GameStop to employees: wrap your hands in plastic bags and go back to work
This is how far a business is willing to go to generate revenue during the coronavirus pandemic.
GameStop, the video game retailer, sent employees in Massachusetts back to work on Friday — despite the statewide order shutting down all nonessential businesses. But instead of allowing customers inside, the store is doing curbside pickup, and employees have been given a set of specific and highly unusual instructions to let people pay at the door, according to a manager at a local store.
Workers have been told to wrap a plastic bag around one hand to protect it from exposure to the virus, open the door a crack, and take the customer’s credit card, the manager said. Employees are then to run the card with a hand still encased in the bag, flip the bag inside out, leaving the card inside, put the purchase in the bag, and hand it back through the door.
Customers can also order and pay for products online and pick them up at the door.
The instructions e-mailed from a district leader to managers on Monday almost seemed like a prank, said the 24-year-old manager, who asked to remain anonymous because he feared retaliation.
The message, titled “Chip card best practices,” says: “Lightly (you want to be able to get it off easily) tape a Game Stop plastic bag over your hand and arm. Do not open the door all the way —keep the glass between you and the guest’s face — just reach out your arm.”
“It’s like they’re an animal or a pet,” said the manager.
The manager said it was “infuriating” that he is being sent to work at a video game store and and being told to protect himself with a plastic bag while a pandemic is raging.
“I have to make a choice between doing a job that nobody needs during a pandemic and not being paid, and possibly infecting people or being infected,” he said. “We know for a fact the disease is contagious even when you’re asymptomatic.”
GameStop is not considered an essential service, according to the state, and is not allowed to offer curbside pickup. Violators may face criminal penalties or a civil fine of $300 per violation. The manager said the district leader explicitly told him that the store had permission from the state to open.
GameStop did not respond to questions about allowing payments at the door and instructing employees to wrap plastic bags around their hands. The company also did not address the fact that its services are not considered essential in Massachusetts. Employees who answered the phone at several area stores confirmed that customers could come to the store and pay with credit cards.
In a statement, the company said: “With employee and customer safety as our paramount concern, all our stores remain closed to customer access, including those in Massachusetts. We are processing orders on a digital basis through our new curbside Delivery@Door shipping service. Only employees may enter our stores at this time. Importantly, all GameStop employees have been assured that they do not have to work if they are not comfortable, or need to stay home to care for a family member. While GameStop is best known as a provider of gaming and home entertainment systems, we also offer a wide array of products and devices that are important to facilitate remote work, distance learning, and virtual connectivity.”
More than 15 states have ordered nonessential businesses to close, each with their own definition of what services are still allowed. Among those allowed to remain open around the country: liquor stores, bicycle shops, a candy manufacturer, gun sellers, and golf courses.
A number of businesses with tenuous claims to being essential have also been keeping their doors open. Dog groomers in Massachusetts are grabbing on to the exception in the state’s nonessential business shutdown order for “organizations and workers responsible for the care and custody of animals, pets and livestock,” according to Cheryl Purcell, a dog breeder and groomer in Hanover who shut down her business.
Pet grooming is not considered essential in Massachusetts, the state said.
On Sunday, GameStop started limiting its operations to online sales and curbside pickups, and business was booming, said the manager, who worked Monday and said it was busier than he expected it to be. On a conference call discussing Sunday sales, store leaders kept saying, “we earned $2 million in one day,” said the manager, who wasn’t sure how many stores that involved.
After the state shutdown order went into effect Tuesday, stores were shut down for several days before reopening on Friday for curbside pickup, according to the manager.
GameStop, which is based in Grapevine, Texas, and operates more than 5,500 stores worldwide, according to its website, has been struggling in recent years as gamers increasingly play online. The company announced in September that it was closing up to 200 stores by the end of last year, according to news reports, and on Friday, it said sales declined 26 percent last quarter on a same-store basis.
But GameStop chief executive George Sherman said on Thursday that with millions of Americans stuck at home for the past few weeks, demand for video games had increased. “The COVID-19 outbreak has led to changes in how consumers work, play, and learn,” he said in a statement. “While still early, we are pleased with the progress we have made to date in our initiatives to stabilize, optimize, and transform the business.”
Material from Globe wire services was used in this report.
