America’s FDA Eases Restrictions on Mask-Sterilizing Technology Amid Coronavirus Shortages

USA Today reports:
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine Sunday afternoon said federal officials have promised to ease restrictions on a technology to clean and reuse the masks deemed the safest for healthcare workers and first responders in the coronavirus outbreak…. Officials are scrambling for the N95 masks and other protective equipment for health care workers as the number of COVID-19 cases is expected…

Instead of Hazard Pay, Spectrum Offered a $25 Gift Card To Technicians Who Enter Homes Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic

Amber Jamieson writes via BuzzFeed News: Spectrum technicians connecting cable and internet for customers during the coronavirus outbreak will receive a $25 gift card for a local restaurant as a “token of our appreciation” from management, after staff called for hazard pay and protective equipment. “These gift cards never expire, so if you choose a restaurant that is currently not open,…

US doctors being exposed to COVID-19 because they don’t have protective gear

The doctors and nurses on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic are putting themselves at unnecessary risk due to the national shortages of protective gear. Source: https://www.livescience.com/coronavirus-doctors-at-risk-face-mask-shortages.html

Disneyland Is Closed. 31,000 Employees Given 18-Day Paid Vacation

There’s a Three Stooges movie where aliens try to attack the earthlings where it will hurt them the most — Disneyland. The Los Angeles Times points out that in fact the park has been closed just three times in the park’s 65-year-history. But now Business Insider reports: As the spread of the novel coronavirus impacts cities and communities around the world,…

Chinese Facial Recognition Firm Says It Can Now Identify People Wearing Masks

Hanwang Technology, a Chinese firm specializing in facial recognition software, says it can now identify people that are wearing masks to protect against the coronavirus. The company says it used a sample database of around 6 million unmasked faces and a smaller database of masked faces to create the system. The Next Web reports: The Beijing-based firm, which also goes by…

Seattle’s Patient Zero Spread Coronavirus Despite Ebola-Style Lockdown

First known U.S. case offers lessons in how and how not to fight the outbreak. From a report: The man who would become Patient Zero for the new coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. appeared to do everything right. He arrived Jan. 19 at an urgent-care clinic in a suburb north of Seattle with a slightly elevated temperature and a cough he’d…

Uber and Lyft Drivers Weigh Risk of Safety Against Paycheck

Many Lyft and Uber drivers have seen a bump in business from the spreading coronavirus, but they’re also weighing the risks of staying safe versus continuing to earn a paycheck. From a report: A study published Friday shows that more than half of ride-hailing drivers said they were now “very concerned” about reduced earnings as a result of the virus and…

Coronavirus Reportedly Spreads To Venice, California

Twitter user Scott Bell is reporting that his uncle from Venice, California, has tested positive for the coronavirus. According to Bell, “he was skiing in the Italian alps with 6 other guys,” 4 of which, including his uncle, now have the coronavirus. One is reportedly in a coma and two others are sick. Bell says his uncle “has not present any…