Category: Workplace Issues

Daily Briefing – 221

NYS Updates Quarantine Guidelines to Align With CDC 

Governor Cuomo yesterday announced updated quarantine guidelines for New York which are consistent with the latest Centers for Disease Control guidance. Under the new guidelines, individuals exposed to COVID-19 can end their quarantine after 10 days without a testing requirement as long as no symptoms have been reported during the quarantine period. After day 10 is reached, individuals must continue monitoring for symptoms through day 14 and if any develop, they should immediately self-isolate and contact the local health department or their healthcare provider to report this change and determine if they should seek testing. Individuals should to continue strict adherence to all recommended safe behaviors to stop the spread – wearing masks, socially distancing and avoiding gatherings.

Read the press release

COVID and “Winter Cluster Plan” Update

Governor Cuomo issued a press release yesterday afternoon providing an overview of New York’s COVID-19 tracking data from Sunday, December 26th. 

Hospitalization tracking data for the Mid-Hudson region and the rest of the State are below.  

• Hospitalizations Statewide
  • Patients Currently in Hospital in Region   =  7814
  • COVID Hospitalizations as Percent of Region Population =  .004%
  • Percent of Hospital Beds Available in State  = 31%
• Hospitalizations Mid-Hudson Region: 
  • Patients Currently in Hospital in Region   =  899
  • COVID Hospitalizations as Percent of Region Population =  .004%
  • Percent of Hospital Beds Available in Region  = 36%
• ICU Beds Statewide
  • Total ICU Beds   =  5,701
  • Occupied ICU Beds =  3937
  • Percent of ICU Beds Available  = 31%
• ICU Beds Mid-Hudson Region: 
  • Total ICU Beds   =  681
  • Occupied ICU Beds =  405
  • Percent of ICU Beds Available  = 42%
• Transmission Rate (R0): 1.02
• Statewide Positivity Rate: 7.14%

Here are some useful websites:

• Read the press release
• See the cluster maps
• Check your site address (State will ask to track your location)
• See the school districts dashboard 
• See the SUNY Dashboard
• State Vaccine Information Site
• State transmission rates (R0)

Highlights of New COVID Relief Bill

Sunday night, President Trump signed the new Covid Relief Bill. Highlights include Changes the end of FFCRA Leave, Updates to PPP and EIDL programs, Extension of the Employee Retention Credit and an extension of Unemployment Insurance.  

Highlights of New COVID Relief Bill 1229 2020

McConnell: Senate Has Votes to Override Trump’s Defense Veto

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is signaling lawmakers have the votes to override President Trump’s veto of a mammoth defense policy bill as soon as Wednesday.  “The House voted to reapprove the conference report on this must-pass legislation. Today the Senate will set up a final vote for tomorrow, Wednesday, with this chamber to follow suit,” McConnell said from the Senate floor on Tuesday.

But whether the Senate holds a veto override vote today is in limbo. McConnell tried to set up the vote earlier but that effort was blocked by Democrats, who are trying to get a separate stand-alone vote to increase the amount of recently passed stimulus checks from $600 to $2,000.  If McConnell has to break a rare filibuster of the veto override effort, that would set up a 60-vote threshold procedural hurdle for Thursday.

Read more at The Hill

What We Know About the UK, EU Post-Brexit Trade Pact

The European Union and Britain on Thursday agreed a post-Brexit trade deal after almost 10 months of tortuous negotiations to govern ties when the UK exits the single market.  

Here is what we know so far about the 2,000-page accord — still yet to be published — that covers areas from fishing to future competition after Dec. 31. 

Read more at Industry Week

Pandemic Reshapes U.S. Employment, Speeding Changes Across Industries

The pandemic and related restrictions shocked the U.S. job market earlier this year, leading to a labor-force reordering as the economy recovered. Jobs have declined at retail stores, restaurants and bars and grown at warehouse and transportation businesses that serve online customers as e-commerce flourishes.

Here is a breakdown of how jobs in various categories of the labor market cumulatively changed from February, just before the pandemic hit the U.S., to November.

Read more in the WSJ

Boeing 737 Max Completes First U.S. Commercial Flight Since It Was Grounded

American Airlines Flight 718 took off from Miami around 10:40 a.m. ET, heading to New York’s LaGuardia Airport, according to aviation tracking site Flightradar24.com. The plane landed ahead of schedule, shortly after 1 p.m. The jet was grounded for some 20 months, after crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed a total of 346 people.

The airline is the first U.S. carrier to return Boeing’s jetliner to passenger use — a move it announced in November, when the Federal Aviation Administration cleared the way for the 737 Max to return to commercial flight. In response to the FAA move, airlines in Brazil and Mexico put the plane back into service earlier this month.

Read more at NPR

State Attorney General Joins Parcare Vaccine Investigation – Cuomo Raises Fines

The attorney general’s office is joining the investigation of the Parcare Health Network for allegedly securing COVID-19 vaccine and administering it to populations not yet approved to receive it. Parcare operates facilities in Kiryas Joel, Brooklyn and Manhattan.  On Monday, Governor Andrew Cuomo said the AG’s office was also looking into the case and if there was any illegal activity, those who committed it could be fined $1 million and could face the loss of all their state licenses.

In a related story Governor Cuomo yesterday signed an Executive Order increasing penalties on health care providers who intentionally disregard the state’s vaccine prioritization protocols. Under the new Executive Order, providers who knowingly administer the vaccine to individuals outside of the state’s prioritization protocols may face penalties up to $1 million, as well as revocation of all state licenses. Additionally, certification of vaccine recipients will now be mandatory as part of the State’s vaccination process.

• Read more at Mid-Hudson News
• See the press release

DHS Extends Form I-9 Requirement Flexibility Through January 31, 2021

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced an extension of the flexibility in complying with requirements related to Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, due to COVID-19. This temporary guidance was set to expire December 31. Because of ongoing precautions related to COVID-19, DHS has extended this policy an additional 30 days until January 31, 2021.

This provision only applies to employers and workplaces that are operating remotely. See the original news release for more information on how to obtain, remotely inspect, and retain copies of the identity and employment eligibility documents to complete Section 2 of Form I-9.

Read more at DHS

Daily Briefing – 220

NYS Vaccine Update

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that 140,000 New Yorkers have received the first COVID-19 vaccine dose to date. New York expects to receive another 259,000 doses this week, with 139,400 coming from Pfizer and 119,600 coming from Moderna. The Governor also announced that the state is expanding the priority populations eligible to receive a vaccine to include urgent care center employees, individuals administering COVID-19 vaccines, including local health department staff, and residents of the Office of Addiction Services and Supports’ congregate facilities.

Vaccines will continue to be distributed for high-risk hospital workers, federally qualified health center employees, EMS, coroners, medical examiners, funeral workers and residents and staff of Office for People with Developmental Disabilities and Office of Mental Health facilities. Next week, the state expects to expand this universe further with the addition of ambulatory care workers and public-facing public health workers.

Read the press release

COVID and “Winter Cluster Plan” Update

Governor Cuomo held a press briefing yesterday morning providing an overview of New York’s COVID-19 tracking data from Sunday, December 26th. 

Hospitalization tracking data for the Mid-Hudson region and the rest of the State are below.  

• Hospitalizations Statewide
  • Patients Currently in Hospital in Region   =  7559
  • COVID Hospitalizations as Percent of Region Population =  .004%
  • Percent of Hospital Beds Available in State  = 31%
• Hospitalizations Mid-Hudson Region: 
  • Patients Currently in Hospital in Region   =  852
  • COVID Hospitalizations as Percent of Region Population =  .004%
  • Percent of Hospital Beds Available in Region  = 36%
• ICU Beds Statewide
  • Total ICU Beds   =  5,678
  • Occupied ICU Beds =  3917
  • Percent of ICU Beds Available  = 31%
• ICU Beds Mid-Hudson Region: 
  • Total ICU Beds   =  678
  • Occupied ICU Beds =  413
  • Percent of ICU Beds Available  = 42%
• Transmission Rate (R0): 1.02
• Statewide Positivity Rate: 8.33%

Here are some useful websites:

• Read the press release
• See the cluster maps
• Check your site address (State will ask to track your location)
• See the school districts dashboard 
• See the SUNY Dashboard
• State Vaccine Information Site
• State transmission rates (R0)

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021: PPP and Tax Provisions

Council Associate member Jackson Lewis writes that the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Act) generally provides the annual funding for the federal government and contains several important rules giving further COVID-19 relief. These include, among other things, revisions to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), expansion of the employee retention tax credit and changes to other employer-related tax provisions. The Act was passed by Congress on December 21, 2020, and signed by President Donald Trump on December 27, 2020.

This article highlights some of the PPP and tax provisions we believe will be of interest to employers.

Read more from Jackson Lewis

Manufacturing Economy Report – NAM Outlook Survey, Durable Goods and More

Real value-added output in the manufacturing sector rose to $2.213 trillion in the third quarter, as expressed in chained 2012 dollars. It remained down 1.0% from the all-time high recorded in the fourth quarter of 2019 ($2.236 trillion), despite tremendous volatility year-to-date. Overall, manufacturing accounted for 11.0% of real GDP in the third quarter, with value-added output (in nominal terms) up to $2.329 trillion, just 1.7% from a record high.

Monday Economic Report 1228 2020

Novavax Launches Late-Stage Covid Vaccine Trial in US

Novavax is launching a late-stage trial of its Covid-19 vaccine in the US and Mexico, fuelled by an award of up to $1.6bn from the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed programme.  The Maryland-based biotech company kicks off the trial at 115 sites on Monday, aiming to recruit up to 30,000 participants. Two-thirds will receive the vaccine, with the remaining one-third taking a placebo. 

Novavax is already testing its vaccine in a phase-3 trial in the UK in partnership with Britain’s vaccines task force and a phase-2 study in South Africa.  Stanley Erck, Novavax chief executive, thanked Operation Warp Speed, which gave the company one of its largest grants to vaccine makers.

Read more at the Financial Times

House Overrides Trump Veto of Defense Bill – Senate Will Take it Up Today

The House voted Monday to override President Trump’s veto of a must-pass defense policy bill, the first successful override vote of Trump’s presidency. The House voted 322-87, easily surpassing the two-thirds majority needed to overcome a veto.  The action now moves to the Senate, which also needs to muster two-thirds support in order for Trump’s veto of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to be overridden. 

The NDAA passed both chambers of Congress earlier this month with large bipartisan majorities, but it was unclear exactly how many Republicans would buck the president when it came to the override vote.

Read more at The Hill

House Passes $2,000 Stimulus Check Bill, But The Plan Will Face Opposition In The Senate

The House on Monday approved giving Americans weathering the coronavirus pandemic $2,000 stimulus checks, substantially boosting payments from the $600 checks that were set to be given out as part of a COVID-19 relief package that President Donald Trump signed into law Sunday evening. 

The bill, which passed in a 275 – 134 vote, needed the support of two-thirds of House members present — a feat hard to reach in such a divided Washington. The measure will now head to the GOP-controlled Senate where its future remains unclear. Senate Republicans have for months stressed over increased government spending and are likely to oppose the measure despite Trump’s demands.

Read more at USA Today

Manufacturers Express Increased Optimism in Q4 NAM Survey

The National Association of Manufacturers fourth-quarter Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey showed a respondent pool growing increasingly positive about the business outlook for their firms. Nearly three-quarters (74.2%) of manufacturers who responded characterized the business outlook as “positive,” up from 66% in the previous outlook survey. The 74.2% figure is nearly equivalent to the survey’s historical average of 74.4% and a soaring improvement over the 33.9% reported in the second quarter, NAM data show.

Nevertheless, for the year as a whole, 62.4% of manufacturers expressed a positive outlook, down from 92.4% in 2018 and 76.2% in 2019. It was also the lowest annual average since 2009, NAM shared.