Photo Credit: Erin Clark/Globe Staff
Netflix N’ Chill Saturday Crip Camp: A Disabled Revolution
We must acknowledge those that came before us !! Because of these outstanding Individuals who just happen to have physical disabilities I and was and am able to thrive. And open the doors for this generation of disabled people!!
NJ Cops break up third wedding amid state’s large gathering ban
New Jersey cops broke up another wedding in violation of the state’s ban on large gatherings amid the coronavirus outbreak — the third in less than two weeks, police said.
Cops responding to the scene of a car accident Thursday afternoon in Lakewood spotted two vans pulling up with would-be wedding guests on Wayne Street, Capt. Gregory Staffordsmith said.
“The officers then noticed that a nearby backyard had a party tent set up,” Staffordsmith wrote in an email.
It’s unclear how many people were at the wedding, but cops dispersed the crowd and issued a criminal complaint for maintaining a nuisance to the homeowner, William Katzenstein, who is due in court next month, police said.
Lakewood Mayor Raymond Coleshas also ordered cops to impound the tent, tables and chairs used during the celebration, News 12 New Jersey reports.
Attempts to reach Katzenstein, 39, early Friday were unsuccessful. His wife, Cheryl, confirmed the family had planned the affair at their home but declined further comment.
The wedding marked the third time cops in Lakewood had to break up a wedding for violating social distance guidelines during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Cops sent guests home from two affairs on March 17 while reminding staffers at the Fountain Ballroom and Lake Terrace of Gov. Phil Murphy’s ban on gatherings with 50 guests or more.
More than 6,800 New Jersey residents have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Friday, including 389 people in Ocean County, state health data shows. Of those, 198 cases are in Lakewood, according to the Ocean County Health Department.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/03/27/nj-cops-break-up-third-wedding-amid-states-large-gathering-ban/
Photo Credit: Google Maps
Condom shortage looms as coronavirus shuts down production
It’s time to take matters into your own hands. A week after New York City sent out a health announcement asking citizens to masturbate and avoid “rim jobs” during social isolation for the coronavirus, another crisis has hit our sexy times.
According to the Guardian, a global shortage of condoms is looming after the coronavirus lockdown forced the world’s biggest producer to shut down production.
Malaysia’s Karex Bhd, which makes one in every five condoms globally, has been shut down for a week as the Malaysian government imposes factory lockdowns to stop the spread of the pandemic.
The company, which is marketed in the States by Durex, was “given permission to restart production on Friday, but with only 50% of its workforce, under a special exemption for critical industries.”
“It will take time to jumpstart factories and we will struggle to keep up with demand at half capacity,” the chief executive, Goh Miah Kiat, told the paper.
“We are going to see a global shortage of condoms everywhere, which is going to be scary. My concern is that for a lot of humanitarian programs … in Africa, the shortage will not just be two weeks or a month. That shortage can run into months.”
via: https://nypost.com/2020/03/28/condom-shortage-looms-as-coronavirus-shuts-down-production/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Gay men still not allowed to give blood as US desperately needs donors
(WHO-DT/CNN/Meredith) — Many blood banks are getting low on inventory because social distancing is keeping donors away.
That’s shining a new spotlight on a regulation that prevents a large group of willing volunteers from helping – gay men.
For decades, the FDA has ruled that men who have had sex with other men in the last 12 months cannot give blood. The stigma behind that marginalized group is that they may transfer HIV to other patients by giving blood.
Keenan Crow with OneIowa, a nonprofit that helps the Iowa LGBTQ community, said this is not backed up by science but is just a stigma.
“It’s much more likely that you’ll be struck by lightning than receive HIV in a blood transfusion due to all these testing advancements,” Crow said.
In the middle of a pandemic, Iowa’s blood supply is plummeting – like all states in the US. Danielle West with Lifeserve Blood Center said because schools and businesses are closed, they’ve canceled many blood drives and have lost out on 1,300 donations. Each donation could potentially save three lives, meaning 3,900 lives are already impacted by the lack of donations.
Lifeserve Blood Center is the only provider of blood for hospitals in central Iowa.
While Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has recommended Iowans stay home, Lifeserve is making sure giving blood is still safe. They’re keeping the beds at least six feet apart and asking additional health screening questions. They’re also only taking donors by appointment, no walk-ins.
