US: 33.7M Cases - 600.5K Dead - 27.2M Recovered
Worldwide: 164.3M Cases - 3.4M Dead - 143.1M Recovered

Former Senior Loss Prevention Executive
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Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 279  
Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 299
*Red indicates change in total deaths


COVID-19 Case Trend Since Feb. 2020

Retail Mask Wars
As stores update COVID mask policies for vaccinated customers, are more conflicts on the horizon?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may say fully vaccinated Americans no longer need to wear face masks, but the mask conflict at stores isn't going away.

As vaccinated Americans begin to take off their masks and retailers update their masking policies, the debates and outbursts related to mask wearing (or lack thereof) are expected to continue, experts told USA TODAY.

Retailers that have dropped mask rules for vaccinated people have said they don't plan to interrogate people or request their vaccination cards at the door and will instead rely on the honor system. The growing list includes Walmart, Home Depot, Sam's Club, Costco, Starbucks, Target and CVS.

But what adds to the confusion – and could fuel a new round of mask battles – is that in some cases, state and local mask mandates conflict with retailers’ revamped policies, which they say are based on new mask guidelines released by the CDC Thursday. The guidance says fully vaccinated people, for the most part, no longer need to wear masks indoors and don’t need to wear masks outdoors, even in crowded spaces.

Brian Dodge, president of the Retail Industry Leaders Association, said the guidance and a "patchwork of state and local rules" about masks have created confusion. He said store employees have been at risk by trying to enforce mask policies, and the new guidelines create another level of risk.

“Retail employees should never have been the mask police, and they cannot be the vaccine police,” Dodge said. “It is impossible to confirm the vaccination status of guests, ... so businesses are looking at those orders and trying to understand what they can do appropriately in order to comply and keep everyone in their stores safe.” news.yahoo.com

Not All Retailers are Lifting Mask Mandates
Which stores are still requiring masks for visitors?
Where do you need to mask up? Here’s a look at national chains that are still requiring visitors to wear a mask, whether or not they are vaccinated.

Kroger: Kroger operates nearly 3,000 grocery stores around the country under brands like Food4Less, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, King Soopers, QFC, Roundy’s, Ralph’s, and Smith’s.

Simon Property Group: The company operates dozens of shopping centers and malls in 37 states including many Premium Outlets locations.

Uber and Lyft: The ride-sharing companies are still requiring both drivers and riders to wear masks.

Walgreens: The pharmacy chain still lists facial coverings as required for visitors older than 2.

Whole Foods: The health foods grocery store chain is still requiring masks for visitors "to protect the health and safety of our Team Members and communities." thedenverchannel.com

Retail Workers React to Mask Policy Changes
Some Starbucks employees are angry over mask mandates lifting, while others are eager to end customer confrontations
The new rules put retail workers in a bind. For some, ending confrontations with customers over masks is a welcome respite after a difficult year, but others remain worried about contracting COVID-19 and low vaccination rates.

Starbucks pointed Insider to the company's updated COVID-19 response page, which says that face coverings are optional for fully vaccinated customers beginning Monday, May 17. Employees will continue to be required to wear double masks.

A Starbucks worker in Connecticut told Insider that she is concerned as a "chronically ill and high-risk barista," and is considering leaving her job over mask mandates lifting. The worker and others cited in this story spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak frankly on the topic, and their employment was confirmed by Insider.

"We can't verify if the people coming in without a mask have been vaccinated or not, and we're outside of a hospital so people with compromised immunities have to share spaces with people who have no mask on," the worker said. "I'm worried we're going to end up with another spike in cases."

At the same time, many Starbucks workers have shared in interviews and on social media message boards that they are ready to end uncomfortable confrontations with customers over masks. businessinsider.com

Patchwork of State Requirements
New York lifts mask requirements for the vaccinated, California waits
New York state this week will drop face mask requirements in most public spaces for people vaccinated against COVID-19, conforming with the latest U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Monday.

In California, Governor Gavin Newsom said his state would keep its mask order in place for another month, despite the CDC's new recommendations. Cuomo and Newsom, both Democrats, have drawn criticism for their handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Newsom faces a Republican-led recall election.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, also a Democrat, said he would lift mask restrictions outdoors but keep in place a mandate to wear them indoors. Murphy said schools would be required to provide full-time, in-person classroom instruction again in the fall.

Cuomo said New York health officials decided to lift the mask order after reviewing the CDC's new guidance. Some 52 percent of New York adults have been fully inoculated and 61.8 percent had received at least one shot as of Monday.

