“It’s going to be difficult now to get this under control”
Wed. - Largest Single-Day Increase of New COVID Cases Since Pandemic Began
Scott Gottlieb, the former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner, warned that states like Texas, Florida and Arizona all have a relatively short period of time to act, and recommended that they close bars to limit the spread of the disease and also take steps to ensure they have enough hospital capacity.

Some states with spiking COVID-19 cases are losing control of their outbreaks, warn public health experts who say the states must take strong actions now to slow the virus’s spread.

The U.S. on Wednesday recorded the largest single-day increase of new COVID cases since the pandemic began, with more than 39,000 new infections yesterday, surpassing the April 24 peak, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 2.4 million. The tally was led by Florida, Texas, California and Arizona.

Cases, hospitalizations and the percentage of positive tests, which are signs of growing outbreaks, are also increasing in Mississippi, Oklahoma, Georgia, South Carolina and Nevada. Cases are also increasing in Alabama, Arkansas, California and Utah, but the percentage of tests coming back positive are not increasing significantly or there are fewer COVID-19 hospitalizations, Jha said. thehill.com

Nationwide: Daily coronavirus cases hit new high in the U.S. as states mandate masks and new restrictions. The nation may be opening up, but COVID-19 is on the rise. There were 38,459 new cases of the virus reported nationwide on Thursday, a number that surpassed a record set the prior day of 38,115.
Los Angeles Times

California: New alarms are raised as California coronavirus hospitalizations jump 32% in two weeks. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced this new high was double the two-week increase of 16% that he had reported on Monday. Los Angeles Times

'We Need to Reverse the Opening Up'
States backtrack on reopening as cases surge
Arizona late Thursday joined Texas in putting the brakes on its reopening plans amid a sharp surge in coronavirus infections, as cases are now rising across 29 states. The governor of Arkansas also said there will be 'no further opening.'

“Pausing reopening is not enough. We have got to try to ‘put the horse back in the barn’, as it were … we need to start to reverse the opening up,” Ashish Jha, director of Harvard University’s Global Health Institute, told ABC on Friday morning. theguardian.com  usnews.com

Gov. Greg Abbott orders Texas bars to close again and restaurants to reduce to 50% occupancy as coronavirus spreads
Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday took his most drastic action yet to respond to the post-reopening coronavirus surge in Texas, shutting bars back down and scaling back restaurant capacity to 50%. He also shut down river-rafting trips and banned outdoor gatherings of over 100 people unless local officials approve.

“At this time, it is clear that the rise in cases is largely driven by certain types of activities, including Texans congregating in bars," Abbott said in a news release. "The actions in this executive order are essential to our mission to swiftly contain this virus and protect public health."

Bars must close at noon Friday, and the reduction in restaurant capacity takes effect Monday. Before Abbott's announcement Friday, bars were able to operate at 50% capacity and restaurants at 75% capacity. texastribune.com

Store Re-Closures Continue as Cases Surge
Apple Closing 80% of Florida Stores, Several In Houston
Apple is reclosing 14 of its 18 stores in Florida due to a surge of coronavirus cases in the state. Florida reported more than 5,000 new coronavirus cases for the second day in a row Thursday after adding a record 5,508 new cases Wednesday. Florida health officials also reported 201 new hospitalizations and 46 new deaths Thursday.

The status of Apple stores is a good indicator of how well an area is dealing with the coronavirus pandemic since their locations are usually in important shopping centers. It is similar to the “Waffle House Index” for natural disasters, an informal metric used by FEMA to judge how bad a storm will be based on whether Waffle Houses in the area are closed.

Apple also re-closed seven stores in the Houston area Wednesday after a similar surge of coronavirus cases there. foxbusiness.com

Microsoft is permanently closing all physical retail stores

Remaining urban hub flagships will be turned into "Microsoft Experience Centers"

While Microsoft has tried to put a positive spin on the closures by calling the move a “new approach to retail,” in reality it’s indicative of the current state-of-play across the whole retail sector due to the global pandemic. Social distancing measures and retail store closures have led to a sizeable uptick in online purchases, so businesses that previously relied on brick-and-mortar sales have had to adapt. A number of big-name retailers such as JC Penney have also filed for bankruptcy. venturebeat.com

In-Store Shopping in U.S., Canada at Almost Half of 2019 Levels
Foot traffic at North American retailers has risen for nine straight weeks as growing numbers of stores restart operations. Consumers’ return accelerated in the week ended June 19, though visits are still down about 52% compared to the year prior, according to location-data provider Prodco Analytics.

The decline of shopping traffic began near the start of the year as the virus’s spread was confirmed. In March, major retailers temporarily shut nearly 50,000 stores over 10 days in the U.S. alone. As the pandemic worsened in April, store traffic plummeted nearly 98%.

With widespread store closures and shifts in consumer behavior expected through the rest of the year, some stores may never be revived. As many as 25,000 could permanently close this year in the U.S., which would far surpass the record 9,800 closures from 2019, according to a report from retail and tech data firm Coresight Research. bloomberg.com

Calls grow for Disney World to delay reopening as coronavirus cases spike

 

OSHA Does Not Back Employee Work Refusals in All Circumstances

Fear of COVID-19 is not enough to refuse work

Since March 2020, workers have expressed elevated concerns about their exposure to COVID-19. As states lift restrictions on construction work, employers should note that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) limits workers’ ability to refuse work.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act), an employee’s right to refuse to perform a task is protected only if all of the following conditions are met:

• The employee has asked the employer to eliminate the danger, and the employer failed to do so.

• The employee refused to work in “good faith.” This means the employee must genuinely believe there is a real danger of death or serious injury.

• A reasonable person would agree that there is a real danger of death or serious injury.

