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Another NY record set as COVID cases continue surge

NEW YORK – “New York City is ready, we need you to be ready too.”

That was Mayor Bill de Blasio’s message at a press conference on Sunday afternoon as he addressed the ongoing spike in COVID-19 cases in New York City.

De Blasio announced that New York City was reporting another 5,731 positive COVID-19 tests and that he was expecting to see the omicron variant drive a continuing surge in cases over the next few weeks before fading away.

“A really, really shocking figure and one that will keep growing undoubtedly,” de Blasio said.

Later on Sunday, New York broke its own record for a third straight day, reporting 22,478 positive COVID tests in a single day.

“This is not March of 2020. We are not defenseless,” Hochul tweeted. “People across the state are doing the right thing by getting vaccinated, getting boosted, and wearing their masks. Do your part to keep your neighbors safe. Get your vaccine or booster today.”

“We expect omicron to be a fast and temporary phenomenon,” de Blasio said. “We expect these next weeks to see a very, very big surge in cases.”

“Vaccination remains vital, even against omicron,” said Dr. Dave Chokshi New York City’s health commissioner. “Get your booster right now.”

According to the latest data from the city’s Health Department, just over 70% of the city’s residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. About 90% of adults and about 80% of all residents have received at least one vaccine dose.

De Blasio also said the city was going to “double down” on vaccination mandate enforcement. The city will also be significantly increasing testing capacity, distributing high-quality masks across the city, and distributing more at-home tests at high-volume sites. 

The mayor and health officials announced Thursday the city would give out 1 million free N95 masks and 500,000 free at-home tests, to be distributed through community organizations. On Sunday they said eight new fixed-site testing sites and 17 new mobile units would be opened by this week, bringing the city’s totals to 36 fixed sites and 93 mobile units, with more anticipated.

City health officials also said that New Yorkers who are over the age of 65 or are immunocompromised should rethink attending large gatherings over the next few weeks, while Dr. Chokshi advised planning holiday celebrations around the most vulnerable person in any group.

RELATED: COVID surge forces 10 Broadway shows to cancel performances

The omicron surge has hit the entertainment industry in New York City hard, forcing as many as 10 Broadway shows to suspend performances due to positive COVID tests and causing Saturday Night Live to shoot their holiday episode without an audience, musical guest, or most of the cast and crew. 

De Blasio also said that a decision would be made by Christmas about whether this year’s Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration would be held as usual.

“This is an all vaccination event, and it is outdoors and those are two very, very important, favorable factors,” de Blasio said.

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50 Most Popular Restaurants That Won’t Reopen After The Pandemic

When cities and states around the country began imposing lockdowns and closing places of business in March, most restaurateurs probably assumed that they’d be taking only a temporary break. With that in mind, many tried — with varying degrees of success — to keep going in the interim with takeout and delivery services. As the lockdown stretched on and on, though, even those who had been able to struggle through the crisis began to wonder if they’d ever be able to recover financially from months of lost or diminished business.

Even as restaurants were gradually allowed to reopen for outdoor and limited indoor service, many found it impossible to break even. And when jurisdictions that had eased the rules for dining out were forced to reimpose them as COVID-19 cases spiked in various parts of the country, many operators simply gave up. (These are states where recently reopened bars and dining rooms are closing again.)

As with so much else related to the pandemic, the restaurant landscape changes constantly. According to the trade newsletter Restaurant Dive, “Unlike retail, restaurant closures have fluctuated from March through July based on the rapidly evolving and disparate mandates that have been put into place at local levels.”

At one stage, food service business analysts predicted that major chains might have a better chance of surviving shutdowns and capacity restrictions than independents. This doesn’t appear to have been the case, with such enterprises as TFI Fridays, Denny’s, IHOP, and Dunkin’ shutting down numerous units, and standbys like California Pizza Kitchen declaring bankruptcy.

Independent restaurants are being affected even more, however. According to a study conducted for the Independent Restaurant Coalition, as many as 85% of the nation’s smaller restaurant groups and individual establishments might close permanently by the end of 2020. With a leadership team that includes such culinary stars as José Andrés, Tom Colicchio, Andrew Zimmern, and Nancy Silverton, the Coalition is an organization of hundreds of independent operators dedicated to trying to save America’s restaurant industry.

Pointing out that their industry employs some 11 million people, the Coalition is currently lobbying Congress to pass a $120 billion bailout bill for small and medium-size restaurants. Whether or not they are successful, it is obvious that restaurants are among the small businesses that need the most help during the COVID-19 crisis.

