Waffle House closes 420 locations amid coronavirus pandemic
New York City (CNN Business)Waffle House just became the latest restaurant chain to shutter some of its locations amid the nation’s novel coronavirus outbreak.State and local governments across the US have issued Covid-19-related restrictions on public gatherings meant to reduce the spread of the deadly disease. Those restrictions have decimated business for dine-in restaurants throughout the country.Waffle House acknowledged how severely its nationwide business is suffering in a Wednesday afternoon statement. The company said its sales have dropped about 70% below normal levels since the Covid-19 crisis began.Only a day earlier, the company had tweeted that 365 of its locations were temporarily closed. That number was revised upwards on Wednesday to at least 420, a Waffle House spokesperson said.
“With so few customers visiting our restaurants, we are rapidly losing the ability to offer enough work hours for our associates to earn money needed to live their lives and pay their bills,” the company said. “Waffle House is striving to keep as many stores open for as long as we can in order to support as many associates as possible.”Most of the chain’s closures are in the Midwest and Gulf Coast regions, according to the company.
More than 1,500 Waffle House locations remain open in “various capacities,” the company said, with 135 of them operating on limited shifts. An additional 1,278 locations have limited their business to takeout only.Waffle House also said 250 of its restaurants are offering “limited-capacity, dine-in service with social distancing protocols in place.””Hour by hour, Waffle House’s reality is changing,” the company said in its statement. “We continue to adapt as different restrictions are imposed on how businesses can operate.”Waffle House is known for staying open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, even under the most dire of conditions. Most of its 1,900+ restaurants are located in the nation’s southeast.In the past, federal officials have been known to use them as a gauge to determine the severity of a hurricane, tornado or other hazards on a local area.Government officials in several states, including New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, California and Ohio, have ordered bars and dine-in restaurants to temporarily close or limit their business to delivery and carryout orders to comply with social distancing recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The mandates have devastated foot traffic and overall business for many local restaurants across the country. Waffle House’s website now emphasizes its restaurants offer carryout orders.
via: https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/25/business/coronavirus-waffle-house-trnd/index.html
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Influencer reportedly hospitalized with coronavirus after licking toilet
A California social media prankster claims he was hospitalized with the coronavirus — just days after posting a video of himself licking a toilet bowl for a nauseating online challenge.
The TikTok personality, known as Larz, reportedly posted footage of himself in a hospital bed on Sunday, according to the Daily Mail.
“I tested positive for Coronavirus,” the 21-year-old from Beverly Hills tweeted on an account that has since been suspended, the outlet reported.
It comes just two days after the prankster, who goes by the social media handle GayShawnMendes, posted a video himself on Friday running his tongue across a public toilet as part of a bizarre — and widely criticized — “Coronavirus Challenge” on social media.
The craze — seen mainly on TikTok, a video-sharing platform — spurs users to post footage of themselves licking everything from toilets to grocery store produce.
It wasn’t clear whether Larz’s apparent infection was linked to the stunt.
It comes as the number of infected Americans soared past 55,500 as of Wednesday afternoon, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The virus has also caused more than 800 deaths across the country.
The social media influencer has previously appeared on the Dr. Phil show, where he drew criticism for boasting about how he’d licked tubs of ice cream before putting them back in store freezers, and claimed he made “lots of money” from his online following.
Photo Credit: twitter
Worker at NYC hospital where nurses wear trash bags as protection dies from coronavirus
The shortage of safety gear at one Manhattan hospital is so dire that desperate nurses have resorted to wearing trash bags — and some blame the situation for the coronavirus death of a beloved colleague.
A stunning photo shared on social media shows three nurses at Mount Sinai West posing in a hallway while clad in large, black plastic trash bags fashioned into makeshift protective garb.
One of them is even holding the open box of 20 Hefty “Strong” 33-gallon garbage bags they used to cloak themselves.
“NO MORE GOWNS IN THE WHOLE HOSPITAL,” the caption reads.
“NO MORE MASKS AND REUSING THE DISPOSABLE ONES…NURSES FIGURING IT OUT DURING COVID-19 CRISIS.”
The caption includes such hashtags as #heftytotherescue, #riskingourlivestosaveyours and #pleasedonateppe, with the “ppe” referring to “personal protective equipment.”
Meanwhile, staffers at the hospital near Columbus Circle on Wednesday tied the lack of basic supplies there to the death of assistant nursing manager Kious Kelly, who tested positive for coronavirus about two weeks ago.
Kelly, 48, was admitted to Mount Sinai’s flagship hospital on the Upper East Side on March 17 and died Tuesday night, the workers said.
“Kious didn’t deserve this,” one nurse said. “The hospital should be held responsible. The hospital killed him.”
