Weary U.S. businesses confront new round of mask mandates
After a largely mask-free summer, it’s a reversal no one wanted to see, brought on by the fast-spreading delta variant and new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
After a largely mask-free summer, it’s a reversal no one wanted to see, brought on by the fast-spreading delta variant and new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
The move follows steps by a slew of other retailers, including Walmart and Target, to mandate masks for their workers.
Friday’s report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adds to growing laboratory evidence that people who had one bout of COVID-19 get a dramatic boost in virus-fighting immune cells—and a bonus of broader protection against new mutants—when they’re vaccinated.
Tauhric Brown, 50, became Lawrence-based CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions’ first Black CEO in January 2020. He’s brokering research partnerships with Stanford University, Eskenazi Health and other organizations to create new efficiencies.
While many government leaders seem reluctant to reimpose restrictions, businesses are beginning to lay down the law.
The state reported nine new deaths from COVID-19, lifting the cumulative death total to 13,624. The seven-day moving average of new deaths increased from five to six.
United, which has 67,000 employees in the United States, has been requiring vaccination of new hires since mid-June.
If the Biden administration goes forward with the plans, it would amount to a dramatic escalation in the effort to vaccinate the roughly 90 million Americans who are eligible for shots but who have refused or have been unable to get them.
Indiana University Health saw its earnings more than double in the first half of the year, to $414 million, compared to a year ago, as patients flocked back to hospitals and clinics, many for procedures they had postponed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The department said statewide hospitalizations due to COVID-19 rose from 933 on Tuesday to 977 on Thursday.
The governor has maintained he won’t reinstate a statewide mask mandate or other restrictions, instead leaving such decisions to local officials.
The updated guidance mostly follow CDC recommendations and come as football practices start across the country.
Airlines for America, a trade group for major U.S. airlines, said it was pleased by reports that the administration plans to make it easier for more foreign travelers to enter the country if they have been vaccinated.
Some experts are calling for mandatory vaccinations at nursing homes, warning that unprotected staff members are endangering residents. Even residents who have been inoculated are vulnerable because many are elderly and frail, with weak immune systems.
The state said more than 2.96 million Hoosiers have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. More than 2.95 million had received the first dose of a two-dose vaccination.
Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, President Joe Biden was uncertain whether the new moratorium could withstand lawsuits about its constitutionality.
The state department of health reported 13 new deaths from COVID-19, lifting the cumulative death total to 13,596.
Starting Tuesday, anyone coming in or occupying public areas of the four courthouses of the Southern District of Indiana must wear face coverings and maintain six feet of social distancing in all public spaces, regardless of vaccination status.
The state said more than 2.95 million Hoosiers had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Monday at 5 a.m. More than 2.94 million had received the first dose of a two-dose vaccination.
State health officials say they have no authority to require anyone to get a vaccine, including state employees.