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$25,000 in Hazard Pay Proposed for Essential Workers; a Little Boy’s Inspiring Message After Beating COVID-19; and How a Boyfriend Sent an Engagement Ring to Space to Propose to His Girlfriend.
On Tuesday Senate Democrats unveiled a proposal to boost the pay of workers considered essential during the coronavirus outbreak. For employees on the frontlines, they could receive as much as $25,000 in hazard pay over a period of time.
“Not all heroes wear capes,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to reporters during a conference call. “For these Americans, working from home is not an option. Social distancing is not an option.”
The pay, if the proposal goes through, would apply retroactively from January 27 until the end of the year. The pay raise would be equivalent to $13 per hour.
As an incentive for healthcare workers, they could receive a one-time premium of up to $15,000 as part of a program to recruit medical employees in fields that are experiencing shortages.
Healthcare workers are able to help many Americans going through a crisis during the pandemic, such as managing afib or other health-related issues that can leave them especially vulnerable to COVID-19.
“We are asking these workers to take on great risk. They should be compensated for it,” said Schumer. “These Americans are the true heroes of this pandemic, and we need to make sure they are taken care of.”
“They are there for us, so we must be there for them.”
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A 6-year-old boy in Clarksville, Tenn. shared a happy announcement on Facebook after testing positive for coronavirus at the Monroe Carroll Jr. Children’s Hospital. Joseph Bostain, who has cystic fibrosis, spent two weeks in quarantine after coming down with a fever and cough.
In the video that his mother posted on Facebook, Joseph says, “I’m a cystic fibrosis warrior and I beat COVID-19!” He then thanked people for their support and for the cards they sent while he was trying to fight off the virus.
His mother is eager to finally complete quarantine, and posted an update on Facebook about how life shouldn’t be taken for granted:
“Six more days and we can be off quarantine! Joseph is a happy camper and things are somewhat going back to normal! I can honestly say that I cannot wait to love on Joseph and just give him the biggest kiss ever!”
“I know there are many in the same place that we are and I pray that this will all be wiped away soon so we can all get back to loving each other and that we all take away from this situation to not take anything for granted and to appreciate every little thing!! Life is short so love love love!!!!”
She says that Joseph is doing wonderfully and now barely has a cough. He truly is an inspiration for many!
Related: How a Baby Smaller than a Barbie Doll Fought for her Life… and Won
Talk about an “out of this world” proposal! When Liam Bove decided to propose to his girlfriend, Becky Dixon, he spent more than a year working with the company Sent Into Space to shoot an engagement ring 100,000 feet above the Earth.
The incredible footage of the event shows the engagement ring inside of a Tiffany jewelry box with the planet Earth in the background.
Liam said, “Becky is out of this world to me so I hoped the proposal would reflect that. We always say to each other, ‘I love you to the far edges of the universe and back,’ so I wanted to get the ring as close to that as I could.
“I showed her the video and at first she was asking what was happening. She wasn’t sure if I was doing a bungee jump. Then she asked why the world was getting smaller. But I had to keep quiet.
“Then the slideshow of our pictures ended and revealed the ring and by that point, I was down on one knee. She was absolutely overwhelmed and gobsmacked. Delighted, to say the least.”
And as you can imagine, of course, she said yes.
Related: Reason Why Japanese Women are Saying NO to Getting Married
