Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Patchwork Of Glitchy, Little-Used Contact Tracing Apps Hobbles Efforts To Safely Reopen
The Wall Street Journal: America Is Reopening. Coronavirus Tracing Apps Aren’t Ready.
Local officials in Teton County, Wyo., home to Yellowstone National Park and resort town Jackson Hole, want to prevent a new wave of coronavirus cases as the area reopens. They decided to lean on technology. The county signed up for a location-tracking app developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to help accelerate contact tracing, the process of notifying and isolating people who might have been exposed to the virus. But as tourists stream into Yellowstone—rangers spotted license plates from 41 states the day it reopened in mid-May—the app isn’t ready. It can’t accurately track location, it’s missing key features and its developers have struggled to protect sensitive user data. (Winkler and Haggin, 6/22)
The Wall Street Journal: Hash Browns With A Side Of Hand Sanitizer: What Going To A Restaurant Is Like Now
When Scott Harkey decided to venture out for a meal recently, he made a reservation, drove to the restaurant—and then stopped at the entrance for a staffer to take his temperature. Then another staffer handed him a bottle of hand sanitizer. And the servers waiting on him all wore masks. “They looked like ninjas,” said Mr. Harkey, a 38-year-old advertising executive in Phoenix. “It was strange. ”Welcome to the new way of dining out. As coronavirus lockdowns ease, some people are cautiously inching back to restaurants and bars. But the experience is far different from what it used to be. (Needleman, 6/22)
The New York Times: Are Companies More Productive In A Pandemic?
When the online learning company Chegg started working remotely in March, Nathan Schultz, a senior executive, was convinced that productivity would plummet 15 to 20 percent. Hoping to keep his employees on task, Mr. Schultz tried to recreate the high-touch style of management that had served him well throughout his career. He set up a Slack channel with his two closest deputies, where they began communicating incessantly, even as they spent hours a day in the same Zoom meetings. He began regularly checking in on many of the other members of his team. (Gelles, 6/23)
WBUR: Child Care Reopens, But Many Ask For State Aid After 'Financially Devastating' Closure
The state approved 48 providers to reopen Monday, with another 100 given reopening dates. About 4% of child care operators recently told the state they won’t be able to reopen under the new health and safety restrictions. But the Massachusetts advocacy group Daycares United reports that about 1 in 5 of its members said they’ll have to close indefinitely. (Jung, 6/22)
GMA: From Playgrounds To Play Dates And Pools: What Is Safe For Kids To Do This Coronavirus Summer
Making plans for summer in the time of the coronavirus pandemic is a parenting dilemma. States, cities and towns are reopening as at least a dozen states have seen record highs of new COVID-19 cases. Some camps are closed, others are open. Some families are still quarantining and others are hosting birthday parties and sleepovers. The messaging that kids don't seem to be as severely impacted by COVID-19 as adults but they do seem to be asymptomatic carriers of the virus can be confusing for parents too. (Kindelan, 6/23)
