Previously on 50☆Stars: America and the 50 States celebrate the 4th of July in quarantine. And now back to our regularly scheduled program.
~
Texas sighs, "I miss rodeo..."
"I miss Summerfest..." Wisconsin sighs.
"I miss the St. Patrick's Day parade." Maine pouts. "If Massy were here, he would probably say he missed that, the Boston Marathon, and the Olympics the most."
"Coachella... E3... Pride parades... Anime Expo... San Deigo Comic-Con..." California rambles on before letting out a long groan. "Why can't we, like, cancel the coronavirus?"
"I have a better idea." Connecticut suggests, "How about we cancel 2020 instead?"
"Yeah, let's pretend 2020 doesn't exist," North Carolina agrees. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I miss 2019."
"Hey, does anyone remember Storm 51?" Nevada asks everyone while playing Fortnite with America and other states. "What a dumb yet simpler time."
"Speaking of which, how about those UFOs in April? Do you know anything about them?" New Mexico asks.
"Nope. I have no clue what you're talking about."
"Hm... How about Tony? Does he know?" He stares at the gray alien sitting next to America.
"Fucking bubu," Tony grumbles while mashing the buttons of his controller aggressively.
America laughs, "You won't get away this time!"
New Mexico scowls. "Are you listening to me?"
"Huh?" America glances back at him. "What's the question— TONY! NOOOO!"
"Hehehehe," Tony snickers while his character does multiple Fortnite dances.
New Mexico sighs, "Never mind..."
"I wonder if there's a parallel universe where the pandemic didn't exist," Texas mumbles. "Or, a universe where the outbreak was contained. If so, I would do anything to switch places with me in that reality, so I could go to the rodeo."
"I don't know." Nevada shakes his head. "There's a possibility the parallel universe could be worse than the one we're living in."
"How? What's worse than the pandemic?"
He shrugs. "Maybe in that universe World War III actually happened."
"Damn. I completely forgot about that," Tennessee mutters. "It's kinda funny how seven months ago we were making memes about it."
"I didn't think they were funny," North Carolina grumbles. "I didn't think Iran would back down from declaring war on us."
"Me, too..." America chuckles uncomfortably. "Surprisingly, that's not the worst thing to happen in 2020."
"If not for the pandemic, I argue the Australian bushfires were the worst thing to happen," says Iowa. "Those poor animals..."
"Yeah, that's pretty terrible," California mumbles. "Though, I still haven't gotten over the death of the Black Mamba and his daughter. I feel so sorry for his family."
Everyone lets out a collective sigh in low spirits.
"Aloha, everyone!" Hawaii arrives at the party, breaking the gloom with her sunshine-like smile. "Let's escape reality and play some Animal Crossing!"
"Yeah!"
☆☆☆☆☆
"¡Hola (Hello), bitches!" Florida arrives at the party, wearing a black polka dot, red striped tankini with a matching face mask. "Just got back from the beach. Anything I miss?"
"You went to the beach?!" Georgia gapes at her in utter disbelief.
"Of course, I went to the beach. They were open. So, why not? I would've stayed out longer wasn't for the Grim Reaper ruining my day."
She shakes her head with a disapproving scowl. "You're a breed of lunacy no one can't describe without repeating stupid a hundred times."
"You expect me to hibernate throughout the summer like a pasty-faced degenerate. Like, no way."
"But shouldn't you be more careful around the virus?" Hawaii questions worryingly. "I heard your home gained another ten thousand cases yesterday."
Florida lets out a deep breath. "Look, girl. It's bad enough I wasted the entire spring staying indoors. There's no way I'm letting a microbe ruin summer, too. Tourism is big here, so I need to salvage as much money as I can to get things back to normal."
"Sure, but..." she mumbles guiltily, realizing she and the Floridian are on the same boat. "... Yeah. I need the tourism industry to reopen, so I can recover. But at the cost of having more people get sick, I don't want to have that on my conscience."
"It's alright, Hawaii. I feel the same way," says New Jersey upon returning to the living room with a bowl of freshly-popped popcorn. "It's nice to be careful, but we need to keep in mind the unemployed can't stay jobless forever." He stuffs a handful of popcorn into his mouth. "It's double jeopardy. Reopen too early, the number of coronavirus cases increases. At the same time, the economy will grow worse if we don't reopen soon. No one wins either way."
"Then, what should I do? I don't wanna mess things up."
