This Just In: Asia's COVID surge, through a former Journal reporter's eyes

Also, an end to the Providence teacher contract impasse? [providencejournal.com]( This Just In Tuesday, July 20 [A street scene in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City.]( [Asia's COVID surge, through a former Journal reporter's eyes]( Also, an end to the Providence teacher contract impasse? Good afternoon and welcome to This Just In. I'm Mike McDermott, managing editor of The Providence Journal, and while I've tried to be a better planner, I'll never be as good as those frozen lemonade truck operators who show up whenever more than five kids are in any single place. When Madeleine List, our former Providence city reporter, left Rhode Island in December to become an English teacher in Vietnam, our state was in the midst of a devastating winter surge in coronavirus cases, deaths and hospitalizations. In Vietnam, however, the virus was almost entirely absent. Now, sadly, COVID has exploded there, and Madeleine – like millions of others – is living in a state of lockdown, confined mostly to her apartment. [She writes about the experience on our website today](. The Rhode Island Department of Health today reported one coronavirus-related death and 65 additional cases of COVID-19, along with 3,987 negative tests, for a 1.6% positive rate. The seven-day new-case average is up to 47. There were 21 COVID-positive patients in Rhode Island hospitals at last count, on Sunday, up from 18 reported yesterday. If you're looking for positive news amid the rising number of cases, Rhode Island has the lowest test positivity over the last seven days out of any of the 50 states, [according to Johns Hopkins University](   After more than a year of negotiations that not too long ago seemed to be going nowhere, the state [has reached a tentative agreement]( with the Providence Teachers Union on a new contract. The announcement, which contained no details, came during Gov. Dan McKee's weekly news conference, and not too long after Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza  – a potential rival to McKee in the 2022 gubernatorial primary – accused McKee of caving to the union. How tough has it been lately finding a home in Rhode Island? As Antonia Noori Farzan writes, [many buyers have given up trying]( One of Rhode Island's favorite daughters, Viola Davis, [is scheduled to release a memoir]( in April that she describes as "my story ... straight, no chaser." Rhode Islanders gathered at Cranston City Hall last night [for a vigil]( to condemn the assassination of Haitian President Jovenal Moïse. The Warren Town Council has passed a measure, called a "land acknowledgment," that pays tribute to the Pokanoket people who inhabited the region when European settlers arrived four centuries ago. A Warwick man [has been sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison]( for enticing a 15-year-old Michigan girl to leave her family and abducting her to Rhode Island for sex. We've seen businesses take a lot of creative approaches to finding qualified workers, but Blount Fine Foods [takes the (clam) cake]( Fresh off dominating Journal sports writer Eric Rueb, 12-year-old phenom [Vinny Papa]( [dominated the stroke-play round]( of the Rhode Island Women's Amateur. Finally, Tom Brady was at the White House again today (he's already spent nearly as much time there as President William Henry Harrison ever did) to accept another Super Bowl trophy. And he used the occasion to [crack a couple political jokes]( Have a great night. And remember, if you enjoy This Just In, please [encourage a friend to sign up]( [Discover more with our newsletters: Get the latest headlines, things to do and more in your inbox. Sign up here.]( [click here]( Problem viewing email? [View in browser]( [Unsubscribe]( • [Manage Newsletters]( • [Terms of Service]( • [Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights]( • [Privacy Notice]( • [Do Not Sell My Info/Cookie Policy]( • [Feedback]( © 2021 75 Fountain St., Providence, RI 02902