Meanwhile, some of the country’s most popular eating places — including everything from decades-old institutions to newcomers that were smash hits before the pandemic hit — have been transitioning from temporary to permanent closure with alarming speed. Even celebrity chefs on the order of Andrés, Wolfgang Puck, Thomas Keller, David Chang, and Daniel Boulud have been victims of the pandemic’s brutal impact.

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Details emerge after woman found alive in body bag at funeral home

A 20-year-old Michigan woman who was declared dead by paramedics and placed in a body bag for nearly three hours was discovered alive when a funeral home employee unzipped the bag and found her staring up at him, a lawyer for the woman’s family said.

Timesha Beauchamp, who’s suffered from cerebral palsy since birth, was in critical condition and on a respirator Tuesday afternoon at Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit, her family’s lawyer, Geoffrey Fieger, said during a Zoom news conference.

“When the body bag was opened and they were getting ready to embalm the body, Timesha’s eyes were open and she was breathing,” Fieger said.

Fieger said that shortly after Beauchamp was declared dead, her godmother, Savannah Spears, a registered nurse, told paramedics and police officers that she saw Beauchamp move and thought she detected a faint pulse.

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While the US Postal Service fights for its life financially, 2,000 of its workers are in quarantine and dozens have tested positive for the coronavirus

The US Postal Service is in crisis, with lawmakers warning that plunging mail volumes could shut it down by June without “urgent” financial help — threatening everything from critical medicine deliveries and vote by mail to a third of Amazon orders.

But the crisis is far more than financial. The National Association of Letter Carriers, the union representing USPS city carriers, said 51 USPS employees had tested positive for COVID-19 as of Wednesday. On top of that, nearly 2,000 were in quarantine.

“As the number of confirmed positive coronavirus cases have increased throughout the general public, so too have been the number of postal employees who have tested positive,” a statement from the union’s president, Fredric Rolando, read. “About half of the postal employees are quarantined by order of public health officials and half have chosen to self-quarantine.”

The union announced the coronavirus-related death of New York City carrier Rakkhon Kim, who was 50, on Thursday.

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A Connecticut doctor has been charged after authorities said he deliberately coughed on his coworkers

A doctor at the University of Connecticut Health Center was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor for coughing and hugging coworkers, local news outlets reported.

Cory Edgar, 48, is an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the UConn Musculoskeletal Institute. Witnesses told WTNH that Edgar intentionally coughed on two other medical workers and disregarded coronavirus safety measures.

“The involved doctor has confirmed that he is in excellent health and does not to his knowledge have COVID-19,” Jennifer Walker, a UConn Health spokesperson told Business Insider in a statement.

“We can also state that any UConn Health employee with an indication of illness is asked to stay home, and during this pandemic, all employees are screened for symptoms prior to entering the premises,” she added.

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Assistant principal accused of raping 16-year-old avoids jail

An assistant principal charged with raping a 16-year-old student in Missouri has avoided jail time by accepting an Alford plea, allowing her to assert innocence while acknowledging the evidence proves her guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

Elizabeth Giesler, who served as the assistant principal of Ste. Genievieve Middle school in eastern Missouri prior to the indictment, accepted the Alford plea earlier this week, according to court records.

Rather than serving jail time, Giesler reportedly agreed to serve two years probation, as well as voluntarily surrender her teacher’s license.

The 39-year-old assistant principal was charged with sexual contact with a student, statutory sodomy and statutory rape in 2018, The Kansas City Star reported.

The unidentified student told police about three sexual encounters he had with Giesler, including one reported instance at the assistant principal’s home when she performed oral sex on the child.

His father told local news channel KTV1 that Gielser acted as a mentor in the boy’s life.

“She talked to us about my son and stuff like this,” he said, “what she can do for him through life, you know, give him a better life.”

He added: “She was going to try to make sure he got on the right path.”

The middle school where Giesler was employed also told the news channel that she had been placed on leave pending the results of the investigation.

Ste. Genevieve County prosecuting attorney Wayne Williams defended the Alford plea in a statement to the Daily Journal, saying he considered her lack of a criminal record and how she would no longer be able to work in schools after surrendering her teacher’s license.

“Some people might not understand the bargain that was struck in this case unless they really understand what she had to give up voluntarily to get that bargain,” Mr Williams said.

He added: “That was basically her livelihood, and she had to surrender that.”

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Girl, 15, killed by bus ‘was looking down at her phone’

A teenager died after walking in front of a bus while distracted by her mobile phone.