Another nurse described “issues with supplies for about a year now,” during which it got “to the point where we had to hide our own supplies and go to other units looking for stuff because even the supply room would have nothing most of the time.”
“But when we started getting COVID patients it became critical,” the nurse said.
The nurse sources said they were using the same PPE between infected and non-infected patients and, because there were no more spare gowns in the hospital, they took to wearing trash bags to stop the spread of infection.
“We had to reuse our masks, gowns and the [face] shield,” one nurse said. “We were told, ‘You get one for the entire time until this is over.”
The nurse also said various items, including masks, wipes and Purell hand sanitizer, began “disappearing through the night.”
A spokesman for the hospital strongly disagreed, when contacted Wednesday, that they did not have the proper equipment and were not protecting their staff.
Another nurse described Kelly as “a brother to me.”
“He was willing to help others in need, especially in this coronavirus outbreak,” the nurse said.
Kelly’s younger sister, Marya Sherron, of Indianapolis, confirmed his death to The Post and said he had informed her of his illness about 10 days earlier.
“He told me he had the coronavirus,” she said. “He was in ICU but he thought he was OK. He didn’t think it was serious as it was.”
Sherron — who said she “absolutely” believed her brother was infected at the hospital — said he had “severe asthma” but was otherwise healthy.
Kelly had trouble talking due to the disease so the siblings communicated by text until his condition worsened and he stopped responding about a week ago, she said.
“I tried to get him several times but I was told by the doctors that he was on a ventilator,” she said.
Sherron said she was told on Monday that he might not pull through, and that he died about 11 p.m. Tuesday.
“We are broken,” she said.
Sherron also said she wanted the city to know “what an amazing person my brother was” and to “hold the powers that be accountable.”
“Our nurses and medical staff need protection and no one is fighting for their safety,” she said.
In a prepared statement, Mount Sinai said of Kelly’s death, “We are deeply saddened by the passing of a beloved member of our nursing staff.”
“This growing crisis has already devastated hundreds of families and turned our frontline professionals into true American heroes,” the hospital network said.
“Today, we lost another hero — a compassionate colleague, friend and selfless caregiver.”
In January, Kelly was featured by Mount Sinai on its Web site, which quoted a letter in which he was hailed as an “angel” by Joseph Fuoco, whose late mom, Camile Fuoco, underwent almost four years of breast-cancer treatments before her death at Mount Sinai West last summer.
“Assistant Nurse Manager Kious Jordan Kelly, RN, showed my mom and us empathy and compassion that helped us get through the weekend and what was to come,” Joseph wrote.
“He went above and beyond and is an asset to the hospital.”
Photo Credit: nypost.com/facebook
Los Angeles will shut off water and power for nonessential businesses that refuse to close
LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti opened his daily briefing Tuesday recognizing what may have been the first teenage COVID-19 death in L.A. County and went on to announce actions against nonessential businesses that don’t close and a new portal for recruiting medics.
He reminded young people that the virus can hit them too, urging them to stay at home and practice social distancing.
“Your behavior can save a life and take a life,” Garcetti said. “And that life could be yours.”
The mayor addressed President Trump’s remarks from earlier Tuesday about having the nation “opened up and just raring to go by Easter.” Garcetti said he didn’t think L.A. would be back to normal “in that short time.”
“We won’t extend it one day longer than we need to,” Garcetti said, but emphasized that the “safer at home” measure had to be followed through.
The mayor said L.A. is six to 12 days behind New York in being hit with a wave of positive cases.
“The peak is not here yet,” he said. “It will be bad.”
Garcetti emphasized the need for medical workers who can test, treat, heal and tend to coronavirus patients. He announced that together with L.A. County, the city has opened up a portal for medical personnel recruitment, with both paid and pro-bono positions.
“We need to be prepared for some of the darkness that is ahead,” the mayor said. “Each one of us can be a light. We can light a match of hope. We can navigate that tunnel with each other and not alone. And more importantly, what we do can ensure that more people exit that tunnel together… and that our city will rise again.”
The mayor went on to announce the “business ambassadors program” — an effort to get nonessential businesses to close.
“This behavior is irresponsible and selfish,” he said of those that remain open.
He said the Department of Water and Power will shut off services for the businesses that don’t comply with the “safer at home” ordinance.
Neighborhood prosecutors will implement safety measures and will contact the businesses before issuing further action, according to Garcetti.
“The easiest way to avoid a visit is to follow the rules,” he said.
On Sunday, Garcetti had announced the city’s online portal where high-risk residents could sign up to get tested for COVID-19. As of Tuesday, 2,800 tests were completed, according to the mayor, and in the coming three days, that capacity would double to 5,500 tests.
“Every test is crucial and I wish we could be doing so many more,” Garcetti said.
Similar to those of the past week, the press conference was held remotely with media dialing in by phone to heed social distancing rules.