"Don't worry too much, sweetie," Georgia assures her. "As long as you're not making headlines like Florida, I'm sure you're doing a decent job."
"Oye! What do you mean by that?" Florida narrows her eyes at her.
While the Floridian defends her pride from a barrage of criticism, Washington shows up to the party, greeting America, "How's it going, dude? Happy birthday!"
"Awesome! Thanks for coming!"
"Did you get the gift cards in your email?"
"Yep! They're the Amazon and Microsoft Xbox ones, right?"
"Yeah. I thought about getting you a Starbucks gift card, but I might save that idea for the holidays."
"Cool! I can't wait to get a pumpkin spice latte by then." He smiles.
"Since you're here," Nevada speaks up, "I've been meaning to ask about the new consoles. You're getting the Xbox Series X, right?"
He scoffs, "Why even ask? Of course, I'm getting the Xbox Series X."
"You mean the X-mini-fridge?" Rhode Island remarks, getting snickers from the group.
"At least it looks better than the Wi-Fi router," he huffs.
Nevada chuckles, "Well, you two have fun starting the next console war. I plan to get both during the holidays."
"I still love my Nintendo Switch," Hawaii chirps, unperturbed by the console war. "I love Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and I can't wait for the New Pokémon Snap when it comes out."
"Hello, y'all!" Mississippi shows up at a rather strange time. "Guess what? I'm changing my flag."
Georgia is taken aback by this piece of news. "Oh, wow. You are?"
"Uh-huh. I understand why people hate my flag so much, so I'll be making a new one everyone can look up to without appearing embarrassed."
"I guess better now than later..."
She giggles. "So, what's with all this talk about consoles? Are we comforting someone?"
"No, idiot. We're talking about video game consoles," Rhode Island fusses.
"Oh." She blinks her eyes. "I'm not into video gaming."
"We know," says everyone all at once.
In the middle of arguments, Montana and Wyoming quietly show up to the party, trying not to attract too much attention. "Hello, America. Happy birthday."
"Hey, Wyoming. Hey, Montana. Thanks—" America glances at the laptop, dropping his bright blue Joy-con in shock of seeing their pale faces and the dark circles around their sullen eyes. "Holy shit! What happened to you guys?"
"What? Is my camera not working? Can you not see me?" Wyoming messes with his webcam. "Stupid technology. For sure, in-person interactions are better."
"No, that's not the issue. We can see you fine." Iowa frowns. "You guys look like you've undergone mental breakdowns."
"I mean..." Montana murmurs, grasping a bottle of beer. "You're not wrong."
Utah gasps, "No! You better not be thinking what I think you've been thinking!"
"What?" She cocks her head.
"Stop drinking Satan's urine and come to your senses!"
"It's okay, Utah! I'm fine now!" She sighs, "It's just... It has been hard staying motivated these days."
"You guys won't understand," Wyoming grumbles. "Most of our funds have been focused on combating the virus, so there's barely anything left to maintain national parks. It also sucks there aren't many visitors because of the pandemic. So, it's hard to see where our futures are heading..."
"... Wow. No wonder you look tense." Colorado makes his presence known at the party. "If it helps, I can send you some kush to make you feel better." He lights up a reefer and starts smoking.
Wyoming huffs, "I refuse!"
"It'll help relieve the stress." He breathes out a wisp of smoke. "My pantry has been stocked with weed and Doritos since the beginning of the outbreak, so you don't have to worry about me running out any time soon."
"That's not the issue! I refuse to be a pothead!"
"I'm fine with beer," says Montana, taking a swig of her bottle.
"You're only exacerbating the problem!" Utah shrieks.
"Come on, you two. Weed isn't that bad. Right, Wash?" Colorado looks over at his fellow pothead.
He nods. "There are side effects, but it does help take your mind off— AAaaAAaahh!" He leaps out of his gaming chair. "Stay back! Don't sting me!"
"Wash?"
"Yeah, I don't think I'll be taking weed anytime soon."
"T-That's not it! Aaaah!" Washington grabs a book from a bookshelf, lifting it above his head. "It's a murder hornet! It's somehow in my house! Gah!" He wacks a hard surface off camera.
"Did you get it?" America asks.
"... No," he whimpers.
While watching Washington frantically fight a three-inch hornet, America, New Jersey, and Tony hear the front door open and close. They look over their shoulder to see New York arrive with two bags of groceries. "Oh, hey! I see you found some beef patties."