Read more at IndustryWeek

Governor Cuomo Releases Executive Order 202.85 Extending Protections for Residential Tenants

The Executive Order extends through January 26, 2021 the suspensions and modifications of law and any directive, not superseded by a subsequent directive, contained in Executive Orders 202.66 as continued and contained in 202.71 and 202.78, which prevent any residential tenant suffering financial hardship during the COVID-19 state disaster emergency declared by Executive Order 202, from facing eviction judgements and warrants.

Read the order here

Global Steel Production Pauses 

Global steel production declined to 158.3 million metric tons during November, down -3.1% from October, and yet 6.6% higher than the November 2019 total. The November continue to show the lingering effects of weak or depleted demand from manufacturing and construction markets: Most of the world’s major steelmaking nations continue to struggle with demand weakened by Covid-19 pandemic, with the notable exception of China, which has expanded its overall output through the course of the year and increased its percentage share of global output.

In October, World Steel projected that 2020 steel demand will drop by -2.4% year-over-year, to 1.725 billion metric tons – indicating that the current rate of output is on track for that forecast. For 2021, World Steel foresees steel demand recovering 4.1% year-over-year, to 1,795.1 million metric tons.

Read more at American Machinist

How BioNTech-Pfizer Won the Vaccine Race

The founders of a small German company called BioNTech gave birth to Operation Lightspeed — in which the scientists in the company diverted all their resources from cancer therapy research to finding a vaccine to stop COVID-19.  Their partnership with Hudson Valley manufacturer Pfizer led to the first approved vaccine for the virus.  

• Read more at IndustryWeek
• Watch the 60 minutes episode

Daily Briefing – 218

Joy, Hope, Peace

Wishing all our readers, members and friends a safe and happy holiday season and prosperous New Year. 

COVID and “Winter Cluster Plan” Update

Governor Cuomo held a press briefing yesterday afternoon providing an overview of New York’s COVID-19 tracking data from Sunday, December 20th. The Governor announced that 89,000 New Yorkers have received the first COVID-19 vaccine dose to date. 22,000 New Yorkers have received the first dose in 90 nursing home facilities as part of a federal-private partnership program.   The Governor also announced that the New York State Department of Health has authorized the use of extra doses that have been found in Moderna vaccine vials. The vials were previously believed to contain 10 doses, but may now contain up to 11 doses.

Hospitalization tracking data for the Mid-Hudson region and the rest of the State are below.  

• Hospitalizations Statewide
  • Patients Currently in Hospital in Region   =  6,864
  • COVID Hospitalizations as Percent of Region Population =  .004%
  • Percent of Hospital Beds Available in State  = 30%
• Hospitalizations Mid-Hudson Region: 
  • Patients Currently in Hospital in Region   =  796
  • COVID Hospitalizations as Percent of Region Population =  .003%
  • Percent of Hospital Beds Available in Region  = 31%
• ICU Beds Statewide
  • Total ICU Beds   =  5,751
  • Occupied ICU Beds =  4,121
  • Percent of ICU Beds Available  = 31%
• ICU Beds Mid-Hudson Region: 
  • Total ICU Beds   =  715
  • Occupied ICU Beds =  420
  • Percent of ICU Beds Available  = 42%
• Transmission Rate (R0): 1.02
• Statewide Positivity Rate: 5.84%

Here are some useful websites:

• Read the press release
• See the cluster maps
• Check your site address (State will ask to track your location)
• See the school districts dashboard 
• See the SUNY Dashboard
• State transmission rates (R0)

Trump Vetoes Defense Policy Bill

President Trump vetoed a $740.5 billion defense-policy bill and demanded last-minute changes to coronavirus relief legislation, adding fresh uncertainty to the closing days of 2020 as a government shutdown loomed. The annual defense bill sets pay rates for troops and authorizes funds for military construction projects, aircraft, ships, nuclear weapons and other national-security programs. It also includes items related to anti-money-laundering efforts, cybersecurity, and the U.S. border wall. Congress has passed it for 59 years in a row, nearly always on a bipartisan basis. This year, the House approved final passage 335-78 and the Senate passed it 84-13.

 To make the bill law over the president’s objections requires a two-thirds vote in each chamber. The House is scheduled to hold its override vote on Monday, Dec. 28, with the Senate to follow Tuesday.

Read more at the WSJ

Covid Aid in Limbo

Washington is grappling with a crisis related to a massive coronavirus relief package that also funds the government. Mr. Trump, in a video posted Tuesday night on Twitter, criticized the legislation and called on lawmakers to increase direct payments to Americans to $2,000 for individuals and $4,000 for couples, from $600 per adult and per child, the current level in the bill.

His sudden turn on the coronavirus relief package surprised lawmakers, many of whom had already left Washington after Congress overwhelmingly approved the relief bill in a 92-6 vote in the Senate and 359-53 in the House.

The 5,593-page year-end package combines the coronavirus relief and a $1.4 trillion spending bill needed to fund the government through September. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) told House Republicans on a call Wednesday he had spoken to Mr. Trump and that the president was still deciding whether to veto the package, according to people familiar with the call.

Read more at USA Today 

From Ethan Allen Personnel Group – 2021 Minimum Wage Summary and FLSA Overview

This Advisory summarizes the 2021 Minimum Wage Increases that are scheduled to go into effect 12/31/2020. Over the past 3 years, the minimum wage thresholds for employees in NY State have been increasing. In keeping with these increases, the new tiered rates across the State, for both HOURLY AND SALARIED employees effective December 31, 2020, are listed below.

Along with the increase to the minimum wage, the amounts that employers can deduct from employees’ wages for items such as uniform allowances and meals are also set to change on December 31.  The Department of Labor on its website has summarized the revisions applicable to hospitality employers, employers in “miscellaneous industries,” and employers in the “building service industry.”  Employers should consult these summaries to determine how much they can deduct for a uniform allowance and claim for meal, lodging and tip credits.

Minimum Wage Guidance Ethan Allen 1222 2020

Core Capital Goods Orders, Shipments Rise in November

Orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for business spending plans, rose 0.4% last month. These so-called core capital goods orders jumped 1.6% in October. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast core capital goods orders increasing 0.7% in November. Core capital goods orders increased 0.8% year-on-year in November.

Business investment on equipment rebounded strongly in the third quarter after five straight quarterly declines. Spending on equipment could help to blunt the impact of slower consumer spending on GDP growth in the fourth quarter. Consumer spending is being hampered by a resurgence in new coronavirus infections and a delay by Congress to approve another rescue package. Growth estimates for the fourth quarter are mostly below a 5% annualized rate.

Read more at Reuters

Household Spending Drops for First Time in Seven Months

Personal spending—a measure of how much consumers spent on goods and services—fell 0.4% last month, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. Household income—how much Americans earned from wages, investments and government aid programs—fell 1.1%.  Consumer spending, the biggest driver of economic growth in the U.S., has weakened as a rise in coronavirus infections this winter prompted states and cities to order businesses to close or scale back operations. Consumers cut back sharply on purchases of goods. 

The drop in income in part reflects the fading effects of federal aid programs that Congress and states put in place earlier this year to help households and businesses weather the pandemic.

Read more at the WSJ

Alaska Airlines Raises Order for New 737 MAX Jets

Boeing and Alaska Airlines have restructured an earlier order for 737 MAX aircraft, resulting in 23 additional 737 MAX 9 jets for the carrier, or a total of 68 new aircraft plus options 52 more. Alaska Airlines, the fifth-largest U.S. airline, is restructuring its fleet around Boeing’s narrow-body 737 MAX series, and will take 13 new jets in 2021, 30 in 2022, 13 in 2023, and 12 in 2024.

The first deliveries will take place during Q1 2021, as Boeing resumes deliveries following the FAA’s recertification of the 737 MAX series last month.

Read more at American Machinist

EU is Giving Brexit Trade Talks ‘Final Push’: EU Negotiator

EU negotiator Michel Barnier vowed Tuesday to continue to push for a post-Brexit trade deal in the last 10 days before Britain leaves the single market. On Monday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen held a crisis call to discuss Brexit and the coronavirus crisis. 

If the talks between Barnier and his UK counterpart David Frost fail to reach a breakthrough in the coming days, the UK will leave without a follow-on trade deal. Tariffs would be reimposed on cross-Channel trade in food and goods, exacerbating the economic shock of a return to a border after 47 years of integration. But the talks are deadlocked over how to ensure fair trade rules are respected in the future and, especially, over how to assign fishing rights in UK waters.

Read more at IndustryWeek

The New York Fed DSGE Model Forecast—December 2020

The authors present an update of the economic forecasts generated by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model, The December model forecast is summarized in a blog post, alongside the September forecast, and in numerous charts. The model uses quarterly macroeconomic data released through the third quarter of 2020, financial data available through November 19, 2020, and SPF forecasts for GDP growth.

• In the forecast that combines the two scenarios described above, real GDP growth is expected to be -2.6 percent in 2020 on a Q4/Q4 basis, compared with a -4.1 percent projection in September.
• Core PCE inflation is projected to be 1.3 percent in 2020, above the September forecast of 0.8 percent, but in spite of AIT it is expected to remain subdued throughout the forecast horizon, and below the projections in September. The change in the inflation projections relative to September mostly reflects the fact that the model is now more certain in interpreting the COVID-19 recession as a demand shock, leading to a decline in inflation.

Read the detailed forecast and see the charts at the NY Fed

What a Particle a Ten-Thousandth of a Millimetre in Diameter Has Taught the Inhabitants of a Globe 120 Billion Billion Times its Size

AS 2019 drew to a close, the virus that was later to be called SARS-CoV-2 burst out of stealth mode. On December 26th Zhang Jixian, a doctor at the Hubei Provincial Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, had noticed seven cases of unusual pneumonia, four of which were connected to the Huanan wet market in Wuhan. Subsequent research has suggested that by then the virus had made its way unnoticed to Europe and America, too. As 2020 draws to a close, the virus is rampant. There have been more than 70m confirmed cases and the number is growing by 4.3m a week. 

In between, covid-19 rapidly came to dominate life utterly. Like a fluorescent injection in the bloodstream, as the virus surged around the world it has illuminated the workings of the global body politic. For every symptom of resilience—including food supply-chains, the financial system and, most of all, science—there have been symptoms of frailty.

Read more from The Economist

Daily Briefing – 215

Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines Begin Shipping NYS Expects 348k Doses

Vials of Moderna’s vaccine were filled in pharmaceutical services provider Catalent Inc’s facility in Bloomington, Indiana. Distributor McKesson Corp is shipping doses from facilities in places including Louisville, Kentucky, and Memphis, Tennessee – close to air hubs for United Parcel Service Inc and FedEx Corp.  Governor Cuomo said New York State anticipates receiving 346,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine next week.

The start of delivery for the Moderna vaccine will significantly widen availability of COVID-19 vaccines as U.S. deaths caused by the disease have reached more than 316,000 in the 11 months since the first documented U.S. cases.

• Read more at Yahoo News
• Visit the NYS Vaccine Website

COVID and “Winter Plan” Update

Governor Cuomo issued a press release yesterday afternoon providing an overview of New York’s COVID-19 tracking data from Saturday, December 19th.  In response to news of a new variant of COVID-19 in the UK, the Governor called on the federal government to consider imposing multiple restrictions in the including  mandatory testing of individuals traveling from the United Kingdom on flights to the United States, as well as a new travel ban from Europe. 

Hospitalization tracking data for the Mid-Hudson region and the rest of the State are below.  