The briefing came after Garcetti announced an emergency order Monday, prohibiting residential rental units from being removed from the rental market.
The mayor had also announced that restaurants and bars could deliver alcoholic beverages, as a means of stimulating business.
An L.A. City Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday was cancelled until further notice.
L.A. County had 669 confirmed coronavirus cases as of Tuesday, with 11 deaths. The state had 2,566 cases with 51 deaths.
Photo Credit: fox40.com
Perdue plant employees walk out over COVID-19 concerns
Close to 50 employees who walked out Monday morning say some workers on the production line were in contact with people who tested positive for COVID-19
KATHLEEN, Ga. — The Perdue plant in Kathleen was a little emptier Monday after about 50 employees walked out.
They said they don’t feel safe working around people who have potentially been exposed to coronavirus and want the plant to do more to protect their employees.
“We’re not getting nothing — no type of compensation, no nothing, not even no cleanliness, no extra pay — no nothing. We’re up here risking our life for chicken,” said employee Kendaliyn Granville.
She said people still working on the production line said they have been exposed to coronavirus.
Granville said her supervisors are telling them they are sanitizing the building every night, but when she comes in every morning, there is food on the floor from the night before and the bathrooms are still dirty.
“All we’re asking now is just to sanitize the building. Sanitize the building. Everybody that’s been exposed to it, they need to go home. These folks are still on the floor.”
Diamond Gray said this is about more than coronavirus concerns. She said they are tired of accepting the bare minimum.
“We’re told there’s going to be more promotions and more pay for the company, but no one has seen that,” said Gray. “I think a lot of people are just tired and with the virus involved. Also, I think it’s just gotten to the point where enough is enough.”
James Braswell said he’s heard of other companies getting extra pay for working during the pandemic, but Perdue is “business as usual.”
“We feel like the people who they love, they’re letting them work from home, but they got us in here working,” said Braswell.
He said supervisors are telling them the building is getting cleaned nightly and putting out hand sanitizers for the workers, but he said it’s not enough.
“We gotta go home to our family because you know some of our family, some of our kids and all that, they’re at home, you know what I’m saying? Quarantined, but we’re out here working and all that and being exposed.”
Granville said it’s time to take a stand.
“You want us to go back on the floor to work? No, first sanitize the line, something, because this is not a playing matter. This is not a game.”
Houston County Sheriff’s deputies were called and the group dispersed, but they didn’t have any other information. Granville said most of the group went home.
Perdue Farms sent the following statement via email to 13WMAZ:
We know that many are feeling anxious during these uncertain times, and we’re doing everything we can to take good care of our Associates while continuing to produce safe and reliable food. Last week, the federal government deemed food industry workers as mission-critical personnel. This is a huge responsibility, and we are committed to fulfilling it while keeping our Associates safe.
We’ve stepped up a number of our protocols to help ensure the health and wellness of our Associates, such as:
- We’ve increased cleaning protocols in all of our offices and facilities, not only for sanitation but also in common areas, cafeterias, and locker rooms.
- All of our associates have up to four weeks of paid time off, and we encourage them to stay home if they feel ill or may have been exposed to the virus. Importantly, we are also working to make our paid leave policies even more flexible during this time to be responsive and provide added relief to Associates.
- We’ve encouraged any Associate feeling ill to call his or her local healthcare provider, or make use of the onsite Wellness Centers at our facilities, which are available to all Associates and their families free of charge. The staff at our Wellness Centers are trained on how to protect our Associates from, and identify and respond to, symptoms of COVID-19. These professionals follow standard operating procedures as defined by the CDC for infectious diseases. We have extended the hours of many of our onsite Wellness Centers for the foreseeable future.
Knowing that the COVID-19 situation is very fluid, we are assessing our policies as needed and are making sure we take thoughtful care of our Associates as it continues to evolve.
Thanks in large part to our dedicated Associates, Perdue, together with other food companies, will play a meaningful part in helping to keep people fed as the world grapples with and recovers from this significant challenge.
Photo Credit: 13wmaz.com
Toilet tissue the Carol Show Burnett full sketch
???????????? So this is what people are doing with all that toilet tissue they bought. I remember watching that show with my mama Miss Carol Burnett is so funny!!!
Louisiana pastor defies coronavirus orders, holds church service for 1,800 people “anyone in my congregation is infected with the virus, I will “heal them through God”
(WVLA/CNN/Meredith) — A Louisiana church hosted more than 1,800 people at its Sunday morning service, going against state and federal guidelines for social distancing to hold the service.
Pastor Tony Spell says the Life Tabernacle Church in Central believes in the “healing hand of Jesus,” even through an aggressive global pandemic.
Throughout the service, parishioners were seen touching each other and closely gathering, with very few of them wearing masks or gloves.
