US: 33.9M Cases - 605.2K Dead - 27.6M Recovered
Worldwide: 168.5M Cases - 3.5M Dead - 150.1M Recovered

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Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 279   Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 300
*Red indicates change in total deaths

Is the U.S. Moving Too Fast with New Mask Guidance?
What the science says about lifting mask mandates

With COVID rates dropping and vaccinations on the rise, the U.S. and other places are removing some requirements for face coverings. Are they moving too fast?

Anne Hoen, an epidemiologist at Dartmouth College in nearby Hanover says that both the state and federal moves were probably a little too early. Hoen works in New Hampshire but lives just across the border in Vermont, where a state-wide indoor mask mandate remained in force until mid-May, despite Vermont having a lower rate of hospitalizations than practically anywhere else in the country. In the wake of the CDC’s announcement, Vermont Governor Phil Scott relaxed the mandate for fully vaccinated individuals.

The weakening policies are out of step with those of many other countries. Germany strengthened its mask requirements at the end of April, for example. It was facing a slowdown in vaccination rates and a surge in cases. Spain tightened its requirements at the end of March.

The evidence is clear that masks cut down on COVID-19 deaths, but nearly a year and a half into the pandemic and with vaccination coverage climbing in many places, public-health scientists and officials are still struggling to get people — particularly unvaccinated people — to wear masks at appropriate times. Average mask use across the United States has been declining since mid-February. Meanwhile, infection rates in some places have increased.

A patchwork of policies and mixed messages from both politicians and public-health officials has resulted in confusion, consternation and a mess of data to interpret. “We’re all over the map,” says Monica Gandhi, an infectious-disease physician at the University of California, San Francisco. “That’s been the problem this entire pandemic. We’ve been making it up as we go along.” nature.com

Digital Vaccine Passports
Some businesses, universities, airlines turn to digital passport apps upon vaccine requirements
Digital health apps are the latest trends among businesses, universities, and even airlines. The digital apps act as ‘vaccine passports,’ essentially validating vaccinated users. And the demand is booming for one app in particular called iOpen.

The app creator for iOpen says the boost in users has come after hundreds of colleges and universities began requiring their students to return fully vaccinated in the fall. Private businesses and universities can require vaccinations for their employees and students upon returning in person.

If you’re vaccinated, you get proof in the form of a CDC-issued card. Airlines don’t necessarily want another piece of traveler information to check, so they’re eyeing digitized versions that are easy to scan.

Digital apps like iOpen act as vaccine passports, validating the proof that the user has been vaccinated. Records are uploaded directly by the vaccination site, allowing users to ditch the 3×4 paper card and rely on the mobile app. counton2.com

One of West Coast's Largest Poultry Producers Hit with OSHA Fines
Cal/OSHA proposes $300K in fines tied to Foster Farms COVID outbreaks
In the wake of deadly COVID-19 outbreaks at poultry processing plants operated by Foster Farms in California’s Central Valley, the state’s health and safety agency is proposing nearly $300,000 in fines.

Foster Farms, one of the West Coast’s largest producers of poultry, faced ongoing outbreaks of COVID-19 during the pandemic. By the end of 2020, 12 Foster Farms workers had died.

The fines announced this week, which total $292,700, relate to Foster Farms’ Livingston facility in Merced County, where nine workers died last year. Merced County health officials in August ordered the Livingston facility closed temporarily, citing an outbreak that had persisted for at least two months and a failure to complete widespread coronavirus testing of workers.

Separately, an additional three people who worked at the Foster Farms Cherry Avenue plant in Fresno also died.

Labor experts and advocates for workers have said the deaths show a need for authorities to pay greater attention to workplace safety in the Central Valley. Critics say officials have long paid insufficient scrutiny to workplace safety hazards in this part of California. latimes.com

Remote Work Honeymoon May Be Coming to an End
Early Embraces May Be Backfiring on Employers

'Tension' emerges between employers, employees on hybrid work preferences
● A different set of preferences is emerging between employers and their employees on how to continue work arrangements after the danger of the pandemic has passed, a survey released May 12 by employment law firm Littler has found. While 4% of employers estimated that most employees prefer to come back full time for in-person work, 28% said they expected to require such an arrangement regardless.

● For both employers and employees, hybrid work still appears to be the prevailing model of choice, with employers reporting that 71% of their employees prefer a hybrid model, and 55% of employers saying they will offer it. Employers are demonstrably wary of the workforce management issues presented by a split between in-person and remote workers, however, with 8% reporting they are "very concerned," 65% reporting they are "moderately" or "somewhat" concerned, and only 28% reporting they are not concerned.

● In April, a different survey from Morning Consult found that 87% of workers want to continue to work remotely post-pandemic at least one day per week, with close to half of remote workers stating they would look for a different job if not offered that option.

