Global Response

IMF urges governments to spend their way out of pandemic (FT) Published on: October 14, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Most advanced economies need not cut public spending to restore government finances after the coronavirus pandemic, the IMF said on Wednesday, in a reversal of the advice given following the last financial crisis.
The fund said countries heavily reliant on tourism and commodities were likely to be left in “a particularly difficult spot” as it predicted the biggest contraction in the global economy since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
However, the IMF said interest rates in most advanced economies were likely to remain at record lows, meaning governments could borrow to largely offset the weaker growth and lower tax revenues that would result from the pandemic.

Trudeau Plans to Keep Borders Closed Until Covid-19 Cases Drop (Bloomberg) Published on: October 14, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau indicated he plans to keep Canada’s borders closed as long as coronavirus cases remain elevated in the U.S.
Facing pressure to ramp up relief efforts for hard-hit airlines and the tourism sector, Trudeau has resisted industry calls to loosen travel restrictions.
His government is planning to promote Canada as a safe destination for international travel once the pandemic subsides.

Disney makes a big digital move. But no one can agree on how much will change. (Washington Post) Published on: October 13, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

With uncertainty over the coronavirus continuing and consumers’ transition to digital accelerating, Disney on Monday reorganized its corporate divisions to bolster the power of streaming service Disney Plus.
“Managing content creation distinct from distribution will allow us to be more effective and nimble in making the content consumers want most, delivered in the way they prefer to consume it,” Disney chief executive Bob Chapek said in a company statement announcing the change.
At heart is a question of how much a legacy company like Disney can — or even should want to — fully pivot away from its profitable legacy businesses. Traditional television and studio, after all, generated $10.2 billion in profit in fiscal 2019. Disney Plus, the company has said, won’t be profitable at all until 2024.

Seeking clarity: How the concept of work has shifted (Washington Post) Published on: October 13, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

When speaking, I’ve learned to fix my gaze on the tiny glass eye at the top edge of my monitor, not my listener’s face, to look like I’m making eye contact.
By the time the call ends, I’m in a flop sweat from trying to communicate while also self-monitoring every voluntary and involuntary movement of my face and body.
The popular name for this condition is “Zoom fatigue”

‘Patient zero displayed no symptoms:’ Hamilton’s SpinCo superspreader outbreak reaches 51 cases (Toronto Star) Published on: October 13, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

It is believed to be one of the largest COVID-19 outbreaks at any fitness centre in Canada.
Thirty-seven riders and two staff members have tested positive for novel coronavirus at the James Street North gym.
It is what infectious disease experts consider a “superspreader” event — a chain reaction of infections set off by a lone case who excretes a higher than normal number of pathogens during their incubation period.
The owners — who opened the gym in January as one of seven SpinCo studios in Ontario — defended its public health safety guidelines and committed to reopening when permitted in a statement posted to its Instagram page Saturday.

How Airbnb Pulled Back From the Brink (WSJ) Published on: October 12, 2020 | Category: Global Response

In May, after fighting to keep Airbnb Inc. from the brink of collapse, Chief Executive Brian Chesky started noticing signs of life in part of his business.
Urban residents were searching for vacation rentals in neighboring towns and cities, so they didn’t have to fly. People wanted to book entire homes, meaning Airbnb could gain from travelers shunning hotels and their shared spaces.
The upswing has put the home-sharing giant on a path to go public and report a third-quarter profit this year, according to investors, something that seemed all but impossible months ago.

Future of Work (Washington Post) Published on: October 12, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

Another sign that working from home is here to stay: Companies are hiring executives to lead the virtual work experience.
Even if they were encouraged by management to take time off, they worried they would be compared to the fathers — and employees without children.
The business lunch will one day make a return, business professors, networking experts and professionals agree. But when the ritual resumes, they predict, it might be less frequent simply because workers will spend less time in their offices.

East-west divide: winners and losers in the Covid economy (FT) Published on: October 11, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The difference between Europe and China is palpable, said Remigio Brunelli, managing director in China for the Italian sportswear group Tecnica. “Uncertainty is still running high in the old continent [Europe], and we expect it to last for another six or 12 months at least. In Asia, on the other hand, and particularly in China, there is confidence.”
His comments show how different approaches to the pandemic are now leading to sharp divergences in outcomes, with China, Taiwan and other Asia-Pacific economies on course to grow in 2020, even as countries where coronavirus has become endemic suffer severe contractions.
Intense global demand for medical goods, such as masks and gowns, and working-from-home necessities, such as personal computers, has rippled through Asian supply chains.

The new Black Friday: Amazon, Target, Best Buy and others kicking off holiday sales (Washington Post) Published on: October 11, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Some of the nation’s largest retailers will begin rolling out Black Friday sales this weekend — earlier than ever and the latest sign of how the pandemic is reshaping the biggest shopping season of the year.
“The stampede mentality of the past, with doorbusters sales and Black Friday deals every weekend, is being replaced by earlier, season-long discounts,” said James Zahn, senior editor of the Toy Insider, a trade magazine.
The stakes are especially high: More than a dozen major retailers have filed for bankruptcy during the pandemic and several others are at risk of running out of cash.

As virus fills French ICUs anew, doctors ask what went wrong (AP News) Published on: October 10, 2020 | Category: Global Response

COVID-19 patients now occupy 40% of ICU beds in the Paris region, and more than a quarter of ICUs nationwide as weeks of growing infections among young people spread to vulnerable populations.
Despite being one of the world’s richest nations — and one of those hardest hit when the pandemic first washed over the world — France hasn’t added significant ICU capacity or the staff needed to manage extra beds, according to national health agency figures and doctors at multiple hospitals.

India-Israel 30-second coronavirus test should be ‘ready in days’ (The Jerusalem Post) Published on: October 10, 2020 | Category: Global Response

A 30-second coronavirus detection test being developed by India and Israel should be ready in “a matter of days,” Israeli Ambassador to India Ron Malka told the Indian news agency PTI on Friday. “All the thresholds have been passed.”
The operation has been dubbed “Open Skies,” and Malka said he believes the testing kit will enable the world to begin opening the skies, since the technology simply requires a person to blow into a tube and the results become available in less than a minute.
It is also very cheap to carry out, as the results are delivered locally without the logistics and cost of sending the sample to a lab.

Nurses suffer burn-out, psychological distress in COVID fight – association (Reuters) Published on: October 10, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Many nurses caring for COVID-19 patients are suffering burn-out or psychological distress, and many have faced abuse or discrimination outside of work, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) said.
“Our most recent survey of national nurses’ associations shows that more than 70% of them (the associations) were saying that nurses have been subject to violence or discrimination and as a result of that they are very concerned about extreme cases of psychological distress and mental health pressure,” said Howard Catton, ICN’s chief executive.

White House Draws Up New $1.8 Trillion Virus-Relief Proposal (WSJ) Published on: October 9, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

A person familiar with the proposal said it included $1.88 trillion in spending, with about $400 billion of the funds reallocated from unspent money from earlier relief legislation, bringing the total cost to about $1.5 trillion.
Substantial differences have plagued efforts to reach a bipartisan compromise for months. Chief among them is federal aid to state and local governments, which have seen their budgets hammered during the pandemic.
Very broadly, the two parties largely agree that the next bill should include aid for unemployed workers, small businesses, schools and public-health efforts, among other measures.

Customers Still Like to Shop in Person, Even if They Get Only to the Curb (NY Times) Published on: October 9, 2020 | Category: Global Response

When the pandemic forced Dick’s Sporting Goods to close its hundreds of stores in March, the retailer hustled to set up curbside pickup within two days.
Scrappy or not, curbside pickup not only rescued Dick’s sales during the lockdowns, it has also emerged as many retailers’ best strategy for long-term survival in the e-commerce age.
Beyond satisfying the need for contactless shopping in the pandemic, it taps into Americans’ desire to drive to a store, a pull that can be just as strong as, or even stronger than, the convenience of home delivery.

Consumer companies must take leaps, not steps (strategy+business) Published on: October 9, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Almost 90 per cent of online grocery shoppers plan to continue buying online when social-distancing measures are removed, according to PwC’s latest Global Consumer Insights Survey.
The volatility couldn’t come at a worse time; PwC’s survey finds that 18 per cent of consumers polled worldwide have experienced a loss of income and higher household bills.
It’s clear that consumers will keep experimenting with newer channels, such as mobile and online grocery.

Hotspots of resurgent Covid erode faith in ‘herd immunity’ (FT) Published on: October 9, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Infection rates rise again in cities where some hoped a form of protection had been achieved.
That is reflected in the latest European data, which show that many of the same places that suffered the worst virus outbreaks in the spring — such as Paris, Madrid and northern Italy — are among those with an autumn resurgence.
Shahid Jameel, chief executive of the DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance, a biomedical research charity, said: “Herd immunity is a concept used more for vaccinations instead of disease. You can’t really talk about herd immunity in a state or a country. It’s more about clusters”.

The right kind of recovery (The Economist) Published on: October 9, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Every few decades in the 20th century the relationship between the state and the individual was reforged in the fire of crisis.
Young people are frustrated by declining social mobility and high asset prices, and fear the effects of climate change.
The pandemic has created conditions ripe for misguided interventionism that tries to prevent change rather than adapt to it.

Antibody drugs are no cure but seem promising for COVID-19 (CBC) Published on: October 8, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Eli Lilly and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. are asking the U.S. government to allow emergency use of their antibody drugs, which aim to help the immune system clear the virus.
Regeneron is using two antibodies to enhance chances its therapy will work even if the virus evades one. The company made a successful Ebola combo antibody treatment this way.
Researchers are still trying to determine the best candidates for antibody treatment. Some studies involve newly infected people to see if early treatment can lower the risk of becoming sick.

The pandemic has caused the world’s economies to diverge (The Economist) Published on: October 8, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

As a recovery takes place, huge gaps between the performance of countries are opening up—which could yet recast the world’s economic order.
The pandemic will leave economies less globalised, more digitised and less equal. As they cut risks in their supply chains and harness automation, manufacturers will bring production closer to home.
As more activity moves online, business will become more dominated by firms with the most advanced intellectual property and the biggest repositories of data; this year’s boom in technology stocks gives a sense of what is coming, as does the digital surge in the banking industry.

Moderna Vows to Not Enforce Covid-19 Vaccine Patents During Pandemic (WSJ) Published on: October 8, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Moderna Inc. said it wouldn’t enforce patents related to its experimental Covid-19 vaccine while the pandemic continues and is willing to license the patents to others after the pandemic.
“We’re quite studiously not asserting infringement,” Moderna President Stephen Hoge said in an interview. “We’re doing the opposite of creating that kind of anxiety for folks. We’re not interested in using that IP to decrease the number of vaccines available in a pandemic.”
Moderna is a young biotech company that has sought to develop drugs and vaccines based on a gene-based technology that has never yielded an approved product.

Impending row over Covid vaccine patents at WTO (FT) Published on: October 8, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

It’s been a while since intellectual property rights in a public health crisis became a big trade issue.
Last week India and South Africa, continuing their role as the WTO awkward squad, filed a request for a waiver of the multilateral Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights agreement.
It would allow countries to change their domestic IP law to ignore not just patents but also copyright, trade secrets, clinical testing data and so forth without facing consequences at the WTO.

Pandemic Hastens Shift to Asset-Light Economy (WSJ) Published on: October 7, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Value is increasingly derived from digital platforms, software and other intangible investments rather than physical assets and traditional relationships.
“The emergence and growth of ‘virtual’ businesses provided conspicuous evidence that, in the digital age, value accrues to ideas, R&D, brands, content, data and human capital—i.e. intangible assets—rather than industrial machinery, factories or other physical assets,” writes Jason Thomas, chief economist at private-equity manager Carlyle Group.
The pandemic has taught businesses to operate without offices and to engage customers virtually instead of in person, so they will likely further de-emphasize physical assets in favor of research, customer acquisition and data management, Mr. Thomas says.

Coronavirus: Italy to make masks compulsory outdoors (The Independent) Published on: October 7, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Italy is set to make the wearing of face masks in outdoor spaces mandatory in an attempt to restrict the spread of coronavirus, as the number of Covid-19 infections continues to rise across Europe.
“We have to make an extra effort, because (masks) must be used in any situation where there is a chance of people meeting who do not live together,” said Roberto Speranza, Italy’s health minister.

Canadians divided over whether to let pandemic disrupt Halloween, holidays, poll suggests (CTV News) Published on: October 6, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

As for the Christmas holiday season, 49 per cent said they’ll change their plans, 44 per cent said they won’t.
Seventy-four per cent said they’ll celebrate with close or immediate family members to keep their social interactions to a minimum, 54 per cent said they’ll limit celebrations to a smaller number of visitors, 40 per cent plan to issue strict instructions against kissing, hugging or handshaking, and 37 per cent plan to avoid air travel.
Thirty per cent said they’ll hold virtual celebrations and 25 per cent said they won’t attend religious services or celebrations they would otherwise have gone to.

The emerging resilients: Achieving ‘escape velocity’ (McKinsey) Published on: October 6, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The experience of the fast movers out of the last recession teaches leaders emerging from this one to take thoughtful actions to balance growth, margins, and optionality.
Heavily affected sectors have experienced revenue declines of between 25 percent and 45 percent. These include transportation and tourism, automotive, and oil and gas—sectors containing some of the largest employers in Europe and the United States.
Leaders can thus assume dynamic business conditions through 2021 as they begin this year’s planning cycle. Wise planners will prepare for a number of outcomes, including a further drift in present conditions or a worsening downturn.

‘Zoom-worthy’ pieces like earrings and necklaces are selling though jewelry is expected to take a COVID-19 hit in 2020 (Market Watch) Published on: October 5, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Signet Jewelers Ltd. Chief Executive Virginia Drosos told MarketWatch that “Zoom-worthy jewelry” and bridal pieces like engagement rings continue attract consumers during the pandemic.
“Consumers are buying jewelry that represents the times,” Drosos said, highlighting things that are top-of-mind for consumers these days like good health and strong relationships.
“The category was repositioned over lockdown as a way for consumers to dress up casual pieces,” reads a report from Edited, a retail market intelligence platform.

10 tech predictions that could mean huge changes ahead (ZDNet) Published on: October 5, 2020 | Category: Global Response

CCS Insights published 100 tech predictions for the next few years, and the COVID-19 pandemic lurks behind many of them.
For example, CCS Insights anticipated a wave of products that will improve the so-called “home-working last mile”.
The pandemic has also renewed some interest in the extended reality sector, with over half of medium and large businesses expected to adopt extended reality devices by 2025, pushed by the launch of better hardware by Apple and Facebook.

How COVID-19 has pushed companies over the technology tipping point—and transformed business forever October 5, 2020 | Survey (McKinsey) Published on: October 5, 2020 | Category: Global Response

A new survey finds that responses to COVID-19 have speeded the adoption of digital technologies by several years—and that many of these changes could be here for the long haul.
Respondents in consumer packaged goods (CPG) and automotive and assembly, for example, report relatively low levels of change in their digital-product portfolios.
Respondents report similar accelerations in the digitization of their core internal operations (such as back-office, production, and R&D processes) and of interactions in their supply chains. Unlike customer-facing changes, the rate of adoption is consistent across regions.

Facebook to Let Managers, More Staff Work Remotely After Pandemic (The Information) Published on: October 5, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Facebook is expanding its permanent work from home policy, moving it closer to CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s prediction that half his workforce will be working remotely within a decade.
The company, which has more than 52,000 full-time employees, in recent weeks has started allowing a significant portion of its managers and other employees to apply to work from home after the coronavirus pandemic subsides, according to three employees who requested anonymity to speak without the company’s permission.
In May, it released details of an internal poll that found more than 50% of those surveyed had been more productive while working from home, while 30% of managers said they would want to continue working with remote teams.

U.S. exporters struggle to gain ground as global recession remains severe (Washington Post) Published on: October 4, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

If the U.S. economy is going to recover from the coronavirus recession, it will have to do so without much help from overseas.
Americans have resumed buying imported goods with nearly as much enthusiasm as before the pandemic. But people in other countries are not returning the favor.
The resulting gap between what the U.S. purchases from other countries and what it sells them — the merchandise trade deficit — hit a monthly record in August.

Fearing 2nd Wave, N.Y.C. Will Adopt Restrictions in Hard-Hit Areas (NY Times) Published on: October 4, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The plan is a major setback for New York City, amounting to the first significant reversal in the reopening and offering further evidence of the challenges in curbing the pandemic.
But under the new restrictions, Mr. de Blasio would close all schools — public and private — in nine of the city’s 146 ZIP codes, as well as all nonessential businesses.
Those areas all have had positivity rates in recent days of more than 3 percent of those tested — and some as high as 8 percent — in contrast to the city’s overall rate of about 1.5 percent.

Consumer healthcare behavior is changing: 3 changes that will stick post-Covid in the healthcare revenue cycle (MedCity News) Published on: October 4, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Now, experts predict virtual care visits will soar to more than 1 billion this year—and 89% of consumers report that they are satisfied or very satisfied with the experience.
The move toward digital-first interactions Consumers have “recalibrated their expectations for safety” following the pandemic, the McKinsey study notes, with a strong desire for contactless service.
And it calls for communications delivered in the consumers’ preferred channel of delivery, from email to text to online apps or even phone (still a preferred option among many seniors).

You’re worried about a pandemic, the election and a safe Halloween. Are you ready to start holiday shopping? (Chicago Tribune) Published on: October 4, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Consumers have a lot on their plates as they deal with a global health crisis, job losses, pay cuts, a contentious presidential election and whether their kids can safely celebrate Halloween.
Big chains and mom-and-pop retailers alike are prodding consumers to start spending early.
About 46% of consumers plan to start their holiday shopping in October or earlier, while 43% plan to wait until November, according to a National Retail Federation survey conducted in September.

Patriots-Chiefs game postponed after multiple positive COVID-19 tests (NFL) Published on: October 3, 2020 | Category: Global Response

“The New England-Kansas City game scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday will be rescheduled to Monday or Tuesday after positive COVID-19 tests on both teams,” the league announced in a statement.
“In consultation with infectious disease experts, both clubs are working closely with the NFL and the NFLPA to evaluate multiple close contacts, perform additional testing and monitor developments.”

Contact Tracing, Key to Reining in the Virus, Falls Flat in the West (NY Times) Published on: October 3, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Tracing is seen as a vital tool to avoid lockdowns and open economies, but that requires a robust system, widespread rapid testing and public trust. All are lacking in the West.
In a survey of about 32,000 Britons, less than one in five who reported coronavirus symptoms said they had stayed home.
Even if only 15 per cent of people download them, they can reduce infections by 8 per cent and deaths by 6 per cent, according to research by Prof. Fraser, the Oxford professor.

With 1m dead, are we any better at treating Covid-19? (FT) Published on: October 3, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The global survival rate for people hospitalised with Covid-19 has increased from 66 per cent in March to 84 per cent in August, according to the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium.
Even accounting for the demographic differences between the patients being treated at her hospital, she found their chances of survival were 22 percentage points higher in August than in March in research that has yet to be peer-reviewed.
Even without a “silver bullet” drug, Dr Horwitz believes there are “dramatic” differences in our understanding of Covid-19, especially the sheer havoc it can cause across the body, from the heart to the toes.

Fears of poverty, insolvency, unemployment top of mind for stressed out Canadians (Financial Post) Published on: October 1, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

It may be little surprise the pandemic has infected Canadians with more stress over debt, but a new survey offers the eye-openers that people fear the stigma of mental illness more than poverty and business failure, and young people are more afraid than their elders.
Poverty followed at 68 per cent, debt or insolvency at 66 per cent, unemployment at 62 per cent, business failure 46 per cent and divorce at 40 per cent, Bromwich+Smith said.
About three-quarters of Canadians aged 18-34, the highest amount of any age category, said they suffer dread on a number of issues, such as fear of the unknown, compared with 62 per cent of those aged 35-54 and 56 per cent of those over 55, the company said.

Now at the Boarding Gate: Coronavirus Tests (NY Times) Published on: September 30, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Airlines and airports are offering the tests as a way for travelers whose results are negative to avoid quarantines at their destinations, and to revive travelers’ faith in flying.
American initially will test people traveling to international destinations, starting with people traveling from Miami International Airport to Jamaica.
Tampa International Airport is the first airport in the United States to offer the tests and they will be available to passengers flying on any airline.

Luxury brands bank on a raring China market as COVID-19 pandemic lays waste to global demand (Channel News Asia) Published on: September 30, 2020 | Category: Global Response

With the COVID-19 pandemic having sent most of the world’s luxury spending into a tailspin and China the only major economy expected to show growth this year, high-end brands now depend more than ever on Chinese consumers like Zeng for sales.
Driven by well-heeled consumers forsaking their usual overseas trips to places like Milan and Paris as well as pent-up demand that built during lockdown, spending in China on luxury goods has surged.
As luxury spending in China reaches new heights for some brands, the Chinese are set to account for around half of all global spending on high-end brands in 2020, up from 37 per cent last year, according to McKinsey & Company.

Winter is coming: What’s next in COVID-19 testing (McKinsey) Published on: September 30, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Sufficient testing capacity is widely recognized as critical to managing COVID-19 and minimizing further outbreaks, as noted by the World Health Organization.
It is imperative to effectively and efficiently identify micro-outbreaks early. To do so requires a testing capacity and contact-tracing infrastructure that could be rapidly applied to a single region.
If an outbreak causes paralysis in society or the economy, sometimes testing large parts of the asymptomatic population can help to rebuild trust. Widespread testing also provides the data on which to base policy decisions.

Disney to Cut 28,000 Resort Jobs in U.S. (NY Times) Published on: September 29, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

For six months, Disney has kept tens of thousands of theme park workers on furlough with full health-care benefits in hopes that a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel would appear.
The company said it would eliminate 28,000 theme park jobs in the United States, or about 25 percent of its domestic resort work force.
About 67 percent of the layoffs will involve part-time jobs that pay by the hour.

Another Reason for a Lukewarm Holiday Season: Shoppers Are Bummed Out (Adweek) Published on: September 29, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Over 60% of Americans say the pandemic has soured their attitudes toward gift buying.
Now comes news of another possible reason why this holiday season likely won’t have many retailers making merry: Consumers, emotionally worn down from months of pandemic living, simply aren’t looking forward to the holidays.
This is among the notable findings of a survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers released today by Iterable.
Two years into the Great Recession of 2008, for example, 40% of consumers reported spending less on holiday gifts, according to a Marist poll.

Nine in ten recovered COVID-19 patients experience side-effects, study shows (Reuters) Published on: September 29, 2020 | Category: Global Response

In an online survey of 965 recovered COVID-19 patients, 879 people or 91.1% responded they were suffering at least one side-effect from the disease, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) official Kwon Jun-wook told a briefing.
Fatigue was the most common side-effect with 26.2% reading, followed by difficulty in concentration which had 24.6%, Kwon said.
South Korea is also conducting a separate study with some 16 medical organisations on potential complications of the disease through a detailed analysis involving CT scans on recovered patients next year, Kwon told the briefing.

Those Dying From Covid-19 Are Least Likely to Own Life Insurance (WSJ) Published on: September 28, 2020 | Category: Global Response

U.S. life insurers are paying out far fewer Covid-19 death claims than initially expected, largely because the virus is disproportionately killing people with little to no insurance.
Older people often have smaller policies than people who are still in the workforce.
There has also been a disproportionate impact on minorities, such as African-Americans.

New Covid fines of up to £10,000 come into force in England (Guardian) Published on: September 27, 2020 | Category: Global Response

People refusing to self-isolate will face penalties starting at £1,000, and police will act on tip-offs from neighbours.
The changes come with the duty to self-isolate moving into law. It becomes a legal obligation if someone is told to do so by test-and-trace staff, but not for those simply using the Covid-19 phone app, which is anonymous.
Those who do not self-isolate when told to could face fines, which start at £1,000 and rise to £10,000 for repeat offences, or those who instigate breaches of the law, such as an employer who orders or permits people to come to work when they should not.

How to Keep the Coronavirus at Bay Indoors (NY Times) Published on: September 27, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The virus poses a greater threat in crowded indoor spaces than it does outdoors.
This summer, scientists isolated live virus from tiny droplets called aerosols floating in the air as far as 16 feet from an infected patient in a hospital.
Some school districts have focused on virus-proofing their ventilation systems, and the C.D.C. has produced an exhaustive set of recommendations for businesses trying to keep employees from becoming infected with the virus.

Grocers Stockpile, Build ‘Pandemic Pallets’ Ahead of Winter (WSJ) Published on: September 27, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Grocery stores and food companies are preparing for a possible surge in sales amid a new rise in Covid-19 cases and the impending holiday rush.
Supermarkets are stockpiling groceries and storing them early to prepare for the fall and winter months, when some health experts warn the country could see another widespread outbreak of virus cases and new restrictions.
Food companies are accelerating production of their most popular items, and leaders across the industry are saying they won’t be caught unprepared in the face of another pandemic surge.

The long-term pain of the mental health pandemic (Axios) Published on: September 26, 2020 | Category: Global Response

A less visible but still massive trauma caused by the coronavirus is becoming clear: our mental health is suffering with potentially long-lasting consequences.
During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., there were significant increases in acute stress and depressive symptoms, according to a study published earlier this week in Science Advances.
A deep body of scientific research shows that experiencing collective traumas like a mass shooting or a natural disaster can lead to lasting mental health damage. But what sets the pandemic apart is its global scope and its sheer length.

Costco Grows E-Commerce Sales by 91% (Born Digital) Published on: September 26, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Despite below-forecast earnings, Costco reported huge digital growth, with digital sales growing by 91% over the last quarter, and 102% last month alone.
Online grocery sales grew by “several hundred percent” according to CFO Richard Galanti.
In addition, Costco has benefitted from consumer spending habits that, during the pandemic, have shifted towards categories such as home improvement and grocery over travel and dining out.
Shoppers, Galanti said, “seem to have redirected at least some of those dollars to categories like lawn and garden, furniture and mattresses, exercise equipment, bicycles, housewares, cookware … and the like.”

Will COVID-19 kill the holiday shopping season? (CBS News) Published on: September 25, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Savings from reduced spending on restaurants, travel and other experiences that consumers currently deem unsafe due to the coronavirus could also help buoy gift-giving, Deloitte noted.
Pushing seasonal demand earlier to October could be the best way to save the holiday for consumers and retailers alike, according to Deborah Weinswig, founder and CEO of Coresight research, a retail and technology research firm.
“We are going to be incredibly challenged to get product to consumers this holiday season if we are on a traditional calendar,” Weinswig said.

Virus’s unseen hot zone: The American farm (Washington Post) Published on: September 25, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Across the country, fruit growers blocked testing of seasonal farmworkers and told those who caught the coronavirus to keep it quiet.
At the same time, state agencies and growers were slow to determine how and when to test workers, what protocols to adopt when workers tested positive, and how to institute contact tracing, advocates say.
Worker advocates say the failures put millions of workers at greater risk of contracting and spreading the virus among themselves and to other Americans as they crossed state lines to move with the harvest season.

Cuomo: New York will conduct its own review of coronavirus vaccine (Axios) Published on: September 24, 2020 | Category: Global Response

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday that the state will move forward with its own review process of coronavirus vaccines even if the Food and Drug Administration approves one or more for distribution and public use.
“Frankly, I’m not going to trust the federal government’s opinion, and I wouldn’t recommend to New Yorkers, based on the federal government’s opinion,” Cuomo said at a news briefing.

Six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, here’s how the virus has changed our lives (Chicago Tribune) Published on: September 24, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Now, six months after the World Health Organization declared the new coronavirus’ spread had become a pandemic, we reflect on how the pandemic is shaping our world — and how we’re getting through it together.
Nearly half — 41 percent — reported at least one adverse mental or behavioral health condition, including a trauma- and stressor-related disorder or substance use.
During a six-month period, hundreds of thousands of area jobs were lost, consumer spending dropped 43%, and more than half of temporary business closures became permanent.

Amazon Quietly Expands Large-Scale Covid Testing Program for Warehouses (The Information) Published on: September 24, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The e-commerce giant is now testing warehouse workers in at least 23 states for Covid using its own federally certified laboratories to process samples, The Information has learned.
Despite instituting a host of new safety measures, the company has struggled to control outbreaks at fulfillment centers in the U.S.
Amazon is one of the few organizations outside of cities and academic institutions to develop its own Covid testing lab specifically for internal use.
By handling its own testing, Amazon can quickly identify and isolate infected employees without relying on the services of third-party laboratories, which have been plagued with delays in recent months.

Why governments get covid-19 wrong (The Economist) Published on: September 24, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Therapies and vaccines will come, but not for many months. Until then, politicians will have to work on the basics.
Roughly 1% of survivors have long-term viral damage such as crippling fatigue and scarred lungs. In developing countries, especially, bereavement is compounded by poverty and hunger.
Yet, in the best of all possible worlds, the pandemic will remain a part of daily life well into 2021.

Planes, hotels and automobiles: How Americans are traveling during the pandemic (The Points Guy) Published on: September 23, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Unsurprisingly, 40% of adults in the U.S. are comfortable taking a driving vacation and visiting a national park or a similar scenic area right now, according to a new poll.
Only 19% of people surveyed, however, would feel comfortable on a plane.
According to the results of an exclusive poll conducted by Ipsos on behalf of TPG, 31% of travelers said they’d be comfortable staying at a hotel right now — slightly more than the 22% of travelers who said they’d bed down at a vacation rental property (say, a home booked through Airbnb or VRBO).

‘Beyond the reach of schools’: Remote teaching making it harder to identify students who need extra help (The Independent) Published on: September 23, 2020 | Category: Global Response

In one survey of 5,659 educators around the country, 34 per cent of respondents said that no more than 1 in 4 students were attending their remote classes, and a majority said fewer than half their students were attending.
Last spring, Massachusetts school officials reported dozens of families to the state’s Department of Children and Families because of issues related to their children’s participation in remote learning, The Boston Globe reported last month.
In Washington, about 60 per cent of the 32,000 families who responded to a survey over the summer said they needed a digital device, and 27 per cent said they needed internet access.

What 800 executives envision for the postpandemic workforce (McKinsey) Published on: September 23, 2020 | Category: Global Response

As nonessential workers shifted to working from home, 85 percent of respondents in the McKinsey survey said their businesses have somewhat or greatly accelerated the implementation of technologies that digitally enable employee interaction and collaboration, such as videoconferencing and filesharing.
Roughly half of those surveyed reported increasing digitization of customer channels, for example, via ecommerce, mobile apps, or chatbots.
Unprecedented restrictions on travel, physical interactions, and changes in consumer behavior since COVID-19 took hold has forced companies and consumers to change the way they operate.

Mnuchin, Powell Urge More Spending to Help Economy Recover From Pandemic (WSJ) Published on: September 22, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The two top U.S. economic officials told lawmakers that emergency loan programs to support the coronavirus-stricken economy were largely working as intended and that more government spending would be needed to sustain the recovery.
Their answers suggested they believed those loan programs had done what they could to preserve favorable financial conditions for eligible borrowers and that what many would-be borrowers need now are grants, which would require new funding from Congress, as opposed to loans from the Fed.
The Treasury secretary said Tuesday he didn’t see a need to use the remaining $259 billion and supported repurposing $200 billion of those funds for other spending programs.

Coronavirus crisis triggered global mental health crisis for women, first-of-its-kind study finds (The Independent) Published on: September 22, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Care International, a leading global humanitarian agency which polled 10,000 people in 40 countries about the repercussions of the public health crisis, found 27 per cent of women reported an increase in problems linked to mental illness, in comparison to only ten per cent of men.
Researchers found 55 per cent of women reported income loss as one of the biggest effects of the Covid-19 emergency, compared to 34 per cent of men.
Emily Janoch, the report’s lead author, said: “Six months ago, Care sounded the alarm that the global health crisis would only widen the gender gap and reverse decades of progress across women’s health, nutrition and economic stability.”

When will the COVID-19 pandemic end? (McKinsey) Published on: September 21, 2020 | Category: Global Response

In the United States and most other developed economies, the epidemiological end point is most likely to be achieved in the third or fourth quarter of 2021, with the potential to transition to normalcy sooner, possibly in the first or second quarter of 2021.
Most countries have deferred the hope of achieving herd immunity until the arrival of a vaccine. When herd immunity is reached, ongoing public-health interventions for COVID-19 can stop without fear of resurgence.
Vaccine distribution to a sufficient portion of a population to induce herd immunity could take place in as few as six months.

CDC says it mistakenly published guidance about COVID-19 spreading through air (Axios) Published on: September 21, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The CDC has removed new guidance that acknowledged airborne transmission of the coronavirus, posting in a note on its website that the guidance was only a draft and had been published in error.
The initial update — which was little noticed until a CNN story was published Sunday — had come months after scientists pushed for the agency to acknowledge the disease was transmissible through the air.

The N95 shortage America can’t seem to fix (Washington Post) Published on: September 21, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Nurses and doctors depend on respirator masks to protect them from covid-19. So why are we still running low on an item that once cost around $1?
N95s were designed to be thrown away after every patient. By this July afternoon, Williams had been wearing the same one for more than two months.
The organizations that represent millions of nurses, doctors, hospitals and clinics are pleading for more federal intervention, while the administration maintains that the government has already done enough and that the PPE industry has stepped up on its own.

From toilet paper hoarding to tap-and-go: What habits will we keep post-COVID? (The Age) Published on: September 20, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

“[There] has been an increased use of online shopping as consumers changed their purchasing behaviour and merchants increased their online capabilities in response to the COVID-19 situation.”
In fact, the RBA researchers reckon we could see a more permanent shift in spending patterns for some customers, and future surveys will likely show the online share of consumer payments remains higher.
This has knock-on effects for inner-city retail strips and for the staff that work there. There could be a need for fewer customer service staff and more delivery drivers, packers and IT professionals.

The Flight Goes Nowhere. And It’s Sold Out. (NY Times) Published on: September 19, 2020 | Category: Global Response

People who miss flying are rushing to buy tickets for flights that land in the same place they depart from.
“I didn’t realize how much I’d missed traveling — missed flying — until the moment the captain’s voice came on the speaker with the welcome and safety announcement,” said Mr. Harif of his 85-minute experience on Royal Brunei Airlines.
On Thursday, Qantas announced a flight to nowhere over Australia. That flight sold out in 10 minutes.

Death Toll From Covid-19 Pandemic Extends Far Beyond Virus Victims (WSJ) Published on: September 19, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tracked thousands of deaths this year beyond expected levels for conditions that also include hypertension, strokes and diabetes.
Some of these additional deaths were probably caused by Covid-19 but not recorded as such on death certificates, but others likely represent indirect fallout from the pandemic, said Robert Anderson, chief of the mortality-statistics branch at the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.
The CDC estimates there were somewhere between about 202,000 and 263,000 excess deaths in the U.S. this year through late August, measured against deaths from 2017 through 2019.

Lessons for investors from six months of pandemic-hit markets (FT) Published on: September 19, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

One clear takeaway: there is no point trying to fight central banks and their gushers of liquidity. Advocates of momentum trading, or simply buying assets that keep appreciating, have duly prospered.
In contrast, the Covid-19 market has not been kind to investors who have shunned bonds with long maturities, or who have been drawn to some of the cheap valuations that abound in US and global equity markets — in areas such as financials, leisure, transport, energy and industrials.
One bright spot is that consumers and companies continue to save cash as a buffer — money that at some point will be spent.

As COVID-19 persists, Japan looks to send in the robots (Japan Times) Published on: September 19, 2020 | Category: Global Response

A new wave of service machines has emerged amid the coronavirus pandemic to maintain safety and social distancing.
“The public health crisis has created demand for service robots that allow for reduced human contact,” said Hisashi Taniguchi, CEO of ZMP Inc.
Firms from the United States, China and elsewhere are racing to produce service robots to accommodate various needs ranging from health care and security to entertainment and leisure.

How to Ship a Vaccine at –80°C, and Other Obstacles in the Covid Fight (NY Times) Published on: September 18, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Developing an effective vaccine is the first step. Then comes the question of how to deliver hundreds of millions of doses that may need to be kept at arctic temperatures.
While no vaccine has yet been approved by health officials in the United States, preparations for a mass-vaccination campaign are gearing up. The U.S. military and a federal contractor are expected to play a role in coordinating the distribution.
UPS said it was constructing a so-called freezer farm in Louisville, Ky., the company’s largest hub, where it can store millions of doses at subzero temperatures.

‘It’s irreparable’: Parents worry children face permanent health issues due to COVID-19 delays (CTV News) Published on: September 18, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Before the pandemic began, more than 100,000 children in Ontario were on a waitlist for mental health and rehabilitation services, but once hospitals began restricting non-essential operations, more than 30,000 pediatric appointments had to be cancelled, according to the Children’s Health Coalition, a collection of children’s hospitals and medical organizations in Ontario.
At the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) in Ottawa, more than half of its pediatric surgeries were cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions, and doctors believe it could take up to two and a half years to catch up.
The Children’s Health Coalition is calling on the provincial government to make a $375-million investment in children’s health care to help alleviate the wait times and offer the treatment children desperately need.

The Uncertain Future of Corporate HQs (HBR) Published on: September 18, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

The Covid-19 pandemic has seen tens of millions of Americans engage in a gigantic experiment in working from home — one that looks to be more permanent than anyone might have imagined.
The question of where to locate corporate facilities has been increasing in strategic importance for a long time.
Figuring out who will work from home and who will require actual office space, which offices to prune and which to keep, how they will be configured and shared, and precisely where they should be sited — in talent-laden superstar cities, in more cost-effective second- or third-tier metros, in downtown urban centers, suburbs or rural regions — requires more strategic thought, analysis, and planning than ever.

Covid-19: Do many people have pre-existing immunity? (BMJ) Published on: September 17, 2020 | Category: Global Response

It seemed a truth universally acknowledged that the human population had no pre-existing immunity to SARS-CoV-2, but is that actually the case?
At least six studies have reported T cell reactivity against SARS-CoV-2 in 20% to 50% of people with no known exposure to the virus
Though these studies are small and do not yet provide precise estimates of pre-existing immunological responses to SARS-CoV-2, they are hard to dismiss, with several being published in Cell and Nature.

America’s Offices Sit Half-Empty Six Months Into the Covid-19 Pandemic (WSJ) Published on: September 17, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Data from Brivo, a company that provides access-control systems for workplaces, shows that “unlocks” at offices—when someone uses their credentials to enter an office—in late August were down 51% from the end of February.
In Miami, which is dependent on tourism, employee visits to retail stores were at 92% of their pre-pandemic occupancy during the last week in August; in San Francisco, they were at 43%.
While more offices are reopening this fall, many businesses expect workers will work remotely at least part-time for the foreseeable future, suggesting that it could be years before offices return to pre-Covid-19 occupancy levels.

