buzzfeednews--2020-03-18--“We Are Desperate”: 10 Nurses And Doctors Explain What It's Like To Fight The Coronavirus Without En

“We Are Desperate”: 10 Nurses And Doctors Explain What It's Like To Fight The Coronavirus Without Enough Face Masks

“ We want to protect public health and if we are sick there isn ’ t going to be anyone to treat these patients .
America has no idea what it ’ s in for , ” said one nurse practitioner .
Nurses and doctors working on the front lines across the United States , preparing to treat an avalanche of patients suffering from the coronavirus epidemic , told BuzzFeed News they are facing a frightening shortage of the N95 masks that they ’ d normally wear to protect themselves while treating contagious patients .
With the pandemic sweeping the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supply chain issues have resulted in plummeting availability .
The upshot , according to health care workers around the country , has been a frightening shortage , further exacerbated by hoarding — and even stealing .
The lack of supplies has even forced the CDC to change its guidance for medical workers .
Initially the agency advised those encountering patients suspected of having COVID-19 , the disease caused by the coronavirus , to wear only N95 respirators , which filter out small particles in the air .
Now the CDC says workers can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doctors and nurses worry that ’ s not enough protection .
In China , the epicenter of the outbreak , more than 3,300 health care workers have contracted the virus .
There isn ’ t clear data yet on how many providers have fallen ill in the US , but the Washington Post reported this week that the federal government has received reports of at least 60 such infections .
Many doctors and nurses have complained on social media , posting pictures of themselves wearing their gear with the hashtag # GetMePPE .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ . )
On Tuesday , a group of health care workers launched a Change.org petition to raise awareness of the shortage issue , garnering more than 16,000 signatures within 19 hours .
Here are stories from health care workers facing shortages of masks and other critical supplies , edited for clarity and length .
“ We 're trying to reach out to our community , saying if you are one of the people with a box of masks next to the box of toilet paper , please consider donating it back to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ The stealing ] started when the first case in the US showed up in Everett , at our sister hospital .
And it was subtle at first .
As this has ramped up : it 's masks ; we 've had cases of hand sanitizer stolen ; we 've had gloves stolen .
People are panicking and of course they are not getting correct information , so they are acting on their fears , which is understandable .
But they are taking away from us , who that equipment is vital for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our job and keep the community safe .
“ We 've had to pull all the masks off the halls of the hospital — this is n't just my hospital , it 's region-wide — we ’ ve had people pull all the hand sanitizer and masks off the hospital floors and entryways , where usually the public has access to them , and lock them up , because we are at such a critical shortage .
And the health care provider suppliers now are rationing them out and very tightly so .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ even allowed to use for all COVID patients now .
We 're basically providing those only if a patient is positive and if there ’ s aerosol-like procedures that need to be done , like breathing treatments or CPR , things like that where we ’ re going to be at higher risk of contamination.
” “ Washington was the first state that had a patient test positive , and then we ’ ve had the most deaths because it ran rampant in a nursing home here .
When that first started , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each room that has to be in isolation , we have these carts so nurses can gown up and mask up before they go into the room .
Well , visitors and family members were starting to steal supplies off of them .
Our first policy was , we were locking them up in a manager ’ s office so that way we only had access to them .
Well , then they became even more depleted and so every couple days there 's a new policy on what we ’ re supposed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for anything like this , it ’ s called modified droplet precautions , you wear a mask and a special gown into the room and gloves .
You either wear plastic glasses with the mask or a mask with a face shield .
Our normal policy is to throw away the mask after every use .
And now we use it for the full 12 hours , which is not sanitary .
“ It ’ s not a question of if we 're going to get COVID , it ’ s a question @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just not protected with our normal standard precautions we ’ re supposed to take.
” An attending physician at NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital in New York City : “ Masks are in short supply .
We ’ ve been told we don ’ t need to wear N95s .
Instead , we ’ re wearing the regular procedure masks .
We ’ re supposed to have face shields with them but honestly only one of the two residents I ’ m current with has this on .
I had trouble finding one and spent the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a mask with a face shield and found an unused one in the nursing station that I was able to get .
This is the one and only I ’ ll likely get all shift , so I ’ ll be reusing it.
” “ We ’ ve been very short on PPE for probably a month now .
And it was put out by management that PPE was not for health care providers , it was for patients only .
So we were not to wear masks .
And the issue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wear masks correctly .
Mind you , we have surgical masks , they are not N95 respirators ... We don ’ t have N95s .
We ’ ve never had them .
“ At least half a dozen employees are out sick with suspected COVID-19 ...
If any of us test positive , we have to quarantine the staff because we work in such a close area and I imagine our clinic would shut down for two weeks .
“ Monday afternoon I had a fever .
I had been treating patients all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I could have exposed people .
I don ’ t know where this goes from here.
” Paige , a nurse at two children ’ s hospitals near Denver : “ We don ’ t have enough supplies for people to change out masks as frequently as they ’ re supposed to .
With yellow surgical masks , you ’ re supposed to wear them for 10 to 20 minutes or they ’ re not effective .
Generally , we ’ re encouraged to wear them all day .
We ’ re supposed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve gone into a patient ’ s room with suspected COVID , but overall we ’ re supposed to wear them all day .
… Having to wear it all day nonstop , it ’ s gross and it ’ s just uncomfortable .
“ We ‘ re having to keep all our extra supplies in our manager ’ s office so that it does n't get stolen by staff or patients .
We ’ ve had patients stealing boxes of masks or the yellow isolation gowns or even the face shields we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people on the front lines there to take care of them and their loved ones and friends and families .
If we get sick from all this , there ’ s nothing we can do .
We have to be out of work for 14 days if we get sick .
It ’ s so important for us to have the supplies so we can continue doing our job and making sure people are staying healthy.
” “ I have had two patients who called me with symptoms very suggestive of COVID-19 to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
One of those patients was tested by the Health Department .
And one of those patients was tested by myself in a parking spot outside of my office .
“ We have a limited amount of personal protective equipment , otherwise known as PPE .
And the reason why is because about two weeks ago , when it started becoming really clear to us this was going to happen , the doctors I think were saying , is when we started trying to order and at that time we already could not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had .
In fact , there was some price gouging on Amazon .
I think for the 40 N95 masks that I have , I paid like $ 350 for them .
To make sure I could protect my team .
[ Normally , they cost ] less than a dollar .
“ I have only a few simple face masks , lab glasses , and had to buy a disposable lab coat instead of a gown off of Amazon .
I ’ ve been making hand sanitizer at home based on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ austere locations since we can ’ t get enough .
I have many friends in large hospitals who have very limited PPE , friends in primary care with none , and who risk being punished for calling in sick ... We want to protect public health , and if we are sick there isn ’ t going to be anyone to treat these patients .
America has no idea what it ’ s in for.
” “ We do not have adequate equipment for all of our staff .
... We kind of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Since our first community case was discovered , we have had multiple changes in our PPE requirements .
Initially , we were told it would be airborne precautions [ such as N95 masks with eye protection ] .
Then it was downgraded to droplet ( regular mask and eye protection ) .
CDC recommends airborne but says in light of the shortage of PPE , droplet is ok .
But they specifically say that when PPE is available to do N95 .
So that ’ s a bit unsettling to lower standards due @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t know enough about it to truly rule out airborne precautions .
“ Our hospital will not give us N95s and they are not transparent about a lot of information .
We were all fitted for two different N95s at different times .
I ’ m assuming because we ran out of the first kind ... We haven ’ t been given anymore .
We are told to keep them in paper bags with our names on them .
We ran out of those too .
Now we keep them in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We cover or line N95 with a regular mask to try and protect the N95 and so that management doesn ’ t see us wearing them .
We ’ ve actually gotten told off for wearing them .
Infection control reports that the N95 is good for 5 encounters or 8 hours with the same patient ... We ’ ve been reusing these masks for several days .
Staff are starting to get sick and can ’ t work until their COVID test comes back .

