Covid-19 Pandemic
 Here’s the latest news from the global pandemic. China virus cluster spreads to Beijing as surge growsRepublicans roll out $1 billion virus stimulus package EU may backtrack again on border restriction easing Getting back to work is hard. Ask baseball. For employers trying to figure out the safest way to get their staffs back into the workplace, Major League Baseball offers a cautionary tale. On Monday, the U.S. baseball league was forced to pull the plug on two games after at least 14 players, coaches and staff on the Miami Marlins tested positive for Covid-19. The Marlins’ home opener in south Florida, a coronavirus hotspot in recent weeks, was canceled, while a matchup between the Phillies and New York Yankees in Philadelphia, where the Marlins had played on Sunday, was postponed. The development could be an ominous one for America’s pastime. A significant outbreak on one club could call into question the wisdom of proceeding with a truncated season days after it got underway. The league said it is doing more testing. Baseball has been aggressively testing its players and coaches to try to stage a 60-game season—102 games fewer than normal—featuring less travel, rule tweaks and expanded playoffs. The league had struggled to get going this year, with delayed test results holding up preparations for the season’s start. Also, some marquee talent elected to sit out, citing fear of infecting family members or of falling ill themselves. Still, the return of baseball was welcomed as a sign that the country could start edging back toward life as it was lived before Covid-19 changed everything this spring.  Marlins Park during an intrasquad game in Miami on July 17. Photographer: Mark Brown/Getty ImagesNow, the league’s struggles could be a sign of problems to come for other big employers eager to get back to some kind of normal. Some companies have had second thoughts about testing their own workers, partly out of concern over the expense. However, baseball’s outbreak is a warning that they might at minimum have no choice but to test. The failure to catch a Covid-19 outbreak in an office or on a factory floor would be costly and damaging. Other U.S. sports leagues, including the National Basketball Association, have taken a more aggressive approach to quarantining players, placing them in “bubbles” isolated from the rest of the world. But few business would be able to take such extreme measures to protect their workforces. And few workforces are as healthy as a group as professional athletes. Some employers have decided they aren’t willing to take the chance. Google doesn’t plan to bring its workers back to the office before July 2021. The search giant’s decision could set a new standard of caution for big companies that are weighing whether to try to bring workers back en masse. Google’s move is a recognition that the costs of going back to the office too early could be high. Baseball’s struggle is a demonstration of how quickly something could go very wrong, even under tightly controlled circumstances.—Tim Annett Latest podcast A Vaccine Won’t Create Instant Immunity A vaccine is hard, but that is only part of the challenge. Once we do, the new problem is getting it to billions of people. Brendan Murray explains how difficult it will be for the global supply chain to distribute the drug.  Sponsored Content by Siemens America’s factories, power plants, transportation and hospitals all need technology and our technology is only as powerful as the people deploying and maintaining it. Keeping America moving takes more than technology alone. It takes a human touch. Siemens Ingenuity for life. What you should read Google Allows Working from Home Until July 2021 Facebook, Amazon have also pushed office openings to next year. China’s Bat Researcher Demands Trump Apology Virus expert fires back at accusations of lab leak in Science interview. Pfizer-BioNTech Start Late-Stage Vaccine Study Companies set October as goal for seeking regulatory review. Mask Boosters Cite Plane Study in Mandate Push Lawmakers, unions at odds with Trump administration on masks. World Economic Recovery Under Threat by Virus Global rebound rests on how quickly consumer confidence is restored. Know someone else who would like this newsletter? Have them sign up here. Have any questions, concerns, or news tips on Covid-19 news? Get in touch or help us cover the story. Like this newsletter? Subscribe for unlimited access to trusted, data-based journalism in 120 countries around the world and gain expert analysis from exclusive daily newsletters, The Bloomberg Open and The Bloomberg Close. Follow Us Get the newsletter You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg’s Coronavirus Daily newsletter. Unsubscribe | Bloomberg.com | Contact Us Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022 |
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