What we’re reading: Disney layoffs, Tarrant County COVID-19 cases increasing

By Leah Bolling

Published Oct 1, 2020

The Walt Disney Co. announced Tuesday that it is planning to lay off 28,000 workers in its theme parks division in California and Florida. The company has been squeezed by limits on attendance at its parks and other restrictions due to the pandemic. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)

Disney planning to lay off 28,000 employees

Disney is laying off 28,000 employees due to the pandemic’s effect on its theme parks, according to CNN.

Disney’s theme parks closed in the spring when the pandemic hit, causing the company’s profit to drop 91%.

The chairman of Disney Parks, Josh D’Amaro, said these staffing cuts were necessary due to the “prolonged impact” of the coronavirus on business.

That included “limited capacity due to physical distancing requirements and the continued uncertainty regarding the duration of the pandemic.”

D’Amaro said though this decision was a tough one to make, it will allow Disney to have a more efficient operation when things return to normal. He also said Disney employees have always been key to their success.

“We look forward to providing opportunities where we can for them to return,” he said.

Tarrant County COVID-19 cases are climbing

Tarrant County reported 360 new COVID-19 cases and five deaths Wednesday, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

In Tarrant County, 8% of hospital beds are dedicated to COVID-19 patients for the first time since August. Tarrant County reported a pandemic high with 20% of hospital beds dedicated to COVID-19 patients on July 23.

The latest deaths include residents of Fort Worth, Arlington and Kennedale who were all over the age of 50 and had underlying health conditions.

As of Oct. 1, Tarrant County has reported 50,417 COVID-19 cases, 662 deaths and about 43,895 recoveries.

Jimmy Carter’s 96th birthday

Carter marks his 96th birthday Thursday, Oct. 1., the latest milestone for the longest-lived of the 44 men to hold the highest American office. Carter planned to celebrate at his home in Plains, Ga., with his wife of 74 years, Rosalynn Carter, according to a spokeswoman for the Carter Center in Atlanta (AP Photo/John Amis, File)

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter celebrates his 96th birthday today, according to NBC News.

Carter plans to celebrate at his home in Plains, Georgia, with his wife, Rosalynn Carter.

Carter was the 39th president and served between 1977-1981. He has been abstaining from public view amid the COVID-19 pandemic and serious medical issues he’s endured such as a series of falls he suffered in 2019 and surviving a dire cancer diagnosis in 2015.

Carter still remains a quiet force in politics at home and through his post-presidential center, in public health and human rights advocacy around the world.