Category: Covid-19

"Glassafe," the above concept where seats are fitted with protective shields, has been proposed by Aviointeriors.

(CNN) Plexiglass dividers between passengers, new staggered row layouts, zig-zag seating, space-age transparent bubbles around travelers' heads -- just as new divider screens popped up in shops and restaurants around the world in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, so came a wide variety of new concepts for airline seating.

In the months since, while mask mandates, hand gel and disinfectant wipes have become airline must-haves, a fundamental change to what we see when we sit down inside an aircraft cabin hasn't followed.

At the same time, the scientific and medical understanding of how the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is transmitted has proceeded apace. Infection is now known to be largely via the droplet and aerosol (rather than fomite, or touch) routes, which affects the kind of protective barriers that are most effective.

Indeed, the most effective barrier is closest to the mouth of an exhaling passenger: the humble face mask. That's why airlines are, by and large, mandating them -- and banning passengers who endanger others by not wearing them.

Despite close quarters, the aircraft environment does not seem to be much higher risk than other inside spaces. Flights have continued in many parts of the world, and very few have turned out to be infection clusters themselves.

It seems that the widespread requirement to wear face masks onboard aircraft, high-efficiency particulate air, or HEPA, filtration on many aircraft and some unique aspects of the inflight environment, are likely to have contributed here.

"The reasons for the apparently low rate of in-flight transmission are not known," noted the International Air Transport Association (IATA), an airline trade body, "but could encompass a combination of the lack of face-to-face contact, and the physical barriers provided by seat backs, along with the characteristics of cabin air flow. Further study is anticipated."

"Janus," by Italian firm Aviointeriors, proposes seats made up of a row of three, with the seat in the middle facing the opposite direction.

Courtesy Aviointeriors

The challenges of modifying airplane seating

During the first half of 2020, a wide variety of cabin additions were proposed to combat the spread of Covid-19 and to reassure passengers. Transparent barriers clipping into the seatback pocket, foam inserts for the top of the seat, sculpted headrest shrouding add-ons and more.

Cabin interiors supplier companies around the world scrambled to see what they could do in the event that airlines wanted to make these big changes to their cabins.

Some companies even proposed new ways of arranging the seats, such as the Janus seat from Aviointeriors, where passengers face in alternating directions.

The Janus proposal features seats fitted with a three-sided shield.

Aviointeriors

The proposed barriers attached in a variety of ways to the seat, and that led to very specific challenges in bringing them on board. Many of these challenges intersect, of course.

To start with, any addition to the aircraft cabin needs to be certified as safe in a variety of ways.

It must be fire-resistant and not give off fumes that might be toxic to passengers. It needs to resist incredible forces without shattering, creating sharp edges or blocking passengers' emergency egress from their rows.

That's true whether it's attached to the seat or provided by the airline --as in, for example, a foam insert to create barriers from the row behind. These barriers would, in essence, create a "sneeze guard" between rows.

Perhaps most complicatedly, anything attached to the seat in particular needs to undergo crash testing, which has become more arduous in recent years as regulators insist on ever-safer travel.

For seats and anything attached to them, this includes loading them with crash dummies and the attachments and firing them down a sled to crash with 16 times the force of gravity, without the dummy taking simulated major injuries.

"Certification has been the main challenge," explained Mark Hiller, chief executive officer at Recaro Aircraft Seating. "When you add a feature to the seat that increases weight, the entire seat must be recertified. It's not an easy process, but creating a long lasting, durable solution is what we are focused on."

Recaro has proposed a number of barrier-style additions, as well as antimicrobial technology to be embedded in seat materials during the manufacturing process.

All in all, it's much more complicated than your supermarket putting a plexiglass partition between you and the cashier.

Recaro has proposed a number of side-on barrier options.

Courtesy Recaro

Cost and timing are major factors

Airlines would also have to keep all of these cabin additions maintained, replacing them due either to basic wear and tear or to misuse by passengers unfamiliar with them.

Over the years, aircraft cabins have been designed and refined to be incredibly sturdy -- one seatmaker openly advertises the robustness of its tray tables by having prospective customers stand on them -- but the speed at which these new products have been developed may well mean that they would need to be refined after installation.

And that after-installation period is crucial. Any additions, whether temporary or permanent, need to be cleaned and serviced regularly. Adding time to the already constrained schedules of airline cleaners creates complexity and cost, while airlines would also need to keep stocks of spares across their operations.

Cost overall is certainly a factor, as airlines worldwide enter their deepest financial crisis of modern times.

"We are aware of the fact that airlines are cash strapped at the moment," Recaro's Mark Hiller noted, "so we must be able to prove that these solutions will provide peace-of-mind for passengers and deliver return on investment."

