Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Walmart Stashes Away Guns, Ammo Ahead Of Election
The Wall Street Journal: Walmart Pulls Guns, Ammo Displays In U.S. Stores, Citing Civil Unrest
Walmart has removed all guns and ammunition from the sales floors of its U.S. stores this week, aiming to head off any potential theft of firearms if stores are broken into amid social unrest. The retail giant, which sells firearms in about half of its 4,700 U.S. stores, said customers can still purchase guns and ammunition upon request even though they are no longer on display. (Nassauer, 10/29)
CNN: About 20% Of Grocery Store Workers Had Covid-19, And Most Didn't Have Symptoms, Study Found
Grocery store work puts employees at serious risk for infection, a new study found, particularly those who have to interact with customers. These workers likely became a "significant transmission source" for Covid-19 without even knowing it because most in the study were asymptomatic. (Christensen, 10/29)
Roll Call: Inspector General: More Amtrak Safety Workers Need Drug Testing
Amtrak conducts random drug tests on conductors and engineers but fails to include about 4,000 other employees who work in safety-related positions, the company's inspector general said in a new report released Thursday. While the National Transportation Safety Board recommends random drug tests of all transportation employees in positions that could affect employee safety or the safety of others, Amtrak limits its random tests to those who fall under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s minimum requirements — about 8,300 of the company’s roughly 18,500 employees. (Wehrman, 10/29)
Dallas Morning News: Is Rapid Coronavirus Testing The Answer To Getting Back To Normal?
In September, state officials confirmed a plan was in the works to use such tests widely. At the University of Texas at Austin, students have been required to pass a university-provided rapid test before they attend some sports events. The Dallas Independent School District will soon begin regular rapid testing of student athletes, and Gov. Greg Abbott recently announced a pilot program that will provide rapid testing to students and employees in some school districts. But health experts say that though rapid tests can be useful, they aren’t the answer to ending COVID-19 health precautions. (Marfin, 10/29)
Roll Call: Schools Weigh Plans For Rapid COVID-19 Tests
White House officials hoped that sending states rapid COVID-19 tests would encourage their use in reopening schools, and while that’s one way states are using the shipments, they say they need more resources and better data about how to best deploy testing. Health officials in some states say they are beginning to offer testing to students and teachers, but they are still finessing how to determine who should be tested and how frequently that should occur. (McIntire, 10/29)
In other public-health news —
The Washington Post: Ice-Cream Store With Special-Needs Employees Overcomes Pandemic’s Business Obstacles
[Tom] Landis’s store became one of Texas’s top employers of special-needs workers, and his hope was that Howdy’s success would change the way companies thought about hiring people with special needs. But when the pandemic sparked an unemployment crisis, Landis saw his cause pushed to the back of the line. ... Landis was undeterred. He remains proud of five years in business with zero employee turnover and knows his employees with Down syndrome and autism have a place in the economy, in any industry.
