Omicron seems to be running though retail stores.

[Eko]

I manage a large retail store that is part of a chain. We do a good job of masking, hand sanitizing and social distancing as well as still have up the plexiglass to separate customers and employees when ringing them up. Regardless in this one store we have 2 people confirmed with covid, 1 more possible and 1 with exposure. Previously if we had one person with covid it was rare. Talking with the other store managers and the district manager we are not an exception and there are stores that have way more than us. My company does pretty well with precautions and takes care of its employees so please don't attack us. I bring this up to inform everyone of how virulent this strain is and to take precautions and to please treat retail workers with respect. Its been a hard almost 2 years and is even harder now.
Eko.

[Ms. Toad]

1. I doubt it's specific to retail stores.

Ohio has set records for new cases each of the last 3 days. Today is 33% higher than the last record high.

If you skim through the DU threads you'll see more positive tests reported here than anytime I can remember (either directly or family members).

When it explodes everywhere, it will also explode in retail.

[Eko]

2. I never implied it was.

But 2-4 people at your workplace when 1 was rare is a huge difference, wouldn't you say?

[Ms. Toad]

7. My point is that it is the same everwhere.

You seemed to be suggesting it was specifically heavy in retail. (The post said as much, and focused on the increase despite safety measures specific to retail)

[Eko]

9. Ok.

I said it was heavy in terms of previous infection rates, nothing more but it probably is more heavy in retail than some other businesses. Are you working now? If so have you seen a trend like this at your work place and if so would you like to also share?
Happy holidays.

[Ms. Toad]

14. I am working now -

in education - and we have had a dramatic increase in cases (including our first death). That's part of the reason I responded. The increase is running through every sector.

[Eko]

16. Probably not the CPA sector.

Yes, education is being hit hard as well as medical, retail and restaurants. We have had two deaths since this started so I know how that is and I am very sorry.
Eko.

[MyMission]

27. Your point about retail is valid, and significant because

We've seen outbreaks and spreads in settings where people congregate (indoors) for a period of time, schools, churches, parties, concerts, meetings, etc but have not seen it spread in retail until now. People are usually in and out of stores in less time, but perhaps more people spending more time shopping is what's causing it. Then again omicron is so much more contagious.

I work retail, and I've started to double mask, customers coming from all over, coughing, sneezing, sniffling, without masks! The quality of the masks we wear is very important with this new variant

And if CPAs start meeting with clients to get or review tax data and forms, we'll see it spread in that sector too.

[Hekate]

3. Thanks for the info, Eko. Stay safe. nt

[Eko]

4. Thanks Hekate,

you as well and happy holidays.

[soldierant]

31. Thak you for all of your precautions, and keep them up.

I know it's tough. But you are doing good work/+

[Tomconroy]

5. What state is this?

[Eko]

8. Im in Pa but

it seems to be happening in most states as we have stores in all of them.

[Tomconroy]

10. Thanks! Hope all goes well for you.

[Eko]

11. Thanks Tom,

Happy holidays and keep on keeponing!
Eko

[Demovictory9]

6. Thanks for update 😳

I hope things dont get worse

[Eko]

12. Same.

All my crew are awesome and,,,
Well,
Thanks.

[Eko]

15. Great questions!

Everyone is overworked at this time as we always are. Its even worse with so many people out due to being sick, covid or exposure. We spend at least an hour every day before opening disinfecting surfaces with wipes and sprays. Im the store manager so I make sure employees are wearing masks who need to, unfortunately we cant make the ones who are vaccinated wear one and we have had one breakthrough infection although mild thankfully.

[GP6971]

22. Welcome Back!! n/t

[BobTheSubgenius]

17. I remember being anxious to get my two shots...

...and how relieved I was when I passed the fortnight "activation" period. Numbers were coming down dramatically, and while "the end" was still a way off, it was obviously not just possible, but inevitable.

And now this. It's a gut punch, to say the least.

[Eko]

18. Gut punch is exactly the correct phrasing.

Hopefully this is the last but I fear it is not.

[BobTheSubgenius]

20. Totally with you there.

There is no reason to think it won't stop mutating. Maybe it will be like the Andromeda Strain and morph its way benignly into history. I'm guessing not.

[Eko]

25. At this point its a race.

Between enough people getting vaccinated as well as getting natural immunity (weak) and the virus possibly mutating into something worse. Its like 20 Norse gods throwing dice without a care and the first to get snake eyes decides the fate of the human race. Fun.

[BobTheSubgenius]

39. The "Fun." closing to your post reminded me of Marc Maron.

He has a comedy special on Netflix called End Times Fun. If you've not seen him and have the chance, I, for one, think he's very good. Definitely not your "Two huge Mexican transvestites walk into a bar" kind of comedy.

[Initech]

19. I just hope this is the last variant we have to deal with then it starts going away.

Fuck... I don't know how much more of this I can take.

[DallasNE]

23. People Are Careless

This evening I needed to go to the store for a half-dozen items and only about 10-15% of customers were wearing masks. Earlier in the day I noticed that the lines at the Covid-19 testing site a half-block from me had a constant line about 4 blocks long. What are people thinking?

