US: 30.2M Cases - 549K Dead - 22.3M Recovered
Worldwide: 121.3M Cases - 2.6M Dead - 97.8M Recovered

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Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 279  
Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 266
*Red indicates change in total deaths

New Hotspots Emerging
After weeks of declining cases, echoes of hot spots emerge in Upper Midwest, New York City area

As a dangerous variant spreads, experts urge continued coronavirus vigilance despite positive trends across U.S.

After weeks of declining coronavirus deaths and hospitalizations, new hot spots of infection have emerged, and disease experts warn that the spread of a more dangerous variant and a too-rapid rush to return to normal life could prolong the historic health emergency.

Caseloads are down nationally and tens of millions of people are fully loaded with antibodies to the virus, with more than 2 million people getting doses of vaccine every day. But the virus continues to pose a real and present threat, with about 55,000 new infections daily.

Michigan has seen a rise in hospitalizations and positive test results. Minnesota’s numbers are creeping up, as are Maryland’s and New Jersey’s. Many places, including New York City and surrounding counties, are no longer seeing steady declines in cases, despite intensive vaccination efforts. washingtonpost.com

Positive Trends Continue - With Some Red Flags
U.S. COVID-19 deaths fall 22% last week, daily vaccinations set record
The United States reported a 22% decline in deaths from COVID-19 last week, while vaccinations accelerated to a record 2.4 million shots per day, according to a Reuters analysis of state, county and CDC data.

The number of new COVID-19 cases being reported each week has dropped for nine straight weeks, falling 10% to just under 378,000 in the seven days ended March 14. Deaths linked to COVID-19 dropped below 10,000 last week, the lowest since mid-November.

However, health authorities warned Americans not to lower their guard, pointing to a resurgence in infections in several European countries after they relaxed social distancing measures. reuters.com

Trending News: Picking Up OSHA Warning
Nat'l Law Review: OSHA Puts Employers on Notice: Expect an Increase
in COVID-19-Related Inspections
On March 12, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a National Emphasis Program (NEP) related to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The purpose of the NEP is to ensure that “employees in high-hazard industries are protected from the hazard of contracting SARS-CoV-2”; the NEP directs OSHA to target worksites that have workers with increased potential exposure to this hazard. In addition, the NEP directs OSHA to ensure that workers are protected from retaliation for raising safety and health concerns related to COVID-19. natlawreview.com

OSHA Slammed Again in New OIG Report

Right on top of WSJ Scathing Investigative Report on March 4

DOL Inspector General Slams OSHA
Critical reports advocates for Emergency Temporary Standard
The Department of Labor (DOL) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has criticized the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for inadequate COVID-19 enforcement and advocated for the adoption of Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS), which OSHA is expected to issue very soon.

The OIG report acknowledges the political pressure the agency has had to operate under over the past year. “Due to the pandemic, OSHA has received a surge of complaints in a matter of months, while garnering the attention of Congress, labor unions, and media with requests to act swiftly on behalf of the 130 million workers at more than eight million worksites nationwide whom OSHA is responsible for protecting.”

The OIG notes that restrictions on onsite inspection and travel led to a dramatic decrease in inspections, which dropped from more than 26,000 in an eight-month period in 2019 to approximately 13,000 inspections in the same timeframe in 2020. OSHA received 15% more complaints but performed 50% fewer inspections in a 10-month period in 2020.

The report also found that states operating OSHA state plans did better than the federal agency. During the pandemic, OSHA issued a total of 295 violations arising from 176 COVID-19 related inspections, while 1,679 violations arose from 756 COVID-19 related inspections that were conducted under State Plans.

“Increased complaints, reduced inspections and most inspections not being conducted onsite subject employees to greater safety risk,” the OIG said. This was said to have led to “an increased risk that OSHA has not been providing the level of protection that workers need at various job sites.” ehstoday.com

Will we see new protections/laws for shopworkers in the UK?
UK Ministers back new move to protect shopworkers
Minister from the Labour frontbench and across the House of Commons are backing calls for the creation of a new protection of shopworkers law.

