Google Again Pushes Back Workers’ Return To The Office

The New York Times: Google Delays Return To Office And Eyes ‘Flexible Work Week’ 
With the pandemic still in full swing and the first doses of a coronavirus vaccine just starting to ship in the United States, Google has pushed back the planned return to the office by a few months, to September 2021. But even as it extends the remote work period for most of its staff, Google is laying out a series of proposed changes that may substantially alter how its employees and people at other technology companies will work. (Wakabayashi, 12/14)

The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Poses Christmas Quandary For Families 
Christmas marks the high point of the festive calendar for many Christians around the world. But this year, families face a dilemma: Whether to reunite despite the risk posed by the Covid-19 pandemic or play it safe and scale things down, at the expense of tradition. Many try to land somewhere in between, planning smaller festivities and lowering risks by using common sense honed by a year spent playing hide-and-seek with the virus. (Bender, 12/13)

CNN: Your Home Is A Hotspot For Covid-19, Studies Say 
A new analysis that looked at 54 studies in over 20 countries found homes where someone was sick with Covid-19 continued to be hotspots for virus transmission, even if overall community spread was down. ... Spouses were at higher risk than other family members, likely due to sleeping in the same room, intimacy and prolonged contact, according to the study published Monday in the journal JAMA Network Open. (LaMotte, 12/14)

The Hill: Americans Far Less Likely To Wear Masks Indoors With Non-Household Members Than In Public: Poll 
Americans are far less likely to wear a mask indoors among non-household members than in public spaces, although majorities say they do both, according to new polling from Gallup. While 56 percent of U.S. adults said they “usually” or “always” wear masks indoors with acquaintances from outside their immediate households, 89 percent said the same of public settings such as stores or businesses. (Budryk, 12/14)

The Wall Street Journal: Perfume. Wrist Buzzers. Hypnosis. How People Try To Stop Touching Their Faces. 
Nine months into a pandemic and you’re still touching your face? Wearable devices, meditations, athletic gear and tchotchkes want to help you kick the habit. Nose itching, coughing, nail biting, mustache twirling, eye rubbing and hair flipping are among the reasons people touch their faces, often without realizing it. One study from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, published in 2015, found participants touched their faces an average of 23 times per hour. (Byron, 12/14)

In other public health news —

The Washington Post: Dairy Queen Drive-Thru Act Of Kindness Chain Ends After 900 Cars 
It started with an older gentleman who pulled up to the Dairy Queen Grill & Chill drive-through window in Brainerd, Minn., at the height of the lunch hour on a Thursday. “I’d also like to pay for the car behind me,” cashier Darla Anderson said the customer told her on Dec. 3. “Whatever they’ve ordered, I’ll cover it.” ... In the end, it spanned more than 900 cars over 2½ days. (Free, 12/14)

The Washington Post: Disney World Was Digitally Adding Masks Onto Maskless Parkgoers In Ride Photos 
Photos from Walt Disney World rides are a well-known travel souvenir .... But during the coronavirus pandemic and with a strict mask policy in place, Disney World created a new rule for riders who want to purchase an image of themselves mid-ride: no mask, no photo. ... A Disney spokesperson confirmed to The Washington Post on Friday that Disney World tested adding digital masks to riders’ PhotoPass images where masks had shifted mid-ride. The trial aimed to allow those riders to be able to purchase a ride photo that would not depict them as unmasked, and in a violation of park rules. (McMahon, 12/11)

The Washington Post: Catholic Parishes That Didn’t Go Online During Covid-19 Crisis See Giving Fall Way Down 
The coronavirus shutdown is affecting giving to Catholic parishes around the country in dramatically different ways, data shows, with some expected to see their offertory — parishioners’ donations, typically given at weekly services — down 50 percent, while others have had an increase. A study says a big factor is whether parishes switched to online services or decided to wait the virus out. (Boorstein, 12/14)

In sports news —

AP: NFL Won't Be Cutting In Line For Coronavirus Vaccine
The NFL won’t be cutting in line to get the coronavirus vaccine. “No one should be thinking about the vaccine going anywhere other than our first responders and the most vulnerable people right now,” said DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players Association. “We’re in complete harmony with the union in that we feel that it’s vital that frontline healthcare workers and another essential service workers are at the front of the line,” said Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer. (Stapleton, 12/15)

AP: Florida's Johnson 'Following Simple Commands' After Collapse
Florida forward Keyontae Johnson was “following simple commands” Monday after being transferred from Tallahassee Memorial to UF Health in Gainesville, the school said. Officials added that Johnson is undergoing further tests and remains in critical but stable condition two days after he collapsed on the court during a game at Florida State. Johnson was moved to Gainesville via helicopter with his mother by his side. ... Like many of his Florida teammates, Johnson tested positive for COVID-19 during the summer. Although the cause of Johnson’s collapse was not immediately known, the coronavirus can lead to myocarditis, a viral infection of the heart muscle. At its most severe, myocarditis can lead to sudden cardiac arrest and has been a documented cause of death for young, otherwise healthy athletes. (Long, 12/15)