So far, Recaro has no takers on its proposals for Covid-era modifications to airline seats.

Timing, too, is a point against the implementation of many of these measures-- both the expected timing of widespread vaccine availability in early to mid 2021, and the time needed to design, certify, manufacture, and install new seats or barrier additions.

In essence, there's little benefit in completing an expensive program just a couple of months ahead of the vaccine.

Some changes are more likely than seat barriers

For now, the best ways to combat Covid-19 seem to be around minimizing contact between passengers --and between passengers and crew.

Service standards have been changed to reduce the amount that crew circulate within the cabin, and meals have been rethought to reduce the amount of time they stay open to the air while being prepared and eaten, although food is not thought to be a transmission route.

So what is changing? Well, some of the most intense work is on baking in antimicrobial --including antiviral-- properties into the materials used for seats and the cabin.

Adjustments to meal service to minimize contact are already in place.

British Airways

Tapis, a company that makes fabrics and leathers for aircraft interiors, released in August its 9-series Ultraleather with "antimicrobial, silver ion technology embedded in the surface layers that prevent leaching and efficacy loss," which the company explained "provides a safe shield for aerosol borne micro-organisms within the aircraft to create a low risk, safe environment for passengers."

This type of material essentially disrupts the functioning of microbes, including viruses, and tests have proven promising on the coronavirus that causes Covid-19.

Fundamentally, this is the kind of product that airlines seem to be betting on: no massive changes during the pandemic, but acknowledging that passengers aren't going to become any less interested in onboard hygiene when the eventual Covid-19 vaccine eases the public health crisis.

John Walton is an international transportation and aviation journalist based in France, specializing in airlines, commercial aircraft and the passenger experience.

Original post:

Is the great Covid-19 airplane seat overhaul happening? - CNN

July was a terrible month for Angelicas family.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Angelica says she and her husband kept working in factories that ignored safety guidelines set by the state. WBEZ agreed not to use Angelicas last name because shes undocumented and fears deportation.

No one cleaned the factory at my husbands job. All the workers ate lunch together at the same time. Theres like 60 employees there, she said in Spanish. I told him we should report it, but we were too afraid.

By July, her husband became infected with the virus, and she got sick soon after. She remembers that month as one of the most difficult times in her life.

I was so afraid, desperate and sad. We were so poor we often didnt have enough to eat, she said. I was so afraid to ask for help. We didnt want our neighbors to know we were sick.

Angelica and her husband are both undocumented and both work for staffing agencies that send them to warehouses and factories to work earning $10 an hour. No health insurance, no sick time off. She has four children. They all live in a two-bedroom apartment.

I think my children are traumatized, she said. They hear us talking about money, and I see it in their faces. I think they are depressed too.

Angelica is one of the 130 temp workers surveyed in Illinois for a report released today titled: We do not have the luxury of working from home. The report by the Chicago Workers Collaborative, which advocates for temps, surveyed people who work in food processing, manufacturing, warehousing and logistics. They are considered essential workers. In Illinois, the majority of these workers are Black and brown, the report said.

Half of the workers said they felt unsafe or very unsafe working during the pandemic. Half of the workers also reported their workplaces were unable to adhere to the 6 feet of social distance guidelines set by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Nik Theodore, professor of urban planning and policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago, has studied the temp worker industry for years. Theodore said assembly lines typically have machines that cant be moved to accommodate for social distancing.

If workers are shoulder to shoulder in an assembly line, they cant social distance, he said.

Another problem temp workers reported is that companies did not disclose when others got the virus. Instead, the majority of the temp workers relied on each other for information on which employee might have the virus.

The majority of workers said they received personal protective equipment from their employers but said it was insufficient and inadequate, the report said.

There was an overwhelming response of feeling like the companies dont care about them, said Jannelle White, an organizer with the Chicago Workers Collaborative. The companies dont value them.

Thats how Angelica said she feels.

They just want us to produce, she said. They dont care about us. They just care about the production.

After her husband recovered from COVID-19 and tested negative, he went back to work. But she hasnt been able to because she needs to be clear of the coronavirus. Angelica took two tests that came back positive for COVID-19. Shes waiting on a third test. She still doesnt feel 100% healthy, but her family is behind on rent and they need the money. She said the Chicago Workers Collaborative gave her some money for rent when she was sick but thats gone, so shes willing to return to an environment that she thinks is unsafe. Theres no other alternative.

I need to work, she said. We live paycheck to paycheck.

The report pushes for regulators to enforce Gov. JB Pritzkers COVID-19 guidelines which require social distancing, screening and face masks.

