US: Over 27.2M Cases - 467K Dead - 17M Recovered
Worldwide: Over 105M Cases - 2.3M Dead - 77M Recovered

Former Senior Loss Prevention Executive
Know of any fallen LP exec? Let's remember & recognize.

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 273   Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 233
*Red indicates change in total deaths

Coronavirus cases are falling all across the country

The big picture: The U.S. still has a ton of coronavirus, and there's still the potential for dark days ahead. But this is progress, and the improvement is significant. If this trend keeps going, the country will be in a far better and safer position as vaccines continue to roll out.

By the numbers: Nationwide, the U.S. is averaging about 139,000 new cases per day - a 16% improvement over last week, which was a 16% improvement over the week before. The number of new hospitalizations was also down last week, by just over 26%. And deaths fell by about 6%, to an average of 3,097 deaths per day.

Between the lines: 139,000 cases and 3,000 deaths per day is still a very bad pandemic, but at least the numbers are headed in the right direction. The U.S. is back at about the same caseload we were experiencing shortly before Thanksgiving. The number of new daily cases fell over the past week in 42 states, and held steady in the remaining eight states. No state got worse - another sign that this improvement could be sustainable.

Yes, but: Experts warn that a more contagious variant of the virus is quickly becoming the dominant strain within the U.S. As it gains more ground, each infected person is more likely to infect others. And because the U.S. still has so many infected people, that could cause cases to spike again. axios.com

Pro-Union - Pro-OSHA - More Inspectors Coming
New Labor Secretary Backs President Joe Biden's workplace priorities, including safety and equity
Walsh spoke on topics including emergency workplace standards during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He was asked early in the confirmation hearing for Labor Secretary by Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., to discuss the regulatory oversight of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which recently issued guidance for employers. "OSHA should not be an us versus them," he said. "OSHA is part of an agency that should be there to protect workers on the job site."

Biden previously stated an intention to be the "strongest labor president you ever had" and, if confirmed, Walsh is likely to play an important role in the administration's workforce agenda.

Some Republican senators questioned Walsh, a former union president, on his support of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, or PRO Act. Walsh said, "I think the worker has every right to choose what they believe." But he also called the PRO Act "one step closer to helping people organize freely."

Walsh said OSHA is "one of the first and top priorities for me," and he agreed with Biden's plan to increase the number of inspectors at the agency. hrdive.com

Antiquated Labor Policy Fails Modern Workforce
RILA Statement on the PRO Act
Evan Armstrong, Vice President, Workforce at the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) issued the following statement on the introduction of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act):

"Retailers are focused on building a 21st Century Retail Workforce that is diverse, innovative, and skilled. To realize this goal, we need modern thinking that reimagines outdated labor laws which impede innovation, disrupt communication between employers and employees, and stifle employee rights.

"The Protecting the Right to Organize Act introduced today is a return to antiquated thinking about work. This legislation seeks to bring back detrimental employment policies to prop up unions at the expense of employee rights, worker protections, innovation, and growth.

"The COVID pandemic wreaked havoc on our economy and put millions of hardworking Americans out of work. Proposals like the PRO Act, if passed, will prolong economic disruption for millions of workers. Leading retailers urge members of Congress to reject the PRO Act and instead work on forward-thinking proposals that empower workers, promote innovation, and enable retailers to invest in their people and their communities." rila.org

   Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act

Retailers call pro-union PRO Act 'unworkable'
The National Retail Federation today called on Congress to reject a new effort to pass legislation that combines a wide range of long-debated proposals into a single bill intended to dramatically expand the power of labor unions. "NRF has significant concerns with this sweeping legislation and its infringement on both employee and employer rights," NRF Senior Vice President for Government Relations David French said. nrf.com


Workers Cite COVID-19 Safety Concerns in Overwhelming Strike Vote
Food Supply Chain Teamsters Vote To Strike Third Largest Grocery Chain
In The Southwest
Teamster drivers and warehouse workers at a critical Albertsons grocery distribution center have overwhelmingly voted by 98 percent to authorize a strike to protest the company's failure to address workers' COVID-19 safety concerns and to demand that the company stop violating federal labor laws.

The roughly 900,000 square foot distribution center, just outside of Phoenix, services approximately 175 Albertsons, Safeway and Vons grocery stores throughout Arizona, New Mexico, Southern Utah, Las Vegas, Nevada, and El Paso, Texas.

Teamsters Local 104 represents over 700 drivers and warehouse workers at the Phoenix facility. They report that Albertsons is not complying with important COVID-19 safety guidelines, including failing to provide drivers with personal protective equipment, including face masks and hand sanitizer, and refusing to address warehouse workers' concerns regarding social distancing in the distribution center.

"Albertsons is raking in record profits during the pandemic, while its front-line workers are putting themselves and their families at risk," said Russell Medigovich, a business agent at Teamsters Local 104. "It's outrageous that these workers are being forced to supply their own personal protective equipment and being crowded in on top of each other in Albertsons' warehouse."

Albertsons' distribution workers' collective bargaining agreement with the company is set to expire at midnight on February 27, 2021, releasing drivers and warehouse workers to engage in concerted protected activity including strikes and work stoppages. prnewswire.com

Coronavirus pandemic renews debate for hacker-proof IDs
Coronavirus has brought more scams than any event in the last decade. Lawmakers and advocates are proposing a way for the government to protect Americans: Giving everyone a digital ID that could prove they're really who they say they are.