Carly Brown, a physician in Asheville, North Carolina:
“I have had two patients who called me with symptoms very suggestive of COVID-19 to the point where they have been tested. One of those patients was tested by the Health Department. And one of those patients was tested by myself in a parking spot outside of my office.
“We have a limited amount of personal protective equipment, otherwise known as PPE. And the reason why is because about two weeks ago, when it started becoming really clear to us this was going to happen, the doctors I think were saying, is when we started trying to order and at that time we already could not get much more than what we already had. In fact, there was some price gouging on Amazon. I think for the 40 N95 masks that I have, I paid like $350 for them. To make sure I could protect my team. [Normally, they cost] less than a dollar.
A nurse practitioner in Washington, DC:
“I have only a few simple face masks, lab glasses, and had to buy a disposable lab coat instead of a gown off of Amazon. I’ve been making hand sanitizer at home based on the WHO guide meant to supply remote and austere locations since we can’t get enough. I have many friends in large hospitals who have very limited PPE, friends in primary care with none, and who risk being punished for calling in sick ... We want to protect public health, and if we are sick there isn’t going to be anyone to treat these patients. America has no idea what it’s in for.”
A medic at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in Alexandria, Virginia:
“We do not have adequate equipment for all of our staff. ... We kind of just have to make do.”
An emergency room nurse in Snohomish County, Washington:
“Since our first community case was discovered, we have had multiple changes in our PPE requirements. Initially, we were told it would be airborne precautions [such as N95 masks with eye protection]. Then it was downgraded to droplet (regular mask and eye protection). CDC recommends airborne but says in light of the shortage of PPE, droplet is ok. But they specifically say that when PPE is available to do N95. So that’s a bit unsettling to lower standards due to not having equipment. We also don’t know enough about it to truly rule out airborne precautions.
“Our hospital will not give us N95s and they are not transparent about a lot of information. We were all fitted for two different N95s at different times. I’m assuming because we ran out of the first kind... We haven’t been given anymore. We are told to keep them in paper bags with our names on them. We ran out of those too. Now we keep them in our pockets or in lab bags. We cover or line N95 with a regular mask to try and protect the N95 and so that management doesn’t see us wearing them. We’ve actually gotten told off for wearing them. Infection control reports that the N95 is good for 5 encounters or 8 hours with the same patient ... We’ve been reusing these masks for several days. Staff are starting to get sick and can’t work until their COVID test comes back.


buzzfeednews--2020-03-18--A Local Sheriff Said No To More Immigrant Detainees Because Of Coronavirus Fears, So ICE Transferred

A Local Sheriff Said No To More Immigrant Detainees Because Of Coronavirus Fears, So ICE Transferred Them All To New Facilities

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
Federal officials rushed to transfer more than 100 immigrants from a Wisconsin county jail in recent days after the sheriff ’ s department said it would no longer house any additional detainees to prevent the spread of the coronavirus .
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials rely on a network of local and private jails across the country to detain nearly 38,000 immigrants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is being proactive in testing any potential cases of COVID-19 , the disease caused by the coronavirus , and providing guidance to detention centers to help prevent an outbreak .
Families and friends of detainees have been restricted from visiting ICE detention centers as a precautionary measure .
The Kenosha County Sheriff ’ s Office decided late last week that bringing new ICE detainees into its facility represented too great a risk to other inmates and staff .
On Friday , after Wisconsin officials issued emergency declarations over the pandemic , the sheriff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take any new detainees within its jail .
ICE was told , however , that the existing detainees could remain at the facility , said Sgt .
David Wright , a spokesperson for the Sheriff ’ s Office .
But early Sunday , officials from a separate county picked up all 170 ICE detainees from the jail and transferred them to other facilities in the region , Wright said , which caught the Sheriff ’ s Office off guard .
“ They didn ’ t like the answer we gave them when we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any new ones , ” he said .
“ The sheriff believes this would definitely free up some of our resources .
He was okay with it because it took a lot of stress and burden off of our employees.
” ICE officials said the detainees who were housed at Kenosha County have been moved to Texas and Illinois .
“ In order to accommodate various operational demands , ICE routinely transfers detainees within its detention network based on available resources and the needs of the agency .
As is appropriate , ICE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Executive Office for Immigration Review ( EOIR ) , which administers the nation ’ s immigration courts , to ensure the continuity of any ongoing legal proceedings , ” an ICE official said in a statement .
For more than 15 years , ICE has typically housed 150 to 200 detainees in the Kenosha County jail .
“ The sheriff wanted to protect the current jail population that we had , along with the employees we have here and the staff at the facility , from the spread of the virus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called on ICE to immediately release all detainees with medical conditions who could be put at risk by the coronavirus .
On Monday , the American Civil Liberties Union asked a federal court to force officials to release a group of immigrants who have a lung disease , heart disease , diabetes , epilepsy , or kidney disease to protect them from the potential spread of COVID-19 from a Seattle-area detention facility .

Federal officials rushed to transfer more than 100 immigrants from a Wisconsin county jail in recent days after the sheriff’s department said it would no longer house any additional detainees to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials rely on a network of local and private jails across the country to detain nearly 38,000 immigrants. The agency has said that it is being proactive in testing any potential cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and providing guidance to detention centers to help prevent an outbreak. Families and friends of detainees have been restricted from visiting ICE detention centers as a precautionary measure.
The Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office decided late last week that bringing new ICE detainees into its facility represented too great a risk to other inmates and staff. On Friday, after Wisconsin officials issued emergency declarations over the pandemic, the sheriff informed ICE that it would no longer take any new detainees within its jail. ICE was told, however, that the existing detainees could remain at the facility, said Sgt. David Wright, a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office.
But early Sunday, officials from a separate county picked up all 170 ICE detainees from the jail and transferred them to other facilities in the region, Wright said, which caught the Sheriff’s Office off guard.
“They didn’t like the answer we gave them when we told them we wouldn’t take any new ones,” he said. “The sheriff believes this would definitely free up some of our resources. He was okay with it because it took a lot of stress and burden off of our employees.”
ICE officials said the detainees who were housed at Kenosha County have been moved to Texas and Illinois.
“In order to accommodate various operational demands, ICE routinely transfers detainees within its detention network based on available resources and the needs of the agency. As is appropriate, ICE coordinates with the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), which administers the nation’s immigration courts, to ensure the continuity of any ongoing legal proceedings,” an ICE official said in a statement.
For more than 15 years, ICE has typically housed 150 to 200 detainees in the Kenosha County jail.
“The sheriff wanted to protect the current jail population that we had, along with the employees we have here and the staff at the facility, from the spread of the virus,” Wright said.
Immigrant advocates have called on ICE to immediately release all detainees with medical conditions who could be put at risk by the coronavirus.
On Monday, the American Civil Liberties Union asked a federal court to force officials to release a group of immigrants who have a lung disease, heart disease, diabetes, epilepsy, or kidney disease to protect them from the potential spread of COVID-19 from a Seattle-area detention facility.


buzzfeednews--2020-03-18--Tesla's Factory Can Stay Open But Manufacturing Cars Would Break The Law, A Sheriff's Office Said

Tesla ’ s Fremont factory will reduce its workforce from 10,000 to 2,500 workers , according to a spokesperson with the Alameda County Sheriff ’ s Office .
Tesla Motors ’ main factory will remain open and will be allowed to operate at limited capacity , despite a previous order from county officials that declared the automobile plant nonessential during an area-wide lockdown over the coronavirus .
Tesla has committed to reducing its workforce from about 10,000 people to about 2,500 at its factory in Fremont , California , an Alameda County Sheriff ’ s Office spokesperson told BuzzFeed News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reports of a shutdown , the plant will remain open .
On Tuesday , the sheriff 's office issued a directive noting that Tesla could “ maintain basic minimum operations.
” Sgt .
Ray Kelly , a public information officer with the Alameda County Sheriff ’ s Office , told BuzzFeed News that the company will operate with one-fourth of its typical workforce , noting that the communications between his office and the company had been “ positive.
” “ They assured me in a phone call to do a step-down reduction from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
“ The county is very sensitive to what they ’ re dealing with.
” Kelly later told BuzzFeed News that Tesla had already made the reductions in its workforce but was unclear on the specifics .
Tesla , which has about 10,000 total workers at the factory who work on different shifts , did not respond to an email request for comment .
On Tuesday , residents of six Bay Area counties were ordered to shelter in place , or remain at home , and many businesses were ordered to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — including grocery stores , pharmacies , and gas stations — were allowed to remain open , it was initially unclear if Tesla ’ s factory fell into that category .
One factory worker who spoke with BuzzFeed News before news of the reduction on Wednesday questioned that decision .
They asked to remain anonymous for fear of losing their job .
“ Tesla is like a hotbox , ” they said .
“ Thousands working in that environment — if a few get infected , how easy can it spread ?
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ factory as “ not an essential business ” on Tuesday afternoon , its ability to “ maintain minimum basic operations ” as defined by authorities will allow it to perform activities that “ maintain the value of the business ’ s inventory , ensure security , process payroll and employee benefits , ” and other related functions .
A spokesperson with the Alameda County Public Health Services office declined to say whether manufacturing cars fit into one of those categories In a follow-up call on Wednesday afternoon , Kelly told BuzzFeed News that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ essential .
If the company is found to be manufacturing automobiles , the county would take action to bring them under compliance with the law , he said .
`` [ Manufacturing cars ] violates our health order and we 're asking them to go to basic minimum functions , '' he said .
In a company-wide email sent to Tesla workers Wednesday morning , Valerie Workman , Tesla ’ s in-house counsel , told employees that the company would be operating with workers from divisions including “ production , service , deliveries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The email , which was seen by BuzzFeed News and first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle , noted that employees who weren ’ t feeling well should stay home and “ use [ paid time off ] .
” “ If your PTO balance is low , you can borrow up to 80 hours ( 2 weeks ) , after you exhaust your PTO balance , ” Workman wrote .
Those who 've exhausted their paid time off could then take unpaid time off , she later said , noting that “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attendance based on health or impossibility to come to work.
” Wednesday ’ s email follows another company-wide message sent by Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Monday , in which he told employees they would be coming into work and “ that the harm from the coronavirus panic far exceeds the virus itself.
” That email , first reported by Business Insider and the Los Angeles Times and seen by BuzzFeed News , echoed a similar note he sent to employees last week at SpaceX in which he told employees at the rocket @ @ @ @ @ @ @ die in a car crash than from the coronavirus .
“ A lot of rumors are flying around , but , to the best of our knowledge , no one at Tesla ( over 56,000 people ) has tested positive for COVID-19 , ” Musk wrote in his Monday email to Tesla workers .
Beyond the factory , an employee at a Tesla service center expressed their dismay with recent communications from the company , noting that they mainly address workers in the Bay Area at the factory or corporate level .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of retribution .
“ Us in the service centers have received very little information or direction , ” they said , noting that they ’ re still showing up to work despite the seeming lack of customers .
“ We ’ ve run quite low on cleaning supplies .
”