• Hospitalizations Statewide
  • Patients Currently in Hospital in Region   =  6185
  • COVID Hospitalizations as Percent of Region Population =  .003%
  • Percent of Hospital Beds Available in State  = 29%
• Hospitalizations Mid-Hudson Region: 
  • Patients Currently in Hospital in Region   =  748
  • COVID Hospitalizations as Percent of Region Population =  .003%
  • Percent of Hospital Beds Available in Region  = 33%
• ICU Beds Statewide
  • Total ICU Beds   =  5850
  • Occupied ICU Beds =  3955
  • Percent of ICU Beds Available  = 33%
• ICU Beds Mid-Hudson Region: 
  • Total ICU Beds   =  713
  • Occupied ICU Beds =  432
  • Percent of ICU Beds Available  = 43%
• Transmission Rate (R0): 1.09
• Statewide Positivity Rate: 5.05%

Here are some useful websites:

• Read the press release
• See the cluster maps
• Check your site address (State will ask to track your location)
• See the school districts dashboard 
• See the SUNY Dashboard
• State transmission rates (R0)

Congress Reaches Final Agreement on Pandemic Relief

Lawmakers reached a final agreement on the $900 billion coronavirus relief package, moving Congress closer to approval of a fresh infusion of aid to households, small businesses and schools after months of gridlock. The relief package includes $300 a week in enhanced unemployment benefits, a second round of stimulus checks and funding for schools, health-care providers, vaccine distribution and small businesses. Negotiations accelerated this week after congressional leaders agreed to drop two provisions: funding for hard-hit state and local governments, which Democrats and some Republicans had sought, as well as liability protections for businesses and other entities operating during the pandemic, a top GOP priority.

The House voted on a 24-hour extension of government funding Sunday evening, setting up votes on the relief agreement and broader spending bill for Today. The aid package is tied to a roughly $1.4 trillion annual spending package and Congress has passed a series of temporary spending bills in recent days to keep the government funded while it finished the negotiations.

Read more in the WSJ

Countries Ban Travel From U.K. in Race to Block New Covid-19 Strain

Countries across Europe and beyond barred travelers from Britain on Sunday in an effort to keep out a highly infectious new strain of the coronavirus that is spreading rapidly in England.

The British government said on Saturday the new strain appeared to be spreading 70% faster than earlier variants and is responsible for a surge in cases in London and its surrounding areas. Recorded cases across the U.K. in the week to Sunday rose 51% over the week before. The emergence of the variant presents a serious setback for suppressing the pandemic before new vaccines can be rolled out across the country, suggesting major restrictions will continue into the new year.

Read more at the WSJ

EEOC Issues Guidance on COVID-19 Vaccination Mandates

US employers that are considering mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations must be ready to allow exceptions for those with disabilities or religious disagreements, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Employers are only allowed to ask workers why they have decided not to be vaccinated if the matter is “job related and consistent with business necessity,” the EEOC says.

Read more at Reuters

Companies Offer Home COVID-19 testing

Employers including insurer TIAA, software provider Appian and digital health care provider Buoy Health are offering their staff members at-home COVID-19 tests as an added employee benefit. “Given the recent rise in COVID-19 cases nationwide, it felt like the right time to make testing available to ease the burden of associates needing to find testing facilities and risking being exposed to the virus when leaving their homes,” said Sean Woodroffe, TIAA’s chief HR officer.

Read more at Employee Benefit News

More Americans Are Too Sick to Work as Virus Cases Surge

The number of employed Americans fell by 4.3 million in the two weeks ended Dec.7, according to the latest edition of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey. That’s following a 2.4 million rise in the number of workers with jobs during the prior two week period.

Nearly 5 million Americans said they can’t work because they’re sick with coronavirus, a figure which has more than doubled in less that two months. Another 5.2 million said they weren’t working because of fears about getting sick or spreading the virus, up from 4.8 million in the prior tally.  The data underscores the threat surging cases pose to the rebounding labor market and the importance of getting the virus under control to bolster economic growth. On top of illness, more than 6 million Americans were out of work as a result of employers temporarily or permanently shuttering their businesses because of virus lockdowns, compared with 5.2 million in the previous survey, the data showed.

Read more at Bloomberg

Shorter Quarantines Could Actually Help Prevent COVID-19 Outbreaks

While caution is wise, researchers are now wondering if lengthy 14 day quarantine measures are necessary and are uncovering shorter alternatives that retain public safety. Quarantines are costly, straining the mental health and finances of those in isolation, as well as the resources of governments and companies implementing these precautions. Shorter quarantines could ease that burden, but this pivot will also require better logistics such as spaces where people can quarantine, access to fast testing, and support for meals and other necessities like medicine. Making these investments could potentially increase people’s compliance with voluntary guidelines.

This push for shorter quarantines is supported by academic reports that show that people with coronavirus don’t appear to be contagious after nine or 10 days. In addition, new research shows that shorter quarantines combined with smarter testing strategies can actually do more than 14-day quarantines to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Read more at Nat Geo

State Tax Receipts Strong Again in November, But Jobs Recovery Remains Slow

New York State’s tax receipts in November were a whopping $800 million above Governor Cuomo’s projections for the month—further evidence that the current-year budget gap is probably much smaller than Cuomo has been claiming.

Meanwhile, however, private employment in New York continued to recover only slowly in November—failing to increase at all across much of upstate, where employers are about to be hit with an increase in state-mandated minimum wage.

Read more at the Empire Center

Private Sector Jobs in the Hudson Valley 9.0 percent Year on Year

Private sector jobs in the Hudson Valley declined by 73,700 or 9.0 percent, to 749,200 in the 12 months ending November 2020.  Job losses were centered in leisure and hospitality (-29,700), trade, transportation and utilities (-10,300), professional and business services (-8,700), educational and health services (-8,600), other services (-6,800), manufacturing (-4,000), financial activities (-2,900), and natural resources, mining and construction (-2,400). 

There are 39,200 people working in manufacturing in the region, 9.3% fewer than a year ago. 

Hudson Valley Labor Market Profile – NOV 2020

Suspected Russian Hack is Much Worse Than First Feared

The scale of a sophisticated cyberattack on the U.S. government that was unearthed this week is much bigger than first anticipated. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said in a summary Thursday that the threat “poses a grave risk to the federal government.”

CISA said those behind the attack used network management software made by SolarWinds, a Texas-headquartered IT firm, to breach the government networks. As many as 18,000 SolarWinds Orion customers downloaded a software update that contained a backdoor, which the hackers used to gain access to the networks. Microsoft was one of the hack victims. Like with the cyberattack of SolarWinds, hackers infiltrated Microsoft products and then went after others, Reuters said, citing people familiar with the matter.

School Closing Have Hit Poor American Children’s Learning

A recent analysis of standardized tests by McKinsey, a consulting firm, found that pupils examined in the autumn had learned 33% less math and 13% less reading than expected. For schools that are majority non-white, the learning losses were much steeper: pupils there had learned 41% less math and 23% less reading. NWEA, a producer and administrator of standardized exams used in primary and secondary schools, published its own review of autumn scores that was less worrying. Pupils slid back substantially in math, but not reading, with few detectable differences along racial or socioeconomic lines. But a substantial share of students, disproportionately poor and non-white, simply did not take the tests this year—which may have flattered the results.

Read more at The Economist

Daily Briefing – 214

New York’s Cluster Zones: Frequently Asked Questions Answered By Bond Schoeneck & King

There have been significant changes to New York’s cluster action initiative. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has changed the metrics for designating a cluster zone and changed the applicable restrictions in cluster zones. Additionally, the Governor announced on Monday, December 14 three new yellow zones in Genesee, Niagara and Oneida Counties. In this article BSK attorneys discuss frequently asked questions about the clusters and updated maps for the cluster zones.

Read more as BSK

COVID and “Winter Plan” Update

Governor Cuomo held a press conference yesterday morning (in Kingston to declare a state of storm related emergency in 18 Counties) and provide an overview of New York’s COVID-19 tracking data from Wednesday, December 16th.

Hospitalization tracking data for the Mid-Hudson region and the rest of the State are below.  

• Hospitalizations Statewide
  • Patients Currently in Hospital in Region   =  6147
  • COVID Hospitalizations as Percent of Region Population =  .003%
  • Percent of Hospital Beds Available in State  = 26%
• Hospitalizations Mid-Hudson Region: 
  • Patients Currently in Hospital in Region   =  743
  • COVID Hospitalizations as Percent of Region Population =  .003%
  • Percent of Hospital Beds Available in Region  = 29%
• ICU Beds Statewide
  • Total ICU Beds   =  5850
  • Occupied ICU Beds =  3955
  • Percent of ICU Beds Available  = 33%
• ICU Beds Mid-Hudson Region: 
  • Total ICU Beds   =  725
  • Occupied ICU Beds =  416
  • Percent of ICU Beds Available  = 46%
• Transmission Rate (R0): 1.09
• Statewide Positivity Rate: 5.38%

Here are some useful websites:

• Read the press release
• See the cluster maps
• Check your site address (State will ask to track your location)
• See the school districts dashboard 
• See the SUNY Dashboard
• State transmission rates (R0)

Today at 11:00: NAM COVID-19 Vaccine Town Hall for Manufacturers 

As the world prepares for the release of the COVID-19 vaccine, manufacturers have many questions as they prepare for its deployment. Please join us on Friday, December 18 at 11:00 a.m. EDT for a special NAM/MLC Town Hall meeting to discuss the current status of the vaccine timeline, implications for its deployment, and framework-building considerations to prepare companies from health and safety, legal and business operations angles. A question-and-answer session will be part of the meeting.

Register Here

McConnell Says Congress Will Keep Working Through the Weekend to Pass a Stimulus Deal

Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell opened his floor remarks on Thursday by saying Congress in no stranger “to December funding deadlines or the occasional pre-Christmas cliffhanger.” The Kentucky Republican suggested that it was likely the chamber would stay in session at least through Saturday.

“For the information of all Senators, we are going to stay right here until we are finished, even if that means working into or through the weekend, which is highly likely” he said. “And if we need to further extend the Friday funding deadline before final legislation can pass in both chambers, I hope we only extend it for a very, very short window of time.”  A similar attitude was reflected in Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s remarks on the Senate floor. The New York senator said “we are very close to an agreement.”

Read more at Business Insider

Major CEOs Signal they Could Mandate Covid Vaccines

Seventy-two percent of current and recent CEOs of major companies signaled an openness to vaccine mandates, according to a poll held Tuesday at a virtual summit by the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute.

The broad question did not specify whether the mandate would apply to all employees or just ones who needed to work in close proximity to customers and colleagues.  Several CEOs indicated that such a mandate has not yet been formulated at their companies and they want to see how early rounds of vaccinations go. Companies may also be reluctant to require that employees take vaccines until they have been fully approved by the FDA.

Read more at CNN

IHS Market: U.S. Business Activity Cools in Mid-December

Data firm IHS Markit said on Wednesday its flash U.S. Composite PMI Output Index, which tracks the manufacturing and services sectors, fell to a reading of 55.7 early this month from 58.6 in November. A reading above 50 indicates growth in private sector output.

According to IHS Markit, though new orders continued to grow, temporary shutdowns and customer uncertainty weighed on the upturn. It also noted that companies reported a fall in new export sales as renewed lockdowns in key export markets dampened foreign demand.

Read more at Reuters

U.S. Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Jump to Highest in Three Months

Applications for U.S. state unemployment benefits unexpectedly jumped to the highest level in three months, suggesting the labor market’s recovery is faltering amid the surge in Covid-19 cases and widening business restrictions. Initial jobless claims in regular state programs rose by 23,000 to 885,000 in the week ended Dec. 12, Labor Department data showed Thursday. On an unadjusted basis, the figure fell by about 21,000.

Continuing claims for state programs declined by 273,000 to 5.51 million in the week ended Dec. 5. That figure roughly approximates the number of people receiving state unemployment benefits, but doesn’t include the millions of people who have already exhausted those benefits or are receiving assistance through federal pandemic jobless aid programs. A Bloomberg survey of economists had called for 818,000 initial state claims and 5.7 million continuing claims on an adjusted basis.

Read more at Bloomberg

New York State DOL: $15 Minimum Wage Phase-in to Continue 

The New York State Department of Labor today announced the state’s $15 minimum wage phase-in will continue, with the next stage taking effect December 31, 2020. This announcement comes after a statutorily required report by the Division of the Budget found the Upstate, Long Island and Westchester labor markets — where the minimum wage is scheduled to rise — are leading New York’s economic recovery from the downturn caused by the global pandemic. The report found that, just prior to the pandemic, the State had achieved record low unemployment following four years of increases to the minimum wage. In addition, the report showed that minimum wage workers need support today, as they were disproportionally impacted by the pandemic’s economic toll, with those earning the minimum wage representing a large portion of the hardest-hit industries, including retail trade and leisure and hospitality.

