This information is non published and should be viewed as such. --Bddpaux (talk) 16:12, 20 March 2020 (UTC)
Government administrators and officials across much of the United States are modifying work requirements for many public employees in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. On Monday, officials with the Texas Department of State Health Services notified employees that the agency would "adopt a modified work approach" at least through Friday. That move was in response to Texas Governor Greg Abbott's directive to put in place a flexible telework approach for the remainder of the week.
The same day, the governor of Alabama, Kay Ivey, directed supervisors to implement flexible work schedules for employees. She also indicated via Twitter that state employees should anticipate returning to work on April 6. Also on Monday, the Governor of New Jersey announced he was granting all state employees the option of working at home.
A broad swathe of schools and government agencies across much of the US have sent out notices over the past several days pertaining to the COVID-19 situation. Last week, media notices indicated all schools within the Los AngelesUnified School District would be closed this week.
The US Postal Service assured customers early Saturday morning that mail delivery would continue as normal.
I'm trying to focus on notices r'cd Thursday and Friday. The 'additional news' section is there to give a bit of perspective to readers prior to those days. --Bddpaux (talk) 19:11, 13 March 2020 (UTC)
I decided to fold this in, as it amused me a bit. I do the thing with my mail via USPS, "Informed Delivery"... in the mornings, they email you a scan of the letters you will receive in that day's mail.....kind of handy. Early this morning, they had this at the top of the email:
"The US Postal Service assures customers that normal operations are continuing while the nation deals with the COVID-19 outbreak. etc." --Bddpaux (talk) 16:31, 14 March 2020 (UTC)
I'm going to have to shut this down somewhere......I could list (easily) about 500 organizations that've done notices/sendouts over the past few days....but it has to end somewhere article-wise.--Bddpaux (talk) 18:55, 14 March 2020 (UTC)
I'm not feeling the focus here. 'Entities react and plan' covers an awful lot of territory. The wider we cast the net, the more arbitrary the selection of a few items feels (which starts to edge over into a neutrality problem). One way or another we'd need to focus in on something. I'd first noticed this from the headline; our guidelines say the headline should tell the most important and unique thing, and this lacks uniqueness. Then, reading the lede, I was put in mind of the specificity element of our newsworthiness criterion. It's also a warning sign that there's nothing in the description of the focus in the headline or the lede (where I feel the first sentence defines the focus) that makes it unique to a particular "when".
It may be possible to make the content work, but it needs to be framed in a way that provides a newsworthy focus.
If possible, please address the above issues then resubmit the article for another review (by replacing {{tasks}} in the article with {{review}}). This talk page will be updated with subsequent reviews.
I'm not feeling the focus here. 'Entities react and plan' covers an awful lot of territory. The wider we cast the net, the more arbitrary the selection of a few items feels (which starts to edge over into a neutrality problem). One way or another we'd need to focus in on something. I'd first noticed this from the headline; our guidelines say the headline should tell the most important and unique thing, and this lacks uniqueness. Then, reading the lede, I was put in mind of the specificity element of our newsworthiness criterion. It's also a warning sign that there's nothing in the description of the focus in the headline or the lede (where I feel the first sentence defines the focus) that makes it unique to a particular "when".
It may be possible to make the content work, but it needs to be framed in a way that provides a newsworthy focus.
If possible, please address the above issues then resubmit the article for another review (by replacing {{tasks}} in the article with {{review}}). This talk page will be updated with subsequent reviews.
I don't exactly disagree. I actually think I've got fodder (at this moment) to do something VERY focused and then might weave a bit of this article's content into the lower part of THAT article. --Bddpaux (talk) 21:14, 16 March 2020 (UTC)
To be more specific: I am going to adhere to the old adage......write what you know. --Bddpaux (talk) 21:25, 16 March 2020 (UTC)
This was sent out today by the Texas DSHS Communications Team (a big chunk of the memo):
"Thank you for everything you are doing in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. As DSHS, we are on the front lines of public health in our state. We must maintain operations and protect the people of Texas. Therefore, to protect our public health workforce (you) and set an example for others, effective immediately, DSHS is adopting a “modified work approach.” This move dovetails with the direction from Gov. Abbott to put in place a temporary flexible telework policy this week.
Today begins our transition to this modified work approach. Your supervisors have been notified that we are moving toward this approach. The underlying principle of practicing social distancing in the office — that means staying at least six feet away from one another — to keep you safe and healthy."--Bddpaux (talk) 21:38, 16 March 2020 (UTC)
We need to commit more narrowly on focus, here. The headline is vague, first sentence of the lede is much the same; they leave an awful lot of scope for stuff that would fit under the aegis. Then the article has an awkward arrangement: one particular that would fit within that scope takes up the rest of the lede, while another one is in the second paragraph. That's basically Texas and Alabama, leaving the reader to wonder what about the other 46 contiguous states and 2 non-contiguous states. A narrower focus could be achieved by being either more specific either about what parts of the country are being addressed, or more specific about what action is being taken. Or both. With a clear, crisp focus, it should also be possible to improve the inverted pyramid arrangement.
