Restaurants, Grocery Stores Scramble To Deal With Winter Outbreaks
Restaurants remain some of the hardest-hit businesses, and unlike in the spring, no relief package is in sight. News is on revelers, substance abuse treatment on line and more, as well.
Politico:
Food Industry Braces For New Coronavirus Wave
Turkey farmers raised smaller birds for reduced Thanksgiving gatherings. Restaurants are begging Congress for a lifeline as state and local officials clamp down on indoor dining. And major grocers including Kroger, H-E-B and Publix are bringing back per-customer limits on high-demand items like toilet paper and household cleaners. Across the food and grocery industry, the holidays are starting to resemble the panic of the pandemic spring, when the supply chain was stressed and businesses were teetering. This time around, grocers say the limits are proactive measures, rather than a sign of looming shortages. Still, photos of empty store shelves have again started cropping up online — a sign that the country’s food industry is still on edge as worried customers snap up more toilet paper and milk than they may need. (McCrimmon, 11/26)
The Wall Street Journal:
Restaurant Holdouts Defy Covid-19 Shutdown Orders
Some restaurants are rejecting a new round of shutdown orders, saying that serving customers indoors is their only way to stay in business and that they can do so safely. Mike Coughlin is breaking an Illinois state order by doing what he has done for 26 years—serving pot-roast and fish-fry platters inside his Village Tavern and Grill. He says it is worth the risk if it keeps his restaurant in business through the coronavirus pandemic. (Haddon and Wernau, 11/29)
The New York Times:
Party With Nearly 400 People Is Shut Down In Manhattan
Sheriff’s deputies arrived at a building in Midtown Manhattan just before 3 a.m. on Saturday and found almost 400 people drinking and partying inside. Few were wearing face masks. Deputies shut the party down and arrested four people. The episode reflected the way that, despite the onset of a second wave of the coronavirus, people are continuing to gather at large events in New York City in violation of public health safeguards. (Zaveri, 11/29)
The New York Times:
A.A. To Zoom, Substance Abuse Treatment Goes Online
Until the coronavirus pandemic, their meetings took place quietly, every day, discreet gatherings in the basements of churches, a spare room at the YMCA, the back of a cafe. But members of Alcoholics Anonymous and other groups of recovering substance abusers found the doors quickly shut this spring, to prevent the spread of Covid-19. What happened next is one of those creative cascades the virus has indirectly set off. Rehabilitation moved online, almost overnight, with zeal. Not only are thousands of A.A. meetings taking place on Zoom and other digital hangouts, but other major players in the rehabilitation industry have leapt in, transforming a daily ritual that many credit with saving their lives. (Richtel, 11/28)
The Wall Street Journal:
Your Home-Office Ergonomics Are Still A Mess—Do Something About It
It’s been a long time since employers around the world abruptly sent their staff home, and workers are feeling it. What was once a creative workaround or show of resilience—plop a monitor on your ironing board, take a conference call in your car—has become an ergonomic nightmare. ... Left unchecked, ergonomic issues can lead to permanent pain, disability and an inability to work at all. Still, at the beginning of the pandemic, employers were understandably more concerned with pressing crises—keeping their businesses afloat, keeping workers safe from the virus—than the threat of aches and pains. (Feintzeig, 11/29)
In sports news —
The Washington Post:
Saints Fined $500,000, Lose Seventh-Round Draft Pick For Coronavirus Protocol Violations
The NFL fined the New Orleans Saints $500,000 and stripped them of a seventh-round draft choice for violations of the sport’s coronavirus protocols during a postgame locker room victory celebration without masks. The Saints become the second NFL team to lose a draft pick because of protocol violations. The Las Vegas Raiders previously were fined $500,000 and stripped of a sixth-round selection because of violations. (Maske, 11/29)
The Wall Street Journal:
The NFL’s Thanksgiving Weekend Has Become A Covid Crisis
The National Football League’s Thanksgiving weekend is supposed to be a feast of tradition and marquee matchups. The pandemic-year edition has exploded into a series of crises that threaten to break the NFL’s season. Over the past several days, new coronavirus problems erupted across the league as Covid-19 cases continued to surge throughout the country. The situation is so severe that, after Sunday’s games, the NFL will shut down most in-person activities for two days to regroup from the weekend amid worries that behavior over the holiday may make matters worse. (Beaton, 11/29)
AP:
Amid Pandemic, NBA Gives Teams Health Protocols For Season
NBA players who test positive for the coronavirus this season may have to miss nearly two weeks in some instances before being allowed to return to the court, the league told its teams Saturday. That revelation was one of many in a 63,000-word document, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, that explained some of the heath and safety protocols for the looming season. Preseason games begin Dec. 11 and regular-season contests start Dec. 22. (Reynolds, 11/28)