• Read the Press Release
• Read the Empire Center’s E.J. McMahon’s take

DiNapoli: Total New York Wages Fell $12.5 Billion in Second Quarter

In the second quarter of 2020, total wages paid in New York State declined by $12.5 billion or 7.4 percent in comparison to the second quarter of 2019, according to new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The decline is primarily attributable to the historic loss of 1.9 million jobs in March and April, with a limited employment rebound in May and June.

Total wages in accommodation and food services fell by $3.5 billion, a drop of nearly 60 percent from the prior year’s second quarter. Other New York industries with large declines in wages included construction, retail and wholesale trade, and the arts, entertainment and recreation sector. In three sectors with comparatively higher compensation—finance and insurance, information, and professional and technical services—overall wages increased in the second quarter compared to a year earlier. The government sector also saw a modest gain.

Read more at the Comptroller’s website

FDA Says Pfizer Vaccine Vials Hold Extra Doses Expanding Supply By as Much as 40%

The Food and Drug Administration said late Wednesday that those extra doses could be used, clearing up confusion that had caused some pharmacists to throw away leftover vaccine for fear of violating the rules the agency set last week.

The Pfizer vials are supposed to hold five doses, but pharmacists have found they have enough for a sixth or even a seventh dose. Putting those into use could significantly increase the United States’ scarce early supply of the shot, reducing the likelihood of a “vaccine cliff” this spring as demand outpaces supply.  Manufacturers typically overfill vaccine vials to safeguard against spills and other waste, said Erin Fox, a pharmacy expert at University of Utah who monitors drug shortages. “It’s pretty unusual to have a full extra dose or more though — but it does seem to be there!” she said in an email.

Read more at Politico

Daily Briefing – 212

New Cluster Zone Restriction Metrics and Matrix

On December 10, Governor Cuomo announced new metrics by which micro-cluster focus zones will be determined to help control COVID-19 spread and protect hospital capacity.  Those restrictions were released Monday Evening. The initiative continues to divide clusters and the areas around them into three categories with successively higher restrictions within each one: Red Zones, Orange Zones and Yellow Zones.

In the Red Zones all non-essential businesses are closed. Most manufacturing will be essential, and the definition of essential has evolved slightly since April. We do encourage you to confirm you essential status of the list and, again, should your region become a Red Zone you will self determine if you are essential or non-essential. 

• Visit the page
• See the most recent definition of Essential Manufacturing

COVID and “Winter Plan” Update

Governor Cuomo issued a press release yesterday afternoon providing an overview of New York’s COVID-19 tracking data from Monday, December 14th. “Right now, New York is focused on growing hospital capacity through our Surge and Flex program and requiring hospital systems to begin working together so they are prepared. As those operations continue, it’s on all of us to be smart, tough, and do what we know stops the spread – socially distance, wear masks and wash our hands. The goal is to avoid another shut down and we will only be able to do that if we all do our part.”

Hospitalization tracking data for the Mid-Hudson region and the rest of the State are below.  

• Hospitalizations Statewide
  • Patients Currently in Hospital in Region   =  5982
  • COVID Hospitalizations as Percent of Region Population =  .003%
  • Percent of Hospital Beds Available in Region  = 23%
• Hospitalizations Mid-Hudson Region: 
  • Patients Currently in Hospital in Region   =  735
  • COVID Hospitalizations as Percent of Region Population =  .003%
  • Percent of Hospital Beds Available in Region  = 27%
• ICU Beds Statewide
  • Total ICU Beds   =  5775
  • Occupied ICU Beds =  3799
  • Percent of ICU Beds Available  = 33%
• ICU Beds Mid-Hudson Region: 
  • Total ICU Beds   =  767
  • Occupied ICU Beds =  431
  • Percent of ICU Beds Available  = 47%
• Transmission Rate (R0): 1.12
• Statewide Positivity Rate: 5.33%

Here are some useful websites:

• Read the press release
• See the cluster maps
• Check your site address (State will ask to track your location)
• See the school districts dashboard 
• See the SUNY Dashboard
• State transmission rates (R0)

Moderna’s Vaccine Found Highly Effective, Clearing Way for a Second Vaccine

The Food and Drug Administration said its preliminary analysis confirmed the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine developed by Moderna and the National Institutes of Health, bringing it to the cusp of U.S. authorization.  A panel of outside experts will offer their recommendation Thursday, with a final FDA decision expected soon thereafter.

The positive news comes as hospitals ramped up vaccinations with the shot developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, which the FDA cleared last week. Packed in dry ice to stay at ultra-frozen temperatures, shipments of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine will arrive at 400 additional hospitals and other distribution sites, one day after the nation’s death toll surpassed a staggering 300,000. The first 3 million shots are being strictly rationed to front-line health workers and elder-care patients, with hundreds of millions more shots needed over the coming months to protect most Americans.

Read more at Yahoo News

Democratic Leaders Under Pressure to Agree to Slimmed-Down COVID-19 Relief Deal

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) are under growing pressure from fellow Democrats to back off their insistence that a year-end COVID-19 relief package include another large tranche of federal aid for cash-strapped state and local governments.

On Tuesday, the two Democrats met with McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to discuss attaching a relief package to the $1.4 trillion omnibus package funding general government operations. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin joined by phone.  Schumer and Pelosi have eased up on their demands in recent days amid growing calls from fellow Democrats for a coronavirus relief deal before Congress leaves for the Christmas break.

Read more at The Hill

Empire State Manufacturing Survey: Slight Uptick in Business Activity

Business activity edged slightly higher in New York State, according to firms responding to the December 2020 Empire State Manufacturing Survey. The headline general business conditions index was little changed at 4.9. New orders increased marginally, and shipments were modestly higher. Inventories continued to move lower, and delivery times edged up. Employment posted its strongest gain in months, and the average workweek lengthened somewhat. Input prices increased at the fastest pace in two years, while selling prices increased at about the same pace as last month. Looking ahead, firms remained optimistic that conditions would improve over the next six months.

Read the full report

Pandemic Supplies Production Act Proposes to Nationalize Production, Distribution of Essential Supplies for COVID-19.

US Reps. John Larson (D-CT) and Joe Courtney (D-CT) recently introduced the Pandemic Supplies Production Act designed to nationalize the production and distribution of supplies deemed essential to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new legislation would seek to gather information on the private sector’s manufacturing capabilities surrounding equipment, supplies, therapeutics, and vaccines needed to combat COVID-19. It would then mandate the Defense Production Act be invoked to match the supply and capacity needed to meet the demand for these supplies — both through COVID-19 and future pandemics. It would also create a new agency to lead the acquisition and distribution of such supplies: the Defense Logistics Agency.

Read more at Homeland Preparedness News

CDC Guidance for Strategies to Address High Levels of Community Transmission 

COVID-19 pandemic control requires a multipronged application of evidence-based strategies while improving health equity: universal face mask use, physical distancing, avoiding nonessential indoor spaces, increasing testing, prompt quarantine of exposed persons, safeguarding those at increased risk for severe illness or death, protecting essential workers, postponing travel, enhancing ventilation and hand hygiene, and achieving widespread COVID-19 vaccination coverage.

These combined strategies will protect health care, essential businesses, and schools, bridging to a future with high community coverage of effective vaccines and safe return to more activities in a range of settings.

Read more at the CDC

Withholding of State Aid Puts Additional Crunch on Region’s Cities

The withholding of 20 percent of the state’s Aid and Incentives for Municipalities (AIM funding) puts the City of Poughkeepsie in a “cash crunch,” Mayor Rob Rolison said.

“We are looking at an anticipated shortfall with falling funding because the revenues were drying up during the pandemic, which at one point was $2 million and we were able to make some cuts and some savings and we were looking at a potential $1 million shortfall by the end of the year,” he said. “Now with the 20 percent withholding of AIM, which is $800,000, that is $1.8 million.”

Port Jervis Mayor Kelly Decker said the state’s withholding of aid is across the board, meaning more belt-tightening for that city.

Read more at Mid-Hudson News

States Urge Congressional Funding for COVID-19 Vaccine Education 

A key state health regulator told the panel that state health agencies are sorely lacking in capabilities to educate the public on the new vaccines and on their effectiveness and to dispel myths and vaccine hesitancy and the states have asked Congress for $8.4 billion in supplemental funding to help the cause.

Read more at Homeland Preparedness News

FDA Authorizes First Direct-to-Consumer COVID-19 Test System

The US Food and Drug Administration authorized LabCorp’s Pixel COVID-19 Test Home Collection Kit for use by any individual 18 years and older without a prescription. This product, which is authorized as the first COVID-19 direct-to-consumer (non-prescription) test system, allows an individual to self-collect a nasal swab sample at home and then send that sample for testing to LabCorp. Positive or invalid test results are then delivered to the user by phone call from a health care provider. Negative test results are delivered via email or online portal. This home sample collection kit can be purchased online or in a store without a prescription.

Read the FDA Press Release

A Little More Clarity On CDC Quarantine Lengths 

Up until the CDC’s Dec. 2 announcement, the agency had advised that employers impose a blanket 14-day quarantine for those individuals who came into close contact with other individuals who tested positive or were presumed-positive. While the agency continues to hold that the original 14-day quarantine period is best after a close contact, the revised guidelines now allow for quarantine periods it deems acceptable, if the individual remains symptom-free.

The new periods are: 10 days after close contact with the positive person; and seven days following close contact if the returning employee has a negative result for a test within 48 hours of the final day of the seven-day quarantine (that is, at least five days following close contact).  The CDC also says the seven-day alternative should be available only when the use of tests to discontinue a quarantine will not have an impact on community diagnostic testing. It also makes the point of emphasizing that testing for infection-evaluation should be the priority.

Read more at EHS Today

Busy Factories, Wary Consumers: China’s Uneven Rebound

Factories in China have been buzzing for months, a sign that the supply side of the country’s economy has staged a recovery since covid-19 shut it down in February. Data released today show an improvement in that effort. Industrial production increased by 7% in November from a year earlier, having grown by 6.9% year-on-year in October. In 2020 China’s policymakers have focused on raising production, in order to keep unemployment low. But a recovery on the demand side of the economy has lagged behind. Retail sales rose by 5% in November, up from 4.3% in October. That represents a healthy increase from earlier in the year but it also shows the government is still struggling to stimulate consumer demand. Despite a miraculous rebound from the pandemic, progress has been lopsided.

Read more at MarketWatch

Daily Briefing – 210

NYS COVID “Winter Plan” To Begin This Week

As positivity rates and hospitalization rates continue to increase New York is recalibrating protocols with a new Winter Plan based on the most recent public health data.  The State i will make announcements regarding color zone designations on Monday, December 14th.

Here are the new metrics for determining color zone designations.

• Red Zones: A “red zone” will be declared when a region is 21 days from 90% hospital capacity. “Red Zone” designation will put a region under NY on PAUSE restrictions, which is the Governor’s Executive Order from March 22nd, implementing a 10-point policy which closed non-essential businesses and limited public interactions to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
• Orange Zones: A region will be designated an “orange zone” if it has 4% or higher positivity rate over the last 10 days AND 85% hospital capacity OR the NYS Department of Health (DOH) determines the region has an unacceptably high rate of hospital admissions.
• Yellow Zones: An area will be designated as a “yellow zone” if it reaches 3% positivity rate over 10 days AND the cluster is in the top 10% for hospital admissions per capita over the past week and experiences week-over-week growth in daily admissions.

The announcement was made Friday.

• Read the press release
• Ostroff Governor Cuomo Briefing 1211 2020

COVID and Cluster ‘Surge & Flex’ Update

Governor Cuomo issued a press release yesterday afternoon providing an overview of New York’s COVID-19 tracking data from Saturday, December 12th.  The State’s focus has shifted from positivity rates to regional hospitalization rates.  