Tesla Motors’ main factory will remain open and will be allowed to operate at limited capacity, despite a previous order from county officials that declared the automobile plant nonessential during an area-wide lockdown over the coronavirus.
Tesla has committed to reducing its workforce from about 10,000 people to about 2,500 at its factory in Fremont, California, an Alameda County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson told BuzzFeed News on Wednesday, noting that despite earlier reports of a shutdown, the plant will remain open. On Tuesday, the sheriff's office issued a directive noting that Tesla could “maintain basic minimum operations.”
Sgt. Ray Kelly, a public information officer with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, told BuzzFeed News that the company will operate with one-fourth of its typical workforce, noting that the communications between his office and the company had been “positive.”
“They assured me in a phone call to do a step-down reduction from about 10,000 to 2,500 people,” he said. “The county is very sensitive to what they’re dealing with.”
Kelly later told BuzzFeed News that Tesla had already made the reductions in its workforce but was unclear on the specifics. Tesla, which has about 10,000 total workers at the factory who work on different shifts, did not respond to an email request for comment.


buzzfeednews--2020-03-18--One Prisoner Was Quarantined And Another Wasn't When A Guard Got COVID-19. Here Are Their Stories.

This article was published in collaboration with the Marshall Project , a nonprofit newsroom covering the US criminal justice system .
Editor ’ s note : Last week , the Washington State Department of Corrections announced that a prison employee tested positive for COVID-19 .
Two men who are incarcerated in different parts of that facility separately wrote to The Marshall Project to provide their accounts of what has happened since .
A few weeks ago , I found myself watching the TV news from here in a Washington state prison , while drinking my morning coffee .
This was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been some sort of an outbreak in China that officials were starting to call the coronavirus .
At the time , I didn ’ t pay much attention .
Like most things , I figured it was far away — everything can feel especially far away when you ’ re in prison — and would hardly have an effect on me or those around me .
In fact , my fellow prisoners and I were essentially joking about how the world was coming to an end .
A good friend of mine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movies and shows , so we started to shoot the breeze about how a zombie virus had taken hold in China and would soon spread across the globe .
I remember telling him in jest , “ This is it , my friend .
We better stock up on food and be ready with a plan of defense.
” He laughed .
We discussed how we could make body armor out of magazines and where we would steal the tape to do so .
But before long , we learned from TV not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world , but also that the state of Washington had become the United States ’ s ground zero .
As each day passed , the numbers continued to get worse .
The nursing home where the national news was saying that so many people were infected was less than 20 miles away from us .
Like everyone in the free world , those of us on the inside began to worry about our families , especially our older folks , and their safety in the face of an unknown predator .
Even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's hard to know how our families are doing .
And then we started to wonder about our own safety .
What measures were being taken to safeguard us from the spread of the virus within the crowded prison walls ?
We knew that on the outside , people were buying everything they could to prepare for disaster , especially toilet paper .
Toilet paper scarcity is no stranger to us — having more than two rolls in your room at any given time is an infraction — so we became focused on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for , and just how little we each have in our cells for protection .
We don ’ t have cleaning wipes , alcohol-based hand sanitizer ( it ’ s contraband ) , or anything else that the CDC is recommending citizens use to prevent spreading the virus .
The only cleaning solution we have is a mild “ all-purpose cleaner ” that is not germicidal and , rumor has it , is safe enough to drink .
As the virus continued to spread in the outside world , I along with many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we would do to keep the prison prepared for when it came knocking on our door — or rather came knocking on our sally ports , metal bars , and barbed-wire fences .
Prisoners and corrections officers alike inquired about what was being done to disinfect the facility .
The unit porters ( prisoners who work as janitors ) usually can ’ t use bleach on the common areas .
Having a small amount of bleach , even if you ’ re just using it to clean , will get you in trouble @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the porters were given spray bottles filled with diluted bleach to wipe the living areas down .
Nevertheless , one can not expect someone who is paid at most $ 55 a month for full-time work to do a thorough , painstaking job of cleaning .
On one wall , non-alcohol-based sanitizer was taped there without a proper dispenser ; it ’ s just a useless substance sloshing around in a plastic pouch .
Even things like cleaning rags can be impossible to find , which is difficult to comprehend , as there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our clothing room .
Possessing too many rags is also considered contraband , and could get you an infraction , which could mean losing recreation or getting sent to solitary .
The DOC has sent out messages to prisoners via paper handouts instructing us to keep our hands clean , not to touch our faces , and to clean our cells .
But how can we do any of this if the proper cleaning equipment is criminalized ?
I was not surprised last week when an employee who works in the living units @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
After that , they posted signs down by the phones instructing us to put a sock — yes , like you wear on your foot — over the phone receiver before using it in order to avoid spreading germs .
There was no mention of where these socks were meant to come from ; we ’ re only allowed a few socks at any given time or we risk being written up .
The most drastic measure they ’ ve taken so far is putting the entire side of the prison where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ My fellow prisoners on quarantine are functionally on lockdown , which is what happens when there ’ s something like a fight .
They are confined to their windowless cells for almost the entire day .
There is pretty much only one way for quarantined prisoners to communicate with the outside world : JPay , the prison email system .
But given that many people can not afford the $ 150 it costs for a JPay tablet , there are many who have no way of communicating with their loved ones during lockdown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a tablet , many of our outside loved ones who are at most risk for COVID-19 , the elderly , may not have access to or know how to use the complicated JPay email system .
When I talked on the phone with my 76-year-old grandma , who has a severe heart condition and no internet , she was full of worry .
I tried to explain the situation in here and had to tell her that soon , a time may come when I will have no access , or very limited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m one of her only sources of emotional support as she awaits her heart surgery .
When I walk through the unit now , I can not help but linger on the faces of the elderly prisoners , some of them who have been like father figures to us younger men , and think about how they are unlikely to survive this .
I think about my friend Bill .
He ’ s in his eighties , newly in remission from cancer , and has been a mentor to many of us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ watched Bill , who has an MBA , patiently tutor younger men through their math classes as they earn GEDs and other degrees .
He has also been a facilitator for the Alternatives to Violence Program—the impact of his kindness surely extends far beyond these prison walls .
Bill is one of the many prisoners currently under lockdown .
He , and people like him , are in severe danger .
I continue to dwell on what would happen if he does contract the virus .
How can we protect people like Bill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a “ tinderbox ” for a virus like COVID-19 ?
My prison may be one of the first to have a known case , but we are not unique .
There are 2.3 million people incarcerated in the United States—something has to be done beyond dirty socks on phone receivers .