Mike Matulis, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Labor, said temp workers with safety concerns should contact either federal OSHA or the Illinois Attorney Generals Workplace Rights Bureau.

But Theodore said relying on temp workers to report dangerous work conditions is not realistic. He said many would not want to risk being fired in a time of high unemployment during a dangerous pandemic.

Mara Ins Zamudio is a reporter for WBEZs Race, Class and Communities desk. Follow her @mizamudio.

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Risking COVID-19 Exposure Again Is The Only Option For These Temp Workers - WBEZ

At least 10 cases of COVID-19 have been linked to a funeral and reception that took place in Maine on Aug. 31, and several social clubs in the Sanford area may have also been exposed to the virus, authorities said.

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the Aug. 31 funeral took place outdoors at the Southern Maine Veterans Cemetery in Springvale and the reception was held both indoors and outdoors at the Sanford American Legion Post on Main Street in Springvale. Individuals now confirmed to have COVID-19 who attended the funeral and reception then went to several different social clubs in the area.

Officials said anyone who went to the following clubs may have been potentially exposed to the virus: the Sanford Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9935 on Hutchinson Street in Sanford from Aug. 24 to the present; Lafayette Social Club on Winter Street in Sanford between Aug. 27 and Sept. 2; Wolves Club on High Street in Sanford from Aug. 26 to the present; Springvale Social Club on Bridge Street in Springvale from Sept. 1 to the present; Sanford Elks Lodge on Elm Street in Sanford from Sept. 3 to the present; and the Amvets Sanford Post 3 on School Street in Sanford from Aug. 26 to the present.

The latest cluster of cases was reported after the number of coronavirus cases believed to be connected to an Aug. 7 wedding in the Millinocket area had risen to 161, the director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said late last week.

Maine CDC officials said anyone who went to the funeral, reception, or those social clubs should monitor themselves for signs and symptoms of COVID-19, and those who believe they may have been exposed to the virus or have symptoms should contact their healthcare provider.

Individuals who believe they may have COVID-19 or could have been exposed to the virus, with or without symptoms, may get a test under the Department of Health and Human Services' Standing Order, officials said in a press release. A list of sites providing tests under the DHHS Standing Order, which includes DHHS-sponsored swab and send sites that offer testing at no charge, is available on the Keep Maine Healthy website.

Testing sites include Promerica Health, which is located at the Maine Visitor Information Center in Kittery and operates from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, and from noon to 7 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays. Appointments can be made at covidtestforme.com. Nasson Health Care in Sanford is also offering tests and appointments can be made by calling 207-490-6900, officials said.

COVID-19 symptoms include cough, fever, shortness of breath, fatigue, or body aches among many others, officials said in the press release. Individuals who experience any symptoms of COVID-19 or who otherwise do not feel well should not go to work or attend gatherings of any size.

Emily Sweeney can be reached at emily.sweeney@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @emilysweeney.

Continue reading here:

Ten COVID-19 cases linked to Maine funeral and reception - The Boston Globe

Getting accurate, timely information on COVID-19 cases is one of the major challenges facing policymakers as they make decisions about public health and the economy. Researchers at North Carolina State University are embarking on a project aimed at making sure test kits are available where they are most needed, so that policymakers have the information they need.

Specifically, researchers are developing a computational model that can be used to identify the best allocation plans for distributing test kits to hospitals, clinics, and relevant state agencies. The work is being done with support from a one-year, $600,000 grant from the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL).

The model can be updated as new information becomes available, and will be used to address key questions related to COVID-19 testing:

This is an extremely complex supply chain, with many different players and a host of variables to consider, says Rob Handfield, principal investigator on the grant and Bank of America University Distinguished Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management in NCStates Poole College of Management. We are going to start by developing the model for North Carolina, and will extend this to the US by the end of the project. Part of the challenge will be simply identifying all of the suppliers of test kits and materials.

Another challenging aspect is that a kit can mean different things, from just the materials that are needed to collect the biological sample and preserve it, to the personal protective equipment required to protect the health care worker collecting the sample, says Don Warsing, a co-investigator on the grant and associate professor of operations and supply chain management at NCState.

This space is moving and changing very rapidly, and the nature of the crisis is such that outbreaks continue to pop up and shift over time. One challenge were working on is a way to dynamically, and fairly, allocate limited supplies to the points of greatest need.

The team hopes to develop a working prototype of the model and implementation protocols for North Carolina by later this year, and a working national model by June 2021.

NIIMBL is a public-private partnership whose mission is to accelerate biopharmaceutical innovation, support the development of standards that enable more efficient and rapid manufacturing capabilities, and educate and train a world-leading biopharmaceutical manufacturing workforce, fundamentally advancing U.S. competitiveness in this industry. NIIMBL is funded through a cooperative agreement with the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the U.S. Department of Commerce with significant additional support from its members.