Hospitalization tracking data for the Mid-Hudson region and the rest of the State are below.  

• Hospitalizations Statewide
  • Patients Currently in Hospital in Region   =  5410
  • COVID Hospitalizations as Percent of Region Population =  .003%
  • Percent of Hospital Beds Available in Region  = 22%
• Hospitalizations Mid-Hudson Region: 
  • Patients Currently in Hospital in Region   =  685
  • COVID Hospitalizations as Percent of Region Population =  .003%
  • Percent of Hospital Beds Available in Region  = 26%
• ICU Beds Statewide
  • Total ICU Beds   =  5735
  • Occupied ICU Beds =  3828
  • Percent of ICU Beds Available  = 34%
• ICU Beds Mid-Hudson Region: 
  • Total ICU Beds   =  741
  • Occupied ICU Beds =  385
  • Percent of ICU Beds Available  = 49%
• Transmission Rate (R0): 1.19
• Statewide Positivity Rate: 4.96%

Here are some useful websites:

• Read the press release
• See the cluster maps
• Check your site address (State will ask to track your location)
• See the school districts dashboard 
• See the SUNY Dashboard
• State transmission rates (R0)

Cuomo Encourages Schools to Remain Open

Data has shown that schools have proven to be safer for students and faculty than local communities in terms of COVID-19 transmission and infection rate. Initially, experts believed schools would be sources of transmission similar to mass gatherings. However, due to high compliance with the protocols put in place, the data has shown that the positivity rates in schools is lower than the surrounding communities. Local governments have had a large degree of control in determining whether schools remain open or go to remote learning, but Governor Cuomo advocated that schools should remain open unless there is data that the school has a problematic infection rate.

Read the press release

F.D.A. Clears Pfizer Vaccine, and Millions of Doses Will Be Shipped Right Away

The authorization is a historic turning point in a pandemic that has taken more than 290,000 lives in the United States. With the decision, the United States becomes the sixth country — in addition to Britain, Bahrain, Canada, Saudi Arabia and Mexico — to clear the vaccine. Other authorizations, including by the European Union, are expected within weeks.

The authorization set off a complicated coordination effort from Pfizer, private shipping companies, state and local health officials, the military, hospitals and pharmacy chains to get the first week’s batch of about three million doses to health care workers and nursing home residents as quickly as possible, all while keeping the vaccine at ultracold temperatures.

Read more at the NYT

Best Practices for Mental Health Care in the Workplace – 5 Strategies

Employee well-being and mental health care have been elevated from perks to requirements as life and work have collided amid the coronavirus pandemic, Gallup researchers note. They offer five strategies culled from top organizations, such as training managers to talk about mental health and identifying high-risk employees.

Read more at Gallup

Trust is Key to Discussing Vaccinations in the Workplace

At the end of the day, says Pearce, the workforce needs to believe that the employer is doing the right things, having balanced the needs of the organization, the safety of the employees, and the expectations of the customer.

“This success of managing the vaccination, and other issues related to COVID-19 will be achieved through an ongoing dialogue based on trust,” says Pearce.

Read more at EHS Today

West Point Tests COVID Tracking Device -Beats Navy 15-0

Cadets at West Point have been selected for a test that utilizes a wearable, proximity logging device that helps evaluate where and when COVID outbreaks happen within troops.

The system uses a Samsung smartwatch with enhanced proximity and contact logging to gather data on interactions between devices, with the distinction that no GPS data or physiological data is being gathered. That is, it’s not tracking individuals. The study is an investigation of an enhanced contact tracing technology used in Singapore. 

Army beat Navy 15-0.

Read more at Mid-Hudson News

Regional Transportation Study Suggests ‘Micro-Transit’

The findings and recommendations from the study, which began in 2018, suggest improving the technological infrastructure of regional transit, based on results of 1,295 surveys representing 75 percent ridership and 25 percent non-riders.

In the vein of technological improvement, one of the implements backed by data is creation of micro-transit services. Micro-transit acts like a public Uber, or Lyft, and allows riders to directly request vehicles. The study recommends a 10-zone micro-transit service area across the three counties. Those areas would be the 17M/US-6 corridor, a west of Newburgh area, an east of Newburgh area, Beacon to Newburgh on both sides of the Hudson, south Poughkeepsie, northern Dutchess, southern Ulster County, Bearsville/Woodstock and West Hurley. 

Read more at Mid Hudson News

Talks On Stimulus Package Deadlock On State And Local Aid Despite Assurances Of Progress

Congress will return to work on Monday with one more week to hash out a comprehensive coronavirus aid bill but despite assurances from a bipartisan group of senators that a $908 billion relief framework is coming together, old disagreements are proving difficult to resolve. 

Democratic leaders want the $908 billion framework to include more federal aid to state and local governments to stave off layoffs and protect essential services, according to CNN’s Manu Raju, but many Republicans view that as a bailout for blue states and are opposing its inclusion. On top of that, lawmakers reportedly still don’t have an agreement on coronavirus liability protections for businesses and schools, a major Republican priority that Democrats say will put the interests of corporations ahead of workers’ safety.

Read more at Forbes

Daily Briefing – 206

Fauci Joins Cuomo at Briefing, Calls NY Plan “Sound” 

Dr. Anthony Fauci joined Governor’s press briefing yesterday morning via video.  He was asked to chime in on the governor’s rule limiting gatherings to 10 people or fewer.

“I think that’s a very sound rule and I feel 10 may even be a bit too much. It’s not only the number, Governor, but it’s the people that may be coming in from out of town…. You want to make sure you don’t get people who just got off an airport or a plane or a train and came in from Florida or came in from wherever. That’s even more risky than the absolute number. Not only the number of 10 seems reasonable, but make sure that when people come in, that they’re not people who have no idea where they’ve been or who they’ve been exposed to. You want to be friendly, you want to be collegial, but you really got to be careful about that.”

Read the transcript or listen to the audio

NYS Transmission Rate Climbs to 1.22, Only California’s is Higher

As of December 5, 2020, California had the highest Rt value of any U.S. state. The Rt value indicates the average number of people that one person with COVID-19 is expected to infect. A number higher than one means each infected person is passing the virus to more than one other person. New York State is second at 1.22.

Read more at Statista

COVID and Cluster Update – DOH to Implement ‘Surge & Flex’ Protocol

Governor Cuomo held a press briefing yesterday morning providing an overview of New York’s COVID-19 tracking data from Sunday, December 6th. He announced that DOH will implement its Surge and Flex protocol.  Hospitals are mandated to begin expanding their bed capacity by 25 percent and retired doctors and nurses are urged to return to service to prepare for a future COVID-19 surge and that if the statewide and regional hospitalization rates do not stabilize within 5 days, indoor dining would be banned in New York City and capacity would be reduced from 50% to 25% for the rest of the state.

Hospitalization tracking data for the Mid-Hudson region and the rest of the State are below.  (The State is no longer focused on positivity rates, instead it is closely monitoring hospitalizations and ICU capacity)

• Hospitalizations Statewide
  • Patients Currently in Hospital in Region   =  4602
  • COVID Hospitalizations as Percent of Region Population =  .002%
  • Percent of Hospital Beds Available in Region  = 23%
• Hospitalizations Mid-Hudson Region: 
  • Patients Currently in Hospital in Region   =  618
  • COVID Hospitalizations as Percent of Region Population =  .003%
  • Percent of Hospital Beds Available in Region  = 25%
• ICU Beds Statewide
  • Total ICU Beds   =  728
  • Occupied ICU Beds =  368
  • Percent of ICU Beds Available  = 48%
• ICU Beds Mid-Hudson Region: 
  • Total ICU Beds   =  5968
  • Occupied ICU Beds =  3743
  • Percent of ICU Beds Available  = 37%
• Transmission Rate (R0): 1.22

Here are some useful websites:

• Read the press release
• See the cluster maps
• Check your site address (State will ask to track your location)
• See the school districts dashboard 
• See the SUNY Dashboard
• State transmission rates (R0)

Congress To Buy Time for Stimulus Negotiations by Voting on a One-Week Extension of Government Funding Until December 18

Congress will vote on Wednesday on a one-week extension of to buy more time for coronavirus relief negotiations, according to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.  The move would keep the federal government funded until December 18. Another short-term spending package or large-scale omnibus bill must be passed by then or result in a shutdown.

The Washington Post reported that negotiations on a government funding bill are being held up by strong disagreements on numerous policy issues, notably immigration. Lawmakers are aiming to attach a coronavirus relief package to the critical spending bill this month.  But the newspaper reported that legislative text for the $908 billion bipartisan framework may come Tuesday at the earliest. It’s expected to include $300 federal weekly unemployment benefits, a fresh round of small business aid, as well as assistance for state and local governments. But it will likely exclude a second wave of $1,200 stimulus checks.

Read more at Business Insider

China Exports Surge by Forecast-Beating 21.1% in November

China’s exports rose in November at their fastest pace in almost three years, official figures showed Monday, as a surge in demand in key markets ahead of the festive period also helped the country post a record trade surplus.  The reading is the latest spot of good news out of the world’s number two economy, which has been enjoying a bounce back from virus-induced lockdowns that sent it into a rare contraction earlier in the year.

Overseas shipments grew 21.1% on-year last month to $268 billion thanks to strong demand for medical goods and electronics.  The figure — the best since February 2018 — surpassed the 12 percent tipped in a Bloomberg poll of analysts and was much better than the 11.4 percent seen in October. The reading also marked the sixth straight month of growth.

Read more at IndustryWeek

Manufacturing Economy Report – Manufacturing Continued to Expand in the Latest Data

Manufacturing continued to expand in the latest data, even while signs of slowing persist in many markets and with activity remaining below pre-pandemic levels.  The Institute for Supply Management® said that manufacturing activity in November pulled back from October, which had recorded the fastest pace since September 2018. The index noted decelerating—but still solid—expansions for new orders and production.

New orders for core capital goods—a proxy for capital spending in the U.S. economy—rose 0.8% to $70.1 billion in October, a new record. Encouragingly, core capital goods orders have risen a very robust 5.9% over the past 12 months. Manufacturing added 27,000 workers in November, rising for the seventh straight month. Employment in the sector remains well below its pre-COVID-19 pace, down by 599,000 in November relative to the level in February. The current outlook is for 12,250,000 employees in the manufacturing sector at year’s end.

Manufacturing Economic Report 2020-1207

Automotive Highlights Manufacturing Jobs Gain in November

The motor vehicle sector added 15,400 jobs last month, accounting for more than half the 27,000 jobs gained in US manufacturing, according to Labor Department data. November’s seasonally adjusted manufacturing employment in terms of jobs was up from a month earlier but down from a year ago.

Read the full story at SME

Rolls Cuts Deeper into Jet-Engine Parts Production 

Rolls-Royce Plc is downsizing its turbofan engine components manufacturing business as the long-range impact of the COVID-19 pandemic becomes more apparent. Its new strategy further narrows the scope of commercial-aircraft engine parts Rolls will produce for its own use and expands the list capabilities it will put into the ITP Aero portfolio it is offering for sale at a reported price of £2 billion ($2.6 billion.)

The pandemic has gutted demand for new commercial aircraft and maintenance for existing fleets, with dire effects on the supply chain. Rolls-Royce, which has been downsizing its organization for several years, raised the scope of those efforts earlier this year.

Read more at Foundry Management

3M Cut Workforce by 3%

As part of a shift in its operating structure, 3M announced December 3 it would eliminate 2,900 positions globally. In a release, the conglomerate said it would work to streamline its business by focusing on global trends.

3M’s CEO Mike Roman said in a statement that 3M began using a new operating model at the beginning of the year, but that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted end markets and forced companies to adapt to changing circumstances faster. In January, before the pandemic hit, the company said it would cut 1,500 jobs as part of an initial restructuring.

