As of April 28, 2020, more than 1,000 deaths in Bergen County have been attributable to Covid-19. Obtaining a test is still only available to people who are sick with the coronavirus symptoms (fever, cough, and shortness of breath). Governor Murphy says this situation will get better during the coming month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am hopeful that our local situation will start to get better sooner rather than later. Everyone I have spoken with recently is getting anxious about being house-bound. But the truth is, this virus is here, there is no vaccine, and at some point, you will most likely get it. How your body reacts to the infection will be different than anyone else\u2019s. When that happens, I can only hope that it is mild, and your discomfort is limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s probably not what you wanted to read in a monthly newsletter that purports to be about technology, but I\u2019m getting there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last week, Hope Rothenberg, Executive Director of the Fort Lee Regional Chamber of Commerce, posed the following challenge: \u201cMy biggest concern about going back to work\/reopening my business is\u2026\u201d Here is my response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a practical matter, if I have to make a \u201chouse-call\u201d in the next few weeks, I\u2019m going to have to ask the prospect or my client to remain six feet away.\u00a0 I\u2019m also going to have to wipe down the keyboard and mouse (provided I don\u2019t bring my own \u2013 but that will require sanitizing after each use) and wear mask and gloves throughout the process.\u00a0 Having any sort of meaningful conversation will have to be done by phone (or Zoom) either before or after, because a mask hides most facial expressions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My concerns are the same as other business owners whose businesses were shuttered and now have to reopen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The critical question is: How do I obtain the necessary supplies required to reopen, such as thermometers, masks, gloves, wipes, and sanitizer gel?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Follow-on questions include:\u00a0 What procedures am I, as a business owner, going to put in place for my organization?\u00a0 And how can I get a blueprint of \u201cbest practices\u201d so that I don\u2019t have to re-invent the wheel?\u00a0 In other words, what resources are available, and where can I obtain them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We joke about those summertime beach establishments with a sign that reads, \u201cNo shoes, no service.\u201d Well, that\u2019s going to have to be adjusted to, \u201cNo mask, no gloves \u2013 you are not permitted inside.\u201d I believe it is essential for businesses that cater to outside guests, to be able to obtain and use a web-based app to monitor who enters and exits their store\/business so that contact tracing can take place. I know New Zealand has required this, but I haven\u2019t yet heard of any organizations that have a solution here in the US. Apple and Google have agreed to get something built, but it is probably going to be a while before we see one \u2013 long after most states will have reopened for business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So let\u2019s talk about that new app. The concept of this app is that if you find out \u2014 after being tested \u2014 that you are infected, you can indicate your status in the app. That status, and the resulting location information, will then allow anyone who has recently been near you to receive a notification that they should take protective measures (e.g., get a test or self-quarantine).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Several mechanisms provide location information using a phone\u2019s GPS and Bluetooth functionality. Both Google and Apple acknowledge that using these features in an app will likely drain the battery quickly; if so, people won\u2019t be inclined to use it. Thus, it is a hurdle they have to overcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Privacy advocates are fearful about the amount of data that will be made available and its contents. This is an argument that I find awkward, at best. After all, millions of people freely divulge vast quantities of personal information every single minute of every single day \u2014 and Facebook, Instagram, Google, and Apple take it all in, package it, and resell it. I guess in this case, the element of outrage is focused on the fact that government officials will have access to the data. App developers insist that they won\u2019t make personally identifiable information available, that the data will only exist for 30 days, that secure data centers will be used, and that the app will be voluntary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I simply want someone to make something that works effectively very soon. More importantly I want the app to be widely used, because if it isn\u2019t adopted on a wholesale basis, it won\u2019t be useful. (More data means more visibility into infection rates, hot spots, and possible causes, thereby allowing health care officials to respond more quickly.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For additional information about Covid-19 in New Jersey, you can head over to https:\/\/covid19.nj.gov\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n We are all in this together, so please take precautions to stay safe and healthy!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As of April 28, 2020, more than 1,000 deaths in Bergen County have been attributable to Covid-19. Obtaining a test is still only available to people who are sick with the coronavirus symptoms (fever, cough, and shortness of breath). Governor Murphy says this situation will get better during the coming month. I am hopeful that …<\/span> Read More →<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[55,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-covid-19","category-everyone"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heliotropicsystems.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heliotropicsystems.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heliotropicsystems.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heliotropicsystems.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heliotropicsystems.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=373"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.heliotropicsystems.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":374,"href":"https:\/\/www.heliotropicsystems.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373\/revisions\/374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heliotropicsystems.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heliotropicsystems.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heliotropicsystems.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}