"They were a pain in the ass to find, but I paid good money for them," he grumbles, placing both bags on the kitchen counter. "Since you're here," he eyes the Jersey Devil, "I need your help."
"For how much?" New Jersey smirks.
He knits his brow. "A burger—a burger I bought with my money." He walks over to the hallway. "If you don't help me, I'm not feeding you."
"You're so mean," he whines in a teasing manner. "But fine. I'll help your grumpy ass for a tasty burger." He gets up from the couch, placing the bowl of popcorn down on the coffee table. "Come on, Tony. Lend us a hand."
"Bubu," the alien reluctantly agrees, helping New Jersey and New York get America's presents to the living room.
~ Hetalia! ~
"Okay, America." New York places the last stack of boxes on the floor. "Which present do you want to open first?"
"Good question." He looks at all the packages in the room, still deciding which one to open first.
"Ooh! Pick mine! Pick mine!" California bounces up and down in her gaming chair. "It's the tallest package! You better open it, or I'll be super mad!"
"Alright. If you say so." After using a box cutter to open the tallest cardboard box, America finds himself face to face with Japan. "What in the world?"
"What is it?" New Jersey takes a peek inside the box. "A body pillow?"
She giggles, "It's a dakimakura. I got it last year at Anime Expo. I figure it was better off with you since it would be a while until you see Japan again."
"That's nice and all," America mumbles, "but why's Japan dressed as a cat?" He takes the rest of the dakimakura out of the box, showing off the full-scale of Japan in cat cosplay, causing mixed reactions.
"That's...odd." Nebraska is at a complete loss of words.
"Oh, God! My eyes!" Alabama covers his face.
"Aw! He looks so cute!" Hawaii giggles.
"I should get one for British Columbia..." Washington mumbles to himself, clicking a new tab on his smartphone to see if there are any available to purchase.
"Do you like it?" California asks America. "Isn't he so adorable?"
"Uh, sure." He forces a smile, not wanting to disappoint her. "Thanks, Cali. I'll...take good care of it." He sets the dakimakura on the couch before grabbing another package at random.
"Something smells nice," New York remarks, catching a whiff of cinnamon in the air.
Connecticut smirks. "Before you open it, can anyone guess what it—"
"It's a candle!" America holds up a star-spangled box labeled 'USA' in bold font.
"Ack! America! You're supposed to open it after you make your guess." He sighs. "Oh, well. That's okay. Do you like it?"
"Yeah. Thanks, Connecticut." America takes a whiff of the unlit candle inside the box. "Mm. It smells like a freshly-baked apple pie. I can't wait to light it later tonight."
Setting the candle on the coffee table, New Jersey hands over a slim box for the nation to open. "This one is from Idaho, so I'm expecting some kind of potato product."
"Actually," Idaho counters, "it's not potatoes this time."
"It's clothes!" America exclaims, pulling out a white T-shirt. The print on the shirt says 'July 4th, 2020—The Year When I Was QUARANTINED' in the same font as the Friends TV show. "Oh, wow! There's three of them in here." He pulls out two more shirts, both with the same text except they come in red and navy blue respectively.
"Hopefully, it fits." He holds the white shirt in front of his torso. "Here, New York! New Jersey!" He tosses the navy blue shirt to New York and the red shirt to New Jersey.
"What?" They give him weird looks.
"Hold on!" Idaho objects. "All three are for you, America."
"Sure, but I only need one T-shirt," he excuses. "Besides, I think it'll be awesome if we match." He looks back at New York and New Jersey.
"No." New York throws the shirt back in his face.
"Oh, come on!" He throws the shirt back at him.
"No." He throws it back. "There's no way I'm wearing the same shirt as New Jersey."
"Pretty please!"
"No." They continue to throw the shirt back and forth while the others watch in amusement.
"Pretty please with a sweet cherry on top of a chocolate sprinkled sundae! It's my birthday!" America begs with clasped hands while on his knees.
New York heaves an exhausted sigh, "Alright, alright. Just for you, I'll wear the shirt."
"Yay!"
"Me, too," says New Jersey. "Just for you, I'll wear it." He lifts the shirt he's wearing above his head.
"Kansas, avert your eyes," Nebraska looks away while the guys change into their new shirts.
"Aw," California moans disappointingly, observing New York move out of frame, "I want to see you half-naked. But New Jersey's abs do look fine as fuck though."
'I wonder if he's still a beefcake after months in quarantine...' Texas ponders, waiting for America to come back in his new T-shirt.