The government to being asked to include a provision in its Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill to deliver much-needed legislation to tackle growing abuse against shopworkers.

Labour’s frontbench has indicated they would support legal protection for shopworkers during the second reading debate on the bill and it attracted backbench support from across the House of Commons. The measure is also backed by leading retailers and trade associations. talkingretail.com

UK's Not Out of the Woods Yet - More Closures Coming
UK: Covid-19 pandemic drives record number of stores shutting down in 2020

Research from PwC & Local Data Company shows 17,532 chain stores closed down last year, while only 7655 opened

This leaves a net deficit of 9877 permanent store closures – the highest on record

The results are based on a survey of 208,000 shops operated by multiple retailers – in other words, retailers that operate five or more shops across the UK. The study, as reported by The Sunday Telegraph, described the figures as “expected” due to the pandemic.

The study also found that retail parks were least affected when compared to high streets and shopping centres, and that small towns were benefiting from a “mini-renaissance” due to restrictions on travel and stay-at-home orders.

The turmoil saw 176,718 jobs lost across retailers during 2020, according to data from the Centre for Retail Research (3,400 jobs lost weekly). retailgazette.co.uk

Law360 - Public Posting
Coronavirus Regulations: A State-By-State Week In Review
The first 12 months of the coronavirus pandemic were marked by the passage of a much-anticipated $1.9 trillion stimulus package this past week, as states forged ahead with vaccination expansion initiatives and relaxed rules for newly reopened industries.

Here's a breakdown of some of the COVID-19-related state measures from the past week. law360.com

Click below to see interactive state-by-state map

Fired for Refusing a Vaccine?
Florida employers can require employees to get vaccinated
With more people able to get COVID-19 vaccines and businesses taking steps to bring operations back to normal, can an employer require workers to get vaccinated? And what happens if an employee refuses?

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued guidance saying that generally, yes, "employers can mandate a COVID-19 vaccine as long as they comply with all federal EEO laws." There are a few exemptions and a recent survey found that many employers are in no hurry to put a mandate in place.

Florida is one of those states where employers have the upper hand. As an at-will employment state, unless you're under contract or in a union, employees have few legal rights and can be terminated for just about anything.

Employment Lawyer Cynthia Sass of Sass Law Firm in Tampa said those reasons can include refusing a vaccine if an employer requires it. fox13news.com

Law Enforcement Declining the Vaccine?
More than 800 Massachusetts State Police employees decline COVID-19 vaccine
More than 800 Massachusetts State Police employees declined to receive the COVID-19 vaccine despite being in the first stage of priority for the doses, police sources said.

A total of 845 members of the MSP, including sworn personnel and civilian officers, declined to receive the vaccine at state police clinics. That's about 30% of the force's sworn and civilian officers.

Sterling said that many officers received the vaccine at other sites, rather than police-designated ones. The union has not mandated that officers receive the vaccine and claimed it would be an invasion of privacy to ask members if they've received a vaccine dosage. abcnews.go.com

Returning to the Office - It's All About Safety Initiatives-Safety Patrols
& That "Extra Presence" of Safety Personnel
St. Paul Downtown Alliance prepares for office workers return post-COVID
For a year, only about 10% of downtown employees have ventured back to the office.

The St. Paul Downtown Alliance hopes to smoothly transition 55,000 office workers back into the urban core after months of being sequestered at home due to COVID-19. With a mix of outdoor cleaning, safety patrols and events designed to welcome office workers back into the city. Alliance President Joe Spencer expects the first wave of employees to return after July 4.

For now, the plan is to spruce up St. Paul, add a yet-to-be disclosed "extra presence' of safety personnel and host outdoor events. The Alliance will advertise events and safety initiatives so the public knows St. Paul is ready for thousands to re-enter downtown. startribune.com

COVID Forever Changed How We Work
Working from home is here to say, latest job listings show
The number of U.S. job postings on Indeed.com that mention "remote work," "telecommute" or "working from home" has more than doubled over the last year, from 2.9% in January 2020 to 6.9% last month, according to new data from the career services site. Most of those remote positions are in finance, law, therapy and technology, especially tech support and software development.