This work was performed under financial assistance award 70NANB20H037 from the U. S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology.

-shipman-

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Finding the Best Way to Get COVID-19 Test Kits Where They're Needed - NC State News

A nurse demonstrates a COVID-19 swab test at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. (Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images)

One-in-seven U.S. adults (14%) say they have tested positive for COVID-19 or are pretty sure they have had it despite not receiving an official diagnosis, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted Aug. 3 to 16. The survey also finds a sharp increase since the spring in the share of Americans who say they know someone else who has been hospitalized or died due to COVID-19.

Overall, 3% of U.S. adults say they have personally tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the survey. That includes 2% who say they tested positive for an active viral infection a share that comports with available public health data and 1% who did not receive a positive test for the virus, but later tested positive for its antibodies, a sign of past infection. Another 11% of adults say they are pretty sure they have had the virus even though they were not officially diagnosed. (Its important to keep in mind that these findings are based on self-reported information.)

Some groups of Americans are more likely than others to say they have personally tested positive for COVID-19. For example, larger shares of Hispanic (7%) and Black Americans (5%) report testing positive for COVID-19 or its antibodies than their White (2%) or Asian (1%) counterparts.

Pew Research Center conducted this study to understand more about the personal health effects of the coronavirus outbreak. The data was collected as a part of a larger survey conducted Aug. 3 to 16, 2020, among 13,200 U.S. adults. Everyone who took part is a member of the Centers American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the ATPs methodology.

Here are the questions used for this analysis, along with responses, and its methodology.

Americans in lower-income families have also been disproportionately affected, with 5% saying they have received at least one positive test result, compared with 2% of adults in middle- and upper-income homes.

An educational gap is apparent, too. Among adults with some college education or less, 4% say they have had a test-confirmed case of COVID-19 twice the share of those who have a bachelors degree or more education (2%).

The survey also asked Americans whether someone else in their household tested positive for COVID-19 or are pretty sure they have had the virus despite not receiving an official diagnosis. Overall, 14% of U.S. adults say they live with someone who has tested positive or been pretty sure they had the virus.

Nearly half (45%) of those who say they have personally tested positive for the coronavirus or its antibodies or are pretty sure they had COVID-19 say they experienced mild symptoms, while another 17% say they experienced no symptoms. Around three-in-ten (29%) describe their symptoms as moderate and 9% describe them as severe.

The pattern is similar among those who say another household member is at least pretty sure they had COVID-19. Around four-in-ten of these Americans say the other person in their household experienced mild symptoms (38%) and 17% report no symptoms. Some 36% report moderate symptoms and 9% say their fellow household member had severe symptoms.

The August survey also finds that around four-in-ten Americans (39%) say they know someone who has been hospitalized or died as a result of having COVID-19 up from 20% who said this in late April and early May, the last time Pew Research Center asked this question. (Not all of the questions asked in the spring survey are directly comparable to those in the August survey.)

A majority of Black Americans (57%) say they personally know someone who has been hospitalized or died as a result of having COVID-19. Some 46% of Hispanic adults say the same, compared with about a third of White (34%) and Asian adults (32%). The share of Hispanic Americans who know someone who has been hospitalized or died due to COVID-19 has more than doubled since the spring survey, when 19% said this.

There have also been regional changes in the share of adults who know someone who has been hospitalized or died from the virus. In the spring, Americans in the Northeast (31%) were more likely than those in the Midwest (22%), South (18%) and West (13%) to say they personally knew someone who had been hospitalized or died due to the virus. Now, it is just as common for people in the South to know someone who has been hospitalized or died as it is for those in the Northeast to say this (43% vs. 46% a statistical tie). In the August survey, about one-third (35%) of Midwesterners and 30% of those in the West say they personally know someone who has been hospitalized or died from COVID-19.

Note: Here are the questions used for this analysis, along with responses, and its methodology.

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14% of U.S. adults say they have tested positive for COVID-19 or are 'pretty sure' they have had it - Pew Research Center

Two-metre social distancing was born in 2020, right?

Wrong. Its more than 100 years old and was proposed by German scientist Carl Flgge in 1897. Whats more, recent research has found that droplets from sneezes can travel up to eight metres. So is standard distancing guidance out of date?

Concern about such facts has led to a new traffic light-style chart by researchers from Oxford and MIT, published in medical journal, The BMJ.

They argue that the 1-2 metre safe distancing guidance is an oversimplification based on outdated science. Instead, they favour a more nuanced model based on context and risk. Standing silently next to someone outdoors creates a much lower chance of transmission, they say. But a long time in a noisy bar is seen as riskier.

