Mason Loring Bliss<p>Alright, this feels funny reposting <span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://mastodon.social/@augieray" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@<span>augieray</span></a></span> from another platform, but this one is worth the retelling. Original from LinkedIn:</p><p>I continue to advocate for businesses to adopt new health and safety policies that reflect the ongoing hazards of <a href="https://partychickens.net/tags/COVID19" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>COVID19</span></a>. We never should have returned to 2019 norms because risks never returned to 2019 norms. Although the acute risks of COVID infections have been reduced by vaccines and past exposure, the chronic risks of COVID are accumulating with each reinfection, and business leaders can protect employees and their families (and their bottom lines) with simple policies.<br> <br>The Department of Public Health of a University in New Zealand has published a practical guide called “Promoting respiratory infection safety in the workplace.” It presents the sort of actions leaders should consider. Reducing infections isn't just a good idea because you care about your employees; it also helps business performance by enhancing productivity, decreasing employee absences and workplace disruptions, and diminishing healthcare and accommodation costs.</p><p>Some advice is consistent: Access CO2 monitors to assess risks in meeting rooms and take action when CO2 goes above 800, such as opening doors, taking a break, or wearing masks. Use portable HEPA filters to keep meeting attendees safer. Urge employees to stay at home if unwell.</p><p>Other guidance is based on risks. I have advocated for this approach since 2021, and I was disappointed when we failed to implement <a href="https://partychickens.net/tags/WFH" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WFH</span></a> and <a href="https://partychickens.net/tags/RTO" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>RTO</span></a> policies that varied as our risks varied. Why should we have consistent work policies when COVID and other viral risks vary 10x or more throughout the year?</p><p>The report provides a chart with suggestions that vary with risks:</p><p>GREEN: When conditions are Green (as they are now in most of the US), there are no additional precautions.</p><p>YELLOW: When risks rise to Yellow, as they were in Summer 2023, face-to-face meetings are reduced and a weekly RAT test is recommended for those working onsite. (Personally, I don't foresee people wishing to adopt weekly testing, so I think better guidance would be to reduce occupancy in workplaces by allowing more to work from home.)</p><p>RED: And, when conditions are Red, meetings are minimized, work from home is encouraged, masks are required for meetings, and RAT tests are required before meetings.</p><p>Conditions have been in the Red category in the US twice in the past year. Last summer saw a sizable surge of infections--the 5th-highest surge since the start of the pandemic. And, although last winter's COVID surge was more moderate, the US experienced a severe flu season, raising respiratory risks.</p><p>We pretend COVID is gone, but in the first half of 2025, the US saw 218,708 hospitalizations and 15,593 deaths from COVID. COVID remains a top cause of death and illness, and Long COVID remains a hazard from every reinfection. A bit of care and some pragmatic action is all it takes to significantly diminish acute and chronic illness in the workplace.</p><p><a href="https://www.phcc.org.nz/news/resource-promoting-respiratory-infection-safety-workplace-protocol" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">phcc.org.nz/news/resource-prom</span><span class="invisible">oting-respiratory-infection-safety-workplace-protocol</span></a></p><p>If you don't care about COVID, then the media won't cover Long COVID and surging infections, since the media cares about clicks. If you don't care about COVID, then politicians and business leaders will ignore the threat and avoid taking the actions they should to protect health.</p><p>But, sometimes, the truth is being carried by some news sources:</p><p>One of the biggest misconceptions about COVID-19 is that the pandemic is over, said Dr. Michelle Harkins, a physician and clinical researcher at the University of New Mexico. “The pandemic is smoldering. There are still people that are getting sick. You can still get COVID. There’s still a significant burden of Long COVID that we’re going to have to address.”<br><a href="https://sourcenm.com/2025/07/04/its-not-over-new-mexico-doctor-discusses-the-lasting-effects-of-covid-19/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">sourcenm.com/2025/07/04/its-no</span><span class="invisible">t-over-new-mexico-doctor-discusses-the-lasting-effects-of-covid-19/</span></a></p><p>A study by Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) last year found that up to 5.8 million American children now have long COVID.<br>Their findings suggest that long COVID may have surpassed asthma—which around 5 million youngsters have—as the most common chronic condition experienced by American children.<br><a href="https://www.newsweek.com/why-are-so-many-children-getting-long-covid-2080950" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">newsweek.com/why-are-so-many-c</span><span class="invisible">hildren-getting-long-covid-2080950</span></a></p><p><a href="https://partychickens.net/tags/covid" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>covid</span></a> <a href="https://partychickens.net/tags/publichealth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>publichealth</span></a></p>