Twenty-six buses were used to pick people up from around the Baton Rouge area to take them to church.
Spell said if anyone in his congregation is infected with the virus, he will “heal them through God.”
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, when asked, addressed the controversial church service, with his same message from the beginning.
“I would urge [Spell] and all faith leaders to heed this directive and not necessarily engage in mass gatherings where this coronavirus can spread,” Edwards said.
Spell, however, identifies himself as a “first responder,” saying his services will not be stopped, regardless of the governor’s order to shelter in place.
“When the paramedics can’t get there, when the law enforcement can’t get there, the holy ghost can get there it will make a difference in someone’s life,” Spell said.
More than two dozen parishioners at the service donated blood to help save lives during the outbreak.
Photo Credit: wfsb.com
Costco not accepting returns on toilet paper, sanitizer, other items
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) – If Costco customers have regret about hoarding popular items like toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and paper towels, they’re out of luck.
The big-box store confirmed to Arizona’s Family it will not issue returns for things bought in bulk during the coronavirus panic. Costco added customers can visit their local warehouse for details on the developing situation.
Costco didn’t say why it changed its usual flexible return policy but part of it may be for safety. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the coronavirus can live on plastic or hard materials for up to three days and on cardboard for up to 24-hours.
The warehouse stores have also been very busy with customers lining up outside of the store, so workers may not have time to handle returns.
Photos posted on social media from Costco fan sites like Costco Insider and Costco Buys showed the items unable to be returned are toilet paper, paper towels, sanitizing wipes, water, rice and Lysol. Many people praised the move on Instagram.
“Serves hoarders right. I worked retail during the Y2K panic and we had to do the same thing,” one commenter said.
“It kinda puts them in their place. Like, you can’t be doing that! Taking advantage of people during a national crisis,” another customer said.
Photo Credit: CBS News
Spring breaker apologizes for infamous ‘if I get corona,’ remark
A spring breaker from Ohio who went viral last week for downplaying the coronavirus outbreak while partying in Miami has apologized for his remarks.
“I would like to sincerely apologize for the insensitive comment I made in regards to COVID-19 while on spring break,” Brady Sluder wrote in a Sunday Instagram post.
Sluder became the face of defiant spring breakers in The Sunshine State when he told Reuters that he would not let the global pandemic interfere with his planned trip.
“If I get corona, I get corona,” Sluder said in the interview, which was also filmed and broadcast on countless cable networks across the country.
“At the end of the day, I’m not going to let it stop me from partying,” he said.
By Sunday, however, with time to reflect, Sluder issued a wordy apology.
“I wasn’t aware of the severity of my actions and comments,” said Sluder. “Our generation may feel invincible, like I did when I commented, but we have a responsibility to listen and follow the recommendations in our communities.”
At the time Sluder and his pals were reveling, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had already advised people to remain roughly 6 feet apart from each other to help curb the spread of the the illness. President Trump had also recommended avoiding gatherings of 10 or more people.
Sluder on Sunday said he understands the severity of the virus and its potentially deadly effect on elderly people.
“I’ve learned from these trying times and I’ve felt the repercussions to the fullest,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, simply apologizing doesn’t justify my behavior. I’m simply owning up to my mistakes and taking full responsibility for my actions.”
via: https://nypost.com/2020/03/24/spring-breaker-apologizes-for-infamous-if-i-get-corona-remark/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Missouri Walmart Coronavirus Licker Charged With ‘Terrorist Threat’
A Warrenton man was charged with making a terrorist threat after he filmed himself licking bunch of items at Walmart.
“Who’s afraid of the coronavirus?” Cody Pfister, 26, taunts in a video he later posted to social media.
The video spread around the world, and Warrenton police said in a statement the department had been contacted by people in the Netherlands, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
We take these complaints very seriously and would like to thank all of those who reported the video so the issue could be addressed,” police said in the statement.
The video appears to have been filmed on March 11 at the Warrenton store, according to court records. Pfister was taken into custody this week, and Warren County prosecutors charged him today. The charge is a low-level felony.
Bizarrely, he’s not the first person to get in trouble with police for licking surfaces as public health officials beg people to wash their hands, keep at least six feet apart and avoid touching their faces in hopes of slowing the spread of COVID-19. The manager of a grocery store in Wisconsin called police after a woman licked the door handle to a freezer, reportedly to protest the virus, while a manager was disinfecting the store, Newsweek reported.
There have been more than 44,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and more than 500 deaths in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The city of St. Louis announced its first death, a woman in her 30s, just yesterday.
Pfister was booked into the Warren County jail without bond. He has previous convictions for burglary, theft of a firearm, drug possession and driving while intoxicated.
Photo Credit: WARRENTON COUNTY POLICE