• There is not enough time, due to the urgency of the hazard, to get it corrected through regular enforcement channels, such as requesting an OSHA inspection.

In addition, workers cannot walk off a job site or refuse to work because of a generalized fear of COVID-19. They must have a genuine and reasonable fear of a real danger, not just of a generalized pandemic, but of the specific conditions in their workplace. While employees have a right to report hazards to OSHA without retaliation for doing so, OSHA requires employees to give employers a chance to address hazards. natlawreview.com

CVS Health offers COVID-19 test for employers

CVS Health is expanding its COVID-19 testing services with the launch of a solution designed to help workers and students return to normal.

The drugstore retailer is releasing Return Ready, a comprehensive, customizable COVID-19 testing solution for employers and universities. The solution is designed to help return employees to worksites and students, faculty and staff to campuses, and integrates COVID-19 testing for ongoing business continuity.

Leveraging flexible technology options for on-site testing and/or drive-thru testing at CVS Pharmacy locations, organizations can design a customized testing strategy. At the core of the end-to-end solution is a customized COVID-19 testing strategy, guided by clinical consultation, that allows organizations to choose who, how, where, and when to test employees or students. chainstoreage.com

Faking COVID-19 Illness Can Have Serious Consequences
Employees who fake coronavirus-related illnesses to get out of work - though doing so may be rare - could lose their jobs and face criminal penalties. Additionally, businesses may have to take costly steps to clean the worksite and trace employee contacts after an employee reports that he or she has tested positive for the virus. Employers should take each claim seriously and also have procedures in place to identify false claims.

"Employers should remain empathetic, sympathetic and reassuring given the continued spread of coronavirus," said Mark Keenan, an attorney with Barnes & Thornburg in Atlanta. "However, employers must also be vigilant about potential fraudulent reports." shrm.org

Walmart associates receive cash bonus totaling $8 million in SC, nearly 14 million in NC

Getting your associates ready to reopen stores

How to Get Staff to Comply with New COVID-19 Office Policies

Business Travel Won’t Be Taking Off Soon Amid Coronavirus
 

7-Eleven & Facial Recognition - Successful in 2 Countries
7-Eleven Launches Facial Recognition Cameras In All Stores Across Australia
Pretty much every store in the country will have some sort of surveillance system to protect themselves against theft and other issues, but it's hoped this new technology will help even more.

People have started noticing signs popping up at their local 7-Eleven and been mildly concerned about the facial recognition software.

The sign reads: "Site is under constant video surveillance. By entering the store you consent to facial recognition cameras capturing and storing your image."

However in response to some shoppers concerns about their rights, the company has hit back against any worries, saying that the facial recognition software will only be used for one specific purpose.

A spokesperson has told 7News: "The use of facial recognition within the Rate It tablet is to ensure that the feedback is accurate and valid, and given customer feedback is so important to us we don't want the system being 'gamed'.

"The technology is not used for any other purpose. If a customer doesn't use the feedback tablet, their image won't be recorded.

"The camera is only activated upon commencement of an interaction and is dormant at all other times.

"The data captured by the tablet is a biometric blurring and only an encrypted algorithmic representation of the image is recorded."

The Asian arm of the company rolled out a similar technology two years ago to 11,000 stores.

However, the facial recognition software is being used there to identify loyalty members, analyse in-store traffic, monitor product levels, suggest products to customers. It even has the ability to measure the emotions of customers as they walk around. ladbible.com

Boston Just Banned Its Government From Using Facial Recognition Technology
 

The Latest Global Economic and Retail Forecasts as We Re-Open Globally

By Tony D'Onofrio, Global Retail Influencer

Throughout the COVID-19 lockdown phase, I have been following very closely the global economic and retail trends in anticipation of the reopening phases which are now underway in many parts of the world. Good signs from key markets such as USA which saw the biggest historical increase in retail sales in May.

The threat of multiple other waves of COVID-19 is still present, but key lessons have already emerged to guide countries during the reopening phase. Continuing to do well are most of the essential retailers, e.g. food and drug stores. Their growth spike will slow as more of the retail industry reopens. Best positioned are those essential retailers that had fully scaled services such as Buy-on-Line-Pick-Up-in-Store (BOPIS) prior to the pandemic lockdown. Read More Here

VIDEO: Tony D'Onofrio talks about the state of facial recognition

Senior Job: Director of Security and Safety, Support Operations for Bass Pro Shops in Springfield, MO.
The primary objective of this role is to provide leadership in proactively protecting the organization’s assets (people, property, brand and proprietary information.) This position is responsible for assigned corporate security, protection of assets, and safety initiatives and programs for the Bass Pro Group enterprise.

Works closely with the Chief Security Officer, the security-safety leadership team.

North America’s premier outdoor and conservation company. In 2017 Bass Pro Shops joined forces with Cabela’s. Bass Pro Shops also operates White River Marine Group, and Big Cedar Lodge. myworkdayjobs.com

Loss Prevention Research Council Releases Riot & Looting Resource Page for Retailers

The Loss Prevention Research Council (LPRC) has released a resource page with pertinent links, files, and more to aid retailers during the nation's civil unrest. In addition, the LPRC research team will answer questions and provide additional research and literature for those who inquire through the page's contact form.

Resources include:
• Crowd-related crime information
• Crowd management strategies
• Federal links
• Public relations guide

NEWEST RESOURCE:
The LPRC gathered 40 participants from over 20 retail chains on a call to share intelligence and discuss effective security strategies and tactics in the wake of the social unrest that led to the recent riots and looting incidents. The full report, which compiles the intelligence and strategies discussed, can be accessed on the new LPRC resource page. Click here to view the LPRC resource page