Read more at IndustryWeek

Schumer: American Foundries Act Added to Defense Authorization Act – Win for Upstate New York

Earlier this year the bipartisan American Foundries Act was successful added as an amendment  to the Senate’s Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced the final version of the FY2021 NDAA includes his provision to bolster U.S. leadership in the semiconductor and broader microelectronics industries. The senator explained that the new programs included in NDAA will increase federal support for semiconductor manufacturing by providing new federal incentives to conduct advanced research and development of semiconductor technology, secure the supply chain, and ensure national and economic security by reducing reliance on foreign semiconductor manufacturing.

“The economic and national security risks posed by relying too heavily on foreign semiconductor suppliers cannot be ignored, and Upstate New York, which has a robust semiconductor industry, is the perfect place to grow domestic semiconductor R&D and manufacturing by leaps and bounds,” said Senator Schumer. “

Read the press release

1st Doses Of COVID-19 Vaccine To Be Administered Starting Today In The U.K.

As U.S. health authorities continue examining the proposed COVID-19 vaccines, residents in the United Kingdom — the first Western country to issue approval for emergency use — are set to receive their first shots as early as this week.

But quickly vaccinating as many people as possible in the U.K. will pose enormous logistical challenges — from keeping the doses frozen to figuring out how to methodically and fairly distribute the vaccine across the nation of 68 million. The first batch of the vaccine created by Pfizer and the German company BioNTech arrived in the U.K. last week. Doses are scheduled to be delivered to hospitals beginning Monday. Nursing home residents, health care workers and people age 80 and over will be first in line.

Read more at NPR

Daily Briefing – 203

New York’s Contact Tracing Data: 70 Percent of New COVID-19 Cases Occur From Households and Small Gatherings

Governor today announced the release of a new PSA highlighting the dangers of COVID-19 “living room spread.” New York’s latest contact tracing data shows 70 percent of new COVID-19 cases originate from households and small gatherings. As the number of new cases continues to grow nationwide, the PSA encourages New Yorkers to avoid gatherings to keep themselves and their loved ones safe.

View the PSA

COVID and Cluster Update 

Governor Cuomo held a press briefing call yesterday morning providing an overview of New York’s COVID-19 tracking data from Tuesday, December 1st. 

Tracking data for the Clusters and the rest of the State are below. 

• Clusters: 5.88%
• Rockland yellow zone: 4.83%
• Westchester yellow-zones (Peekskill  9.57, Ossining 9.87, Tarrytown 4.72, Yonkers 5.05 New Rochelle 6.33, Port Chester 8.59)
• Orange Yellow Zones – (Newburgh 7.49, Middletown 6.03)
• Statewide: 4.63%
• Mid-Hudson Region: 4.94%
• Statewide excluding clusters: 4.21%
• Statewide hospitalizations: 3,924 (742 in ICU) 
• Transmission Rate (R0): 1.11

Here are some useful websites:

• Read the press release
• See the cluster maps
• Check your site address (State will ask to track your location)
• See the school districts dashboard 
• See the SUNY Dashboard
• State transmission rates (R0)

State to Receive Initial Delivery of COVID-19 Vaccine Doses for 170,000 New Yorkers

New York State will receive an initial delivery of enough COVID-19 vaccine doses for 170,000 New Yorkers. If all safety and efficacy approvals are granted by the federal government, the state expects to receive the vaccines—which were created by Pfizer—on December 15. New York State expects additional allocations of vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna later this month.

Read the press release

Pelosi and Schumer Back $900 Billion Coronavirus Stimulus Plan as Basis for Negotiations

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to use a $908 billion bipartisan stimulus plan as the basis for relief talks as Congress scrambles to send aid to Americans before the end of the year. In a joint statement, the Democratic leaders endorsed a more narrow aid approach than they have previously. The California and New York Democrats had insisted on legislation that costs at least $2.2 trillion.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell shot down the bipartisan plan after its release Tuesday. He has endorsed only about $500 billion in spending in a new package.

Read more at CNBC

Biden’s Economic Team Charts a New Course for Globalization – With Trumpian Undertones

Joe Biden’s economic team is taking shape with plans to remake the Trump administration’s approach to economic relations overseas, with a distinction: agreement with President Trump’s assertion that globalization has been hard on many Americans but differences on how to address it.  The distinction shows Mr. Trump likely will have a lasting impact on the direction of U.S. economic policy, even though the incoming administration is trying to alter important parts of it.

For Mr. Biden’s new economic team, the election represents a bid to address the failings of globalization in a more cooperative manner with the rest of the world than Mr. Trump. Mr. Biden has signaled he wants to push allies for help confronting China and press for more aggressive programs domestically to help Americans hurt by trade, and aides have signaled a skepticism about using tariffs as a weapon in trade confrontations.

Read more at the WSJ

Biden Says He Will Not Kill Phase 1 Trade Deal with China Immediately

In an interview with Times columnist Thomas Friedman that gave clues to how the new administration will proceed on foreign policy, Biden said his top priority was getting a generous stimulus package through Congress, even before he takes power.  

Biden said he would pursue policies targeting China’s “abusive practices,” such as “stealing intellectual property, dumping products, illegal subsidies to corporations” and forcing “tech transfers” from U.S. companies to Chinese counterparts. “I’m not going to make any immediate moves, and the same applies to the tariffs. I’m not going to prejudice my options,” President-elect Biden told Friedman.

Read more at Reuters

CDC Guidelines To Keep Employees Safe for a Happy Holiday Season

As we progress through the holiday season approaches and COVID-19 cases surge employers are concerned about the spread of COVID-19 in their workplaces. Most employees are suffering from fatigue, burnout, isolation, and loneliness from COVID-19 and will likely seek to reconnect with friends and family during the upcoming holiday season by attending gatherings, shopping, traveling, and other activities that increase the risk of exposure to COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic has been stressful and isolating for many people. Gatherings during the upcoming holidays can be an opportunity to reconnect with family and friends. This holiday season, consider how your holiday plans can be modified to reduce the spread of COVID-19 to keep your friends, families, and communities healthy and safe.

CDC offers the following considerations to slow the spread of COVID-19 during small gatherings. These considerations are meant to supplement—not replace—any state, local, territorial, or tribal health and safety laws, rules, and regulations with which all gatherings must comply.

Read the CDC recommendations and share them with your workforce

The Recovery of Low-Wage Jobs in Has Halted

Cold, Hard Mission for a US Warehouse: Help Stop COVID

A warehouse in the US city of Baltimore may seem an unlikely place to help save the country from the Covid-19 pandemic, but Brian Gallizzo is prepared to do just that. “We are ready, we have our tanks full,” Gallizzo, chief financial officer for the six-decade-old family firm Capitol Carbonic, told AFP.

How his company will help is by keeping things cool — extremely cool. Capitol produces dry ice, a necessary component to distribute pharmaceutical giant Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine, which could receive government approval soon. Pfizer called Capitol because it was on the hunt for the quarter-inch pellets it spits out of a machine resembling a giant spaghetti maker in its Baltimore warehouse. The dry ice pellets are needed to keep Pfizer’s vaccine at just the right, very chilly, temperature.

Read more at IndustryWeek

DiNaploi: Statewide Job Losses Since February Still Above 1 Million

After losing more than 1.9 million jobs in March and April, New York State saw steady gains, averaging over 174,000 jobs in each of the following five months. That progress nearly halted in October, when statewide employment rose by less than 11,000. That brought the State’s job total to nearly 8.8 million, a cumulative increase of 881,000 since April—but, still, nearly 1.1 million below pre-pandemic levels in February.

From a regional perspective, New York City lost approximately 938,000 jobs in March and April, almost half the statewide total. As a percentage of February employment, however, the downstate suburban region took a sharper hit, experiencing a decline of more than 21 percent compared to 20 percent in the City and 18.1 percent in the rest of New York State. As of October, the downstate suburbs had recovered at a faster rate than the other two regions, recouping over 58 percent of lost jobs, as shown in the nearby chart. New York City saw only slight job gains in the month of October, while the rest of the State lost more than 14,000 jobs.

Read more and see some informative charts at the Controller’s website

NY Fed: The Regional Economy During the Pandemic

The New York-Northern New Jersey region experienced an unprecedented downturn earlier this year, one more severe than that of the nation, and the region is still struggling to make up the ground that was lost. That is the key takeaway at an economic press briefing held today by the New York Fed examining economic conditions during the pandemic in the Federal Reserve’s Second District. Despite the substantial recovery so far, business activity, consumer spending, and employment are all still well below pre-pandemic levels in much of the region, and fiscal pressures are mounting for state and local governments. Importantly, job losses among lower-wage workers and people of color have been particularly consequential. The pace of recovery was already slowing in the region before the most recent surge in coronavirus cases, and we are now seeing signs of renewed weakening as we enter the winter.

Read more at the NY Fed

Daily Briefing – 202

COVID and Cluster Update 

Governor Cuomo held a press briefing call yesterday morning providing an overview of New York’s COVID-19 tracking data from Monday, November 30th. 

Tracking data for the Clusters and the rest of the State are below. 

• Clusters: 6.20%
• Rockland yellow zone: 4.52%
• Westchester yellow-zones (Peekskill  9.55, Ossining 10.03, Tarrytown 5.55, Yonkers 4.75 New Rochelle 6.51, Port Chester 8.54)
• Orange Yellow Zones – (Newburgh 7.30, Middletown 5.28)
• Statewide: 4.96%
• Mid-Hudson Region: 4.72%
• Statewide excluding clusters: 4.40%
• Statewide hospitalizations: 3,774 (718 in ICU) 
• Transmission Rate (R0): 1.11

Here are some useful websites:

• Read the press release (includes hot spot zip codes and links to cluster maps)
• See the cluster maps
• Check your site address (State will ask to track your location)
• See the school districts dashboard 
• See the SUNY Dashboard
• State transmission rates (R0)

Cuomo Announces Winter Plan to Combat COVID-19 Surge 

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced New York’s plan for combating COVID-19 this winter. Over the past week, Governor Cuomo and the state’s COVID Task Force has worked in consultation with global public health experts, local governments and other stakeholders to ensure that the plan builds off the lessons learned during the past nine months to anticipate and prepare for an expected increase in COVID cases and hospitalizations over the Holiday season.

Specifically, the winter plan consists of five targeted strategies focused on mitigating the spread of the virus and bolstering New York State hospital preparedness including:

• Continue and Strengthen New York’s Targeted Micro-Cluster Strategy while Managing Hospital Capacity to Enhance and Equalize Care;
• Increase and Balance Testing Resources and Availability;
• Keep Schools Open Safely;
• Prevent Viral Spread from Small Gatherings; and
• Operationalize an Equitable and Safe Vaccination Program

Read the Governor’s press release

Stimulus Update: What the Bipartisan Senators’ $900 Billion Package Does and Doesn’t Include

Yesterday a bipartisan group of senators unveiled a stimulus package in the $900 billion ballpark.

The bipartisan package proposed by senators including Republicans Susan Collins and Mitt Romney, and Democrats Joe Manchin and Mark Warner, would come in around $908 billion. That is well below the $2.2 trillion price tag sought by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, while far greater than the $500 billion packages voted on this fall by Senate Republicans, though the specifics of the deal are subject to change.

See what details are known and read more at Fortune

Fed Chair Powell Calls Economic Outlook ‘Extraordinarily Uncertain’ – Stresses Importance of lending programs

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell emphasized the importance of the lending programs it has deployed during the coronavirus pandemic, telling senators in testimony delivered Tuesday that they’ve been integral in keeping the economic fallout from being worse.

Many of the key programs that the central bank has used since March are expiring at the end of the year, and the Fed will be forced to return the funding that supports them.