So is it time for a rethink?

The risk of catching COVID-19 depends on where you are and what youre doing.

Image: BMJ

The traffic light chart

The central idea behind the chart is that environmental influences are complex and require different, appropriately calibrated responses.

The chart shows that the highest risk situations (in red) are where there is high occupancy over a prolonged period. Quiet, short, low occupancy gatherings with just a few people outdoors are the least risky (green).

The accompanying report gives the example, in recent months, of the hundreds of workers at meat processing plants around the world who have tested positive for COVID-19.

One explanation for these high transmission rates is the difficulty of workers on fast-moving production lines to stay enough apart. Other factors include the likelihood of background noise, which can lead to shouting dispersing infectious droplets.

Similar compound risk situations might occur in other crowded, noisy, indoor environments, such as pubs or live music venues, the researchers say.

The first global pandemic in more than 100 years, COVID-19 has spread throughout the world at an unprecedented speed. At the time of writing, 4.5 million cases have been confirmed and more than 300,000 people have died due to the virus.

As countries seek to recover, some of the more long-term economic, business, environmental, societal and technological challenges and opportunities are just beginning to become visible.

To help all stakeholders communities, governments, businesses and individuals understand the emerging risks and follow-on effects generated by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with Marsh and McLennan and Zurich Insurance Group, has launched its COVID-19 Risks Outlook: A Preliminary Mapping and its Implications - a companion for decision-makers, building on the Forums annual Global Risks Report.

The report reveals that the economic impact of COVID-19 is dominating companies risks perceptions.

Companies are invited to join the Forums work to help manage the identified emerging risks of COVID-19 across industries to shape a better future. Read the full COVID-19 Risks Outlook: A Preliminary Mapping and its Implications report here, and our impact story with further information.

For such environments, physical distancing beyond two metres and minimizing occupancy time should be considered, they add.

But opposite scenarios are considered far less risky like quiet contact, in an outdoor environment for a short time. Less stringent distancing is likely to be adequate in low-risk scenarios, the team says.

This photograph from a 1941 research paper shows how sneezes disperse droplets.

Image: BMJ/Bettmann/Getty

Finding the right distance

But once you start breaking down risks into sub-categories, things get complicated. Exactly how far apart should people be?

A study in 1948 found that, among a group of people with haemolytic streptococci infections, some of the bacteria from sneezing managed to spread almost 2.9 metres. But most of the participants produced large droplets that struggled to get beyond two metres. In other words we are all different.

Yet policymakers need to find a response that works in the best way for the greatest number of people. And in the past, the majority experience has prevailed. So shouldnt we just stick with 1-2 metres?

Sneeze droplets can travel for up to eight metres.

Image: BMJ/Bourouiba2

No, say the reports authors, who think the 1-2 metre view is outdated. They cite research showing eight out of 10 recent studies into horizontal projection of respiratory droplets (like sneezing) have found that particles can travel more than two metres and in some cases up to eight.

At the same time, scientists are becoming increasingly aware that airflow and ventilation is also a major factor in transmission. Without much airflow, droplets tend not to get far. But airflow patterns also pose a risk.

In a restaurant in China, 10 people within three separate families were infected with COVID-19 in an hour, even though they were sat at least two metres apart.

Complexities like this guide the reports overall recommendation that rules on distancing should reflect the multiple factors that affect risk, including ventilation, occupancy, and exposure time.

As the chart shows, it isnt really possible to create a distance that works for everyone, because every situation is different.

In low-risk scenarios, the researchers say, a little less caution is likely to be safe. But when were in red high-risk territory, we probably need to raise our guard.

Continue reading here:

Chart of the day: Update COVID-19 safety rules, say researchers - World Economic Forum

An American woman has been accused of spreading coronavirus around a Bavarian town by allegedly drinking in pubs and bars despite being told to quarantine after showing coronavirus symptoms.

The woman, who works at a hotel resort for US forces stationed in Germany and has not been identified, returned from a holiday in Greece at the end of August.

According to local authorities in the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, she was tested on 8 September after displaying Covid-19 symptoms. They say she ignored instructions to quarantine until her results were available and went out that evening. The next morning she received a positive test.

At least 22 US citizens based at the hotel have become infected and the hotel itself, which hosted a conference last week on how to prevent the virus spreading in the US army, has been closed for two weeks.

I am angered about this young woman, said district councillor Anton Speer. Despite having symptoms and the order to quarantine, she plunged herself into the nightlife. She has infected at least 22 Americans. It will be a Herculean task to get hold of all the contact persons and inform them.

