Coronavirus COVID-19 *Global Health Pandemic* #20

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European Union says it was not consulted on Trump's coronavirus travel ban

European Union leaders on Thursday criticized President Donald Trump's decision to restrict travel from 26 European nations, and said that they were not consulted beforehand.

"The coronavirus is a global crisis, not limited to any continent and it requires cooperation rather than unilateral action," said a joint statement from Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, presidents of the European Commission and European Council respectively.

"The European Union disapproves of the fact that the U.S. decision to impose a travel ban was taken unilaterally and without consultation," they added. "The European Union is taking strong action to limit the spread of the virus."

Coronavirus updates live: U.S. slaps travel restrictions on most of Europe
 
Coronavirus: Ireland shuts schools and offices and cancels public events with Scotland also banning mass gatherings

THE Republic of Ireland has today announced a nationwide shutdown over coronavirus.

Ireland's Taoiseach Leo Varadkar revealed schools, child care facilities, public offices and colleges are among the places that will close in a bid to stem the killer bug, which has killed nearly 5,000 people and infected more than 127,000 worldwide.

Meanwhile, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will ban mass gatherings of more than 500 people from next week, it was reported today.
 
Staff at Tel Aviv's branch of U.S. Embassy self-isolate

Staff at the branch of the U.S. Embassy in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv are self-isolating after an individual who tested positive for COVID-19 visited it last week.

While everyone affected was quarantined, the embassy said in a statement that the visa department would remain open, while taking recommendations from Israel's Ministry of Health.
The announcement came as the ministry revealed that 100 people had contracted the respiratory illness in the country.

Coronavirus updates live: U.S. slaps travel restrictions on most of Europe
 
https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/Colorado HELP Rules 7 CCR 1103-10 (Temp)_0.pdf

COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT
Division of Labor Standards and Statistics
Colorado Health Emergency Leave with Pay (“Colorado HELP”) Rules
7 CCR 1103-10 (2020) ____________________________________________________________________________________ Adopted and effective as temporary or emergency rules on March 11, 2020.
Rule 1. Definitions.
1.1 “COMPS Order” means Colorado Overtime and Minimum Pay Standards Order #36, 7 CCR 1103-1 (2020).
1.2 “C.R.S.” means the Colorado Revised Statutes (2020).
1.3 “Director” means the Director of the Division of Labor Standards and Statistics.
1.4 “Division” means the Division of Labor Standards and Statistics in the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.
1.5 “Employee” includes all who meet the definition of “employee” under either C.R.S. § 8-1-101(6) or C.R.S. § 8-4-101(5), and “employer” includes all who meet the definition of “employer” under either C.R.S. § 8-1-101(7) or C.R.S. § 8-4-101(6). Both terms include private sector, local government, school district, and public authority employers and employees.
1.6 “MWO” means Colorado Minimum Wage Order #35, 7 CCR 1103-1 (2020).
1.7 “WPA Rules” means the Colorado Wage Protection Act Rules, 7 CCR 1103-7 (2019).
Rule 2. Authority and Incorporation by Reference.
2.1 State of Disaster Emergency. On March 10, 2020, Colorado Governor Jared Polis declared a State of Disaster Emergency as the number of identified coronavirus COVID-19 cases in Colorado and in the United States increased, and announced numerous emergency measures to protect public health and safety, including directing that immediate rulemaking be initiated to provide employees in certain industries with paid sick leave for possible coronavirus cases and testing.
2.2 Authority. These rules are issued under authority of, and as enforcement of, Articles 1, 4, and 6 of C.R.S. Title 8, and are intended to be consistent with the State Administrative Procedures Act, C.R.S. § 24-4-101, et seq. Specific authority includes but is not limited to C.R.S. § 8-1-111 (“The director is vested with the power and jurisdiction to have such supervision of every employment and place of employment in this state as may be necessary adequately to ascertain and determine ... the obedience by the employer to all laws and all lawful orders requiring ... places of employment to be safe, and requiring the protection of the life, health, and safety of every employee ... , and to enforce all provisions of law relating thereto.”), C.R.S. § 8-6-101(1) (“The welfare of the state of Colorado demands that workers be protected from conditions of labor that have a pernicious effect on their health and morals, and it is therefore declared ... that inadequate wages and unsanitary conditions of labor exert such pernicious effect.”), C.R.S. § 8-6-102

