It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Owner and President of Liffey Van Lines, Daniel Moloney.

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NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials on Monday cut isolation restrictions for asymptomatic Americans who catch the coronavirus from 10 to five days, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said the guidance is in keeping with growing evidence that people with the coronavirus are most infectious in the two days before and three days after symptoms develop.

The decision also was driven by a recent surge in COVID-19 cases, propelled by the omicron variant.

Early research suggests omicron may cause milder illnesses than earlier versions of the coronavirus. But the sheer number of people becoming infected — and therefore having to isolate or quarantine — threatens to crush the ability of hospitals, airlines and other businesses to stay open, experts say.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the country is about to see a lot of omicron cases.

“Not all of those cases are going to be severe. In fact many are going to be asymptomatic,” she told The Associated Press on Monday. “We want to make sure there is a mechanism by which we can safely continue to keep society functioning while following the science.”

Last week, the agency loosened rules that previously called on health care workers to stay out of work for 10 days if they test positive. The new recommendations said workers could go back to work after seven days if they test negative and don’t have symptoms. And the agency said isolation time could be cut to five days, or even fewer, if there are severe staffing shortages.

Now, the CDC is changing the isolation and quarantine guidance for the general public to be even less stringent.

The change is aimed at people who are not experiencing symptoms. People with symptoms during isolation, or who develop symptoms during quarantine, are encouraged to stay home.

The CDC’s isolation and quarantine guidance has confused the public, and the new recommendations are “happening at a time when more people are testing positive for the first time and looking for guidance,” said Lindsay Wiley, an American University public health law expert.

Nevertheless, the guidance continues to be complex.

ISOLATION

The isolation rules are for people who are infected. They are the same for people who are unvaccinated, partly vaccinated, fully vaccinated or boosted.

They say:

—The clock starts the day you test positive.

—An infected person should go into isolation for five days, instead of the previously recommended 10.

—At the end of five days, if you have no symptoms, you can return to normal activities but must wear a mask everywhere — even at home around others — for at least five more days.

—If you still have symptoms after isolating for five days, stay home until you feel better and then start your five days of wearing a mask at all times.

QUARANTINE

The quarantine rules are for people who were in close contact with an infected person but not infected themselves.

For quarantine, the clock starts the day someone is alerted they may have been exposed to the virus.

Previously, the CDC said people who were not fully vaccinated and who came in close contact with an infected person should stay home for at least 10 days.

Now the agency is saying only people who got booster shots can skip quarantine if they wear masks in all settings for at least 10 days.

That’s a change. Previously, people who were fully vaccinated — which the CDC has defined as having two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine — could be exempt from quarantine.

Now, people who got their initial shots but not boosters are in the same situation as those who are partly vaccinated or are not vaccinated at all: They can stop quarantine after five days if they wear masks in all settings for five days afterward.

FIVE DAYS

Suspending both isolation and quarantine after five days is not without risk.

A lot of people get tested when they first feel symptoms, but many Americans get tested for others reasons, like to see if they can visit family or for work. That means a positive test result may not reveal exactly when a person was infected or give a clear picture of when they are most contagious, experts say.

When people get infected, the risk of spread drops substantially after five days, but it does not disappear for everyone, said Dr. Aaron Glatt, a New York physician who is a spokesman for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

“If you decrease it to five days, you’re still going to have a small but significant number of people who are contagious,” he said.

That’s why wearing masks is a critical part of the CDC guidance, Walensky said.

VARYING RECOMMENDATIONS

The new CDC guidance is not a mandate; it’s a recommendation to employers and state and local officials. Last week, New York state said it would expand on the CDC’s guidance for health care workers to include employees who have other critical jobs that are facing a severe staffing shortage.

It’s possible other states will seek to shorten their isolation and quarantine policies, and CDC is trying to get out ahead of the shift. “It would be helpful to have uniform CDC guidance” that others could draw from, rather than a mishmash of policies, Walensky said.

Given the timing with surging case counts, the update “is going to be perceived as coming in response to pressure from business interests,” Wiley said. But some experts have been calling for the change for months, because shorter isolation and quarantine periods appeared to be sufficient to slow the spread, she said.

The move by CDC follows a decision last week by U.K. officials to reduce the self-isolation period for vaccinated people who test positive for COVID-19.

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The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

CREDIT:
By MIKE STOBBE - AP NEWS
December 27, 2021
https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-business-health-rochelle-walensky-d7d609c9c01e200d250df7ca7282c9d6

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Dear Participating Employers:

The deadline to submit the lump sum 2021 contribution authorization is November 1, 2021.