Read more at CNBC

OECD Lifts Economic Outlook Sees China Driving Global Recovery

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) expects the global economy to build momentum over the coming two years, with real gross domestic product (GDP) growth projected to reach pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2021.  In its latest economic outlook, the OECD said it expects the global economy to contract 4.2% this year. That reflects an upward revision from an estimate made in September that pointed to a 4.5% fall in real GDP.  Looking ahead, the group said worldwide economic growth would average 4% over the next two years. It expects real GDP growth to hit 4.2% in 2021 — trimmed from a September forecast of 5% — and 3.7% in 2022

It said China was expected to account for over one-third of world economic growth in 2021, while the contribution of Europe and North America “will remain smaller than their weight in the world economy.”

Read more at CNBC

Joe Biden Fills Out His Economic Team

President-elect Joe Biden fleshed out his economic team. He confirmed his nomination of Janet Yellen, a former head of the Federal Reserve, as his treasury secretary. He wants Wally Adeyemo to be her deputy and Neera Tanden the director of the Office of Management and Budget. All are considered moderates. However, Mr Biden also selected several more-progressive economic advisers.

Mr. Biden’s selections include outspoken advocates for aggressive fiscal stimulus to help return the economy quickly to its pre-pandemic health, a cause that could run into resistance in a closely divided Congress. The advisers are also known for advocating expanded government spending they say would boost the economy’s long-term potential, in areas that are liberal priorities such as education, infrastructure and the green economy, and policy changes aimed at narrowing racial disparities in the economy.

Read more at the WSJ

ISM index falls to 57.5% in November from 59.3%

The Institute for Supply Management said its manufacturing index fell to 57.5% in November from a 21-month high of 59.3% in the prior month. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had forecast the index to total 58%.

Although readings over 50% indicate growth, companies encountered more struggles in November with worker absenteeism, temporary plant closures, and an inability to fill open jobs. The index for new orders slipped to 65.1% from a 16-year high of 67.9% in October. The production gauge dipped to 60.8% from 63.0%. Employment was the biggest negative. The employment index fell back into negative territory, dropping to 48.4% from 53.2%.

Read more at MarketWatch

Lessons Learned: 2020, COVID-19 and the Future of Manufacturing

The totality of the changes 2020 required will be studied in textbooks for years. It was a unique high-stakes, high-speed innovation race, the likes of which the world has rarely experienced. Some of these changes will likely prove to be temporary, though others—particularly around the technological and automation implementations it included—have already begun to reshape the industry in permanent ways.

To help understand these changes, IndustryWeek pulled together an elite panel of manufacturing executives and experts for the closing keynote of the Manufacturing & Technology Virtual conference. The panel keynote, “The Future of Manufacturing,” takes a look back at the full 2020 experience and then ahead at the future it will create from a wide range of perspectives—from robotics and 3D printing to supply chain and smart manufacturing, and everything in between.

• Register for the 12/3 Event
• Read the article at IndustryWeek

Johns Hopkins Report: 13 Million Cases

The US reported 12,999,624 cases on November 27, and it is likely that the US would have surpassed 13 million cases a day earlier, if not for delayed reporting over the Thanksgiving holiday.

It appears as though the national daily incidence may have passed an inflection point in mid-November. Prior to Thanksgiving, the daily incidence in a number of states—including Illinois, Iowa, North and South Dakota, and Wisconsin, all of which exhibited very high incidence during the current surge—began to taper off. However, with the interruptions to COVID-19 reporting and the varying trends at the state level, it could be a little more difficult to anticipate daily incidence trends over the next week or so. Regardless of what the daily incidence trend looks like in the wake of Thanksgiving, COVID-19 mortality in the US will likely continue to increase due to consistent and sharp increases in daily incidence over the past several weeks.

Read more at Johns Hopkins Center For Health Security Situation Report

Daily Briefing – 200

Be Extra Diligent in the Workplace This Week to Prevent Post Thanksgiving Spread

We encourage you to be mindful and extra diligent this week as employees return to the workplace following the Thanksgiving holiday.  Masks, social distancing, hand washing and surface cleaning can help you keep your people safe and your factory running. 

COVID and Cluster Update 

Governor Cuomo held a press briefing yesterday afternoon providing an overview of New York’s COVID-19 tracking data from Saturday, November 28th. 

Tracking data for the Clusters and the rest of the State are below. 

• Clusters: 5.83%
• Rockland yellow zone: 3.94%
• Westchester yellow-zones (Peekskill  7.23, Ossining 9.96, Tarrytown 7.85, Yonkers 4.84 New Rochelle 5.44, Port Chester 7.21)
• Orange Yellow Zones – (Newburgh 8.57, Middletown 3.81)
• Statewide: 4.27%
• Statewide excluding clusters: 3.75%
• Statewide hospitalizations: 3372 (667 in ICU) 
• Transmission Rate (R0): 1.09

Here are some useful websites:

• Read the press release (includes hot spot zip codes and links to cluster maps)
• See the cluster maps
• Check your site address (State will ask to track your location)
• See the school districts dashboard 
• See the SUNY Dashboard
• State transmission rates (R0)

New York’s Cluster Zones: BSKs Updated Frequently Asked Questions (11/25)

There have been significant changes to New York’s cluster action initiative. On November 23rd Governor Cuomo updated the already-existing cluster zones and added new cluster zones in Long Island, New York City, as well as in Monroe and Onondaga Counties. Below, BSK Attorneys discuss frequently asked questions about the clusters and updated maps for the cluster zones.

See the Updated FAQs and Maps at BSK

America Will be the First Country to Roll Out a Covid-19 Vaccine – Here’s How the Federal Government and States Plan To Do It

From the Economist  – Organizing America’s supplies of covid-19 vaccines is the task of Operation Warp Speed, a program set up by the current administration in May. It pre-purchased 100m doses of both Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vaccines this summer, and large quantities have already been made. Each firm expects to have about 20m doses ready to distribute in America by the end of this year. This amount is roughly what would be needed to inoculate all America’s health-care workers, who are a priority group for the first vaccine supplies.

Next will come groups particularly vulnerable to the disease, including essential workers at high risk of infection (such as police officers, teachers and bus drivers), care-home residents, people with high-risk medical conditions and those over 65. The order of priority between these groups, which are suggested by the CDC and other national health agencies, may vary somewhat from state to state. The current plan is that vaccine supplies, as they become available, will be divvied up among states and six big metropolitan areas proportionately to their population. Each state will decide how to distribute them. At the current pace of vaccine production, widespread vaccination of the elderly is not on the cards until February.

Read more at the Economist (COVOD Coverage remains free)

CDC Finalizing Recommendation to Shorten Covid-19 Quarantines

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may soon shorten the length of time it recommends that a person self-quarantine after potential exposure to the coronavirus, hoping that such a step will encourage more people to comply, a top agency official said.

CDC officials are finalizing recommendations for a new quarantine period that would likely be between seven and 10 days and include a test to ensure a person is negative for Covid-19, said Henry Walke, the agency’s incident manager for Covid-19 response. Agency officials are discussing the exact time period and what type of test a person would be given to exit quarantine, he said.

Read more at the WSJ

Weekly Jobless Claims Higher Than Expected, Continuing Claims Fall

Claims totaled 778,000 for the week ended Nov. 21, ahead of the 733,000 expectation from economists surveyed by Dow Jones and up from 742,000 the previous week, the Labor Department reported Wednesday.  Continuing claims for those collecting benefits for at least two weeks maintained their decline, falling to 6.07 million, a drop of 299,000.

The news comes amid an ongoing rise in coronavirus cases and worries that the national health system is becoming stressed. New daily cases have averaged 174,225 over the past week, and health officials worry that Thanksgiving could send that level higher as families across the country travel to celebrate the holiday.

Read more at CNBC

Holiday Sales to Grow Between 3.6%- 5.2% Says Industry Group

Continued consumer resilience is helping retail sales rebound, the National Retail Federation said on Nov. 23. This caused the industry group to forecast that holiday sales during November and December will increase between 3.6% and 5.2% over 2019 to a total between $755.3 billion and $766.7 billion.

The numbers compare with a 4% increase to $729.1 billion last year and an average holiday sales increase of 3.5% over the past five years.

Read more at Material Handling & Logistics

Consumer Spending Up a Slight 0.5% as Virus Maintains Grip

U.S. consumers increased their spending by a sluggish 0.5% last month, the weakest rise since April, when the pandemic first erupted, and a sign that Americans remain wary with the virus resurging across the country and threatening the economy.

The October gain reported Wednesday by the Commerce Department followed a seasonally adjusted 1.2% increase in September. It suggested that consumer spending, the primary driver of the U.S. economy, is being restrained by a weakened economy and by the failure of Congress to provide another stimulus package to struggling individuals and businesses.  The government’s report also showed that income, which provides the fuel for spending, fell 0.7% in October.

Read more from the AP

United Begins Flying Pfizer’s Covid-19 Vaccine

United Airlines Holdings Inc. UAL -0.74% on Friday began operating charter flights to position doses of Pfizer Inc.’s PFE 1.92% Covid-19 vaccine for quick distribution if the shots are approved by regulators, according to people familiar with the matter.

The initial flights are one link in a global supply chain being assembled to tackle the logistical challenge of distributing Covid-19 vaccines. Pfizer has been laying the groundwork to move quickly if it gets approval from the Food and Drug Administration and other regulators world-wide.

Read more at the WSJ

Bipartisan Policy Center Survey: Women Leaving the Workforce at Unprecedented Rates

A new survey conducted by Morning Consult for the Bipartisan Policy Center finds that nearly one quarter of the women who have left work since the coronavirus pandemic began did so to manage their caregiving responsibilities.

The September monthly jobs report from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics found that, among people over 20, four times more women than men left employment. Specifically, 865,000 women dropped out of the U.S. workforce, while 216,000 men did the same.

Read more at the Bipartisan Resource Center

What Exit Polls Say About Georgia’s Senate Runoffs

It’s hard to predict how many will vote — and by what means — in January, but the U.S. Elections Project says nearly 825,000 people had so far requested mail-in ballots by Wednesday morning. Georgians have until January 1 to send their requests, although the U.S. Postal Service recommends sending requests as early as possible. Voters can register for the runoff until December 7, and early voting will take place beginning December 14.

Most Georgians have likely already made their decisions about who’s getting their vote. No voter who spoke with CBS News planned to switch votes in the January contests. A week before the November election, CBS News polling showed just 4% of likely voters were undecided in the Perdue-Ossoff race. Perdue led with 49.7% to Ossoff’s 47.9%, falling just 0.3% short of outright victory. Libertarian Shane Hazel was eliminated with 2.3% of the vote. 

Read more at CBS News

Daily Briefing – 199

Happy Thanksgiving

The Daily Briefing will be taking a few days for the Thanksgiving holiday returning Monday, November 30th.  We wish all of our readers a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

COVID and Cluster Update 

Governor Cuomo held a press briefing yesterday afternoon providing an overview of New York’s COVID-19 tracking data from Monday, November 23rd. The Governor also acknowledged the passing of former Mayor David Dinkins, Criticized the NRC’s approval of the sale of Indian Point, and announced plans to distribute Thanksgiving meals to those in need across the State. 

Tracking data for the Clusters and the rest of the State are below. 

• Clusters: 4.13%
• Rockland yellow zone: 3.15%
• Westchester yellow-zones (Peekskill  6.47, Ossining 10.51, Tarrytown 7.47, Yonkers 4.35 New Rochelle 4.99, Port Chester 7.71)
• Orange Yellow Zones – (Newburgh 8.82, Middletown 3.65)
• Statewide: 2.96%
• Statewide excluding clusters: 2.62%
• Statewide hospitalizations: 2856 (559 in ICU) 
• Transmission Rate (R0): 1.13

Here are some useful websites:

• Read the press release (includes hot spot zip codes and links to cluster maps)
• See the cluster maps
• Check your site address (State will ask to track your location)
• See the school districts dashboard 
• See the SUNY Dashboard
• State transmission rates (R0)

New York Democrats Declare Supermajority in State Senate

Preliminary election results on November 4 showed New York state Senate Democrats trailing behind in numerous key races.  However, absentee ballots have weighed heavily in Democrats’ favor this year, helping them to slowly gain ground across the state when results were finally tallied.