Many employers have already implemented hybrid work models, with more saying they plan to adopt such a policy by late summer. Early, publicized embraces of permanent remote work - in addition to the acknowledgment that the widespread remote-work experiment introduced by COVID-19 was a success - has helped shape employee expectations.

While the tide appears to have turned toward a future of flexible worksites, hesitant employers have reason to be uncertain about the changes such a policy would introduce if extended indefinitely. A February survey from corporate training company VitalSmarts found that remote work can have a harmful effect on workplace communication. Workplace culture has also suffered as a result of remote work.

Employers may face tension as they attempt to deliver on workers' expectations of flexibility while preserving positive workplace culture. They can set themselves up for success by developing a clear policy and conducting a cost-benefit analysis that considers how to sustain culture and networks. hrdive.com

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Walmart Takes New Security Steps After Racist Email Controversy
Walmart apologizes for sending racist emails after someone created false accounts, and says it's beefing up security
Walmart said Tuesday that it will beef up security of its customer sign-up process online after someone set up dozens of accounts using racist slurs.

The Arkansas-based company faced dozens of complaints on social media on Monday after some people received "Welcome to Walmart" emails containing the racial slurs.

A Walmart spokesperson told Insider Tuesday said that the company was investigating the incident and had contacted the individuals impacted to apologize and confirm that the new accounts would be deleted. The spokesperson said Walmart does not know who is responsible for the incident, but said it was not an employee and that its website was not hacked.

The spokesperson also said that Walmart is working to change its sign-up process for new customers to prevent a similar incident from happening again. Under the current system, new customers must complete a CAPTCHA test to ensure they are not bots, but they do not need to verify their email addresses.

Rachael Campbell, who was one of many to receive the racist email on Monday, said she received an apology from Walmart Tuesday morning.

The email, which was signed by Walmart's chief customer officer Janey Whiteside and reviewed by Insider, said that Walmart was "looking into all available means to hold those responsible accountable." businessinsider.com

Still a Long Road Ahead - But NYC is Coming Back
What’s Really Going on With New York City Retail?
Today, though, the boutique is open and the streets are once again bustling with shoppers. Half of New York City residents are now at least partially vaccinated against the virus, and sunny weather is here, bringing with it a renewed sense of optimism and appetite for products like the brand’s bow-adorned sandals.

As the city’s public health outlook improves, he said, “I think there is going to be a big wave of enthusiasm for brands like ours and for retailers who are doing special things in special places.”

Even with foot traffic picking up and retailers pulling out every stop, though, there is still a long road ahead for New York City’s retail market: empty storefronts abound, office workers are just beginning to trickle back in, and tourism is expected to take years to recover.

The pockets of strength in the retail real estate market so far have been mostly in neighborhoods with plenty of residential foot traffic: corridors on the Upper West Side and Upper East Side; Williamsburg, Brooklyn; suburbs such as Westport, Greenwich, and Northern New Jersey; and high-end summer enclaves like the Hamptons.

While recovery is set to be slow and uneven, few doubt its inevitability.

“New York is always going to be New York,” says Taylor Coyne, senior manager of retail research at JLL, a commercial real estate firm. “It will always be a global city and retailers want to be there. It’s just been a tough year.” footwearnews.com

Desperate for Employees
A McDonald's in Illinois is so desperate for staff that it's giving away iPhones to new recruits if they stay for 6 months
A McDonald's restaurant in Illinois that is desperate to attract staff is giving away iPhones to new recruits if they stay for six months. A viral photo shared by Twitter user @brogawd_ shows a sign placed in the window of a restaurant reading: "Now hiring. Free iPhone."

The sign adds that staff need to work at the chain for six months and meet certain, unspecified "employment criteria" to be eligible.

A staff member at the restaurant in Altamont, Illinois – close to Effingham – confirmed to Insider that the sign belonged to the store. A restaurant manager was not available to explain the employment criteria for getting the phone.

The fast-food industry has a crushing labor shortage, causing restaurant chains such as Subway and Dunkin' to cut opening hours and close dining rooms. businessinsider.com

Are Your Stores Ready?
Double Emergency Spending for Active Hurricane Season

The forecasters are predicting a likely range of 13 to 20 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which six to 10 could become hurricanes.

Forecasters are predicting another active Atlantic hurricane season after last year's historic number of storms, as President Biden on Monday said he's doubling emergency spending to help communities prep for weather-related disasters.

Those at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center say there's a 60% chance for an "above-normal" Atlantic hurricane season, but they don't expect the historic level of storm activity seen in 2020.

The forecasters are predicting a likely range of 13 to 20 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which six to 10 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher). govtech.com

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