Daily Briefing – 139
Cuomo Executive Order Directs Development of Covid and Flu Testing and Reporting
The Among other thins related to the election, the Executive Order directs the Commissioner of Health to develop by emergency regulations, comprehensive statewide protocols for the timely testing and reporting of all COVID-19 and Influenza cases to continue to ensure, as flu season approaches, the State has the most accurate data to evaluate the number of positive cases and to best ensure timely contact tracing efforts are implemented in all regions.
Sunday the Governor issued a press release detailing New York’s COVID-19 tracking data from Saturday, August 29th. New York’s rate of positive tests was below one percent for the 23rd straight day. Of the 100,022 test results reported to the State (a single day record), 0.69% (698) were positive. Total hospitalizations dropped to 429, the lowest since March 16th; and intubations dropped to 47, the lowest since March 14th.
Updated Supplemental Education Guidance
The New York State Department of Health has released supplemental guidance documents for pre-K to grade 12 schools and higher education institutions. Please find the supplemental guidance documents at the links below. the supplemental guidelines primarily deal with communication with the public of the district’s plan including how it will implement remote learning, and Covid testing and contact tracing procedures.
Supplement to the Interim Guidance for In-Person Instruction at Pre-K to Grade 12
Other Countries Show that Schools Need Not Be Pandemic Hot Spots
How much of a risk is opening schools during the pandemic? Experience from a number of countries is starting to shed some light.
For the children themselves, covid-19 is not a big threat. They usually have mild symptoms or none at all. Among children with symptoms, only 0.1% of those younger than ten and 0.3% of those aged between ten and 19 end up in hospital, a study from Britain shows. For school-aged children, a covid-19 infection is less deadly than most flu infections.
Johns Hopkins: US Falls Out of the Global Top 10 Per Capita Daily Incidence
The US CDC removed its previous COVID-19 reporting page and transitioned to its COVID Data Tracker dashboard. The dashboard provides links to a variety of data, including incidence and mortality, laboratory testing, community impact (eg, mobility), and high-risk populations (eg, healthcare workers, incarcerated populations). Some of the data is available at the state and county level directly through the dashboard. The dashboard added a 7-day moving average for daily deaths, and it once again reports COVID-19 data from New York City and New York state separately.
The CDC reported 5.80 million total cases (46,393 new) and 178,998 deaths (1,239 new). In total, 19 states (no change) are reporting more than 100,000 cases.
CI/HRP Webinar: Technological Solutions to Keep Your People Safe and Your Factories Running Was Held Last Week
In the continuing efforts to keep your people safe and your factories running efficiently, we are often looking to technology for solutions. On Friday August 28th CI and our Associate Member HRP Associates presented a webinar on the latest innovation and safety technologies to prevent the spread of COVID 19. The presentation was made by Shaun Malin, Regional Manager for HRP and covered topics including: C-19 Preparedness, Prevention, Response Plans – Mitigation Technologies including UV Lighting, Thermal Screenings, HVAC considerations, Long efficacy Disinfectants, Rapid Antibody Test Kits/Viral Testing.
COVID-19 Telecommuting and the Fair Labor Standards Act
Council Associate member and friend Ethan Allen Personnel Group provides some guidance on applying FLSA standards to telecommuting workers. Many employers have increased the amount of teleworking for employees, including many roles that ordinarily would not telework. As the COVID-19 health crisis has progressed, employers have continued to extend their teleworking policies while other employers are gearing up to reopen offices. With these ongoing health risks, it is important for employers to review their teleworking policies and practices to ensure that they are appropriately compensating employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) as well as any applicable state and local laws.
Ethan Allen HR Newsletter Employment Advisory 8.31.20
Your Employee Refuses to Wear Masks — Now What?
For companies that have already returned to their offices, there have been tensions between workers about mask protocol. At the same time, it’s clearly important for employers to keep the workplace safe by enforcing CDC guidelines, which include wearing a mask.
To do this, it’s important to understand what’s going on psychologically when employees don’t wear masks. Once you’re able to understand this, you can then adopt an approach that can get reluctant employees to observe safety guidelines.
Read more at Talent Management
FuzeHub Webinar: Funding Opportunities for COVID-Impacted Manufacturers
September 3, 2020, 11 AM – 12 PM EST
This Manufacturing Reimagined webinar will discuss important funding opportunities and assistance FuzeHub and other New York MEP partners can provide to offset project costs associated with COVID recovery initiatives. The Manufacturing Reimagined program was developed to offer training, resource partnering, and $170,000 in funding (maximum $10,000 per project).
Join this informative webinar to learn about:
- How the Manufacturing Reimagined program helps manufacturers respond to the COVID-related issues
- What project funding opportunities are associated with the program
- How to get a free customized Resources Report, partner with NYSTAR Innovation Assets, and other eligibility requirements
- Details of the application and award processes
- Hear from other New York MEP centers that have additional COVID recovery funding opportunities and programs
U.S. Consumer Spending Rose More Slowly in July
U.S. consumers boosted their spending in July, but more slowly than in prior months as new coronavirus infections rose and the expiration of enhanced unemployment checks loomed. “Spending numbers have come back more than the economy as a whole, with the help of a lot of fiscal support,” said Jim O’Sullivan, an economist at TD Securities. “The question going forward is as fiscal support wanes, to what extent will it weaken.”
Personal-consumption expenditures, a measure of household spending on everything from haircuts to new cars, increased a seasonally adjusted 1.9% in July from the prior month, the Commerce Department said Friday.