Bavarias interior minister, Joachim Herrmann, said there would be legal consequences for the 26-year-old if it was clear that she had ignored orders to quarantine.

If it is confirmed that the woman despite having clear coronavirus symptoms, refused to go into quarantine, she will face a hefty fine, Herrmann said. Such recklessness should be clearly admonished.

It is not clear if the woman became infected in Greece or Garmisch-Partenkirchen, where she lives. People between the ages of 18 and 35 in the market town at the foot of Germanys tallest mountain, the Zugspitze, have been requested to take a coronavirus test and by Sunday 700 had done so.

She had symptoms and was tested and ordered to stay in quarantine, but she failed to do so, said a spokesman for the town.

Local media reported that among the bars she had visited were an Irish pub and a cocktail bar where a karaoke party was taking place.

The seven-day incidence rate in the district is, at 59 people out of 100,000, over the critical level of 50 at which authorities are obliged to instigate lockdown rules.

As a result of the outbreak, all pubs and restaurants in the 26,000-inhabitant town have been ordered to close at 10pm, and gatherings in public have been reduced to a maximum of five people. Private gatherings have been reduced to a maximum of 50 people inside, and up to 100 outside.

In Bavaria fines of up to 2,000 can be applied to individuals who break quarantine rules. However, lawyers have confirmed that the woman could in theory also face both civil and criminal proceedings carrying a prison sentence of between six months and 10 years, as well as compensation claims from businesses affected.

Excerpt from:

American accused of ignoring Covid-19 quarantine to go on Bavaria bar crawl - The Guardian

As many schools start to opt for online learning, here are tips to minimize distractions at home. USA TODAY

With family members at high risk to COVID-19, Norma Hernandez felt she had no choice but to keep her three kids at home for the school year, rather than send them to school in person.

Its a decision most parents have had to contemplate this year, but the virtual option comes with worrisome trade-offs. In Hernandezs case, her son'sfourth grade class in a virtual program in Gilbert, Arizona, has as many as 55 students, an overwhelming load for his teacher, she said.

"My son is lucky he has me at home," she said.

While some students are returning to classrooms around the country, others remain at homeand could stay in the virtual classroom for the next year or even longer because ofhealth concerns.

School districts have responded by launchingonline programs at an unprecedented scale. But parents, caregivers and educatorssay they're dismayed byonline class sizes as high as 100studentsin some school districts.

Those organizing these virtual programs have said larger class sizes are acceptable, in part becausestudents oftenworkat their own pace invirtual classes. Some programs requirea few hours of live instruction a day or even just a few check-ins every week. Experts say some instruction should be live, so that kids can see their friends snd feel a part of the class.

Isabela Hernandez works on a school assignment from home.(Photo: Courtesy Norma Hernandez)

Many districts with fledgling online programs are still learning what the right teacher-student ratio is, said Diana Sirko, the superintendent of theMesa County Valley School District in western Colorado.

"It was like starting a completely new school," she said.

But others worry that ballooning class sizes are actually a sign of worsening teacher shortages in parts of the country whereschools struggled to hire and retain quality teachers even before thepandemic.

Arizona's school Superintendent Kathy Hoffman wrote in a statement that she has anecdotally heard of more teachers leaving the field.

"I am deeply concerned about our critical teacher shortage, worsened by COVID-19, that continues to create larger classrooms whether those classrooms are virtual or in-person," she wrote.

Valerie Lim has two kids in Gilbert schools, one child in first grade and another in fourth grade. Her firstgrader's class began the year with70kids, and her fourth grader's class started with 53. Lim has asthma and other family members have health conditions that make them vulnerable to COVID-19, so the family chose virtual school.

"The teachers are overwhelmed," she said. "There's literally no way that you can form the types of connections that you would want to make as a teacher with your students."

Child studying math over mobile phone using internet connection and smart application during coronavirus stay-at-home learning.(Photo: Biserka Stojanovic, Getty Images/iStockphoto)

While Gilbert'svirtual program includes the promise of one-on-one time between teachers and students, Lim said the the time amounts to about 10minutes a week. It seems like teachers have to "triage" students, she said, and prioritize helping the ones who need it the most.

The heavy workload for teachers raises questions about the virtual experience for students who don't have a parent present to help or who don't have ready access to additional resources.

Online class sizes are higher in Gilbert Public Schoolsbecause teacherswork with students in smaller groups and individually on some days, districtspokespersonDawn Antesteniswrote in an email.

"Online teachers have time available to teach more students," she wrote.

COVID and schools: Summer parties, teacher shortages push suburban schools to scrap reopening plans

Some districts are struggling to keep up with the demand for virtual education.