This article was published in collaboration with the Marshall Project, a nonprofit newsroom covering the US criminal justice system.
Editor’s note: Last week, the Washington State Department of Corrections announced that a prison employee tested positive for COVID-19. Two men who are incarcerated in different parts of that facility separately wrote to The Marshall Project to provide their accounts of what has happened since.
A few weeks ago, I found myself watching the TV news from here in a Washington state prison, while drinking my morning coffee. This was my normal routine. Apparently, there had been some sort of an outbreak in China that officials were starting to call the coronavirus.
At the time, I didn’t pay much attention. Like most things, I figured it was far away — everything can feel especially far away when you’re in prison — and would hardly have an effect on me or those around me.
In fact, my fellow prisoners and I were essentially joking about how the world was coming to an end. A good friend of mine and I are huge fans of apocalyptic movies and shows, so we started to shoot the breeze about how a zombie virus had taken hold in China and would soon spread across the globe. I remember telling him in jest, “This is it, my friend. We better stock up on food and be ready with a plan of defense.” He laughed. We discussed how we could make body armor out of magazines and where we would steal the tape to do so.
But before long, we learned from TV not only that the virus had spread throughout the world, but also that the state of Washington had become the United States’s ground zero. As each day passed, the numbers continued to get worse. The nursing home where the national news was saying that so many people were infected was less than 20 miles away from us.
Like everyone in the free world, those of us on the inside began to worry about our families, especially our older folks, and their safety in the face of an unknown predator. Even in the best of times, it's hard to know how our families are doing.
And then we started to wonder about our own safety. What measures were being taken to safeguard us from the spread of the virus within the crowded prison walls? We knew that on the outside, people were buying everything they could to prepare for disaster, especially toilet paper.
Toilet paper scarcity is no stranger to us — having more than two rolls in your room at any given time is an infraction — so we became focused on the things we weren’t prepared for, and just how little we each have in our cells for protection. We don’t have cleaning wipes, alcohol-based hand sanitizer (it’s contraband), or anything else that the CDC is recommending citizens use to prevent spreading the virus. The only cleaning solution we have is a mild “all-purpose cleaner” that is not germicidal and, rumor has it, is safe enough to drink.
As the virus continued to spread in the outside world, I along with many others inside waited for instructions on what we would do to keep the prison prepared for when it came knocking on our door — or rather came knocking on our sally ports, metal bars, and barbed-wire fences.
Prisoners and corrections officers alike inquired about what was being done to disinfect the facility. The unit porters (prisoners who work as janitors) usually can’t use bleach on the common areas. Having a small amount of bleach, even if you’re just using it to clean, will get you in trouble.
Eventually though, I noticed that the porters were given spray bottles filled with diluted bleach to wipe the living areas down. Nevertheless, one cannot expect someone who is paid at most $55 a month for full-time work to do a thorough, painstaking job of cleaning.
On one wall, non-alcohol-based sanitizer was taped there without a proper dispenser; it’s just a useless substance sloshing around in a plastic pouch. Even things like cleaning rags can be impossible to find, which is difficult to comprehend, as there are large bins of old scraps in our clothing room. Possessing too many rags is also considered contraband, and could get you an infraction, which could mean losing recreation or getting sent to solitary.
The DOC has sent out messages to prisoners via paper handouts instructing us to keep our hands clean, not to touch our faces, and to clean our cells. But how can we do any of this if the proper cleaning equipment is criminalized?
I was not surprised last week when an employee who works in the living units opposite of mine tested positive for COVID-19. After that, they posted signs down by the phones instructing us to put a sock — yes, like you wear on your foot — over the phone receiver before using it in order to avoid spreading germs. There was no mention of where these socks were meant to come from; we’re only allowed a few socks at any given time or we risk being written up.
The most drastic measure they’ve taken so far is putting the entire side of the prison where the employee worked on “quarantine.” My fellow prisoners on quarantine are functionally on lockdown, which is what happens when there’s something like a fight. They are confined to their windowless cells for almost the entire day.
There is pretty much only one way for quarantined prisoners to communicate with the outside world: JPay, the prison email system. But given that many people cannot afford the $150 it costs for a JPay tablet, there are many who have no way of communicating with their loved ones during lockdown.
Further, even if you have a tablet, many of our outside loved ones who are at most risk for COVID-19, the elderly, may not have access to or know how to use the complicated JPay email system. When I talked on the phone with my 76-year-old grandma, who has a severe heart condition and no internet, she was full of worry. I tried to explain the situation in here and had to tell her that soon, a time may come when I will have no access, or very limited access, to the phones. I’m one of her only sources of emotional support as she awaits her heart surgery.
When I walk through the unit now, I cannot help but linger on the faces of the elderly prisoners, some of them who have been like father figures to us younger men, and think about how they are unlikely to survive this.
I think about my friend Bill. He’s in his eighties, newly in remission from cancer, and has been a mentor to many of us over the years. I’ve watched Bill, who has an MBA, patiently tutor younger men through their math classes as they earn GEDs and other degrees. He has also been a facilitator for the Alternatives to Violence Program—the impact of his kindness surely extends far beyond these prison walls.
Bill is one of the many prisoners currently under lockdown. He, and people like him, are in severe danger. I continue to dwell on what would happen if he does contract the virus. How can we protect people like Bill in a place many have referred to as a “tinderbox” for a virus like COVID-19?
My prison may be one of the first to have a known case, but we are not unique. There are 2.3 million people incarcerated in the United States—something has to be done beyond dirty socks on phone receivers.
—Christopher Blackwell


buzzfeednews--2020-05-04--Apple And Google Have Released Their Paint-By-Numbers Recommendations For Contact Tracing Apps

BuzzFeed News has reporters across five continents bringing you trustworthy stories about the impact of the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
Apple and Google are giving governments and public health authorities some guidance for designing the appearance of contact tracing apps — or apps that tell people they may have been exposed to COVID-19 — according to a joint announcement made today .
Apple and Google have said they will only provide the technical foundations that public health authorities can use to build @ @ @ @ @ @ @ won ’ t be building the apps themselves .
But today , the companies say that authorities have asked for help with the interface and design .
On a press call , company spokespeople for Google and Apple also shared new principles that public health authorities have to meet to develop contact tracing apps using their technology .
Apps wo n't be allowed to access location services , which gives developers access to GPS or geolocation data .
They also aren ’ t allowed to use data for target advertising , or anything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announcement did bring some clarity , key questions about the contact tracing apps remain unresolved .
The companies did not specify which public health authorities are in charge of building the apps , nor which government agencies , inside or outside of the United States , have asked for the app design .
As previously reported by BuzzFeed News , Google told Senate aides that the companies `` do n't know '' if cities , counties , states , or the federal government will build the contact tracing apps .
On a press @ @ @ @ @ @ @ declined to say if they would build them themselves .
The sample contact tracing app images , which were shared with the press , stay true to a few promises both companies have made .
Apple and Google have previously said that contact tracing tools on the iOS App Store or Google Play Store would be voluntary , secure , and managed by public health authorities .

Apple and Google are giving governments and public health authorities some guidance for designing the appearance of contact tracing apps — or apps that tell people they may have been exposed to COVID-19 — according to a joint announcement made today.
Apple and Google have said they will only provide the technical foundations that public health authorities can use to build contact tracing apps. The companies still won’t be building the apps themselves. But today, the companies say that authorities have asked for help with the interface and design.
On a press call, company spokespeople for Google and Apple also shared new principles that public health authorities have to meet to develop contact tracing apps using their technology. Apps won't be allowed to access location services, which gives developers access to GPS or geolocation data. They also aren’t allowed to use data for target advertising, or anything other than COVID-19 management.
Although the announcement did bring some clarity, key questions about the contact tracing apps remain unresolved.
The companies did not specify which public health authorities are in charge of building the apps, nor which government agencies, inside or outside of the United States, have asked for the app design.
As previously reported by BuzzFeed News, Google told Senate aides that the companies "don't know" if cities, counties, states, or the federal government will build the contact tracing apps. On a press call on Monday, spokespeople for companies declined to say if they would build them themselves.
The sample contact tracing app images, which were shared with the press, stay true to a few promises both companies have made. Apple and Google have previously said that contact tracing tools on the iOS App Store or Google Play Store would be voluntary, secure, and managed by public health authorities.


buzzfeednews--2020-05-04--The FDA Said It Will Now Crack Down On Shoddy Coronavirus Antibody Tests

BuzzFeed News has reporters across five continents bringing you trustworthy stories about the impact of the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
In a reversal of a policy that led to dozens of unauthorized coronavirus antibody tests flooding the US market , the Food and Drug Administration said Monday that manufacturers must submit data proving the accuracy of their tests within the next 10 days or face being pulled from the market .
In mid-March , the agency had loosened its regulations of antibody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blood for signs of a past infection , in an effort to quickly increase test availability .
The move allowed test manufacturers to bypass the process for “ emergency use authorization , ” which requires that the agency review data about the tests ’ accuracy .
Instead , companies only had to tell the FDA that their tests were for sale and that they had internally validated them .
As a result , there are now 12 authorized tests — and more than 165 that are not , according to the FDA ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what many commentators have described as a “ wild west ” in antibody testing .
Some tests have been marketed with misleading claims , and others have provided inaccurate results .
In two high-profile instances , large numbers of tests purchased from Chinese manufacturers by the UK and Indian governments were later rejected for providing inaccurate or unreliable results .
But those tests — reportedly manufactured by Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech , Zhuhai Livzon Diagnostics , and Hangzhou AllTest Biotech — are still available for purchase in the US , according to the FDA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see unscrupulous actors marketing fraudulent test kits and using the pandemic as an opportunity to take advantage of Americans ’ anxiety , ” the FDA said in a statement .
The policy had been widely criticized by public health experts who were concerned that the tests would give the public false information about their exposure to the virus at a critical juncture when government officials are debating how to safely restart the economy and some states are already beginning to open up .
“ We ’ ve long been concerned that allowing tests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approved and authorized for use is a recipe for disaster , ” said Scott Becker , CEO of the Association of Public Health Laboratories , in a statement .
“ This revised policy makes a lot of sense and should have been in place over the last six weeks.
” For the public , the allure of antibody tests — that a positive result would mean protection from reinfection — has been largely outweighed by questions about what information the tests can provide .
To begin with , scientists do not know whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ antibodies confers immunity .
On top of that , health care providers have struggled to figure out which tests are reliable , and patients are unsure if they can trust their results .
An unverified test was used in a pair of controversial studies that sought to measure the virus ’ s spread in communities in Northern and Southern California .
Experts are mainly concerned about the possibility of false positives , which would erroneously indicate to people that they ’ d recovered from the virus .
That might give them the unfounded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contract the disease or spread it to others .
A team of scientists recently evaluated a dozen antibody tests and found that only one never delivered a false-positive result .
“ The worst thing you can do with a test is have a test that gives false positives , ” Paul Bates , a virologist at the University of Pennsylvania , told BuzzFeed News .
“ I think that ’ s a shortcoming of the tests that are being pushed out there right now — they haven ’ t been thoroughly vetted.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to submit their validation data to the FDA , and the agency has recommended specific accuracy benchmarks for developers to meet .
The agency said that almost half of the tests offered by manufacturers are already undergoing review for an emergency use authorization or are in the early stages of seeking an authorization .
“ I applaud the decision , ” said Michael Osterholm , director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota by email .
“ We need detailed data on test performance characteristics before @ @ @ @ @ @ @