(“Whenever this article or any part thereof is interpreted by any court, it shall be liberally construed by such court.”), C.R.S. § 8-6-104 (“It is unlawful to employ workers in any occupation within this state under conditions of labor detrimental to their health or morals.”), C.R.S. § 8-6-106 (“The director shall determine the minimum wages sufficient for living wages ... [and] standards of conditions of labor and hours of employment not detrimental to health or morals for workers....”), C.R.S § 8-6-109(1) (“If after investigation the director is of the opinion that the conditions of employment ... are detrimental to the health or morals or that a substantial number of workers in any occupation are receiving wages, whether by time rate or piece rate, inadequate to supply the necessary costs of living and to maintain the workers in health, the director shall proceed to establish minimum wage rates.”); C.R.S. § 24-4-103(6) (Administrative Procedure Act temporary or emergency rules).
Additional authority derives from the State of Disaster Emergency declared on March 10, 2020, by Colorado Governor Jared Polis, as the number of identified coronavirus COVID-19 cases in Colorado and in the United States increased -- which declaration (A) announced numerous measures to protect public health and safety, including directing rulemaking to provide paid sick leave for employees in certain industries, and (B) supported such action pursuant to executive authority statutes, including but not limited to: C.R.S. 24-33.5-704(2) (“Under this part 7, the governor may issue executive orders, proclamations, and regulations and amend or rescind them. Executive orders, proclamations, and regulations have the force and effect of law.”); C.R.S. 24-33.5-704.5(1)(e) (“In the event of an emergency epidemic that has been declared a disaster emergency, the [expert emergency epidemic response] committee shall convene as rapidly and as often as necessary to advise the governor, who shall act by executive order, regarding reasonable and appropriate measures to reduce or prevent spread of the disease, agent, or toxin and to protect the public health.”); C.R.S. 24-33.5-711.5(2) (“The conduct and management of the affairs and property of each hospital, physician, health insurer or managed health care organization, health care provider, public health worker, or emergency medical service provider shall be such that they will reasonably assist and not unreasonably detract from the ability of the state and the public to successfully control emergency epidemics that are declared a disaster emergency. Such persons and entities that in good faith comply completely with board of health rules regarding the emergency epidemic and with executive orders regarding the disaster emergency shall be immune from civil or criminal liability for any action taken to comply with the executive order or rule.”).
2.3 Incorporation by Reference. These rules incorporate by reference the following statutes and rules: Articles 1, 4, and 6 of C.R.S. Title 8 (2020); the MWO, until March 15, 2020; the COMPS Order, on and after March 16, 2020; and the WPA Rules, 7 CCR 1103-7 (2019). Such incorporation excludes later amendments or editions; all cited laws are incorporated in the forms that are in effect as of the effective date of these rules.
2.4 Availability of cited and incorporated laws. All sources cited or incorporated by reference are available for public inspection at the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Division of Labor Standards & Statistics, 633 17th Street, Suite 600, Denver CO 80202. Copies may be obtained from the Division of Labor Standards & Statistics at a reasonable charge. They can be accessed electronically from the website of the Colorado Secretary of State. Pursuant to C.R.S. § 24-4-103(12.5)(b), the agency shall provide certified copies of them at cost upon request or shall provide the requestor with information on how to obtain a certified copy of the material incorporated by reference from the agency originally issuing them.