Five COVID-19 aftershocks reshaping mobility’s future (McKinsey) Published on: September 17, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Against a backdrop of mass layoffs, disrupted travel, and public-transit ridership down 70 to 90 per cent in the world’s major cities, shared mobility—and mobility in general—is struggling.
Developments in personal mobility have coalesced around four disruptions known as ACES: autonomous driving, connected cars, electrified vehicles, and shared mobility.
Long term, COVID-19 could have a sustained influence on mobility, driving changes in the macroeconomic environment, regulatory trends, technology, and consumer behavior.

CDC director suggests face masks offer more COVID-19 protection than vaccine would (Axios) Published on: September 16, 2020 | Category: Global Response

CDC director Robert Redfield suggested in a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Wednesday that face masks are “more guaranteed” to protect against the coronavirus than a vaccine, citing the potential for some people to not become immune to the virus after receiving the shot.
Redfield told the subcommittee that he believes there will be a “very limited supply” of a vaccine between November and December, and that “we’re probably looking at late second quarter, third quarter of 2021” for widespread distribution.

Social media a problematic coping mechanism for university students’ mental health this fall (Ottawa Citizen) Published on: September 16, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Only about one in seven students surveyed indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic has not had a negative affect on their mental health and stress levels, while more than half said it has affected them moderately, very much or an extreme amount.
More than 80 per cent of students, meanwhile, said they have used social media at least a moderate amount or more to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, while “problematic” use of social media, as defined by the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, jumped from about 28 per cent before an emergency was declared to just over 40 per cent immediately following.
Other means of coping include watching TV (82 per cent indicating moderate or higher use), connecting via such apps at Zoom and Facetime (65 per cent), eating fast foods or sweets (56 per cent) and exercise (49 per cent).

Canada to keep border with U.S. closed until at least Oct. 21, says source (CBC) Published on: September 15, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The federal government will extend the Canada-U.S. land border closure for another 30 days until Oct. 21, CBC News has learned.
The source told CBC News that the federal government is waiting to see evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is being managed efficiently before the government considers opening up non-essential travel between the two countries.
The closure has resulted in a dramatic drop in traffic between the two countries, although essential workers — such as truck drivers and health-care professionals — are still able to cross by land.
Canadians are still able to fly to U.S. destinations.

Hospitals Failed to Fully Contain Covid-19 Inside Their Walls (WSJ) Published on: September 15, 2020 | Category: Global Response

An average of 120 patients a day became infected with the new coronavirus inside U.S. hospitals as the pandemic ebbed from its spring peak and rebounded into the summer, according to previously unpublished federal data.
The figures suggest hospitals continue to struggle with in-house spread of the virus, said Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health.

Stillbirth rate rises dramatically during pandemic (Nature) Published on: September 15, 2020 | Category: Global Response

A slew of studies from around the world has reported a disturbing trend: since the coronavirus pandemic started, there has been a significant rise in the proportion of pregnancies ending in stillbirths, in which babies die in the womb.
It reported that stillbirths increased from 14 per 1,000 births before the country went into lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus in late March, to 21 per 1,000 births by the end of May — a rise of 50%.
The increase in the proportion of stillbirths among hospital births was not caused by COVID-19 infections, says Ashish K.C., a perinatal epidemiologist at Uppsala University, Sweden. Rather, it is probably a result of how the pandemic has affected access to routine antenatal care, which might have otherwise picked up complications that can lead to stillbirth, he says.

Financial Anxiety Is Up Around the Globe (BNN Bloomberg) Published on: September 14, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s 2020 International Survey of Adult Financial Literacy, 42% of the 125,787 adults polled reported worrying about meeting everyday expenses; 40% were concerned about their financial situation; and 37% reported they were just getting by.
Most concerning, given the threat of mass long-term unemployment, in response to the question, “If you lost your main source of income, how long could you continue to cover your living expenses, without borrowing any money or moving house?” 28% said about a week; 25% said about a month; 15% said about three months; and 18% said more than six months.

Amazon to hire 100,000 workers as e-commerce swells amid the pandemic (Washington Post) Published on: September 14, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

It’s the fourth large hiring drive announced by the Seattle-based retail giant this year, adding up to 308,000 jobs.
Competition among major online retailers has intensified as many Americans adapt to a prolonged period of working from home, and consumers look to online shopping to replace visits to the store.
As consumers rushed to stock up on cleaning supplies, home office equipment and recreational goods, Amazon was rocked by shipping delays and a depleted inventory.
As a result, Amazon’s share of the U.S. online retail market fell from 42.1 percent in January to 38.5 percent in June, according to data from Rakuten Intelligence.

Americans who can afford to hoard cash are waiting for a vaccine to spend it (Washington Post) Published on: September 14, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Gallup and Franklin Templeton released a survey that found 54 percent of Americans are saving at least a little money, and until there’s a vaccine, they largely plan to keep stashing it away.
“A lot of people are just waiting on the vaccine to be developed to continue their normal spending,” Grant Buckles, a senior research consultant who worked on the survey, said in an interview.
Only 24 percent have increased their contributions to retirement accounts, 17 percent have invested in the stock or bond markets, 5 percent have put it into real estate and just 3 percent have invested in other assets, such as cryptocurrency.

Coronavirus: 86% of doctors in England expect second wave within six months (Guardian) Published on: September 14, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Almost 86% of doctors in England say they expect a second peak of coronavirus in the next six months, according to a new survey, as concern continues to grow over a recent rise in cases.
When asked which of a range of factors might risk causing a second peak, almost 90% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that failures of the test-and-trace system posed a risk, while a similar proportion cited a lack of infection-control measures in places like bars and restaurants, and 86% agreed or strongly agreed confusing messaging on public health measures was a risk.

More than 200 meat plant workers in the U.S. have died of covid-19. Federal regulators just issued two modest fines. (Washington Post) Published on: September 13, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Federal regulators knew about serious safety problems in dozens of the nation’s meat plants that became deadly coronavirus hot spots this spring but took six months to take action, recently citing two plants and finally requiring changes to protect workers.
The financial penalties for a Smithfield Foods plant in South Dakota and a JBS plant in Colorado issued last week total about $29,000 — an amount critics said was so small that it would fail to serve as an incentive for the nation’s meatpackers to take social distancing and other measures to protect their employees.
Meat plant workers, union leaders and worker safety groups are also outraged that the two plants, with some of the most severe outbreaks in the nation, were only cited for a total of three safety violations and that hundreds of other meat plants have faced no fines.

The next subprime crisis could be in food (FT) Published on: September 13, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Of all the many problems caused by Covid-19, three of the most visible have been food insecurity, the demise of small businesses and asset market volatility.
All of those things might be poised to get worse, thanks to an unexpected but important financial shift. Big banks, including ABN Amro, ING and BNP Paribas, are either pulling out of commodity trade financing or scaling it back.
This will leave a funding hole for some farmers, agricultural producers and distributors, as well as grocery chains and other small and medium-sized companies that represent crucial parts of the global food supply chain.

Remote Schooling Out of Reach for Many Students in West Virginia Without Internet (WSJ) Published on: September 13, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Between 30% and 50% of K-12 students in the state lack internet access.
Nationwide, about 21 million people lack access to broadband, according to the Federal Communications Commission.
When people with slow or unreliable internet connections are included, the number swells to 157 million, nearly half the U.S. population, according to a study by Microsoft Corp.

Alaska Built One of the Most Comprehensive Covid-19 Testing Operations in U.S. (WSJ) Published on: September 12, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

The last comparable pandemic, the 1918 Spanish Flu, had devastated the state’s Native American population, and Mr. Dunleavy wanted to make sure that didn’t happen again.
During the summer surge of cases, Alaska was testing more people per capita than any other state in the U.S., according to Worldometers. It currently ranks No. 2, behind Rhode Island, and has the nation’s lowest Covid-19 deaths per capita.
Alaska stands out as an example of a state that, in the absence of a centralized testing operation by the federal government, managed to cobble together a program that helped state and tribal officials track the outbreak.

Covid-19: Fauci says US life won’t return to normal until deep into 2021 (Guardian) Published on: September 12, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The White House coronavirus taskforce’s most senior public health expert, Anthony Fauci, said on Friday that it would probably take another year before life returns to a sense of “normality” in the US, even if a successful Covid-19 vaccine is approved in the next few months.
And in an apparent rebuke to Donald Trump’s claim this week that the US is “rounding the corner” on Covid-19, Fauci said that current data on the pandemic is, in fact, “disturbing”.
While daily new cases in the US have halved since late July, when rates peaked at around 70,000 new casesa day, Fauci reiterated his concern that the approach of fall and winter – when people will spend more time indoors – could push the US into a “precarious situation”.

Whole Foods CEO John Mackey Says Many People Are Done With Grocery Stores (WSJ) Published on: September 11, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Since the coronavirus pandemic gripped the U.S. in March, consumers have been ordering more groceries online, making bigger purchases at a time and avoiding lingering in Whole Foods’ aisles.
To meet the rush for grocery deliveries, the chain temporarily closed some urban stores to walk-in shoppers and converted them to handling online orders only. The grocer is also expanding its pickup operations.
In the second quarter of this year, Amazon’s online grocery sales, which include Whole Foods’ business, tripled from a year ago.

Who Gets Hurt When the World Stops Using Cash (NY Times) Published on: September 11, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Some people don’t have credit or debit cards, so a growing number of state and local governments are requiring businesses to accept cash.
Businesses that refuse cash put at a disadvantage people who lack traditional bank accounts or can’t qualify for credit cards, consumer advocates say.
About one-fourth of American adults were unbanked or underbanked in 2019 — meaning they lacked a bank account or had one but also used alternatives like check-cashing services, the Federal Reserve found.

Ministers okay full lockdown as virus deaths, infections reach new highs (The Times of Israel) Published on: September 10, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Israeli ministers voted Thursday to impose a full lockdown nationwide starting next week, as the country appeared to notch new daily highs of coronavirus infections and deaths Thursday.
Over 4,000 new infections were also recorded for the first time.
Under the scheme, for the first stage will see people confined to within 500 meters of their home, with all schools (except special education) and non-essential businesses closed and all non-essential workers told to stay home. Restaurants will only be allowed to operate delivery service.

Covid-19 has forced a radical shift in working habits (The Economist) Published on: September 10, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The preliminary results are now in: yes, a lot of work can be done at home; and what is more, many people seem to prefer doing it there.
On August 28th Pinterest, a social-media firm, paid $90m to end a new lease obligation on office space near its headquarters in San Francisco to create a “more distributed workforce”.
The latest data suggest that only 50% of people in five big European countries spend every work-day in the office (see chart 1). A quarter remain at home full-time.

Late-stage COVID-19 vaccine trial on pause due to possible serious side effect. Here’s what that means (CBC) Published on: September 10, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

A front-running team in the race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine has put its late-stage trial on hold after a reported “unexplained illness” in one of the trial volunteers.
The trial was a Phase 3 clinical trial for a vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.
The federal government reported on Aug. 31 that it was close to a deal to secure doses of this particular vaccine for Canadians.

Do Jobless Benefits Deter Workers? Some Employers Say Yes. Studies Don’t. (NY Times) Published on: September 9, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The $600-a-week jobless benefit supplement that Congress approved in March as part of the CARES Act has been widely credited by economists with keeping the economy functioning through the coronavirus pandemic.
With the supplement, which ended in July, most unemployed workers got more than they had earned in wages; without it, they fell short of their previous income.
There has been striking agreement among conservative and liberal economists who have studied the issue that the $600 supplement has deterred few workers from accepting a job.

Dr. Fauci says pause on trial is ‘not uncommon at all’ after major coronavirus vaccine trial placed on hold (CNBC) Published on: September 9, 2020 | Category: Global Response

On Tuesday, AstraZeneca said it paused its phase three trial for a potential Covid-19 vaccine, called AZD1222, due to safety concerns.
“It’s not uncommon at all,” White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said.
He added that the adverse event could be unrelated to the vaccine and might have just occurred at the same time as the trial, “but you can’t presume that.”

America’s great virtual-learning experiment faces glitches nationwide (Axios) Published on: September 8, 2020 | Category: Global Response

An estimated 62% of American schoolkids are starting the year virtually, with many of the rest facing the same fate should caseloads rise in their areas.
Only 19% have in-person school every day, with another 18% in hybrid formats, according to a Burbio tracker.
Three of Texas’ largest school districts were hit with technical problems on the first day of classes, as were school systems in places such as Idaho and Kansas.

How COVID-19 created a new kind of consumer in just 90 days (Fast Company) Published on: September 8, 2020 | Category: Global Response

After two decades of steady growth, the trajectory of digital consumerism went into hyperdrive when the pandemic changed everything—giving us ‘Generation N.’
As an example, McKinsey also discovered that 75 percent of U.S. consumers have tried different stores, websites, or brands during this crisis.
Of those consumers, 60 percent reported that they expect to integrate new brands and stores in their post-pandemic lives.

Vaccine Economics: Where Profit and Public Health Collide (WSJ) Published on: September 8, 2020 | Category: Global Response

As government and private money pour into the global race for a Covid-19 vaccine, drugmakers are under great pressure to keep the shot affordable while also keeping investors happy.
WSJ explains what this means for the final price tag of the jabs.

Netflix’s Reed Hastings Deems Remote Work ‘a Pure Negative’ (WSJ) Published on: September 7, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

Co-CEO, Reed Hastings, of streaming giant discusses company’s culture of candor and how working from home is harder.
Not being able to get together in person, particularly internationally, is a pure negative.
Hastings: If I had to guess, the five-day workweek will become four days in the office while one day is virtual from home. I’d bet that’s where a lot of companies end up.

Office work could be changed forever by COVID-19. Here’s why that matters (CBC) Published on: September 7, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Nearly three-quarters of the 3.4 million Canadians who began working from home at the start of the crisis were still working remotely in August, according to Labour Force Survey data released by Statistics Canada on Friday.
That research, conducted by Maru/Blue on behalf of ADP Canada, found that 45 per cent of survey respondents would prefer to work remotely at least three days a week.
Of the 12 per cent who said they were anxious about returning to their former work locations, 56 per cent said they were worried about contracting the novel coronavirus.

As virus cases drop, governors may gamble on bars. Again. (AP News) Published on: September 7, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Thousands of bars forced to close after massive virus outbreaks swept across the U.S. this summer could be starting to see an end in sight as cases drop off and the political will for continuing lockdowns fades.
Bars remain under full closure orders in more than a half-dozen states, including hard-hit ones like Texas but also Connecticut, which has one of the nation’s lowest positivity rates.
For some states, it is a gamble worth trying, only a few months after a rush to reopen bars in May and June ended in disaster.

Hopes of US stimulus deal fade after strong jobs report (FT) Published on: September 6, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Economists and analysts expected an agreement to be struck by the end of the month to plough about $1.5tn in new government money into the economy, which could be pivotal to sustaining the US rebound. But prospects for a deal have diminished.
After the release of the unemployment data on Friday, Larry Kudlow, President Donald Trump’s top economic adviser, told Bloomberg TV that the US could “absolutely live with” no deal on new stimulus.

The closure of Canada’s border with Alaska has split a remote community (The Economist) Published on: September 5, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Few american towns are as remote as Hyder, a settlement of 65 people in the panhandle that juts south from the rest of Alaska between Canada and the Pacific.
The border is lightly policed. There is no American post. The Canadian guard’s shift ends at 4.30pm. Cameras and a telephone connection to an agent somewhere else in Canada keep watch after that.
But Hyderites and Stewardites value togetherness. Mr Loe and Gina McKay, Stewart’s mayor, want the towns to be able to form a bubble that would let their citizens mingle freely.

The Service Economy Meltdown (NY Times) Published on: September 4, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

For this army of service workers across urban America, the pandemic risks becoming more than a short-term economic shock. If white-collar America doesn’t return to the office, service workers will be left with nobody to serve.
The worry is particularly acute in cities, which for decades have sustained tens of millions of jobs for workers without a college education.
Consider Nike’s decision in the spring to allow most employees at its headquarters in the Portland area to work remotely. Aramark, which runs the cafeteria and catering at Nike, furloughed many of its workers.

Warp Speed chief calls pre-election vaccine ‘extremely unlikely’ (Washington Post) Published on: September 4, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The chief scientific adviser for the Trump administration’s effort to accelerate production of a coronavirus vaccine said it was “possible but very unlikely” that a coronavirus vaccine will be ready to distribute by the end of October or early November.
The timeline included in the federal government’s guidance for states has raised concerns about political pressure.
Trump has placed heavy pressure on the Food and Drug Administration to approve treatments and vaccines, raising alarm among scientists.

Days after reopening, France shuts 22 schools after Covid-19 outbreaks (France24) Published on: September 4, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer said on Friday that 22 schools had so far been closed across France and in French territories due to cases of Covid-19, just days after some 12 million students returned to school on Tuesday.
Up to 130 classes have also been halted and the minister said the authorities were investigating around 250 incidents related to Covid-19 in schools each day.
If a school reports more than three coronavirus cases the school is temporarily shut, Blanquer said.

Labor Day weekend sparks fears of new coronavirus outbreaks in California (LA Times) Published on: September 4, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The next big test of whether Californians can slow the spread of the coronavirus will come this holiday weekend, with officials hoping the public will refrain from the large gatherings and risky behavior that contributed to a spike in COVID-19 infections and deaths after a disastrous Memorial Day weekend.
California spent much of the summer paying the price for a rapid reopening of the economy in late May and early June, with a coronavirus surge from mid-June through the weeks after the Fourth of July that led to record deaths and new concerns about the virus spreading among young people and essential workers.
Health officials are hoping the shock of the summer will prompt people to play it safe this weekend, in part because so much is riding on keeping numbers down and to prevent history from repeating itself.

Tracing apps may stem COVID-19 spread even when only a few use them: study (Reuters) Published on: September 3, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Contact tracing apps can sharply reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus even when only a few people use them, a study published on Thursday by researchers at Google and Oxford University showed.
With a 15% uptake of contact tracing apps alone, the researchers calculated an 8% reduction in infections and 6% reduction in deaths.

Overworked and exhausted, warehouse workers brace for a frenzied holiday rush (Washington Post) Published on: September 3, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Holiday sales are beginning earlier than ever, as retailers race to accommodate a surge in online demand.
Warehouse workers across the country say they’ve been under enormous pressure for months, working extended hours to fulfill a crush of pandemic orders.
Working conditions, they say, have steadily deteriorated during the crisis, leaving many distribution centers understaffed and ill-equipped to accommodate frequent hand-washing and other safety protocols.

In Order to Defeat COVID-19, the Federal Government Must Modernize Its Public Health Data (Heritage Foundation) Published on: September 3, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the disastrous public health consequences of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) failure to follow multiple congressional mandates to modernize its data infrastructure.
Almost 90 percent of the COVID-19 cases included in the CDC’s March report “lacked any data about underlying health conditions such as diabetes or chronic lung disease, and 75 percent lacked information about hospitalization.”
Because the case report is not automatically transmitted from an electronic health record or pharmacy management system, busy frontline workers fill out CDC forms by hand and submit them by phone, fax, or e-mail.
The CDC recently testified that states “have improved the completeness of their reporting in the past two months; in particular, the percentage of reports that include race/ethnicity data has increased from 18 percent in April to 43 percent in early June.” This means that more than half of reports still lack the minimum information required by the CDC.

Half of Americans fear a health-related bankruptcy (Axios) Published on: September 2, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The number of Americans who worry about bankruptcy if they have a serious health issue has spiked over the last year and a half — particularly among men, people of color and young adults, according to a new survey from West Health and Gallup.
15% of adults said that at least one person in their household has medical debt that they won’t be able to repay within the next year, including 20% of adults of color and 12% of white adults.
A quarter of adults say that they’d have to borrow money to pay a $500 medical bill.

Health officials worry nation not ready for COVID-19 vaccine (AP News) Published on: September 2, 2020 | Category: Global Response

In a four-page memo this summer, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told health departments across the country to draft vaccination plans by Oct. 1 “to coincide with the earliest possible release of COVID-19 vaccine.”
But health departments that have been underfunded for decades say they currently lack the staff, money and tools to educate people about vaccines and then to distribute, administer and track doses to some 330 million people. Nor do they know when, or if, they’ll get federal aid to do that.
With only about half of Americans saying they would get vaccinated, according to a poll from AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, it also will be crucial to educate people about the benefits of vaccination, said Molly Howell, who manages the North Dakota Department of Health’s immunization program.

New York City Delays Start of School to Ready for In-Person Classes (NY Times) Published on: September 1, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The city’s 1.1 million schoolchildren will now start both remote and in-person classes on Sept. 21, 10 days later than originally scheduled.
The new timeline gives educators more time to prepare for the country’s most closely watched reopening effort, and provides the mayor with a longer runway to pull off one of the most ambitious, and riskiest, city initiatives in decades.
While the city has made progress in distributing personal protective equipment to schools, hiring nurses for every school building and upgrading ventilation systems in classrooms, that work is far from complete.

Key to Preventing Covid-19 Indoors: Ventilation (WSJ) Published on: September 1, 2020 | Category: Global Response

After urging steps like handwashing, masking and social distancing, researchers say proper ventilation indoors should join the list of necessary measures.
Driving the thinking is mounting evidence that the new coronavirus is transmitted through the air among people with prolonged exposure to the pathogen.
Especially troublesome, epidemiologists and other scientists say, is evidence from numerous indoor outbreaks suggesting the virus’s ability to spread to others even when close contact is avoided.

Goodbye to the ‘Pret economy’ and good luck to whatever replaces it (FT) Published on: September 1, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The lay-offs are emblematic of the crisis now facing city centres. The CBI, Britain’s biggest business lobby, has warned they will become “ghost towns” unless office staff return to their desks soon.
The pandemic has made a different future possible. The experience of lockdown proved to many employers what they had not quite believed (and would never otherwise have tried): large-scale remote working is effective.
Cities will not die, but their benefits could become more diffuse, with well-paid workers spread further into the rest of the country.

Airports Check Passengers’ Temperatures for Coronavirus (WSJ) Published on: August 31, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Airports from New York to Los Angeles, in some cases with help from airlines, are trying out ways to take passengers’ temperatures before they fly, after the government’s plans for a national program have lost momentum.
The number of passengers streaming through airports remains down some 70% from a year ago.
A Trump administration plan to try incorporating temperature scans into the security screening process at about a dozen airports around the country stalled in May, as the agencies that would have overseen the checks raised questions about their practicality and usefulness.

McKinsey: 75% of Americans have changed brands during the pandemic (ZDNet) Published on: August 31, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Over 75% of U.S. consumers have changed shopping behavior and changed to new brands during the COVID-19 pandemic. The top three reasons for shopping for a new brand were value, availability and convenience.
Consumer spending is subject to more scrutiny. The research points to consumers being more mindful of spending that is likely to last for all of 2020.
40% of US consumers are planning to spend less, with greater focus on essentials.

The Covid-era protocol for face-to-face meetings (FT) Published on: August 31, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

Until the discovery of an effective vaccine, though, the handshake will probably also continue to be a reliable vector for resurgence of Covid-19, as hugs and kisses have been already in tactile Spain.
Within the world of more formal business or diplomatic meetings, centuries-old norms of behaviour are changing, shoved aside by blunter health and safety protocols.
For those in the public eye, the only option may seem to be to avoid social contact altogether. In the past week, Ireland’s agriculture minister and its EU commissioner have resigned after attending a golf society dinner that allegedly breached the Covid-19 limit on numbers.

Covid vaccine rush could make pandemic worse, say scientists (Guardian) Published on: August 30, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The rush to immunise populations against Covid-19 could lead to the rollout of a vaccine that is not very effective and risk worsening the pandemic, leading scientists have said.
Ministers announced on Friday that the UK would take emergency powers to push any vaccine through the regulatory processes with unprecedented speed before the end of the year. Donald Trump wants to be able to announce the US has a vaccine before tthe presidential election on 3 November.
They urged all regulators to stick to the WHO’s guidance, which says that no vaccine that is less than 30% effective should be approved. It recommends at least 50% effectiveness, but allowing for 95% accuracy that could mean 30% in practice.

Japan has the world’s oldest population. Yet it dodged a coronavirus crisis at elder-care facilities. (Washington Post) Published on: August 30, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Japan has the world’s oldest population, with an average age of 47 and a life expectancy of more than 81 years. More than 28 percent of its people are over the age of 65, ahead of Italy in second place with 23 percent, and compared with 16 percent of Americans.
Fewer than 1 percent of Americans live in nursing facilities, compared with 1.7 percent in Japan.
The disasters that unfolded in nursing homes in the United States and Western Europe during the pandemic have exposed the neglect and underfunding that have bedeviled elderly care in much of the West.
But culture also appeared to play an important role: Experts point to a higher priority given to elderly care within society, stronger measures already in place at care homes to prevent infections and high standards of hygiene.

Global rally against COVID-19 safety measures comes to Parliament Hill (CBC) Published on: August 29, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Online misinformation about pandemic safety measures is thriving, experts say.
The group behind the rally is part of a wider movement of people across the globe venting their frustrations over science-backed measures designed to slow the spread of COVID-19.
The group behind the event in Canada’s capital calls itself a “leaderless” movement that doesn’t take political sides, and says it is mostly concerned with being forced to comply with the measures.

Airline analysts warn ‘the hardest part’ is yet to come (FT) Published on: August 29, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

In the past week alone, US carrier American Airlines said it would cut 19,000 jobs, Australian airline Qantas announced it would shed thousands more jobs and Norwegian Air Shuttle warned it needed another rescue package — only months after securing a bailout.
Analysts warn worse is yet to come as the prospect of second waves of infection and tough government rules on quarantine cripple airlines’ ability to forecast demand.
“You are getting airlines going from zero to 70 per cent capacity in the blink of an eye then having to ramp back down,” said Mark Manduca, an aviation analyst at Citi.

The U.S. Postal Service Is a Threat to Your Life (Foreign Policy) Published on: August 29, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Hardly anyone in the federal government seems to have given consideration to the health of more than 200 million Americans who depend upon the Postal Service for delivery of medicines, veterans’ assistance benefits, Social Security checks, food subsidies, child support, or deliveries of basic goods and food—dependencies that have been magnified by COVID-19.
Fourth, most physicians’ offices, hospitals, and health insurance companies send medical bills and require on-time receipt of payments from health consumers via mail.
According to a mid-August survey, 1 in 5 Americans expected a medicine delivery during the past week, and one-quarter of those deliveries were either delayed or never showed up.

Two P.R. Experts at F.D.A. Have Been Ousted After Blood Plasma Fiasco (NY Times) Published on: August 28, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

Two senior public relations experts advising the Food and Drug Administration have been ousted from their positions after fumbled communications about a blood plasma treatment for Covid-19.
The White House had installed Ms. Miller, who had previously worked in communications for the re-election campaign of Senator Ted Cruz and as a journalist for One America News, the conservative cable network, in this post just 11 days ago.
The F.D.A. had been considering allowing the use of convalescent plasma as a treatment for Covid-19 on an emergency basis, but last week, The New York Times reported that the decision had been delayed after Dr. Francis S. Collins and Dr. Anthony S. Fauci intervened and expressed concern that the available evidence on the effectiveness of the treatment was too weak.

Coca-Cola to cut thousands of jobs (FT) Published on: August 28, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Coca-Cola is to become the latest multinational company to cut thousands of jobs, setting out plans to restructure its business in response to a fall in demand after bars, restaurants and other venues closed to stop the spread of Covid-19.
“Voluntary separation” will be offered to 4,000 of the beverage maker’s employees in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico while similar schemes would be offered to an undisclosed number of workers in other countries.
Coca-Cola’s severance plans, which the company estimates will cost up to $550m, follow the steepest drop in the group’s quarterly sales in more than a quarter of a century.

When offices re-open, expect resurgence of dreaded hot-desking (The Sydney Morning Herald) Published on: August 28, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Most office workers now dream of weeks in which they can choose to come into an office as and when they please.
Almost a quarter — 23 per cent — said they would like to come into an office three out of five days, compared to 16 per cent who chose five days, and 7 per cent who said they would prefer to never come in.
However, a majority of workers say they would give up a fixed desk if they were allowed to work from home some of the time, according to Iometrics’ survey.

The University of Arizona says it caught a dorm’s covid-19 outbreak before it started. Its secret weapon: Poop. (Washington Post) Published on: August 28, 2020 | Category: Global Response

As 5,000 students prepared for move-in day at the University of Arizona this week, the school warned they would be tested periodically for the coronavirus.
One test, though, doesn’t involve a nose swab. The university is regularly screening the sewage from each dorm, searching for traces of the virus.
On Thursday, officials said the technique worked — and possibly prevented a sizable outbreak on campus.

How to reduce the mental trauma of covid-19 (The Economist) Published on: August 27, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

Not since the second world war have so many people in so many places been traumatised at once. Even after the disease itself is brought under control, the mental scars will linger.
In Spain nearly a sixth of those infected are health-care workers, and most of them show signs of ptsd.
In Bangladesh, where the incomes of poor people briefly fell by 80% when lockdowns were tight, 86% of people in one poll reported covid-19-related stress.
Research into previous disasters suggests that survivors’ long-term mental health depends more on “perceived support” than “received support”.

Millennials Help Power This Year’s Housing-Market Rebound (WSJ) Published on: August 27, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Millennials reached a housing milestone early last year when the group first accounted for more than half of all new home loans, and they consistently held above that level in the first months of this year, the most recent period for which data are available, according to Realtor.com.
The generation made up 38% of home buyers in the year that ended July 2019, up from 32% in 2015, according to the National Association of Realtors.
The recession has been a major financial setback for millions of younger workers who lost their jobs in recent months. A persistently high unemployment rate among millennials could slow homebuying among the group in coming years.

Consumer confidence is wilting (Axios) Published on: August 26, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Consumer confidence is moving backwards as more companies announce layoffs, jobs get harder to find and the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the economy.
It’s the latest indicator showing the U.S. economy is weakening moving into the back half of the year.
That consumer sentiment has fallen while the S&P 500 has risen for five straight months and by nearly 50% with housing prices counting superb back-to-back months suggests an increasing disconnect between markets and the economy.

Lex in-depth: why rescue finance will slow recovery for businesses (FT) Published on: August 26, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Since the outbreak of coronavirus, businesses across the world have raised unprecedented sums from public and private sources.
In the US, S&P 500 non-financial companies were sitting on $1.35tn of cash and equivalents at the end of June, according to a Lex analysis of quarterly and half-year earnings data.
Globally corporations have raised $2tn so far this year in bonds alone, a $600bn increase on the same period of 2019, according to rating agency S&P.

Before Making Loans, Some Mortgage Lenders Ask, Do You Really Plan to Pay This? (WSJ) Published on: August 25, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

New forms are showing up in some borrowers’ paperwork when they close on their home loan. Lenders are asking them to confirm that they don’t plan to skip their payments, at least not right away.
While the language varies, the forms generally tell borrowers that they won’t be allowed to skip payments until their loans are backed by the government, according to forms reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
The $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package Congress passed in the pandemic’s early days allows struggling homeowners to request up to 12 months of forbearance on federally backed home loans, meaning they can temporarily pause their payments and make them up later.

Insurers bet that pandemic will usher in era of higher returns (FT) Published on: August 25, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The coronavirus crisis appears a rolling nightmare for the insurance industry as it is assailed by huge claims and locked in damaging legal fights with customers.
But in recent months investors have quietly poured billions of dollars into insurance companies, betting the pandemic will ultimately prove the catalyst that ends a period of fallow returns for the industry.
According to insurance broker Marsh, prices for commercial insurance leapt by 19 per cent in the second quarter of the year, after a 14 per cent increase in the first three months of 2020.

Burnout, splinter factions and deleted posts: Unpaid online moderators struggle to manage divided communities (Washington Post) Published on: August 25, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

From the pandemic to systemic racism and volatile politics, the real world is seeping into online communities and making them harder to moderate.
Over the past five months, many moderators have found their jobs mirroring the outside world: increasingly messy, harder and unpredictable.
Facebook says there has been an increase in groups participation during the pandemic, and in conversations about race amid the Black Lives Matter protests.
In the United States, which has the highest number of reported covid-19 deaths in the world, 4.5 million people are in a pandemic-related support group on Facebook, according to the company.

Europe Tried to Limit Mass Layoffs, but the Cuts Are Coming Anyway (NY Times) Published on: August 24, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

When European countries ordered businesses to shutter and employees to stay home as the coronavirus spread, governments took radical steps to shield workers from the prospect of mass joblessness, extending billions to businesses to keep people employed.
A tsunami of job cuts is about to hit Europe as companies prepare to carry out sweeping downsizing plans to offset a collapse in business from the outbreak.
As many as 59 million jobs are at risk of cuts in hours or pay, temporary furloughs, or permanent layoffs, especially in industries like transportation and retail, according to a study by McKinsey & Company.

Alarm across Europe over surge in coronavirus cases (FT) Published on: August 23, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

A sharp rise in the number of coronavirus infections over the past two weeks has put European governments on high alert as holidaymakers return home to big cities and teachers and pupils prepare for the start of the school year after months of disruption.
France has opted to control the spread of the virus rather than attempt to eliminate it completely, and French president Emmanuel Macron has said there is no such thing as a “zero risk” society.
In Italy, new daily cases have also increased, reaching 947 on Friday, due to more travel and nightlife activities over the summer holidays.

This COVID-19 summer’s must-watch show is… an NBA rookie’s YouTube page? (Ars Technica) Published on: August 23, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

In early videos, Thybulle demystifies bubble policies and experiences as much as any traditional media.
Even if players will ultimately come into contact early and often during games, Welcome To The Bubble shows they must stay apart in fixed-position chairs during breaks on the practice court. Disney park wristbands that might normally FastPass a ride on Space Mountain instead help a player’s health data travel with them seamlessly for instant clearance.
And Thybulle walks the audience through this process: after arriving to the bubble and quarantining in their rooms until passing a consecutive number of COVID-19 tests, players then must take their temperature daily and head to a ballroom regularly for nose swabs.

Nearly 70,000 U.S. lives could be saved in the next 3 months if masks are worn, researchers say (CTV News) Published on: August 23, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Another 134,000 people could die in the U.S. from COVID-19 by December if no further safety measures are mandated — and the actual number probably would be much worse if mandates are relaxed, researchers say.
If governments ease current social distancing restrictions and mask mandates, daily death rates could reach 6,000 daily by December, up from his current prediction of 2,000 daily, Murray said.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield said earlier this week he expects deaths to begin declining by next week as a result of continued mitigation measures.
The CDC director expressed concern that while parts of the country are reporting improvement in new cases, states in middle America like Nebraska and Oklahoma seem to be “stuck” and cases aren’t falling.

Many Companies Planned to Reopen Offices After Labor Day. With Coronavirus Still Around, They’re Rethinking That. (WSJ) Published on: August 23, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

Expecting the virus to be under control by Labor Day, many employers had hoped to bring white-collar workers back to the office next month.
In an August survey of 15 major employers that collectively employ about 2.6 million people, 57% said they had decided to postpone their back-to-work plans because of recent increases in Covid-19 cases.
As they postpone back-to-the-office plans, many are adjusting safety protocols and thinking ahead about new quandaries—from how much legal immunity employers have if workers get sick to whether they can require Covid-19 inoculations when a vaccine becomes available.

Runny nose? Keep them home from school, Etches advises (CBC) Published on: August 22, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Ottawa’s medical officer of health says parents should err on the side of caution once classes resume.
Vera Etches, Ottawa’s medical officer of health, is urging people to get tested for COVID-19 if they display any symptoms of sickness at all, and not return to school or work until the test comes back negative and their symptoms subside.
“Even if it’s not COVID, it’s still going to cause a lot of strife and challenge if other people pick up a virus, and then they have to go get tested. It’s really best to stay home when you’re sick, whatever that sickness is,” Etches said.

How does coronavirus spread at a concert? Germans do a test (AP News) Published on: August 22, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Germany held a pop concert Saturday to see how those attending could spread coronavirus if they had it.
German researchers studying COVID-19 packed part of a Leipzig arena with volunteers, collecting data in a “real life” simulation of a pop concert but one with strict health and safety controls.
Researchers equipped each volunteer with contact tracers to record their routes in the arena and track the path of the aerosols — the small particles that could carry the virus — they emitted as they mingled and talked.

New Safety Standards for Moviegoing as U.S. Theaters Reopen (NY Times) Published on: August 21, 2020 | Category: Global Response

For the first time since March, when the pandemic brought much of American life to a halt, the nation’s major multiplex chains are selling tickets and serving popcorn again — although not in six states (New York, California, New Jersey, North Carolina, Maryland and New Mexico) where government officials say it remains too dangerous.
To help convince the rest of the country that moviegoing is safe, Ms. Colligan and the chief executives of the four largest theater chains in the United States — AMC Entertainment, Cinemark, Marcus Theaters and Regal Cinemas — appeared together via Zoom on Friday to announce uniform health protocols: mask requirements, limited capacity, no condiment stations, plexiglass partitions and enhanced air-filtration systems (or at least in top working order).
“It’s pretty similar to the time on a short-distance flight, which a lot of America is doing at this point,” said Dr. Joyce L. Sanchez, an infectious-disease expert at the Medical College of Wisconsin, at the news conference which was organized by the National Association of Theater Owners, a trade group.

Why the economic value of a face mask is $56.14 (The Economist) Published on: August 21, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The thinking goes that masks can, in part, substitute for lockdowns. People wearing them need not be discouraged as much from using public transport. More shops and offices might be able to reopen, albeit while practising social distancing.
Calculations from Goldman Sachs, a bank, suggest that a 15 percentage-point rise in the share of the population that wears masks would reduce the daily growth of cases by about one percentage point.
These economic benefits suggest that governments should do even more to nudge the minority of people who still forgo masks.

Governments puzzle over how to unwind job protection schemes (FT) Published on: August 21, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

A fresh surge in coronavirus cases is putting pressure on governments on both sides of the Atlantic to maintain emergency labour market support mechanisms at a time when politicians had hoped that their economies would be gradually returning to normal.
Many employees laid off temporarily at the start of lockdowns have returned to work, but millions have not, and job gains are slowing.
“This is slowly morphing into a long-term unemployment problem,” said Jay Shambaugh, a fellow at the Brookings Institution and former White House adviser, noting that 5 per cent of the US workforce had now been unemployed for more than 15 weeks.

Big firms offer stressed parents new perks such as subsidized tutoring (Washington Post) Published on: August 20, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

Tech firms and other major corporations that have long offered family-friendly perks for their employees’ youngest children are adding new educational benefits to help with school-aged kids as working parents again face a school year juggling work and virtual learning.
A program initiated by discussions between Accenture and Bright Horizons, the child care center operator, and being adopted by Microsoft, Bank of America and Accenture, will offer employees of these corporate giants access to small-group, part-time, “school-day supervision” at a heavily subsidized cost.
It is one of a fast-growing range of benefits some employers are starting to offer working parents struggling with the crushing stress and financial burden of work and virtual school.