Cuomo, speaking to reporters at Radio City Music Hall, said it would be up to each business or venue how they should determine vaccination status. reuters.com

No More COVID Inspections at Ohio Stores
Ohio stops enforcing COVID-19 mask mandate at retail businesses
State investigators will no longer inspect retail businesses for compliance with the Ohio's mask mandate, which will be revised Monday to allow fully vaccinated Ohioans to drop their masks in most indoor locations.

Inspectors have no way to know whether people without masks have been vaccinated or not, Gov. Mike DeWine said Monday. "We’re not going to enforce these rules as far as masking in a retail establishment," he said.

The revised order will still require face coverings for health care settings, public transportation, schools and child care providers and congregate settings such as nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Businesses and schools can still require masks and implement other policies to protect workers and customers.

Separate rules for vaccinated and unvaccinated people aligns with Thursday's guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Once this CDC new guidance came out, the signal to everybody was you can take your mask off," DeWine said. “We don’t want to be in a position where we’re telling people in the state of Ohio one thing and they’re hearing something else from the federal government.” cincinnati.com

Some Suffering Trauma-Like Response to Reentering Society
As restrictions loosen, some are hesitant about returning to pre-COVID life
Now that life is slowly returning to normal, Trasatti said she’s nervous about transitioning to life post-pandemic, especially as mask requirements loosen.

“Almost going out without a mask on, you just feel so exposed and so vulnerable. And COVID’s not gone, so it makes it difficult,” Trasatti said. “You want to trust that they’re doing this for a reason, and they’ve done their research, but I feel like masks have almost become a security blanket, and it just makes you anxious because you could get sick. Your risks of getting sick are a lot higher being around people, and you don’t have that shield.”

“I’m not too sure we’re handling the relaxations very well,” Walker said. “I personally — as much as I hate wearing this mask, and trust me, I hate wearing this mask — I would rather wear this mask until (COVID-19) is completely gone.”

Rachel Miller, mental health supervisor at the Family & Intercultural Resource Center, said she primarily sees individuals who are struggling with one of two responses: in some instances, Miller said individuals experience physical symptoms of anxiety and might be having a trauma-like response when reentering society. In other instances, individuals are trying to forge ahead and are questioning what normal looks like for them. aspentimes.com

Growing Number of Businesses Announce Employee Vaccine Mandates
Employers announce COVID-19 vaccine requirements as workplaces reopen

Delta's mandate that all new employees be vaccinated went into effect Monday.

A growing number of businesses -- from airline giant Delta to Broadway production "Hamilton" -- have announced new workplace requirements surrounding COVID-19 vaccines.

The announcements come as the pandemic eases in the U.S., and offices around the country commence reopening plans. Even as vaccination rates rise across the U.S., however, many business leaders have mulled over the tripwire of potential legal or PR issues related to requiring the vaccine in the workplace.

In its most-recent guidance updated last December, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said that employers can legally require workers to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, with exceptions for those who have a medical or religious accommodation.

Delta Airlines' mandate that all new hires in the U.S. be vaccinated, unless they qualify for an accommodation, officially went into effect on Monday. With some 91,000 full-time workers, the Atlanta-headquartered airliner became the largest U.S. employer to date that has announced a vaccine mandate for new employees. abcnews.go.com

Certain restaurant workers wearing vaccinated wristbands for customers
As more people start to remove their masks, restaurants are using special wristbands to show customers that employees have their vaccinations. The wristbands include a QR code that links to a person's proof of vaccination.

NJ decision to maintain mask mandates is applauded by food, retail workers union

Pennsylvania loosens restrictions for indoor & outdoors events

Massachusetts to lift nearly all COVID-19 restrictions on May 29
 

Retailers Moving to 'Reskill' Workers
Not Qualified for a Job? These Companies Will ‘Reskill’ You

Some companies teach their own data scientists after Covid-19 pandemic accelerated shift to e-commerce; Levi’s offers boot camp

Levi’s is confronting a problem faced by companies in a range of industries from finance to retail to technology. Many of their workers lack the necessary skills to address modern business challenges. For retailing, artificial intelligence and machine learning are playing an outsize role as more shopping shifts online.

Walmart Inc., Macy’s Inc. and Target Corp. are among the big retailers that will update investors on their operations this week, giving a snapshot not just on how much consumers are spending this spring but also on how they are finding workers in a revamped labor market.

U.S. job openings reached a record level of 8.1 million at the end of March, and hiring slowed in April. Last week Amazon.com Inc. said it was offering $1,000 signing bonuses, while McDonald’s Corp. and Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. said they were raising wages.