America and New York come back on camera wearing their newly acquired shirts alongside New Jersey. Tony has the honor of taking a picture of this special moment.
"What do you guys think?" New Jersey asks everyone.
"I think we look fucking stupid," New York grumbles.
"I think you guys look nice," Oregon compliments them upon arriving at the party. "By the way, happy birthday, America."
"Oregon!" America smiles. "I thought you wouldn't be here until later."
"I thought so, too. The animal shelter I was volunteering at had adopted out the last of their dogs and cats. I was able to come home early thanks to the animal-loving community." She cuddles a beaver in her lap. "Anyway, who sent the shirts?"
"Me..." Idaho pouts.
"Sorry," America apologizes. "I still love your T-shirts. I think they're funny."
"Whatever. I'm gonna bake a potato and eat it to make myself feel better." He leaves his computer to go do just that.
Trying not to feel too bad about upsetting the volatile Idahoan, America looks forward to another package to open. "Hm. I wonder what's in this one." He takes a box stamped 'FRAGILE' on every side.
"C-Careful! That's mine." North Carolina nervously tells him. "Oh, please God. It better turn out fine. I worked so hard to make it." She bites her fingernail.
After placing the box gently on the coffee table, America entrusts New York to open the package for him; he's afraid to upset North Carolina by chance he messes up. The New Yorker opens the box. He carefully pulls out a gel pack, still cool to the touch. Afterward, he lifts a glass tray covered in plastic wrap out of the box, placing it on the table. America has the honor of taking the plastic wrap off.
"Holy shit! You made this?" He marvels at the strawberry shortcake decorated in the pattern of the American flag.
"Yes!" North Carolina fist-pumps in triumph. "Thank God! I didn't think it would be intact during shipping."
"It looks so good," South Dakota awes. "I want to eat it." She can feel her stomach grumble.
After thanking North Carolina for the cake, America moves the show along, opening more packages from his states. "This one is from Ohio." He opens it and discovers it's a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle of the United States. "Oh, cool. I haven't put one together since...who knows how long? Thanks, Ohio!"
Ohio smirks. "I figure whenever you're feeling bored during quarantine or any situation that forces you to stay indoors you can kill some hours putting that together."
"Hey, America," Tennessee grabs his attention, "can you open my present next?"
"Sure." America is handed a package. He opens it and finds giant bottles of hand sanitizer inside. "Oh, hey! Thanks! I was beginning to run out in stock." He shows off a bottle for the others to see.
New York narrows his eyes at the Tennessean. "How were you able to get this many bottles of hand sanitizer? I barely see any stock at the store or online. Have you been hoarding them?"
Tennessee chuckles nervously, "Of course not. Some of the bottles were donated to me and Kentucky after the settlement. I figure they're better off in America's hands since I don't need, say, 18,000 of them to last for the rest of the year. Now, can you stop giving me the death glare?"
He sighs, "Fair enough." He looks back at America who's busy opening another package.
"Whoa. What are these? They look like sugar cookies." He shows off one of the red, white, and blue firework-shaped biscuits.
"They're bath bombs," Utah clarifies. "Do they smell like cherries? It says they smell like cherries on the website."
He sniffs the bath bomb. "Yeah, they do." He beams. "I'm sure they'll smell even better in the bath. Thanks, Utah."
"You're welcome." He smiles back.
America continues to spend a couple of hours opening presents and thanking his states for their wonderful gifts. New York leaves in the latter half of that time to cook dinner. In the meantime, New Jersey and Tony stream Hamilton on TV, occasionally providing colorful commentary to the presents America opened. Until eventually, there's one present left to be opened.
Before grabbing the box, America sees the Mother of States arrive at the party. "Virginia! Glad to see you make it to my birthday party."
"Hello, America." She smiles. "Are you enjoying your birthday so far?"
"Yeah. Though we're miles apart, it feels like we're all here in the same room." He grabs the last present and opens it in front of her. But after opening it, he doesn't say another word.
"America? Are you okay?" Virginia asks. "You've grown quiet all of a sudden."
"Oh, I'm fine." He takes off his glasses to wipe his eyes for a moment. "Thank you, Virginia. And thank you, everyone, for celebrating my birthday with me." After putting on his glasses, he sets aside the picture frame containing a photo of him, Washington D.C., and his states before heading outside to check on the burgers New York is cooking.
~ Hetalia! ~
"I don't understand. Why isn't this gris-gris working?" Louisiana complains, examining the green gris-gris bag in her palms.