How has the pandemic changed working lives? (The Economist) Published on: August 20, 2020 | Category: Global Response

A study concludes: more meetings, more emails, longer hours.
As millions of employees have relocated to living rooms and kitchen tables, pundits are already touting the death of the office, a new era of flexible timetables and mass exoduses from cities.
According to a recent study by researchers at Harvard Business School, employees have been attending more meetings—by video conference, rather than in person—sending more emails and putting in more hours since the widespread shift to home-working in March.

Reinvigorating growth in the consumer-goods industry (McKinsey) Published on: August 20, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

These companies also really thrived in developing markets by building brands and distribution as consumers became more able to pay for consumer goods.
But maybe most importantly for this context, they are four times more likely than older consumers to say that they resist buying mass brands.
Millennials are four times more likely than older consumers to say that they resist buying mass brands.

Covid-19 Appeared to Be Under Control in Europe. Now It’s Surging Again. (WSJ) Published on: August 19, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Coronavirus infections are surging again across much of Europe and governments are racing to prevent a full-fledged second wave of the pandemic —without resorting to the kind of broad lockdowns that devastated their economies in the spring.
The seven-day moving average of reported new daily cases has more than doubled since the end of July in the five largest European countries, nearing 11,000. That is the biggest sustained rise on the continent since it beat back the virus’s initial spike in March and April.
In response, governments are broadening requirements to wear masks, ordering nightclubs to close again, tightening restrictions on gatherings and forcing some travelers to quarantine.

Most Americans embarrassed by U.S. response to coronavirus, CNN poll finds (CTV News) Published on: August 19, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Nearly 7 in 10 Americans say the U.S. response to the coronavirus outbreak makes them feel embarrassed, according to a new CNN Poll conducted by SSRS, as 62% of the public says President Donald Trump could be doing more to fight the outbreak.
About 8 in 10 say they are at least somewhat angry about the way things are going in the country today, including an astonishing 51% who say they are very angry.
A narrow majority of Americans, 52%, say they are not comfortable returning to their regular routines right now, and in the last two months, this group’s expectations for when they might return to life as it was before the coronavirus have changed dramatically.

Coronavirus: South Korea bans all religious meetings in ‘last ditch’ bid to quash new outbreak (SCMP) Published on: August 18, 2020 | Category: Global Response

South Korea on Tuesday shut down all religious gatherings in Seoul after the latest cluster linked to a church stirred memories of the country’s initial outbreak earlier this year.
Nightclubs, karaoke rooms, buffet restaurants, computer gaming cafes and other “high-risk” facilities will also be shut.
The latest infections are believed to be the so-called GH genetic strain, which is more infectious than earlier Shincheonji-linked cases, health authorities said.

Guangzhou bans frozen meat imports over virus fears (FT) Published on: August 17, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The capital of China’s southern Guangdong province has suspended imports of frozen meat, fish and seafood from coronavirus-hit countries, as Beijing intensifies scrutiny of refrigerated food as a possible carrier of the disease.
The Brazilian government rejected the claims, pointing out that World Health Organization experts had said there was no evidence that frozen food or its packaging were a risk factor in spreading the virus.
Guangdong has launched a testing drive spanning the whole supply chain of a groceries and restaurant chain backed by technology company Alibaba, after one of its employees in Shenzhen was found to be infected.

Yale’s COVID-19 saliva test used in NBA gets FDA emergency approval (Today) Published on: August 17, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The test, known as SalivaDirect, “is simpler, less expensive, and less invasive than the traditional method for such testing,” Yale said in a news release Saturday.
SalivaDirect doesn’t rely on proprietary technology, and Yale researchers don’t intend to commercialize it, the university said.
The researchers will provide protocols to other diagnostic laboratories that could use commercially available equipment to conduct the test, the agency said.

First into the virus slump, China is proving the fastest out (Japan Times) Published on: August 16, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

China’s economy, the first to succumb to the coronavirus, is proving to be the fastest to recover.
An industry-powered rebound is pushing the Asian nation out of the historic first-quarter slump and toward the prospect of being the only major economy to expand this year. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg forecast growth of 2.0 percent.
The reasons for China’s performance so far range from a populace willing to accept and implement strict virus control measures to the fact that the world still needs its exports. Sales abroad jumped in July as factories and retailers elsewhere re-opened.

You May Not Know This Pandemic Winner, but Your Tween Probably Does (NY Times) Published on: August 16, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Millions of children have flocked to the online gaming site Roblox since March. That’s helping game developers, some as young as 16, make a lot of money.
Since February, the number of active players on Roblox has jumped about 35 percent to reach 164 million in July, according to RTrack, a site that tracks Roblox data.
About three quarters of American children ages 9 to 12 are now on the platform, according to Roblox. And players spent 3 billion hours on the site and app in July, twice as much as they did in February, the company said.

‘New York City Lite’: after coronavirus, will business flock to the suburbs? (FT) Published on: August 16, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

As the pandemic prompts a migration from cities, companies are debating whether to follow the people.
The past 20 years has been a golden age of great cities such as New York and London. As talented young workers migrated to such hubs, companies followed, attracting more talent in turn.
If more and more workers flock to the suburbs, this raises the question of whether companies will also follow. One of the revelations of the coronavirus pandemic has been how communications technology has allowed so many people to work from home without much of a hitch.

The COVID-19 learning cliff (Axios) Published on: August 15, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Perhaps the most jarring reality of the COVID-19 pandemic for families has been the sudden and dramatic disruption to all levels of education, which is expected to have deep social and economic repercussions for years — if not decades — to come.
A clear trend emerged from decades of studies on summer slide: students from lower-income families are more likely to fall behind than students who live in higher-income homes, RAND’s Jennifer McCombs told Harvard EdCast in March.
In math, students were likely to return with less than 50% of the previous school year’s learning gains, and in some grades nearly a whole year behind what would be expected under normal circumstances.

Forty percent of U.S. Covid-19 tests come back too late to be clinically meaningful, data show (CNBC) Published on: August 15, 2020 | Category: Global Response

CNBC and Dynata ran a survey of more than 9,400 Americans in all 50 states to get a sense of testing turnaround times for Covid-19.
Experts say results need to be returned in less than three days, optimally two, to be clinically meaningful.
The results showed almost 40% of tests take longer than that.

How the Pandemic Has Changed Us Already (The Atlantic) Published on: August 15, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The Great Depression permanently altered many people’s behavior. Could COVID-19 do the same?
Others foresaw themselves avoiding many activities that are currently risky, possibly for the rest of their life. “I’ve heard wonderful things about Alaskan cruises and had always hoped to go on one someday. No more.”
The seriousness with which someone treated the pandemic might become one more trait that Americans use to size up new acquaintances.

India to invest $1.46 trillion to lift virus-hit economy (AP News) Published on: August 15, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

India’s prime minister said Saturday his country has done well in containing the coronavirus pandemic and announced $1.46 trillion in infrastructure projects to boost the sagging economy.
The key lesson India learned from the pandemic is to become self-reliant in manufacturing and developing itself as a key supply chain destination for international companies, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.
Modi also announced a national digital heath plan under which every Indian will get an identity card containing all health-related information.

LA mayor embraces shift in COVID-19 testing strategy: simplicity and speed (Reuters) Published on: August 15, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The mayor of the second-largest U.S. city has joined a growing clamor among health experts and politicians for a radical shift in the nation’s coronavirus testing strategy – from an emphasis on the utmost accuracy to a focus on speed and simplicity.
The concept envisions mass production and distribution of low-cost, do-it-yourself diagnostic kits based on paper-strip designs that can be used frequently and produce results in minutes, similar to home pregnancy tests. No lab equipment or special instruments would be required.
Proponents say that rapid, at-home COVID-19 testing would allow for real-time detection of new clusters of cases, including asymptomatic individuals – before they can spread.

Untested for Covid-19, Nursing-Home Inspectors Move Through Facilities (WSJ) Published on: August 14, 2020 | Category: Global Response

More than half the states, including Texas, Pennsylvania and Ohio, don’t require their own inspectors to be tested for Covid-19 before going inside nursing homes, despite concerns that asymptomatic visitors could pose a risk to residents.
Nursing homes have been locked down since March to most visitors to keep the new coronavirus out. That generally includes residents’ family members, though some states are beginning to allow limited access, often in outdoor settings once a nursing home has met certain requirements.
Since much of the country began to reopen at the end of May, nursing homes reported an additional 82,209 Covid-19 cases, according to a Journal analysis of CMS’ most recent weekly data.

A quarter of young adults have contemplated suicide during the pandemic, CDC says (The Week) Published on: August 14, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Just over 40 per cent of respondents in a June 24-30 survey reported at least one adverse mental or behavioral health condition, ranging from anxiety disorder to increased substance use to cope with the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For example, 25.5 per cent of young adults age 18 to 24 said they had considered suicide in June, versus 16 per cent of respondents age 25-44 and 3.8 per cent of those 45 to 64.
Other groups with high rates of suicidal ideation included essential workers (21.7 per cent), people with less than a high school diploma (30 per cent), Black (15.1 per cent) and Hispanic (18.6 per cent) respondents — 7.9 per cent of white respondents said they had considered suicide — and unpaid adult caregivers (32.9 per cent).

Taking Stock of the Covid-19 Recession (HBR) Published on: August 14, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

As the crisis unfolded in February and March of this year, business leaders were forced to rapidly shift their expectations for the future. While expectations varied, we identified five disparities between common assumptions at the time and our current realities.
Economic forecasts gyrated wildly at the start of the crisis. For example, the median broker forecast for 2Q U.S. growth was still around 0% in mid-March, before collapsing 30 percentage points over the next 20 days. Over the following months the forecast settled around -35% (annualized – not to be confused with, but equivalent to, -10% quarter on quarter growth).
The severe intensity of the crisis fueled fears of systemic meltdown, driven by liquidity and solvency problems cascading through the real and financial economy.
While all economic downturns have their own idiosyncrasies, the underlying dynamics of this pandemic-induced recession were similar across the world: A health emergency requiring restrictive public health interventions creates a severe economic disruption, which must be bridged by economic policy.

The COVID-19 public health and economic crises leave vulnerable populations exposed (Brookings) Published on: August 13, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

We find that unemployed and essential workers are the most vulnerable given their lower income, lack of health insurance, and differences across household structure.
This timely evidence suggests a need for a more robust safety net, such as an expanded unemployment benefits program and more-accessible public health insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as more-deliberate targeting of federal support to Black and Hispanic households.
We find that, among those who are unemployed and received unemployment benefits, the average delay between application and first benefits payout is 23 days. However, when evaluated across race/ethnicity, figure 2 shows that unemployed Black Americans waited seven to eight days longer than unemployed white and Hispanic Americans to receive benefits.

The shifting nexus of retail banking (strategy+business) Published on: August 12, 2020 | Category: Global Response

For the first time in centuries, we’re starting to see customers making choices based on transaction execution. And instead of simply choosing a transaction method from the options provided with their particular account, they are adapting where they store their money — or how and from whom they borrow — to suit their preferred way of paying for goods and services.
Even as they struggle to deal with the impact of COVID-19, now is the critical time for banks across North America, Europe, and Australasia to chart their future and figure out how they will compete.
Similarly, buy-now-pay-later businesses such as Affirm in North America, Klarna in Europe, and Afterpay in Australasia have quickly grabbed a significant — and growing — share of the consumer lending market by offering a form of lending, integrated into the online checkout process, that is tailored to the way consumers prefer to transact rather than being predicated on an account-based relationship.
And as the pandemic restrictions drive a dramatic upswing in online transactions (while discouraging the use of both cash and card-based payments), the gradual trickle of consumers toward payment methods controlled by big tech platforms has turned into a torrent.

Half of Canadians say 2020 has been the worst year of their lives, with younger people more pessimistic: poll (National Post) Published on: August 12, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

So, it is not surprising that half — 50 per cent — of Canadians claim 2020 has been the worst year of their lives, according to a new poll conducted by Leger Marketing in partnership with the Association for Canadian Studies.
The poll also found more Americans — 58 per cent — than Canadians said 2020 has been the worst year of their lives.
Canadians and Americans said death of a loved one — 41 per cent and 46 per cent, respectively — and personal problems such as stress, anxiety and uncertainty about the future — 41 per cent for both Canadians and Americans — were the main reasons 2020 has been the worst year of their lives.

Employers Cast Wary Eye on Trump Payroll-Tax Deferral (WSJ) Published on: August 11, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Employers considering President Trump’s plan to allow deferred payment of payroll taxes face a series of costs, uncertainties and headaches.
Employers’ biggest worry: If they stop withholding taxes without any guarantee that Congress will actually forgive any deferred payments, they could find themselves on the hook. That is a particular risk in cases where employees change jobs and employers can’t withhold more taxes from later paychecks to catch up on missed payments.
Several large employers, including Walmart Inc., United Parcel Service Inc. and Home Depot Inc., said Monday that it was too early to say what they would do.

The Unequal Future of Consumption (The New Republic) Published on: August 10, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Shopping malls in Stockholm are half empty; H&M sales fell by half in Denmark and Finland, but even in Sweden, without a lockdown, they dropped by a third.
In the United States, 6 percent of total consumer spending is on restaurants and hotels alone, and another 4 percent goes to recreation.
In France, in early April, online sales of food were up by 98 percent—but next came rural shops (37 percent) and urban mini-marts (superettes; 25 percent), while the big hypermarkets saw a fall of 3 percent.

Graduate jobs drop by 60.3% since last year (The London Economic) Published on: August 10, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The number of graduate jobs being advertised has fallen by 60.3 per cent year-on-year, with industries such as marketing, construction and recruitment experiencing even larger drops.
In certain industries, such as media, that has increased significantly more – with 51.1 people applying for every job in the industry compared to 22.1 in the same period last year.
“The survey data also suggests that the redundancy activity will be broad-based, with IT, manufacturing and construction sectors the most likely to be affected,” CIPD’s senior labour market analyst Gerwyn Davies said in the report.
More than four in 10 (42 per cent) had applied recruitment freezes, the sharpest examples coming in the hospitality sector (65 per cent), business services (54 per cent) and in IT (52 per cent).

How is COVID-19 affecting US trade? (Brookings) Published on: August 10, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Overall, exports in the first half of the year were down 16 percent compared to last year. That’s more of a decline than we’ve seen in GDP.
Two of our big exports, aircraft and automobile parts, are down 30 to 40 percent.
If you look at the export side, again with Canada and Mexico, and those are our two biggest partners, our exports are down about 20 percent. I think this just reflects this serious recession throughout all of North America. But in the first half of the year, our exports to China were only down five percent.

Amazon and Mall Operator Look at Turning Sears, J.C. Penney Stores Into Fulfillment Centers (WSJ) Published on: August 9, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The largest mall owner in the U.S. has been in talks with Amazon.com Inc., the company many retailers denounce as the mall industry’s biggest disrupter, to take over space left by ailing department stores.
Simon Property Group Inc. has been exploring with Amazon the possibility of turning some of the property owner’s anchor department stores into Amazon distribution hubs, according to people familiar with the matter.
For Amazon, a deal with Simon would be consistent with its efforts to add more distribution hubs near residential areas to speed up the crucial last mile of delivery.

Nunavut government paying millions for residents to quarantine at Ottawa hotel (CBC) Published on: August 9, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

In an effort to keep its COVID-19 case count at zero, the Nunavut government has paid nearly $5 million for more than 1,200 of its residents to quarantine at an Ottawa hotel before returning home.
In order to return home, residents require a letter from Nunavut’s chief medical officer of health confirming they have completed a 14-day self-isolation.
So far, the government has spent $21 million for residents to isolate, the territory’s department of health wrote in a statement to CBC News.

Saudi Aramco Says Profit Fell 73 Percent as Demand for Oil Shrank (NY Times) Published on: August 9, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, said on Sunday that its quarterly earnings plunged more than 73 percent compared to a year ago, as lockdowns imposed to curb the coronavirus pandemic drastically cut the demand for oil and slammed prices.
Despite the steep fall in earnings, to $6.6 billion from $24.7 billion, the company said it would continue paying a quarterly dividend of $18.75 billion, almost three times its cash flow.
Continuing to pay such a large dividend distinguishes Aramco from other oil giants, like BP and Royal Dutch Shell, which have recently cut their payouts to preserve capital in difficult times.

In 2020, back-to-school shopping means frantically searching for other families to ‘bubble up’ with (Washington Post) Published on: August 9, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Quaran-teams, double bubbles, pandemic pods, micro-schools — whatever you want to call them, young families are seeking some friends for the end of the world as they knew it.
Now, as the virus has eluded containment and worsened in many states, parents are waking up to the idea that they will be more or less on their own for another six to nine months.
For several weeks, the parents have been meeting online for post-bedtime strategy sessions.

Trump signs 4 executive actions on coronavirus aid (Axios) Published on: August 8, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Defer payroll taxes for Americans earning less than $100,000 a year.
Implement a moratorium on evictions and give financial assistance to renters.
Add $400 per week in extra unemployment benefits through the end of 2020, requiring states to cover 25% of the additional benefits.
Postpone student loan interest and payments through the end of 2020.

Bill Gates is spending $150 million to try to make a coronavirus vaccine as cheap as $3 (Vox) Published on: August 8, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

Gates on Friday said that he and his foundation would spend $150 million to distribute vaccines, if they are found, to some of the world’s poorest people.
The Gates Foundation is handing the money to the Serum Institute, the largest manufacturer of vaccines globally by volume, to produce 100 million doses that would cost at most just $3 each.
Twenty-eight different possible vaccines have progressed to human trials, each of which has different manufacturing costs and requires different materials and precision.

Hard hit businesses pay only fraction of rents in July (FT) Published on: August 8, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

While groceries and other retailers selling essential goods have largely paid what they owe, many restaurants and discretionary retailers have not.
Illinois-based Retail Properties of America, which owns 102 shopping centres and other properties, said its collection rates for movie theatres and amusement and play centres were only 9 per cent and 6 per cent, respectively.
Private equity-backed businesses have paid less than their listed peers, according to figures from Spirit Realty Capital, a Dallas-based Reit with $6.3bn in assets under management.

Dr. Anthony Fauci says chance of coronavirus vaccine being highly effective is ‘not great’ (CNBC) Published on: August 7, 2020 | Category: Global Response

White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci that the chances of scientists creating a highly effective vaccine — one that provides 98% or more guaranteed protection — for the virus are slim.
Scientists are hoping for a coronavirus vaccine that is at least 75% effective, but 50% or 60% effective would be acceptable, too, he said.
The FDA has said it would authorize a coronavirus vaccine so long as it is safe and at least 50% effective.

The U.S. economy is on the verge of a ‘lost year’ (Washington Post) Published on: August 7, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

According to Pew Research, people are growing more pessimistic about how America’s leaders have handled the virus and the nation’s ability to contain it, which only digs a deeper hole for the economy.
As soon as the virus flares in a part of the country, cellphone data show people immediately stay home instead of instead of venturing out to restaurants, stores and entertainment.
As so much hangs in the balance, the bulk of the federal government aid for small businesses and unemployed has expired.

The world is spending nowhere near enough on a coronavirus vaccine (The Economist) Published on: August 6, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The world is hungry for a vaccine against covid-19. So far about 700,000 deaths have been recorded from the disease, and the total is increasing at a rate of roughly 40,000 a week.
In the face of this catastrophe, scientists look likely to produce a vaccine much faster than almost anyone could have predicted at the start of the pandemic. Yet global efforts to manufacture and distribute vaccines do not measure up.
Instead of seeing unproven vaccines as an extravagance, the world needs to think of them as an insurance policy. Research suggests that if ten or more vaccines are in development, there is a 90% chance of finding one which works.

N.Y., N.J. and Conn. to require travelers from 35 states to quarantine (Axios) Published on: August 5, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Travelers from 35 states are now required to quarantine for 14 days when traveling to New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, per New York state’s health department.
New York City will set up bridge and tunnel checkpoints to enforce the quarantine order, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday, per the Wall Street Journal.
“The quarantine applies to any person arriving from a state with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents over a 7-day rolling average or a state with a 10 per cent or higher positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a press release.

Pandemic Lays Bare U.S. Reliance on China for Drugs (WSJ) Published on: August 5, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The shortage of a simple, over-the-counter painkiller shows how dependent the U.S. has become on China for vital pharmaceutical supplies.
India, the world’s largest producer of generic medicines, depends on China for 80% of its active pharmaceutical ingredients, or API, the chemicals that give drugs their medicinal properties, according to industry data and Indian companies.
Overall, China makes nearly half of the planet’s API, according to Britain’s Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and pharmaceutical analysts.

Reimagining the $9 trillion tourism economy—what will it take? (McKinsey) Published on: August 5, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Tourism made up 10 per cent of global GDP in 2019 and was worth almost $9 trillion, making the sector nearly three times larger than agriculture.
COVID-19 has caused an unprecedented crisis for the tourism industry. International tourist arrivals are projected to plunge by 60 to 80 per cent in 2020, and tourism spending is not likely to return to precrisis levels until 2024. This puts as many as 120 million jobs at risk.
New Zealand has offered an NZ $15,000 (US $10,000) grant per SME to cover wages, for example, while Singapore has instituted an 8 per cent cash grant on the gross monthly wages of local employees. Japan has waived the debt of small companies where income dropped more than 20 per cent.

One-third of Sask. residents would get COVID-19 vaccine ASAP: survey (Saskatoon StarPhoenix) Published on: August 4, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Among provinces, British Columbia and Ontario residents are the most inclined to be vaccinated, while the poll suggests residents in Saskatchewan are more hesitant.
The Angus Reid Institute survey, published Tuesday, found half of Canadians say they have no reservations about receiving a jab as soon as it becomes available, while 32 per cent are willing to vaccinate but will wait a while.
Seventy-six per cent of those who say they will wait to get the vaccine also say they are worried about side effects, according to the poll.
Fourteen per cent say that they will not get immunized, while eight per cent say they are not sure.

Tax and spend is the new economic orthodoxy (FT) Published on: August 4, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Since March, governments have rightly embraced enormous deficits to limit the collapse in economic activity, protect incomes and sustain employer-employee relationships. As a result, public debt burdens are rising everywhere to levels not seen for many decades, or even ever before.
And even this choice — whether to be “fiscally responsible” with debt or with taxes — is only available in a best-case scenario.
Some express the hope — or the fear — that governments could coax their central banks into inflating away the debt instead. That is theoretically possible.

When Covid Subsided, Israel Reopened Its Schools. It Didn’t Go Well. (NY Times) Published on: August 4, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Confident it had beaten the coronavirus and desperate to reboot a devastated economy, the Israeli government invited the entire student body back in late May.
Within days, infections were reported at a Jerusalem high school, which quickly mushroomed into the largest outbreak in a single school in Israel, possibly the world.
The lesson, experts say, is that even communities that have gotten the spread of the virus under control need to take strict precautions when reopening schools. Smaller classes, mask wearing, keeping desks six feet apart and providing adequate ventilation, they say, are likely to be crucial until a vaccine is available.

Coronavirus cases are climbing in Midwest states with previously low infections (Washington Post) Published on: August 3, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The novel coronavirus is surging in several Midwestern states that had not previously seen high infection rates while average daily deaths remained elevated Monday in Southern and Western states hit with a resurgence of the disease after lifting some restrictions earlier this summer.
Experts also see worrying trends emerging in major East Coast and Midwest cities, and they anticipate major outbreaks in college towns as classes resume in August.
Tailored Brands, which also owns JoS. A. Bank, K&G and Moores, filed for Chapter 11 protection on Sunday evening, the same day that department store chain Lord & Taylor did so. They are among about a dozen large retailers that have tipped into bankruptcy as pandemic-fueled store closures sent sales plummeting.

How safe is it to go back to the office? (FT) Published on: August 3, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

It is “impossible” to make the office 100 per cent safe, says Paul Hunter, professor of Medicine at the University of East Anglia. “You could spend millions on preparations and then someone gets the infection from the journey in. You can’t legislate for all these transmissions.”
The open plan office had a bad health reputation long before Covid-19. People working in them took as much as 62 per cent more sick leave than those in more private spaces, studies showed.
When US researchers studied the ventilation system in an Oregon hospital treating Covid-19 patients, they found enough genetic material from the virus to conclude that air-conditioning could potentially help to spread viral particles, though there was no evidence this had happened.

COVID-19 long-term toll signals billions in healthcare costs ahead (Reuters) Published on: August 3, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Studies of COVID-19 patients keep uncovering new complications associated with the disease.
With mounting evidence that some COVID-19 survivors face months, or possibly years, of debilitating complications, healthcare experts are beginning to study possible long-term costs.
They stem from COVID-19’s toll on multiple organs, including heart, lung and kidney damage that will likely require costly care, such as regular scans and ultrasounds, as well as neurological deficits that are not yet fully understood.

San Francisco flattened the curve early. Now, coronavirus cases are surging. (Washington Post) Published on: August 2, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The Bay Area had avoided spikes, but shutdown fatigue, early reopening and a prison outbreak changed that.
Medical experts say a slow but steady rise in complacency is worsening the case count. Contact tracers have told public health researchers that people are getting sick after indoor gatherings.
“What it bought us was 3½ months of relative calm, relatively few cases, astoundingly few deaths, and an opportunity to build up capacity,” said Dr. Robert Wachter, chair of the University of California at San Francisco’s department of medicine.

Tourism’s collapse could trigger next stage of the crisis (FT) Published on: August 2, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Last summer around this time, I did an interview with Ulf Lindahl, the chief executive of currency manager AG Bisset. At the time there was growing concern that the unwinding of the unprecedented corporate debt bubble created over the past decade could cause a sharp economic downturn.
If people did stop travelling because of some unforeseen economic shock, he posited, the effects would ricochet through nearly every industry and business, from manufacturing to real estate, restaurants, luxury goods, financial services — you name it. All this would risk setting off a raft of corporate insolvencies, high unemployment and a sharp downturn.
At the top of this hierarchy of pain are companies such as Boeing and Airbus. With global airline traffic forecast to fall 60 per cent this year, the two major aircraft manufacturers are facing a flood of order cancellations just as trade tensions between Europe and the US are flaring up.

Lessons in corporate reinvention (FT) Published on: August 1, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Shares in Eastman Kodak have soared more than 15-fold in the past week after the company received a US government loan to produce ingredients used in drugs to combat coronavirus.
The company’s numerous attempts at staging a comeback — including a foray into cryptocurrencies — have long been a classic example of the challenge of how to stay relevant.
Yet even one successful reinvention does not guarantee a second or even a third.

Most Canadians don’t want an election during COVID-19: Nanos survey (CTV News) Published on: August 1, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Despite looming threats of a snap election this fall following the We Charity affair, most Canadians aren’t interested in heading to the polls during the pandemic, according to a new Nanos Research survey.
The latest ballot tracking by Nanos Research has the Liberal Party of Canada three percentage points ahead of the Conservatives, although Trudeau still enjoys a wide lead as preferred prime minister at 33.8 per cent over outgoing Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer (18.8 per cent), NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh (14 per cent), Green Leader Elizabeth May (6.9 per cent) and People’s Party Leader Maxime Bernier (4.7 per cent).
Forty per cent of respondents said they want Parliament to investigate the matter fully, while 28 per cent said Parliament should instead focus on “more important matters.”

Should Youth Come First in Coronavirus Care? (NY Times) Published on: July 31, 2020 | Category: Global Response

If medical rationing becomes necessary, some older adults are prepared to step aside. But many have the opposite concern: that they will be arbitrarily sent to the rear of the line.
Some policies adopted by states or health care systems to allocate medical resources — equipment, drugs, critical care and intensive-care beds — specifically make age part of the equation. Other guidelines appear more neutral, but incorporate factors that nevertheless disfavor older people, like other health conditions or life expectancy.
But he subscribes to a “life span approach” to ethics, sometimes called the “fair innings” approach: He has had his turns at bat. Younger people have had less time to experience life’s opportunities and pleasures.

30 million unemployed to lose extra jobless benefits, as talks between Congress and the White House are at an impasse (Washington Post) Published on: July 31, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Nearly 30 million workers are set to lose $600 in enhanced weekly unemployment benefits that have kept much of the economy afloat these past four months during the coronavirus pandemic, as top lawmakers in Congress and the White House remain at an impasse over how and whether to extend the benefits.
Many economists and workers credit the additional money with helping them keep up with basic bills during the crisis: rent, mortgage, car and credit card payments, as well as everyday expenses like food. Most states cap weekly unemployment benefits well below $600; some pay as little as $275 a week as their maximum.
The wrangling over whether and how to extend jobless benefits has occupied Washington for months.

Federal COVID-19 app launches after month-long delay (The Logic) Published on: July 31, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The federal government’s exposure-notification app launched in Ontario Friday, after a nearly month-long delay during which Ottawa unsuccessfully tried to get other provinces to sign on.
“Health experts say if enough people sign up, this app can help prevent future outbreaks of COVID-19 in Canada.”
The federal government worked with Apple and Google on the technology underlying the app. A Shopify volunteer team provided the original code, and BlackBerry helped with security reviews.

Follow rules to avoid second national lockdown, warns Boris Johnson (Guardian) Published on: July 31, 2020 | Category: Global Response

PM pauses easing of England’s coronavirus lockdown and says government ‘may need to go further’.
His stark assessment comes just weeks before schools across England are due to reopen, raising questions about what else might have to be restricted to allow them to do so.
He said he was pausing the reopening of leisure businesses, such as casinos and bowling alleys, and preventing beauty salons resuming close-up treatments, for at least two weeks.

Taking responsibility for front-line health-care workers (The Lancet) Published on: July 31, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Inspiring stories about the bravery and resilience of health-care workers in the fight against COVID-19 are touted in news coverage around the world. However, little attention is paid to the factors that undermine global efforts to protect front-line health-care workers.
In May, 2020, Amnesty International reported that more than 3000 health-care workers have died from COVID-19 across 79 countries.
According to estimates from the International Council of Nurses, more than 600 nurses have died from COVID-19 globally.
45% of nurses reported PPE shortages, 79% were encouraged or required to reuse PPE, and 36% reported reusing N-95 masks for 5 days or longer.

COVID-19 and the great reset: Briefing note #16, July 30, 2020 (McKinsey) Published on: July 30, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

In North America and in developing markets, executives have become less hopeful about their countries’ economies and more cautious in their views on potential scenarios for COVID-19 recovery.
Leaders in China and India, on the other hand, are growing more upbeat.
Our review of historical attrition rates suggests that the current pipeline may yield more than seven approved products over the next few years, with some available for emergency use late this year or early in the next.
Some young middle managers are defying the problems and frustrations of this difficult period to achieve far more than others. Leading companies are capitalizing on this by installing four talent-management practices to thrive beyond the pandemic.

Covid-19 has strained Canada’s relations with America (The Economist) Published on: July 30, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

America would like Canada to reopen, but with covid-19 spreading fast in most American states, Canadians are less keen. Justin Trudeau, their prime minister, has tried to avoid confronting Donald Trump.
In June only 64,000 American residents entered Canada by road, compared with 1.6m a year before, a drop of 96%.
The bipartisan Northern Border Caucus of 29 Congress members has called on Canada to allow Americans to visit holiday homes they own north of the border. They also want a “comprehensive framework” towards reopening.

Should young children wear face masks? Health experts are divided (The Globe and Mail) Published on: July 29, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The report follows a guidance document released last month by the Hospital for Sick Children that was criticized by educators and some epidemiologists for not consulting more widely and for failing to demand more safety measures, such as masking and strict physical distancing.
The updated document was a collaborative effort between SickKids, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Kingston Health Sciences Centre, London Health Sciences Centre, McMaster Children’s Hospital and Unity Health.
The report also said that the use of masks in schools is “complex and nuanced” and there is limited data on their effectiveness but there “remains a theoretical benefit especially for older children and youth.”
The use of masks in classrooms has become the subject of a fierce debate across the country, and interestingly, the document noted that there wasn’t a full agreement among the contributors on the need and role of students wearing masks.

Coronavirus relief talks hit impasse on Capitol Hill (Washington Post) Published on: July 29, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Negotiations on a new coronavirus relief bill hit an impasse on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, leaving no clear path forward even as millions of Americans face a sudden drop in unemployment benefits, and the economy teeters on the brink.
After a day of meetings, all parties declared their differences all but irreconcilable.
More than 20 million Americans remain unemployed and have been receiving a $600 weekly emergency unemployment payment that Congress approved in March, on top of whatever benefit their state offers. That extra federal benefit runs out Friday.

Breaking down Shopify’s ‘blowout’ quarter (The Logic) Published on: July 29, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, swarms of brick-and-mortar retailers are shifting their business online for the first time—a trend that’s helped Shopify nearly double its revenues in the second quarter.
The company’s record-high revenue coincides with its rollout of new products and services to help merchants beef up their sales pipelines during the pandemic. “I cannot recall a time in our history when we’ve shipped so many features in such a short period of time,” said COO Harley Finkelstein on Wednesday’s earnings call.
US$153 million: The amount of funding deployed through Shopify Capital, the firm’s small-business loan initiative, in Canada, the U.S. and U.K. The spending represents a 65 per cent increase over the second quarter last year, at which time Shopify Capital was only available to U.S. merchants.

COVID-19 and the surge of “buy now, pay later” (Cardify) Published on: July 29, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

While the US “buy now, pay later” (BNPL) market is still in its infancy, it has experienced a 197% YoY GMV increase (ending Q2 2020).
COVID-19 had little impact on the demographics of BNPL users. BNPL usage continues to skew to a younger, female demographic, which is likely due to the fact that BNPL providers have thus far focused primarily on partnerships with female focused ecommerce brands.
While some consumers appear to use BNPL when experiencing high credit saturation, many others appear to use the offering as an alternative to having a credit card, or simply for preference. Across our panel, 75%+ of customers choosing to use BNPL for payment have the funds to cover the full cost of purchase.

FedEx Pilots Seek to Halt Hong Kong Operations Over Tighter Covid-19 Rules (WSJ) Published on: July 29, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Pilots for FedEx have asked the U.S. courier to suspend Hong Kong operations, saying the city’s tightened measures to contain its biggest outbreak of coronavirus infections are unacceptable for the company’s pilots.
Several FedEx pilots who had tested negative for Covid-19 were required to stay in quarantine in government facilities because they had been in close contact with an infected person, Mr. Chase said.
This month, two U.S. airlines canceled flights to and from Hong Kong over mandatory testing and quarantine for aircrew, which they said caused too much delay and disrupted flight schedules.

Fed Extends Emergency Lending Programs by Three Months (WSJ) Published on: July 28, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

In a statement, the Fed said that the extension of the programs, through Dec. 31, would “facilitate planning by potential facility participants and provide certainty that the facilities will continue to be available to help the economy recover.”
When policy makers announced the programs in March, analysts hoped the virus might be brought under control by the summer.
The programs serve two main functions. A few are playing a classic lender-of-last-resort function, allowing the Fed to flood short-term funding markets—the plumbing of modern finance—with loans.
The second category of programs are designed to support lending for an array of credit markets, including debts of large, investment-grade corporations and short-term borrowing for more than 250 state and municipal governments.

COVID-19 Impact: 43% of Patients Apprehensive about Going Back to See a Healthcare Provider In Person Until at least the Fall, With Anxiety Lasting Into 2021 (Business Wire Health News) Published on: July 28, 2020 | Category: Global Response

DocASAP survey reveals how healthcare consumers are adapting to the new normal, unveiling new data on telehealth adoption and preference for digital capabilities.
The survey, conducted by OnePoll and commissioned by DocASAP, provides an inside look at healthcare consumers’ concerns and experiences during the pandemic, revealing key drivers of telehealth adoption, the growing demand for digital, self-service capabilities and the long-term preference for virtual care post-COVID-19.
Almost half of survey respondents (40%) have scheduled a telehealth appointment.
While routine check-ups were the top reason for scheduling a telehealth appointment across the board (56%), more than a quarter of telehealth visits (26%) were due to mental health concerns, exceeding COVID-19 (24%).

U.S military personnel in St. John’s accused of not isolating, as confusion swirls around exemption rules (CBC) Published on: July 28, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The manager of a St. John’s hotel says American military members have been leaving the hotel and telling staff they were given the OK to do so by the Canada Border Services Agency.
That runs contrary to provincial rules on visitors from outside of Atlantic Canada. Even people travelling to Newfoundland and Labrador for essential work are required to isolate when they are not working.
Health Minister John Haggie said he’d heard stories about American military members being in a downtown restaurant Monday night, and that his department is looking into it.

A third of working Canadians worry about job security during pandemic: survey (Benefits Canada) Published on: July 28, 2020 | Category: Global Response

More than half (58 per cent) of working Canadians said they feel more concerned about their financial situation due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey by the Canadian Payroll Association.
The survey, which polled more than 4,000 employed Canadians, found 54 per cent said their company is facing serious economic impacts from the pandemic.
The majority (77 per cent) said they’re working from home during the pandemic, but as workplaces reopen, one in five said these worries may prompt them to go into the office even if they’re coughing, sneezing or feeling ill.

Google to Keep Employees Home Until Summer 2021 Amid Coronavirus Pandemic (WSJ) Published on: July 27, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Google will keep its employees home until at least next July, making the search-engine giant the first major U.S. corporation to formalize such an extended timetable in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
In New York, fewer than one-tenth of Manhattan office workers are back to the workplace, a full month after the city gave businesses the green light to reoccupy buildings vacated in March.
Mr. Pichai was swayed in part by sympathy for employees with families to plan for uncertain school years that may involve at-home instruction, depending on geography.
It also frees staff to sign full-year leases elsewhere if they choose to move.

How baseball’s coronavirus reckoning affects everything (Axios) Published on: July 27, 2020 | Category: Global Response

In less than four days, the 2020 MLB season is seriously at risk after at least 14 members of the Miami Marlins tested positive for the coronavirus, canceling games in Miami and Philadelphia and kicking off an emergency league meeting.
It’s a bad sign for baseball moving forward. But most importantly, it’s a bad sign for just about everything in our daily lives — showing that something approaching normal can’t simply be willed into existence.
The league moved forward without the sequestered “bubble” concept embraced by other sports leagues that have restarted or are on the verge of doing so, instead allowing teams to crisscross the country.

Pandemic crisis: Global economic recovery tracker (FT) Published on: July 27, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Alternative indicators give an early picture of whether the global economy is returning to pre-crisis levels.
The FT will be tracking the most relevant alternative indicators to provide a first snapshot of changes in activity as they happen across key sectors and countries.
Job postings data from Indeed.com suggest that a labour market recovery has barely started.
Retail footfall, which tracks the number of visits to shops, tells a different story. Consumers have been slower to return even as businesses have opened their doors.