If you, the employer or managing agent on behalf of the employer, decide to voluntarily participate, then please complete your part of the “Additional SRSP Contribution Authorization Form”; and return the completed form to employerrelations@32bjfunds.com. If you decide not to participate you may disregard.

When completing the form:

• Check either Resident Manager or Superintendent
• Enter name of Resident Manager or Superintendent
• Enter Building Address and Name (if different)
• Select the Lump Sum Amount
• Enter Owner, Employer, Managing Agent and Address information as indicated on the form
• Check the Capacity (role as signatory)
• Signature of authorized signer (Please Print Name of Signatory)
• Will have to provide a new authorization each year if they want to continue make the additional SRSP contribution

Incomplete forms cannot be accepted.

Employer participation is voluntary but cannot be changed for a calendar year once the authorization is submitted to the SRSP.

If you have additional questions you may contact the Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations, Inc. (RAB) or Employer Services at 212-388-3354.

Sincerely,

Building Service 32BJ Benefit Funds
Employer Services
212 388-3354
employerrelations@32bjfunds.com

Under a Memorandum of Agreement dated Sept. 30, 2021, between Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 32BJ and the Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations, Inc. (RAB), employer-members of the RAB may require that their building service employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Both employers and their employees must satisfy certain conditions if such a requirement is implemented.

Importantly, in the Memorandum, SEIU and RAB “fully and unequivocally encourage and support all individuals (including . . . employees, managers . . . ) to become fully vaccinated against COVID-19 . . .”

Armstrong Teasdale’s Cooperative and Condominium Law attorneys can help guide clients through the vaccine compliance requirements. In short, however:

• employers must inform their employees in writing that a vaccination mandate is being considered and request the employees’ status;
• employees must provide their vaccination status within one week. If they are vaccinated, a copy of the proof of vaccination shall be maintained separately from other employee information;
• employees who are unwilling to be vaccinated must provide their reason for refusing vaccination, including whether they are seeking an exemption in accordance with applicable law, including the Americans with Disabilities Act;
• no sooner than two weeks after an employer has requested vaccination status, it may provide notice to SEIU and all employees of its vaccination policy, and require that employees obtain the first shot of a two-shot vaccine or a single-dose vaccine no sooner than four weeks from the date of the notice. The second dose, if applicable, must be no less than eight weeks from the date of the notice; and
• an employee who is not entitled to an exemption, but who does not get vaccinated, may elect (a) to take an unpaid leave of absence for up to four months (and may return to their position upon being fully vaccinated) – however, if they are not vaccinated, the building is not required to take them back; or (b) to be put on a recall list through March 1, 2022, or six months from their last day of work (whichever is later) to be placed in the same or similar position at the same building to the extent positions become available, provided the employee becomes fully vaccinated or the building’s vaccination requirement is lifted. If the unvaccinated employee does not elect (a) or (b), above, the employee shall be separated from employment with a non-disciplinary termination, which shall not be deemed a voluntary separation nor a termination for misconduct.

If a resident manager or resident superintendent seeks a leave of absence, or to be placed on a recall list, the building may assert that a leave is not feasible due to coverage needs. There, the SEIU and employer shall meet to try and resolve the dispute and, if unable to do so, it shall be arbitrated on an expedited basis, i.e., within two weeks after the SEIU and employer were unable to come to agreement.

Prior to, or in lieu of, a vaccination mandate, employers may, upon one-week written notice to the SEIU and impacted employees, require that all unvaccinated employees, other than those approved for accommodations, undergo PCR testing on non-work time up to two times per week. Results must be submitted to their employer.

Armstrong Teasdale attorneys are actively monitoring and providing updates regarding the impact of COVID-19. For additional information, visit Armstrong Teasdale’s COVID-19 Resource Center.

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Ciaran Madden (center), the outgoing Consul General who is moving back to Ireland next month. Micky McCreesh (L) Board member and President Declan Moran (R) presented a Tiffany “Apple” on a custom glass base, as a commemoration of his time in NYC, and appreciation for the support and hospitality he has shown The Emerald Guild Society.

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Be part of New York's Safe reopening. Excelsior Pass provides a free, fast and secure way to present digital proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative test results.

You can store your Pass digitally on your smartphone with the Excelsior Pass Wallet app, available for free from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. You can also print your Pass from the Excelsior Pass website and bring it with you. Click here for details.