Florida breaks record with more than 21,000 new COVID cases

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Florida reported 21,683 new cases of COVID-19, the state’s highest one-day total since the start of the pandemic, according to federal health data released Saturday, as its theme park resorts again started asking visitors to wear masks indoors.

The state has become the new national epicenter for the virus, accounting for around a fifth of all new cases in the U.S.

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has resisted mandatory mask mandates and vaccine requirements, and along with the state Legislature, has limited local officials’ ability to impose restrictions meant to stop the spread of COVID-19. DeSantis on Friday barred school districts from requiring students to wear masks when classes resume next month.

The latest numbers were recorded on Friday and released on Saturday on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website. The figures show how quickly the number of cases is rising in the Sunshine State: only a day earlier, Florida reported 17,093 new daily cases. The previous peak in Florida had been 19,334 cases reported on Jan. 7, before the availability of vaccinations became widespread.

The Florida Hospital Association said Friday that statewide COVID-19 hospitalizations are nearing last year’s peak, and one of the state’s largest health care systems, AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division, this week advised it would no longer be conducting nonemergency surgeries in order to free up resources for COVID-19 patients.

Universal Orlando Resort and SeaWorld on Saturday became the latest theme park resorts in Florida to again ask visitors to wear masks indoors, with Universal also ordering its employees to wear face coverings to protect against COVID-19, which has been surging across the state.

All workers at Universal’s Florida park on Saturday started being required to wear masks while indoors as the employees returned to practicing social distancing. The home to Harry Potter and Despicable Me rides also asked visitors to follow federal and local health guidelines by voluntarily wearing face coverings indoors.

“The health and safety of our guests and team members is always our top priority,” Universal said in a statement.

Health officials on Friday announced that coronavirus cases in Florida had jumped 50% over the past week with COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state nearing last year’s peak.

SeaWorld on Saturday posted on its website that it was recommending that visitors follow recently updated federal recommendations and wear face coverings while indoors.

The change in policy this week at the theme park resorts came after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that everyone wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status.

Crosstown rival Walt Disney World started requiring employees and guests older than 2 to wear masks on Friday, but it also went a step further. The Walt Disney Company said in a statement that it will be requiring all salaried and non-union hourly employees in the U.S. who work on site to be fully vaccinated.

Disney employees who aren’t already vaccinated will have 60 days to do so and those still working from home will need to show proof of vaccination before returning. Disney said it was discussing the vaccine requirements with the union, and added that all new hires will be required to be fully vaccinated before starting work at the company.

-Associated Press

Globe: COVID-19 surge affecting customer support, as BPOs report infections

MANILA - Globe Telecom on Tuesday said its customer support services have been affected by the recent surge in COVID-19 cases as BPOs and other service providers of the company reported infections among their staff. 

Globe said one of its service providers had to close down one of its sites after staff got infected with COVID-19. 

“The same action was taken by another Globe partner BPO after a substantial number of its agents were placed under quarantine,” the company said.

Manpower support for customer service operations dropped nearly by half, while support for back office, social media, and after-sales dropped to 49 percent, 66 percent, and 57 percent respectively, of pre-pandemic levels.

"The temporary closure of some partner BPOs, ongoing social distancing measures which limit the number of personnel in offices, suspension of BPO operations when employees get infected, and the very fear of BPO agents to report for work only to contract the virus has been a challenge for us in sustaining our promise to support our customers,” said Rebecca Eclipse, chief customer experience officer of Globe.

Gobe said it is encouraging customers to use self-service apps for basic inquiries and requests.

Postpaid and prepaid mobile customers can use the GlobeOne app for the most frequent inquiries.

Globe At Home prepaid and postpaid subscribers, meanwhile, can use Globe At Home app. 

“We are concerned about the general well-being of our customer service representatives who still report to work despite the health risks. This is why we are doing our best not only to address their needs but also to ease their workload so they can focus on things that need their personal attention,” added Eclipse.

The telco said it is exploring work-from-home arrangements for customer service agents but is concerned that the rising number of online scams, fraud and social engineering may put customers’ privacy and security at risk.

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