Despite Ontario delay, more provinces considering signing on with federal COVID Alert app (The Logic) Published on: July 27, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The federal government’s in-house digital development shop is working to make the app compatible with health systems around the country, The Logic has learned, and several provinces have held discussions about signing on.
While COVID Alert will be available for download anywhere in the country, it can only notify users that they may have been exposed to the virus if provincial and local health authorities participate, according to a federal source with knowledge of the project.
Once downloaded, the app uses Bluetooth to exchange anonymous, encrypted keys with nearby devices also running the app; those keys are then uploaded to a server. Users will be alerted if in the previous 14 days they’ve been in close proximity to someone found to have COVID-19.

Where coronavirus stimulus talks stand (Axios) Published on: July 26, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The consensus within the White House over the weekend is that they should turn their attention toward passing a smaller, bifurcated stimulus bill, focused on their main priorities.
“I think [President Trump] made a pragmatic decision to say let’s focus on unemployment insurance, schools and liability protection as the most important aspect of the larger package and deal with anything else later,” said Chief of staff Mark Meadow.

America’s face mask ambivalence (Japan Times) Published on: July 26, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Masks make sense, especially in a pandemic, as the experience of Japan and many other nations suggests.
Despite all these positive aspects to mask-wearing, and the adverse health consequences of not doing so, at least 10 per cent of Americans, according to recent polls, refuse to wear masks at all, and a third or more fail to wear them consistently in public places.
According to recent polls, only 40 per cent of respondents in Arizona consistently wear masks in public, compared to nearly 80 per cent in Massachusetts.

A payroll tax holiday will get Americans back to work (FT) Published on: July 26, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

A voluntary payroll tax holiday could play a pivotal role in boosting disposable income and incentives to work.
The payroll tax withholding rate, currently 6.2 per cent for the employee component, could be cut to zero for the first two years, delivering a much-needed income boost for workers who opt in.
This would increase disposable income for existing workers, which would spur consumption and ignite a virtuous cycle that would encourage even more hiring.

Corporate Insiders Pocket $1 Billion in Rush for Coronavirus Vaccine (NY Times) Published on: July 25, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The race is on to develop a coronavirus vaccine, and some companies and investors are betting that the winners stand to earn vast profits from selling hundreds of millions — or even billions — of doses to a desperate public.
The sudden windfalls highlight the powerful financial incentives for company officials to generate positive headlines in the race for coronavirus vaccines and treatments, even if the drugs might never pan out.
Some companies are attracting government scrutiny for potentially using their associations with Operation Warp Speed as marketing ploys.

The Work-From-Home Shift Shocked Companies—Now They’re Learning Its Lessons (WSJ) Published on: July 25, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

At its peak in early May, 52% of employed Americans reported always working from home, and another 18% reported sometimes working from home, for a total of 70%, according to a survey by polling firm Gallup.
A survey of corporate leaders conducted by Gartner on June 5 found that in the future, 82% plan to allow remote working at least some of the time; 47% said they intend to allow full-time remote work going forward.
April and May saw an uptick in consumer spending on laptops and related work-from-home gear.
Many companies that were reluctant to spend on their workers opted for a previously obscure subset of the cloud computing market: “desktop as a service.”

Record numbers of coronavirus cases in every global region: Reuters tally (Reuters) Published on: July 25, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Almost 40 countries have reported record single-day increases in coronavirus infections over the past week, around double the number that did so the previous week, according to a Reuters tally showing a pick-up in the pandemic in every region of the world.
Many countries, especially those where officials eased earlier social distancing lockdowns, are experiencing a second peak more than a month after recording their first.
The data reveals a growing number of resurgent cases in countries across all regions.
In Europe, where the summer vacation season is in full swing, a new daily record figure in Spain is likely to deter tourists from visiting one of the continent’s most popular destinations.

How McDonald’s plans to enforce its new mask policy (CNN) Published on: July 24, 2020 | Category: Global Response

McDonald’s and Chipotle announced they would soon require customers to wear masks or other face coverings as cases of Covid-19 surge across the United States.
McDonald’s said that about 80 per cent of its restaurants are in areas that already require face coverings. But “it’s important we protect the safety of all employees and customers,” the company said in a statement.
Customers who enter a McDonald’s location without a mask will be offered one by an employee. If they refuse to wear it, they’ll be asked to stand at a designated spot, away from other customers, where they’ll receive their orders.

Meet the New C.D.C. Director: Walmart (NY Times) Published on: July 24, 2020 | Category: Global Response

From the headquarters of Walmart (which includes Sam’s Club) and Starbucks came the directive that all customers must wear masks.
But mandatory masks could turn out to be a competitive issue, too, as consumers seek safety. Winn-Dixie, a Southern supermarket chain, had resisted masks, but changed its mind this week. Putting customers at risk for political reasons is one thing; putting your business at risk is another.
While such efforts by Walmart and other big payers help to restrain health care costs, the larger problem is that we’ve been abdicating health care policy to profit-seeking corporations.

Does a Raise or Remote Work Sound Better? (WSJ) Published on: July 24, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

Telecommuting is emerging as a coveted perk. Workers and their companies see the benefits, but how will they feel in 2021?
Where the promise of on-site haircuts and bountiful buffets once drew talent to Silicon Valley, and the promise of part-time hours once attracted working parents to flexible companies, staying home has emerged as the hot corporate perk.
An experiment that Dr. Bloom did with workers in China in 2009 and 2010 finds that intense loneliness tended to set in by the ninth month.
He declares remote work a 2019 perk, a 2020 necessity and a “2022 attribute which some people are going to like and others are going to loathe.”

What Safe Shopping Looks Like During the Pandemic (HBR) Published on: July 24, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

To limit the spread of Covid-19, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that individuals practice social distancing. When local conditions allow for retail stores to open, they confront a variety of guidelines that vary by state.
These variations are due to differences in the prevalence of the virus, diversity in local attitudes toward social distancing, and political forces. It is also difficult to formulate and implement guidelines that apply to all types of stores because of variations in store layout, customer flow, and the willingness of customers to comply with social-distancing advice.
To maximize efficiency and throughput, a store would look like a well-run manufacturing line: Customers would arrive at designated times and shop at a designated pace in order to maintain social distancing. Alas, in real life, customers choose their own arrival times and pace, injecting variability into the system.

Governments must beware the lure of free money (The Economist) Published on: July 23, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The first is the jaw-dropping scale of today’s government borrowing, and the seemingly limitless potential for yet more. The IMF predicts that rich countries will borrow 17 per cent of their combined gdp this year to fund $4.2trn in spending and tax cuts designed to keep the economy going.
The result is that long-term interest rates stay low even while public-debt issuance soars.
The state’s growing role as capital-allocator-in-chief is the third aspect of the new age. To see off a credit crunch, the Federal Reserve, acting with the Treasury, has waded into financial markets, buying up the bonds of at&t, Apple and even Coca-Cola, and lending directly to everyone from bond dealers to non-profit hospitals.
The absence of upward pressure on prices means there is no immediate need to slow the growth of central-bank balance-sheets or to raise short-term interest rates from their floor around zero.

Maybe he’s born with it, maybe it helps with video calls: Makeup for men finds a niche (Washington Post) Published on: July 23, 2020 | Category: Global Response

How a new cosmetics brand is capitalizing on changing gender norms and the desire to look Zoom-ready.
The company aims to convince men who had never considered stopping by a MAC counter or sitting through a YouTube tutorial that makeup is an option for subduing dark circles and razor burn.
But with the global cosmetics market projected to reach nearly $430 billion by 2022, according to Allied Market Research, the ground is shifting. And industry experts believe men will be more likely to buy concealer at a drugstore, or online, than brave a trip to Ulta or Sephora.

Swapping Shopping Carts for a Laptop, Online Buyers Say They Are Hooked for Good (Business Wire Manufacturing News) Published on: July 23, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Consumers have rushed to online shopping, a “seismic shift” that will steadily grow if retailers provide convenient deliveries and environmentally friendly packaging, according to a DS Smith survey with important cues for businesses eager to flourish in a post-lockdown world.
The national survey by DS Smith, a leading paper, packaging and recycling company, found that the pandemic may have permanently changed Americans’ buying habits, with 85 per cent of online shoppers saying they will continue to shop online at the same level or more, even after stay-at-home rules are lifted.
Nearly two-thirds of consumers polled say they are shopping online more than before the coronavirus outbreak, chiefly because it’s a safe and convenient way to get what they need.

America’s backwards coronavirus strategy (The Economist) Published on: July 22, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The federal government’s approach is like a hospital that invests in palliative care while abolishing the oncology department.
When Congress passed the CARES Act, a fiscal-stimulus package costing $2.2trn, in March, it included important stabilisers for an economy placed in a medical coma.
These measures were set to expire after four months, by which time the epidemic was expected to be under control.
The “V-shaped recovery” that America had hoped for seems out of reach. About 18m are still unemployed, compared with 6m before the recession.

Parents fight lost rites of passage as pandemic rages on (Axios) Published on: July 21, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Nearly 100 recent New Hampshire high school grads got dressed up last weekend for a private prom, AP reports, one of several held around the country.
The state’s rules for wedding and event venues don’t prohibit dancing but strongly discourage it unless dancers stick with members of their own household or remain 6 feet apart, AP notes.
“Everyone I’ve talked to is saying, ‘Thank you for doing this for the kids,’” said Andrea Gately, who helped organize the event.

Lockheed Martin Boosts 2020 Guidance (WSJ) Published on: July 21, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Lockheed Martin Corp. said rising Covid-19 cases are affecting production of its combat jets and missiles in Texas and Florida, impacting an industry that had mostly dodged the financial fallout from the pandemic.
The world’s biggest defense company by sales on Tuesday cut its expected deliveries of F-35 aircraft produced in Fort Worth, Texas, by 15% for this year.
The defense industry has been one of the U.S. economy’s most-resilient sectors, with its designation as an essential industry allowing plants to avoid shelter-in-place orders.
The Pentagon has pledged to cover contractors’ additional costs from continuing work through the pandemic, and it is seeking more than $10 billion in funding that has yet to be authorized by Congress.

Canadian health officials using Uber data to track COVID-19 (The Logic) Published on: July 21, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Health officials across Canada are using data from Uber to beef up their contact-tracing efforts in a bid to slow the spread of COVID-19, The Logic has learned.
Ten Canadian public health units have made a total of 145 requests for data from Uber since the ride-hailing giant launched a tool that lets health officials quickly access personal information on riders and drivers who may have come in contact with someone infected.
The service is an extension of Uber’s law enforcement and public safety portal, which provides law enforcement officials with user data when Uber is legally compelled to, or when its team of internal and external law enforcement experts determines it’s in the interest of the public safety to do so.

‘Holiday shopping will be different’: Walmart says it will keep stores closed this Thanksgiving (USA Today) Published on: July 21, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Walmart stores will be closed this Thanksgiving, the retailer announced Tuesday.
“We know holiday shopping will be different this year, and we will be managing sales events differently,” CEO John Furner wrote. “Our best ideas come from our associates, and this year we have decided to close our stores on Thanksgiving Day – November 26.”
Walmart stores and Sam’s Club locations will operate with normal hours, the day before Thanksgiving, Nov. 25. Store and club hours for Friday, Nov. 27, which is Black Friday, will be shared at a later date, the company said in a news release.

Early Oxford-AstraZeneca Coronavirus Vaccine Data ‘Encouraging,’ Scientists Say (NPR) Published on: July 20, 2020 | Category: Global Response

An experimental coronavirus vaccine triggered an immune response against COVID-19 in study participants, and it has only minor side effects, according to new data published in the medical journal The Lancet.
According to a phase one/phase two study of more than 1,000 patients, the vaccine triggered two immune responses: an increase in antibodies and a T-cell response.
Professor Adrian Hill, one of the study authors, said that the two-pronged immune response is ideal. The antibodies prevent healthy cells from becoming infected, and the T-cells work to kill cells that have already become infected.
There are 24 coronavirus vaccine candidates currently in clinical trial, according to the World Health Organization. Only two — the Oxford-AstraZeneca candidate and another candidate by Sinovac Biotech — have begun phase three trials so far.

CERB Repayments Could Cause a Poverty Crisis, Advocates Say (Vice) Published on: July 20, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Many low-income or homeless Canadians applied and received the CERB benefit without qualifying. Advocates say the government should give them amnesty.
As of July 12, more than eight million people had applied, and nearly $60 billion had been paid out.
It’s not yet clear how the government will go after repayment money. Thorhaug worries it’ll be taken from people’s tax returns, eliminating a much-needed income supplement for folks living well below the poverty line.

C.E.O.s Say ‘It’s a Grind’ (NY Times) Published on: July 20, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

“It’s a grind on the organization’s psyche,” said Brian Niccol of Chipotle. He and other leaders also bemoaned a lack of consistent communication from the government.
C.E.O.s are losing confidence in the recovery. “I’m less optimistic today than I was 30 days ago,” Arne Sorenson of Marriott International said.
Lobbying over the coming pandemic aid bill has begun in earnest. Groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are beseeching Senate Republicans to accept a stimulus package that’s bigger than the $1 trillion they’re currently considering.

REI Faces Staff Backlash Over Response to Covid-19 Cases (NY Times) Published on: July 19, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The co-op has raced to respond to criticism from store workers about how it has handled coronavirus cases at reopened locations.
“Some employees wanted transparency above what C.D.C. guidelines and our policies directed, so we made that adjustment,” said Mr. Discher, an REI spokesperson.
Retailers across the country are having to adjust to the surging pandemic and its effects on stores and employees, but the criticism of REI is especially notable given its corporate ethos.

America’s hidden economic crisis: Widespread wage cuts (Politico) Published on: July 19, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Millions of Americans who managed to hold onto their jobs amid the coronavirus pandemic have seen their incomes drop as employers slashed wages and hours to weather what they expected to be a short-term shutdown.
“The speed of a recovery is really directly aligned to how consumers are behaving,” said Jane Oates, a former Labor Department official who is now president of the nonprofit WorkingNation.
Growth in consumer service spending is expected to halt in July and August, Goldman Sachs said in an analysis on Friday.
It’s too early in the crisis to know for sure whether the pay cuts are here to stay, economists say, though it’s difficult to expect wages to rise while so much of the economy remains shuttered and while consumers are too concerned about the coronavirus to resume regular behavior and spending.

Coronavirus exposures reported on 2 more flights through Vancouver (Global News) Published on: July 19, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control is notifying the public of two new coronavirus exposures on flights in or out of the Vancouver International Airport.
On Thursday, B.C.’s provincial health officer expressed frustration with airlines over their collection of passenger data.
Dr. Bonnie Henry said she wants to see airlines collect names and phone numbers for all passengers, information she says is often not included on flight manifests.

‘Superspreading’ events, triggered by people who may not even know they are infected, propel coronavirus pandemic (Washington Post) Published on: July 18, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Most spread the virus to only a few people — or none at all. But studies show a small percentage transmit it with alarming efficiency.
More than 1,000 suspected clusters — ranging from the single digits to thousands — have been logged in a database compiled by a coder in the Netherlands.
Nearly all took place indoors, or in indoor-outdoor spaces.
Donald Milton, a professor of environmental health at the University of Maryland, and other experts have wondered if superspreading events could be the “Achilles’ heel” of the virus.

Exclusive: ‘Game-changing’ coronavirus antibody test passes first major trials (The Telegraph) Published on: July 18, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The hunt for a “game-changing” antibody test may be over after a version backed by the UK Government passed its first major trials with flying colours.
Ministers are drawing up plans to distribute millions of free pregnancy-style tests after they were shown to be 98.6 per cent accurate in secret human trials held last month, The Telegraph can disclose.
Until now, the only antibody tests approved in the UK have involved blood samples sent to laboratories for analysis, which can take days.

Exclusive: EU in talks with Moderna, BioNtech, CureVac to secure possible COVID vaccines (Reuters) Published on: July 18, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The talks follow a deal reached in June by four EU member states with AstraZeneca for the upfront purchase of 400 million doses of its potential COVID-19 vaccine, in principle available to all 27 EU nations.
The multiple talks confirm the bloc’s more assertive stance on procuring potential COVID-19 shots and drugs after early U.S. moves in securing promising treatments and vaccines.
More than 150 possible vaccines are being developed and tested around the world to try to stop the pandemic. Of 23 in human clinical trials, at least three are in final Phase III testing – including candidates from China’s Sinopharm and Sinovac Biotech and AstraZeneca and Oxford University.

Mask-wearing, embraced by economists as key to the recovery, proves politically tricky for the Fed (Washington Post) Published on: July 17, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

A top Federal Reserve official is calling on Americans to wear masks, saying the practice can have crucial benefits for the future of the economic recovery, even as masks fan political flames normally avoided by the central bank at all costs.
“We’re confident that masks work, and if you want to reopen the economy faster, you want to get people back on planes and in stores,” Robert Kaplan, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, said in an interview with The Washington Post.
The White House’s message on mask-wearing has been inconsistent, and there is no firm federal policy on it.

N95 Face Mask Makers Ramp Up Production to Meet U.S. Covid-19 Demand (WSJ) Published on: July 17, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The Covid-19 pandemic has unraveled the global supply chain for medical masks as manufacturers like 3M Co. and Honeywell International Inc. work in record time to stoke production at home.
The added capacity won’t exceed domestic N95 demand until this winter, the Federal Emergency Management Agency estimates, when the U.S. will be producing 180 million N95 masks a month, up from around 45 million in January.
“The world over is now looking at technologies that are critical to their security or national health and well-being in a very different way than we did not that many months ago,” said Sara Greenstein, chief executive of Lydall Inc., which recently received $13.5 million in federal funding to expand its location that produces filters for masks.

Coronavirus in Canada: These charts show how our fight to ‘flatten the curve’ is going (Maclean's) Published on: July 17, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Alberta’s premier cites the province’s downward trend in COVID-19 cases despite lighter reopening restrictions than in other provinces. Alberta’s per capita rate of new cases has been rising since June, however, and is now the highest per capita rate of daily cases of any province in the country.
Steady or declining cases in Ontario and Quebec, combined with increasing trends in the West mean that the percentage of new cases has shifted.
Nunavut, which had recorded its first COVID-19 case at a mine near Pond River, is once again virus-free, after further testing revealed the person didn’t have the virus.

Russian group targeted COVID-19 vaccine research in Canada, U.S. and U.K., say intelligence agencies (CBC) Published on: July 16, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

A hacker group “almost certainly” backed by Russia is trying to steal COVID-19-related vaccine research in Canada, the U.K. and the U.S., according to intelligence agencies in all three countries.
In response to CBC’s inquiries, CSE spokesperson Evan Koronewski did point to a recent threat bulletin that reported a Canadian biopharmaceutical company was compromised by a foreign cyber threat actor back in mid-April.
The three targeted countries said the Russian actors have been using custom malware known as WellMess and WellMail to attack a number of organizations globally during the pandemic.

Closing the $30 trillion gap: Acting now to manage fiscal deficits during and beyond the COVID-19 crisis (McKinsey) Published on: July 16, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, governments around the world have ramped up their relief and stimulus spending to unprecedented levels—just as tax revenues have slumped.
The result could be a worldwide $10 trillion deficit in 2020 and a cumulative shortfall of up to $30 trillion by 2023.
We estimate that they will seek to raise debt equivalent to an additional 20 to 25 per cent of global GDP over today’s level, as a direct result of the crisis.
Our analysis suggests that higher levels of sovereign debt will add as much as $2.5 trillion a year to the debt-servicing costs of governments over the next decade.

The risks of keeping schools closed far outweigh the benefits (The Economist) Published on: July 16, 2020 | Category: Global Response

All around the world, children’s minds are going to waste. As covid-19 surged in early April, more than 90 per cent of pupils were shut out of school.
Studies suggest that under-18s are a third to a half less likely to catch the disease. Those under ten, according to British figures, are a thousand times less likely to die than someone aged between 70 and 79.
Perhaps 465m children being offered online classes cannot easily make use of them because they lack an internet connection.

How is the virtual recruitment experiment going? (FT) Published on: July 16, 2020 | Category: Global Response

As offices remain closed, teams are working with new colleagues they have never met in person.
As the vast majority of knowledge workers have been forced to work from home, interest in remote working opportunities has spiked. From March 1 to May 23, LinkedIn saw a 160 per cent rise in the volume of its users searching specifically for remote working opportunities.
This has been mirrored by a rapid shift in attitudes among workers. More than two-thirds now favour some form of remote working policy, according to Skillcast — and employers are increasingly at ease with the idea.

How to Get People to Actually Use Contact-Tracing Apps (HBR) Published on: July 15, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

Most platforms fail because they never build a critical mass of engaged users.
Unless we fundamentally rethink how Covid-19 contact-tracing apps are being designed, launched, and scaled, the vast majority will suffer the same fate.
A mobile contact-tracing app can track whom each user has been in proximity to and can then alert all affected users when one of them confirms positive for infection.
Some contact-tracing apps can also warn users when an infected person is nearby, preventing possible infection, or even track whether an infected user is following social-distancing guidelines.

Ben Bernanke: I Was Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Save the States. (NY Times) Published on: July 15, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

In the coming months, the actions taken by both the public and the private sectors will have economic and public health repercussions that will reverberate for years.
Our state governments serve a dual role as providers of critical services — health care, public safety, education and mass transit — as well as large employers. Many states, including New Jersey, are responsible for tens of thousands of jobs and the paychecks that go with them.
Many other states face ominous budgetary outlooks, too, implying the need for draconian reductions in essential services to state residents and large potential job cuts.
Furloughs have already begun in New Jersey. Since February, state and local governments collectively have laid off close to 1.5 million workers.

Hospitals Stock Up on Covid-19 Drugs to Prepare for Second Wave in Fall (WSJ) Published on: July 14, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Hospitals across the country are stocking up on drugs for treating Covid-19, hoping to avoid another scramble for critical medications should a second wave of the virus threaten new drug shortages.
Meanwhile, many hospitals elsewhere are looking ahead to secure supplies of other medications that have recently been found effective for some patients, including the generic steroid dexamethasone and the antiviral remdesivir.
About 90% of hospitals and health systems are building safety stocks of about 20 critical medications, according to Premier Inc., one of the nation’s largest group-purchasing organizations.
Premier says more than half are trying to build at least one month’s supply of medications, including those for patients on mechanical ventilation.

CDC director: U.S. could get coronavirus “under control” in 4–8 weeks if all wear masks (Axios) Published on: July 14, 2020 | Category: Global Response

If everyone in the U.S. wore a mask, the coronavirus pandemic could be “under control” within four to eight weeks, Centers for the Disease Control and Prevention director Robert Redfield said in a discussion led by medical journal JAMA on Tuesday.
The CDC published two reports on Tuesday that studied how wearing face coverings can reduce COVID-19 spread for businesses and how mask usage was easily adopted among some racial and ethnic groups from April to May.
Another case study shows 139 clients were exposed to two symptomatic hair stylists with confirmed COVID-19. Both the stylists and customers wore face masks and no symptomatic secondary cases were reported.

Canada-U.S. border closure to be extended for another 30 days, say officials (CBC) Published on: July 14, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

CBC News has confirmed that the agreement to restrict travel across the Canada-U.S. border will be extended into August.
The agreement, which has to be reviewed each month, was set to expire on July 21. It’s now being renewed for the fourth time since the border closed to non-essential traffic on March 21.
Canadian government officials say they expect the border to stay largely closed for the foreseeable future, despite calls from U.S. members of Congress to consider a phased plan for reopening.

Consumers Want Anti-microbial Coatings in New Vehicles in light of COVID-19 and are Willing to Pay, according to IHS Markit (Business Wire Consumer News) Published on: July 13, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The survey across five major markets* indicates an increase in demand, with 54 per cent of the nearly 800 consumers saying they were “very interested” or “interested” in having an anti-microbial coating in their next personal vehicle.
While it is not economical to coat entire interior surfaces of a vehicle, IHS Markit expects OEMs and suppliers to deploy cost-effective countermeasures on critical surfaces.
Additionally, IHS Markit found that 25 per cent of consumers said that they will not use ridesharing after the COVID-19 pandemic and 80 per cent of consumers expect their rideshare vehicles to have some sort of disinfecting supplies going forward.

Jumbled Covid-19 Border Rules Baffle Companies, Stymie Tourism (WSJ) Published on: July 13, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

After many countries reopened schools, businesses and restaurants, governments world-wide are wrestling with another coronavirus dilemma: When to throw open their borders again.
Health officials and citizens in many countries are convinced that keeping some restrictions on flights and other arrivals—potentially for months—will be necessary to prevent further infections.
Pressure over the issue is building, especially in countries that depend on tourists and foreign talent.
What’s emerging is a spaghetti bowl of travel regulations that will likely act as a brake on the global economic recovery for a long time.

Not the last pandemic: Investing now to reimagine public-health systems (McKinsey) Published on: July 13, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed overlooked weaknesses in the world’s infectious-disease-surveillance and -response capabilities—weaknesses that have persisted in spite of the obvious harm they caused during prior outbreaks.
The world has seen repeated instances of what former World Bank president Jim Kim has called a cycle of “panic, neglect, panic, neglect,” whereby the terror created by a disease outbreak recedes, attention shifts, and we let our vital outbreak-fighting mechanisms atrophy.
The economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could cost between $9 trillion and $33 trillion—many times more than the projected cost of preventing future pandemics.

New intimacy: COVID-19 offers a chance to take things slow (Japan Times) Published on: July 12, 2020 | Category: Global Response

According to a recent survey conducted by popular dating app Pairs, 30 per cent of respondents between ages 20 and 39 said that their desire to partner up has increased during the pandemic.
Not only that, but the same survey also revealed that having a similar moral compass and sharing values is integral; 18 per cent of respondents stated their “view on love has changed,” with some even saying they “don’t feel comfortable dating somebody who didn’t ‘stay home’ while the Japanese government has advised people to do so,” despite compliance being voluntary.
Taking on the challenge of the coronavirus, that app has recently released a new Video Date feature, allowing romance-seeking singles to woo love interests via screen, rather than face to face.
Without the potential pressure and nerves in meeting in real life (and minus the threat of infection), video dating has allowed couples to get to know each other from the comfort of their own home.

Coronavirus testing czar: Lockdowns in hotspots “should be on the table” (Axios) Published on: July 12, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The Trump administration’s coronavirus testing coordinator Adm. Brett Giroir said on ABC’s “This Week” that “everything” — including the “stringent lockdowns” that many governors implemented in March and April — should be “on the table” in states where new infections are skyrocketing.
Giroir stressed that every American should wear a mask when they go out in public, and that states where cases are surging need to close restaurants and bars as soon as possible.
“We do expect and are planning for and are surging people and everything else — but we expect hospitalizations to go up,” Giroir said. “At the peak in April, we were at about 85,000. Right now, we’re at 63,000. But we do expect those to go up.”

Do You Dare Switch Jobs in the Coronavirus Economy? (WSJ) Published on: July 12, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The thought of confessing an issue at home to a prospective employer and pleading for flexibility can feel risky, especially as the economy teeters.
Overall, more Americans are staying put these days, if they can. Some 2.1 million Americans quit their jobs in May, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a 41 per cent drop from the same month a year before.
A recent survey of executives conducted by search firm Salveson Stetson Group found that 64 per cent weren’t interested in making a career move during the pandemic.

Disney World reopens as coronavirus cases surge in Florida (AP) Published on: July 11, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom are reopening Saturday, while Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios will follow four days later.
The reopening comes as a huge surge of Floridians have tested positive for the new coronavirus in recent weeks. On Saturday, there were about 10,000 new cases reported, according to state statistics.
Disney’s new rules include mandatory masks and social distancing. Visitors will need reservations to enter a park, and they won’t be allowed to hop between parks.
Both visitors and employees will receive temperature checks when they enter. Fireworks shows and parades have been suspended to prevent drawing too many people together.

Reopened schools in Europe and Asia have largely avoided coronavirus outbreaks. They have lessons for the U.S. (Washington Post) Published on: July 11, 2020 | Category: Global Response

From Belgium to Japan, schools are abandoning certain social distancing measures, such as alternate-day schedules or extra space between desks.
They have decided that part-time or voluntary school attendance, supplemented by distance learning, is not enough — that full classrooms are preferable to leaving kids at home.
Public health officials and researchers say they have not detected much coronavirus transmission among students or significant spikes in community spread as a result of schools being in session — at least for students under 12.

The world is drinking less coffee while office workers stay home (Honolulu Star-Advertiser) Published on: July 11, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Shutdowns for cafes and restaurants — which typically account for about 25 per cent of demand — were overwhelming, and it could be a while before things pick up again.
“We believe that consumers will move down price points, and turn more to cheaper, instant coffee, as they tighten their belts amidst the gloomy economic outlook,” Taohai Lin, a consumer and retail analyst at Fitch Solutions.
Consumers will continue to embrace home brew and instant coffee, both because they will still avoid heading out to cafes, and also because it is generally a cheaper alternative.

Unprecedented damage by COVID-19 requires an unprecedented policy response (Brookings) Published on: July 10, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Despite the overwhelming fiscal and monetary policy support, this year the pandemic is expected to trigger the deepest global recession since World War II, with global GDP contracting by 5.2 per cent, as reported in our latest Global Economic Prospects report.
The pandemic is also projected to lead the most synchronized global downturn on record, with per capita incomes shrinking in the largest fraction of countries since 1870.
Deep recessions triggered by the pandemic are likely to leave lasting scars through multiple channels, including lower investment, erosion of the human capital of the unemployed, and a retreat from global trade and supply linkages.

Tyson Turns to Robot Butchers, Spurred by Coronavirus Outbreaks (WSJ) Published on: July 9, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Tyson, the biggest U.S. meat company by sales, currently relies on about 122,000 employees to churn out about 1 in every 5 pounds of chicken, beef and pork produced in the country. The work at Tyson’s Manufacturing Automation Center, which opened in August 2019, is speeding the shift from human meat cutters to robotic butchers.
Over the past three years, Tyson has invested about $500 million in technology and automation. Chief Executive Noel White said those efforts likely would increase in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Roughly 585,000 people work in U.S. meatpacking plants. Plant workers cycle in and out of jobs rapidly, with annual turnover in meat plants ranging from 40% to 70%, according to Boston Consulting Group, versus an overall 31% average for manufacturers.

Federal unemployment checks will cut off in weeks. Here’s what might happen next. (Poynter) Published on: July 8, 2020 | Category: Global Response

A survey from Korn Ferry found that fewer than a third of workers said it’s “highly likely” they’ll be back when it reopens; and half said they’re fearful to return due to health reasons, but most said they trust their employer to do a good job.
Even when they are cleared to do so, many professionals say they will not be going back to the office, with half saying they are afraid to return.
Half (50 percent) say they are fearful of going back due to health concerns, even though 75 percent say they believe their employer will create a safe and healthy work environment for them.

Prioritizing health: A prescription for prosperity (McKinsey) Published on: July 8, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

As the whole world reimagines public health and rebuilds its economy, we have a unique opportunity not merely to restore the past but to dramatically advance broad-based health and prosperity.
We then determine the impact the disease burden reduction could have on population health, the economy, and wider welfare over the period to 2040. We conduct our analysis for almost 200 countries; our global, regional, and income-level analyses are aggregated from the country-level analysis.
Economists estimate that about one-third of economic growth in advanced economies in the past century could be attributed to improvements in the health of global populations. Research focused on more recent years has found that health contributed almost as much to income growth as education.

US small-business recovery after the COVID-19 crisis (McKinsey) Published on: July 7, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

After the 2008 recession, larger companies recovered to their precrisis contribution to GDP in an average of four years, while smaller ones took an average of six.
Among respondents to our survey, close to a third were operating at a loss or breaking even prior to the crisis.
Navigating the current crisis and thriving in the next normal will require significant changes in business and operating models for all businesses. Since early in the COVID-19 crisis, around 60 per cent of restaurants in the country have added curbside pickup, and more than a third of consumers who have ordered food for in-store or curbside pickup were first-time users of the service.

‘Effects of isolation’ are surfacing: Pediatricians call for return to school (CTV News) Published on: July 6, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Children should be allowed to use the playground in small groups, but should wear cloth face masks and maintain a 1-metre distance from others (that’s half the widely recommended 2 metres), the American Academy of Pediatrics said in a series of recommendations issued June 26.
They provide important mental health supports, nutritious food and – for some children – a refuge. Pediatric organizations on both sides of the border say the risk of COVID-19 among children is low and that safety measures can further minimize the risk of transmission.
Health care leaders at Canada’s top children’s hospitals sounded the alarm Monday, saying COVID-19 is creating a “crisis” in children’s health and even violating children’s human rights, including their rights to a quality education, highest standards of health, protection from violence and access to recreation.

Companies are hiring their own epidemiologists to help deal with the pandemic (Washington Post) Published on: July 6, 2020 | Category: Global Response

In a sign of just how complicated it has become to navigate the pandemic, companies are rushing to hire disease detectives such as Trivedi to help guide their efforts to reopen and stay open — especially when state and federal safety guidelines are sometimes short on specific advice and are viewed by some as watered-down by political influence.
Six Flags noted in a news release that its “epidemiologist consultants” helped craft its reopening plans for its theme parks.
The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America has seen such a surge in requests for help that it recently published tips for members launching new consulting practices.

Companies pause frantic fundraising to assess pandemic damage (FT) Published on: July 6, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Companies are pausing for breath after a frantic four-month race to secure cash, drawing down bank credit lines, agreeing government rescue financings and issuing new debt and equity to outlast the coronavirus crisis.
Padded by the extra cash, companies raised just $70bn last week through debt markets, the lowest since mid-March when the coronavirus crisis sent stock and bond prices tumbling.
The slowdown follows the most intense burst of capital raising in history, with about $5.4tn secured by companies across the globe since the year began, including $3.9tn since the start of March.

Coronavirus: Arts venues welcome £1.57bn government support (BBC) Published on: July 5, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The government has unveiled a £1.57bn support package to help protect the futures of UK theatres, galleries, museums and other cultural venues.
Guidance for a phased return of the performing arts is expected to be published by the government shortly.
Many theatre producers are baffled by what they see as ‘one rule for them, and one rule for us’, approach by government, particularly when it comes to travel. Why is it OK for people to sit side-by-side on a train or plane for hours but not in a theatre, which they argue is a much more controllable environment? As far as they are concerned, that is the billion dollar question.

Coronavirus Researchers Compete to Enroll Subjects for Vaccine Tests (WSJ) Published on: July 5, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Vaccine researchers are trying new tacks in an unprecedented effort to recruit the tens of thousands of healthy volunteers needed to finish testing coronavirus shots in late stages of development.
Given the urgency, researchers are taking unusual steps, such as recruiting at pharmacies, enlisting churches in searches for subjects and even requesting employees and families to ask around.
Several coronavirus vaccine candidates are set to enter large clinical trials in the U.S. this summer, among roughly 150 in development using various methods–most of which still have not started human testing.

Two-thirds of Canadians support closing businesses again if COVID-19 cases spike: survey (CTV News) Published on: July 5, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

As scientists and policy-makers anticipate a second wave of COVID-19 later this year, a new survey suggests a majority of Canadians support closing non-essential businesses again if cases spike.
Forty-two per cent of respondents said they support the closures, while another 28 per cent said they somewhat support them.
Nearly one in five respondents said they opposed (11 per cent) or somewhat opposed (nine per cent) mandatory face masks.
According to the Nanos poll, nearly nine in 10 Canadians say a second wave of COVID-19 infections in the next six months is likely (57 per cent) or somewhat likely (32 per cent).

Hard-hit industries clamor for regulations during pandemic (Washington Post) Published on: July 4, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

These business interests see a short-term battle against two hard-to-influence forces: individuals acting irresponsibly and a Trump administration that is reluctant to lay down the type of guidelines that would mandate individual behavior during the pandemic.
In early May, just 29 per cent of Americans were willing to fly on planes, according to an ABC/Ipsos poll, a share that grew to 44 per cent in early June, but by later in the month, the number had fallen to just 36 per cent.
In early June, 59 per cent of respondents said they were willing to eat at restaurants, up from 41 per cent in early May.

European Workers Draw Paychecks. American Workers Scrounge for Food. (NY Times) Published on: July 3, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The pandemic has ravaged Europeans and Americans alike, but the economic pain has played out in starkly different fashion.
The United States has relied on a significant expansion of unemployment insurance, cushioning the blow for tens of millions of people who have lost their jobs, with the assumption that they will be swiftly rehired once normality returns.
European countries — among them Denmark, Ireland, Britain, France, the Netherlands, Spain and Austria — have prevented joblessness by effectively nationalizing payrolls, heavily subsidizing wages and enabling paychecks to continue uninterrupted.

With a Few Covid-19 Adjustments, Chinese Factory Gets Back to Work (WSJ) Published on: July 3, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

China, which began restarting its manufacturing plants over four months ago after Covid-19 forced a nationwide shutdown, provides a template for how this can be done safely.
Workers had their temperatures checked four times a day, and shifts, which normally last 12 hours, were reduced to six or even four hours to limit the workers’ exposure to one another.
For a time, ZF provided workers with lunchboxes instead of having them use the factory’s canteen, fearing that communal eating might increase the risk of infection.

It’s July 4, but the Firework Shows Won’t Go On (NY Times) Published on: July 3, 2020 | Category: Global Response

As many as 80 per cent of community fireworks displays in large cities and small rural towns have been canceled this year over fear that they would create a social distancing nightmare.
For the 150 companies across the country that thrill spectators with their booming, colorful explosions in the skies, the two weeks around the July Fourth holiday make up about three-quarters of their revenue.
Some of the fireworks display companies have, over the past decade or so, branched out to broader entertainment arenas, creating “ooohs” and “aaahhs” at major- and minor-league baseball stadiums as well as complex pyrotechnics for rock concerts, music festivals, and indoor basketball and hockey games.

Covid-19 is here to stay. The world is working out how to live with it (The Economist) Published on: July 2, 2020 | Category: Global Response

It took more than three months for global cases to reach a million; the last million came in less than a week.
Yet even in the countries with the worst outbreaks, just 5-15 per cent of people have been infected. They may be immune to future infections, at least for a while, but with most of the population still susceptible, getting back to life as usual is impossible.
The priority is to shield from infection those who are most likely to become gravely ill.
Ensuring people understand how to assess their own risk—especially in the event of an outbreak in their area—is crucial. In March Britain’s National Health Service sent letters to some 2.2m people deemed to be at particularly high risk, telling them to avoid going out when the outbreak was at its worst.

European Health Experts Concerned by U.S. Hoarding of Only Licensed Coronavirus Drug (TIME) Published on: July 1, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Health experts on Wednesday slammed the U.S. decision to hog nearly the entire global supply of remdesivir, the only drug licensed so far to treat COVID-19, warning that type of selfish behavior sets a dangerous precedent for attempts to share scarce treatments amid the pandemic.
The Department of Health and Human Services said Trump has secured 500,000 treatments of the drug through September, representing 100% of Gilead’s July production capacity and 90% of its capacity in August and September.
It is the only drug licensed by both the U.S. and the European Union as a treatment for those with severe illness from the coronavirus.