In a reversal of a policy that led to dozens of unauthorized coronavirus antibody tests flooding the US market, the Food and Drug Administration said Monday that manufacturers must submit data proving the accuracy of their tests within the next 10 days or face being pulled from the market.
In mid-March, the agency had loosened its regulations of antibody tests, which scan people’s blood for signs of a past infection, in an effort to quickly increase test availability. The move allowed test manufacturers to bypass the process for “emergency use authorization,” which requires that the agency review data about the tests’ accuracy.
Instead, companies only had to tell the FDA that their tests were for sale and that they had internally validated them. As a result, there are now 12 authorized tests — and more than 165 that are not, according to the FDA’s website.
The move led to what many commentators have described as a “wild west” in antibody testing. Some tests have been marketed with misleading claims, and others have provided inaccurate results.
In two high-profile instances, large numbers of tests purchased from Chinese manufacturers by the UK and Indian governments were later rejected for providing inaccurate or unreliable results. But those tests — reportedly manufactured by Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech, Zhuhai Livzon Diagnostics, and Hangzhou AllTest Biotech — are still available for purchase in the US, according to the FDA’s website.
“We unfortunately see unscrupulous actors marketing fraudulent test kits and using the pandemic as an opportunity to take advantage of Americans’ anxiety,” the FDA said in a statement.
The policy had been widely criticized by public health experts who were concerned that the tests would give the public false information about their exposure to the virus at a critical juncture when government officials are debating how to safely restart the economy and some states are already beginning to open up.
“We’ve long been concerned that allowing tests on the market that have not been approved and authorized for use is a recipe for disaster,” said Scott Becker, CEO of the Association of Public Health Laboratories, in a statement. “This revised policy makes a lot of sense and should have been in place over the last six weeks.”
For the public, the allure of antibody tests — that a positive result would mean protection from reinfection — has been largely outweighed by questions about what information the tests can provide. To begin with, scientists do not know whether (or for how long) having antibodies confers immunity.
On top of that, health care providers have struggled to figure out which tests are reliable, and patients are unsure if they can trust their results. An unverified test was used in a pair of controversial studies that sought to measure the virus’s spread in communities in Northern and Southern California.
Experts are mainly concerned about the possibility of false positives, which would erroneously indicate to people that they’d recovered from the virus. That might give them the unfounded confidence to stop socially distancing and potentially contract the disease or spread it to others. A team of scientists recently evaluated a dozen antibody tests and found that only one never delivered a false-positive result.
“The worst thing you can do with a test is have a test that gives false positives,” Paul Bates, a virologist at the University of Pennsylvania, told BuzzFeed News. “I think that’s a shortcoming of the tests that are being pushed out there right now — they haven’t been thoroughly vetted.”
Now, companies have 10 business days to submit their validation data to the FDA, and the agency has recommended specific accuracy benchmarks for developers to meet. The agency said that almost half of the tests offered by manufacturers are already undergoing review for an emergency use authorization or are in the early stages of seeking an authorization.
“I applaud the decision,” said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota by email. “We need detailed data on test performance characteristics before [they are] approved.”


buzzfeednews--2020-04-16--New York Rep. Max Rose Says The Coronavirus Fight Is Like “Total War” After Spending Two Weeks Helpi

New York Rep. Max Rose Says The Coronavirus Fight Is Like “Total War” After Spending Two Weeks Helping Build A Hospital For Patients

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
WASHINGTON — Rep. Max Rose of New York spent two weeks setting up an emergency hospital on Staten Island to help fight the coronavirus pandemic and if there ’ s a single thing that he took away from the experience it ’ s the idea that “ this is war.
” Rose , a captain in the National Guard , began voluntary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deployed to the South Beach Hospital facility on Staten Island , where he oversaw logistical operations for a repurposed 252-bed facility for patients with COVID-19 , the disease caused by the novel coronavirus .
When asked if he would compare the pandemic to war as President Donald Trump has during his daily press conferences , Rose told BuzzFeed News , “ Absolutely.
” Rose , a veteran , earned a Bronze Star , a Combat Infantry Badge , and Purple Heart for his active-duty service in Afghanistan during 2012 and 2013 .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Rose said Thursday , adding that people on the ground are pleading with the president “ to utilize all the tools at his disposal , to engage in the war and to win it.
” “ Let me be very plain and simple here , ” the Democrat continued .
“ Nothing would make me happier than to see this president as the commander in chief that he is , win this war — and if that means that he wins the election as well — so be it , so be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about politics right now.
” The five-story facility Rose worked on was converted from a never opened state psychiatric center to a pre- and post-COVID-19 intensive care unit at Northwell Health ’ s South Beach Hospital Facility on Staten Island .
Within a week , the team created a functional emergency center that received its first 27 patients on April 7 .
They expect to admit a second round of COVID-19 patients on Thursday .
“ I think about the people who I ’ ve met and got to know during these last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ BuzzFeed News who served alongside his old infantry unit — the 69th Infantry Regiment , a unit in the New York Army National Guard — during his two-week deployment .
“ Doctors whose own family members are sick , those who have lost family members and are still serving all day and all night fighting this war .
People who haven ’ t seen their family member , haven ’ t hugged their kids in months because they ’ re self-quarantined because they don ’ t want to get their families sick .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ people is the resources they need.
” Hospital administrators welcomed the first-term member of Congress and while he did not work with patients firsthand , they lauded his “ brass tacks ” approach to management .
“ You could tell he ’ d been in the military , ” Dr. Brahim Ardolic , executive director of Staten Island University Hospital , told BuzzFeed News .
“ And for gosh sake , we opened a hospital in five days.
” The new facility will relieve the overflow from the only two Staten Island hospitals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emergency unit is functioning at more than 3 times its capacity .
Part of the refurbishing process required the operations team to hire staff , retrofit oxygen in each room and swap bedding that would be convenient for senior patients who are suffering from the disease .
Rose said this particular hospital is providing patients with iPads so that patients can FaceTime with family members , a problem many hospitals have struggled to address because of the disease ’ s contagion .
In New York City , there have been more than 10,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ densely populated than the city ’ s other boroughs ; with a little more than 450,000 residents , the death rate hovered around 400 as of Tuesday while 8,298 residents have tested positive for COVID-19 .
Hospital administrators also told BuzzFeed News the extra facility gives them room to schedule other important procedures that have been sidelined amid the current health crisis .
“ I was just told about a patient that actually has a significant cancer in their stomach , that they ’ ve actually been delaying because it ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t do it , ” Ardolic told BuzzFeed News during a phone interview .
“ He needs to get it done and there are probably thousands of people around the country just like this poor man.
” Rose also talked about the future as it relates to a pandemic and measures the country ’ s lawmakers should take to become better prepared .
“ We got to be prepared to make sure to not let this happen again , ” Rose said .
“ We have to have an infrastructure in place for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have enough testing in place to prevent that second surge from occurring .
”

WASHINGTON — Rep. Max Rose of New York spent two weeks setting up an emergency hospital on Staten Island to help fight the coronavirus pandemic and if there’s a single thing that he took away from the experience it’s the idea that “this is war.”
Rose, a captain in the National Guard, began voluntary reserve duty on April 1 and was deployed to the South Beach Hospital facility on Staten Island, where he oversaw logistical operations for a repurposed 252-bed facility for patients with COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
When asked if he would compare the pandemic to war as President Donald Trump has during his daily press conferences, Rose told BuzzFeed News, “Absolutely.”
Rose, a veteran, earned a Bronze Star, a Combat Infantry Badge, and Purple Heart for his active-duty service in Afghanistan during 2012 and 2013. “I compare this to total war,” Rose said Thursday, adding that people on the ground are pleading with the president “to utilize all the tools at his disposal, to engage in the war and to win it.”
“Let me be very plain and simple here,” the Democrat continued. “Nothing would make me happier than to see this president as the commander in chief that he is, win this war — and if that means that he wins the election as well — so be it, so be it! You can’t think about politics right now.”
The five-story facility Rose worked on was converted from a never opened state psychiatric center to a pre- and post-COVID-19 intensive care unit at Northwell Health’s South Beach Hospital Facility on Staten Island. Within a week, the team created a functional emergency center that received its first 27 patients on April 7. They expect to admit a second round of COVID-19 patients on Thursday.
“I think about the people who I’ve met and got to know during these last couple of weeks,” Rose told BuzzFeed News who served alongside his old infantry unit — the 69th Infantry Regiment, a unit in the New York Army National Guard — during his two-week deployment. “Doctors whose own family members are sick, those who have lost family members and are still serving all day and all night fighting this war. People who haven’t seen their family member, haven’t hugged their kids in months because they’re self-quarantined because they don’t want to get their families sick. The least that we can give these people is the resources they need.”
Hospital administrators welcomed the first-term member of Congress and while he did not work with patients firsthand, they lauded his “brass tacks” approach to management. “You could tell he’d been in the military,” Dr. Brahim Ardolic, executive director of Staten Island University Hospital, told BuzzFeed News. “And for gosh sake, we opened a hospital in five days.”
The new facility will relieve the overflow from the only two Staten Island hospitals, including the nearby Northwell facility whose emergency unit is functioning at more than 3 times its capacity. Part of the refurbishing process required the operations team to hire staff, retrofit oxygen in each room and swap bedding that would be convenient for senior patients who are suffering from the disease.
Rose said this particular hospital is providing patients with iPads so that patients can FaceTime with family members, a problem many hospitals have struggled to address because of the disease’s contagion.
In New York City, there have been more than 10,000 deaths. Staten Island is considerably less densely populated than the city’s other boroughs; with a little more than 450,000 residents, the death rate hovered around 400 as of Tuesday while 8,298 residents have tested positive for COVID-19.
Hospital administrators also told BuzzFeed News the extra facility gives them room to schedule other important procedures that have been sidelined amid the current health crisis.
“I was just told about a patient that actually has a significant cancer in their stomach, that they’ve actually been delaying because it’s a very complicated procedure and they couldn’t do it,” Ardolic told BuzzFeed News during a phone interview. “He needs to get it done and there are probably thousands of people around the country just like this poor man.”
Rose also talked about the future as it relates to a pandemic and measures the country’s lawmakers should take to become better prepared.
“We got to be prepared to make sure to not let this happen again,” Rose said. “We have to have an infrastructure in place for a second surge and we got to have enough testing in place to prevent that second surge from occurring.”


buzzfeednews--2020-05-04--Three Doctors Treating The Coronavirus Have Fallen Out Of Windows. Now Russians Are Asking Questions

Three Doctors Treating The Coronavirus Have Fallen Out Of Windows. Now Russians Are Asking Questions.