On Monday, state Senate Democrats triumphantly declared that they will be walking into Senate chambers next year with a supermajority for the first time in history. Democrats will now have the ability to override any vetoes that Governor Andrew Cuomo issues and be in charge of redrawing district lines.

Read more at Spectrum News

Hudson Valley Unemployment Figures

The NYS Department of Labor reported that the October 2020 unemployment rate for the Hudson Valley Region is 6.5 percent.  That is up from 6.4 percent in September 2020 and up from 3.6 percent in October 2019.  In October 2020, there were 71,900 unemployed in the region, up from 71,200 in September 2020 and up from 41,800 in October 2019. 

Year-over-year in October 2020, labor force decreased by 48,200 or 4.2 percent, to 1,099,600.

Labor Market Profile (Hudson Valley) OCT 2020

What a Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen Would Mean – Dow Closes Above 30,000 on News of Her Selection

Former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen will face an enormous challenge if she is confirmed by the Senate to serve as Treasury Secretary: pulling the U.S. out of the deepest recession since the Great Depression.

With COVID-19 cases rising and a vaccine still months away, markets appear to be focused on what a Treasury Secretary Yellen would mean for a prospective stimulus deal. On the day after the Wall Street Journal initially reported that President-elect Joe Biden picked Yellen for the job, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) climbed to break 30,000 for the first time.

Read more at Yahoo Finance

General Motors Drops Objections to California Fuel Standards

In a letter to the leaders of various environmental groups sent November 24, CEO Mary Barra announced that General Motors  Co. was switching sides in the struggle to define U.S. auto efficiency standards. The letter said GM would remove its support for the EPA’s rollback on efficiency limits and commit to “an all-electric, zero emission future.”

According to the Detroit Free Press, President-elect Biden spoke with Barra and UAW President Rory Gamble last week about his “Build Back Better” plan, which involves plans to expand vehicle electrification, install new charging stations, and support EV manufacturers.

Read more at the Detroit Free Press

Operation Warp Speed Refines Vaccine Delivery Plan

Charged with developing and delivering a vaccine to 300 million Americans, Operation Warp Speed paired military planners with experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to work the details of a monumental plan. At the core of the distribution plan are the basic tenets of visibility, coverage, uptake and traceability, Ostrowski explained. Visibility of the vaccine is essential, particularly since the number of doses up front will be limited. 

Read more at DOD

COVID-19 Travel Health Notice Levels and Testing for International Travelers

On November 21, CDC revised the Travel Health Notice system for COVID-19 and released new recommendations for testing before and after international air travel to help the public make informed decisions for safer, healthier, and more responsible travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For most diseases, the Travel Health Notices have 3 levels. This new 4-level travel health notice system is specific to COVID-19 and details the level of COVID-19 in international destinations and U.S. territories. The COVID-19 Travel Health Notices now indicate low, moderate, high, and very high levels of COVID-19 for each destination and are based primarily on incidence rate (or new case counts in destinations with populations of 200,000 or less) and trajectory of new cases (whether new cases over the past 28 days are increasing, decreasing, or stable). CDC has and will continue to review data daily to ensure travelers have the most up-to-date information to inform their decisions.

Read more at CDC.gov

EU to Clear 737 MAX to Fly in January

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) will lift its grounding order on Boeing’s 737 MAX aircraft in January 2021, the panel’s executive director has confirmed. Such a decision, which would parallel one delivered by the Federal Aviation Administration on November 18, will allow Boeing to resume deliveries of the narrow-body jets to EU customers, and allow those carriers to proceed with updating their current 737 MAX fleets and complete pilot training for the revised flight-control system.

EASA will issue a directive soon proposing how the grounding order will be lifted, to be followed by a 30-day comment period. FAA took the same approach in October, leading to the clearance earlier this month.  

Read more at American Machinist

GE Plans More Job Cuts in Aviation Division

In an internal video message delivered a week before the Thanksgiving holiday, new GE Aviation boss John Slattery said business conditions are difficult and the unit would need to shrink over the next 18 months, according to people familiar with the matter.

More jobs would be lost, he said, but the cuts would be more focused than two rounds of layoffs earlier this year that ultimately eliminated 25% of the division’s 52,000 global employees. Mr. Slattery didn’t disclose the number of jobs that would be cut in the video, which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

Read more at the WSJ

Nuclear Regulatory Commission Approves Indian Point Sale to Holtec

Holtec International’s purchase of the Indian Point nuclear power plant was approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Monday over the objections of state and federal officials. The five-member commission signed off on an NRC staff recommendation from last week, which gave Indian Point’s owner, Entergy, permission to transfer its license to Holtec when the plant shuts down next year.

The commission did, however, agree to “rescind, modify, or condition the transfer” after it decides whether to grant the state of New York and the Hudson River environmental group Riverkeeper a hearing to air their concerns with the sale.

Read more at LoHud

Daily Briefing – 198

COVID and Cluster Update 

Governor Cuomo held a press briefing yesterday afternoon providing an overview of New York’s COVID-19 tracking data from Sunday, November 22nd. 

Tracking data for the Clusters and the rest of the State are below. 

• Clusters: 4.48%
• Rockland Red zone: 3.39%
• Westchester yellow-zones (Peekskill  7.29, Ossining 10.11, Tarrytown 8.80, Yonkers 4.38 New Rochelle 5.20, Port Chester 7.94)
• Orange Yellow Zones – (Newburgh 8.68, Middletown 3.84)
• Statewide: 3.08%
• Statewide excluding clusters: 2.73%
• Statewide hospitalizations: 2724 (545 in ICU) 
• Transmission Rate (R0): 1.13

Here are some useful websites:

• Read the press release (includes hot spot zip codes and links to cluster maps)
• See the cluster maps
• Check your site address (State will ask to track your location)
• See the school districts dashboard 
• See the SUNY Dashboard
• State transmission rates (R0)

Bond Schoeneck & King’s FAQs about New York’s Cluster Zones

There have been significant changes to New York’s cluster action initiative. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has updated the already-existing cluster zones and added new cluster zones in the Bronx, Queens and the Hudson Valley, as well as in Erie and Niagara Counties. Below, we discuss frequently asked questions about the clusters and updated maps for the cluster zones.

In this post, BSK attorneys discuss frequently asked questions about the clusters and updated maps for the cluster zones

Read more at BSK

Manufacturing Economy Report – Housing Surges Plus Mfg Jobs, Output and Capacity

Manufacturing production increased 1.0% in October, strengthening after edging up just 0.1% in September and rising for the sixth straight month. Manufacturing capacity utilization rose from 71.0% in September to 71.7% in October. This represents tremendous progress from the spring, but down from 75.2% in February. Total industrial production also rebounded in October, up 1.1% for the month, boosted by strength in manufacturing and utilities, but down 5.3% year-over-year.

Surveys from the Kansas City, New York and Philadelphia Federal Reserve Banks each found continuing expansions in November in their districts, albeit with some slowing. Respondents remained upbeat in their outlook. In the Kansas City release, more than 50% had issues finding talent.

Monday Economic Report 2020-1123

US Economy Hurtles Toward ‘COVID Cliff’ With Programs Set to Expire

March’s CARES Act set up myriad programs to give people economic relief in the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of which are set to expire on Dec. 31. Unless a divided Congress can reach a deal to extend the programs, the country’s economic suffering could skyrocket. “It’s a lot of risk to be putting on the economy at a time when so many other pressures are already underway,” said Shai Akabas, director of economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who is pushing for a $2.2 trillion package, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who endorses a more limited $500 billion approach, have yet to hold a meeting on the subject. Their staffs have not discussed the matter either.

Read more at The Hill

GSA  Begins Transition Process 

A federal agency said the Trump administration would provide President-elect Joe Biden resources to transition to the White House, ending a delay that had come under increasing criticism from members of both parties. The decision by the GSA comes as Michigan on Monday certified the results of the election and legal setbacks piled up for Mr. Trump and his allies. No evidence of significant voter fraud has been produced, and Republican allies in Congress had signaled growing impatience with Mr. Trump and his team.

Read more at the WSJ

Biden Names Some Cabinet Members

The week of Thanksgiving, Biden named key nominees for his foreign policy and national security teams, including Avril Haines as director of national intelligence. Haines would be the first woman to serve in the role if confirmed. Alejandro Mayorkas, nominee for homeland security secretary, would be the first Latino and immigrant in that position.

Biden also tapped former Secretary of State John Kerry for a new White House position as special presidential envoy for climate. Kerry will serve on the National Security Council.

Read more at NPR

Economists Are Calling for More Stimulus. Here’s Where Assistance Plans Stand

For Americans who have had a tough year financially amid Covid-19, a second set of $1,200 stimulus checks would provide some much welcome relief.  But lawmakers on Capitol Hill still need to work out their differences before they can approve another coronavirus stimulus package that will trigger those payments.

Now, a group of more than 125 economists including Jason Furman, a former top economic advisor to President Barack Obama, is calling for more direct cash payments to American families to help them weather the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The initiative was organized by the Economic Security Project, an advocate of guaranteed income.

Read more at CNBC

IHS Markit: U.S. Manufacturing, Services Activity Expanding Rapidly in November

U.S. business activity expanded at the fastest rate in more than five years in November led by the quickest pickup in manufacturing since September 2014, a survey showed on Monday in an indication the economy keeps making progress at clambering out of the COVID-19 recession even as infections surge.

Markit’s manufacturing index climbed to 56.7 from 53.4 in October, above the median forecast in a Reuters economists’ poll of 53. A reading above 50 indicates expansion.

Read more at Reuters

AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Shown to be Effective and Cheaper

Drug maker AstraZeneca said Monday that late-stage trials showed its COVID-19 vaccine is highly effective, buoying the prospects of a relatively cheap, easy-to-store product that may become the vaccine of choice for the developing world.  The results are based on an interim analysis of trials in the U.K. and Brazil of a vaccine developed by Oxford University and manufactured by AstraZeneca. No hospitalizations or severe cases of COVID-19 were reported in those receiving the vaccine.

AstraZeneca is the third major drug company to report late-stage data for a potential COVID-19 vaccine. But unlike the others, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine doesn’t have to be stored at freezer temperatures, making it potentially easier to distribute, especially in developing countries.

Read more at the AP

US Approves Regeneron Antibody Treatment

A Covid-19 antibody therapy used to treat President Donald Trump was approved by the US drug regulator on Saturday for people who aren’t yet hospitalized by the disease but are at high risk.

The green light for drug maker Regeneron came after REGEN-COV2, a combination of two lab-made antibodies, was shown to reduce Covid-19-related hospitalizations or emergency room visits in patients with underlying conditions.

Read more at IndustryWeek

Tumbling Community-College Enrollment Highlights Pandemic’s Broad Impact

Enrollment tumbled this fall at community colleges around the country, flipping a longstanding trend in which people flock to school when the economy weakens and raising concerns about the colleges’ financial outlook. Overall enrollment at public two-year colleges fell 9.5% in the fall term, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Enrollment by first-year students plummeted 18.9%, indicating that some people who weren’t yet on the path to a degree are sidestepping it entirely right now.

One factor in the widespread decline is that out-of-work adults don’t know what skills to be pursuing for when the economy does rebound.

Read more at the WSJ

Many Employers Avoid Coronavirus Tests Over Cost, Not Availability

A survey by Arizona State University and the World Economic Forum, with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation, has found that companies most frequently cited cost and complexity as the biggest deterrents to testing their workers.

The findings, based on responses from 1,141 facilities at over 1,100 companies worldwide from September through late October, are consistent with earlier reports suggesting that many employers have been able to obtain testing relatively quickly if they absorb the expense. In many cases, however, employers have indicated that they feel the benefits do not outweigh the costs. Over all, 17 percent of the facilities surveyed worldwide said they were testing workers. At least half of those facilities were doing so even for workers without symptoms, and roughly half were testing workers at least once a week.

Read more at the New York Times