If Your Colleague Has Covid-19, Will Your Employer Tell You? (WSJ) Published on: July 1, 2020 | Category: Global Response

With more workers back on the job, companies from clothing retailers to auto makers are increasingly confronting a difficult question: If an employee tests positive for Covid-19, who should be told?
Employers are prohibited by federal law from identifying the infected worker.
Beyond that, there is no universal playbook for whether or how confirmed cases should be disclosed and to whom, resulting in a patchwork of approaches that can vary widely even within the same industry.

Revealed: Covid-19 outbreaks at meat-processing plants in US being kept quiet (Guardian) Published on: July 1, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

A chicken processing facility in western North Carolina reportedly underwent widespread testing for Covid-19 in early June.
Workers at the plant were scared. Several employees had already tested positive and the company, Case Farms – which has been repeatedly condemned for animal treatment and workers’ rights violations – was not providing proper protective equipment.
The testing turned up 150 positive cases at the facility, the worker said.
Yet neither the company, county officials nor the North Carolina department of health and human services would confirm whether those cases were connected to Case Farms.

‘No mask. No ride’: Uber will require drivers and passengers to wear face masks indefinitely (USA Today) Published on: July 1, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Uber is extending its mask requirement indefinitely throughout the U.S. and Canada as coronavirus cases continue to rise across several states.
The decision was made based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The news comes in tandem with the company’s launch of a campaign running on TV, social media and in the app. It’s called “No mask. No ride” and depicts drivers and Uber Eats delivery people working during the pandemic.

E.U. Formalizes Reopening, Barring Travelers From U.S. (NY Times) Published on: June 30, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The list of nations that European Union countries have approved includes Australia, Canada and New Zealand, while travelers from China will be permitted if China reciprocates.
The list of safe countries will be reviewed every two weeks to reflect the changing realities of the coronavirus outbreaks in individual nations, officials said, and countries could be added or removed from the list.
Exceptions are also being made for travelers from countries outside the safe list, including health care workers, diplomats, humanitarian workers, transit passengers, asylum seekers and students, as well as “passengers traveling for imperative family reasons” and foreign workers whose employment in Europe is deemed essential.

Companies Hit by Covid-19 Want Insurance Payouts. Insurers Say No. (WSJ) Published on: June 30, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

A cavalcade of restaurateurs, retailers and others hurt by pandemic shutdowns have sued to force their insurers to cover billions in business losses.
But insurance companies have largely refused to pay claims under this coverage, citing a standard requirement for physical damage.
More than half of property policies in force today specifically exclude viruses. The firms filing the lawsuits mostly hold policies without that exclusion.

The radical technologies to keep offices clear of coronavirus (FT) Published on: June 30, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The big challenges posed by the virus indoors are the collection of particles on surfaces and the flow of air between individuals.
NitroPep’s spikes are tiny antimicrobial agents that can be added to desks, walls and other surfaces and rupture anything with a membrane that lands on them.
Coronavirus has even turbocharged demand for UV disinfecting robots. Danish company UVD Robots was the first company to invent these machines, which travel around buildings emitting UV light that leaves bacteria and viruses too damaged to function.

If and when there is a COVID-19 vaccine, will people actually get it? (Poynter) Published on: June 30, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Think it is hard to get people to wear a mask? Wait until health workers try to vaccinate the entire population.
A recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center found that if a COVID-19 vaccine were available today and proven effective, only 54% of Black adults would be willing to get it, compared to 74% of white adults.
For one thing, health insurance companies could tell their customers that they have to get vaccinated if they want coverage when they get sick.
A plurality of U.S. adults (38%) say they now find it harder to identify “what is true and what is false about the outbreak,” while three-in-ten say they are finding this easier to do. Another 31% say the difficulty of parsing truth from fiction has not changed.

Survey: Americans trust CDC most, Trump least for information about COVID-19 (The Hill) Published on: June 30, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The majority of respondents to the survey, 64 per cent, said the CDC and other public health organizations get the facts right almost or most of the time regarding COVID-19.
Pew’s survey found that 50 per cent of Americans said the same about their “local news media” and 44 per cent said so about “the news media in general.”
The White House task force held its first coronavirus briefings since May on Friday, amid spikes across the country, largely in the South and the West.

Choosing the right path to unlock the economy (McKinsey) Published on: June 30, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

How should governments approach the different possible paths to reopening their economies? And what is needed to spur businesses and consumers to start spending again?
Flattening the infection curve as fast as possible and ensuring hospital capacity, treatment and testing were the imperatives to safeguard our lives.
The expansion of treatment capacity has been impressive; we can think back to when Wuhan managed to build a hospital in two weeks, and no one in Europe or the US believed it would be possible there—but it was.

The Video Call Is Starting. Time to Put on Your Zoom Shirt. (NY Times) Published on: June 29, 2020 | Category: Global Response

If you ask, people who have managed to stay employed during the pandemic will confess to owning a Zoom Shirt: a top, typically kept on the back of the computer chair or a hanger nearby, that they pop on in the moments before their webcam lights up.
Maria Rugolo, an apparel industry analyst for the NPD Group, said her company had run a poll showing that only 10 per cent of people get dressed for working at home at the start of the day and change into “comfortable clothes” later.
Ironically, a garment that rarely leaves a single room needs the same qualities as a travel shirt: durable, easy to store, able to front in a variety of social settings. It also must come on and off in a flash.

Lufthansa to link Covid-19 tests with tickets in effort to avoid quarantine (FT) Published on: June 29, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Lufthansa is to offer passengers Covid-19 tests at Frankfurt airport that provide results within hours and can be linked to individual tickets in an effort to allow travellers to avoid quarantine.
The introduction of mandatory quarantines in several countries, including the UK, for international visitors, has hit airlines attempting to increase their long-haul flights in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Research carried out for the airline trade association Iata found that more than 80 per cent of travellers were concerned about being forced to quarantine at their destination, or upon their return to their home countries.

‘Kat’ Returns to the Office. Her Employer Is Watching Her Closely. (WSJ) Published on: June 29, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Follow a day in the life of a fictional U.S. office worker coming back after working remotely during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
A thermal camera in her building’s lobby again checks her temperature, while her Bluetooth ID badge notifies a nearby sensor that she has arrived.
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi signals from her smartphone log the amount of time she spends at least six feet away from colleagues, factoring that into a score.

What factors are impacting Canadians’ mental health during pandemic? (Benefits Canada) Published on: June 29, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Employment status, income level and helpful coping strategies are key factors impacting how Canadians feel about their mental health, according to a new survey by the Mental Health Commission of Canada and the Conference Board of Canada.
The factors with the biggest changes in concern levels were family well-being (24 per cent), respondents’ personal future (23 per cent), experiencing isolation and loneliness (21 per cent) and feeling anxiousness or fear (21 per cent).
Of unemployed Canadians, those laid off due to the pandemic reported a 25 per cent change in their mental-health concern score, as did those who said they received government support.

Air New Zealand’s coronavirus refunds fail: Anatomy of a PR disaster (Stuff.co.nz) Published on: June 28, 2020 | Category: Global Response

When an Air New Zealand customer got so frustrated they paid for a personals ad in the paper to get a response, alarm bells should have already been going off in HQ.
Unlike any other airline, it had the best corporate reputation in Australia and New Zealand before the virus struck – and reputation is valuable currency for any serious company.
It wasn’t just that Air New Zealand issued credits for customers who actually wanted refunds for flights that were cancelled as borders rolled shut.
Also provoking the flood of angry emails and letters was the difficulty customers had in finding out what was happening to their money, in some cases many thousands of dollars saved up for the trip of a lifetime.

Officials warn coronavirus pandemic could worsen as global death toll hits 500,000 (Global News) Published on: June 28, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The world surpassed two sobering coronavirus milestones Sunday — 500,000 confirmed deaths, 10 million confirmed cases — and hit another high mark for daily new infections as governments that attempted reopenings continued to backtrack and warn that worse news could be yet to come.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom rolled back reopenings of bars in seven counties, including Los Angeles.
South Africa’s health minister warned that the country’s current surge of cases is expected to rapidly increase in the coming weeks and push hospitals to the limit.
Health Minister Zwelini Mkhize said the current rise in infections has come from people who “moved back into the workplace.

The pandemic pivot: How IT groups are laboring to make remote working work (Silicon Angle) Published on: June 28, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Almost half of the 1,000 IT professionals recently surveyed by Mendix Tech BV said they’re shifting at least some of their priorities to better support remote work streams outside of IT.
Mendix’s survey found that more than 70 per cent of respondents said they’ve put some IT initiatives on hold, but “at the same time there’s a big push for digitization,” said Jon Scolamiero, manager of architecture and governance in Mendix’s product marketing organization.
An Accenture survey found that 73 per cent of new at-home workers say they miss the social interaction of the workplace, Burden said.

South Korea has entered its 2nd wave of coronavirus. What can Canada learn? (Global News) Published on: June 27, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Earlier this week, South Korea became the first country to officially announce a second wave of the novel coronavirus after a recent resurgence of cases.
In order for there to be a second wave, there needs to be a severe case increase in an area where the virus appeared to have been naturally wiped out, and return as a new variation of itself, Winnipeg epidemiologist Cynthia Carr told Global News.
The concept of physical distancing may not have been firmly “embedded into their thinking,” particularly with young people — a key demographic in nightclubs, Furness said.
This is also not the first time nightclubs were linked to an increase in cases.

Blackstone skips payment on $274m hotel loan (FT) Published on: June 27, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Blackstone has skipped a payment on a $274m hotel loan, joining the ranks of leading real estate investors that have fallen behind on debt during the coronavirus crisis.
On Friday, Blackstone characterised the hotel deal as “a very small investment that had been written down prior to Covid-19 as a result of unique operational challenges”.
Some of the debt is trading at values that suggest the investors do not expect to make a full recovery.

Decoding the confusing messages of the coronavirus epidemic in America (The Economist) Published on: June 27, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The US has too few cases for a total lockdown and too many to open up safely.
America’s death toll and caseload are high, and not only in absolute terms. Per head, it has had twice as many cases as Europe and about 50 per cent more deaths.
The epidemic began as an infection of inner cities, minorities and Democratic areas. It is now spreading through suburbia, among whites and in Republican places.

As support for mask-wearing grows, so do political risks for forgoing them (Washington Post) Published on: June 26, 2020 | Category: Global Response

As infections spike in red states such as Texas, Florida and Arizona, support for masks has grown.
More than 70 per cent of Americans believe that people should wear masks most or all of the time in public places, according to a Pew Research survey from mid-June.
A Fox News poll from last week found that 80 per cent hold a favorable view of those who wear masks, including 68 per cent of Republicans and 61 per cent of respondents who strongly approve of Trump.

Britons to be allowed to holiday abroad from July via ‘air bridges’ (Guardian) Published on: June 26, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Overseas holidays will be given the green light from early next month, with the government expected to suspend the 14-day quarantine period for a series of countries and also to set up so-called air bridge arrangements for overseas destinations.
At the same time, the current Foreign Office travel warning against all but essential international travel will be lifted for countries deemed safe.
The list of permitted destinations will remain fluid, with what is described as a “strict handbrake mechanism”, meaning any sudden outbreak of coronavirus in certain countries – or even in particular parts of a country – could require travellers unexpectedly to isolate for two weeks when they return to the UK.

Gov. Greg Abbott orders Texas bars to close again and restaurants to reduce to 50% occupancy as coronavirus spreads (Texas Tribune) Published on: June 26, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday took his most drastic action yet to respond to the post-reopening coronavirus surge in Texas, shutting bars back down and scaling back restaurant capacity to 50%.
Bars must close at noon Friday, and the reduction in restaurant capacity takes effect Monday. Before Abbott’s announcement Friday, bars were able to operate at 50% capacity and restaurants at 75% capacity.
On Thursday, he announced the state was putting a pause on any future reopening plans, though none were scheduled and the announcement did not affect businesses that were already allowed to reopen.
Earlier in the day, Abbott sought to free up hospital space for coronavirus patients by banning elective surgeries in four of the state’s biggest counties: Bexar, Travis, Dallas and Harris.

Governments eye new taxes on cigarettes, homes and tech giants to pay for big budget shortfalls related to the coronavirus (Washington Post) Published on: June 26, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Cash-starved cities and states across the country are starting to weigh whether to raise taxes on homes, cigarettes, local businesses and global tech giants, hoping to rake in new revenue that might help them close the massive budget shortfalls created by the coronavirus pandemic.
Philadelphia increased fees on parking and raised wage taxes on workers who reside outside the city. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) said this month she could not rule out a property tax increase to cover her city’s $700 million budget shortfall.
Unlike the federal government, which can cut taxes and rack up huge deficits with impunity, localities generally must balance their budgets each year.

Zoning adjustments could help cities rebound from coronavirus (Axios) Published on: June 25, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Cities should ease rigid permitting and zoning rules to help businesses and residents recover during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a trio of policy briefs out today by researchers at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
Restrictions on the amount and type of housing allowed to be built are contributing to the public health crisis by causing overcrowding in some places and unsustainable rents in others.
“Regulatory wiggle room” can go a long way to letting businesses and restaurants open in new locations or allowing residential development in commercial zones, the researchers argue.

Asia-Pacific makes a tentative return to international travel (FT) Published on: June 25, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Asia will embark on an ultra-cautious return to international travel when about 440 Japanese businesspeople will take “exceptional” flights to Vietnam over the next three days.
According to officials involved in the negotiations, countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, Australia and New Zealand are struggling to agree on broader rules for travel as they try to protect the advances they made in controlling coronavirus.
European governments are seeking to restart not just business but also tourist travel before the summer holiday season.

Politicians ignore far-out risks: they need to up their game (The Economist) Published on: June 25, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

Low-probability, high-impact events are a fact of life. Individual humans look for protection from them to governments and, if they can afford it, insurers.
Virologists, epidemiologists and ecologists have warned for decades of the dangers of a flu-like disease spilling over from wild animals. But when sars-cov-2 began to spread very few countries had the winning combination of practical plans, the kit those plans required in place and the bureaucratic capacity to enact them.
Keeping an eye on the future is part of what governments are for. Scientists have provided them with the tools for such efforts, but few academics will undertake the work unbidden, unfunded and unsung.
Private business may take some steps when it perceives specific risks, but it will not put together plans for society at large.

Coronavirus Surge Alarms States, Markets and Businesses; Slow Recovery Feared (NY Times) Published on: June 24, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

On Wednesday, governors, mayors, investors and others across the United States woke up to news that was impossible to ignore.
More than 35,000 new coronavirus cases had been identified the day before. It was the highest number of cases reported in a single day since late April.
It was as if the country had found itself back in March — at the start of the pandemic, in the early days of the lockdown, when masks were in short supply and the death toll was skyrocketing.
In Washington State, where cases are rising again, Gov. Jay Inslee said residents would have to start wearing masks in public.

Companies Agonize Over Reopening Timetables as Covid-19 Spreads (WSJ) Published on: June 24, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Apple Inc., which said Friday it would close nearly a dozen stores in four states, said Wednesday it would shut seven more in the Houston area, where cases have doubled so far this month.
Restaurants around the country that recently reopened have closed again for anywhere from three days of deep cleaning to two full weeks so staff could self-quarantine after outbreaks.
Political leaders also signaled concerns. In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that the state would delay reopening shopping malls, movie theaters and gyms, while the State Department of Health reviews more data about indoor viral transmission.

Data Shows Significant Drop in IT Services Spending Post COVID-19 (NextGov) Published on: June 24, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Federal and central governments across the globe have shifted spending priorities to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, with notable declines in IT spending worldwide, according to a new report.
The U.S. has not been immune to this shift, with a major drop in spending on IT services canceling out continued investments in hardware and software, according to IDC’s “COVID-19: Global and U.S. Federal Spending—Where the Money Is Going,” published Tuesday.
The report notes the COVID-19 pandemic has forced changes for every sector but argues “the health crisis is affecting government IT spending differently than other industries.”
Even though trillions of extra dollars are being disbursed, most is going into grants, health and expense relief, not [new] IT systems.

Atlantic provinces agree to regional COVID-19 pandemic bubble (CBC) Published on: June 24, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The four Atlantic provinces have agreed to open their borders to each other on July 3, the Council of Atlantic Premiers announced Wednesday in a news release.
Other Canadian visitors to the three Maritime provinces who have self-isolated for 14 days may travel within the Maritime region, but not to Newfoundland and Labrador, said P.E.I. Premier Dennis King.

A Multibillion-Dollar Opportunity: Virus-Proofing the New Office (NY Times) Published on: June 22, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Truework, an income verification start-up, recently introduced software to help employers keep track of their workers’ health status.
Gensler, an architecture and design firm, has a workplace floor-planning app that generates social-distancing layouts for desks and other office furniture.
In the United States, the market for contact-tracing technologies for employers could soon be worth $4 billion annually, according to estimates from International Data Corporation, a market research firm.

France shows Europe can keep Covid-19 in check after reopening (FT) Published on: June 22, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Since May 11, when President Emmanuel Macron ordered the gradual reopening of schools and businesses, the rate of Covid-19 infections has slowed — including in Paris and the north-eastern region where the epidemic struck most fiercely.
This has prompted Jean-Francois Delfraissy, France’s top scientific adviser, to declare that the virus was “under control”.
France is to allow all businesses to resume and all children to return to school from Monday.
Similar promising trends have been observed across Europe.

Covid-19 has led to a pandemic of plastic pollution (The Economist) Published on: June 22, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Data are hard to come by but, for example, consumption of single-use plastic may have grown by 250-300% in America since the coronavirus took hold, says Antonis Mavropoulos of the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), which represents recycling bodies in 102 countries.
According to a forecast from Grand View Research, the global disposable-mask market will grow from an estimated $800m in 2019 to $166bn in 2020.
If the public’s increasing appetite for single-use plastic worries environmentalists, then so too does its diminishing inclination to recycle materials that can be reused.
In Athens, for example, there has been a 150% increase in the amount of plastic found in the general-waste stream, says Mr Mavropoulos.

Airports beg government to set face mask policy for passengers (The Hill) Published on: June 21, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Airline passengers are encountering a patchwork of rules when it comes to wearing masks on planes and in airports, creating confusion and frustration among customers and companies alike.
With no federal law for wearing masks on planes or in airports, airlines are setting their own policies.
Some have removed non-compliant passengers and banned them from future flights, as was the case earlier this week when American Airlines removed a pro-Trump activist.
The recent policies imposed by airlines and any subsequent federal rules for airports are likely to add fuel to the political fire surrounding masks.

Women’s Job Losses From Pandemic Aren’t Good for Economic Recovery (WSJ) Published on: June 21, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Women have lost jobs at a steeper rate than men during the coronavirus pandemic, a factor that is likely to hold back the economic recovery.
Married women, who in past recessions took jobs to offset lost wages when their husband or male partner was laid off, also are less likely to seek work because their employment prospects are now limited, one researcher concluded.
The fragility of female-dominated jobs is different from past recessions, when goods-producing sectors such as construction and manufacturing—which are predominantly men—saw greater employment losses.

Canadians working from home permanently should expect salary changes, experts say (The Globe and Mail) Published on: June 21, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

“That means if you live in a location where the cost of living is dramatically lower, or the cost of labour is lower, then salaries do tend to be somewhat lower in those places,” said Mark Zuckerberg on a video conference, where he announced more employees would be allowed to work remotely permanently.
Only one-third of Canadians working remotely expect to resume working from the office as consistently as they did pre-pandemic, while one-in-five say they will remain primarily at home, according to a June study from the Angus Reid Institute.
The companies that don’t offer remote work at all could also find themselves at a disadvantage, if their industry starts to value flexibility and look less favourably at companies that don’t offer it.

NFL union asks players to stop joint workouts amid coronavirus fears (NY Post) Published on: June 20, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The NFL Players Association has asked players to stop working out together.
“Please be advised that it is our consensus medical opinion that in light of the increase in COVID-19 cases in certain states that no players should be engaged in practicing together in private workouts,” wrote NFLPA medical director Dr. Thom Mayer.

Coronavirus halted L.A.’s biggest K-pop festival. Now fans have a digital alternative (LA Times) Published on: June 20, 2020 | Category: Global Response

If any music genre was going to thrive in the era of quarantined livestreams, it was K-pop.
While events like KCON and massive concert tours like BTS and SuperM have become fixtures in SoCal’s music calendar, K-pop’s life here began online and flourished in digital spaces.
Enter KCON:TACT, a digital incarnation of the festival happening this weekend.
True to the genre’s ultra-online culture, it doesn’t just replace the arena shows and fan panels, but also opens up other avenues for fans to stay invested, like one-on-one video conferences with acts and fan performances broadcast alongside those of idol groups.

Dressing up again? Fashion tries to recover from ‘brutal’ crisis (FT) Published on: June 20, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Within a couple of weeks of the Covid-19 shutdown in New York City, Diane von Furstenberg realised that the pandemic risked being an extinction-level event for her eponymous brand.
In its new incarnation, DVF will probably continue to sell online and remain in China via a franchise agreement that includes more than 30 stores.
McKinsey has forecast the $2.5tn global fashion industry (apparel and footwear) will contract by 27-30 per cent in 2020, while the personal luxury goods sector — including fashion, accessories, watches, fine jewellery and high-end beauty — will be hit even harder, with sales down by 35-39 per cent.

Muddled mask messaging may be haunting coronavirus re-openings (San Diego Tribune) Published on: June 19, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Crowds gathering without face coverings spark warnings, shrugs. Now California is requiring them when you’re inside.
Like the novel coronavirus itself, official guidelines about wearing face masks in public have been a moving target.
Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initially downplayed the efficacy of masks; now they recommend them. Same with the World Health Organization.

Emerging digital channels are here to stay: omnichannel lessons of the crisis will fuel campaigns for the future (Digiday) Published on: June 19, 2020 | Category: Global Response

According to their survey, 85 per cent of consumers have a positive or neutral opinion of brands that proceed with normal advertising during the outbreak, going up to 93 per cent if that advertising communicates how these brands are responding to the crisis.
In our survey, 64 per cent of consumers especially want to hear from brands they trust during this time.
The GlobalWebIndex coronavirus research shows that 52 per cent of consumers report spending more time streaming online videos, and this is higher than the increase observed by broadcast TV channels.

California requires masks statewide in bid to slow coronavirus spread (Politico) Published on: June 18, 2020 | Category: Global Response

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday he will require masks in most public settings statewide in an effort to slow the spread of Covid-19 as new cases rise by thousands daily in the state.
The California Department of Public Health released updated guidance Thursday that requires Californians to wear a face covering in most indoor settings, as well as outdoors when social distancing isn’t possible.
Any workers who engage with the public will be required to wear a mask. So will riders of public transit and anyone visiting a health-related office.

Many shoppers to continue with ‘cheaper’ online workouts and hairdressing post-lockdown (Wales Online) Published on: June 17, 2020 | Category: Global Response

A survey has found that 35 per cent of shoppers say they intend to still use online workout classes and follow remote hairdressing tips post-lockdown.
Nearly nine in 10 (88 per cent) retailers said they had seen an increased demand for in-home experiences over the past three months. Over half (56 per cent) had initially planned these at-home product lines or services to be temporary.
Kirsty Morris, managing director for account development at Barclaycard Payments, said: “Lockdown has undoubtedly been challenging for retailers, but it’s promising to see how many have been quick to cater their product lines to consumers looking for entertainment and personalised products while at home.”

CAMH survey shows pandemic affecting mental health, but anxiety levels may be easing (CBC) Published on: June 17, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The study sampled more than 2,000 Canadians — about half in early May and the other half in late May — and asked a series of questions to determine the effects of the pandemic on mental health.
It found that 20 per cent of Canadians surveyed say they have been experiencing loneliness during the pandemic.
The study also questioned Canadians on patterns of binge drinking and whether they had been drinking more alcohol during the pandemic outbreak, as well as about feelings of depression.
Approximately 24 per cent of the respondents said they were drinking more than usual , and 20 per cent reported feeling more depressed.

In Canada’s COVID-19 capital, younger students return to class in ‘bubbles’ (Reuters) Published on: June 16, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Quebec’s elementary and younger high school students will be divided into smaller subgroups, or “bubbles,” and no longer switch classes when they return to school this fall, education officials in the Canadian province hit hardest by the coronavirus outbreak said on Tuesday.
China’s capital, Beijing, said it is closing schools amid a fresh outbreak.
Only British Columbia has reopened both elementary and high schools, though students are attending on a rotating basis, while Manitoba and Prince Edward Island have both resumed some in-person classes on a limited basis.

Covid-detecting ‘smart rings’ to be trialled by staff at Las Vegas resort (FT) Published on: June 16, 2020 | Category: Global Response

A prominent Las Vegas casino operator is embarking on a novel strategy to fight coronavirus among its staff, giving them wearable “smart rings” that can detect infection before symptoms occur.
It will be the first big US company to deploy such pre-symptomatic virus detection devices internally.
The rollout comes as researchers are turning increasingly to wearable technologies to track the spread of the pandemic in real time, often before symptoms appear.

Covid-19 has prompted boom for TV news, dip in media trust worldwide and surge in misinformation (Press Gazette) Published on: June 16, 2020 | Category: Global Response

In the UK, just over half (55%) of respondents to this year’s Digital News Report said they used TV as a source of news in January, compared to more than three-quarters (77%) for online, including social media.
Among the under-35s surveyed in April, more than half (57%) said they had used TV as a source of news in the last week – a rise of 25 percentage points on January – compared to 61% for social media, up 9%.
The report said: “Overall our April 2020 survey found the news media were considered to have done a good job in helping ordinary people understand the extent of the crisis (60%), and also in making clear what people can do personally to mitigate the impact (65%).”
Across the six countries surveyed for the report in April, 59% of respondents rated news organisations as trustworthy on Covid-19, on a par with national governments and behind scientists, doctors, and health organisations.

Coronavirus Breaches Chinese Capital, Rattling Officials (NY Times) Published on: June 15, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The authorities in Beijing placed a swath of the city under lockdown on Monday and tested tens of thousands of people as they rushed to contain a new coronavirus outbreak that marked an unnerving breach in China’s capital.
Until now, the efforts appeared to have protected the capital against the virus after it emerged late last year in Wuhan, a city in central China.
While the dozens of new cases in Beijing seem slight compared to the hundreds and even thousands of infections reported daily in other countries, the fresh outbreak has jolted China, prompting the government to fire local officials and reinstate some recently relaxed restrictions.

COVID-19: Poll says Canadians fatigued, less concerned about virus protocols (Vancouver Sun) Published on: June 15, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Just 36 per cent of respondents say they’re staying away from public spaces as much as they were during the early days of the pandemic, while 56 per cent are still physically distancing.
The poll also found that 31 per cent of Canadians reported feeling fatigued in recent weeks and 28 per cent say they are anxious, with the majority of those being under the age of 55.
Just under half of Canadians (41 per cent) still believe the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is yet to come, while the rest believe Canada has survived the lowest point of the health crisis.

Risk sentiment rides the waves with some central bank help (FT) Published on: June 15, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Global investor sentiment was challenged by signs of another Covid-19 wave on Monday, before Wall Street was bolstered by an announcement on corporate bond purchases from the US Federal Reserve.
The catalyst for the rebound was the Fed announcing that it would purchase corporate bonds to create a portfolio that reflects “a broad, diversified market index of US corporate bonds”.
The latest demonstration of seemingly unlimited central bank support drowned out the worrying news over the weekend that Beijing had experienced a jump in coronavirus infections.

At A Time Of Great Need, Public Health Lacks ‘Lobbying Muscle’ (Kaiser Health News) Published on: June 15, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

“We don’t have millions of dollars to spend on billboards, and we can’t call in a hundred people to stand up at a hearing and say ‘I didn’t get sick because of public health measures” said Kat DeBurgh, executive director of the Health Officers Association of California.
Health officials say the additional $150 million they’re requesting would help them hire public health nurses and disease investigators, fund public health labs and purchase protective gear.
County health directors say chronic underfunding has forced them to make difficult decisions to curtail spending and cut programs like public health labs — 11 of 40 have shuttered in the past two decades.

Korea crushed a huge coronavirus outbreak. Can it beat a second wave? (Honolulu Star-Advertiser) Published on: June 14, 2020 | Category: Global Response

South Korea became one of the world’s top virus success stories by learning from past experiences.
Now it’s using lessons from a fresh spate of clusters to prepare for what officials say will be an inevitable second wave.
Steps taken include introducing entry registration for nightclubs and gyms, requiring tracking and health-monitoring phone apps for foreign visitors, and installing mask vending machines in parks and subways.

Fauci says second wave is ‘not inevitable’ as coronavirus cases climb in some states (CTV News) Published on: June 13, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Most Americans are adhering to CDC guidelines introduced to mitigate the pandemic, according to a survey from the CDC.
In the survey released Friday, close to 80 per cent of Americans surveyed nationwide said they had self-isolated last month and 85 per cent of New Yorkers said they had when the survey was conducted in May.
And 84.3 per cent of those surveyed believed their state’s mitigation strategies were the right balance or even not restrictive enough, the survey team, led by the CDC’s Michael Tynan, said in the agency’s weekly report.

More funding, health, equity measures needed ahead of September school reopening: OSSTF (CBC) Published on: June 13, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The union representing thousands of Ontario high school teachers and education workers is raising the alarm over what it calls “clear risks” involved with reopening public schools in September in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among other things, the union is calling on the government to provide more personal protective equipment, more cleaning and more funding for the increased staffing it says will be needed to keep everyone as safe as possible from the novel coronavirus.
Though Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce says a full plan for reopening the province’s schools will be released by the end of June — including measures to ensure physical distancing and restrictions on the movement of students at school — Bischof says the province needs to take additional steps in its reopening plan, and do it quickly.

Businesses Want Virus Legal Protection. Workers Are Worried. (NY Times) Published on: June 12, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The stock exchange required Mr. Corpina and others who work there to acknowledge that returning to work could expose them to the coronavirus, and to promise not to sue if they were infected.
Whether companies are liable if their workers and customers catch the coronavirus has become a key question as businesses seek to reopen around the country.
Companies and universities — and the groups that represent them — say they are vulnerable to a wave of lawsuits if they reopen while the coronavirus continues to circulate widely, and they are pushing Congress for temporary legal protections they say will help get the economy running again.

COVID-19: B.C. Hydro survey shows change to daily routines (Vancouver Sun) Published on: June 12, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Since mid-March, nearly 90 per cent of British Columbians reported drastically shifting their daily routines, including nearly 40 per cent that are working at home five days a week, according to the survey.
Other findings include that 45 per cent say they are eating breakfast at a later time, and 24 per cent said they are showering less often and for shorter periods of time in the morning.
Almost half of those surveyed said they are cooking more now than they were pre-pandemic, and almost a quarter are making dinner earlier these days.

America Is Done With COVID-19. COVID-19 Isn’t Done With America (TIME) Published on: June 12, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The U.S. is very much on fire, well into a second phase of the crisis, with the COVID-19 caseload steadily rising to more than 2 million confirmed cases and more than 113,00 deaths.
Four of those states—Arizona, California, Mississippi and North Carolina—have yet to decline for any extended window even temporarily; the rest appear to have initially bent the curve downward and are now experiencing a second wave of infections.
Yet the pandemic, if not remotely yesterday’s news, has begun to fade as a front-of-mind issue, pushed out both by the recent demonstrations against police brutality and systemic racism, triggered by the May 25 murder of George Floyd, and perhaps a sort of cultural numbing to all things COVID.
The White House Coronavirus Task Force, whose press conferences were daily fixtures in the early months of the crisis, now convenes three times a week instead of daily—with Vice President Mike Pence, the group’s chair, attending only one of those three regular sessions—and there has not been a press conference in the last month.

One metre or two? Economic pressure stokes distancing debate (FT) Published on: June 11, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Intense economic pressure to lift coronavirus lockdowns around the world has stoked debate over the minimum physical distancing needed to limit the spread of infection.
Evidence so far suggests that the World Health Organization guideline of one metre is a bare minimum, and that the transmission risk falls further as that gap widens to two metres and beyond.
Fernando Simón, the epidemiologist leading Spain’s virus fight, said this week that two metres was still ideal, even though his country would cut its requirement to 1.5 metres from June 21.

Treasury Secretary Mnuchin says ‘we can’t shut down the economy again’ (CNBC) Published on: June 11, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC that shutting down the economy for a second time to slow Covid-19 isn’t a viable option.
The Treasury secretary’s comments came as Wall Street grew more concerned about a second wave of coronavirus cases in the U.S.
“And not just economic damage, but there are other areas and we’ve talked about this: medical problems and everything else that get put on hold,” he added.

Covid-19 challenges New York’s future (The Economist) Published on: June 11, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Cities around the world, take heed.
Construction and manufacturing have now restarted; shops offer pavement pickups. But many businesses are still shut, and most office workers at home.
Workers and firms have continued to pile into cities like New York, even as travel and telecommuting have become easier, because there is so much to be gained by proximity to other human beings, especially when it comes to the “knowledge economy” reliant on highly skilled, highly educated and highly productive workers.

Busy shops and packed buses as Sao Paulo reopens amid coronavirus pandemic (Independent.ie) Published on: June 10, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Brazil is among the South American countries hit hardest by the pandemic, with about 39,000 deaths according to official figures.
Sao Paulo mayor Bruno Covas authorised the restart of commerce between 11am and 3pm as long as shops require customers to use masks and limit those allowed inside.
As the day began, many commuters headed back to jobs unmasked, ignoring Mr Covas’s order that only those wearing masks be allowed in buses and other public transport.

Fed predicts no rate increases until at least the end of 2022 (FT) Published on: June 10, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Federal Reserve officials predicted they would keep interest rates close to zero until at least the end of 2022, as the US central bank indicated it would take years to bring joblessness back down to the levels before the coronavirus pandemic.
The dovish tone from the Fed, which is expecting the US economy to contract by 6.5 per cent this year, with unemployment falling to 9.3 per cent, reinforced expectations that the central bank was settling in for an extended fight against the economic shock triggered by the virus.
Mr Powell pushed back against concerns the Fed had artificially propped up markets in a way that could be a source of financial trouble ahead.

Widespread mask-wearing could prevent COVID-19 second waves: study (Reuters) Published on: June 10, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Population-wide face mask use could push COVID-19 transmission down to controllable levels for national epidemics, and could prevent further waves of the pandemic disease when combined with lockdowns, according to a British study on Wednesday.
The research, led by scientists at the Britain’s Cambridge and Greenwich Universities, suggests lockdowns alone will not stop the resurgence of the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, but that even homemade masks can dramatically reduce transmission rates if enough people wear them in public.
In all scenarios the study looked at, routine face mask use by 50% or more of the population reduced COVID-19 spread to an R of less than 1.0, flattening future disease waves and allowing for less stringent lockdowns.

In the W.H.O.’s Coronavirus Stumbles, Some Scientists See a Pattern (NY Times) Published on: June 9, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Even as the World Health Organization leads the worldwide response to the coronavirus pandemic, the agency is failing to take stock of rapidly evolving research findings and to communicate clearly about them, several scientists warned on Tuesday.
In a news briefing on Monday, a W.H.O. official asserted that transmission of the coronavirus by people without symptoms is “very rare.” Following concerted pushback from researchers, officials on Tuesday walked back the claim, saying it was a “misunderstanding.”
The agency delayed endorsing masks for the general public until Friday, claiming there was too little evidence that they prevented transmission of the virus. Virtually all scientists and governments have been recommending masks for months.

Two-thirds of Canadians intend to get COVID-19 vaccine, about half wearing masks in public: survey (Richmond News) Published on: June 9, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Sixty-eight per cent of survey respondents said they intend to get the COVID-19 vaccine once it’s available, while 16 per cent said they didn’t know, and another 16 per cent said they would not get vaccinated, according to the poll, released Tuesday, by a Canadian market-research company.
When it comes to wearing a mask to help prevent the spread of the virus, 51 per cent of Canadians said they put one on while grocery shopping, 45 per cent for trips to the pharmacy, 17 per cent in workplaces or offices.
When it comes to transit, 14 per cent of Canadians said they wear a mask, and another 12 per cent said they wear a mask when they go for a walk.

Will UK schools fully reopen before September and can parents refuse to send their children? (The Independent) Published on: June 9, 2020 | Category: Global Response

“To reflect the fact that children will still be doing part of their learning at home, we are going to invest a further £30 million to provide laptops for disadvantaged children and young people to study online,” the first minister stated. Kirsty Williams, education minister for Wales, said that schools in the country will not reopen on 1 June in line with England as any update would need to be “communicated well in advance”.
It is currently understood that while children can contract the coronavirus, they are less likely than adults to become seriously ill. “The evidence to date [as of 24 April 2020] suggests that although children do develop Covid-19, very few children develop severe symptoms, even if they have an underlying health condition,” Great Ormond Street Hospital states.
In Switzerland, authorities said on 29 April that it was safe for children under 10 to hug their grandparents because young children “do not transmit” the virus.

Why can’t the GTA lift COVID-19 restrictions? These 5 charts explain our lockdown limbo, how the virus is multiplying and more (Toronto Star) Published on: June 9, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The inability to scale back cases here could be due a number of reasons, including increased testing, which has led to the discovery of more positive cases, or an increase in public gatherings, said Dr. Jennifer Kwan, a family physician who’s been tracking COVID-19 data in the province.
As well, she said, delayed reports of positive tests to public health units, which the province acknowledged happened earlier this month at a drive-thru assessment centre in Etobicoke, could have allowed people to spread the virus unknowingly.
On Monday evening, the province’s regional health units reported 314 new COVID-19 cases, a decrease of 101 cases reported the same time Sunday.

Energy Firm BP to Cut 10,000 Jobs Worldwide Amid Coronavirus Pandemic (TIME) Published on: June 8, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Energy company BP said Monday that its global workforce will be trimmed by 10,000 jobs as the COVID-19 pandemic slams the oil and gas industry.
The changes are expected to significantly impact senior levels, cutting the number of group leaders by a third. The company said it will make the senior structure flatter.

Asia Today: New Zealand succeeds in eradicating coronavirus (660 News) Published on: June 7, 2020 | Category: Global Response

New Zealand has eradicated the coronavirus from its shores after health officials reported Monday that the final person known to have been infected has recovered.
It has been 17 days since the last new case was reported in New Zealand, and Monday also marked the first time since late February that there have been no active cases.

Shipping industry warns of trade logjam as crews remain stranded (FT) Published on: June 7, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The international shipping industry has warned of a threat to global trade from a mounting crisis on board merchant vessels, with up to 400,000 crew stranded either at sea or at home by travel restrictions because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Many crew have worked several months beyond their contracts, exceeding regulatory limits, and ship owners, unions and captains have sounded the alarm over safety.
Many seafarers are also struggling to obtain entry or exit visas, while the suspension of commercial flights increase the difficulties in moving crew around.

