US: 31.7M Cases - 573.8K Dead - 24.2M Recovered
Worldwide: 134.6M Cases - 2.9M Dead - 108.4M Recovered

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Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 279   Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 282
*Red indicates change in total deaths

Cases, Deaths Surge in the U.S. & Globally
Countries worldwide hit new records for virus cases, deaths
Ambulances filled with breathless patients lined up in Brazil as nations around the world set new records Thursday for COVID-19 deaths and new coronavirus infections. The disease surged even in some countries that have kept the virus in check. In the United States, Detroit leaders began making a plan to knock on every door to persuade people to get vaccine shots.

The U.S. has now fully vaccinated nearly 20% of its adult population, and New Mexico became the first state to get shots in the arms of 25% of its residents - milestones that are still far off for many hard-hit countries.

That variant is more contagious, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this week that it is now the most common variant in the United States, raising concerns it will drive infections and cause more people to get sick. apnews.com

Michigan is 'Worst-in-the-Nation'
Biden to surge vaccinators, testing to hard-hit Michigan
Washington is surging federal resources to support vaccinations, testing and therapeutics, but not vaccines, to Michigan in an effort to control the state's worst-in-the-nation COVID-19 transmission rate, the White House said Friday.

President Joe Biden outlined the moves late Thursday in a call with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to discuss the situation in the state, according to senior administration officials. It will not include a "surge" of vaccine doses, a move Whitmer has advocated.

Instead, Biden outlined how the federal government was planning to help Michigan better administer the doses already allocated to the state, as well as surge testing capacity and drugs for virus treatment. apnews.com

   Researchers identify 5 new cases of 'double mutant' variant in California


Retailers Continue to Shine in Vaccine Effort
Target offering vaccines to its 19,000 team members
This week, Target began offering vaccines to its more than 19,000 frontline store and distribution center team members in Minnesota at 17 designated vaccination sites across the state. This marks another significant milestone in removing barriers for team members who choose to get vaccinated.

The vaccines have been allocated by the Minnesota State Health Department for Target frontline and essential team members working in stores and distribution centers located in Minnesota. Target will partner closely with CVS and Medcor as they administer the vaccine in accordance with state and federal guidelines.

Team members working at Target's three Minnesota distribution centers will have the opportunity to get vaccinated on-site, and team members working at Minnesota's 74 Target stores can visit any of the 14 designated locations across the state to receive their vaccine.

Target is also continuing to support its team and communities during the pandemic by partnering with CVS locations within Target stores to offer vaccines to eligible guests. Target is also currently making fitting rooms available to CVS at nine Target stores in Minnesota to use for COVID vaccination clinics as part of the federal pharmacy program. Vaccine-eligible guests can register for appointments by visiting CVS.com to see if there's a participating location in their area. voiceofalexandria.com

More than 1 in 4 US adults are fully vaccinated against Covid-19
While more than 66 million people have received two doses, more than a third of Americans -- or 112 million -- have received at least one dose, according to data published Thursday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Officials and experts hope to get Americans vaccinated quickly as lockdown fatigue takes its toll and many people are letting down their guard just as more transmissible, and perhaps more deadly, variants of the virus become dominant. In that effort, all 50 states have committed to opening vaccinations to all Americans 16 and up by April 19. cnn.com

   America may be close to hitting a vaccine wall as demand is met


Kroger Investigation Coming?
Councilmen Want Investigation Into Kroger Closing Stores Over Hero Pay
Two councilmembers Wednesday introduced a motion to have the city investigate the reasons the Kroger Co. decided to close three Los Angeles stores following passage of a city ordinance that requires large grocery and pharmacy retailers to offer employees an additional $5 per hour in hazard pay amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The city has an interest in considering whether it should take legislative action to address these closures and potentially future closures of other grocery stores especially in areas of the city that are commonly known as Food Deserts,'' the motion introduced by Councilmen Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Paul Koretz reads.

"In order to do so, the City Council should seek information from the grocery stores and their executive management to better understand their actions and inform the City Council on ways that might protect the city and its residents from the consequences of these types of closures.'' nbclosangeles.com

Backlash to Kroger's 'Hero Pay' Store Closures
Workers protest announced Kroger closures amid COVID 'Hero Pay' ordinance
A large group of protesters gathered on Thursday afternoon amid the announced closure of Food 4 Less in East Hollywood. It is one of the three Kroger stores in the Los Angeles area set to close due to a "Hero Pay" ordinance.

In response, Kroger issued the following statement:

"Ralphs and Food 4 Less have made the difficult decision to close three of its 68 locations in the City of Los Angeles. The closures follow the Los Angeles City Council's mandate that requires a select group of employers to provide extra pay for frontline workers, but not all companies who employ frontline workers. The mandate will add an additional $20 million in operating costs over the next 120 days, making it financially unsustainable to continue operating the three underperforming locations. Despite our efforts to overcome the challenges we were already facing at these locations, the extra pay mandate makes it impossible to run a financially sustainable business that ensures our ability to continue serving the Los Angeles community at those three locations with reliable access to affordable, fresh groceries and other essentials. We are proud of our role as a leading employer in Los Angeles and remain committed to our dedicated associates on the frontlines serving in our 65 other area locations."

On Wednesday, two councilmembers introduced a motion to have the city investigate the reasons the Kroger Co. decided to close three Los Angeles stores following the passage of a city ordinance that requires large grocery and pharmacy retailers to offer employees an additional $5 per hour in hazard pay amid the COVID-19 pandemic. foxla.com

   Glendale, Calif. Approves 'Hero Pay' For Local Grocery Workers

Fast Food Price-Fixing Scandal Continues
McDonald's will pursue damages from Tyson and Pilgrim's Pride
in chicken price-fixing scandal

McDonald's is seeking damages after a chicken price-fixing scandal rocked the world of fast food, according to an internal memo obtained by Insider.

