Key Points

Updated: June 13, 2020

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ICYMI Weekly Recap: June 08 – June 13

• This week, we discussed considerations and recommendations to consider for Travel (both for your business and personal) in the COVID-19 Return to Work sphere.

  • Part 1: Travel Considerations – Establishing Criteria for Business and Personal Travel (Monday, June 08)

  • Part 2: Considerations for Essential and Non-Essential Travel (Wednesday, June 10)

  • Part- 3: Considerations for Different Modes of Travel (Friday, June 12)

• As businesses extend paid-time-off policies to cover COVID-19 illnesses, some are finding that a few employees are “playing the system”. What is the approach for maintaining positive attendance policies? Read more, here (Thursday, June 11)

• Even though many areas are opening, multiple states are seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases. It is important to remember to practice risk mitigation strategies that include:

  • Maintaining social distance,

  • Wearing a face mask,

  • Increasing hand hygiene practices (washing hands more frequently), and

  • Practicing good respiratory hygiene practices (covering nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing).

• COVID-19 has changed U.S. passport renewal; if you are considering international travel soon, read here for more details on what has changed.

• The CDC has developed a few useful toolkits:

  • The CDC has developed a COVID-19 Social Media Toolkit to help “localize efforts in responding to the virus that causes COVID-19. This toolkit provides messages and graphics to help: (a) Ensure current, correct messaging from a trusted source; (b) Create collateral materials; (c) Share resources. All graphics and messaging can be used on social media. Download the toolkit, here.  

  • The CDC has also developed Communication Toolkits for Migrants, Refugees, and Other Limited-English-Proficient Populations to help public health professionals, health departments, community organizations, and healthcare systems and providers reach populations who may need COVID-19 prevention messages in their native languages. Toolkits provides: (a) Current messaging from at trusted source; (b) information in plant language for downloading and sharing; (c) translated materials so communities can disseminate messages to a wider audience. Find the different languages for the toolkit, here.

• Some news from The World Health Organization:

  • The World Health Organization clarifies its stance on asymptomatic COVID-19 spreaders. Read more analysis, here!

  • The World Health Organization has put out graphical social media messages and “Myth Busters” for COVID-19. Find graphics for busted COVID-19 myths (ranging from: “Can shoes spread COVID-19?” to “Will drinking alcohol protect from COVID-19"), here on their site.  

  • World Food Safety Day 2020 was Sunday, June 07, 2020. Read Dr. Acheson’s message for World Food Safety Day 2020.

  • The Inter-Agency Standing Committee Reference Group on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings has developed a children’s book to help children around the world cope with COVID-19. You can download a PDF of “My Hero is You: How Kids can Fight COVID-19" in English here.

    • The World Health Organization and USAID have teamed up to develop a Youtube video for Mongolian speakers/children, here!

• Some FDA-related news:

  • The FDA has updated its FDA COVID-19 Response At-A-Glance Summary with new information on FDA’s responses to COVID-19.

  • The FDA is changing the hours for the COVID-19 Industry Hotline (1-888-INFO-FDA, press *). To best meet current needs, the Hotline operates from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. For urgent inquiries, the FDA Emergency Line (1-866-300-4374) remains available after hours.

  • There are currently no FDA-approved products to prevent or treat COVID-19. The FDA has issued many citations and warnings for products claiming to mitigate, prevent, treat, diagnose, or cure COVID-19 in people. 

  • While the FDA has temporarily suspended routine onsite facility inspections, food facilities are not off the hook for verifying their foreign suppliers during COVID-19. Since April, the FDA has issued 12 FSVP warning letters. Read more to see what issues these letters brought up!  

• A COVID-19 patient (in her 20s with no serious underlying medical condition), received a double lung transplant after her lungs were devastated from COVID-19. She is making a good recovery. Read more, here!