VentureBeat: Bluetooth bracelets are an identity-blind option for digital contact tracing. “Bluetooth tags are standalone Bluetooth radios that can be deployed in wearable bracelets. Thanks to recent developments in IoT technology, Bluetooth bracelets can cost just a dollar or two and run for 10 years on a coin cell battery. Therefore, in areas where people don’t own or operate smartphones, governments can affordably deploy Bluetooth bracelets. Ideally, Bluetooth bracelets and smartphones can complement each other in enabling an effective digital tracing solution.”
public health
Publishers Weekly: Changes Loom as Public Libraries Begin to Reopen
Publishers Weekly: Changes Loom as Public Libraries Begin to Reopen . “After three months of an unprecedented lockdown to mitigate the spread of Covid-19, public libraries across the U.S. are now in the process of reopening. A recent American Library Association membership survey found 37% of respondents expect a phased reopening to begin in June or July, with 47% still unsure when their buildings will reopen to the public. But whenever that happens, the public libraries that will emerge from this historic pause will be changed from the ones that closed their doors in March, librarians tell PW, both in the short term, and into the future.”
New York Times: C.D.C. Recommends Sweeping Changes to American Offices
New York Times: C.D.C. Recommends Sweeping Changes to American Offices. “Upon arriving at work, employees should get a temperature and symptom check. Inside the office, desks should be six feet apart. If that isn’t possible, employers should consider erecting plastic shields around desks. Seating should be barred in common areas. And face coverings should be worn at all times. These are among sweeping new recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the safest way for American employers reopening their offices to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.”
Insider: Couples who aren’t quarantining together should wear face masks during sex to prevent coronavirus spread, according to a Harvard study
Insider: Couples who aren’t quarantining together should wear face masks during sex to prevent coronavirus spread, according to a Harvard study. “A new study from researchers at Harvard University in the US has found that having sex could spread coronavirus, and recommends that couples who are not quarantining together should take preventative measures in the bedroom — including wearing face masks. These preventative measures also include showering before and after sex, avoiding kissing, and ‘cleaning of the physical space with soap or alcohol wipes.'”
New York Times: Corrosive Effects of Tear Gas Could Intensify Coronavirus Pandemic
New York Times: Corrosive Effects of Tear Gas Could Intensify Coronavirus Pandemic. “The billowing clouds of tear gas that the authorities are sending through protest crowds across the United States may increase the risk that the coronavirus could spread through the gatherings. Along with the immediate pain that can cause watering eyes and burning throats, tear gas may cause damage to people’s lungs and make them more susceptible to getting a respiratory illness, according to studies on the risks of exposure. The gas can also incite coughing, which can further spread the virus from an infected person.”
Open (Your Wallet) Wide: Dentists Charge Extra For Infection Control (Kaiser Health News)
Kaiser Health News: Open (Your Wallet) Wide: Dentists Charge Extra For Infection Control. “After nearly two months at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Erica Schoenradt was making plans in May to see her dentist for a checkup. Then she received a notice from Swish Dental that the cost of her next visit would include a new $20 ‘infection control fee’ that would likely not be covered by her insurer.”
Washington Post: Florida’s largest majority-black city was doing well. Then came the coronavirus.
Washington Post: Florida’s largest majority-black city was doing well. Then came the coronavirus.. “Betty Ferguson has spent decades trying to make sure her community doesn’t suffer the same kind of economic and environmental discrimination she’s seen in too many places. Ferguson, 75, has led successful fights against a garbage dump and a detention center. She rallied neighbors to fight for an independent county commission seat and then to vote for incorporation as the city of Miami Gardens, arguing that things would improve if residents had more control over how their tax dollars were spent. Parks were cleaned up, businesses moved in and the city thrived. Now, Miami Gardens — the largest majority-black city in the state — is waging a fight against the novel coronavirus.”
