COVID Update

US: Over 6.8M Cases - 201K Dead - 4.1M Recovered
Worldwide: Over 30.1M Cases - 946K Dead - 21.8M Recovered

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 189 
Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 110
*Red indicates change in total deaths

Lowest Rates Since It Started
Californians are testing positive for COVID-19 at the lowest rate on record
As the Golden State faces a triple threat of respiratory risks — destructive wildfires, toxic air quality and a deadly pandemic — there is a faint glimmer of hope.

Over the last seven days, just 3.5% of COVID-19 tests in California came back positive, the lowest rate since the state began reporting the data in late March. A month ago, the positive test rate was nearly twice as high.

The number of new confirmed cases has fallen to the lowest level since mid-June, according to a Times analysis of state data. Hospitalizations for COVID-19 have fallen to the lowest levels since the start of April, with 2,869 patients in hospital beds Saturday. latimes.com

California is turning the corner on the coronavirus. Will it last?
After months of bleak figures and forecasts, California now appears to be riding a wave of success beating back the coronavirus as officials express cautious optimism about what is next for the state.

LA Property Crime Down 9.3% - Believe It Or Not
LAPD Chief points to pandemic as driving factor in increased gun violence, killings
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said Tuesday that the COVID-19 pandemic has helped drive gun violence and increase killings in the city this year, including by spurring economic despair and interpersonal dramas while undercutting efforts to interrupt cycles of retaliation.

“What we’re sensing is a lot of stress, a lot of communities that are on edge, a certain amount of depression,” Moore said during a morning meeting of the civilian Police Commission.

He also said that pandemic-related rules barring visitors from local hospitals have prevented trained violence intervention workers from visiting the bedsides of surviving shooting victims — eliminating the opportunity to provide resources and emotional support, address their anger and help prevent retaliatory violence on the streets.

As of Sept. 5, homicides were up 13.7% compared with the same time last year, while the number of shooting victims was up 8.2%, according to the latest city data. Incidents in which shots were fired, including those in which no one was struck, were up 11.9%. (Three violent crime numbers - now hold that thought and keep reading).

The increases come despite a 5.6% drop in violent crime overall (imagine that: two diametrically opposed numbers), and a 9.3% decrease in property crime despite a 35% increase in vehicle thefts. latimes.com

Editor's Note: The decrease in property crime is a direct result of police not responding, not filing, and not prosecuting suspects for retail theft. Time after time across California, and especially in the Bay area, we've heard policemen actually tell retailers why should we even go through with this when the prosecutor isn't even going to take the case. We've actually heard one in the Tenderloin district up in the Bay, tell the known serial thief to move along and refuse to stop him after being asked to by an organized retail theft investigator with me on the other end of the phone.

So these decreases in property theft across the country that we saw yesterday in the FBI Mid-Year Crime Index are not realistic and they do not reflect the actual criminal activity around the country. Terribly frustrating to see it as a journalist whose job it is to report and track this activity every day. Gus Downing

Accelerated Digital Transformation Will Continue After COVID
Most Organizations Plan to Make COVID-19 Changes Permanent
After the pandemic, companies will continue to invest in improving IT infrastructure and security as well as automate tasks to reduce errors and improve network resiliency.

A clear majority – 83% - of C-level executives say the many operational shifts made during the pandemic will remain in place even after the COVID-19 pandemic ends.

Michael O’Malley, global vice president of marketing and strategy at Radware, says during the pandemic companies had to focus on making the network resilient, adjust to the remote contactless economy (home food shopping, restaurant deliveries), and future-proof their organizations for any disruptions in the years ahead.

"All of these activities will continue after the pandemic," O'Malley says. "The survey showed that the pandemic was a big shock to the system and it accelerated many trends. Companies will also be focusing on IT capacity such as product development and spending on IT security."