[AllyCat]

26. We were in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota this past week.

Almost NO ONE wore masks. Made the same trip last year and EVERYONE in Minnesota wore one. Wisconsin not so much. I can see why it is running rampant.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

28. Thank you for this.

I have the wonderful good fortune to be long since retired and do not go out all that often. I also have the good fortune to live in northern New Mexico, where masking in retail stores is mandatory. I do see too many who let the mask drift below the nose, and if I were the smack fairy they would all get smacked, and smacked severely, but I digress.

For the most part, where I live the vast majority are masked, and at least half of them are masking correctly. I also have the good fortune to live alone, to be able to control my contacts with the outside world. Plus, I also have a very small circle of friends. It's a bit sad, but these days is a positive. I moved here in 2008 after a divorce, started a new life, made new friends, a couple of whom moved to other parts of the country several years ago. So my interactions with people really are limited.

In my normal life, I'm a science fiction person, and attend several s-f cons each year. None of which occurred in 2020, and most of which likewise did not occur in 2021. Back in October, MileHi, the science fiction con in Denver, CO, went back to a live con, and it was wonderful. This is one I've been attending for nearly a decade, and I have many friends there. Well. I got to see many people I had not seen in two years, and we were all delighted to reconnect.

Here's an interesting aside. The people I had already known, were easy to recognize behind the masks. I also met new people, who were also behind masks. In the bar or restaurant, I had no trouble recognizing my old, now unmasked friends. The new ones I'd only met masked? They were harder to recognize. Interesting.

Because I'm a science fiction person, I'll be attending my next s-f thing next month. COSine, in Colorado Springs. If anyone reading this is even remotely interesting, here's the appropriate link: https://www.firstfridayfandom.org/cosine/ I will offer, as an incentive to attend, Connie Willis will be there. If you are an s-f person and don't already know who she is, please do some research. And if you already know of her, but haven't yet met her, OMG! She is amazing. Totally down to earth, funny, ascerbic, opinionated, and well worth spending time with. Despite the fact she is far and away the most honored author ever, she has zero sense of self importance. She's incredibly approachable. Trust me.

[appalachiablue]

29. Thanx for the update & your hard work. Stay well.

[certainot]

30. even if people are not vaxxed if they are otherwise masked and sanitary they should be OK, right?

the important part may be - ? is particle size evading cloth masks? can it stay viable airborne or on surfaces longer? is it generally a lot more virulent so it takes a smaller dose to kill? and so on....

[yaesu]

33. I think it takes less of the virus to infect someone as previous variants which is one reason masks

good, better masks are important.

[hay rick]

32. Thanks for sharing your story. nt

[Silent3]

34. I had a weird experience at an Apple Store today due to COVID

My wife's iPad began to act a little odd yesterday, so I suddenly got the idea that I'd get her a new one for Christmas.

The Apple Store in a nearby mall was open... but not really.

I can't figure out why they didn't close completely. There was a group of three store employees standing behind a rope line, a couple of others back inside the store, and a couple of mall security guards standing in front of the rope line. They were simply there to tell people that they couldn't shop or even pick anything up because of COVID.

So why even have there employees there, albeit masked, standing shoulder-to-shoulder to tell you this? They should have just closed the store completely, and put of a sign explaining what was going on, if they'd really be struck that badly.

[Jon King]

35. There is zero chance of stopping Omicron.

Its simply not possible, sooner or later all of us will be exposed unless we live in complete isolation, it is simply that contagious. All we can do is be vaxxed and boosted. At this point its nice to try to slow the spread a bit so even though it is mild the hospitals are not overrun. But long term, all of us will be exposed to some variant of Covid as we are the cold and flu.

[Disaffected]

37. Probably but I think the best policy at this point is,

to isolate as much as possible until the Pfizer et al Covid anti-viral pills become widely available. Then, assuming catching it is inevitable, loosen up a bit.

[Disaffected]

36. It seems unnerving but,

I don't believe such a small increase in numbers is statistically significant, especially if you have a large number of employees ("large" department store). Sort of like the "cancer cluster" concerns that were not all that uncommon a few years ago.

[sir pball]

38. It's running amok in the restaurant industry

I'm currently in DC, but after two decades plus in the industry I have contacts from sea to shining sea and it's the same story from NYC to Miami to Chicago to Portland to the Bay - virtually everyone I know has at least one person out, either with symptoms or waiting for a test result...including my wife. And this is all with masks and constant airflow (ventilation hoods are actually a pretty good safety precaution).

The new protocol is generally to only put someone on leave if they're positive, and to keep tabs on the rest of the staff with what rapid tests are available. It's completely unthinkable to do the May 2020-style full closure for a single case anymore, the financial practicalities and pandemic fatigue have made it into a grim war weariness - someone falls, we all collectively shrug and keep trudging forward.

Probably not coincidental the NYT has an article this morning, "Europeans Ponder Living With, Not Defeating, the Coronavirus". God knows we are.