Rule 3. Paid Sick Leave for Certain Employees.
3.1 Any employer engaged in the field of leisure and hospitality, food services, child care, education at all levels (including related services, including but not limited to cafeterias and transportation to, from, and on campuses), home health care (working with elderly, disabled, ill, or otherwise high-risk individuals), operating a nursing home, or operating a community living facility shall provide up to four days of paid sick leave for an employee (A) with flu-like symptoms and (B) who is being tested for COVID-19. The paid sick leave ends if an employee receives a negative COVID-19 test result.
3.2 These rules do not require an employer to offer additional days of paid sick leave if it already offers all employees an amount of paid leave sufficient to comply with Rules 3.1. However, an employee who already exhausted his or her paid leave allotted by the employer, but then has flu- like symptoms and is being tested for COVID-19, is entitled to the additional paid sick days provided by Rule 3.1.
3.3 During paid sick leave covered by these rules, pay shall be provided (A) at the employee’s regular rate of pay (the COMPS Order Rule 1.8 definition of “regular rate of pay” is incorporated into this rule), including all forms of wages and compensation (but increased to the applicable minimum wage for an employee paid below the minimum wage due to a tip credit), and (B) for the employer’s regularly worked hours. To the extent that the employee’s rate of pay or hours worked had varied before the absence for illness, pay shall be in the amount of the employee’s average daily pay for the preceding month.
3.4 To the extent feasible, employees and employers should comply with the procedures of the federal Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) to pursue and provide paid sick leave under these rules, except that (A) no employer may terminate an employee for inability to provide documentation during an illness covered by these rules, and (B) FMLA provisions do not narrow the rights and responsibilities provided by these rules.
Rule 4. Enforcement.
4.1 Failure to provide paid sick leave required by these rules is a failure to provide wages under Articles 1, 4, and 6 of C.R.S. Title 8, under the MWO (until March 15, 2020), and under the COMPS Order (on and after March 16, 2020). The Director or a designated agent shall investigate and take all proceedings necessary to enforce these rules, pursuant to the provisions of these rules, of Articles 1, 4, and 6 of C.R.S. Title 8, of the MWO (until March 15, 2020), and of the COMPS Order (on and after March 16, 2020). Violations may be subject to the procedures and remedies of these rules, of Articles 1, 4, and 6 of C.R.S. Title 8, of the MWO (until March 15, 2020), and of the COMPS Order (on and after March 16, 2020). The COMPS Order Rule 8.5 prohibition against reprisals applies to rights provided by these rules.
Rule 5. Interpretation.
5.1 Construction. Under the C.R.S. § 8-6-102 “Construction” provision (“Whenever this article or any part thereof is interpreted by any court, it shall be liberally construed by such court.”), the provisions of these rules shall be liberally construed, with exceptions and exemptions accordingly narrowly construed.
5.2 Division and Dual Jurisdiction. The Division shall have jurisdiction over all questions arising with respect to the administration and interpretation of these rules. Whenever employers are subjected to Colorado law as well as federal and/or local law, the law providing greater protection or setting the higher standard shall apply.

5.3 Separability. These rules are intended to remain in effect to the maximum extent possible. If any part (including any section, sentence, clause, phrase, word, or number) is held invalid, (A) the remainder of each rule remains valid, and (B) if the provision is held not wholly invalid, but merely in need of narrowing, the provision should be retained in narrowed form.
Rule 6. Effective Date and Duration.
6.1 These temporary/emergency rules take effect March 11, 2020, and remain in effect for the longer of (A) 30 days after adoption, or (B) the duration of the State of Disaster Emergency declared by the Governor, up to a maximum of 120 days after adoption of these temporary/emergency rules.
 
Bravo said:
Thanks everyone for all the informative info. My go to place. I think the biggest fear I have are others taking this seriously? Others who can put me at risk and my loved one's? I know many are not. Those who are sticking their heads in the sand do they not care what they can pass on to those of us in higher risk categories? Scary times we live in.
Click to expand...

From what I’ve seen thus far, the majority still don’t see this issue for what it is. There is some heightened concern, but most still consider this outbreak as something that will possibly cause some inconvenience. IMO, the overall reaction thus far is due to a culmination of things:

  • We’re accustomed to headlines from around the world that are horrifying in nature - so there’s a level of “numbness” to bad news
  • News articles and headlines often blow things out of proportion in order to promote viewership - so there’s also a level of “the little boy that cried wolf”
  • Most of us are accustomed to a society that has been insulated from large scale national disasters - think of 9/11 - not to minimize that terrible event in any way whatsoever, but there are parts of this world that have seen medium to large scale wars for years on end, yet the single event of 9/11 momentarily knocked the wind out of us as a country. The shock that was felt remains with most of us to this day.
  • Outside of Websleuths, there’s a lot of conflicting information being thrown around, and the information provided tends to report how bad the virus is elsewhere - not so much in regards to how bad it could be locally....
  • Which leads to a lot of denial (not to mention that 2.4% doesn’t sound like a catastrophe unless it’s put into full context)
With all that being said, I’m hoping that the President’s announcement, the WHO’s declaration of a pandemic, and the multiple cancellations of extremely large events will bring about a realization of what’s in store. With the US trajectory mirroring that of Italy’s two weeks ago, I believe there will be very little denial left in the US by the end of March.

I’m impressed with the turn of events that occurred throughout the day yesterday - it marked the beginning of a much overdue shift in mentality. I just hope it wasn’t too little too late.

MOO***
dixiegirl1035 said:
Quick view of friends FB feeds show that most are talking about how ridiculous it is to cancel MBA.

I just put up this on one of their posts on FB that Henry posted upthread
View attachment 237999
Click to expand...

And the truly ironic part, IMO, is how many of those same people will be questioning why more wasn’t done to prevent this disaster in just a few weeks time....
 
White House suspends public tours

... of the presidential residence amid the outbreak of the coronavirus.

A recorded message on the 24-hour information phone line for White House tours said all tours were suspended temporarily "out of an abundance of caution" and urged anyone with a tour booked to contact the entity with which they had arranged the visit.