Sian Ellis, 15, suffered fatal injuries when she was hit by a red double-decker Volvo bus outside her school in Leicestershire on 28 January, 2019.

Driver Michael John Parker had no valid licence or insurance and only had a provisional driving licence.

The 62-year-old, of Baker Street, was fined £120 and handed a four-year driving ban at Leicester Magistrates’ Court in September, after pleading guilty to several driving offences. 

Detective Constable John Borlase, of the force’s serious collision investigation unit, said Parker had not been charged with death by dangerous driving because “there was no carelessness in his driving that actually caused the collision”.

An inquest at Loughborough Coroner’s Court has concluded Sian died as a result of a “road traffic collision”.

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Victoria’s Secret Executive Accused of Sexually Harassing Models and Employees

Victoria’s Secret defined femininity for millions of women. Its catalog and fashion shows were popular touchstones. For models, landing a spot as an “Angel” all but guaranteed international stardom.

But inside the company, two powerful men presided over an entrenched culture of misogyny, bullying and harassment, according to interviews with more than 30 current and former executives, employees, contractors and models, as well as court filings and other documents.

Ed Razek, for decades one of the top executives at L Brands, the parent company of Victoria’s Secret, was the subject of repeated complaints about inappropriate conduct. He tried to kiss models. He asked them to sit on his lap. He touched one’s crotch ahead of the 2018 Victoria’s Secret fashion show.

Executives said they had alerted Leslie Wexner, the billionaire founder and chief executive of L Brands, about his deputy’s pattern of behavior. Some women who complained faced retaliation. One model, Andi Muise, said Victoria’s Secret had stopped hiring her for its fashion shows after she rebuffed Mr. Razek’s advances.

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Christians ‘persecuted even after death’ as China cracks down on religious funerals: report

China‘s Communist Party appears to be restricting religious freedom by cracking down on Christian funerals, in one case arresting a family member mid-service, according to a watchdog group.

The news comes as even more regulations against religion, requiring complete devotion to the Chinese Communist Party, go into effect Saturday.

CHINA IMPOSES HARSH NEW RULES GOVERNING RELIGIOUS GROUPS IN 2020

“China is resurrecting the ‘God as the government state,’ and we’re all threatened by it — atheists, Jews, Christians — everyone,” David Curry, the president and CEO of Open Doors USA, told Fox News.

WUHAN, CHINA PASTOR PENS LETTER ON HOW ‘THE CHURCH SHOULD FACE’ CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

A grieving daughter who is part of the church was arrested in Wuhan, the capital of the province of Hubei where the coronavirus was first detected, while her family was planning her mother’s funeral in October. She was reportedly released two days later, only after the funeral — which prohibited any Christian customs or rituals the family requested — had been held.

“When my father died, village officials threatened to arrest us if we didn’t conduct a secular funeral,” a villager in Henan told Bitter Winter, a magazine covering religious liberty and human rights in China. “We did not dare to go against them. My father had been a believer for several decades. He is persecuted even after death.”

CHRISTIANS SEE ‘ALARMING’ TREND WORLDWIDE AS CHINA BUILDS ‘BLUEPRINT OF PERSECUTION’

Government officials and policemen accused churchgoers of spreading “religious propaganda” for planning a religious funeral for a well-known preacher in the region.

“Officials said that state laws prohibit religious funerals,” a Three-Self church member said. “We even didn’t set up a cross on the tomb.”

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New regulations that went into effect in December in a city in Zhejiang “get rid of bad funeral customs and establish a scientific, civilized, and economical way of funerals…clerical personnel are not allowed to participate in funerals” and “no more than ten family members of the deceased are allowed to read scriptures or sing hymns in a low voice.”

The Trump Administration has criticized China for its treatment of Muslims and Christians and has called on other countries to join in condemnation of human rights abuses.

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Deaths rise to 132 in China outbreak as foreigners leave

BEIJING (AP) — Countries on Wednesday began evacuating their citizens from the Chinese city hardest-hit by an outbreak of a new virus that has killed 132 people and infected more than 6,000 on the mainland and abroad.

China’s latest figures cover the previous 24 hours and add 26 to the number of deaths, 25 of which were in the Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan. The 5,974 cases on the mainland were a rise of 1,459 from the previous day. Dozens of infections of the new type of coronavirus have been confirmed outside mainland China as well.

Earlier in the morning, a plane carrying Americans who had been in Wuhan left for Anchorage, Alaska, where they will be rescreened for the virus. Hospitals are prepared to treat or quarantine people who may be infected. Then the plane is scheduled to fly to Ontario, California.

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