BuzzFeed News has reporters across five continents bringing you trustworthy stories about the impact of the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
Alexander Shulepov , a doctor at an ambulance unit in Russia ’ s western Voronezh region , complained in an April 22 post on social media about shortages of medical supplies and being forced to work despite testing positive for COVID-19 .
Ten days later , he fell from a hospital window under mysterious circumstances , local media reported , making him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to suffer a similar fate in just the past 10 days .
Shulepov , 37 , survived the fall from a second-floor window , but he suffered a fractured skull and is now in serious condition .
The two other doctors are reported to have died .
The falls are being viewed suspiciously by many in Russia , which has a history of targeting and eliminating critics , including several who have mysteriously fallen to their deaths in recent years .
Shulepov ’ s colleague , ambulance paramedic Alexander Kosyakin , and representatives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirmed over the weekend that Shulepov fell out of a window , according to news outlets Meduza and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty .
The incident happened at the Novousmansky district hospital where Shulepov worked and was being treated for COVID-19 in the town of Novaya Usman .
Shulepov had reportedly been hospitalized on April 22 after testing positive for COVID-19 but was set to be released soon after his latest test came back negative .
On the day he was admitted , Shulepov and Kosyakin published a video in which they complained about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to continue working together even after his positive test result .
“ The chief doctor is forcing us to work .
What do we do in this situation ?
” Shulepov said in the video .
But Shulepov retracted his statement three days later , amid suspicions that he was threatened to do so , saying in another video that he was in “ an emotional state ” when he made his initial claim .
Shulepov is the third physician in Russia to fall out of a window under mysterious circumstances during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nepomnyashchaya , the acting chief physician at a hospital for war veterans in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk , died from injuries sustained as a result of falling from her fifth-floor office window on April 25 .
A local Krasnoyarsk television station reported on April 25 that Nepomnyashchaya , 47 , had just finished talking on a conference call with the regional health minister about turning one of her hospital buildings into a ward to treat coronavirus patients when she fell .
Nepomnyashchaya was reported to be strongly against the idea .
Reports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the shortage of personal protective equipment ( PPE ) for her and her staff .
Her obituary said she was a 20-year veteran of the regional health care system .
A day earlier , on April 24 , Natalya Lebedeva , the 48-year-old chief of the ambulance center in Zvyozdny near Moscow , died “ as a result of an accident , ” according to a Moscow hospital statement .
She had been hospitalized with COVID-19 .
News outlets Moskovsky Komsomolets and REN TV , citing Lebedeva ’ s colleagues , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that she may have killed herself after accusations from her superiors that she had infected several of her colleagues with the coronavirus .
Police have not confirmed the reports .

Alexander Shulepov, a doctor at an ambulance unit in Russia’s western Voronezh region, complained in an April 22 post on social media about shortages of medical supplies and being forced to work despite testing positive for COVID-19.
Ten days later, he fell from a hospital window under mysterious circumstances, local media reported, making him the third Russian doctor treating coronavirus patients to suffer a similar fate in just the past 10 days.
Shulepov, 37, survived the fall from a second-floor window, but he suffered a fractured skull and is now in serious condition. The two other doctors are reported to have died.
The falls are being viewed suspiciously by many in Russia, which has a history of targeting and eliminating critics, including several who have mysteriously fallen to their deaths in recent years.
Shulepov’s colleague, ambulance paramedic Alexander Kosyakin, and representatives of the regional coronavirus task force, confirmed over the weekend that Shulepov fell out of a window, according to news outlets Meduza and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The incident happened at the Novousmansky district hospital where Shulepov worked and was being treated for COVID-19 in the town of Novaya Usman.
Shulepov had reportedly been hospitalized on April 22 after testing positive for COVID-19 but was set to be released soon after his latest test came back negative.
On the day he was admitted, Shulepov and Kosyakin published a video in which they complained about their boss forcing Shulepov and his colleagues to continue working together even after his positive test result.
“The chief doctor is forcing us to work. What do we do in this situation?” Shulepov said in the video.
But Shulepov retracted his statement three days later, amid suspicions that he was threatened to do so, saying in another video that he was in “an emotional state” when he made his initial claim.
Shulepov is the third physician in Russia to fall out of a window under mysterious circumstances during the coronavirus outbreak.
On Friday, Yelena Nepomnyashchaya, the acting chief physician at a hospital for war veterans in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, died from injuries sustained as a result of falling from her fifth-floor office window on April 25.
A local Krasnoyarsk television station reported on April 25 that Nepomnyashchaya, 47, had just finished talking on a conference call with the regional health minister about turning one of her hospital buildings into a ward to treat coronavirus patients when she fell. Nepomnyashchaya was reported to be strongly against the idea. Reports also said she had complained to superiors about the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for her and her staff. Her obituary said she was a 20-year veteran of the regional health care system.
A day earlier, on April 24, Natalya Lebedeva, the 48-year-old chief of the ambulance center in Zvyozdny near Moscow, died “as a result of an accident,” according to a Moscow hospital statement. She had been hospitalized with COVID-19.
News outlets Moskovsky Komsomolets and REN TV, citing Lebedeva’s colleagues, said she had fallen from a high window and that she may have killed herself after accusations from her superiors that she had infected several of her colleagues with the coronavirus. Police have not confirmed the reports.


buzzfeednews--2020-05-04--More Than 70% Of Inmates At One Prison Had COVID-19, And Advocates Fear The Coronavirus Is Silently

More Than 70% Of Inmates At One Prison Had COVID-19, And Advocates Fear The Coronavirus Is Silently Spreading

