After nearly three months in the state's most restrictive tier, Orange County entered the red tier on March 14, allowing for the return of indoor movie theaters, dining and fitness centers.,The transition into the red tier will also allow for Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm and the Angel Stadium to open under limited capacity.,At a news conference on March 5, Ghaly said that theme parks will be allowed to reopen at 15% capacity once Orange County enters the red tier.,“While last week’s announcement stated that theme parks may open starting on April 1, the fact is it will take some time to get them ready for our guests — this includes recalling more than 10,000 furloughed cast and retraining them to be able to operate according to the state of California’s new requirements,” said Bob Chapek, chief executive officer of the Walt Disney Company in a statement on March 9.,In addition to the opening of the dining hall at 25% capacity, Shim added that the restaurant will continue to offer outdoor seating.

The county of 10 million people was one of several that moved into the state’s orange tier, which is the second-least restrictive of California’s four-tier system.,The International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee said they fully respect and accept the move

Placer County is one of 13 California counties that have moved Sunday to the red tier of California’s COVID-19 reopening framework, loosening some restrictions.,The counties became eligible to move from the purple tier (“widespread”) to the red tier (“substantial” spread) after the state hit its goal Friday of delivering 2 million COVID-19 doses to communities hit hardest by the pandemic, triggering new thresholds.,Butte County has qualified to move from the most stringent purple tier to the less-restrictive red tier of the state’s COVID-19 reopening plan.,For a county to move down to the red tier, there should be a case rate of 4-7 per 100,000 residents with a 5-8% test positivity rate. read more

89% of employees believe their work life is getting worse due to the pandemic, and 56% feel that their job has become more demanding, according to recent research.,Similarly, virtual connection-building tools (or internal talent marketplaces) can encourage contacts between individuals and teams, make personalised recommendations to link employees with like-minded colleagues or mentors, and support onboarding processes by connecting new hires with their team.,Digital interventions

New AI-driven technologies based on workplace data offer employers the ability to identify employees who are struggling with pandemic fatigue.,The ability to grow and develop, especially during times of change and stress, should be a high-priority business initiative, and leaders can seize this opportunity to cultivate a learning mindset in their people and organisations.,In order to regain the momentum of their initial rapid pandemic response back in March 2020, businesses can look to the vaccine rollout as a fresh opportunity to mobilise their teams for action. read more

During a press conference Saturday at Memphis Office of Emergency Management, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland (in a file photo) said problems with the state’s coronavirus vaccine signup are causing Shelby County to revert to SignUpGenius starting at noon Saturday, March 13.,(Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)

However, he had never returned to work in any of the other cities where he had been before until the opportunity to report for the Daily Memphian presented itself.,He covers business for the Daily Memphian.

TORONTO — Ontario lost more than 355,000 jobs last year - the single largest annual decline on record - due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the province's fiscal watchdog said Thursday.,In addition to the job losses, more than 765,000 Ontarians saw their work hours reduced, Financial Accountability Officer Peter Weltman said in a new report that looked at the impact COVID-19 and the public health measures to fight it have had on communities.,"We've seen a lot of people exit the labour force because a lot of them weren't going to look for jobs in areas that have been hammered, or had other concerns about going back into a labor force while there was a pandemic in play.",Ontario has gone through two lockdown periods in the pandemic where public health measures have restricted business operations across the province.,Deputy Premier Christine Elliott said the government's focus has been on protecting the health and safety of people in the province, but called the job losses "concerning".

A new vaccination site at Santa Ana College opening Wednesday, Feb. 17, aims to serve eligible residents in Anaheim, Garden Grove and Santa Ana neighborhoods that have seen some of the highest COVID-19 infection rates in the county and the largest numbers of people hospitalized or killed by the virus.,Like the county’s other PODS (points of dispensing), vaccinations at the Santa Ana College site will be by appointment only.,“The Santa Ana College site is a tangible example of the county and Board of Supervisors delivering on our focus on equity in vaccine distribution.”,The county is alerting people 65 and older who live in the affected ZIP codes and are registered with Othena that they can make an appointment for the Santa Ana College site, and it’s doing other outreach to eligible seniors who haven’t yet signed up through Othena, Kim said.,“I’m obviously excited that there is going to be a vaccination site here in in Santa Ana, and I’m even more glad that it is going to be addressing some of the most impacted residents in our community and our county,” he  said.

Here are the California county vaccination totals as of Feb. 16:

Here are the totals from Feb. 9: read more

TOKYO (AP) — A governor in a western Japanese prefecture is talking about canceling torch relay events in his area ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.,Gov. Tatsuya Maruyama of Shimane prefecture on Wednesday said he was unhappy with COVID-19 prevention measures surrounding the relay.,The torch relay is to begin March 25 in northeastern Japan and will crisscross the country with about 10,000 runners.,- In this Feb. 24, 2020, file photo, Greek singer Sakis Rouvas wears the uniform of the torch relay runners in Athens, Greece, as he holds the torch of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games during a presentation of the torch relay within in Greece.,A governor in a western Japanese prefecture is talking about canceling the torch relay events in his area for the Tokyo Olympics, Kyodo News reported Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021.

The World Health Organization has granted an emergency authorization to the coronavirus vaccine made by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, a move that should allow the company’s partners to ship millions of doses to countries worldwide as part of a U.N.-backed program to tame the pandemic.,In a statement Monday, the U.N. health agency said it was authorizing the AstraZeneca vaccines made by the Serum Institute of India and South Korea’s AstraZeneca-SKBio.,WHO’s green light for the AstraZeneca vaccine should trigger the delivery of hundreds of millions of doses to countries that have signed up for the U.N.-backed COVAX effort, which aims to deliver vaccines to the world’s most vulnerable.,“Countries with no access to vaccines to date will finally be able to start vaccinating their health workers and populations at risk,” said Dr Mariângela Simão, WHO’s Assistant-Director General for Access to Medicines and Health Products.,Last week, its group of vaccine experts recommended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for people over age 18, including in countries that have detected variants of COVID-19.