"It's because voodoo magic doesn't work," says Missouri.
"Nah! The gris-gris bags I have always bring good luck. They've won me thousands of dollars in gambling over the years. But this one," she glares at the gris-gris, "isn't making the situation better for me. If anything, things keep getting worse!" She throws it over her shoulder.
"You said you made it yourself?" Texas asks.
"Yeah. I made sure to speak genuine words about good health and protection. I worked so hard to make it." She sighs. "I need a cold drink."
"Me, too," Arizona moans as she drags herself to the party. "Hey, America. Happy birthday."
"Dude, are you alright?"
"Yeah." She yawns. "I'm just tired. I've spent hours helping the Navajo Nation. But whatever I do, it doesn't seem like things are getting better."
"Cheer up, cher!" Louisiana tells her. "You keep doing your thing to help them. Eventually, things will get better. If you don't believe me, I'm willing to make you a gris-gris for free in any color." She shows off a bunch of colorful pocket-sized bags. "Peace, prosperity, protection, a gris-gris will provide anything you desire. It can even improve your sex life. Right, America?"
"Let's hope so," he chuckles, wearing Louisiana's gift around his neck.
"I'll think about it..." Arizona mumbles.
"Okay, everyone!" New Jersey finishes lighting the candles on the strawberry shortcake. "It's time to sing Happy Birthday."
Together, the states in the party start singing, "Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday dear America~ Happy birthday to-"
"WHAT'S UP, MOTHERFUCKERS! I FINALLY MADE IT!" Maryland arrives at the party in a drunken mess, interrupting the song.
"Maryland, have you been drinking?" Virginia questions with a raised brow.
"Pffft! Of course not!" she laughs with a glass bottle in her hand. "I've been drinking potato juice. It's perfectly healthy."
"That's vodka."
"Whatever!" She waves her off. "I deserve it after working so hard for D.C.!"
"Speaking of whom, do you know when she's getting here?" America asks.
She shrugs. "I don't know. She says she's too busy to watch fireworks this year. Sucks for her." She guzzles vodka down her throat.
"A-Ah! Stop that! Drinking that much alcohol isn't good for your health!" Minnesota warns her upon showing up to the party, having yet dressed out of her scrub suit.
"Minnie!" America exclaims. "It's great to see you here."
She bows her head. "I'm sorry, America. I'm sorry, everyone."
"You're not late if that's what you're worried about," says Texas. "It's no big deal."
"It's not because of that." She whimpers, "I've... I've made a lot of mistakes during these recent months. Because of my mistakes, I've dragged everyone into a bigger mess than the one we were in before. And so, a part of me doesn't believe I deserve to be here..."
"Can you stop acting like a crybaby?"
"Huh?" Minnesota looks up at her screen. "Massachusetts?"
"Hey, it's Masshole!" Connecticut cheers. "Congratulations! You've made it to the party!"
"I knew you wouldn't miss the fireworks." Maine applauds.
"Yeah, yeah." Massachusetts shrugs them off. "Anyway, Minnie, stop blaming yourself. What happened isn't entirely your fault. Yet, you've taken the steps to amend which is what matters. To do that and continue helping others during the pandemic takes a lot of guts and balls. So, quit acting as if you owe us anything. Don't forget you've done a lot to make up for it."
"Um, thank you for your...encouragement," Minnesota sniffles sheepishly. "Sorry if I annoy anyone with my pitiful cries. I guess all this guilt and stress I've been building up has taken a bigger toll on my health than I thought."
"We still love you, Minnie," America assures her. "If you need to take a break from work, we understand."
She softly smiles. "Thank you, but a lot of patients are counting on me. But don't worry, I'll be more careful not to overwork myself."
"So," New Jersey awkwardly speaks up, "other than D.C., I think everyone has shown up to the party as planned."
"I feel like we're forgetting someone though..." New York mumbles.
"Um, I'm here." Alaska's laggy face speaks up upon arrival. "My connection is bad, but am I on time? Are the fireworks still going on?"
"Yeah! You're just in time." New Jersey smiles. "Alright, everyone. From the top, let's sing Happy Birthday!"
Once more, everyone sings "Happy Birthday" to America, clapping and smiling by the end when he blows out the candles. Afterward, they turn on their televisions, switching to NBC to watch Macy's 4th of July Fireworks. America does the same while he, New York, New Jersey, Tony, and an invisible unicorn eat their slices of strawberry shortcake.