The research points heavily to companies across vertical sectors focusing on resiliency – the ability to keep the business going, the network up, human errors down, and grow the business during the pandemic. darkreading.com

Could Take Years to Get Back to Full Occupancy
America’s Offices Sit Half-Empty Six Months Into the Covid-19 Pandemic

U.S. stores and factories are getting back to normal occupancy, but offices are lagging

Retail stores logging more unlocks than any other sector

Data from Brivo shows that “unlocks” at offices - in late August were down 51% from the end of February. By comparison, visits to manufacturing and warehouse locations remained down by a third.

Some cities, like New York and San Francisco, have been more conservative about reopening across the board, with offices, retail, and manufacturing and warehouses all still well below 50% of their pre-pandemic activity. In Miami, which is dependent on tourism, employee visits to retail stores were at 92% of their pre-pandemic occupancy during the last week in August; in San Francisco, they were at 43%.

While more offices are reopening this fall, many businesses expect workers will work remotely at least part-time for the foreseeable future, suggesting that it could be years before offices return to pre-Covid-19 occupancy levels. wsj.com

COVID-19 Workplace Safety Training Rules and Recommendations
Sixteen states now require employers to provide COVID-19 workplace safety training to employees. Even in states where training is not explicitly required, employers should consider providing COVID-19 workplace safety training to all employees that is consistent with guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Employers that provide up-to-date training can demonstrate their concern for employee safety and minimize the risk of government enforcement actions, workers' compensation liability and employee litigation.

Each of the 16 states that require training has distinct content mandates. Clear Law Insitute has written white papers detailing the training requirements in the states that mandate COVID-19 training. You can view the white paper for each state at this page. shrm.org

CDC director says COVID vaccine won't be widely available until mid-2021
The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told lawmakers on Wednesday that he doesn't expect a potential COVID-19 vaccine to be available for most Americans until the middle of next year, even as the government unveiled plans to begin distributing a vaccine as soon as possible.

Redfield told lawmakers. "If you're asking me when is it going to be generally available to the American public so we can begin to take advantage of vaccine to get back to our regular life, I think we're probably looking at late second quarter, third quarter 2021." cbsnews.com

NJ Gov. Murphy signs bill extending workers comp to essential workers who got coronavirus
A bill signed by Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday will make it easier for essential workers in New Jersey who contract the coronavirus to qualify for workers' compensation.

The new law, retroactive to March 9, removes a requirement that essential workers who came down with the coronavirus to prove they did so on the job.

Business groups decried the legislation, saying it would further burden businesses that already are struggling to weather the pandemic and economic crises. msn.com

Mask Flash Mob - "We're Not Gonna Take It" in Ft. Lauderdale Target Store
‘Maskless Flash Mob’ Marches Through Target Shouting ‘Take Off That Mask’
A group of anti-mask demonstrators marched through a Florida Target to Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” encouraging others to remove their masks.

The group reportedly marched through a Target in Ft. Lauderdale on Tuesday, encouraging shoppers around them to take off their masks as well:

The man who organized the event, said, “Alright. We’re tired of shopping with masks on.” While holding up his phone, “We’re Not Gonna Take It” began to play in the background. y94.com thehill.com
 
NYC City Council Enacts COVID-19 Surcharge for Restaurants
 

Marketing 1st - Cashier-Free Experience
Amazon Fresh Advertises Amazon Dash Cart

Actually attracting customers with it at their grand opening.

Using it as a no hassle experience for the consumer. Unless they want to use their traditional shopping carts for a regular checkout.

The cashier-free system, which uses a combination of computer vision and sensor fusion to identify items being purchased, is activated when shoppers open the Fresh QR code in the Amazon app. They then exit through the Dash Cart lane to complete their purchase.

