May 28 coronavirus news

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Friday that employers are not legally prohibited from offering incentives to employees to get vaccinated for Covid-19, and that companies administering vaccines themselves can also do so "as long as the incentives are not coercive.”  

The EEOC already said in December that companies can legally mandate all employees re-entering the workplace and new hires be vaccinated for Covid-19. But there are two exemptions companies must allow for, according to the EEOC: a disability or religious reasons.  

In its updated guidance released Friday, the EEOC now says employers are permitted to offer incentives to employees who voluntarily provide information they've been vaccinated by a third party — and that there is no limit to the size of those incentives.    

For example, workers at both McDonalds corporate headquarters and restaurants will get up to four hours of paid time off to get vaccinated. Employees at Bolthouse Farms will get a $500 bonus if vaccinated. And at Kroger, employees will get a one-time payment of $100 if they show proof of vaccination.

The agency adds that if employers obtain employee vaccination information, however, they “must keep vaccination information confidential.”  

Also, if the employer plans to administer the vaccine itself, incentives must not be large enough to be considered "coercive."  

Employers are also legally permitted to provide employees and their family members with educational information about Covid-19 vaccines, raise awareness about the benefits, and address common questions and concerns.  

Schools cannot require students and workers to wear a face covering while on campus, according to a new executive order by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.

The new order, effective May 31, also eliminates rules for restaurants, bars, conventions, child care facilities, live performance venues, and other organizations. Previous executive orders eliminated regulations for camps and sporting events, the release said.

Kemp also signed several other executive orders today including lowering flags to half-staff in observance of Memorial Day, suspending the Waynesboro mayor who was indicted in December, renewing the state of emergency for petroleum shortage and renewing the state’s public health emergency order for another 30 days.

The Netherlands government will further ease coronavirus lockdown measures from June 5, allowing indoor dining in restaurants, bars, and cafes, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Friday.

Theaters, cinemas, and concert halls can also reopen next week, with a maximum capacity of 50 visitors per space, according to a government statement. Group rehearsals and lessons related to arts and culture can also resume starting June 5, with a maximum of 50 participants per indoor space. 

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu today issued a new executive order renewing his Covid-19 state of emergency for 14 days. 

“Granite Staters have managed through this pandemic incredibly well, and as a result of their hard work, New Hampshire has no commercial restrictions in place, no statewide mask mandate, and is open for business,” Sununu said. 

“Today’s action to renew the State of Emergency allows the legislature to take up our various critical emergency orders that have brought flexibility to manage through this pandemic, and I call on the House and Senate to move swiftly in this charge so that we can move out of a State of Emergency as quickly as possible,” the governor added.

More than half of the US population – about 166 million people – have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, and about 40% – 133.5 million people – have been fully vaccinated, according to data published Friday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Among the 65-and-older population, nearly 86% have received at least one dose, and nearly 75% are fully vaccinated.

Overall, 292,099,778 total doses have been reported administered – about 81% of the 362,375,765 total doses delivered.

That’s about 1.4 million doses reported administered since Thursday, for a seven-day average of about 1.5 million doses per day.

Note: Data published by the CDC may be delayed, and doses may not have been administered on the day reported.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has dropped masking and physical distancing guidance for campers and staffers who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

In the guidance, the CDC encouraged everyone 12 years and older to get vaccinated for Covid-19, and underscored that the vaccines are safe and effective.

The agency said people who are fully vaccinated to not need to undergo routine Covid-19 testing, and do not need to be tested – even if they are exposed to someone with a known Covid-19 infection – “unless they are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms."

Since Pfizer announced it would donate Covid-19 vaccine doses to Olympic participants in early March, the company now says it expects more than 20 countries will participate its vaccination program.

These countries are where the “necessary regulatory and legal conditions exist,” according to a company statement.

However, in countries that do not meet these conditions, Pfizer says “there is work underway to establish central locations where delegations from countries where the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine is not yet available can go to be vaccinated ahead of traveling to Japan.” 

It is not yet clear how the logistics would work, considering it’s recommended that the two doses of this vaccine be administered 21 days apart, and someone is not considered fully protected until two weeks after their second dose.

More than 200 countries, states and territories are expected to be represented at the games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission Chairman John Coates said during a news conference on May 21 that 75% of Tokyo Olympic village residents are vaccinated, or are due to be vaccinated, and by the time the Games come around, "this will be over 80%."

"This has been made possible by the IOC initiative with the Pfizer by earning donation of vaccines for Games participants," Coates said.

Brazilian health agency Anvisa authorized new storage conditions for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against Covid-19 on Friday. 

The vaccine can now be kept at a controlled temperature between 2 degrees Celsius (35.6 degrees Fahrenheit), and 8 degrees Celsius (46.4 degrees Fahrenheit) for up to 31 days. The previous storage period was five days.

Regulatory agencies in the United States and Europe have also extended the duration of storing the immunizer to one month in those conditions.

The Brazilian Health Ministry signed two contracts with Pfizer/BioNTech to receive 200 million doses of the immunizer by the end of the year. To date, Brazil has received 3.4 million doses. 

A curfew on bars and restaurants in Vermont will be lifted and establishments can resume their normal operating hours starting tomorrow, Gov. Phil Scott announced Friday. 

Scott said Vermont is just shy of its 80% statewide vaccination goal, with 77% of residents 12 and older having now received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Scott said Vermont is just shy of its 80% statewide vaccination goal. As a result, Scott said starting tomorrow the 10 p.m. curfew on bars and restaurants will be lifted and establishments can resume their normal operating hours. 

The governor said the state of emergency should also be lifted shortly after the 80% threshold is met. 

He also said while a total reopening next week is possible, he’ll have to see how well Vermonters do with vaccinations at that point. 

Vaccination rates in the 18- to 29-year-old group increased over the past month from 30% to 50%, he said.