Coronavirus updates: Trump suspends some travel from Europe for 30 days
 
Twitter tells all its employees to work from home

Twitter has ordered all employees worldwide to work from home in an effort to stop the spread of the deadly new coronavirus.

The social media platform had already announced a mandatory work from home policy for its staff in South Korea, Hong Kong and Japan earlier this month and suspended "non-critical" business travel and events in February.

Twitter human resources chief Jennifer Christie said in a blog post late Wednesday that, "We understand this is an unprecedented step, but these are unprecedented times."

Coronavirus updates: Trump suspends some travel from Europe for 30 days
 
‘He’s gonna get us all killed’: sense of unease after Trump coronavirus speech

On Wednesday he wore a blue suit, white shirt and blue patterned tie – not his favourite red. He also sported a stars and stripes pin and had his hands folded before him (he said nothing about the potential perils of shaking hands). His face looked undeniably orange. Behind him were framed photos, including portraits of his parents, and flags and gold curtains.

At 9.02pm, Trump began as presidents so often do: “My fellow Americans.” But in the next breath, he reverted to his familiar us-versus-them nationalism, referring to the coronavirus outbreak “that started in China” and is now spreading throughout the world. “This is the most aggressive and comprehensive effort to confront a foreign virus in modern history.” Not just a virus. A foreign virus.

The president touted his own sweeping travel restrictions on China and, far from expressing sympathy and solidarity with allies, argued the European Union “failed to take the same precautions and restrict travel from China and other hotspots. As a result, a large number of new clusters in the United States were seeded by travelers from Europe.”

Trump announced the US will be banning travelers from many European countries to the US for the next 30 days with exemptions for Americans, permanent residents and family of US citizens who have undergone screenings and, mysteriously, the UK, despite it having a higher caseload than some other European countries. Could Brexit be the new TSA PreCheck?

The president then made an awful bungle. He said “these prohibitions will not only apply to the tremendous amount of trade and cargo, but various other things as we get approval”. Such words could trigger global economic panic. Trump was forced to hastily clarify on Twitter: “... very important for all countries & businesses to know that trade will in no way be affected by the 30-day restriction on travel from Europe. The restriction stops people not goods.”

He went on to talk of the pathogen as if it was a foreign army or terrorist network. “The virus will not have a chance against us,” he said. “No nation is more prepared or more resilient than the United States.”

And seen in the midst of an emergency, Trump could not resist some campaigning. “Because of the economic policies that we have put into place over the last three years, we have the greatest economy anywhere in the world by far,” he said.

“This is not a financial crisis, this is just a temporary moment of time that we will overcome together as a nation and as a world.”

Many observers found the address unreassuring and downright weird.
 
In some respects our fate rests on the entities that are capable of sharply ramping testing and distributing the services nationally. Academic labs can serve their institutions. Only big national clinical labs like LabCorp and Quest can fill the void. A lot rides on them now 3/10
Scott Gottlieb, MD on Twitter

Public health labs have been an outstanding pillar. They’re working around the clock. They’re the nation’s backbone of response. But they aren’t richly funded and are being maxed out against current facilities. Only clinical labs have ability to sharply scale the efforts. 6/10
 
JerseyGirl said:
Geez and we thought China was crazy when they chained doors or put piles of rocks in front of them to deter infected people from going out in public.

Maybe that’s what we will eventually need to do here in the USA.
Click to expand...

It’s sooo crazy looking back on China now knowing this is about to happen to us...I think that’s what scares me the most about all this, those videos I watched...

(Remember when I would do all nighters on YouTube watching Wuhan videos? :eek: And I got stuck in YouTube land and @dixiegirl1035 had to rescue me? :eek: )

—-

Omg...will they be busting out all the sprayers....ugh....lesser of the two evils
 
Where are we with the pet rescue situation.

Are the humane societies, etc. getting prepared?

There are going to be some people’s pets who may require assistance...we talked about this before.

What resources are currently available? Noting to google. Please feel free to post if you guys find anything re: actions in your local areas, shelters taking in animals, etc. Thanks.

:(
 
margarita25 said:
Yeah sitting on my hands.
Click to expand...
I’m in health care and not even a huge handshaker as a general rule. It seems to me, just watching people over the last couple of weeks, that hand shaking itself is so ingrained and automatic that it’s sort of like touching our faces. We do it without really processing that we’re doing it. Mind you, I’ve consciously stopped shaking hands, but many even in health care are still doing so. I really wish folks would pay attention to this and STOP.
 
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