When their country needs them, many gay men remain willing but not able. It’s estimated that 360,000 gay men nationwide would donate blood if the ban was lifted.
Photo Credit: kmov.com
Transgender woman fatally stabbed in the neck in Harlem; friend believes she was killed over a wig
A transgender woman was fatally stabbed in the neck in a Harlem park early Saturday by a suspect who fled the scene on a motor scooter, police said.
Cops were called to Harlem River Park near the corner of E. 128th St. and Third Ave. about 1:30 a.m. to find the 33-year-old victim sprawled on the ground, bleeding from a gaping wound in the neck, officials said.
Medics rushed the victim to Harlem Hospital, but doctors were unable to save her.
Witnesses told police that the woman was sitting a bench at the athletic field when her attacker stormed up and started arguing with her. As the two fought, the suspect pulled out a blade and knifed her in the neck before speeding off on scooter.
A gruesome blood trail that started on the bench and ended several feet away was still visible Saturday morning.
Friend Lavonia Brooks said the victim, nicknamed “Lexi,” was a prostitute who may have been attacked by another transgender streetwalker.
Earlier in the night, Lexi ripped a wig off another transgender woman, Brooks explained.
“What happened last night was uncalled for,” Brooks said. “It was all over a wig, a f—— wig.
“She did her thing at the park and stuff, but she mostly stayed to herself,” said Brooks, remembering Lexi’s love of poetry, fashion and makeup. “I really looked up to her because of her tolerance and respect. Lexi had a beautiful heart, she was very gifted.”
Cops were scouring the park and surrounding streets Saturday for surveillance footage of the attack that could help them identify the suspect.
No arrests have been made.
Photo Credit: Theodore Parisienne/for New York Daily News
90-year-old coronavirus survivor in Washington credits God and potato soup for her recovery
A potato a day helps keep the coronavirus at bay.
While the Centers for Disease control has repeatedly stressed that there is no known cure for COVID-19, 90-year-old Geneva Wood developed a regiment she credits with helping her stave off the illness: God and homemade potato soup.
Wood, a mother of five, spent the start of 2020 recovering from a stroke at Life Care Center, a nursing home in Washington State once at the heart of the U.S. coronavirus outbreak, according to ABC News. Thirty-five residents diagnosed with the illness died in the weeks after the virus first emerged there.
Just days before her scheduled release, Wood fell and broke her hip and two days later, on March 6, she was diagnosed COVID-19, according to one of her daughters, Cami Neidigh.
Wood’s family rushed to the facility to see her, but were only allowed to visit in a limited capacity. After 11 days of treatment, the rule changed and they were no longer allowed inside her room at all.
That’s when Neidigh decided to whip up the family’s beloved homemade potato soup as a means to cheer up her ailing mother. They stored a batch in the hospital refrigerator and then got permission to bring the treat from home to Wood’s door.
“She had gone about a week without eating and once we were able to get her some soup and once she was able to see us through the window, she really rallied. It’s her comfort food,” she said.
“Mom has told me that her mother taught her to make it when she was a kid. Anytime she gets sick, what she survives on is her potato soup. It has protein and everything she wants and it doesn’t upset her stomach and calms her down.”
Wood has since been cleared of the virus and hugged her family for the first time last week. She has a residual cough due to lung damage, but is otherwise recovering and healthy.
“I beat the coronavirus,” Wood told “Good Morning America.”
“I have a lot to live for, and God gave me the strength to do it.”
Photo Credit: nydailynew.com
How to clean a sponge so that it is free from germs and viruses
Janilyn Hutchings, a certified professional in food safety and a food scientist for StateFoodSafety, says about sponges: “If they’re dirty, they can spread germs to everything they touch, from dishes and utensils to the kitchen counter and appliances.”
Why you should clean a sponge regularly
Yeast, mold, bacteria: All sorts of germs can make your sponges smelly, or worse.
A 2017 study found that fecal coliform bacteria lurks in 44 percent of kitchens, often in sponges and dishcloths. This E. Coli bacteria can be harmless, but certain strains may cause diarrhea, cramps and vomiting. In fact, a study conducted in Japan found that kitchen sponges were second only to drain traps when it came to the highest levels of bacterial contamination in the house.