Same old Vegas? Here’s what coronavirus has and hasn’t changed about Sin City (USA Today) Published on: June 7, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The Las Vegas Strip is slowly awakening after a nearly 80-day slumber due to the coronavirus crisis.
There’s a giant hand-washing station on the casino floor at the luxe Bellagio.
What happens if you have a fever? You’ll be given time to cool down before being tested again. Those with a fever will be evaluated by a medical professional and may not be able to check in.

‘I have never felt so helpless’: Front-line workers confront loss (Washington Post) Published on: June 7, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Doctors, nurses and first responders grapple with the enormity of what they’ve witnessed during the pandemic’s first wave.
They second-guess their decisions, experience panic attacks, worry constantly about their patients, their families and themselves, and feel tremendous anxiety about how and when this might end.
Worried that the coronavirus might leave a whole generation of health-care workers with post-traumatic stress disorder, many hospitals and ambulance companies have brought in grief counselors via Zoom and started weekly mediation sessions, prayer circles and other support services.

US to Allow Chinese Passenger Carriers 2 Flights per Week as Beijing Announces Easing of Covid-19 Curbs (News18) Published on: June 6, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The United States will permit Chinese passenger air carriers to operate two flights per week after Beijing said it would ease coronavirus-related restrictions to allow in more foreign carriers, the US Transportation Department said on Friday.
The notice added that the department is “troubled by China’s continued unilateral dictation of the terms of the US-China scheduled passenger air transportation market without respect for the rights of US carriers.”

WHO advises public to wear face masks when unable to distance (Guardian) Published on: June 5, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Over-60s should use medical-grade masks and all others three-layer fabric ones, health body says.
All others should wear a three-layer fabric mask: absorbent cotton closest to the face, followed by a polypropylene layer and then a synthetic layer that is fluid-resistant, the WHO said.
The WHO said people should be advised to wear masks not only on buses and trains but also wherever physical distancing may be hard – in grocery stores, at work, at social gatherings, at mass gatherings and in closed settings, including schools, churches, mosques and other places of worship.

Singapore plans wearable virus-tracing device for all (Reuters) Published on: June 5, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Singapore plans to give a wearable device that will identify people who had interacted with carriers of coronavirus to each of its 5.7 million residents, in what could become one of the most comprehensive contact-tracing efforts globally.
Testing of the small devices, which can be worn on the end of a lanyard or carried in a handbag, follows limited take-up of an earlier smartphone-based system and has further fuelled privacy concerns about contact tracing technology.
The government did not specify whether carrying the device would be mandatory.

Federal government rules out adoption of Mila Institute’s COVID-19 contact-tracing app (The Logic) Published on: June 4, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The federal government has ruled out an endorsement of one of the highest-profile Canadian efforts to develop a COVID-19 contact-tracing smartphone app, The Logic has learned.
The decision against adopting Mila’s app, which is based on the protocols developed by Britain’s National Health Service (NHS), strongly suggests the federal government will instead endorse an app based on Apple and Google exposure notification application programming interface.
Ottawa-based Shopify, which has developed an app based on the two companies’ technology, is arguably the country’s most prominent remaining contender.

The pandemic is still gathering pace in most of the world (The Economist) Published on: June 4, 2020 | Category: Global Response

All told, poorer countries account for some three-quarters of the 100,000 or so new cases detected around the world each day.
These numbers are alarming, especially because they are grave underestimates. Poorer countries tend to conduct fewer tests than richer ones, so even more infections and deaths are going uncounted in them.
Their governments tend not to have much money, either. That has prompted the authorities to relax the restrictions they put in place to slow the spread of the disease, to save their citizens from ruin.

The quest for a vaccine could restore faith in big pharma (The Economist) Published on: June 4, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Until the coronavirus, the company barely dabbled in the $60bn-a-year vaccine business. Yet now he is leading the effort not just to create a vaccine, but also to bring big pharma back in from the cold.
Yet it is in the quest for the vaccine that Mr Soriot’s faith in innovation could be most consequential. In April AstraZeneca struck a landmark deal with Oxford University to distribute a potential jab.
Within three weeks it had secured manufacturing capacity for 1bn doses, with the aim of beginning deliveries in September.

The C.D.C. Waited ‘Its Entire Existence for This Moment.’ What Went Wrong? (NY Times) Published on: June 3, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Americans returning from China landed at U.S. airports by the thousands in early February, potential carriers of a deadly virus who had been diverted to a handful of cities for screening by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But the effort was frustrated as the C.D.C.’s decades-old notification system delivered information collected at the airports that was riddled with duplicative records, bad phone numbers and incomplete addresses.
When the system went offline in mid-February, briefly halting the flow of passenger data, local officials listened in disbelief on a conference call as the C.D.C. responded to the possibility that infected travelers might slip away.
“Just let them go,” two of the health officials recall being told.

Swedish expert admits country should have had tighter coronavirus controls (FT) Published on: June 3, 2020 | Category: Global Response

“If we would encounter the same disease, with exactly what we know about it today, I think we would land midway between what Sweden did and what the rest of the world did,” said Mr Tegnell in the interview broadcast on Wednesday morning.
The public mood in Sweden appears to have shifted somewhat since neighbouring Norway and Denmark last week opened their borders to each other but not their close neighbour.
Sweden kept its schools for under 16s open, a policy that health authorities in Norway and Denmark now think wise.

US surgeon general: “Every reason to expect” new Covid-19 clusters following protests (CNN) Published on: June 2, 2020 | Category: Global Response

As protests over the death of George Floyd continue across the United States, there is concern that coronavirus could spread among demonstrators, US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams told Politico on Monday.
“Based on the way the disease spreads, there is every reason to expect that we will see new clusters and potentially new outbreaks moving forward,” Adams said.

Coronavirus: 15 emerging themes for boards and executive teams (McKinsey) Published on: June 2, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

We are seeing some faint signs of progress in the struggle to contain the pandemic. But the risk of resurgence is real, and if the virus does prove to be seasonal, the effect will probably be muted.
Boards must strike the right balance between hope for the future and the realism that organizations need to hear.
Certain industries and sectors are truly struggling and require support. Several disrupted industries and many organizations in higher education, the arts, and sports are severely struggling and require support to safeguard their survival.

The new era of quarantine: a muddled set of travel rules (FT) Published on: June 2, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Many governments have decided to isolate arrivals because of coronavirus despite little agreement about how to go about it.
“The windows didn’t open and there was no fresh air. They posted two guards on each floor and if you opened your door they would stare at you and tell you to close it,” said Hope Ailsa.
With little obvious debate and consultation, or even agreement among scientists about when to apply it, governments around the world have decided that isolating arrivals from other countries is an essential response to coronavirus — and, in some cases, could remain so for quite some time.

Hesitancy to resume activities marks reopening challenges: POLL (ABC News) Published on: June 1, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

With two-thirds of Americans worried about a second wave of the coronavirus, a new ABC News/Washington Post poll finds nearly 6 in 10 people are unready to resume their pre-pandemic activities, underscoring continued public unease as the nation seeks a return to normalcy.
59 per cent report severe economic impacts in their community — up from 43 per cent two months ago. Among those employed before the pandemic began, 24 per cent have been laid off or furloughed.
Further demonstrating the extent of the pandemic, 42 per cent of Americans now know someone personally who has been diagnosed with COVID-19, up nearly fourfold from 11 per cent in late March.

As pandemic persists, courts could see permanent changes some consider positive (National Post) Published on: May 31, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

One of the most dramatic impacts may be happening in courthouses, where hearings that have always occurred in person, are instead being adjudicated through online video or even over the telephone.
But the pandemic is also forcing lawyers and judges into a debate about the merits of technology and access to justice.
The judge wrote that the videoconferencing system he used allowed all the participants to see each other, and one member of the press even witnessed the proceeding.

Four ways Ontario has made it harder to know how COVID-19 is hitting the province (Toronto Star) Published on: May 31, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

In Ontario, the primary public sources of information on the spread of the virus have been the province’s 34 local public health units and Public Health Ontario, a government agency created to protect and promote health.
“In this case, it’s even more critical for us to know of the people who are being tested, what per cent of them are actually coming back positive, what per cent are coming back negative, because that can help at least give us some idea of how to extrapolate those numbers to the wider community,” said Aleman, a professor of industrial engineering at the University of Toronto .
The caveat is that such an extrapolation would be imperfect because of a biased selection scenario where the province has only been testing people strongly suspected of having the virus.
Before that date, Ontario’s data included some cases of COVID-19 that had been confirmed by the fact a patient had symptoms and was living in a facility that was experiencing an outbreak, but not a test — the logic being that if a resident got sick where the virus was present, there was no need to conduct a test to confirm the obvious.

New York governor signs bill that provides death benefits to families of frontline workers (CNN) Published on: May 30, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed a bill that gives death benefits to families of frontline workers who died battling the coronavirus pandemic.
“It is the least we can do to say thank you, and we honor you, and we remember you. You gave your lives for us. We will be there to support your families going forward,” Cuomo said at a news conference on Saturday.

Small signs of life return to US economy (FT) Published on: May 30, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

An increase in traffic and a fall in panic purchases at the supermarket are among the signs that Americans are taking their first cautious steps back to normality after coronavirus flatlined the economy.
There is still a long way to go after months of lockdown. But the low for the “two-month recession” probably occurred in April, says Douglas Porter, chief economist at BMO Financial Group.
Purchases of toilet paper and disinfectants have declined 63 and 83 per cent, respectively, according to data from Nielsen.

Sweden snubbed as Norway and Denmark open borders (FT) Published on: May 29, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Norwegian, German and Icelandic tourists coming to Denmark will have to show they have booked at least six nights in the country and will not be able to stay overnight in Copenhagen.
Finland’s ministers and health authorities have suggested that Sweden’s high death rate makes a common Nordic travel area impossible and have instead looked at trying to join the Baltic travel bubble between Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
But there was better economic news for Sweden on Friday as GDP figures for the first quarter showed it was one of the few countries in Europe to enjoy growth in the first three months of the year.
The country’s GDP increased by 0.1 per cent compared with the fourth quarter.

New York Stores Can Ban Customers For Not Wearing Masks (Hudson Valley Post) Published on: May 28, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a new order that gives store owners the right to ban any customer that enters without wearing a mask.
Cuomo says New York has received $23,840 of federal COVID-19 funding per positive case as opposed to Alaska which received $3,395,739 per COVID-19 case.
The New York Stock Exchange reopened after two months but Cuomo doesn’t think it will “bounce back.” He doesn’t think the U.S. economy will bounce back on its own after the pandemic because too many small businesses have closed.

‘They didn’t get to die with dignity’: Canada reexamines care for seniors (Christian Science Monitor) Published on: May 28, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

In Quebec, which has seen the highest coronavirus infection and mortality rates in Canada, 63% of COVID-19 fatalities have occurred in long-term care facilities, known as CHSLDs.
But although both countries have suffered outbreaks in nursing homes, that problem has been much more severe in Canada: More than 80% of COVID-19 fatalities in the country are linked to them, according to Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer.
This week the Canadian Armed Forces shook the nation with a damning report on the unsafe state of five long-term care facilities in Greater Toronto.
Advocates and victims’ families are calling for public inquiries as to what went wrong and for new national standards for long-term care to be established.

The Health 202: Americans are not expecting a quick return to normal. Or a vaccine next year. (Washington Post) Published on: May 28, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

A spate of recent polls reveals Americans’ attitudes toward the novel coronavirus, which has taken the lives of 100,000 people in the United States. Here’s what we learned.
Nearly half of Americans say they or someone in their household skipped or delayed medical care because of the outbreak.
A third of Americans are showing signs of clinical anxiety or depression, Census Bureau data shows, the most definitive and alarming sign yet of the psychological toll exacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Researchers Applaud Spanish COVID-19 Serological Survey (The Scientist) Published on: May 28, 2020 | Category: Global Response

After initial setbacks, the country’s recent antibody screen estimates that 5 per cent of the population has been exposed to SARS-CoV-2.
Unfortunately, this means almost all of the population is still at risk.
“There is no herd immunity in Spain.”

The case for mandatory masks (The Economist) Published on: May 28, 2020 | Category: Global Response

In places where covid-19 is still rife, governments should require people to wear face coverings in crowded public spaces.
Since May 11th Parisians have been required to wear masks on public transport or face a penalty of €135 ($150), so it is rare to see anybody on the Métro without one.
In much of the rich world, governments now require people to wear masks when they are in crowded public spaces. Britain and America are among the few hold-outs.

Many Americans say the pandemic changed their spending habits for the better, but experts are skeptical it will last (Business Insider) Published on: May 27, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Surveys show that Americans redirected their discretionary income after restaurants and stores closed and social events were canceled because of the COVID-19 crisis.
A majority of Americans say they’re going to stick with their newfound spending habits, like cooking at home and supporting local businesses.
While people are decidedly more mindful about spending during the crisis, some experts are skeptical their behaviors will outlast the pandemic.

Ontario extends all emergency orders for another 10 days (CTV News) Published on: May 27, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

“We are extending these emergency orders to protect the health and safety of all individuals and families as we begin to gradually and safely reopen our province,” Premier Doug Ford said in a news release issued on Wednesday morning.
The orders will now be in effect until June 9.
On May 19, the province entered the first stage of its recovery phase, which allowed retail stores with a street-front entrance to begin operating again and permitted some outdoor recreational amenities, including sports facilities, to reopen.

Disney World sets reopening date (CNN) Published on: May 27, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Disney World will reopen its gates, ending a multi-month closure of the park that left the Walt Disney Company reeling.
The Disney theme park, which employs some 70,000 people, plans to begin a phased reopening on July 11 for its Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom parks and July 15 for EPCOT and Hollywood Studios, the company said on Wednesday.
Disney is implementing several measures to reopen safely and prevent the spread of the coronavirus at its parks.

As Starbucks locations reopen nationwide, workers question why they should risk their life ‘for a frappuccino’ (NBC) Published on: May 27, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

“We’re not forcing anyone to come back, but it is a managed risk,” said one manager. “We have no idea which customers have been following procedures or who has been in hospitals.”
“It seems to be bad to reopen when you have an ongoing worsening pandemic,” said one barista in Chicago who is currently on quarantine after his manager came down with a fever.
But even with these precautions, workers are terrified of going to work and say it is difficult to stay safe among eager customers, some of whom do not follow health protocols.

Experts Predict How Coronavirus May Change Hotel Stays (Huffington Post) Published on: May 26, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

One area undergoing massive changes ― and preparing for more ― is the hotel business.
“Travelers will certainly hear hotels talk about their sanitization and cleaning protocols, and certain properties or brands may seek cleanliness certifications,” noted Melanie Lieberman, senior travel editor at The Points Guy. “The key here will be communicating their cleanliness standards to guests.”
“Marriott, for example, said it’s going to use electrostatic sprayers and hospital-grade disinfectants,” Lieberman said.
“There will be an acceleration of self-service tech solutions in hotels,” said Konrad Waliszewski, co-founder and CEO of the travel app TripScout. “Services that would have happened anyway over the next decade ― such as self-service and contactless check-ins, mobile keys, mobile check-ins, and mobile SMS/chat for requests ― will become the norm for hotels.”

Merck chief casts doubt on coronavirus vaccine timeframe (FT) Published on: May 26, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Merck chief executive Ken Frazier has cast doubt on the 12 to 18-month timeframe to develop an effective coronavirus vaccine, describing the widely mooted schedule as “very aggressive”.
“It is not something I would put out there that I would want to hold Merck to,” the US pharmaceutical group’s chief told the Financial Times, adding that vaccines should be tested in “very large” clinical trials that take several months if not years to complete.
Mr Frazier’s comments came as Merck announced it was acquiring Themis Bioscience, a privately held biotech company based in Vienna that has been developing a coronavirus vaccine.

Our Economy Was Just Blasted Years Into the Future (Medium) Published on: May 26, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

As a catastrophe, Covid-19 itself appears so far to be a hybrid in impact — vastly speeding up some potent trends while quickly dispelling others that people thought were happening but actually weren’t.
“There is pressure on all trends, and only the strongest, most vibrant continue to be underway,” said Cliff Kupchan, chairman of the Eurasia Group. “Only the fittest survive. You have a Darwinian moment for trends.”
Ford has outright postponed the 2021 debut of robotaxis and driverless delivery vehicles, saying that the virus could have an unknown, long-term effect on consumer behavior.
According to a new paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, 42% of those laid off won’t get their jobs back.

Wuhan Tests Nine Million People for Coronavirus in 10 Days (WSJ) Published on: May 25, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The central Chinese city of Wuhan said early Monday that it had collected coronavirus swab tests from more than nine million of its 11 million people over the past 10 days, an ambitious response to the re-emergence of a handful of fresh cases this month at the initial center of the pandemic.
Most of those nine million samples have already been processed, according to a daily record of nucleic-acid tests by Wuhan health authorities.
On Friday alone, the city said it tested 1.47 million people—more than three times the number on the busiest day of testing in the U.S., according to data from the Atlantic’s Covid Tracking Project.

Don’t blame those who gather in parks – blame the city (The Globe and Mail) Published on: May 24, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The sight of thousands of people gathered in a downtown Toronto park as the city and Ontario are still struggling to get the COVID-19 outbreak under control was disconcerting to say the least.
One of the many truisms this pandemic has exposed is that the cities we have are not the cities we need.
Public health is all about harm reduction – keeping people as safe as possible, while respecting their circumstances. Calling out people’s perceived moral failings doesn’t fit that philosophy.

Drive-in shows, films, meals and even worship help ease lockdowns (The Economist) Published on: May 24, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Just a handful of churches in Northern Ireland carried out drive-in services this weekend, but more are planning to do so in the coming weeks.
In Denmark, people have much more than just movies available to enjoy from behind the wheel. P Scenen, a drive-in venue on the outskirts of Aarhus, hosts live stand-up comedy, music and TED-style presentations.
Does this mean that more live events will become drive-in, even after covid-19 has subsided?

Cybercrime against healthcare groups ‘worldwide’ is on the rise during coronavirus pandemic, top UN official warns (Business Insider) Published on: May 23, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Izumi Nakamitsu said at a meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday that there has been a 600% increase in malicious emails during the pandemic, in addition to “worrying reports of attacks against health care organizations and medical research facilities worldwide.”
Cybersecurity has emerged as a major concern amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced most of the world to move interactions online.
In the US, official activities like unemployment claims filed online with outdated state systems and presidential primary voting have been identified as high-risk operations for fraud.

COVID-19: The week in review with epidemiologist David Fisman (May 17-22) (TVO) Published on: May 23, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

TVO.org speaks with the University of Toronto professor about the testing, the numbers, and the outlook for Ontario.
To reopen the economy, we need to be doing better on surveillance and on testing.
You have places that are hundreds of kilometres and sometimes thousands of kilometres apart, and the provincial hotspot is here in Toronto, and you’d never know it from the messaging coming out of the province, which treats the rest of the province as if it’s the GTA.

Poll: Most say they won’t go to gym, restaurants despite reopening (The Hill) Published on: May 22, 2020 | Category: Global Response

A majority of Americans say they won’t go to the gym or restaurants despite states’ new efforts to reopen the economy, a new national poll shows.
Before the pandemic, 50 per cent of respondents said that they attended a gym or fitness center monthly, according to a new AP-NORC poll, but only 24 per cent of respondents surveyed said that they would return to exercise at a gym or fitness studio if these activities were allowed in the next few weeks.
According to the poll, 67 per cent of participants said that they attended religious services monthly before the coronavirus outbreak. Only 38 per cent said that they were likely to attend services after restrictions were lifted.

Scientists vs politicians: the reality check for ‘warp speed’ vaccine research (FT) Published on: May 22, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Hollywood-style messages from politicians about beating the pandemic downplay the technical complexity.
Hope that a coronavirus vaccine might be ready “prior to the end of the year” was even quicker than the optimistic — but often repeated — timeline for a vaccine to be ready in 12 to 18 months.
But many scientists feel a duty to dampen the enthusiasm. They say a vaccine could take much longer because little is known about the disease and how bodies will react to attempts at immunisation.
In fact, some warn we may never create a vaccine for Covid-19.

Will antibody tests be our passport to normality? (FT) Published on: May 21, 2020 | Category: Global Response

In March, the UK government announced it would make millions of at-home antibody tests available via Amazon and in high-street pharmacies.
Those who tested positive would be given “immunity passports”, enabling them to re-enter the workforce and everyday life.
Underpinning the initial fanfare was a misguided hope that a large chunk of the population had contracted coronavirus but experienced only mild-to-moderate symptoms or none at all.

Americans Give Higher Ratings to South Korea and Germany Than U.S. for Dealing With Coronavirus (Pew Research Center) Published on: May 21, 2020 | Category: Global Response

In contrast, most believe China – where the pandemic is believed to have originated – has done an only fair or poor job.
Overall, 47% of adults say the United States has done a good or excellent job of handling the outbreak, but just 27% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents hold that view, compared with 71% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents.
Americans largely agree the U.S. should look beyond its borders for ideas to combat the coronavirus.

All 50 States Are Now Reopening. But at What Cost? (NY Times) Published on: May 20, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The United States has crossed an uneasy threshold with all 50 states beginning to reopen in some way, two months after the coronavirus thrust the country into lockdown.
The White House has said that states should have a “downward trajectory” of cases over a 14-day period before reopening, but many states reopened well short of meeting those benchmarks.
Mississippi saw its largest single-day increase in reported cases and deaths only after the state began to reopen.
Researchers expect that reopening the United States could cause thousands of additional deaths, while also saving several million jobs, a balancing act that has swung more toward the economy in recent weeks.

Iceland plans to welcome back tourists by June 15 (Washington Post) Published on: May 20, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The country will welcome travelers from all over the world, including the United States, but will subject visitors to either testing or quarantine.
In addition, the government will not allow visitors to venture into wider Europe without permission from the other countries.
Upon arrival at Keflavik International Airport, visitors will be tested for the coronavirus at no cost during a two-week trial period.

The Mnuchin/Powell show (Axios) Published on: May 19, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The Treasury Department and Federal Reserve both think the worst could be yet to come for America’s economy.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell reiterated his belief that a full recovery may not come until there’s a vaccine, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said there’s the risk of “permanent damage” if states delay reopening.

U.S. workers hit McDonald’s with class action over COVID-19 safety (Reuters) Published on: May 19, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Five McDonald’s workers in Chicago filed a class action lawsuit against the chain on Tuesday, accusing it of failing to adopt government safety guidance on COVID-19 and endangering employees and their families.
McDonald’s failed to provide adequate hand sanitizer, gloves and masks and has not notified its staff when an employee has become infected with the new coronavirus, according to a copy of the lawsuit provided by a spokesman for the workers.
The workers requested the Illinois state court issue an injunction, which would make McDonald’s stop requiring workers to reuse masks, mandate face coverings for customers and require the company to inform employees if a coworker becomes infected.

Companies more worried about recession than new virus outbreak (Irish Times) Published on: May 19, 2020 | Category: Global Response

A prolonged global recession brought about by the impact of Covid-19 is considered a greater threat to the world over the next 18 months than a fresh outbreak of the disease, according to a study by the World Economic Forum.
The Geneva-based organisation has also suggested that “there is an opportunity to embed greater societal equality and sustainability into the recovery, which would unleash a new era of prosperity”.
The remarks are contained in the WEF’s Covid-19 Risks Outlook report, which surveyed 350 corporate risk professionals about the biggest threats they perceive over the next year and a half for their company and the world.

Coronavirus: Antibodies testing coming to Canada (CityNews) Published on: May 18, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

A highly anticipated new test is coming to Canada to detect COVID-19 antibodies through blood samples.
Health Canada has just approved the very first serological test to detect those antibodies – meaning testing may begin in Canada in a matter of weeks.
Based on daily case counts, researchers have established there is likely a significant portion of asymptomatic carriers in the population. The new test will help them get a more precise infection rate and that could be the key to moving forward.

The key tool to a safe opening is not social distancing (Washington Post) Published on: May 18, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Many places, including South Korea and Hong Kong, have avoided lockdowns entirely and are now returning to something like normal conditions. Even when Hong Kong, where I live, got a second wave, we never went into lockdown, and now new cases are at nearly zero.
Contact isolation is more effective than lockdowns and also less economically disruptive.
The person with the positive test result and all of those contacts are then required to move temporarily into a government-run, hygienic, isolated environment — probably in a hotel or similar setting — until they can be ruled out as infectious.

COVID-19: 3 years jail for not wearing masks in Qatar (Gulf News) Published on: May 17, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Qatar on Sunday began enforcing the world’s toughest penalties of up to three years’ imprisonment for failing to wear masks in public, as it battles one of the world’s highest coronavirus infection rates.
More than 30,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the tiny Gulf country – 1.1 per cent of the 2.75 million population – although just 15 people have died.
Authorities in Chad have made it an offence to be unmasked in public, on pain of 15 days in prison. In Morocco similar rules can see violators jailed for three months and fined up to 1,300 dirhams ($130).

As new coronavirus cases remain low, China reopens schools, domestic flights (Global News) Published on: May 17, 2020 | Category: Global Response

China on Sunday reported five new cases of the novel coronavirus, as the commercial hub of Shanghai announced the restart of some schools and domestic flights.
In Shanghai, students retain the option of continuing to follow classes online rather than facing virus testing and social distancing measures at schools.
China now has the capacity to perform 1.5 million nucleic acid tests per day, National Health Commission Guo Yanhong told reporters Saturday.

Coronavirus Vaccine Front-Runners Emerge, Rollouts Weighed (WSJ) Published on: May 17, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

Of more than 100 vaccines in development globally, at least eight have started testing in humans, including candidates from Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc.
At the same time, pharmaceutical giants like Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca PLC and Sanofi are building capacity to make hundreds of millions of doses of their own or their partners’ vaccines.
Some, like vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, are based on relatively new technologies that haven’t been approved previously.

China hits back after Jason Kenney says the country is due for a ‘great reckoning’ (CBC) Published on: May 16, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The Chinese consulate in Calgary is hitting back against recent criticisms levied by Premier Jason Kenney, suggesting Alberta’s premier is fighting with “slander and stigma.”
On Wednesday, Kenney sharply criticized China’s handling of the earliest days of the COVID-19 outbreak, warning the country would soon face a “great reckoning” for how it handled the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
Canada’s initial response to the outbreak seemed to begin to thaw those relations, and Canada’s ambassador to China Dominic Barton said in February that his top priority was seeking a reset between the two nations.

Italy announces plans to ease travel restrictions starting June 3 (Washington Post) Published on: May 16, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Italy on Saturday moved to significantly unwind coronavirus-related movement restrictions, announcing plans to allow travel across the country as well as to and from abroad beginning June 3.
Such changes would restore many of the freedoms that were in place before Italy became the epicenter for the virus’s spread in Europe.
Italy is under intense economic pressure to reopen its doors and revive its tourism sector, which normally accounts for 13 per cent of its GDP.

Amazon planning to reopen its French warehouses from May 19 (Financial Post) Published on: May 15, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Amazon said on Friday it aims to gradually reopen its French warehouses from May 19 as it finalizes an agreement with unions and work councils to end a dispute over coronavirus protection steps that closed the sites for more than one month.
The U.S. e-commerce giant’s six French warehouses, which employ about 10,000 people on permanent and interim contracts, have been closed since April 16 following court rulings that ordered it to restrict deliveries during the COVID-19 pandemic or face hefty fines.

Coronavirus: Lufthansa to resume some flights to Toronto in June (Global News) Published on: May 15, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Lufthansa plans to resume flights to destinations including Los Angeles, Toronto and Mumbai next month as it begins to restore some of the capacity grounded by the coronavirus crisis, the German airline group said on Thursday.
Group airlines that had brought operations to a near halt will operate about 1,800 weekly flights to 130 destinations by the end of June, Lufthansa said in a statement.
“People want to and can travel again, whether on holiday or for business reasons,” Lufthansa sales chief Harry Hohmeister said in the group statement.

Coronavirus: Can China test all of Wuhan in only 10 days? (BBC) Published on: May 15, 2020 | Category: Global Response

China is drawing up ambitious plans to test the entire population of Wuhan, the city where the Covid-19 pandemic began.
There are more than 60 testing centres across the city, according to the official Hubei Daily newspaper.
The authorities say they have now tested more than three million people in the city.

Banking: the great return to the office (FT) Published on: May 14, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Top executives are also concerned about the public relations pitfalls if they are seen to be competing for testing resources with hospitals.
Barclays chief executive Jes Staley warned last month that “putting 7,000 people in a building may be a thing of the past”, as social distancing efforts limit the numbers in elevators at the same time and force desks to be more spread out.
Drawing on the experiences of Hong Kong, where temperature checks and thermal body scanners have been the norm in office buildings for months, financial institutions have been composing their own reopening checklists.

Global report: WHO says Covid-19 ‘may never go away’ and warns of mental health crisis (Guardian) Published on: May 14, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The World Health Organisation has warned that coronavirus “may never go away” as its experts predicted that a global mental health crisis caused by the pandemic was looming.
The global health body on Wednesday cautioned against trying to predict how long coronavirus would keep circulating, and called for a “massive effort” to overcome it.
“It is important to put this on the table: this virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities, and this virus may never go away,” said Michael Ryan, the WHO’s emergencies chief.

Could travel bubbles offer a route to economic recovery? (The Economist) Published on: May 14, 2020 | Category: Global Response

It may be a painful fact to contemplate during these locked-down days, but last year the world was more mobile than ever, with people taking 4.6bn flights.
In April this year, though, planes carried just 47m passengers; that level of mobility, annualised, would set the clocks back to 1978.
An idea gaining favour is the creation of travel “bubbles”, binding together countries that have fared well against the coronavirus.

Fed Chair warns of long, painful downturn if Congress does not provide more economic relief (Washington Post) Published on: May 13, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Almost 40 percent of U.S. households making less than $40,000 a year lost a job in March, citing results from a Fed survey coming out later this week.
They found more than 2 per cent of U.S. small businesses have closed permanently already.
“A lot firms had half a month to two months worth of cash on hand. They can stretch it by cutting costs or taking a government loan, but we are now getting several months into the crisis, and we’re getting to the point where firms are going beyond the cash on hand to weather the crisis,” said Alex Bartik, an economics professor at the University of Illinois.
Several Fed officials said this week they think the U.S. economy will soon hit its low point and then start to rebound, but they have warned a recovery is likely to be slow.

Crushing coronavirus uncertainty: The big ‘unlock’ for our economies (McKinsey) Published on: May 13, 2020 | Category: Global Response

We have seen most governments and central banks rapidly move to implement stimulus and liquidity measures to cushion the economic impact.
Unfortunately, we have also confirmed that lockdowns cause deep economic shocks: peak to trough, developed economies are likely to see GDPs decline by between 8 and 13 percent in the second quarter of 2020.
When we asked global executives how long they believe their economies will take to return to precrisis levels, their scenario choices indicated estimates ranging between three quarters and more than five years.
The objective now must be to crush uncertainty as soon as possible. As we have seen in previous crises, when uncertainty subsides, confidence returns and economic recovery unlocks—and the COVID-19 crisis has created the highest level of uncertainty in 35 years.

Twitter Will Allow Employees To Work At Home Forever (BuzzFeed) Published on: May 12, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey emailed employees on Tuesday telling them that they’d be allowed to work from home permanently, even after the coronavirus pandemic lockdown passes.
“People who were reticent to work remotely will find that they really thrive that way,” said Jennifer Christie, Twitter’s human resources head.
Dorsey had announced the company’s intent to work in a “distributed” way before the virus, but the pandemic forced the company to move the timeline up.

New coronavirus testing, contact tracing key to fending off second wave, experts say (CTV News) Published on: May 11, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Canada’s chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, has said reopening schools and businesses relies on testing and the ability of public health departments to trace the contacts of positive cases.
As public health restrictions are eased, Phillips said the provinces and territories must maintain a low threshold for testing in order to detect and isolate COVID-19 cases quickly and avoid large outbreaks and exponential growth in cases during a second wave.
“The contacts should be tested because that may identify other people, which will then trigger more contact tracing on those people who are testing positive,” said Dr. Peter Phillips, a clinical professor in the division of infectious diseases at the University of British Columbia.

China’s Wuhan reports first coronavirus cluster since lifting lockdown (Reuters) Published on: May 11, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Wuhan, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak in China, reported on Monday its first cluster of infections since a lockdown on the city was lifted a month ago, stoking concerns of a wider resurgence of the disease.
The new infections sounded a note of caution amid efforts to ease coronavirus-related restrictions across China as businesses restart and individuals get back to work.
Wuhan reported five new confirmed cases, all from the same residential compound.

Factories Close for Good as Coronavirus Cuts Demand (WSJ) Published on: May 11, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Factory furloughs across the U.S. are becoming permanent closings, a sign of the heavy damage the coronavirus pandemic and shutdowns are exerting on the industrial economy.
Those factory shutdowns will further erode an industrial workforce that has been shrinking as a share of the overall U.S. economy for decades.
The closures suggest that a growing share of the record job losses in recent weeks won’t be temporary, said Gabriel Ehrlich, an economic forecaster at the University of Michigan.

Rise in German virus infections spurs concern (France24) Published on: May 10, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Germany’s coronavirus spread appears to be picking up speed again, official data showed Sunday, just days after Chancellor Angela Merkel said the country could gradually return to normal.
The latest data raised alarm after Merkel only on Wednesday declared that Germany had left the “first phase” of the pandemic behind it and federal states announced relaxations of social restrictions.
German local authorities have however agreed to pull an “emergency brake” and reimpose social curbs if the infection rate rises above 50 cases per 100,000 residents over a week.

Seoul frets about new Covid wave (Bangkok Post) Published on: May 9, 2020 | Category: Global Response

A potential second wave of coronavirus infections could be possible in South Korea after confirmed cases suddenly increased after a lull, with a surge tied to nightclubs in Seoul.
South Korea, which in early March had the second highest number of cases globally after China, has been able to control the virus spread without having to take severe measures such as imposing a lockdown or banning overseas travel.
As worldwide cases passed 3.9 million and deaths topped 275,000 on Saturday, a top Chinese official admitted the coronavirus outbreak had exposed “shortcomings” in the public healthcare system.

IMF warns of further drop in global growth due to Covid-19 (Guardian) Published on: May 9, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has signalled a possible downward revision of global economic forecasts, and warned the United States and China against rekindling a trade war that could weaken a recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
The IMF’s April projection for a 3% contraction the global economy would mark the steepest downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Kristalina Georgieva, the IMF’s managing director, said the IMF had already provided emergency funding to 50 of the 103 countries that had requested aid.
The IMF’s chief economist, Gita Gopinath, said that the situation had worsened since March when the IMF projected that emerging markets and developing countries would need $2.5tr in external financing to manage the health and economic crisis.

The return of the cubicle? Companies rethink office life post lockdown (Reuters) Published on: May 8, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Can creative sparks fly through plexiglass? Is the water cooler chat a thing of the past?
Some firms are considering remodelling their offices to minimise the risk of a second wave of infections. Long rows of desks may be out, work stations sheathed with glass sneeze guards may be in.
For the world’s biggest advertising company WPP, staff will return gradually and on a voluntary basis, Chief Executive Mark Read told Reuters.

With Red Tape Lifted, Dr. Zoom Will See You Now (NY Times) Published on: May 8, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The transition to telemedicine initially proved a bit rocky. Ms. Sturgis could see her doctor on Zoom. “But I couldn’t hear her,” Ms. Sturgis said. “And she couldn’t see or hear me.”
For years, advocates and researchers have urged greater use of telemedicine — delivered by video or phone, through online patient portals or remote monitoring devices — particularly for older adults.
The Government Accountability Office reported in 2017 that just one percent of beneficiaries, most in rural areas, received care through telemedicine (a term used interchangeably with telehealth).

Millions of Americans will refuse to get a coronavirus vaccine when it becomes available, polls say (Seattle Times) Published on: May 6, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

But there’s no guarantee these vaccine efforts will succeed — and millions of Americans seem to be fine with that.
The results from a new set of surveys by Morning Consult found that 14 percent of American adults would not get a COVID-19 vaccine if one were available and 22 percent aren’t sure if they would.
By a wide margin in the Morning Consult surveys, Republicans (20%) are more likely than Democrats (7%) to insist they would not get vaccinated against COVID-19.

As US, other nations open for business, health officials wonder how bad the second COVID-19 outbreak will be (Chicago Tribune) Published on: May 6, 2020 | Category: Global Response

From Italy to Kansas, health authorities are increasingly warning that the question isn’t whether a second wave of coronavirus infections and deaths will hit, but when — and how badly.
In India, which partly eased its virus lockdown this week, health authorities scrambled Wednesday to contain an outbreak at a massive market.
Germany warned of a second and even third wave, and threatened to re-impose virus restrictions if new cases can’t be contained.

A return to 1970s stagflation is only a broken supply chain away (FT) Published on: May 6, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Central bankers insist that inflation expectations are anchored.
Consumer retrenchment will persist only until a Covid-19 vaccine arrives. If this takes another 12 to 18 months, as scientists believe, pent-up demand will build as never before.
Therein lies the inflationary risk for the post-coronavirus world. As part of a growing backlash against globalisation in general, and China in particular, nations are threatening to bring their offshore platforms back home.

Capital One’s North American, UK offices to stay closed until September (National Post) Published on: May 5, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Capital One Financial Corp told staff on Tuesday the bank’s offices in the United States, Canada and the UK will remain closed to all non-essential staff due to the coronavirus outbreak through at least Sept. 7.
As other banks are developing plans to gradually return workers to offices, Capital One has adopted one of the toughest stances by a financial services firm to curb the spread of coronavirus and limit staff interaction at its corporate locations.
“We have been able to operate effectively,” Fairbank said. “Given current health conditions and uncertainties in our major markets, we feel this decision supports the health and safety of our associates and communities.”

New Zealand PM: No open borders for ‘a long time’ (BBC) Published on: May 5, 2020 | Category: Global Response

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the country will not have open borders with the rest of the world for “a long time to come”.
Ms Ardern said New Zealand and Australia were discussing a “bubble of sorts between us, a safe zone of travel”.

54 percent of Americans want to work remote regularly after coronavirus pandemic ends, new poll shows (Newsweek) Published on: May 4, 2020 | Category: Global Response

An IBM survey released on Friday found that 54 per cent of the 25,000 adults polled would like to be able to primarily work from home and 75 percent would like the option to do it occasionally.
Once businesses can reopen, 40 per cent of people responded that they feel strongly their employer should offer opt-in remote work options.