In Great Falls, Montana, about 40 to 60 students are on a wait list for spots in virtual middle and high school classrooms in the public school district, according to Heather Hoyer,an assistant superintendent.

Roughly 1,000 students ingrades K-6 enrolledin remote education this year, making class sizes in those grades well over 100 students, according to the district.

Hoyer said that some students who are not actively engaging in their remote courses may be asked to return to a face-to-face setting to accommodate students on the wait list.

If theyre not engaging, somethings notworkingand we need to get them back into a model that works, Hoyer said.

It's time to consider what study spaces should look like for school-aged humans who will be primarily learning at home.(Photo: Getty Images / eclipse_images)

In West Virginia, one fourthgrade teacher was expected to teach math and science to 82 students virtually, said Tega Toney, president of the American Federation ofTeachers in Fayette County.

Toney said West Virginia caps class size at no more than 28 students at that level.

Some districts are trying to skirt this rule by saying virtual classes dont really apply, said Toney, who also serves as vice president of West Virginias state teachers union. She said they're waiting to hear if the teacher with the large class sizes wants the union to intervene.

It's not really fair and equitable," Toney added. "I would contend that students taking classes virtually would need even more one-on-one attention.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, the countrys second-largest teachers union, said virtual crowding only makes it more difficult for children to learn, especially children who are already struggling.

Cramming 50, 60, 70 or more students onto a Zoom screen or a Google classroom shows theres no intention for teachers to get to know their students and no intention to stimulate real discussion, Weingarten said.

'Inappropriate and racist content': Some schools cancel online curriculum Acellus as COVID-19 back to school kicks off

Teachers of special subjects like physical education and art are accustomed to working with large numbers of students throughout the day. In normal times, they can attend to everyone face-to-face. But engaging everyone is harder when trying to teach kids remotely and at school, said Rachel Mita, an elementary physical education teacher in Floridas Pinellas County schools.

I teach 147 students online and 166 students face-to-face, she said.

Mita does not have to teach her in-person and online students simultaneously, like many of her colleagues. The Pinellas County Teachers Association has launched a petition to end the practice of simultaneous teaching, which educators say is difficult and doesn't serve all children well.

Because the virus prevents the use of any PE equipment, Mita's classes consist of one large groupexercise in whichshe weaves in necessary standards. Work days stretch longer nowbecause so many at-home students are emailing with questions, usually pertaining to how to log in, she said.

I only have time to copy and paste directions Ive already given them, so I can move on to the next student, she told the Pinellas County school board at a recent meeting.

First grader Hawkes Powell tries to pay attention to his first grade class at Glendale Elementary from their home on the first day of school Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020 in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo: George Walker IV / The Tennessean)

It'scommon for virtual schools across the country to have larger class sizes than in-person school. The National Education Policy Centerfound in a 2019 report that virtual schools typically reported a student-teacher ratio nearlythree times higher than the average public school.

Virtual schools reported an average student-teacher ratio of 44 students to one teacher, while the average for in-person public schools is 16 students to a teacher, according to the report.

However, the same report also recommended that virtual schools reduce student-to-teacher ratios, finding virtual school students often performed poorlyacademically.

The large class sizes could also be a sign of a worsening teacher shortage.

Coronavirus and schools: Between COVID-19 and layoffs, schools may not have enough teachers to get through the year

Sirko said it was difficultto anticipate how many of her Colorado district's 22,000 students would opt for the virtual option over in-person. About 3,000 students ended up online at the beginning of the school year,even though only about 1,000 said they preferred online in a survey the district distributed over the summer, she said.

Elementary teachers at first were in charge of as many as 75 students, Sirko said. The district is working to bring that number down by shuffling teac. But hiring teachers to fill open spots is a challenge.

Colorado schools struggled to find qualified teachers to fill vacant spots even before the pandemic, according to Colorado Department of Education data.

"It's just hard to find applicants," Sirko said. "And even more difficult when you're in rural Colorado, even though we're a fairly large town."

To be sure, many teachers around the country are teaching virtual classes that are more or less the same size as in previous years.

And some educators are experiencing the opposite problem: Small online classes because students are missing.

Some days, fewer than 10 students show up for teacher Juli Carusos virtual eighth grade science class at Star Spencer Mid-High School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where everyone is learning remotely through the first quarter.But it's not the same small group of students every day, Caruso said.

Plus, the technology is new this year, and adapting to it is eating into everyone's learning time, she added.

"It's a work in progress," Caruso said. "But right now, it's slow-going."

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A class of 100? COVID-19 plans overwhelming some teachers with huge virtual classes - The Arizona Republic

HORSEHEADS, N.Y. (WETM) Eighteen new cases of COVID-19 have been connected to Lighthouse Baptist Church in Horseheads, according to Chemung County Public Health Director Peter Buzzetti.

