[Mick]

This one is for Mick who asked about what measures to use to reopen his office, though I think there ought to be broader interest:

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NE...3?query=RP

The current pandemic poses challenges — unprecedented in the modern developed economy of the United States — for a broad range of workplaces, businesses, and institutions. All are struggling in their activities and on their premises to prevent transmission of a dangerous, highly infectious airborne pathogen. The foundations of employer and institutional prevention are relatively inexpensive personal protective equipment whose use is taught and monitored; basic administrative controls such as segmenting the workforce, reducing density, and mandating self-deferral from work for those who feel ill; and environmental controls such as the use of physical barriers and the careful management of air exchange and filtration. Testing, at present, is most effectively used for accurate assessment and follow-up of contacts, whereas the use of contact-tracing apps and mandatory screening by means of molecular, antibody, or antigen tests currently appears to be more complicated, less efficient, and less effective than more traditional public health measures.

BC

BC -- Thanks for passing this along.  As the person responsible for putting together the plan for our law office in SC County [when..if... we ever get the "official" go-ahead to return-to-office], I very much appreciate receiving this article to add to my ever-growing collection.  When someone complains "Do I really have to [insert slightly onerous requirement here]?", I want to be able to cite to some agency or learned medical journal [which, politics aside, The NEJM is] and be able to say "Hey, sorry, it's not me, it's...science!"  :-)  This will no doubt help.

Thanks again!

My thanks as well, BC.  Really appreciate it.  Most of our large firm competitors in Houston have opened to 25% capacity.  I think Porter & Hedges is still fully remote.  There's a 50 lawyer litigation boutique that's very aggressive and noisy and bragged that they would be fully open, damn the torpedoes, etc.  At least that's what management says.  Word is that the rest of the lawyers and staff are very unhappy about it.

We haven't reopened yet, and when we do, we'll be almost hostile to people who want to come in. Our basic message is "stay away unless you absolutely need to be here."

[Mick]

This one is for Mick who asked about what measures to use to reopen his office, though I think there ought to be broader interest:

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NE...3?query=RP

The current pandemic poses challenges — unprecedented in the modern developed economy of the United States — for a broad range of workplaces, businesses, and institutions. All are struggling in their activities and on their premises to prevent transmission of a dangerous, highly infectious airborne pathogen. The foundations of employer and institutional prevention are relatively inexpensive personal protective equipment whose use is taught and monitored; basic administrative controls such as segmenting the workforce, reducing density, and mandating self-deferral from work for those who feel ill; and environmental controls such as the use of physical barriers and the careful management of air exchange and filtration. Testing, at present, is most effectively used for accurate assessment and follow-up of contacts, whereas the use of contact-tracing apps and mandatory screening by means of molecular, antibody, or antigen tests currently appears to be more complicated, less efficient, and less effective than more traditional public health measures.

BC

BC -- Thanks for passing this along.  As the person responsible for putting together the plan for our law office in SC County [when..if... we ever get the "official" go-ahead to return-to-office], I very much appreciate receiving this article to add to my ever-growing collection.  When someone complains "Do I really have to [insert slightly onerous requirement here]?", I want to be able to cite to some agency or learned medical journal [which, politics aside, The NEJM is] and be able to say "Hey, sorry, it's not me, it's...science!"  :-)  This will no doubt help.

Thanks again!

My thanks as well, BC.  Really appreciate it.  Most of our large firm competitors in Houston have opened to 25% capacity.  I think Porter & Hedges is still fully remote.  There's a 50 lawyer litigation boutique that's very aggressive and noisy and bragged that they would be fully open, damn the torpedoes, etc.  At least that's what management says.  Word is that the rest of the lawyers and staff are very unhappy about it.

We haven't reopened yet, and when we do, we'll be almost hostile to people who want to come in. Our basic message is "stay away unless you absolutely need to be here."