Today on AirTalk, we break down what contact tracing might look like and the challenges in implementing it with our panel of medical and tech experts. We also discuss the guidelines Orange County has announced to reopen businesses; talk about the proposal to cap food delivery fees; and more.
CA Latest: OC Sets Guidelines For Reopening Businesses, Newsom Floats July School Start Date
Yesterday the Orange County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on a set of guidelines for businesses to follow when stay-at-home rules designed to slow the spread of COVID-19 begin to ease up.
Saying that "Orange County has effectively flattened the curve," the supervisors were careful to add that the guidelines don't supersede any more restrictive orders from local governments, the state or the federal government. The guidelines, which were sent to Sacramento, include requirements for physical distancing, wearing face coverings (for customer-facing employees and patrons) and temperature checks for employees. The guidelines were compiled with the help of an ad hoc committee made up of local business leaders.
Meanwhile, Gov. Gavin Newsom said yesterday during his daily press update that he is “considering” asking the state’s K-12 schools to begin the 2020-21 school year much earlier than normal — perhaps as soon as late July.
State officials haven’t made any definitive decisions to alter the school calendar yet. The decision would be driven by public health considerations including hospitalization trends and the availability of coronavirus testing, contact tracing and personal protective gear. The governor cited concerns about “learning loss” during the pandemic.
Read more on LAist.
We get the latest on both stories.
We reached out to all the Orange County Supervisors. Chairwoman Michelle Steel and Supervisor Lisa Bartlett were unavailable. We didn’t hear back from the other three supervisors in time.
Guests:
Karin Michels, epidemiologist; chair and professor of the Department of Epidemiology at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health
Nick Gerda, reporter with the Voice of OC; tweets
Kyle Stokes, education reporter for KPCC; he tweets
Wesley Smith, executive director of the Association of California School Administrators
A Deep Dive On Digital Contact Tracing For COVID-19
You’ve probably heard or read the term “contact tracing” since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and maybe you’ve found yourself wondering exactly what it is.
The process is one that has been employed by medical professionals and public health experts for about as long as society has tracked the spread of contagious diseases. It’s basically medical detective work -- starting with someone who has tested positively for a disease -- in this case, COVID-19 -- contact tracers will work backwards to determine who that person has been in contact with in the hope of figuring out who they infected and also how that person became infected his or herself. From there, they can not only urge the infected person to quarantine or seek treatment, but also continue tracing people’s contacts to create a network of people who might be infected or have come in contact with someone who was. The challenge, however, can be getting people who test positive to recall everyone they might have breathed within six feet of over the previous week. And that’s where contact tracing goes digital.
Governments and tech firms have been working since the start of the pandemic to develop technology that could use smartphone technology to determine when someone has come in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. The most widely-considered model employs Bluetooth, which has a shorter range than Wi-Fi or cell signals. Someone who tests positive for the virus could notify an app on their phone, which would then notify the people whose phones had been within range of the infected person’s. Google and Apple are also working on technology that would run in the background on a user’s phone and not require an app to be downloaded, and they say their decentralized method doesn’t track your location and wouldn’t collect data that could be used to identify the user. But, as with any large digital tracking effort, privacy and civil liberties concerns abound with regard to what kind of information the app is collecting, who can access it, where it goes, and what kind of protections are built in to ensure that hackers and other bad actors can’t get ahold of people’s personal and private information.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll take an in-depth look at what contact tracing is, the process of taking it digital and how those apps would work, plus we’ll hear from cybersecurity and technology experts who will explain the pros and cons of digital contact tracing.
Guests:
Karin Michels, epidemiologist; chair and professor of the Department of Epidemiology at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health
Andy Greenberg, senior writer for WIRED covering security, privacy, information freedom and hacker culture; his latest reporting at WIRED.com is “Does COVID-19 contact tracing pose a privacy risk? Your questions, answered”; he tweets
Stewart Baker, partner at the law firm Steptoe & Johnson in Washington D.C. where he manages the firm’s technology law practice; he was the Assistant Secretary for Policy at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from 2005-2009 and general counsel to the National Security Agency from 1992-1994
Ashkan Soltani, independent researcher and technologist specializing in privacy, security, and behavioral economics; he is a member of the advisory board of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, one of the architects of the California Consumer Privacy Act, a former senior advisor to the U.S. Chief Technology Officer and a former chief technologist for the U.S. Federal Trade Commission; he tweets
In An Attempt To Assist Local Restaurants, Should L.A. Cap Food Delivery Service Fees?
Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell has introduced an ordinance that would attempt to relieve restaurants already struggling during the coronavirus pandemic. According to the L.A. Times, restaurants can pay as much as 30% in fees to delivery companies like Postmates, Grubhub and Uber Eats and DoorDash. The motion would cap that at 15% during the COVID-19 crisis.
Restaurants are certainly suffering being unable to open their doors to customers. Delivery and curbside pick up are options many businesses are continuing to offer, but some have closed their doors permanently as a result of the shut-down orders. San Francisco officials implemented a similar fee cap of 15% earlier this month, saying it would last through the state of emergency or until restaurants can again provide on-site service. An Uber spokesperson says changing the commissions could actually hurt local restaurants most in need of help.
Today on AirTalk, we discuss the pros and cons of capping the delivery service fees and how it could impact both restaurants and the delivery companies involved. Do you have questions or do you work in either the restaurant or delivery service industries? Share your thoughts and experiences by calling 866-893-5722.
We reached out to Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, but he was unable to join for an interview today.
We also reached out to several food service delivery companies including Grubhub, DoorDash and Uber Eats. A spokesperson for Uber sent this statement:
“Restaurants have the option to choose different services that have different fees. With Uber Eats, they can choose to pay a lower marketplace fee and use their own staff to deliver orders placed through the app. Many restaurants don’t have the resources to do that; so instead, they leverage the Uber Eats’ network of delivery people. This law would simply shift the costs back onto small, local restaurants who can afford it the least.”
Guests:
Carolyn Said, San Francisco Chronicle reporter covering business, tech and the on-demand economy, she’s been writing about the impact of a delivery fee cap up in the Bay Area; she tweets
Vikrum Aiyer, vice president of public policy and strategic communications for Postmates, a food and goods delivery service company; he tweets
AirTalk Checks In With Metro CEO Phil Washington: Ridership Drops, Federal Aid, Impact On Construction Projects And More
Metro’s CEO Phil Washington joins Larry Mantle for his regular check-in to talk about all things public transit. Topics include:
Overall ridership has fallen due to the virus.
MTA has altered regular service schedules.
Coronavirus is forcing major cuts to bus and rail services.
MTA will receive more than $1 billion in federal aid for regional transit relief.
Employees tied to the MTA have tested positive for the virus.
MTA has strengthened cleaning procedures for all buses, trains and stations.
Rumors of a possible strike from bus drivers over virus concerns.
The city of Carson has called on the MTA to suspend all transit operations.
How has the virus affected the progress on construction and transit projects?
Guest:
Phil Washington, CEO of The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro)