trump administration had slapped on Chinese goods. Last summer, just after lobster season started, another wave of tariffs from the White House prompted the Chinese to retaliate by further raising import duties on American seafood. Exports of live lobster to China plunged 42 percent from 2018 to 2019, from $148 million to less than $86 million, according to the Maine International Trade Center.	In 2018, a trade feud with the United States prompted China to impose an additional 25 percent tariff on American lobster imports — payback for tariffs that the Trump administration had slapped on Chinese goods. Last summer, just after lobster season started, another wave of tariffs from the White House prompted the Chinese to retaliate by further raising import duties on American seafood. Exports of live lobster to China plunged 42 percent from 2018 to 2019, from $148 million to less than $86 million, according to the Maine International Trade Center.
Maine was hit the hardest by the punitive tariffs. Buyers could easily pivot north to Canada, whose waters breed the same species of clawed lobster.	Maine was hit the hardest by the punitive tariffs. Buyers could easily pivot north to Canada, whose waters breed the same species of clawed lobster.
Sixteen hundred miles south, in the Keys, anglers and distributors still sold live lobsters to China, but prices were down. “The tariffs cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said Mr. Piton, the Key Largo fisherman.	Sixteen hundred miles south, in the Keys, anglers and distributors still sold live lobsters to China, but prices were down. “The tariffs cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said Mr. Piton, the Key Largo fisherman.
He had hoped to make up some lost ground during new year celebrations in China, when pumped-up demand raised prices. “You hope for a good pull right at the end of the season,” he said. “Then the market crashed.”	He had hoped to make up some lost ground during new year celebrations in China, when pumped-up demand raised prices. “You hope for a good pull right at the end of the season,” he said. “Then the market crashed.”
~~Updated July 7, 2020~~
The coronavirus can stay aloft for hours in tiny droplets in stagnant air, infecting people as they inhale, mounting scientific evidence suggests. This risk is highest in crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation, and may help explain super-spreading events reported in meatpacking plants, churches and restaurants. It’s unclear how often the virus is spread via these tiny droplets, or aerosols, compared with larger droplets that are expelled when a sick person coughs or sneezes, or transmitted through contact with contaminated surfaces, said Linsey Marr, an aerosol expert at Virginia Tech. Aerosols are released even when a person without symptoms exhales, talks or sings, according to Dr. Marr and more than 200 other experts, who have outlined the evidence in an open letter to the World Health Organization.
Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles.
A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico.
The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth.
The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.
So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.
Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.
A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.
If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)
If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
Mr. Piton lives down the block from Key Largo Fisheries. Last week, a lone lobster boat, Hanna Katherine, arrived with something to sell.	Mr. Piton lives down the block from Key Largo Fisheries. Last week, a lone lobster boat, Hanna Katherine, arrived with something to sell.
Stepping off the deck, John Greco said he had already taken out about a third of his 2,600 traps, but figured he could earn some extra money since most everyone else had given up for the season.	Stepping off the deck, John Greco said he had already taken out about a third of his 2,600 traps, but figured he could earn some extra money since most everyone else had given up for the season.
“It sucks that the price dropped,” he said, as a couple of lobsters scrambled out of the bright blue crates that had been hoisted onto the dock. “But if you don’t go out, you don’t make anything.”	“It sucks that the price dropped,” he said, as a couple of lobsters scrambled out of the bright blue crates that had been hoisted onto the dock. “But if you don’t go out, you don’t make anything.”
Mr. Greco, 34, and his brother have been trapping lobsters since high school. That morning they had motored out at 5:30, pulling up and emptying about 250 traps throughout the day.	Mr. Greco, 34, and his brother have been trapping lobsters since high school. That morning they had motored out at 5:30, pulling up and emptying about 250 traps throughout the day.
Inside the fishery, a half dozen cutters in white rubber boots and thick gloves wielded long fillet knives, quickly dissevering tubs of yellowtail. Heads went in one plastic-lined cardboard box; skeletons that could be used for chum in another. Nearby, a purple tub was crowded with bonito, often used as bait. “It has a scent to it that fish just adore,” said Rick Hill, a co-owner of Key Largo Fisheries.	Inside the fishery, a half dozen cutters in white rubber boots and thick gloves wielded long fillet knives, quickly dissevering tubs of yellowtail. Heads went in one plastic-lined cardboard box; skeletons that could be used for chum in another. Nearby, a purple tub was crowded with bonito, often used as bait. “It has a scent to it that fish just adore,” said Rick Hill, a co-owner of Key Largo Fisheries.