Your sponge might also harbor other types of bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus or Campylobacter, which can also cause diarrhea. You’re probably more than ready to clean that sponge now, right? Jennifer Quinlan, PhD, professor in Drexel University’s Department of Nutrition Sciences, says don’t wait.
“The general recommendation is to just do it daily,” Quinlan says.
Methods of cleaning sponges
The USDA’s ARS Food Technology and Safety Laboratory has found that two methods work to disinfect a kitchen sponge and make it safe to use again:
Dishwasher: If you run the dishwasher every night before you head off to bed, Quinlan suggests just tossing the kitchen sponge on the top shelf and turning on the dishwasher. The heat disinfects the sponge and your dishes at the same time.
Microwave: “You basically dampen it, you make sure it’s wet, put it in the microwave and you microwave it for a minute,” says Quinlan. “You’ll see steam coming off of it.” Again, the heat is the hero here. But this method isn’t foolproof, so check out this article on how to do it properly.
According to the USDA, these two methods are 99 percent effective in killing off bacteria present in sponges. “It’s really that simple,” says Quinlan.
The following are methods not recommended:
Hot soapy water: Hot tap water won’t be hot enough to get rid of the germs, according to Quinlan. You could boil water on the stove and soak your sponge in that, but only if you don’t have a microwave or dishwasher.
Bleach bath: Heat is more effective than bleach for this purpose, according to Quinlan. “It’s the heat that kills the pathogens,” says Quinlan. Plus, if you try to bleach your sponges, the bleach doesn’t always work its way through the entire sponge. And you risk leaving bleach behind and potentially getting onto food prep surfaces and food.
When to throw your sponge out
At some point, you should just throw the sponge away. Two weeks is a pretty good lifespan for a typical kitchen sponge, says Hutchings.
“Replacing it at least every two weeks will keep the bacteria from spreading and growing, making you sick if you use it,” she says. “You should also replace them if they smell funny and you can’t get rid of the odor, or if they start breaking apart.”
A 2017 study suggests that cleaning your kitchen sponges doesn’t really kill the bacteria as well as you’d think anyway. You might just be better off replacing your sponges each week than trying to clean them.
Via: https://lovelyti.com/?
NJ shuts down party during coronavirus crisis, charges party host
New Jersey police shut down a party involving nearly 50 people as authorities try to tamp down large gatherings that could spread the coronavirus, officials said Saturday.
Members of the Ewing Township Police Department broke up the party on Friday night after finding 47 people, including a DJ, crammed into a 550-square-foot space, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy posted on Facebook.
“The organizer was charged as they should have been and deserved to be,” Murphy posted.
Further details of the party and police response were not disclosed. A call to the Ewing Township Police Department for information was not returned.
“This is not a game,” Murphy said about the police action and the rapidly spreading disease that is ravaging the nation. “Stay home. Be smart.”
Murphy said that 11,124 New Jersey residents had tested positive for the coronavirus as of 1:30 p.m. Saturday. So far, 140 people in the state have died.
New Jersey saw 2,289 COVID-19 cases pop up in the state in the last 24 hours.
Sickened residents seemed to be clustered in Bergen and Essex counties, which had 1,838 and 1,086 cases respectively, officials said.
Photo Credit: nydailynews.com
SCAM ALERT: Fake coronavirus stimulus checks are already hitting mailboxes
(WFLA/CNN/Meredith) — When it comes to scams, experts say if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
One man in Florida says there’s a scam going around you need to know about – fake coronavirus relief checks.
Thomas Andrews got one in the mail Thursday.
From the outside, the fake check looks official, including words like “time-sensitive,” “fast-tracked,” “open immediately” and “do not bend.” The check was for more than $3,000.
Luckily for Andrews, he knew it was suspicious. Stimulus checks to many Americans are a major component of the massive coronavirus relieve bill signed by President Donald Trump on Friday. But Andrews knew there’s no way the checks could be in the mail yet (it may take weeks or even months), so he is giving people a heads up on Facebook. Plus, $3,000 is more money than any American will be getting.
“I wanted to post it as soon as I could because I know that some people, like my grandma, would have fallen for stuff like that,” Andrews said.
Along with the check is a letter telling people to come claim their stimulus incentives over the next week. Andrews’ check showed an address in Bushnell, Florida that was connected to a used car lot.
Photo Credit: kmov.com