~ Hetalia! ~
Hey, hey, daddy, give me tomato juice!
Hey, hey, mommy, hey, hey, mommy!
I cannot forget the taste of that
Buckeye candy I ate long ago!
Draw a circle, that's the Earth!
Draw a circle, that's the Earth!
Draw a circle, that's the Earth!
Hey, I'm Ohio!
Draw a circle, that's the Earth!
Looking closely, that's the Earth!
Or maybe, that's the Earth?
I'm the Buckeye State!
Ah, with just a brushstroke,
A beautiful world can be seen!
Home of American football!
I'm Ohio!
☆☆☆☆☆
+ Continuing from the previous episode, below are some more things that have happened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- OneRepublic released a song called "Better Days", hence the title of this episode.
- Lots of events and festivals across the United States as well as around the world were canceled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I'm unable to mention every single event, but I'm sure everyone gets the gist of the ones I mentioned.
- In late April 2020, the Pentagon declassified three videos of "unidentified aerial phenomena" (aka UFOs) to the public.
- In May 2020, NASA discovered an abnormality of high-energy particles called neutrinos in Antarctica, theorizing it was potentially linked to a parallel universe where time flowed backward. Social media simplified this piece of data to mean they found a parallel universe that was far from the truth. Nevertheless, it did create some humorous memes.
- At the beginning of 2020, the world witnessed some bad and terrifying things. The ones I mentioned include the Australian bushfires 2019-2020, the possibility of World War III, and the death of Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash.
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a life simulation video game developed for the Nintendo Switch that was published on March 20, 2020. It became a best-selling game after six weeks with 13.41 million units sold. Its success was partially attributed to its release during the COVID-19 pandemic with players seeking a sense of escapism amid worldwide stay-at-home orders.
- Despite a surge of coronavirus cases in July, the States of Florida continued its plans to reopen without slowing down. Many of the cases in this surge involved young adults going to places of socialization like bars and beaches, usually without a face mask. It had gotten so bad to the point a young attorney dressed as a Grim Reaper to protest the reopening of Florida, roaming around beaches in the summer heat!
- The tourism industry has taken a big hit due to fears of the coronavirus. Even with solutions to health concerns, there may not be many travelers due to economic constraints thanks to the pandemic.
- The next generation of consoles, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, is set to be released during the holidays in 2020.
- On June 28, 2020, the state government of Mississippi voted on a bill that would relinquish the state flag, notoriously controversial for including a flag of the Confederacy. A new flag is expected to be decided on in November 2020 via a referendum.
- Mental health has taken a toll as a consequence of stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Suicide rates are expected to spike, especially among the unemployed.
- Alcohol consumption has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way of coping with the dire situation. Consequently, it has worsened problems such as domestic abuse and health issues.
- With most government funding being spent on combating the COVID-19 pandemic, there's little funding to maintain national and state parks. Though demand is relatively the same, unfortunately, parks either close or limit the number of attendees in compliance with health concerns due to the virus.
- The cannabis industry has seen an increase in sales during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Asian giant hornets (aka murder hornets) are the world's largest hornet, native to temperate and tropical East Asia, South Asia, Mainland Southeast Asia, and parts of the Russian Far East. They started to appear in Washington, U.S.A. around late 2019; authorities later warned the public in April 2020 to report any sightings of these invasive wasps. If left unchecked and allowed to populate, these dangerous hornets could decimate honeybee populations and kill humans with their potent sting.
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, animal shelters across the United States witnessed an increase in people adopting and fostering animals. Though that sounds wonderful, there are concerns about the animals becoming abandoned due to social strains caused by the pandemic.
- Jigsaw puzzles saw an increase in sales during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- At the start of the pandemic in the United States, two brothers bought over 17,000 bottles of hand sanitizer and anti-bacterial wipes across stores in Kentucky and Tennessee, later selling them online at a substantial markup. This act of price gouging created outrage, causing Amazon and other similar sites to ban the brothers from selling their products online. The brothers ended up donating all that hand sanitizer to avoid a lawsuit.
- Hamilton, the 2020 film, was planned for theatrical release on October 15, 2021. However, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was moved up and released digitally worldwide on Disney+ on July 3, 2020.
- The Navajo Nation was hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic, surpassing New York as the most affected U.S. region per capita in May 2020.
- Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Macy's didn't cancel its 4th of July Fireworks. Instead, they launched fireworks throughout the week before the final display on the night of the 4th of July.
~
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