US: 44.3M Cases - 716.8K Dead - 33.7M Recovered
Worldwide: 234.6M Cases - 4.8M Dead - 211.4M Recovered

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

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 319   Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 446
*Red indicates change in total deaths

The Delta Surge Is Fading
New COVID cases fall by 25%
By the numbers: The U.S. is now averaging roughly 114,000 new cases per day. That's still a lot, but it's a significant improvement from this summer, when the Delta variant unleashed a new wave of infections, hospitalizations and death.

●  Deaths are still on the rise nationwide, because of that summer surge. They're up 4% over the past two weeks, to an average of 2,000 per day.

●  If the decline in cases keeps going, deaths should begin to come down relatively soon. Deaths are the last number to increase when a new wave hits, and the last number to decrease when it subsides.

Details: Alaska experienced the country's biggest COVID spike over the past two weeks, and is now averaging more cases per capita than any other state.

● Tennessee saw the biggest improvement over the past two weeks, while Connecticut has the lowest absolute number of cases per capita, at just 14 per 100,000 people.

What's next: Holiday travel and more indoor socializing as the weather gets colder will likely contribute to scattered localized outbreaks throughout the winter. And those outbreaks could always become serious strains on hospitals, especially in areas with low vaccination rates.

● But experts are cautiously optimistic that Delta may have peaked and the U.S. may finally be headed toward getting the virus under control, and keeping it there, for the first time in 18 months. axios.com

Retail Suicides Surge During Pandemic
Op-Ed: Suicides in the workplace are on the rise for retail and service workers

84% of retail workers report declining mental health during the pandemic

Suicides in the workplace have been steadily rising since the mid-2000s, and the pandemic has only exacerbated the need for a stronger focus on mental health. But for service and retail industry workers, the need for mental health support has never been more imperative. Unlike their salaried counterparts, many hourly workers do not receive the same support and benefits from their employers even though they are oftentimes experiencing worse working conditions.

Due to the "customer is always right" philosophy, I often felt like I couldn't stand up for myself and instead had to bite my tongue, swallow my pride, and put on a smile. Needless to say, I lasted roughly one month before I threw in the towel over what was the most demoralizing experience I've ever had.

And working conditions for retail workers have only gotten worse with the pandemic. In addition to putting themselves at risk of being exposed to COVID-19 with each customer interaction, long hours, unpredictable schedules, and the stress of having to deal with unruly customers are reasons why industries including manufacturing, retail, and food and beverage score in the bottom 10% for mental health. 84% of retail workers reported that their mental health has deteriorated during the pandemic.

Pre-pandemic, retail salespeople not only died by suicide at higher rates than workers in other industries, but were also more likely to carry out the act at work. Between 2014 to 2018, front-line supervisors of retail workers were reported to have the most cases of suicides among the top 12 occupations that accounted for 36% of suicides in the US.

Yet employers aren't offering front-line workers the same benefits as salaried office workers. Nike recently made headlines for giving its head office staff a paid week off for mental health, but it failed to offer the same for its retail workers. Mental health support is a life or death issue. Employers need to start taking the needs of their frontline workers seriously. businessinsider.com

Retail COVID Risk Across the Pond
Retail staff most likely workers to get Covid in second and third waves
Retail staff, cashiers and checkout operators were the most likely occupations to contract Covid-19 during the second and third wave of the pandemic, according to a new analysis by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

On Friday, the CSO published an analysis - using 2016 census data - of the three waves of Covid-19 from March 2020 until May 2021. It found employees in the health and social work sector were hardest hit in the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, making up 60% of cases amongst those employed in April 2020.

As society reopened after the first lockdown in summer 2020, the proportion of cases among those employed in the wholesale and retail trade sector increased from 5% in July 2020 to 17% in August 2020 and have remained consistently at this level since.

In all waves, non-manual workers (22%-23%) were the socio-economic group with the highest proportion of Covid-19 cases. irishexaminer.com

COVID was an 'Earthquake' for Retail
Don't mourn the loss of the pre-pandemic retail model - reimagine shopping possibilities

In the retail industry, evolution isn't always a slow process. Sometimes, it happens with the force of an earthquake - or, in last year's case, a pandemic.

COVID-19 upended consumers' lives in unexpected ways. It also changed the way they felt about purchasing goods. Almost overnight, shipping, curbside, and BOPIS (buy online, pick up in store) became the preferred methods of contactless shopping. Consumers appreciated being able to find out whether a product was in stock, pay for it from their home, and avoid lines.

To be sure, all forms of e-commerce were showing acceptance in 2019. COVID-19 just normalized the practice. According to research from Total Retail, about 76% of retail stores offered BOPIS in mid-2020, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 10 percentage points. And signs indicate BOPIS isn't going anywhere.

Consequently, the big conundrum for retailers is how to ride the wave of prevailing retail trends without giving up the important brick-and-mortar presence. After all, brick-and-mortar browsing and buying is still a top source of profits when compared to things like shipping and curbside, which are the biggest budget busters for retailers. This puts the onus on brands with physical locations to implement great retail experiences that surprise and delight - not to mention getting customers to choose BOPIS and then stick around and make additional purchases. In other words, a never-before-seen blend of online and in-person engagements truly seems like the future of retail. retailcustomerexperience.com

AT&T's Vaccine Mandate
AT&T is requiring more than 150,000 unionized employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 before entering the workplace

This follows a mandate in August that required most AT&T managers to be vaccinated by October 11

AT&T announced on Wednesday that it would require most of its unionized employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before entering the workplace.

The wireless carrier, one the largest employers of union-represented workers, said in a statement that employees who were members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union must be fully vaccinated by February 1, 2022.