On Tuesday, the fast-food giant told franchisees it had informed Tyson and Pilgrim's Pride, which is owned by meat-industry giant JBS SA, that it will pursue damages related to allegations the brands illegally conspired to raise chicken prices, according to two people who were not authorized to speak on the record about the matter.

The chicken giants have been embroiled in a price-fixing scandal for years. Tyson, Pilgrim's, and other major chicken companies have been accused of conspiring to fix prices on chickens from 2008 to at least early 2019.

"McDonald's distribution centers (DCs) may have been victims of the purported conspiracy, unknowingly purchasing broiler chickens from Tyson and Keystone Foods (now owned by Tyson) at alleged wrongfully-inflated prices, which our DCs then resold to McDonald's and franchisees," Marion Gross, McDonald's chief supply chain officer, and Angie Steele, the interim US general counsel wrote in the memo that was sent on Tuesday.

In February, Pilgrim's Pride pled guilty to conspiring to fix prices for chicken products and agreed to pay $107 million in criminal fines following a Department of Justice investigation. Pilgrim's previously agreed to pay $75 million to chicken buyers to settle an antitrust lawsuit, according to financial documents filed in January.

Tyson Foods said in a filing in late January that it will pay $221.5 million to settle class price-fixing claims. businessinsider.com

Retailers are Investing in Racial Equality
Target to spend over $2B with Black-owned companies by 2025

A wave of American retailers, from Sephora to Macy's, have committed to spending more money with Black-owned businesses

Following up on its promise to help Black guests feel more included, Target on Wednesday announced its commitment to spending $2 billion with Black-owned businesses by 2025.

The retail giant plans to work with over 500 Black-owned businesses to add products across different categories, according to a company press release. Target said it also intends to boost its spend with Black-owned firms in other areas such as marketing agencies, construction companies and facilities maintenance providers.

Alongside the investments, Target plans to create new resources, including a program called Forward Founders to engage with Black-owned startups earlier and a team dedicated to helping its Black vendors scale their operations in mass retail.

After last year's protests over police brutality, a wave of American retailers, from Sephora to Macy's, have committed to spending more money with Black-owned businesses. Many of them have joined a movement known as the 15 Percent Pledge, which supports devoting enough shelf space to Black-owned businesses to align with the African-American percentage of the national population. retaildive.com  nytimes.com

Racial Bias Suit Tossed Out
Saks Gets Black Employee's Racial Bias, Retaliation Suit Tossed

- Alleged retaliation for reports of bias, harassment
- Judge finds racism and treatment of worker aren't linked

A former Saks Fifth Avenue employee in Missouri failed to allege she was fired based on her complaints about racial discrimination and harassment in the store, in part because many of the actions she described weren't within the statute of limitations, a federal court said Thursday. news.bloomberglaw.com

More Curbside Pickup is Hurting In-Store Restaurants
McDonald's Is Closing Hundreds of Its Walmart Restaurants

Fast-food chains are closing more in-store restaurants as the Covid-19 pandemic accelerates the demise of a once mutually beneficial relationship

McDonald's is closing hundreds of restaurants located in the largest U.S. retailer's stores, the last vestiges of a roughly 30-year-old experiment between the companies. Around 150 McDonald's stores will remain at U.S. Walmart locations after another wave of planned closures that are expected to finalize by this summer, according to the burger giant. At the peak of the partnership, there were roughly 1,000 McDonald's restaurants inside Walmart stores.

Franchisees of Subway, one of the largest fast-food chains in the world with locations across Walmart stores, also say they are closing locations this year, citing diminished foot traffic and lower profits.

More Walmart customers are picking up their goods in store parking lots during the pandemic, which means fewer sandwich sales, said Jim Miller, a Subway franchisee. "The Walmart locations have been our toughest challenge," said Mr. Miller, who aims to close four of his five Walmart restaurants located in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana by June.  wsj.com

Retail Defaults & Bankruptcies
Retail defaults to ease in 2021; leveraged retailers remain vulnerable
There is good news and bad news for the U.S. retail industry when it comes to defaults and bankruptcies.

The default rate in retail and apparel speculative debt will fall to 5.3% this year, down from the record high of 20% last year, according to a new research report from Moody's Investors Services. Retailers with high leverage, however, could still find themselves unable to make their debt payments even as the country emerges from the pandemic, warned the credit watchdog.

"With 20% of Moody's-rated U.S. retailers defaulting last year, the pandemic exacted a heavy toll on the industry," said Raya Sokolyanska, a Moody's VP and senior analyst. "But we believe the sector has a brighter horizon in 2021, thanks to big liquidity boosts from capital raises, broad balance sheet improvement and macroeconomic growth."

At the same time, Sokolyanska added, the retail default rate remains historically high. chainstoreage.com

Friday's Comic Relief
Six-foot lizard discovered scaling shelves of beverage section in Thai 7-Eleven
Staff and customers at a 7-Eleven in the Thai city of Nakhon Pathom, near Bangkok, were stunned this week by the intrusion of a giant Asian water monitor, which barged through the store and scaled shelves next to the beverage cooler, drink cartons cascading down in its wake.

Shrieking bystanders recorded some of the action. Once. Twice. Thrice it almost crashed to the floor. But the lizard was muscular. It appeared determined. It could not be deterred by nine shelves of snacks, footage reveals.

A member of staff said that while the animal was guided out of the shop, rescuers did not catch it. "It just ran away into the bushes," the employee told a British tabloid. "I've never seen a monitor lizard that big in my life." washingtonpost.com

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