There are currently 40 Chemung County residents connected to the church who have contracted the virus. Additional cases have been connected to other counties, including Steuben and Schuyler.

On Friday, the Steuben County Public Health Department reported that there were 45 total cases, but that number is believed to have gone up since then.

The investigation into the cluster began on Saturday, Sept. 6, and testing was made available last Wednesday for those who visited the church. About 40 people were tested on Wednesday and more than half tested positive, according to Chemung County Executive Chris Moss.

Last week Chemung County announced that 80 people may have come in contact with those infected and all 80 voluntarily quarantined.

Officials added that several members of the church who tested positive attended a wedding in another county. Its unknown where the cluster started, according to Buzzetti, who called the situation pretty concerning from a community transmission standpoint.

18 News has reached out to the church for comment but have not heard back at this time.

Anyone who attended the church for any events (services, bible study, etc.) between August 18 and September 6 should:

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18 new cases of COVID-19 connected to Lighthouse Baptist Church - WETM - MyTwinTiers.com

Authorities in Bordeaux and Marseille have announced strict new measures to limit public gatherings in an effort to rein in a rapid surge in Covid-19 cases that risks overwhelming the two French cities hospitals.

The virus has accelerated despite the obligation to wear a mask introduced earlier this summer, Christophe Mirmand, the governments top official in greater Marseille area, said on Monday. We need to take action to ensure health services can cope.

Admissions to the citys intensive care units were following an exponential curve and had doubled in the past week, the head of the citys hospital service said. Even with extra beds added over the weekend, the system was close to saturation point.

The director of Bordeauxs main hospital said all the warning signals are flashing red. His hospital has 77 Covid patients, he said, of whom 24 are in intensive care, a very rapid increase over the past 10 days.

Marseille, with 195 cases per 100,00 inhabitants compared with a national average of 70, the capital, Paris, with 154, and the south-western city of Bordeaux, with 143, have emerged as Frances major virus hotspots, heightening fears of a second wave of the virus.

The announcements came after the prime minister, Jean Castex, on Friday announced no new national restrictions, instead delegating the task to regional officials and health authorities. The country was not uniformly affected and they were better placed to act, he said.

While the crisis was clearly worsening, Castex said, he would avoid a new nationwide lockdown that would again cripple the economy. France reported 10,561 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours on Saturday, the highest number since large-scale testing began. The countrys death toll stands at nearly 31,000.

Mirmand, the regional prefect in Marseille, and his Bordeaux counterpart, Fabienne Boccio, took broadly similar steps, limiting public gatherings to 10 people or fewer including in parks, outlawing standing at bars and lowering the number of people allowed to watch sports matches and large events to 1,000 from 5,000.

All local companies must tell employees to work from home where possible, public transport providers have been asked to reorganise their services to prevent overcrowding during rush hours, and care homes visits will be drastically restricted.

All major events, such as trade fairs, are to be cancelled, dancing banned in bars or at weddings, student parties outlawed and school visits postponed. In Marseille, Mirmand also announced a ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol on the street after 8pm and ordered bars and restaurants to close at 12.30am.

Any establishment that does not comply, or fails to enforce existing hygiene and distancing requirement, will receive a warning and risk instant closure, he said, adding that all family gatherings of more than 10 should be postponed if possible.

Boccio said that extra gendarmes and riot police units would be deployed in Bordeaux to enforce the measures, adding that the situation would be assessed in the next two or three weeks. If we have to toughen the measures, I will, she said.

The overseas French territory of Guadeloupe also announced new measures on Saturday, ordering bars and restaurants to close at 10pm on weeknights and midnight at the weekend. Other public buildings including swimming pools, gyms and meeting halls have been closed and the public is banned from sporting events.

Although France says it is carrying out about 1m tests a week, the increase in infections is outstripping the increase in testing. The rate of positive tests has risen to 5.4%, with the rise in new cases especially marked among young adults, many of whom show no symptoms, health experts say.

Olivier Vran, Frances health minister, has warned that the current rate of infections growing by 30% a week, with hospital admissions increasing by 15% a week could lead to hospital intensive care units being overwhelmed with new patients within two months.

On Sunday six specialist doctors wrote an opinion piece in the Journal du Dimanche calling on the French to act responsibly and said it was time to signal the end of playtime. The medics called on people to avoid private gatherings.

Ensuring that people act responsibly is an important factor. Its the only way to avoid the spread of the virus and stop it, said Philippe Amouyel, the professor of public health at Lille hospital, one of the signatories.

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Covid-19: Marseille and Bordeaux announce new restrictions - The Guardian