In the handful of prisons doing mass testing of inmates , results show how deeply the coronavirus has spread .
After the first cases of COVID-19 surfaced at Ohio Marion Correctional Institution , officials decided to do what no prison in the country had yet done : test every inmate inside .
And even though advocates had warned for weeks about how devastatingly fast the coronavirus could spread in prison , where good hygiene is hard to maintain and social distancing is nearly impossible , the results were shocking .
More than 70 % of inmates — 1,828 of them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scores of men who never exhibited symptoms .
“ There ’ s way more people that were asymptomatic and tested positive than anyone ever dreamed , ” Annette Chambers-Smith , director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction , said at a press briefing Thursday .
Across the US , only a fraction of incarcerated people have tested positive for the virus , partly because most lockups have limited their testing to inmates with symptoms like cough or fever .
But in the handful of prisons committed to mass testing , results @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deeply , and far more quickly — leading to questions about how many of the roughly 2 million people behind bars in the US may actually be exposed .
It 's clear that infections in prisons and jails are being undercounted , Udi Ofer , director of the ACLU ’ s Justice Division , told BuzzFeed News .
“ It ’ s spreading whether we ’ re counting it or not , and right now the strategy for the federal government and most states has been to close your eyes and wish for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ That ’ s just not an effective strategy .
We need mass testing.
” In Ohio , after the shocking results at the Marion prison , officials decided to do mass testing at two more facilities , focusing attention on prisons with an older population and those with medical conditions .
The point , Chambers-Smith said , was to get a clearer picture of the risk faced by inmates who could develop severe cases of COVID-19 .
Of the more than 6,200 inmates tested — more than any state so far — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus , making the Ohio prison system one of the worst hot spots of the pandemic inside the US .
“ We knew we needed to try to keep COVID out of the prisons because , once it came in , we would have very little success in stopping it , ” Chambers-Smith said .
In Michigan , prison officials have also started a program of mass testing , starting with about 1,500 inmates at Lakeland Correctional Facility .
Nearly half of all inmates there tested positive for the virus .
Across Michigan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who have been tested have been infected with the coronavirus , and next week , the Department of Corrections is moving to also test all inmates at G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility , where 655 cases have already been confirmed .
The high number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has put the department in the spotlight , suggesting that its prisons have also become a virus hot spot .
But prison officials pointed out they 've done widespread testing of the state 's 37,000 inmates , releasing not just the number of confirmed cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being administered .
“ We have also tested more prisoners than California and Texas combined , and those two states have about a quarter-million prisoners , ” Chris Gautz , spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Corrections , told BuzzFeed News .
“ We decided at the very beginning of this how important it was going to be , to be transparent and show exactly what our numbers are , knowing full well that some might choose to use that against us .
But being open was more important.
” Michigan prisons are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other facilities , and the state will begin antibody testing of inmates next week to see which inmates previously contracted the virus .
“ We would love to test every prisoner and , if we have the testing kits available , we would move in that direction , ” Gautz said .
But most prisons and jails across the country are not adopting the same testing strategy .
Instead , most institutions point to the CDC guidelines , which require only that inmates showing symptoms of COVID-19 be tested — in spite of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health experts that people without symptoms can spread the virus .
So far , the Texas Department of Criminal Justice has tested 1,680 inmates , a fraction of the more than 160,000 inmates in its custody .
There are no plans to conduct mass testing at any of its facilities , spokesperson Jeremy Desel said .
So far , 985 inmates have tested positive , and 11 deaths are still under investigation for possible links to COVID-19 .
There are no concerns that asymptomatic inmates could be spreading the virus inside , Desel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that have a confirmed positive case of an offender or an employee are on a precautionary lockdown , ” Desel said .
“ There ’ s not much more as far as a precautionary lockdown that you can do besides that — create as much social distancing in a prison environment as you can do it.
” Lockdowns and isolation have been the strategies commonly adopted by jails and prisons .
In Ohio , for example , officials have put inmates into groups , limiting their contact with other groups of inmates at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knowing exactly how many , and which inmates have been infected is a more effective way to manage the population and protect the most vulnerable .
It could also mean some portions of prisons would n't have to face blanket lockdowns , which could ease tensions inside .
“ The more they know about it , the more comfortable the department can be to lift those restrictions , ” said Natalie Holbrook , director of American Friends Service Committee ’ s Criminal Justice Program in Michigan .
The alternative , she said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forward when they start to feel sick for fear of being placed in isolation , on lockdown , or with other sick inmates .
“ We ’ ve had people die without reporting symptoms because they were scared of quarantining procedures , and that has to get fixed , ” she said .
In California , where 262 inmates in state prisons have tested positive as of Sunday , the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is also testing inmates only when they exhibit symptoms of COVID-19 .
Dana Simas , a spokesperson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that while their strategy for testing “ remains flexible , ” the decision on whether or not to do mass testing is “ made in coordination with the local county public health department , and greatly depend on their capabilities and priorities for testing.
” So far , 1,491 of California 's more than 117,000 inmates in custody have been tested .
“ In the event of a positive COVID-19 case or potential exposure to the incarcerated population , the department is following isolation and quarantine protocols for the incarcerated population , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lack of testing across the country means prisons are dealing blindly with the real impact of COVID-19 , and it could be putting inmates , staff , and the general public at risk .
Without knowing which inmates have been actually infected , they point out , prison officials can not effectively control the spread of the virus to other inmates , staff , and beyond .
Inmates could be exposed in dining halls , by those who bring food to their cells , or by staff members who walk in and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ It ’ s unrealistic to think that the way to solve this is by , you know , quarantining people in prisons and jails because it ’ s impossible , ” Ofer said .
“ Staff comes in and out every day.
” Underestimating the level of infection in jails and prison could have a devastating effect not just on inmates , but on staff who then interact with the broader community , he said .
One model created by the ACLU with epidemiologists , mathematicians , and statisticians from Washington @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the University of Tennessee estimated that an additional 100,000 coronavirus deaths could be linked to inmates in the US unless institutions make efforts to reduce the jail populations , reduce infection rates , and mitigate the risk to those with medical conditions .
“ Prisons are not doing mass testing and they ’ re basically allowing the virus to spread , and they ’ re really opening the door for mass death , ” Ofer said .
“ It will spread to the surrounding community.
” Advocates have been pushing for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 to be released across the country , including elderly inmates and those with other medical conditions .
“ It ’ s a ticking time bomb , ” Brian Kaneda , an organizer with JusticeLA , a group that advocates for inmates in California .
The organization this week plans to begin a campaign asking for mass testing in the state .
“ We need to cut the prison population by tens of thousands of people and provide testing to all who want it , ” he said .
Until then , advocates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus inside prisons is unknown .
“ There are two ways to try to approach it , ” Ofer said .
“ We can try to get as much data as we can to make a responsible decision .
Another way is to ignore and hide and close our ears and eyes and hope for the best .
”

After the first cases of COVID-19 surfaced at Ohio Marion Correctional Institution, officials decided to do what no prison in the country had yet done: test every inmate inside.
And even though advocates had warned for weeks about how devastatingly fast the coronavirus could spread in prison, where good hygiene is hard to maintain and social distancing is nearly impossible, the results were shocking. More than 70% of inmates — 1,828 of them — tested positive for COVID-19, including scores of men who never exhibited symptoms.
“There’s way more people that were asymptomatic and tested positive than anyone ever dreamed,” Annette Chambers-Smith, director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, said at a press briefing Thursday.
Across the US, only a fraction of incarcerated people have tested positive for the virus, partly because most lockups have limited their testing to inmates with symptoms like cough or fever. But in the handful of prisons committed to mass testing, results have revealed the virus has spread more deeply, and far more quickly — leading to questions about how many of the roughly 2 million people behind bars in the US may actually be exposed.
It's clear that infections in prisons and jails are being undercounted, Udi Ofer, director of the ACLU’s Justice Division, told BuzzFeed News.
“It’s spreading whether we’re counting it or not, and right now the strategy for the federal government and most states has been to close your eyes and wish for the best,” Ofer said. “That’s just not an effective strategy. We need mass testing.”
In Ohio, after the shocking results at the Marion prison, officials decided to do mass testing at two more facilities, focusing attention on prisons with an older population and those with medical conditions. The point, Chambers-Smith said, was to get a clearer picture of the risk faced by inmates who could develop severe cases of COVID-19.
Of the more than 6,200 inmates tested — more than any state so far — 63% were infected with the novel coronavirus, making the Ohio prison system one of the worst hot spots of the pandemic inside the US.
“We knew we needed to try to keep COVID out of the prisons because, once it came in, we would have very little success in stopping it,” Chambers-Smith said.


buzzfeednews--2020-05-04--This Restaurant's "Exhausting" List Of Coronavirus Procedures Shows How Hard It Is To Reopen

