Coronavirus Update 6–12–2020: sanctimony (and masks) #MaskingForAFriend

Yesterday, I asked a simple question: Do you voluntarily wear a mask or other facial covering when out in public? Thank you to the hundreds upon hundreds who responded. Here are the results:

• Yes, always: 23.6%
• Yes, except when I’m socially distant from others outdoors: 48.8%
• Yes, but only when indoors: 18.6%
• No, never: 8.9%

Coronavirus Update 6–11–2020: OSHA issues guidance on cloth face coverings at work

I continue to struggle with comprehending how masks and facial coverings became one of the key coronavirus issues that's divided our nation. Click here for the latest actual science on the issue of whether masks help stop the spread of COVID-19. (TL;DR: they most certainly do.)

OSHA has now waded into the mix by issuing a list of Frequently Asked Questions on cloth face coverings.

The highlights? 

Coronavirus Update 6–10–2020: President Trump signs Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020, extending PPP loan forgiveness

The Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020, which President Trump signed into law on June 5, makes several key business-friendly changes to the small business loans made under the CARES Act's Paycheck Protection Program.

Coronavirus Update 6–9–2020: Northeast Ohio restaurants sue to block reopening guidelines

What is a state's ability to regulate businesses during a pandemic? This question is one that will be answered in a lawsuit filed yesterday by eight local restaurants against Ohio Director of Health Dr. Amy Acton. The lawsuit claims that Ohio's reopening rules and guidelines for restaurants are unconstitutional, vague, and could subject them to liability from patrons if not strictly followed.

Not to do the Attorney General's job for him, but let me offer a quick rebuttal to each of these arguments.

Coronavirus Update 6–8–2020: “I was terminated for refusing to wear a ‘Trump 2020’ face mask."

Ohio requires that all employees wear face masks or other face coverings as a condition to any business reopening that (subject to a few limited exceptions). The only rules are that the mask cover the employee's nose, mouth, and chin. There are no other requirements about the nature of the mask or face covering, including its design or style.

One southern Ohio business, The Village Inn restaurant in Farmersville, is testing the mask-requirement waters by requiring its employees to wear "Trump 2020" masks.

Worse, it's firing employee who refuse. 

Coronavirus Update 6–5–2020: Cleveland is not the “butthole of the world"

Earlier this week, Frank Jackson, Cleveland's four-term mayor, said that "Cleveland's perceived to be the butthole of the world." (You can watch here.)

The Mayor certainly isn't going win any civic promotional awards for his comment. In an effort to prove that Cleveland isn't the "butthole of the world," let me offer 10 reasons why I love Cleveland, my home town for the past 26 years.

Coronavirus Update 6–4–2020: Can you force employees who participate in George Floyd protests to quarantine without pay?

Yesterday I discussed the legalities of placing on an unpaid leave of absence employees who engaging in leisure mass gatherings outside of work.

What about employees who you discover gathered in mass to protest George Floyd's murder and racial injustice? There are legitimate concerns that the mass protests taking place in cities around the country will cause an acceleration of COVID-19 spread and a spike in cases. Can you place protesting employees on an unpaid leave of absence to quarantine before they return to work?

The TL;DR answer is "yes."