There were 342,000 more retail job openings in March than in the same month a year ago, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While some of that is due to the need for businesses to rehire as the pandemic eases, the job openings are the second-highest for March over the past decade and well above the five-year average for the month, according to the National Retail Federation.

The pandemic exposed a shortage of digital skills in retailing. Tens of thousands of retail workers were laid off a year ago as Covid-19-related restrictions required chains to close stores temporarily. Many have been rehired, but the jobs they are returning to aren’t always the jobs they left.

A tight labor market has made it harder for many chains to attract hourly staffers, while rising demand for computer scientists and engineers is leading to a shortage of workers with that expertise, executives said. wsj.com

Business Insider Rips Retailers & Restaurants - Again
Low Hanging Fruit as Retailers Struggle to Get Workers

OPINION: Stop treating workers like garbage or stop having workers at all
Over and over again, the people I talked to told me that while the aid provided security and support at a crucial time, they weren't passing up work just to sit around. Rather, they were looking at other options because of the service industry's terrible working conditions and low pay.

"There's no reason for workers to come back to their old jobs earning the same poverty wages, especially since more than 100 million Americans remain unvaccinated, and there's still a stable safety net in place until autumn," writer and former restaurant worker Carl Gibson wrote for Insider on May 2. "It's not that unemployed restaurant workers don't want jobs — we just have more options now."

The time off prompted a reevaluation of not only their role in the business but industry practices in general. The service industry is a notoriously harsh and unforgiving business that makes intense demands on staff for low pay and anarchic schedules.

But now that many of these workers have been able to step back from an industry where low pay and abusive practices were the norm these businesses face a challenge: improve working conditions or shut down.

As the country has begun to reopen, some politicians and pundits are claiming that staff are uninterested in returning to work because they're lazy. Signs on windows of shuttered businesses or temporarily closed outlets claim that people aren't willing to come back because they'd rather sit back and do nothing.

The reality is different, Lucas, a former Uber Eats driver, told me. "We're sick of being called lazy bums because we're sick of thankless, s----paying jobs," Lucas said.

Rather, Lucas and other workers I spoke to said they are finally asserting themselves after years of mistreatment and becoming more selective and holding out for incentives—or even considering leaving altogether if things don't change. businessinsider.com

Same Worker Shortage Across the Pond
UK ‘faces labour shortage’ as Covid and Brexit fuel exodus of overseas workers

Experts say recovery at risk amid sharp fall in EU workers and dwindling interest in UK jobs from abroad

Britain’s employers are struggling to hire staff as lockdown lifts amid an exodus of overseas workers caused by the Covid pandemic and Brexit, industry figures reveal.

According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and the recruitment firm Adecco, employers plan to hire at the fastest rate in eight years, led by the reopening of the hospitality and retail sectors as pandemic restrictions are relaxed in England and Wales on Monday.

However, in a sign of growing pressures in the jobs market amid rapid growth in consumer spending, the professional body for HR and people development said there had been a sharp decline in the numbers of EU workers, fuelling the risk of labour shortages.

It said the decline was being led in particular by overseas interest in typically lower-paid service-led sectors, while some towns and cities have up to 20 jobs on offer per jobseeker. According to the research, Maidstone in Kent is the hardest place to hire, followed by Manchester, Cambridge and Oxford. theguardian.com

Price Hikes Are Coming as Production Costs Increase
Companies sounding alarm on price hikes for products like trash bags, breakfast cereal, and household appliances
Americans are likely to experience some sticker shock as prices for key products spike due to rising demand and supply chain snags.

The Wall Street Journal recently cited leaders from companies like Clorox, General Mills, and Whirlpool sounding the alarm on price spikes for products like breakfast cereal, trash bags, and household appliances. Reasons for rising prices run from pent-up demand due to rising vaccination rates, pandemic-related delays, manufacturing issues around key components like computer chips, and logistical tangles.

The Consumer Price Index spiked 0.8% in April, signalling a 4.2% year-over-year surge in prices. That means that Americans could feel a pinch when paying for meats like bacon and hot dogs, imported foods like cheese and wine, and fuel — also thanks in part to a cyberattack on the Colonial Pipeline in the southeast.

And skyrocketing prices are affecting a number of aspects of consumer's lives, outside of trips to the grocery store and the gas station. businessinsider.com

Amazon rebrands Amazon Go Grocery to Amazon Fresh, closes Seattle-area store near Microsoft HQ

Labor shortage could hamper Biden's recovery plans