Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Food Supply Is Sufficient': Companies Retool In Order To More Quickly Refill Barren Shelves
The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus-Era Food Supply: America Has A Lot. Moving It Is Tricky.
You wouldn’t know it from the bare grocery store shelves across the country, but America has plenty of food. The challenge is getting it from the farm to your table. Companies that supply meat, vegetables and other staples are struggling to redirect the nation’s sprawling food supply chain to meet a surge in demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Restaurant closures and shoppers’ rush to stock their pantries are forcing the agriculture industry to boost production, hire new employees and set up “war rooms” to keep grocery stores stocked. (Bunge and Newman, 3/19)
USA Today: Stores Designate Shopping Time For Seniors Vulnerable Amid Coronavirus: Walmart, Target, Whole Foods And More
Acknowledging that older adults and persons with underlying health conditions are more susceptible to COVID-19, a growing number of stores are dedicating time or opening earlier for senior shoppers and other at-risk groups. Because of panic shopping, which has left store shelves empty, at-risk groups including seniors have had difficulty getting supplies. (Tyko, 3/19)
NPR: Supermarkets Add 'Senior Hours' For Vulnerable Shoppers
Special hours for seniors to shop are just one of the ways grocery stores across the U.S. are adjusting their operations during the coronavirus pandemic. Supermarkets are restricting their opening hours to give workers time for cleaning and restocking. They're also limiting how many items people are allowed to buy. And they're adding special designated hours when only seniors and others most vulnerable to the coronavirus are invited to shop. (Selyukh, 3/19)
CNN: Walmart Shortens Its Hours Even Further And Takes New Measures To Fight Coronavirus
Walmart, the largest retailer in America, is shortening its hours even further as the coronavirus pandemic -- and demand for necessities -- escalates. Beginning Thursday, many of Walmart's 4,700 US stores will be open from 7 am to 8:30 pm until further notice. It's the second adjustment the retailer made to its hours within a week. Many Walmarts are typically open 24 hours, but some stores that previously opened after 7 am will maintain their regular hours. (Valinsky, 3/19)
The Associated Press: $10 Toilet Paper? Coronavirus Gouging Complaints Surge In US
One store advertised hand sanitizer at $60 a bottle. Another was accused of hawking it at $1 a squirt. Chain stores offered $26 thermometers and face masks at the “everyday low price” of $39.95 a pair, while a convenience store touted toilet paper at $10 a roll next to a sign reading: “This is not a joke.” Across a country where lines are long, some shelves are empty and patience is thin, authorities are receiving a surge of reports about merchants trying to cash in on the coronavirus crisis with outrageous prices, phony cures and other scams. An Associated Press survey of attorneys general or consumer protection agencies nationwide found reports already exceeded 5,000, with hundreds more arriving daily. (Dunklin and Pritchard, 3/19)
The New York Times: The Delivery Workers Who Risk Their Health To Bring You Food
Chen Wei’s wife begged him to stop making restaurant deliveries because she feared he might contract the coronavirus from a customer. Lee Mengba, another delivery worker, wondered if the hand that reached out for the bag of medication from behind an apartment door on a recent run belonged to a quarantined patient. Adolfo Garcia tries to deliver pizza “in four seconds,” sometimes leaving boxes near the elevator on the first floor of apartment buildings for customers to grab. (de Freytas-Tamura and Singer, 3/19)
Bloomberg: Amazon Drivers Say They Received A Single Wipe To Clean Vans Before A Shift
When about two dozen Amazon.com Inc. delivery drivers reported for their shifts Tuesday morning on California’s Central Coast, their manager passed around a sleeve of disinfecting wipes. He said they could each take only one to clean their vans before starting their routes, according to three people present. (Soper and Day, 3/19)