COVID-Plagued California Nursing Homes Often Had Problems In Past (Kaiser Health News) Published on: May 4, 2020 | Category: Global Response

California nursing homes with one or more patients infected with the coronavirus have generally worse quality on average compared with those without cases of COVID-19.
“With low RN staffing, it is not surprising that these facilities have had previous violations for infection control and poorer overall quality as measured by having more deficiencies,” said Charlene Harrington, a professor emerita of the School of Nursing at the University of California-San Francisco.
“It is a classic situation that reaffirms what researchers have found previously, only the situation with the COVID-19 virus is far more serious than anything the nursing homes have experienced before” said Harrington.

Profile of a killer: the complex biology powering the coronavirus pandemic (Nature) Published on: May 4, 2020 | Category: Global Response

In 1912, German veterinarians puzzled over the case of a feverish cat with an enormously swollen belly. That is now thought to be the first reported example of the debilitating power of a coronavirus.
It was a family of dynamic killers: dog coronaviruses could harm cats, the cat coronavirus could ravage pig intestines.
Coronaviruses are also one of the few RNA viruses with a genomic proofreading mechanism — which keeps the virus from accumulating mutations that could weaken it.
SARS-CoV-2 can shed viral particles from the throat into saliva even before symptoms start, and these can then pass easily from person to person. SARS-CoV was much less effective at making that jump, passing only when symptoms were full-blown, making it easier to contain.

Low-Quality Masks Infiltrate U.S. Coronavirus Supply (WSJ) Published on: May 4, 2020 | Category: Global Response

U.S. regulators and state officials are finding a significant number of imported N95-style masks fall short of certification standards, complicating the response to the coronavirus crisis and potentially putting some front-line workers at greater risk.
Recent tests by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health found that about 60% of 67 different types of imported masks tested allowed in more tiny particles in at least one sample than U.S. standards normally permit.
With domestic production and stockpiles falling far short of demand, the tests suggest a high risk that hospitals, local authorities and companies are in many cases paying steep prices for substandard medical gear of uncertain provenance.

SARS-COV-2 was already spreading in France in late December 2019 (International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents) Published on: May 3, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Covid-19 was already spreading in France in late December 2019, a month before the official first cases in the country.
Early community spreading changes our knowledge of covid-19 epidemic.
This new case changes our understanding of the epidemic and modeling studies should adjust to this new data.

Profits and Pride at Stake, the Race for a Vaccine Intensifies (NY Times) Published on: May 3, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Governments, companies and academic labs are accelerating their efforts amid geopolitical crosscurrents, questions about safety and the challenges of producing enough doses for billions of people.
Seven of the roughly 90 projects being pursued by governments, pharmaceutical makers, biotech innovators and academic laboratories have reached the stage of clinical trials.
The intensity of the global research effort is such that governments and companies are building production lines before they have anything to produce.

Life after lockdown: welcome to the empty-chair economy (FT) Published on: May 2, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Spain will be open for business on Monday. But, by appointment only.
“It’s as if we are doctors or dentists,” says Maximino Sordo, who runs a shop in central Madrid with no bookings yet for next week. “But we are a hardware store.”
Instead, the next few months are going to feel like an empty-chair economy, with new shift patterns at factories, half-full buses and trains, staggered opening hours and unusually roomy restaurants.

More than 120 Atlanta restaurants refuse to open despite Georgia Gov Kemp lifting stay-at-home orders (The Hill) Published on: May 1, 2020 | Category: Global Response

More than 120 restaurants in Atlanta are refusing to open their dining rooms to patrons until they believe it’s safe, despite Georgia’s decision to allow restaurants and other businesses to start reopening this week amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Chefs and restaurant owners have come together to pushback against the state law allowing restaurant dining rooms to reopen with some restrictions, forming the “#GAHospitalityTogether” initiative.

Two Medical Systems, Two Pandemic Responses (NY Times) Published on: May 1, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

A health economist who has taught on both sides of the border examines the difference between Canada and the United States.
“The kind of system we have in Canada — and I think in British Columbia we have a pretty well-run version of it — allows the public health authorities to essentially commandeer the hospital system. It’s a command and control thing, it’s not a coordination thing,” said Bermand, professor of global health systems and economics at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Few American hospital administrators got together to do things like moving medical supplies and patients around between their institutions, Professor Berman said.

U.S. officials crafting retaliatory actions against China over coronavirus as President Trump fumes (Washington Post) Published on: May 1, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Senior U.S. officials are beginning to explore proposals for punishing or demanding financial compensation from China for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, according to four senior administration officials with knowledge of internal planning.
President Trump has fumed to aides and others in recent days about China, blaming the country for withholding information about the virus, and has discussed enacting dramatic measures that would probably lead to retaliation by Beijing, these people said.
In private, Trump and aides have discussed stripping China of its “sovereign immunity,” aiming to enable the U.S. government or victims to sue China for damages.

Canada’s early COVID-19 cases came from the U.S. not China, provincial data shows (National Post) Published on: April 30, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The global COVID-19 pandemic began in Wuhan, China, but data from Canada’s largest provinces show it was American travellers, not Chinese, who brought the deadly virus to our shores.
Air Canada suspended flights from China in February and the government encouraged people not to travel to China as early as January, but did not ban travellers until March 18 when it imposed sweeping global restrictions.
Of those cases, just five related to travel from China.

How consumer companies in China are preparing for the next normal: A virtual roundtable (McKinsey) Published on: April 30, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Members of McKinsey’s Greater China Consumer and Retail Practice in April conducted a virtual roundtable discussion to tap the knowledge and experience of China-based executives tasked with leading their companies out of lockdown.
The executives share views on how the crisis accelerated efforts to digitize their businesses, and discuss the measures they took to first sustain demand during the crisis, and then revive it during the recovery.
They also detail the fundamental impacts the crisis has had on the way their companies work, as well as how they listen to and interact with consumers.

How Long Will a Vaccine Really Take? (NY Times) Published on: April 30, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The grim truth behind this rosy forecast is that a vaccine probably won’t arrive any time soon.
Our record for developing an entirely new vaccine is at least four years — more time than the public or the economy can tolerate social-distancing orders.
So Times Opinion asked vaccine experts how we could condense the timeline and get a vaccine in the next few months instead of years.

The 90% economy that lockdowns will leave behind (The Economist) Published on: April 30, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Data from Womply, a firm which processes transactions on behalf of 450,000 small businesses across America, show that businesses in all sectors have lost substantial revenue.
The “90% economy” thus created will be, by definition, smaller than that which came before. But its strangeness will be more than a matter of size.
Some indication that the spending effects of a lockdown will persist even after it is over comes from Sweden.
Discretionary spending by Chinese consumers—the sort that goes on things economists do not see as essentials—is 40% off its level a year ago.

US GDP falls 4.8% in worst economic decline since 2008 (FT) Published on: April 29, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The blow to the American consumer, the biggest driver of US economic growth, was evident in a 7.6 per cent drop in personal consumption, which marked the biggest decline since 1980.
Counter-intuitively, healthcare was one of the sectors that provided the biggest drag on the economy, as hospitals stopped performing lucrative elective procedures in order to focus on dealing with coronavirus patients.
Some economists forecast the economy could shrink between 30 per cent and 40 per cent in the current quarter.

Donald Trump orders meat processing plants to stay open (FT) Published on: April 29, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Donald Trump has issued an executive order to force meat-processing factories to remain open, as concerns mount about the US food supply chain after the closure of several big plants because of Covid-19 outbreaks.
The US president invoked the Defense Production Act — a Korean war-era law that permits the government to compel companies to take action for national security reasons — after a spate of recent outbreaks of the virus at processing facilities raised concerns about serious food shortages.
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump suggested that the executive order would help shield companies from any legal liability that could arise from remaining open while they deal with coronavirus outbreaks in their plants.

Ford unveils roadmap for ‘re-opening’ Ontario as number of COVID-19 patients in ICUs drops (CBC) Published on: April 27, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Ontario will reopen its economy through a three-stage process in the coming weeks and months, the government says, though it offered no firm date and few details about when that effort will begin.
Each stage will last at least two to four weeks, at which point Ontario chief medical officer of health will be able to tighten certain restrictions, extend the stage or advise that the province can move into the next phase.
Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s chief medical officer health, said last week that the province would need to see fewer than 200 new cases daily for an extended stretch before relaxing COVID-19 emergency measures would be feasible.

The Federal Reserve Is Changing What It Means to Be a Central Bank (WSJ) Published on: April 27, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

By lending widely to businesses, states and cities in its effort to insulate the U.S. economy from the coronavirus pandemic, it is breaking century-old taboos about who gets money from the central bank in a crisis, on what terms, and what risks it will take about getting that money back.
And with large-scale purchases of U.S. Treasury securities, the Federal Reserve is stretching the boundaries for what a central bank will do to finance soaring federal debt—actions that move it deeper into political decisions it usually tries to avoid.
Economists project the central bank’s portfolio of bonds, loans and new programs will swell to between $8 trillion and $11 trillion from less than $4 trillion last year.

N.Y.C. Deaths Reach 6 Times the Normal Level, Far More Than Coronavirus Count Suggests (NY Times) Published on: April 27, 2020 | Category: Global Response

More than 27,000 New Yorkers have died since the start of the novel coronavirus outbreak in March — 20,900 more than would be expected over this period and thousands more than have been captured by official coronavirus death statistics.
But there remains a large gap between this number and the total deaths above typical levels in the last six and a half weeks: more than 4,200 people whose deaths are not captured by the official coronavirus toll.
Even with these high totals, the recent numbers in our charts are most likely an undercount of all deaths in the city.

How Fed Intervention Saved Carnival (WSJ) Published on: April 26, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

That all changed on March 23 when the Federal Reserve defibrillated bond markets with an unprecedented lending program.
By April 1, the company had raised almost $6 billion in bond markets, paying rates far below those executives had discussed just days earlier.
Carnival may still founder if tourists shun cruises over the long term, and its new debt carries a far heftier price tag than previous offerings.
But the immediate survival of the company, which employs about 150,000 people, is no longer in question.

A pandemic of corruption: $40 masks, questionable contracts, rice-stealing bureaucrats mar coronavirus response (Washington Post) Published on: April 26, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Countries large and small are shelling out trillions of dollars to combat both the coronavirus outbreak and its brutal economic fallout in what analysts are calling the largest financial response ever to a single global crisis.
As governments race to source everything from food aid to face masks, they are prioritizing speed over transparency, dropping competitive bidding and other safeguards to keep pace with the pandemic.
Food aid for struggling workers locked out of their jobs is proving to be a particularly juicy target.

Reopening Has Begun. No One Is Sure What Happens Next. (NY Times) Published on: April 26, 2020 | Category: Global Response

But even under the most optimistic estimates, it will be months, and possibly years, before Americans again crowd into bars and squeeze onto subway cars the way they did before the pandemic struck.
And it isn’t clear what, exactly, it means to gradually restart a system with as many interlocking pieces as the U.S. economy. How can one factory reopen when its suppliers remain shuttered?
The White House released a plan this month for a phased reopening of the economy, with restrictions easing as states meet public health benchmarks.

Race for coronavirus vaccine draws billions of dollars worldwide, with focus on speed (Global News) Published on: April 25, 2020 | Category: Global Response

But the traditional rules of drug and vaccine development are being tossed aside in the face of a virus that has infected 2.7 million people, killed more than 192,000 and devastated the global economy.
The overriding consensus among more than 30 drug company executives, government health officials and pandemic-response experts interviewed by Reuters is that the risks are necessary to ensure not only that a vaccine for the new coronavirus is developed quickly, but that it is ready to distribute as soon as it’s approved.
In the United States, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a federal agency that funds disease-fighting technology, has announced investments of nearly $1 billion to support coronavirus vaccine development and the scale-up of manufacturing for promising candidates.

Investors baffled by soaring stocks in ‘monster’ depression (FT) Published on: April 25, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The divergence between the flying stock market and the dying economy is so extreme it is leaving many analysts scrambling for explanations.
What was once dismissed as a mere “bear market rally” — often strong but ultimately doomed bounces that can occur in the middle of severe downturns — has now turned into a 23 per cent jump for global stocks.
Analysts and investors say that global efforts by central banks to soothe the financial system have been the trigger.
Throw in various other liquidity injections and a series of government spending packages aimed at ameliorating the effects of measures taken to contain the coronavirus outbreak, and the overall stimulus bill comes to $14tn, according to the IMF.

Congress Shovels Trillions at Virus, With No Endgame in Sight (NY Times) Published on: April 25, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

There is a growing list of detailed plans for how the federal government can bring the United States economy safely out of lockdown and back on a path to normalcy amid the coronavirus pandemic. Congress isn’t following any of them.
Instead, lawmakers who have spent the past two months rushing to respond to a public health and economic emergency with a series of ever-larger, taxpayer-financed spending packages appear to be locked in a reactive cycle, as the toll and financial costs of the virus mount.
The Congressional Budget Office said Friday that it expects economic pain from the crisis to persist for years to come, even though it believes activity will begin to rebound in the second half of the year.

Coronavirus: This is where all 50 states stand on reopening (The Mercury News) Published on: April 24, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

More than 97% of the US population is currently under a stay-at-home or shelter-in-place order as the coronavirus pandemic continues to upend life as we know it. But worries for the economy — and people’s mental health — are raising the question: When will things go back to normal?
This article has the latest on where states stand in their plans to reopen.
Alabama: Gov. Kay Ivey says the existing stay at home order will remain in effect until April 30th.

The risk of a US double-dip depression is real (FT) Published on: April 23, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

If you think one lockdown is painful enough, imagine a second.
Economists point out that the US is not even in a recession, which is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth.
Yet JPMorgan forecasts that the US economy will shrink by 40 per cent in the second quarter.

AP-NORC poll: Few Americans support easing virus protections (AP) Published on: April 23, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Only 12% of Americans say the measures where they live go too far.
About twice as many people, 26%, believe the limits don’t go far enough.
The majority of Americans — 61% — feel the steps taken by government officials to prevent infections of COVID-19 in their area are about right.
Just 36% of Republicans now say they strongly favor requiring Americans to stay home during the outbreak, compared with 51% who said so in late March.

US Congress strikes $484bn deal to fund small business (FT) Published on: April 21, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The White House and congressional leaders have reached a deal on a $484bn stimulus package that includes more than $300bn to replenish the depleted small business rescue fund.
In addition to $320bn for replenishing the Paycheck Protection Program — the loan programme to help US small businesses during the crisis — the bill will also include $75bn for hospitals and $25bn for expanded coronavirus testing.
Of the new funds to replenish PPP, $60bn will be allocated to small lenders and community-based financial institutions — a key demand from Democrats.

To Get Back to Work, Companies Seek Coronavirus Tests for Workers (WSJ) Published on: April 20, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Companies from Amazon.com Inc. to General Motors Co. are exploring ways to test their employees for Covid-19 before they come in to work.
Some executives on the call indicated they were looking into providing tests for workers and, potentially, customers, according to people familiar with the matter.
With the arrival of virus tests that deliver results in minutes, rather than days, employees could report to those sites for virus tests before heading into work, he said.

The coronavirus effect on global economic sentiment (McKinsey) Published on: April 20, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

In our latest survey, global executives report a gloomier outlook than one month ago.
Two-thirds expect a sizable contraction in the world economy, and a record share predict declining company profits.
At least six in ten believe that conditions in their home economies and in the global economy will worsen in the coming months.

Denmark and Poland are refusing to bail out companies registered in offshore tax havens (Business Insider) Published on: April 20, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Denmark and Poland won’t give financial aid to companies registered in offshore tax havens.
“Companies that seek to dodge their obligations to broader society by cutting their tax bills shouldn’t expect to get bailed out when things go wrong,” Robert Palmer, the executive director of Tax Justice UK, told Business Insider.

Disney stops paying 100,000 workers to save $500m a month (FT) Published on: April 19, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Walt Disney will stop paying more than 100,000 employees this week, nearly half of its workforce, as the world’s biggest entertainment company tries to weather the coronavirus lockdown.
Suspending pay for thousands of so-called cast members will save Disney up to $500m a month across its theme parks and hotels, which have been shut in Europe and the US for almost five weeks.
The decision leaves Disney staff reliant on state benefits — public support that could run to hundreds of millions of dollars over coming months — even as the company protects executive bonus schemes and a $1.5bn dividend payment due in July.

Why countries can’t meet the demand for gear against covid-19 (The Economist) Published on: April 19, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Demand for PPE has risen not merely at the giddy pace of infections (of which nearly 2.4m had been confirmed worldwide by April 19th), but faster still, because of the risk of transferring the virus to colleagues and others.
Estimates of the increase in demand run up to 20 times the normal level.
Worse, the world economy’s sudden halt has caused bottlenecks. Flexport, a freight forwarder, says that normally half of all air freight cargo (on some routes, up to 80%) travels in the holds of passenger planes that are no longer flying; shipping lines, meanwhile, have cancelled sailings or dropped ports from their itineraries.

Red Cross to organize training for volunteers in Montreal, Canada’s COVID-19 epicentre (CityNews) Published on: April 18, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The regional health authority for Montreal’s West Island says it is partnering with the Canadian Red Cross to organize training for volunteers at nursing homes ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The health agency says the Red Cross will train 40 people each day to help residents of the area’s long-term care facilities as the virus rages through Quebec, which counts the most confirmed cases of any province at about 16,800.
The Red Cross announcement Saturday comes as Canadian Armed Forces members with medical expertise begin to fan out to nursing homes across Quebec after Premier Francois Legault took the unusual step of asking the federal government for military assistance.

Watch Out For China Buying Spree, NATO Warns (Forbes) Published on: April 18, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Watch out for Chinese companies swooping in with buckets of cash to buy strategic stakes, or majority control in U.S. and European companies as asset prices fall due to the pandemic.
“The geopolitical effects of the pandemic could be significant,” said NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in web conference of defense ministers on Wednesday.
“Some allies (are) more vulnerable for situations where critical infrastructure can be sold out,” he said.

US banks brace for surge in loan losses (FT) Published on: April 18, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Big US banks made one thing clear this week: they are battening down the hatches to deal with an expected surge in loan losses as the pandemic casts serious doubts over the capacity of consumers and companies to pay their debt.
Loan loss charges at six big American banks reached a total of $25.4bn in the first quarter.
This marks a 350 per cent surge in collective provisions across Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley versus a year earlier, as charges soared to levels not seen since the financial crisis.

Seoul’s Full Cafes, Apple Store Lines Show Mass Testing Success (Bloomberg) Published on: April 18, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

While both the U.S. and South Korea confirmed their first virus cases around the same time in late January, the number of infections in the U.S. has swelled to more than 700,000 while Korea “flattened the curve” last month and cases have slowed to just over 10,000.
Moon’s popularity had soared in recent weeks, thanks in part to South Korea gaining global attention for its handling of the virus outbreak.
“We did pretty well in prevention — that’s finding the patients and taking quarantine measures — thanks to our prior experience with MERS outbreak,” said Kim Yoon, professor of health policy and management at Seoul National University’s College of Medicine, referring to the 2015 outbreak that killed 38 Koreans.

China’s economy: the risk of a second coronavirus wave (FT) Published on: April 17, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

On the same day that Chinese authorities began to relax a 77-day quarantine on Wuhan, the city that exported coronavirus across China and ultimately to every corner of the world, a small town on the country’s border with Russia was locked down for the second time in three months.
But now Suifenhe faces a real crisis, after Chinese nationals returning home from Russia triggered a much-feared “second wave” of infections. The city has more than 320 confirmed cases and almost 1,500 people in centralised quarantine facilities.
US sportswear company Nike said this week that 80 per cent of its China stores were open in cities such as Shanghai, which shows few visible signs of the pandemic.
Car factories in Chengdu, capital of southwestern Sichuan province, have restored operations with little disruption, other than the use of face masks and other protective gear and social distancing in the canteen.

U.S. now has 22 million unemployed, wiping out a decade of job gains (Washington Post) Published on: April 17, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

More than 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment aid since President Trump declared a national emergency, a staggering loss of jobs that has wiped out a decade of employment gains and pushed families to line up at food banks as they await government help.
Layoffs are mounting in nearly every sector as businesses have been forced to close in an effort to stem the spread of covid-19.
The Small Business Administration stopped accepting loan applications on Thursday after it ran out of funds for a key program that is supposed to help businesses stay afloat and retain workers.

Starbucks CEO lays out plan for ‘next phase’ as coffee giant looks to reopen U.S. stores (GeekWire) Published on: April 16, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Starbucks is entering a “monitor and adapt” stage as it aims to reopen stores in the U.S.
Starbucks will follow a similar playbook to its China strategy, where more than 95% of its stores are now open again.
Johnson said the reopening strategy is “not a light switch; it’s more of a dial.” Starbucks will make decisions on a community-by-community basis.

The pandemic seems to be giving Canadians warm feelings about government. Can it last? (CBC) Published on: April 16, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

A lot has changed in the last month — possibly even our views about the role and value of government.
The result was effectively a toss-up: 52 per cent sided with the pro-government statement, while 48 per cent took the dimmer view.
Public support has increased for elected leaders across the western world in the initial stages of this crisis. A new sense of belief in the value of government could be connected to that same phenomenon.

Tracking covid-19 excess deaths across countries (The Economist) Published on: April 16, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

In many places, official daily figures exclude anybody who did not die in hospital or who did not test positive.
The best way to measure the full damage caused by such a medical crisis is to look at “excess mortality”: the gap between the total number of people who died from any cause during a given period, and the historical average for the same place and time of year.
This suggests that the true toll was about 120% higher.

Leaked CDC and FEMA plan warns of ‘significant risk of resurgence of the virus’ with phased reopening (Washington Post) Published on: April 15, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response, Leadership

A draft national strategy to reopen the country in phases, developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, emphasizes that even a cautious and phased approach “will entail a significant risk of resurgence of the virus.”
The framework lays out criteria that should be in place before a region can responsibly ease guidelines related to public gatherings: a “genuinely low” number of cases; a “well functioning” monitoring system capable of “promptly detecting” spikes of infections; a public health system able to react robustly to new cases and local health systems that have enough inpatient beds to rapidly scale up in the event of a surge in cases.
Reading the 10-page executive summary of the proposed public health response offers a window into the discussions happening inside the government about how to practically and responsibly ease toward reopening.
For example, the document says the first priority should be reopening places where children are cared for – including K-12 schools, day cares and summer camps – so parents can return to work.

True Toll Of COVID-19 On U.S. Health Care Workers Unknown (Kaiser Health News) Published on: April 15, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Doctors, nurses, home health aides and hospital cleaners have lost their lives during the coronavirus outbreak.
The number of health care workers who have tested positive for the coronavirus is likely far higher than the reported tally of 9,200, and U.S. officials say they have no comprehensive way to count those who lose their lives trying to save others.
CDC officials said data provided by the states most closely tracking the occupations of people with the virus suggests that health care workers account for about 11% of COVID-19 infections.

Open Innovation in Medical Technology Will Save Lives (EFF) Published on: April 15, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

Experts from the world’s top engineering programs have come together to share knowledge about medical technology, hoping to make life-saving treatments more widely available.
Importantly, they’re ensuring that patents, copyrights, and other legal restrictions don’t get between that knowledge and the people who need it most.
All of this collaboration is enabled by open licensing such as Creative Commons and free or “libre” software licenses, which provide for the easy sharing and modification of the source material.
The Open COVID Pledge is a simple pledge an IP owner can take not to assert its patents or copyrights against a company or organization fighting COVID-19.

WHO issues guidelines for lifting COVID-19 restrictions. Is Canada ready? (CityNews) Published on: April 15, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Federal and provincial officials are starting to discuss how and when to start reopening schools and businesses but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned Tuesday the full-scale lockdowns most Canadians are living with right now will remain in place for at least several more weeks.
The World Health Organization is trying to inject some co-ordination into these decisions, releasing new guidelines Tuesday for what should be in place before easing restrictions.
The WHO guidelines outline six areas officials must consider if they are to look at resuming activities.

Markets and economists are still too upbeat on coronavirus (FT) Published on: April 14, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The gap between the relatively quick V-shaped recovery that some economists and many market participants predict, and grim coronavirus-driven realities on the ground has narrowed.
Economists initially — and over-optimistically — embraced the idea of a quick second-quarter recovery after a sharp contraction in the first quarter.
Big companies lack visibility on what lies ahead, and are suspending guidance on earnings — a phenomenon that will increase during the first-quarter reporting season.

The future is not what it used to be: Thoughts on the shape of the next normal (McKinsey) Published on: April 14, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response, Leadership

For some organizations, near-term survival is the only agenda item. Others are peering through the fog of uncertainty, thinking about how to position themselves once the crisis has passed and things return to normal.
Even before COVID-19 hit, there were signs of unease, expressed in calls for protectionism and more restrictive immigration and visa policies.
McKinsey research on the 2008 financial crisis found that a small group of companies in each sector outperformed their peers.

COVID-19: Briefing note, April 13, 2020 (McKinsey) Published on: April 13, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

In this note, we offer some of our latest insights on the COVID-19 pandemic, starting with a survey of the current epidemiology and the five dynamics leaders need to watch: the efficacy of the surge in critical care, the expansion of testing and other traditional approaches, the development of antibody testing, the unknown nature of immunity, and a wave of innovation that might produce treatments and vaccines.
The months ahead will probably be quite volatile and dynamic. It now appears likely that some places will experience a local resurgence as restrictions are lifted and economies reopen.
The threat of COVID-19 to lives and livelihoods will fully resolve only when enough people are immune to the disease to blunt transmission, either from a vaccine or direct exposure. Until then, governments that want to restart their economies must have public-health systems that are strong enough to detect and respond to cases.

Canada building its own PPE network in China (CBC) Published on: April 13, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Diplomats, consultants create a made-for-Canada solution to get critical supplies from China.
With the global market for medical supplies overwhelmed by chaos and acts of piracy, Canada needed to take some of the risk out of securing everything from badly needed medical masks to gowns to gloves.
The federal government has secured an arrangement with Air Canada and Cargojet to run more supply flights from China once Bolloré Logistics has enough supplies in the warehouse ready to go.

Reopening U.S. economy by May 1 may be unrealistic, say experts, including some within Trump administration (Washington Post) Published on: April 13, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Public health experts on Sunday debated the question of when to reopen portions of the U.S. economy, shuttered because of the coronavirus pandemic, with several Trump administration officials cautioning that a target date of May 1 — floated by President Trump, among others — may not be realistic.
“It is not going to be a light switch,” Fauci said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “It is going to be depending where you are in the country, the nature of the outbreak you’ve already experienced, and the threat of an outbreak that you may not have experienced.” The transition could “probably start, at least in some ways, maybe next month,” Fauci said.
Because the virus has a 14-day incubation period, experts also say that states should refrain from moving toward relaxing their restrictions until they have seen a sustained reduction in new cases for at least that long.

‘It feels like a war zone’: As more of them die, grocery workers increasingly fear showing up at work (Washington Post) Published on: April 13, 2020 | Category: Global Response

At least 41 grocery workers have died of the coronavirus and thousands more have tested positive in recent weeks.
Next to health-care providers, no workforce has proved more essential during the novel coronavirus pandemic than the 3 million U.S. grocery store employees who restock shelves and freezers, fill online orders and keep checkout lines moving.
Now workers across the country are staying home or quitting altogether, according to interviews with more than a dozen employees, leaving many markets short-staffed and ill-prepared to deal with demand.

Spain eases lockdown as rate of coronavirus infections hits new low (Guardian) Published on: April 12, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The number of new coronavirus infections in Spain have fallen to a record low since the outbreak began, as Europe’s worst-hit country braced for the reopening of some sectors of its economy this week.
The World Health Organization has said there could be a “deadly resurgence” of the coronavirus if countermeasures are lifted too soon, while one of the Spanish government’s own experts has said he thought it would have been sensible to keep non-essential workers at home for longer.
Infection rates continued to decelerate elsewhere in Europe including the Netherlands, where coronavirus cases topped 25,000 on Sunday with more than 2,700 deaths.

Alberta to send personal protective equipment to Ontario, Quebec, B.C. (CBC) Published on: April 12, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Premier Jason Kenney announced Saturday the province would be sending personal protective equipment or PPE to other provinces battling COVID-19.
Kenney said the numbers supported the belief that Alberta would have beds and medical equipment beyond its need.

Canada looking to prepare ‘surge’ force, use cellphone data to contain COVID-19 (National Post) Published on: April 10, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Federal and provincial health officials are recruiting small armies of staff and examining technology options such as cell phone location data as they ramp up Canada’s capacity to do contact tracing.
Canada is still in its ‘first wave’ of infections, and officials have said the best course of action for now is to have everyone stay home.
But once the first wave fully subsides — likely sometime in the summer — extensive testing and contact tracing should allow Canada to start re-opening its economy and lift some of the physical-distancing restrictions.

Dr. Fauci says mass antibody testing could be path to reopening U.S. (MSNBC) Published on: April 10, 2020 | Category: Global Response

White House coronavirus task force member Dr. Anthony Fauci told MSNBC’s Brian Williams that mass antibody testing could be a key component to reopening the U.S.
This method would provide data to determine how many people would likely be protected from COVID-19.

Do you speak corona? A guide to covid-19 slang (The Economist) Published on: April 10, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Around the world, coronavirus is changing how we speak. Don’t be a “covidiot”—make sure your pandemic parlance is up to scratch.
So until recently the verb mostly had jolly connotations: annual supermarket promotional events (“de hamsterweken”) rewarded star hamsters who were stocking up on supplies. Germans use a similar word, “Hamsterkauf”.
March 11th was an odd milestone for German football: it was the first ever Geisterspiel, or ghost game in the Bundesliga, German football’s top-flight division.

Japan to Fund Firms to Shift Production Out of China (Bloomberg) Published on: April 9, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Japan has earmarked $2.2 billion of its record economic stimulus package to help its manufacturers shift production out of China as the coronavirus disrupts supply chains between the major trading partners.
China is Japan’s biggest trading partner under normal circumstances, but imports from China slumped by almost half in February as the disease shuttered factories, in turn starving Japanese manufacturers of necessary components.
The government’s panel on future investment last month discussed the need for manufacturing of high-added value products to be shifted back to Japan, and for production of other goods to be diversified across Southeast Asia.

Airports rush to create health and safety guidelines for travel rebound (FT) Published on: April 9, 2020 | Category: Global Response

European airports are drawing up industry-wide guidelines on issues such as passenger health screening to ensure a co-ordinated response when travel restrictions imposed during the coronavirus pandemic are eased.
The airport has called for a global standard in passenger health screening for coronavirus as the industry currently takes different approaches based on guidance from their national public health authorities.
ACI Europe, the trade body for airport operators, said it had this week started convening task forces to come up with a set of guidelines looking at addressing health and hygiene issues for when air transport restarts around the world to ensure there was ‘harmonisation’ among airports.

Healthcare, like banking, needs buffers to survive a shock (FT) Published on: April 7, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Apply the lessons of the global financial crisis to make our health systems resilient.
Effective risk management requires an understanding of where the risk in the system resides so that the appropriate action can be taken to mitigate the risk and reduce collateral damage.
We are learning much the same about the inadequacy of buffers in the healthcare systems in many countries.

NBA coaches prepare for possible intriguing playoff matchups (Seattle Times) Published on: April 7, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

With NBA games indefinitely on hold, there has been a lot of discussion about postseason possibilities — including by coaches around the league.
They’re preparing for what a resumption of the season that was shut down March 11 could look like in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
The ideas are many, from a shortened version of the remaining schedule played without fans to the very real possibility of jumping straight into the playoffs to ensure a season is completed before the end of summer.

Swiss lead way with crisis loans to small businesses (FT) Published on: April 6, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

It took Matthias Knaur only a minute or two to complete and scan the single-page form for a liquidity lifeline from the Swiss government.
About 30 minutes after sending it, the money was in his company’s account.
Switzerland unveiled its SFr20bn ($20bn) package of emergency loans to support small businesses on March 25. In its first week of operating, it disbursed more than SFr15bn to 76,034 businesses.

Health experts call for Roosevelt-style programs to kill virus, revive economy (The Hill) Published on: April 6, 2020 | Category: Global Response

A first-of-its-kind program that will deploy almost a thousand people across Massachusetts may be a small-scale test of what public health experts hope could eventually stamp out the coronavirus even before a vaccine becomes widely available.
Increasingly, those who have warned for months about the virus’s potential spread now say a mass-scale national program aimed at suppressing the virus at a community level through that sort of robust contact tracing is crucial to stopping its spread.
That, public health experts said, would be money well-spent to both get a handle on a virus that has infected more than 332,000 people and killed almost 9,500 as of Sunday afternoon.

Cities with strong social distancing see stronger economic recoveries (MIT Sloan Management Review) Published on: April 6, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Critics fear social distancing edicts hurt the economy, but research on the 1918 flu pandemic reveals an aggressive response can help spur economic recovery.
Somewhat surprisingly perhaps, we find that areas that acted early and aggressively with non- pharmaceutical interventions do not perform worse economically, at least in the medium term — if anything, they actually come out of the pandemic stronger.
Lifting restrictions too early could make the economy worse by leading to a resurgence of the virus in an even more destructive pandemic.

Bill Gates is funding new factories for potential coronavirus vaccines (World Economic Forum) Published on: April 6, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates says his foundation is funding the construction of factories for seven coronavirus vaccine candidates.
Gates said the foundation would end up picking only one or two of the seven, meaning billions of dollars spent on manufacturing would be abandoned.
He said that in a situation where the world faces the loss of trillions of dollars to the economy, wasting a few billion to help is worth it.

Facebook’s Road to Redemption Runs Straight Down Main Street (WSJ) Published on: April 5, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response, Leadership

COO Sheryl Sandberg says past mistakes prepared social network for coronavirus response; company offers cash, tools to help mom-and-pops.
One-third of small businesses in America don’t have a formal web presence at all, according to Ms. Sandberg, but many of those businesses have long had a Facebook page.
The $100 million grant pales in comparison to a government stimulus plan, but dwarfs some of the relief efforts set up by other tech companies and many cities. Facebook will spend $40 million of that in the U.S., focused on small businesses located near 34 cities where it has operations.

Europe prepares to ease coronavirus lockdowns (FT) Published on: April 5, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Governments across Europe have begun preparations to ease the lockdowns imposed across much of the continent to contain the coronavirus pandemic, even if restrictions that have paralysed the economy are expected to remain in force for several more weeks.
Angelo Borrelli, head of Italy’s Civil Protection Agency which is in charge of co-ordinating the national response to the outbreak, suggested a “phase two” of the country’s lockdown could begin next month.
“I don’t want to give dates, but between now and May 16 we may have further positive data that suggests we can resume activities and then start phase two,” he said.

Inside the Javits Center: New York’s militarized, makeshift hospital (Washington Post) Published on: April 5, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Soldiers in camouflage and civilians in polo shirts lined up for a life-or-death battle: Keeping a potentially deadly virus from overrunning this makeshift hospital inside a 2.1-million-square-foot convention center within the densest, most populous city in America.
A drone with an infrared sensor perched on the entry desk like a robotic raven taking people’s temperatures. In Nanjing, China, the government sent a similar drone flying apartment to apartment to ferret out the sick.
More than 15 city, state and federal agencies — ranging from military engineers to Javits Center carpenters — built the initial 1,000-bed hospital from scratch inside of a week.

In Italy, Going Back to Work May Depend on Having the Right Antibodies (NY Times) Published on: April 4, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Having the right antibodies to the virus in one’s blood — a potential marker of immunity — may soon determine who gets to work and who does not, who is locked down and who is free.
Researchers are uncertain, if hopeful, that antibodies in fact indicate immunity.
The conservative president of the northeastern Veneto region has proposed a special “license” for Italians who possess antibodies that show they have had, and beaten, the virus.

Zoom banned from New York City schools due to privacy and security flaws (Fast Company) Published on: April 4, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

A few weeks ago, New York City’s 75,000 teachers scrambled to learn how to use videoconferencing services like Zoom as novel coronavirus cases began to rise and schools prepared to close their doors and institute remote learning.
Businesses using Zoom may be able to shrug off such concerns, or hope that government oversight will eventually resolve them. But educators are subject to a more stringent set of rules and parental expectations.

European leaders warn coronavirus could lead to the breakup of their union (Washington Post) Published on: April 4, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The coronavirus pandemic, with its simultaneous health and economic crises, is deepening fault lines within Europe in a way some leaders fear could prove to be a final reckoning.
The cohesion of the European Union had been battered by Brexit, bruised by the political fallout from the 2015 migration surge and the 2008 financial crisis, and challenged by rising autocracy in the east that runs contrary to the professed ideals of the European project.
In the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, the response among European Union member states showed that national interests trump more-altruistic European ideals.
Border restrictions were reimposed haphazardly, and Germany and France threw up export bans on medical equipment such as masks and ventilators, even as Italy clamored for assistance.

China Enters The Next Phase of Its COVID-19 Outbreak: Suppression (NPR) Published on: April 4, 2020 | Category: Global Response

China has driven coronavirus transmission down to nearly zero (although there’s some question among international academics about China’s case reporting and whether some cases are being overlooked, it’s generally agreed that they’ve suppressed transmission to a very low level).
Numbers have dropped dramatically in many parts of China, including Hubei and Chongqing provinces – although newly reported COVID-19 cases are increasing in Beijing, Guangdong, Shanghai and Fujian, largely due to imported cases from travelers.
“Areas where the outbreak was less had movement restrictions removed sooner,” said Kylie Ainslie, a research associate at the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College London. “But that didn’t mean completely. It meant first they started major factories and started letting those people who work there go back to work so that they could restart their industries.”

Food security experts warn of supply shortages, higher prices due to global pandemic (CBC) Published on: April 3, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Food security experts are warning the global pandemic could lead to supply shortages, higher prices and a growing nutrition gap between rich and poor.
Elaine Power, a food security expert at Queen’s University, said various problems caused by the pandemic — border closures restricting the movement of foreign farm workers, transportation and import bottlenecks, panic hoarding at grocery stores — can all contribute “massively” to higher prices or food shortages.
Even the honeybees normally imported from other countries to pollinate Canadian crops could become harder to source, she said.

The Countries That Are Succeeding at Flattening the Curve (Foreign Policy) Published on: April 2, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Lessons from Taiwan, Canada, South Korea, Georgia, and Iceland show that the coronavirus can be stopped.
Amid the pandemic, U.S. President Donald Trump and other world leaders have faced criticism for their slow and ineffective response since it became clear that the coronavirus would not be contained to China, where it originated.
Taiwan recorded its first case of the coronavirus on Jan. 21, but it has managed to keep its number of confirmed cases to just 329 with five deaths as of April 1.
Given that Taiwan has faced everything from its giant neighbor—the spreading of fake news, military threats, the withholding of vital medical information during the SARS outbreak in 2003—the country knows it must be on its fullest guard whenever any major problem emerges in China.