CWA represents more than 150,000 staff at AT&T, the union says on its website. This follows a mandate implemented in August that required most of AT&T's management employees to be vaccinated by October 11.

AT&T said in its latest annual report that it had around 230,000 employees as of January 31, and that as of that date, just over a third were unionized. These workers were represented by the CWA and other unions, it said. businessinsider.com

Employee COVID Protocols Are Here To Stay
California Drafts Permanent COVID Rules
The proposed permanent rule does not at this point include a vaccine mandate like the one President Biden ordered be imposed on federal contractors and be developed by OSHA for private employers with more than 100 employees. Cal/OSHA said it will evaluate separately how to respond to a federal OSHA requirement for workplace vaccinations when that standard is published.

"The expanded proposed duration as framed signals that COVID-19 protocols may be here to stay, even after the pandemic is a distant (or even not-so-distant) memory," according to attorneys for the law firm of Littler Mendelson. As currently written, the California draft standard would apply for two or three years after its effective date, and includes reference to the goal of implementing a permanent general infectious disease standard before the time it will be due to expire.

The proposal directs employers to provide and ensure use of face coverings as required by CDPH. In the absence of CDPH requirements, the rule defaults to requiring that unvaccinated employees wear face coverings while indoors or in a vehicle with others.

Under the new rules, employers would only be obligated to provide N95 respirators for voluntary use to employees whom a healthcare professional identifies "as being at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status." The current ETS says employers must provide respirators on request to unvaccinated employees. ehstoday.com

Coming to a Pharmacy Near You?
Pill to treat Covid-19 cuts the risk of death by half, says Merck, which will seek its emergency authorization
A pill has cut the risk of hospitalization or death from Covid-19 by half in a study, Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics said Friday. It would become the first oral medicine that fights viral infection for Covid-19 if approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization.

"At the interim analysis, molnupiravir reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by approximately 50%," Merck said in a news release. "7.3% of patients who received molnupiravir were either hospitalized or died through Day 29 following randomization (28/385), compared with 14.1% of placebo treated patients (53,377). Through Day 29, no deaths were reported in patients who received molnupiravir, as compared to 8 deaths in patients who received placebo."

Merck said it will seek FDA emergency use authorization "as soon as possible." cnn.com
 
A study finds no signs of trouble in getting flu and Covid shots at the same time

'Global Transport Systems Collapse' Ahead of the Holidays?
Shipping workers warn of 'collapse' due to pandemic trade restrictions
Several unions representing shipping workers from around the world have banded together to warn of a "global transport systems collapse" due to labor shortages and pandemic-related restrictions on trade - as already unprecedented delays are set to escalate heading into the busy holiday season.

In an open letter, the World Road Transport Organization, the International Air Transport Association, the International Chamber of Shipping and the International Transport Workers' Federation said their members have been "failed by governments and taken for granted by their officials" during the pandemic.

The failure to address key matters has led to "unprecedented disruptions and global delays and shortages on essential goods," the group of unions said Wednesday, adding that "the delays look set to worsen ahead of Christmas and continue into 2022."

"Fragmented travel rules and restrictions" kept nearly half a million seafarers from leaving their ships, the group said, with some working for as long as 18 months over their initial contracts.

The group - whose collective industries account for more than $20 trillion of world trade annually - called on governments and the United Nations to "remove restrictions hampering the free movement of transport workers, and guarantee and facilitate their free and safe movement."

"In view of the vital role that transport workers have played during the pandemic and continue to play during the ongoing supply chain crisis, we request, as a matter of urgency, a meeting with WHO and the ILO at the highest level to identify solutions before global transport systems collapse," the unions wrote. nypost.com

Retailers Sidestep Global Shipping Crisis
Target chartered its own container ship to sidestep the global shipping crisis ahead of the holiday shopping season

Target chartered its own cargo ship to transport merchandise to the US.

Target chartered its own cargo ship to transport merchandise to the US ahead of its holiday shopping season. Earlier this month, the retailer said the move was part of its preparation for the year-end surge, which also included ordering larger upfront quantities of items in and working with vendors to fast-track shipments to customers and work around "unprecedented supply chain challenges."

"As co-managers of the ship, we can avoid delays from additional stops and steer clear of particularly backed-up ports," Target said.

Other large US retailers are also trying to sidestep shipping delays. Last month, Walmart announced during an earnings call it was chartering smaller ships in order to have the capacity to dock and unload at smaller ports where congestion is lower ahead of the holiday season. Costco, one of the largest wholesale retailers in the world, chartered three cargo ships to beat shipping delays and reduce costs over time. businessinsider.com

Retail Collapse Coming? Retail workers warn of system collapse with labor shortage Strategic Resource Group managing director Burt Flickinger reacts to supply chain issues possibly causing a retail industry crisis. foxbusiness.com

Target's New Black Friday
Will Target's customers treat October 10 like Black Friday?
Target announced yesterday that it will kick off its Christmas promotions on Sunday, October 10. The retailer is looking to cash in on the opportunity created by earlier shopping trends this year as supply chain disruptions and product shortages have become daily news.

The retailer's Target Deal Days promotion will run for three days with big savings promised on thousands of items in the chain's 1,900 stores, online and through its mobile app. It will mark the first time that Target has made all its deals available on all sales touchpoints to its customers.

Research by AlixPartners found that 53 percent of consumers plan to start their holiday shopping before Halloween this year, a four percent increase over last year. RetailMeNot found that 59 percent of shoppers expect to start shopping for Christmas before October is done. retailwire.com

United States Postal Service to institute changes ahead of holiday shipping season

Why Dollar Tree raising prices above $1 isn't necessarily all bad news for shoppers

Will layaway programs go away for good (or bad)?