Employees at a chain restaurant in Tennessee have to check the temperature of guests , or question them about COVID-19 symptoms , change gloves constantly , and enforce social distancing — and that 's just to start .
Tennessee has allowed restaurants to partially reopen amid the pandemic — and one regional chain 's eight-page document painstakingly detailing what that entails is being criticized by some servers and staff as `` not possible , '' `` impractical '' and `` exhausting . ''
Here are some of the procedures staff at O'Charley 's restaurants have to follow : Temperature checks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enter .
Question every guest about potential COVID-19 symptoms or exposure to the coronavirus .
Ask people to take their food from the server trays themselves — and put it back on the trays when they 're done .
If they do n't want to do that , the server needs to place and remove the plates using `` whatever means possible to distance themselves . ''
Servers have to replace their gloves every time they service another table .
They have to wash their hands before replacing the gloves .
They have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They have to wash their hands after every credit card transaction .
They have to wash their hands every time they return to the dining room .
A server at an O'Charley 's restaurant in Tennessee that reopened Thursday said very little of this is actually happening because of the lack of staff and resources .
`` I do n't think we should have opened , '' the server , who did not wish to be identified for fear of losing her job , told BuzzFeed News .
`` There ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do what they 're asking us to do .
It 's just not possible . ''
The server said `` we 're not doing the social distancing thing . ''
`` I ca n't be 6 feet away , '' she said , referring to customers .
She said she is wearing gloves and a mask , but the `` masks we ’ re using are the ones we pretty much made ourselves . ''
She handles all the money in the restaurant and said it was impossible to wash her hands after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their gloves every time they service a different table , she said , adding , `` It 's not even in the back of our minds . ''
She said she does not have the time to wash her hands each time she runs from the kitchen to the dining room .
And she said nobody 's temperature is being checked because the restaurant does not have thermometers .
Other employees at O'Charley 's — which has 200 locations across 17 states , and reopened 42 of its dining rooms in Georgia and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ BuzzFeed News that they thought the restaurants were reopening `` prematurely '' and they did n't have enough time , resources , or staff to follow the state-issued guidelines .
Roughly 6 % of people who have been tested in Tennessee had a positive result for COVID-19 .
In a statement to BuzzFeed News , an O'Charley 's spokesperson said their team `` has been planning for the return of customers to our dining rooms for several weeks and tracked the evolving guidelines closely . ''
`` As always , the health and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remains a top priority for O ’ Charley ’ s , '' the statement said .
The employees said they are worried about their safety , their family 's safety , and members of the public as restaurants began reopening in Tennessee on Monday , the same day the state saw its biggest one-day jump in new , confirmed COVID-19 cases .
“ Honestly , it ’ s scary , ” an O ’ Charley ’ s manager in Tennessee , who also did not wish to be identified for fear of losing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thursday .
“ I don ’ t believe we are prepared to open , ” she said .
“ And I don ’ t believe we ’ re able to follow the mandates.
” The server said the restaurant gave employees about two days ' time to be prepared to come back on the schedule .
`` We 're running on a skeleton crew and it 's not possible to do what we 're supposed to do , '' she said .
On Saturday morning , she said there were only two servers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The server said she had n't seen or been provided with the eight-page compliance document .
At a staff meeting , she said employees were made to watch a 10-minute `` serve safe '' video , but she said most employees did n't have the volume turned up on their phones .
`` I did n't even watch it , '' the server said .
`` We had to play the video to show that we watched it during the meeting , but I could n't even tell you what was on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she was sent the compliance document only two days before her branch reopened on Thursday .
At a teleconference the day before , the mandates were read out to all the store managers , but there was no opportunity for questions , the manager said .
Instead , they were asked to email their questions .
“ I believe it ’ s too late for that , ” she said .
“ We ’ re opening prematurely and the list is exhausting .
And we ’ re not ready.
” Tennessee 's Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last week as part of his “ Tennessee Pledge ” plan for reopening businesses in 89 of the state ’ s 95 counties .
“ Tennesseans pulled together to flatten the curve , and it is time for people to begin to get back to work and back to their businesses , ” Lee said in a statement at the time .
“ We are pursuing a careful , measured approach to reopening our economy that does not depend on heavy-handed mandates but instead provides practical tools for businesses of all sizes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ server said it was `` not a good call '' to reopen restaurants in the state .
`` They have n't waited long enough for the pandemic to slow down , '' she said .
`` There 's a lot of people who are nervous . ''
BuzzFeed News was provided with O ’ Charley ’ s compliance document that lists the state 's reopening mandates and the procedures to follow them .
The state ’ s guidelines require restaurants to screen all guests and employees for possible COVID-19 symptoms before they enter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suggests that the “ best practice ” would be on-site temperature checks for every guest and employee .
Both the server and manager said their restaurant had not been provided with thermometers .
The document suggests that the `` minimum requirement '' would be for employees to take their own temperature before arriving at work , but the manager said she doesn ’ t personally own a thermometer and it would take her days to have one delivered .
If temperature checks are not possible , the minimum requirement would be to station @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the door , who would ask guests a series of questions about possible symptoms and exposure to COVID-19 before they entered .
But the manager said she had very limited staffing during the pandemic and no time to train someone to be a “ guest assistant.
” “ This is a new position they ’ ve created , ” the manager said .
“ I ’ m not sure who that person is right now .
I ’ m not sure if we even have that person.
” She said that on Wednesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told that the company was trying to source alcohol prep pads and thermometers for the restaurants .
Another state mandate calls for increasing “ physical space ” between restaurant staff and guests .
`` We 're just not doing the 6 feet apart , I can tell you that , '' the server said .
Even though the tables themselves are 6 feet apart , `` as a server , I 'm still going up to people to serve them , '' she said .
The mandate says servers should ask guests to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the side of the table and to place their plates on the trays by the table side after they finish their meals .
“ If the Guest declines , Server is to use whatever means possible to distance themselves from the Guest when placing plates in front of Guests , ” the guidelines said .
The O'Charley 's server said the requirement of asking guests to serve themselves using tray jacks `` is not happening . ''
`` Half of our food is being run out by only one server so we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a tray jack up or we run out of tray jacks , '' she said .
`` We 're just serving customers normally except we 're wearing masks and gloves , '' she said .
She also said it was not possible for the employees to maintain social distancing among themselves .
There are five or six cooks on a 13-feet long line in the kitchen and `` there 's no way for them to be 6 feet apart , '' the server said .
“ I don ’ t know if you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but that ’ s just impractical , ” the O'Charley 's manager said .
A manager at a different O ’ Charley ’ s branch in Tennessee told BuzzFeed News that at least 50 % of guests who visited the restaurant after it reopened on Monday did not keep 6 feet apart and refused to follow the arrows on the floor to maintain social distancing requirements — despite the staff urging them to .
The other manager , who also did not want to be identified for fear of losing her job , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” where the customers declined to remove their food from the trays , telling the servers , “ you ’ re supposed to be serving us.
” “ Well , OK , but we ’ re living in new times , ” the manager said .
The server said she was not washing her hands every time she returned to the dining room from the kitchen because of the time constraints .
`` If a person asks me for a side of ranch , I 'm going to go to the kitchen , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back to the guest , instead of stopping , taking off the gloves , washing my hands , going back to find a new pair of gloves , put them back on , grab the ranch , and bring it back to them , '' she said .
`` It 's just not feasible . ''
The server said she also was n't replacing her gloves every time she had to service another table .
`` I do n't think anybody 's been thinking about it because we 're so overwhelmed with what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of work we have to put in making the restaurant run , '' she said .
While running six or seven tables by herself , she said she had changed her gloves a few times whenever she remembered to do it .
`` But we 're doing a three-person job as one person , '' she said .
`` When you think about changing your gloves every time you service one table to the next , it 's not even in the back of our mind . ''
One guideline said staff should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coverings at all times .
But the first manager told BuzzFeed News that at a staff meeting on Tuesday — two days before the restaurant opened — everyone was sitting at the same table and there was “ no social distancing being practiced and no face masks being worn.
” “ If we ’ re not requiring face masks to be worn at a meeting where we ’ re discussing the importance of wearing masks , then I ’ m just concerned for my own personal safety , and that of my family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ works here , ” she said .
She said the restaurant had not provided face masks to employees .
“ At one point , the general manager ’ s wife , who is not an employee , made us masks out of home supplies , ” she said .
“ They were provided to us but were gone within a day or two.
” The other manager said she was “ highly concerned ” about the safety of her team members , especially some who have health issues in their family and are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” She said while most of the sales came from to-go orders , her restaurant had about 30 % of the dining room full after it reopened on Monday .
`` I anticipate that with the government 's stimulus checks , people will be eating out , '' the first manager said .
`` This area recently had a tornado so we 've had a lot of people eating out right now , more so than usual . ''
Both O ’ Charley ’ s managers said they agreed with the decision to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they needed more time and resources to prepare for it .
“ The list they made is just very impractical , ” the first manager said .
“ I think with more preparation , this could have been done and done well.
” “ We ’ re definitely not prepared , ” the other manager said .
“ Retraining staff while trying to run a business is very difficult.
” `` They ’ re asking us to be back in public , but we ’ re not getting the proper resources , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have waited until we were fully staffed so that we could properly do what we ’ re supposed to do . ''
In its statement to BuzzFeed News , O'Charley 's said , `` While reopening guidelines vary state to state and even city to city , we have worked diligently to train our team members to be fully compliant with all federal , state and local health mandates .
Multiple team members are monitoring those requirements to ensure we meet both government and customer expectations with detailed protocols and procedures.
” Some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pizza Company , chose not to reopen despite the governor ’ s assurance that “ safe economic recovery is supported by data showing Tennessee ’ s curve of novel coronavirus infections hitting a plateau .
”

Tennessee has allowed restaurants to partially reopen amid the pandemic — and one regional chain's eight-page document painstakingly detailing what that entails is being criticized by some servers and staff as "not possible," "impractical" and "exhausting."
Here are some of the procedures staff at O'Charley's restaurants have to follow:
Temperature checks for every guest and employee before they enter.
Question every guest about potential COVID-19 symptoms or exposure to the coronavirus.
Ask people to take their food from the server trays themselves — and put it back on the trays when they're done.
If they don't want to do that, the server needs to place and remove the plates using "whatever means possible to distance themselves."
Servers have to replace their gloves every time they service another table.
They have to wash their hands before replacing the gloves.
They have to wash their hands after handling money.
They have to wash their hands after every credit card transaction.
They have to wash their hands every time they return to the dining room.
A server at an O'Charley's restaurant in Tennessee that reopened Thursday said very little of this is actually happening because of the lack of staff and resources.
"I don't think we should have opened," the server, who did not wish to be identified for fear of losing her job, told BuzzFeed News. "There’s no possible way for us employees to do what they're asking us to do. It's just not possible."
The server said "we're not doing the social distancing thing."
"I can't be 6 feet away," she said, referring to customers.
She said she is wearing gloves and a mask, but the "masks we’re using are the ones we pretty much made ourselves."
She handles all the money in the restaurant and said it was impossible to wash her hands after every transaction.
Servers are not replacing their gloves every time they service a different table, she said, adding, "It's not even in the back of our minds."
She said she does not have the time to wash her hands each time she runs from the kitchen to the dining room. And she said nobody's temperature is being checked because the restaurant does not have thermometers.
Other employees at O'Charley's — which has 200 locations across 17 states, and reopened 42 of its dining rooms in Georgia and Tennessee as of Thursday — also told BuzzFeed News that they thought the restaurants were reopening "prematurely" and they didn't have enough time, resources, or staff to follow the state-issued guidelines.
Roughly 6% of people who have been tested in Tennessee had a positive result for COVID-19.
In a statement to BuzzFeed News, an O'Charley's spokesperson said their team "has been planning for the return of customers to our dining rooms for several weeks and tracked the evolving guidelines closely."
"As always, the health and safety of our customers and team members remains a top priority for O’Charley’s," the statement said.
The employees said they are worried about their safety, their family's safety, and members of the public as restaurants began reopening in Tennessee on Monday, the same day the state saw its biggest one-day jump in new, confirmed COVID-19 cases.
“Honestly, it’s scary,” an O’Charley’s manager in Tennessee, who also did not wish to be identified for fear of losing her job, told BuzzFeed News on Thursday.
“I don’t believe we are prepared to open,” she said. “And I don’t believe we’re able to follow the mandates.”