The early days of a global pandemic: A timeline of COVID-19 spread and government interventions (Brookings) Published on: April 2, 2020 | Category: Global Response

It started with a few deaths in Wuhan, China, with the earliest reported case on November 17, 2019.
From the outbreak in Wuhan, the virus took different times to reach the borders of different countries, depending on various factors such as connectivity and proximity to the Chinese city.
When tackling a virulent virus like COVID-19, early interventions are crucial to stay ahead of the disease and we restrict our analysis to the first few hundred cases.

Social Distancing Might Stop. And Start. And Stop. And Start. Until We Have A Vaccine. (BuzzFeed) Published on: April 1, 2020 | Category: Global Response

“Putting people through that process will be extremely difficult.” A recent spate of think tank reports and scientific presentations expand the Imperial College scientists’ vision, suggesting that cities, counties, and towns will need to enact public health lockdowns of varying lengths, with stops and starts based on if and when coronavirus cases hint at rising again.
“If you pull the trigger off too early, not only will the circulating virus do what it naturally does, but all the economic and social disruptions are for nothing” said University of Michigan pandemic historian Howard Markel. The US is just at the start of its first social distancing cycle, with upward of 186,000 coronavirus cases and at least 3,600 deaths as of Wednesday afternoon.
Wuhan, China, which started a severe travel lockdown in late January, is why social distancing is happening in the US now, Harvard pandemic modeler Marc Lipsitch said.

China is using digital coupons to entice people to get shopping again (Quartz) Published on: April 1, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

One of the key ways China is incentivizing people is through the use of digital coupons, which are issued by some local governments and delivered to users via third-party platforms such as payment app Alipay and WeChat pay.
Residents log in to the apps to redeem the coupons, which can be used for dining, shopping, and travel within a short period of time.
In February, China’s car sales plunged 79% from a year earlier, the biggest-ever monthly decline. A gauge of factory activity in March unexpectedly rebounded into positive territory after an abysmal performance the previous month, but officials warned that the data should not be seen as a sign of economic stabilization.

‘Everybody is susceptible’: Why younger Canadians may be helping fuel the spread of COVID-19 (CBC) Published on: April 1, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Younger Canadians represent one in three of all reported COVID-19 cases, and experts say they could be unknowingly accelerating the spread of the virus in Canada and around the world.
Of the 4,186 COVID-19 cases for which the Public Health Agency of Canada has provided epidemiological data, 29 per cent are aged 20 to 39 and four per cent are under 19 — meaning one-third of cases in Canada involve people who are younger than 40.
Dr. Raywat Deonandan, a global health epidemiologist and an associate professor at the University of Ottawa, said it’s important for younger people to remember we’ve never encountered this new coronavirus, so we’ve built up no immunity to it.

Cuomo could be the leader the Democratic Party and nation desperately need (Washington Post) Published on: March 31, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

The pandemic is Cuomo’s Great Depression.
In his daily news conferences, Cuomo doesn’t deflect responsibility, but rather accepts it: “If someone is unhappy, blame me.” Instead of making sweeping, silly statements, he’s hyper-specific on everything from the number of ventilators the state needs to the number of tests administered.
He’s a transactional leader who seems to enjoy the absurdity and the fights, and doesn’t mind the tedium if it leads to results. He prides himself on being a doer.

China zeroes in on coronavirus patients with no symptoms as new infections rise (Reuters) Published on: March 31, 2020 | Category: Global Response

As local infections peter out and new cases surface among travelers returning home, the existence of virus carriers with no symptoms is fuelling public concern that people could be spreading it without knowing they are ill.
Fearing a second wave of infections sparked by such inbound travelers, China will delay its college entrance exam by a month, until July 7 and 8, China Central Television said, although Hubei province, where the virus emerged late last year, and Beijing, the capital, will get more leeway in scheduling it.
Last week, a study in British medical journal the Lancet Public Health recommended that China extend school and workplace closures, since an earlier relaxation of curbs could bring a second peak in the outbreak by August.

After pandemic ends, U.S. needs Recovery Authority to speed economic rebound (USA Today) Published on: March 30, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Cutting red tape in health care has unleashed waves of energy and ingenuity to deal with the COVID-19 crisis.
Once the crisis is under control, the same kind of energy and resourcefulness will be needed to get America’s schools, businesses, government agencies and nonprofits up and running again.
What’s needed is a temporary Recovery Authority with a broad mandate to identify and waive unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles to recovery.

Leaked memo from Delta reveals plans to cut worker hours and pay, despite protections in the coronavirus stimulus package. United and other airlines are doing the same. (Business Insider) Published on: March 30, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Despite the payroll grants offered to airlines in the coronavirus stimulus package, airline workers at Delta, American, United, Southwest, and others will, in practice, take home less money than they had before.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or “CARES” Act – offered $58 billion in aid to airlines, split into two parts. Up to $29 billion in loans for air carriers is available, and an additional $29 billion in payroll grants.
Both the loans and the grants mandate that companies accepting them not reduce workforces until after September 30, 2020 – in effect, the mandate prohibits involuntary job cuts.

How Much Should the Public Know About Who Has the Coronavirus? (NY Times) Published on: March 29, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

Medical experts say that how much the public should know has become a critical question that will help determine how the United States confronts this outbreak and future ones.
American researchers are starved for data, unlike their colleagues in other countries who are harnessing rivers of information from their more centralized medical systems.
Health departments in the Bay Area make the case that releasing more granular data could heighten discrimination against certain communities where there might be clusters.
Public health depends a lot on public trust. If the public feels as though they are being misled or misinformed their willingness to make sacrifices — in this case social distancing — is reduced.

Fauci predicts millions of coronavirus cases in US, and more than 100,000 deaths (Boston Globe) Published on: March 29, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The coronavirus outbreak could kill 100,000 to 200,000 Americans, the US government’s top infectious-disease expert warned on Sunday, as smoldering hotspots in nursing homes and a growing list of stricken cities heightened the sense of dread across the country.
But spikes in infections were recorded around the country, not only in metropolitan areas but in Midwestern towns and Rocky Mountain ski havens.
“This is not going to get better soon,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

Big companies raise record sums from bond market in dash for cash (FT) Published on: March 29, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Global corporate bond issuance by “investment grade” companies has surged to $244bn so far in March, the highest monthly total since a record $252bn was sold in September, according to Dealogic.
Adding in a raft of new bank bond sales from the likes of Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs takes the global tally to $408bn this month, separate data from Refinitiv showed.
Analysts warn that despite higher-rated companies bolstering their cash piles, rising corporate defaults could still ricochet through the economy. Around $9tn of outstanding corporate debt has built up over the past decade while borrowing costs have been low.

Trump invokes federal law to force GM to make ventilators (FT) Published on: March 27, 2020 | Category: Global Response

President Donald Trump deployed the government’s powers to compel General Motors to make ventilators needed to help healthcare providers treat patients that contract coronavirus, as the number of US cases continues to grow.
“Our negotiations with GM regarding its ability to supply ventilators have been productive, but our fight against the virus is too urgent to allow the give-and-take of the contracting process to continue to run its normal course,” the White House said in a statement. “GM was wasting time.”
Although GM has closed all its plants in North America, 1,000 UAW members will return to work to make the ventilators. The company also plans to make surgical masks at a Warren, Michigan, plant reaching 50,000 per day in two weeks.

China Shuts Down All Cinemas, Again (Hollywood Reporter) Published on: March 27, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Over 600 movie theaters across China were given the green light to reopen their doors over the past week, but Beijing’s Film Bureau put out a notice late Friday ordering all theaters to go back into shutdown.
“This second closure will not be a one- or two-week issue,” an executive at a major exhibition company told The Hollywood Reporter, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of commenting on government policy related to the coronavirus.
On Thursday, China halted most incoming flights and imposed a blanket ban on the entry of all foreigners, even those with work permits.

Some U.S. Cities Could Have Coronavirus Outbreaks Worse Than Wuhan’s (NY Times) Published on: March 27, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

If its rate of growth in coronavirus cases continues, the New York City metropolitan area will suffer a more severe outbreak than those experienced in Wuhan, China, or the Lombardy region of Italy.
But as an epidemic progresses, the number of cases per capita can provide a good measure of the prevalence of coronavirus in a community.
By this measure, the situation in New York does not appear promising. The rate of increase in cases is far higher than it was in Wuhan or Lombardy, once they had reached similar numbers of cases.
Other metropolitan areas, like Detroit and New Orleans, stand out as places where a coronavirus outbreak might escalate quickly without preventive measures.

New Rochelle, Once a Coronavirus Hot Spot, May Now Offer Hope (NY Times) Published on: March 27, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

“Everybody talks about flattening the curve, and I think that’s exactly what we were able to do,” a health official said.
The state took drastic measures that stirred a backlash, including creating a containment zone. But now, the latest data indicates that the measures may be starting to work.
Over the last four days, only 38 new cases were reported to the county.

Lessons from Asian banks on their coronavirus response (McKinsey) Published on: March 26, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

Financial institutions in countries initially affected by the pandemic moved quickly to safeguard their employees, transform their operations, and serve customers in new ways.
To guide the pandemic response, many financial institutions formed a response-management unit composed of executive-level, cross-functional teams.
In defining remote and work-from-home setups, bank executives considered both the level of human interaction required for certain tasks and the degree to which work can be segmented and individualized.

China goes back to work (The Economist) Published on: March 26, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Measures aimed at preventing another surge of covid-19 have added to the complexities of manufacturing in China. The German manager of an optical-wire factory in Jiangsu province has divided his workers into ten separate units to minimise the risk of cross-infections. The units are kept apart from each other in the factory, the canteen and their dormitories.
Nevertheless, on the supply side, the overall picture is encouraging. Large companies report that they are fully operational.
Resuscitating demand is proving more difficult. It involves two things that are harder for the government to manage: global growth and public anxiety about the disease.
State-owned firms account for about three-quarters of corporate debt in China. The government need not spell out that it stands behind them. Investors know that.

The Coronavirus War Economy Will Change the World (Foreign Policy) Published on: March 26, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

There are models less reliant on the private sector than the DPA; one important peacetime predecessor is the New Deal-era Works Progress Administration. This sort of public scheme would be able to put to work the large numbers of workers who are facing unemployment in the coming weeks and months.
As one financial analyst pointed out, “lockdown economics” is in many ways the exact opposite of the wartime economics of total mobilization.
But this is not a problem of prioritizing expenditures or limited resources. The issue is sustaining circulation. In the short run, the demands of disease prevention (quarantine measures) and care (hospitalization) will put the livelihood of those dependent on other forms of capitalist production at risk. Only massive government intervention to protect the channels of economic circulation can resolve this tension in a way that does not sacrifice the former for the latter.
Despite being framed as exceptional wartime or postwar measures, many provisions rapidly became entrenched.
There is no precedent for the asymmetric mix of mobilization and demobilization of labor that we are witnessing right now.

Cohen: Why Canada’s response to COVID-19 is so different from that of the U.S. (Ottawa Citizen) Published on: March 26, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The prime minister appears in public every day, alone, outside his residence. He speaks sensibly, with authority, without hyperbole. This has been his finest hour.
Nor do we question the competence of his ministers who are the other faces of the crisis – Chrystia Freeland, Marc Garneau, Patty Hajdu, Bill Blair. All are calm, competent and professional. This is what we want.
Canadians accept big government, which is how we built the social welfare state. Two-thirds of us voted for progressives last year. We defer to authority.

Coronavirus’ low mutation rate suggests yearly vaccine unnecessary (Becker's Hospital Review) Published on: March 25, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The number of mutations suggests that a vaccine developed to prevent the virus would be a single vaccine with a long-lasting effect, as opposed to the flu vaccine, which needs to be developed every year.
The race to create a vaccine is on, but it will take at least a year or 18 months for one to be developed and available for use.

The West Is Misinterpreting Wuhan’s Coronavirus Progress—and Drawing the Wrong Lessons (WSJ) Published on: March 24, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The cordon sanitaire that began around Wuhan and two nearby cities on Jan. 23 helped slow the virus’s transmission to other parts of China, but didn’t really stop it in Wuhan itself, experts say.
What really turned the tide in Wuhan was a shift after Feb. 2 to a more aggressive and systematic quarantine regime whereby suspected or mild cases—and even healthy close contacts of confirmed cases—were sent to makeshift hospitals and temporary quarantine centers.
The tactics required turning hundreds of hotels, schools and other places into quarantine centers, as well as building two new hospitals and creating 14 temporary ones in public buildings.
It also underscored the importance of coronavirus testing capacity, which local authorities say was expanded from 200 tests a day in late January to 7,000 daily by mid-February.

Private hospitals will be made public for duration of coronavirus pandemic (TheJournal.ie) Published on: March 24, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

Some 2,000 beds, nine laboratories and thousands of staff have been drafted into the public system, Leo Varadkar said at a press conference today.
We must of course have equality of treatment, patients with this virus will be treated for free, and they’ll be treated as part of a single, national hospital service.

‘Your NHS Needs You’ – NHS Call For Volunteer Army (NHS) Published on: March 24, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

NHS England has posted a call for up to 250,000 volunteers to help up to 1.5 million people who have been asked to shield themselves from coronavirus because of underlying health conditions.
NHS Volunteer Responders is not intended to replace local groups helping their vulnerable neighbours but is an additional service provided by the NHS.

U.S. Domestic Passenger Flights Could Virtually Shut Down, Voluntarily or by Government Order (WSJ) Published on: March 24, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Major U.S. airlines are drafting plans for a potential voluntary shutdown of virtually all passenger flights across the U.S., according to industry and federal officials.
Government agencies also consider ordering such a move as the nation’s air-traffic control system continues to be ravaged by the coronavirus contagion.
Airlines are preparing for the possibility that contagion-driven staffing emergencies at air-traffic control facilities could force the issue, making it impossible to continue operating in parts of the country.
Another option to keep cargo shipments flowing would be a White House decision to call up portions of what is called the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, essentially commercial jets designated to help the Pentagon with logistics and other needs during national emergencies.

Trump Considers Reopening Economy, Over Health Experts’ Objections (NY Times) Published on: March 24, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Officials have said the federal government’s initial 15-day period for social distancing is vital to slowing the spread of the virus, which has already infected more than 40,000 people in the United States.
Any push to loosen the new limits on commerce and movement would contradict the consensus advice of public health officials, risking a surge in infections and deaths from the virus.
The recent rise of cases in Hong Kong, after there had been an easing of the spread of the virus, is something of an object lesson about how ending strict measures too soon can have dangerous consequences.

U.S. axed CDC expert job in China months before coronavirus outbreak (Japan Times) Published on: March 23, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Several months before the coronavirus pandemic began, the Trump administration eliminated a key American public health position in Beijing intended to help detect disease outbreaks in China, Reuters has learned.
The first cases of the new coronavirus may have emerged as early as November, and as cases exploded, the Trump administration in February chastised China for censoring information about the outbreak and keeping U.S. experts from entering the country to help.
As an American CDC employee, Dr. Linda Quick was in an ideal position to be the eyes and ears on the ground for the United States and other countries on the coronavirus outbreak, and might have alerted them to the growing threat weeks earlier.

Virus rebels from France to Florida flout lockdown practices (AP) Published on: March 22, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The defiance of lockdown mandates and scientific advice to fight the coronavirus pandemic has prompted crackdowns by authorities on people trying to escape cabin fever brought on by virus restrictions.
In some cases, the virus rebels resist — threatening police as officials express outrage over public gatherings that could spread the virus.
Andrew Cuomo said Saturday that people from 18-to-49 account for more than half of the state’s coronavirus cases, warning them “you’re not Superman, and you’re not Superwoman.” Many people were not complying with social distancing recommendations to stay away from each other in New York City’s vast city park network ahead of a ban on congregating in groups that goes into effect Sunday night, Cuomo said.

China scrambles to curb rise in imported coronavirus cases, Wuhan eases lockdown (Reuters) Published on: March 22, 2020 | Category: Global Response

China reported 46 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, while the city of Wuhan, the pandemic’s ground zero, announced it would be loosening a two-month lockdown by gradually resuming public transportation and allowing healthy people to resume work.
But in a sign of easing lockdown measures, residents living in and outside Wuhan will be allowed to travel into the city to resume work if they have a green health code issued by the government and normal body temperature, state-media CCTV News reported on Sunday.
Non-local people stranded in Wuhan can also apply to leave the city after taking an RNA test and receiving a health certificate from the government, the channel said.

New York City health department moves to curtail testing as pandemic overwhelms hospitals. (NY Times) Published on: March 22, 2020 | Category: Global Response

By late Friday, the city’s health department seemed to reverse course: It moved to curtail widespread testing, saying it was undermining the broader strategy to stop the virus’s spread.
Mark Levine, a City Council member who leads the health committee, said he understood the desire to make testing widely available, but that it was too late for that.
“Now testing mildly sick people poses an enormous threat. They should be at home resting, not waiting in line at a testing site.”

Denmark’s Idea Could Help the World Avoid a Great Depression (The Atlantic) Published on: March 21, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

This week, the Danish government told private companies hit by the effects of the pandemic that it would pay 75 percent of their employees’ salaries to avoid mass layoffs.
The plan could require the government to spend as much as 13 percent of the national economy in three months.
The philosophy here is that the government wants companies to preserve their relationship with their workers. It’s going to be harder to have a strong recovery if companies have to spend time hiring back workers that have been fired.

Yuval Noah Harari: the world after coronavirus (FT) Published on: March 21, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

This storm will pass. But the choices we make now could change our lives for years to come.
Many short-term emergency measures will become a fixture of life. That is the nature of emergencies. They fast-forward historical processes.
In this time of crisis, we face two particularly important choices. The first is between totalitarian surveillance and citizen empowerment. The second is between nationalist isolation and global solidarity.

Prepare for multiple waves of COVID-19 over 12 months: military chief to troops (CBC) Published on: March 20, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Gen. Jonathan Vance says the Canadian Armed Forces is planning for the ‘worst-case scenario’.
The notion that the virus caseload could recede and then return is a feature of federal government planning.
A truly worst-case scenario would involve public disturbances, he added.

U.S. power industry may ask key employees to live at work if coronavirus worsens (Reuters) Published on: March 20, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

The U.S. electric industry may ask essential staff to live on site at power plants and control centers to keep operations running if the coronavirus outbreak worsens, and has been stockpiling beds, blankets, and food for them, according to industry trade groups and electric cooperatives.
Scott Aaronson, vice president of security and preparedness at the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) said that some “companies are already either sequestering a healthy group of their essential employees or are considering doing that and are identifying appropriate protocols to do that.”
“When continuous remote work is not possible, businesses should enlist strategies to reduce the likelihood of spreading the disease,” the guidance stated.

Volvo back to ‘normal’ in China as it shuts EU and US car plants (FT) Published on: March 20, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Volvo Cars said its Chinese business had returned to “normal”, offering a ray of hope to European and US carmakers that have shuttered operations in the face of the global coronavirus pandemic.
Carmakers have in the past week announced the closures of every large European plant and more than 100 facilities across North and South America in a wave of measures to impede the spread of the virus.
“We need to plan for normality after Easter, to give people a light at the end of the tunnel,” said Mr Samuelsson. “Let’s hope that will be the case. Continuing to Christmas would be a disaster.”

To solve the economic crisis, we will have to solve the health-care crisis (Washington Post) Published on: March 20, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

This is not an economic crisis; it is a health-care crisis.
In an economic crisis, you could imagine a situation in which people lose their jobs and are unable to spend money.
In these conditions, cash to consumers cannot jump-start consumption. Relief to producers will not jump-start production.
The federal government should announce a Manhattan Project-style public-private partnership to find and produce a vaccine.

Nvidia makes its GPU-powered genome sequencing tool available free to those studying COVID-19 (TechCrunch) Published on: March 19, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

Nvidia is making its Parabricks tool available for free for 90 days (with the possibility of extension, depending on needs) to any researcher currently working on any effort to combat the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic and spread of COVID-19.
Speed is of the essence when it comes to every aspect of the continued effort to fight the spread of the virus, and the severe respiratory illness that it can cause.
The more sequencing that can be done to understand, identify and verify characteristics of the genetic makeup of both the virus itself and patients who contract it (both during and post-infection), the quicker everyone will be able to move on to potential treatments and immunotherapies.

How One Particular Coronavirus Myth Went Viral (Wired) Published on: March 19, 2020 | Category: Global Response

From an obscure Indian site to ZeroHedge to, well, everyone, here’s the trajectory of a fake story about Covid-19.
The article claimed that two Chinese spies smuggled the virus from a lab in Winnipeg to a military lab in Wuhan, where the virus “leaked” out and began infecting people.
The falsehood had gone viral before Canadian authorities became aware of it and were able to disprove it.
While two Chinese scientists were in fact escorted from the Winnipeg lab last July, a spokesperson for the Public Health Agency of Canada later told the CBC that they were asked to leave due to an “administrative manner,” described by Canadian police as a “policy breach” that posed no danger to public safety.

Which Country Has Flattened the Curve for the Coronavirus? (NY Times) Published on: March 19, 2020 | Category: Global Response

These charts track the number of new confirmed cases each day. Each red line is the seven-day moving average, which smooths out day-to-day anomalies in how the data are reported by authorities.
In the United States and five other countries, the number of known coronavirus cases is still growing rapidly. They have all reported more than 4,000 new cases in the past week.

ECB to launch €750bn bond-buying programme (FT) Published on: March 19, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme will cover sovereign and corporate debt.
The ECB also decided to expand the range of assets eligible for purchase to non-financial commercial paper and to ease its collateral standards to allow banks to raise money against more of their assets, including corporate finance claims.
Another option for the ECB to repair market confidence would be to lift its self-imposed limits to not buy more than a third of the eligible sovereign bonds of any single country and to purchase sovereign bonds in proportion to the weight of each country’s investment in its capital.
The latest €750bn package comes on top of last week’s €120bn extra purchases and means the ECB will buy more than €1tn of bonds in the next nine months — its highest ever pace of purchases.

GM, Ford and FCA shutter all North American factories over coronavirus fears (TechCrunch) Published on: March 18, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Detroit’s big three automakers are to shut down all factories due to fears over the coronavirus.
Over the last few days, United Auto Workers has been pushing the automakers to shut down their factories over concerns of worker safety.
Early today, Honda announced it was pausing all operations at its 12 North American factories, including transmission and engine plants in Ohio, Indiana, Alabama, Canada and Mexico. Ford and GM followed several hours later. Now, in the afternoon, FCA also decided to close its factories.

Plight of Retail Workers: ‘I’m Scared to Go to Work’ (NY Times) Published on: March 18, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response, Leadership

Dozens of employees staffed the cash registers, cosmetics counter and shoe department. Many were frightened. Three days before, the company said that a worker at the store had tested positive for the coronavirus.
The retail industry has endured a recent raft of bankruptcies and closures, as well as the pressure of new tariffs in the past year. It makes the prospect of losing weeks of business to the coronavirus even more chilling for many stores.
The Retail Industry Leaders Association, an industry trade group, has been urging state and local officials to not unilaterally declare most of retail, outside of grocery stores and pharmacies, as nonessential. The group said officials should first consult with retailers before ordering stores to close.

More lifesaving ventilators are available. Hospitals can’t afford them. (Washington Post) Published on: March 18, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Hospitals are holding back from ordering more medical ventilators because of the high cost for what may be only a short-term spike in demand from the coronavirus epidemic, supply chain experts and health researchers say, intensifying an anticipated shortage of lifesaving equipment for patients who become critically ill.
“The risk is that they’ll never be used, and hospitals can’t eat the cost,” she said. “Most hospitals in this country are not profitable.”
Other governments have rushed to stock up on ventilators. The United Kingdom has asked Rolls-Royce Holdings, which makes jet engines, and other heavy manufacturers to make ventilators. Germany ordered 10,000 ventilators with Dragerwerk AG, which Dow Jones said was the company’s largest order ever.

How Washington Failed to Build a Robust Coronavirus Testing System (WSJ) Published on: March 18, 2020 | Category: Global Response

CDC officials botched an initial test kit developed in an agency lab, retracting many tests.
When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, also involved in the response, finally opened testing to more outside labs, a run on limited stocks of some supplies needed for the CDC-developed test quickly depleted stores.
Health-care officials say the current state of testing reflects both technical and planning failures, as well as a broader failure of imagination.

Coronavirus: US hospital uses five months’ worth of supplies in six days as shortages hit (The Independent) Published on: March 17, 2020 | Category: Global Response

That comes amid growing concerns of equipment shortages in healthcare facilities across the US.
“We might have thought we were overprepared,” said Mr Putney. “But you just can’t believe what we went through from a supply standpoint.”
The healthcare provider has now turned to volunteers and donations, according to The AJC. That includes bleach supplied by chicken factories, and cardboard boxes provided by restaurants.

France ready to nationalise virus-stricken companies (FT) Published on: March 17, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

France has rolled out an emergency €45bn rescue package for its coronavirus-stricken economy and pledged an array of possible measures, including nationalisation and an extended ban on short selling, if it needs to save important companies.
In addition the French state will guarantee €300bn of bank loans to businesses to ensure they do not collapse for want of liquidity, while eurozone members had collectively offered €1tn in such national guarantees.
France has also joined Spain, Italy and Belgium in banning the short selling of stocks to calm investors rattled by heavy price falls.

Flattening the Coronavirus Curve Is Not Enough (The MIT Press Reader) Published on: March 17, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

Two big challenges await: (1) we need to minimize the short-term (this year’s) cost of the pandemic and (2) we need to minimize the medium-term (after this year’s) cost of the pandemic.
Flattening the curve assumes that you actually don’t go too far and that much of the population actually becomes infected and then immune.
If you reduce the infection rate too far, then most of the population does not become infected and that means that once you stop policies such as social distancing the virus can emerge once more and we all have to do this again.
When China constructed new hospitals in Wuhan in just over a week, this is what they were doing. They did this a month ago and given their stronger infection rate suppression maybe even overdid it.

3 charts that helped change coronavirus policy in the UK and US (World Economic Forum) Published on: March 17, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Suppression involves a combination of four interventions: social distancing of the entire population, case isolation, household quarantine and school and university closure.
But when these measures are relaxed, the modelling predicted cases would rise again, so interventions may need to be in place until a vaccine is developed – 18 months or longer.
Around three weeks after the combined interventions are introduced, the scientists predict there would be a reduction in the peak need for intensive care beds – and this would continue to decline while the policies stay in place.
However, once the interventions are relaxed (around September in the above chart), the infections would begin to rise again, leading to a predicted peak epidemic later in the year.

The economic policy response to COVID-19: What comes next? (Brookings) Published on: March 16, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The federal policy response thus far has focused on public health.
In addition, send $1000 checks per adult to households (with an income cap that can be applied later as part of 2020 taxes) (~$200 billion) with checks for dependents of $500, which may take longer to mail (~$50 billion) due to the necessity to match dependents to households.
The Families First Act expands access to paid sick leave and unemployment insurance, but far more people are losing income, tips, commissions, and hours than are helped through this legislation.
It is increasingly clear, though, that there will be substantial economic fallout.

Experimental COVID-19 Vaccine Test Begins as U.S. Volunteer Receives First Shot (TIME) Published on: March 16, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Monday’s milestone marked just the beginning of a series of studies in people needed to prove whether the shots are safe and could work.
Even if the research goes well, a vaccine wouldn’t be available for widespread use for 12 to 18 months, said Dr. Anthony Fauci of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
Another candidate, made by Inovio Pharmaceuticals, is expected to begin its own safety study — in the U.S., China and South Korea — next month.

Fed Takes Emergency Steps as Virus Pushes Economy Toward Recession (WSJ) Published on: March 16, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The Fed, in a series of statements, said it would cut the federal-funds rate to a range between 0% and 0.25%, down 1 percentage point, and would buy $700 billion in Treasury and mortgage-backed securities, among other actions.
The Fed said it was activating with five other central banks, including the European Central Bank and the Bank of England, swap lines to smooth out disruptions in overseas dollar-funding markets, effectively encouraging foreign central banks to use existing facilities to supply dollars to their own financial systems.
But they say Congress will have to provide a much bigger package—perhaps on the order of $400 billion—to prevent the world’s largest economy from spiraling into a much bigger crisis.
Also on the table: suspension of student-loan payments, infrastructure projects and aid to state and local governments.

Fauci: ‘If it looks like you’re overreacting, you’re probably doing the right thing’ (The Hill) Published on: March 15, 2020 | Category: Global Response

“If you just leave the virus to its own devices, it will go way up like we’ve seen in Italy.”
“One is preventing new infections from coming in, and the other is containment and mitigation within the country, and it is correct that infections are going to go up. Our job is to make sure it doesn’t do the maximum peak and actually blunts,” he said.

Trump Administration Expands Europe Travel Ban to U.K. and Ireland as Spain Goes Under Lockdown (WSJ) Published on: March 14, 2020 | Category: Global Response

The emergency unit of a hospital in Belgium, where only people with serious symptoms are being tested, was stormed on Friday by about 100 people seeking to get tested.
Canada’s Parliament agreed to shut down for five weeks and the government decided to redirect incoming international flights to a small number of airports as part of enhanced screening measures.
U.S. prisons suspended visits to inmates for at least 30 days, the Bureau of Prisons said. Lawyers won’t be able to visit prisoners during that time, though exceptions will be made in some instances, according to a statement from the bureau.

Testing Shortages Force Extreme Shift In Strategy By Local Health Officials (Kaiser Health News) Published on: March 14, 2020 | Category: Global Response

It was a grim recognition of the virus’ infiltration — and is yet another sign of the detrimental effects of a lack of capability in the U.S. to test people for the deadly coronavirus as it continues to spread.
The U.S. has not made that shift as a whole, but experts say it’s concerning that some areas of the country have had to move away from the basic public health protocols of contact tracing and quarantine in response to the federal government’s botched rollout of coronavirus test kits.
It’s a very big challenge ahead, but I feel like we are starting to make progress as a country, and if we do an all-of-the-above strategy, there’s a pretty good chance we’re going to get through this without too much harm to our population.” King County in Washington state, which has been an early epicenter for the virus in the U.S., shifted from contact tracing as well, but still requires a 14-day quarantine for people who were exposed to someone with the virus.

The World Has a Plan to Fight Coronavirus. Most Countries Are Not Using it. (NY Times) Published on: March 12, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Global solidarity has been noticeably absent in the fight to stop an outbreak that has already killed more than 4,300 people and spread to more than 110 countries.
The basic idea was that the W.H.O. would serve as a central coordinating body.
But dozens of countries are flouting the international regulations and snubbing their obligations. Some have failed to report outbreaks to the organization, as required.
Others have instituted international travel restrictions, against the advice of the W.H.O., and without notifying global health officials.

U.S. suspends travel from Europe as coronavirus forces Italy to tighten lockdown (Reuters) Published on: March 12, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States will suspend all passenger travel from continental Europe on Friday to limit the spread of the coronavirus after the outbreak was formally declared a pandemic, sending global markets into a tailspin.
Trump’s announcement came after Italy, the worst-affected country in Europe, enacted the most severe controls on a Western nation since World War Two, shutting bars, hairdressers and restaurants along with other restrictions already in place.
The U.S. travel restrictions on Europe would apply from midnight on Friday, Trump said, adding that similar restrictions on travelers from China and South Korea had helped limit the spread of the virus.

Coronavirus fallout: Bank of England launches 4 key measures (FT) Published on: March 11, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

The Monetary Policy Committee voted unanimously to reduce its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points to 0.25 per cent, equalling its lowest levelsince the second world war.
The Term Funding scheme for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (TFSME) offers funding at interest rates at, or very close to, the benchmark rate. It is expected to last one year and to provide in excess of £100bn in funding.
The last measure came from the BoE’s Prudential Regulation Authority, which laid out an expectation that banks should not use any funds freed up by the other measures to increase dividends or bonuses.

New trade barriers could hamper the supply of masks and medicines (The Economist) Published on: March 11, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Some governments are erecting trade barriers to safeguard their supplies.
On March 3rd France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, announced that the state would seize all masks, restricting sales abroad.
Despite calls from the WHO for countries to work together to ease the problem, this is proving difficult even within a close-knit trading bloc like the EU.

Coronavirus updates: New York sets up containment zone, Australia bans travel to Italy (CNET) Published on: March 11, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

An area of New York state has been designated a containment zone, Australia bans travel to Italy and the EU wants to set up a fund to address the outbreak.
The zone falls within “a 1 mile radius around the site of the most cases in New Rochelle,” Cuomo said on Twitter, adding that the city has the “biggest cluster of coronavirus cases in the state.”
King County, home to Seattle, has confirmed 33 new cases of coronavirus and three more deaths, bringing total deaths in the county to 20 and in the state of Washington to 22.

Announcing the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator (Gates Foundation) Published on: March 11, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Today, we are joining forces with Wellcome and Mastercard to beef up our response—backed by $125 million in both new funding and money already earmarked to tackle this epidemic.
As Bill Gates points out in his article for the New England Journal of Medicine, primary health care systems, which can monitor disease patterns and act as an early warning system, also need to be strengthened.
And the world should invest in disease surveillance, including a case database that is instantly accessible to relevant organizations.

Trump to Propose Steps to Ease Economic Fallout From Coronavirus (WSJ) Published on: March 10, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Measures may include payroll-tax cut, relief for hourly wage earners, president says.
He said he would hold a news conference Tuesday afternoon to lay out the proposals in more detail.
On Friday, Mr. Kudlow said possible fiscal measures included deferring taxes for the industries hardest hit by the virus—primarily hospitality and travel, an administration official said.

Italy extends coronavirus quarantine to entire country (FT) Published on: March 10, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Italy has announced that the entire country will be placed under quarantine in its government’s most dramatic step yet to contain the second-largest outbreak of coronavirus outside China.
All citizens will have to sign a self-declared document to present to the police and the military to explain their movements.
On Monday six inmates were killed in a riot at an Italian prison, and in another jail guards were taken hostage, as unrest spread among inmates over measures approved by the government to contain the virus, including limiting visits from families and friends.

How Chinese Companies Have Responded to Coronavirus (HBR) Published on: March 10, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

Rapid, coordinated responses require top-down leadership. But adapting to unpredictable change, with distinct dynamics in different communities, also requires decentralized initiative-taking.
Person-to-person and bricks-and-mortar retail were severely restricted in affected regions. Agile Chinese enterprises rapidly redeployed sales efforts to new channels both in B2C and B2B enterprises.
With remote working and a new set of complex coordination challenges, many Chinese companies took to social media platforms, such as WeChat, to coordinate employees and partners.

COVID-19: Implications for business (McKinsey) Published on: March 9, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Those infected often display only mild symptoms (or no symptoms at all), so it is easy for public-health systems to miss such cases.
For example, 55 percent of the cases on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship did not exhibit significant symptoms.
We believe that the prevalent pessimistic narrative (which both markets and policy makers seem to favor as they respond to the virus) underweights the possibility of a more optimistic outcome to COVID-19 evolution.

Canada’s top doctor says country ready with co-ordinated response to COVID-19 (CTV News) Published on: March 7, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said most of the cases in Canada so far have been mild, and the patients are self isolating at home.
Health officials in Ontario, British Columbia and across Canada have said the risk posed by COVID-19 in this country remains low.
Forty-seven research teams will now get backing from the federal government for work to “inform clinical and public health responses, develop and evaluate diagnostic tools and vaccines, as well as create strategies to tackle misinformation, stigma, and fear.”

Foreign Investment Set to Fall on Coronavirus Outbreak (WSJ) Published on: March 6, 2020 | Category: Economic Impact, Global Response

Businesses will likely cut their overseas investments by between 5% and 15% this year in response to the coronavirus outbreak, but there may also be a longer-lasting movement of production back to their home countries, the United Nations said Friday.
It added that a majority of the largest 5,000 companies by revenues had revised their earnings expectations over the past month, and lowered their projections by 9% on average.

South Korea is watching quarantined citizens with a smartphone app (MIT Technology Review) Published on: March 6, 2020 | Category: Global Response, Leadership

Thousands in coronavirus lockdown will be monitored for symptoms—and tracked to make sure they stay at home and don’t become “super spreaders.”
Now those in quarantine can use the app to report their symptoms and provide status updates to officials.
The app joins a repertoire of other measures launched to combat the surge of new cases in South Korea, such as drive-through coronavirus testing stations, which contribute to the country’s roughly 15,000-a-day testing capacity.

What the world has learned about facing covid-19 (The Economist) Published on: March 5, 2020 | Category: Global Response

Many countries are ill prepared.
Test kits made available by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (cdc) were faulty; restrictions were limiting tests in other settings. By March 1st, when South Korea had run 100,000 tests for the virus, America—which saw its first case on January 23rd—had run fewer than 500.
In a population without measures in place to control such chains, a single undiagnosed case can, in principle, give rise to more than 3,000 cases six weeks later.
Asked in a survey how serious a crime or misdemeanour they thought breaking quarantine was, half of Canadians ranked it as similar to manslaughter.

WHO’s Covid-19 inquiry is a shrewd move in a sea of disinformation (Guardian) Published on: January 1, 1970 | Category: Global Response

In the world of epidemiology it’s sometimes said that pandemics are lived forwards and understood backwards.
Despite attempts at reform, it is cumbersome and cautious, tied up in the constraints of the UN’s public health diplomacy, and ultimately limited by the willingness of its member countries to be transparent in compliance with international health regulations.
Which is why, in the week in which the US formally announced its intention to quit the WHO, the organisation’s announcement of the two figures who will lead its review of the pandemic and its response feels significant.
Instead of the narrow exercise in self-investigation and self-laceration intended by Washington, the review will examine the global response to coronavirus and the lessons to be drawn from the whole picture, including, presumably, the large-scale failures in the US.

OCDSB trustees prefer five-day-a-week return to school in September (Ottawa Citizen) Published on: January 1, 1970 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Ottawa English public school board trustees present at a virtual meeting Friday morning voted unanimously to adopt a motion saying the board wants to offer five-day-a-week education for students when school starts in September.
“It has been very difficult for trustees to hear from so many parents who have been really challenged to meet the needs for our children and so many of our staff who have been equally challenged in trying to serve our children,” said OCDSB Chair, Lynn Scott.
Scott’s letter will say that the board thinks back to school plans, especially the hybrid model, leave working parents of young children, single parents, and low-income families in “the precarious position of having to choose between educating their children and their own employment.”
A recovery plan needs to get as many students as possible back in “physical schools and spaces” while respecting public health advice.

NHL officially back as league, players ratify deal to return in Edmonton, Toronto (CBC) Published on: January 1, 1970 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The league and its players union formally signed an agreement Friday that would see hockey return — with hub cities in Toronto and Edmonton.
Training camps will open Monday in each team’s home market, with clubs scheduled to head to their respective hubs July 26 before games start to count Aug. 1.
Once in Toronto and Edmonton, players will be kept in so-called “bubbles” — tightly controlled circles with stringent health protocols and daily testing — separate from the general public in hopes of keeping the coronavirus at bay.

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