Rihanna and Jay Z donate $1 million each to help fight the coronavirus pandemic, Lizzo provides lunches to U.S. hospital workers, CNN’s Chris Cuomo tests positive for the disease and more. ⠀⠀
Baller Alert is back with more updates on the coronavirus. There are currently 884,190 cases worldwide, 44,169 deaths, and 185,180 recoveries. While things may seem dim, there’s always light. Before we get to the not-so-great news, we’d like to highlight the good the world has been doing to help fight the outbreak.
Monday was #NationalDoctorsDay, and to celebrate, singer-songwriter Lizzo sent dozens of health care workers lunch deliveries as a kind gesture to thank them for their services during this time. “Lizzo sent lunch to several hospitals throughout the country yesterday to thank them for all their hard work, bravery, and dedication amid the coronavirus pandemic,” the singer’s rep told Fox News on Wednesday. Slutty Vegan owner and operator Pinky Cole also delivered 80 meals to health care providers at Northside Hospital and the Grady Memorial Hospital, the two major medical centers in Atlanta, Georgia. “We are appreciative of our local health care providers and know that they are doing everything they can to ensure the safety of patients, staff, and families during COVID19 response,” said Pinky Cole in a statement.
Following suit is Roc Nation’s own Jay and Rih, who separately donated $1 million to coronavirus response efforts. The donation came from Jay’s Shawn Carter Foundation and Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation, which will “support undocumented workers, the children of frontline health workers and first responders, and incarcerated, elderly and homeless populations in New York City and Los Angeles.” In addition, the money will also go towards “offering daycare, learning materials, food and supplies for the children of frontline healthcare workers and first responders, providing learning materials for the over 20,000 children and youth learning in shelters and virtual mental health support for parents, and ensuring child-care centers are clean, have smaller clusters of children and that all personnel are protected.”
In more good news: Howard Stern has decided to make SiriusXM free through May 15. Forbes reports that listeners will be able to select music from over 300 channels of news and information as well as entertainment. Everything will be ad-free, and users will have access to music, politics, sport, and more. Execs are also joining their employees who have lost their jobs, by sacrificing their own salaries to pay their workers. Bob Pittman, chairman, and chief executive of broadcast giant iHeartRadiosaid he will be forgoing his salary for the rest of the year and will be giving up his annual incentive bonus. Former Disney chairman and CEO #BobIger will also be forging his salary for a year; his senior VP executive team will be taking a 25 percent pay cut in wages, starting April 5. Executive VPs will receive a 30 percent pay cut. Bob Chapek, who succeeded Iger as CEO, will take a 50 percent pay cut, according to Variety.
As for the bad news: The Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony has been postponed until 2021. “In facing the reality of the future being unknown and the extraordinary number of schedules which would have to be rearranged, although sad and very disappointing, it seemed to be more prudent and in the best interests and well-being of everyone, especially our inductees, honorees, and guests to move the 2020 class of inductees and honorees in its entirety to next year’s gala when they can be truly celebrated,” said Linda Moren, the SHOF president, and CEO. Set to be added to the Hall of Fame is Mariah Carey, Pharrell Williams, The Isley Brothers, and more.
The newest celeb to be diagnosed with the coronavirus is CNN anchor Chris Cuomo. “In these difficult times that seem to get more difficult and complicated by the day, I just found out that I am positive for coronavirus,” Cuomo wrote in a message on Twitter. He will continue to tape his 9 p.m. show “Cuomo Prime Time” from home. “I have been exposed to people in recent days who have subsequently tested positive, and I had fevers, chills, and shortness of breath,” he wrote. “I just hope I didn’t give it to the kids and Cristina. That would make me feel worse than this illness!”
— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) March 31, 2020
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