"Most striking is that the remote job postings share has continued to rise even as many workers have returned to the office," Jed Kolko, Indeed's chief economist, said in a blog post. cbsnews.com

Survey: What Employees Want Post-Pandemic
Employees want to feel safe at work, see their work friends and have work-life balance. How those wants are met may be different now because of COVID-19.
 

Despite Progress, Harassment Remains a Workplace Challenge
Three years after the #MeToo movement sparked a cultural reckoning around sexual harassment and assault, one-quarter of working Americans—including 29 percent of working women—say they are more likely to report an incident of sexual misconduct in the workplace than ever before, according to an independent CBS News poll. More than half of young men surveyed said that #MeToo has made them rethink some of the ways men behave toward women.

Despite this progress, work remains to be done, particularly by employers. According to a report from the National Women's Law Center (NWLC), Coming Forward: Key Trends and Data from the TIME'S UP Legal Defense Fund, nearly two in three people reported the harassment or assault they experienced to their employer, and 28 percent of people surveyed said the harassment they experienced was not an isolated incident.

The report found that more than 70 percent of people who experienced workplace sex harassment and sought help from the TIME'S UP Legal Defense Fund faced retaliation of some kind. Of those who experienced retaliation, 36 percent reported being fired, while 19 percent reported poor treatment or heightened scrutiny in the workplace.

Of the workers who reported harassment, nearly 30 percent said nothing was done about it; 37 percent said nothing happened to the perpetrator.

A 2020 poll from the Gallup Center on Black Voices found that about one in four Black and Hispanic employees in the United States report having been discriminated against at work in the past year. For comparison, 15 percent of white employees reported discrimination. asisonline.org

States & Local Governments Just Piling On Lawsuits
Home Town State Arkansas Attorney General Sues Walmart Over Opioid Crisis
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge on Monday sued Walgreens, accusing the pharmacy chain of fueling the opioid crisis in the state by filling a large number of suspicious orders for painkillers.

Rutledge filed the lawsuit in Pulaski County Court, accusing Walgreens of violating the state's Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The lawsuit accuses Walgreens of not doing enough to safeguard against suspicious prescriptions being filled, leading to to a large amount of opioids being distributed around Arkansas.

Walgreens said it would vigorously defend itself against the suit, and the drug store chain said its pharmacists' primary focus has always been patient health and safety. The company said its pharmacists are equipped with "robust" policies and procedures as they make their best clinical judgment.

State and local governments have filed thousands of complaints against companies in the drug industry over their roles in the opioid epidemic. Pharmacies, including Walgreens, are targeted in many of the lawsuits. abcnews.go.com

FMCSA chief Joshi: Drivers will take hit from automated trucks

Acting Administrator Meera Joshi sees 'major shift' in trucker workforce

"We can argue about scope and timeline, but what we can't argue about is that this a reality: There will be a major shift in workforce," said Meera Joshi, acting administrator at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), speaking Wednesday at the agency's Analysis, Research and Technology Forum.

In January the U.S. Department of Transportation, at the request of Congress released a preliminary study assessing the affect automated driving technologies would have on the truck-driver workforce. The report found there is "vast uncertainty" about of how and when driving automation may be adopted in long-haul trucking and the associated effects on professional drivers.

But it also noted that in the long term, the adoption of Level 4 or 5 advanced driving systems "may supplant certain driving tasks and reduce the need for human drivers, leading to lower freight costs and productivity improvements, but also to periods of transitional unemployment for some affected workers." freightwaves.com

DSW parent eyes 65 store closures

Five Ideas for Designing an Effective Virtual Event Agenda


Quarterly Results
Caleres Q4 Famous Footwear down 6.2%, Brand Portfolio down 32.4%, ecommerce up 25%, net sales down 18.3%
Caleres FY 2020 Famous Footwear down 20.4%, Brand Portfolio down 35.8%, ecommerce up 40%, consolidated sales down 27.5%

Designer Brands (DSW) Q4 comp's down 20.1%, net sales down 26.6%, FY 2020 comp's 34.2%,
net sales down 36%