I truly wish I'd gotten to this sooner. However, we're on the timeline we're on. The events described here are from Monday; it's very nearly Friday. The news cycle on this thing seems to be rather short. It seems like there should be some further information available by now, though quite what that would be I honestly don't know.
To clarify: It looks as if the OR material here on the talk page consists of reports on two communications, one from the US Post Office and one from the Texas DSHS Communications Team. Is that right, or have I missed something?
If possible, please address the above issues then resubmit the article for another review (by replacing {{tasks}} in the article with {{review}}). This talk page will be updated with subsequent reviews.
We need to commit more narrowly on focus, here. The headline is vague, first sentence of the lede is much the same; they leave an awful lot of scope for stuff that would fit under the aegis. Then the article has an awkward arrangement: one particular that would fit within that scope takes up the rest of the lede, while another one is in the second paragraph. That's basically Texas and Alabama, leaving the reader to wonder what about the other 46 contiguous states and 2 non-contiguous states. A narrower focus could be achieved by being either more specific either about what parts of the country are being addressed, or more specific about what action is being taken. Or both. With a clear, crisp focus, it should also be possible to improve the inverted pyramid arrangement.
I truly wish I'd gotten to this sooner. However, we're on the timeline we're on. The events described here are from Monday; it's very nearly Friday. The news cycle on this thing seems to be rather short. It seems like there should be some further information available by now, though quite what that would be I honestly don't know.
To clarify: It looks as if the OR material here on the talk page consists of reports on two communications, one from the US Post Office and one from the Texas DSHS Communications Team. Is that right, or have I missed something?
If possible, please address the above issues then resubmit the article for another review (by replacing {{tasks}} in the article with {{review}}). This talk page will be updated with subsequent reviews.
* For about 10 reasons (work, school, life etc.) I'm going to paste most of this over into a sandbox and might later try to crank out a few highly focused articles on some related topics. --Bddpaux (talk) 16:09, 20 March 2020 (UTC)
At least on my side of the pond, the sheer NUMBER of emails etc. I'm getting is worthy of an article. --Bddpaux (talk) 18:06, 13 March 2020 (UTC)
The Earnin app is a payday advance smartphone app. This represents part of an email I got from them this morning:
"What We’re Doing:
Following Updates: We’re following updates on COVID-19, including guidance from the Centers for Disease Controls and Prevention (CDC) and local health officials.
Increasing Maxes: We’re evaluating and may increase maxes for community members to ensure that they are able to cash out when they want and need it.
Maximizing Customer Support: Our customer support is fully-staffed to quickly work through earnings and cash out situations, enabling members to access their money smoothly.
Negotiating Medical Bills: With Health Aid, a trained Community Advocate will contact your medical biller to try to either negotiate down your medical bill and/or find you a more affordable payment plan.
If you haven’t already, make sure your Earnin app connections are up-to-date, so you can get access to your paycheck when you need it." --Bddpaux (talk) 18:23, 13 March 2020 (UTC)
I'm trying to focus on notices r'cd Thursday and Friday. The 'additional news' section is there to give a bit of perspective to readers prior to those days. --Bddpaux (talk) 19:11, 13 March 2020 (UTC)
I decided to fold this in, as it amused me a bit. I do the thing with my mail via USPS, "Informed Delivery"... in the mornings, they email you a scan of the letters you will receive in that day's mail.....kind of handy. Early this morning, they had this at the top of the email:
"The US Postal Service assures customers that normal operations are continuing while the nation deals with the COVID-19 outbreak. etc." --Bddpaux (talk) 16:31, 14 March 2020 (UTC)
On Friday, the CEO of popular Auto repair/parts business "Pep Boys" sent out an email, which read, in part:
"Dear Customer,
At Pep Boys, the health and well-being of our customers, Team Members and communities where we live and serve is our highest priority. As concerns about coronavirus (COVID-19) mount we want to assure you that we are closely monitoring the situation and taking additional precautions to keep our teams and customers safe.
We are following the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other health agencies, and have taken the following measures across our stores as added precautions:
We are communicating with our Team Members frequently and providing proper guidance and information to help them stay healthy.
We have enhanced our cleaning and disinfecting procedures in all locations and deployed additional hand sanitizer, antibacterial cleaning supplies and materials to all of our facilities, along with gloves for our Team Members to wear when entering your vehicle. According to the CDC, the single most important thing you can do to keep yourself and others safe is frequently wash your hands and not touch your face.
We have advised our Team Members not to come to work if they are feeling ill. A dedicated medical hotline is available to any Team Member that suspects possible exposure or is experiencing symptoms.
We are working with our vendor partners and suppliers to ensure there is no disruption in our business or ability to provide you parts and service.
Although these are challenging times for all of us, we are confident that our stores continue to be safe, and we remain open for business. We will continue to monitor the situation daily and follow advice from the CDC and other health organizations in order to ensure everyone’s safety."
I'm going to have to shut this down somewhere......I could list (easily) about 500 organizations that've done notices/sendouts over the past few days....but it has to end somewhere article-wise.--Bddpaux (talk) 18:55, 14 March 2020 (UTC)
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