Mindful of current times, the Amazon Fresh location has instituted the same safety protocols as those used in Whole Foods during the pandemic. The store will require customers to wear face masks to enter the store and will provide free, disposable coverings for those who want one. The store is limiting shoppers to 50 percent of capacity to help ensure social distancing. retailwire.com

Remnants of Hurricane Sally soaking inland Southeast (with forecast video)

Widespread flash flooding likely from Georgia to the Carolinas

The worst of Hurricane Sally is over for the Gulf Coast as cleanup continues. Sally made landfall early Wednesday morning near Gulf Shores, Alabama, with sustained winds of 105 mph. The wind, plus prolonged torrential rainfall, forced closures on the Interstate 10 corridor. Various agencies had to rescue people from the flood waters.

As of early Thursday morning, I-10 is in better shape, with the Florida and Alabama departments of transportation reporting no closures. However, some secondary routes may still be shut down, and the Pensacola Bay Bridge remains closed due to damage sustained during the storm.

Sally is now a tropical depression, centered 50 miles southeast of Montgomery, Alabama, as of 5 a.m. EDT Thursday. While its effects inland across the Southeast won’t be as devastating as along the Gulf Coast, Sally will produce very heavy rainfall and potentially widespread flash flooding from Georgia to the Carolinas. Some river flooding is also possible. Drivers may run into roadblocks and closures. freightwaves.com

California wildfires raise questions on worker safety, leave
Employers in California must keep in mind labor codes and regulations around leave and worker safety and may need to make adjustments as wildfires affect working conditions across the state, the state’s Department of Industrial Relations said Sept. 3.

"Requiring a worker to perform services in an area that is under a mandatory evacuation order may be in violation," the DIR wrote, warning employers not to retaliate against employees unable to work due to such an order. If an employee is laid off, discharged or otherwise retaliated against for a refusal, DIR said "employees shall have a right of action for wages for the time the employee is without work as a result of the layoff or discharge."

The COVID-19 pandemic may present additional complications for wildfire response. Some employees may have already used up sick leave or paid leave. hrdive.com

CDC Resource: Stay Safe From Tornadoes & Flooding
Natural Disasters, Severe Weather, and COVID-19

Hottest Trend in Retail Growth
The Micro Fulfillment Center Push
H-E-B joins the ranks by installing automated micro-fulfillment centers (MFC), joining one of the hottest trends in food retail. H-E-B will deploy equipment and software from Swisslog to support the retailer’s curbside pickup and delivery business.

Generally, MFCs are ideally meant to serve the e-commerce needs of a neighborhood, or another small segment of a particular area. They typically take up no more than 100,000 square feet, according to Mitch Hayes, vice president of e-commerce and retail for Swisslog Americas. An MFC is “designed to hold maybe 24-48 hours worth of inventory,” Hayes said “and is designed to eliminate the last mile (of delivery). It’s taking that massive distribution center and localizing the inventory.” retailleader.com

500 US companies file for bankruptcy and more expected

Body Armor Sales to the General Public Up 600%

TSC Opens it's 1,900th store

 

Cargo Theft

Alberta, Canada: Robbers steal seven hot tubs through trucking scam
Police in Canada believe a sophisticated network of criminals is targeting transport trucks across the country, after seven hot tubs and C$230,000 (US$175,000) worth of beef were stolen in a brazen daylight robbery. The heist began when a semi-truck arrived at the loading docks of Blue Falls Manufacturing, a hot tubs company in the town of Thorsby, Alberta, on 2 September. The driver presented transport papers and told employees he was with the Quebec-based company Transport Pascal Charland. Seven hot tubs – valued at more than C$150,000 – were loaded into the vehicle. It was only after he disappeared that employees realized they had just been robbed. Just a few days earlier, a semi-truck had pulled off a similar trick, picking up hundreds of pounds of beef from a meatpacking plant in the city of Brooks, four and a half hours from Thorsby. “It’s the first time in my 12 years of policing that I’ve seen this type of thing, certainly this amount of hot tubs or stolen beef,” Cpl Rob Gilles of the RCMP’s Thorsby detachment told the Guardian. theguardian.com