"The covid crisis just laid bare many of the inadequacies in the identity system in the United States, particularly as our economy becomes more reliant on the digital space in our efforts to combat the epidemic and in our ordinary lives," said Rep. Bill Foster (D-Ill.) yesterday at a policy forum on identity and authentication hosted by the Better Identity Coalition, Fido Alliance and Identity Theft Resource Center.

Foster introduced legislation that would create a framework for tools that allow Americas to verify their identities online in the fall.

Foster seeks to give states funding to use the same systems they use to issue driver's licenses to support digital identities. The idea is that everyone would have a unique digital identifier that could be scanned online and verified by the government - not unlike two-factor authentication. washingtonpost.com

13M Counterfeit Masks, 177K Test Kits, 38K Drugs Seized
Millions of Counterfeit Masks Flooded U.S. Customs Facilities Last Year
U.S. Customs agents seized nearly 13 million counterfeit face masks in the 12 months that ended Sept. 30, according to a report set for release Thursday, as the Covid-19 pandemic spurred demand for protective equipment.

Agents also confiscated 177,000 test kits prohibited by the Food and Drug Administration and 38,000 chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine tablets that were barred by the FDA, the report said.

Other items intercepted included nearly 37,000 so-called antivirus lanyards touted to prevent Covid-19 infection and which contain substances prohibited by the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in an annual report on trade and travel set for release Thursday.

"What we are seeing is, no big surprise, a lot of counterfeits rolling through those supply chains," Brenda Smith, who heads CBP's Office of Trade, said in an interview.

China was the origin of 51% of the seizures, according to the report. The agency's 10,000 officers carried them out at more than 300 points of entry. wsj.com

"Rent-A-Cops" Become "Mask Police"
"Mask Police" Hired By Health Department in Shelby County, IND.
The official title is compliance officer. That's what it says across the back of the polo shirts of the employees who work for Bloomington-based Security Pro 24/7.

The "mask police" as they are known around Shelby County were hired to help the nine-person health department with the mask mandate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Those complaints focused on people not wearing masks and not social distancing at businesses. So "rent-a-cops" became the "mask police" canvasing restaurants, bars, box stores and other businesses in Shelby County.

The compliance officers have no enforcement authority. "These guys go out and they are there for education only," Lewis said. "That's all they're doing is helping us on compliance on educating people."

Security Pro 24/7 started working in Shelby County in mid-December and is under contract through the second week of February. The company has been working even longer in Monroe County with similar compliance education. wthr.com

Vaccine 'Hunger Games'
Seeking shots, 'vaccine hunters' cross state lines
They are called "vaccine hunters," and they are creating an ethical dilemma for health officials across the country. With overwhelming demand in the early months of the vaccine rollout and a patchwork of rules devised by local officials, thousands of Americans are crossing state lines in quest of a shot.

"The federal government has created this 'Hunger Games' scenario where people are out there doing everything they can to get to the front of as many lines as they possibly can," said Dr. Francisco García, director of the Pima County Health Department in Tucson, Ariz.

So-called vaccine hunter groups scour the country for places where people can qualify for the vaccine, and then spread the word via social media. Many then show up far from home, with sleeves rolled up. Some vaccine hunters say the flaws in the vaccine distribution process left them little choice but to take to the road. nytimes.com

Dems push $1.9T COVID relief resolution through Senate with no GOP support as Harris casts first tie-breaking vote

'The mutants are here,' Fauci says: US vaccines in a race to box out virus

Johnson & Johnson's single-shot vaccine could arrive in the U.S. soon

Rite Aid Opens More Than 300 New No-Charge COVID-19 Testing Sites

Publix distributes next batch of COVID-19 vaccines to 325 Florida pharmacies

Look inside Yankee Stadium, New York's newest COVID vaccine mega-site


Super Bowl Covid Safety Plan
NFL says it has a plan for Super Bowl safety, but experts still warn of Covid risks
The National Football League is bracing for the final contest of the season with Super Bowl LV in Tampa Bay, and the league is promising that the event won't turn into a Covid-19 superspreader.

The NFL said it will distribute kits including hand sanitizers and KN95 masks to fans at Sunday's game between the Kansas City Chiefs-Tampa Bay Buccaneers to help limit any spread.

NFL executive Jeff Miller said mask-wearing will be mandatory for fans, players and team staff, and the league will enforce social-distancing measures. The NFL said attendance in 65,000-seat Raymond James Stadium will be limited to 25,000, including 7,500 vaccinated health workers.

  Read more about the NFL's plan: cnbc.com

Superspreader Sunday? Experts worry Super Bowl could trigger
coronavirus explosion

A weekend defined by indoor parties comes as new coronavirus variants are spreading

Skip the parties that could turn Super Bowl Sunday into Super Spreader Sunday, experts and government officials are pleading ahead of America's biggest sports day.

On a weekend usually defined by packed gatherings in bars and living rooms, with fans screaming at televisions and sharing spreads of finger foods, authorities are urging smaller, quieter celebrations.

"I can't say it seriously enough: I want everyone who is celebrating this Sunday's game to be back next year, and that means not allowing 2,000 more Kansas Citians to die," Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said in an interview. "I'm a lifelong fan of the Chiefs, but I am more of a fan of peoples' families sticking around and staying alive."

In addition to a traditional wager of local items, Lucas and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor this year joined forces for a public service announcement, donning face masks and pleading with residents to celebrate safely. washingtonpost.com

A Super Bowl for the pandemic era: more testing and fewer fans

The NFL Had Over 700 Coronavirus Positives This Season. The Seahawks Had None.

2021 Super Bowl Ads Are Funny, Festive & Full of Celebs.
But Where Are the Face Masks?