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| Staying Safe While Delivering Weed in the Pandemic | Staying Safe While Delivering Weed in the Pandemic |
| (8 days later) | |
| While millions of Americans are at home, socially distancing to curb the spread of the coronavirus, fleets of men and women head out daily to make deliveries. Some drop off groceries and medicine, while others hand over marijuana strains of blue dream or sour diesel. | While millions of Americans are at home, socially distancing to curb the spread of the coronavirus, fleets of men and women head out daily to make deliveries. Some drop off groceries and medicine, while others hand over marijuana strains of blue dream or sour diesel. |
| In over a dozen states, marijuana dispensaries and pot shops have been deemed essential services and remain open through lockdowns, and illegal deliveries are also on the rise. This worries medical experts, who say smoking and vaping damage the lungs, worsening symptoms and helping to spread the virus. The cannabis trade faces a new problem: keeping employees safe from the virus. | In over a dozen states, marijuana dispensaries and pot shops have been deemed essential services and remain open through lockdowns, and illegal deliveries are also on the rise. This worries medical experts, who say smoking and vaping damage the lungs, worsening symptoms and helping to spread the virus. The cannabis trade faces a new problem: keeping employees safe from the virus. |
| “Our business doubled: Every day is a Friday,” said the owner of Jack Flash, a cannabis delivery service in New York City, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the sale of recreational marijuana is illegal in New York. “It’s just been really nonstop.” | “Our business doubled: Every day is a Friday,” said the owner of Jack Flash, a cannabis delivery service in New York City, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the sale of recreational marijuana is illegal in New York. “It’s just been really nonstop.” |
| Jack Flash employs a team of seven to deliver cannabis products to customers across all five boroughs of New York City from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Customers find out how to place an order by word of mouth. There is only one rule: Buyers must retrieve their product and complete the transaction in the car, the owner said. | Jack Flash employs a team of seven to deliver cannabis products to customers across all five boroughs of New York City from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Customers find out how to place an order by word of mouth. There is only one rule: Buyers must retrieve their product and complete the transaction in the car, the owner said. |
| “Some people now don’t want to get in the car,” he said. “Obviously we don’t want to do a hand to hand out the window, it just looks crazy.” | “Some people now don’t want to get in the car,” he said. “Obviously we don’t want to do a hand to hand out the window, it just looks crazy.” |
| While the delivery staff attempts to conduct business as usual, save for wearing gloves and masks, customers have started to ask to pay using peer-to-peer apps like Cash App and Venmo instead of cash. | While the delivery staff attempts to conduct business as usual, save for wearing gloves and masks, customers have started to ask to pay using peer-to-peer apps like Cash App and Venmo instead of cash. |
| “Well, I don’t want to touch anything, I don’t want to come out,” the owner of Jack Flash said, mimicking his customers. “Then I say, ‘Well, then you don’t want pot.’” | “Well, I don’t want to touch anything, I don’t want to come out,” the owner of Jack Flash said, mimicking his customers. “Then I say, ‘Well, then you don’t want pot.’” |
| The Jack Flash delivery staff tries to enforce the rule of completing transactions only in the car, and they also wash or sanitize their hands often and clean the surfaces of the vehicle as a precaution, the owner said. | The Jack Flash delivery staff tries to enforce the rule of completing transactions only in the car, and they also wash or sanitize their hands often and clean the surfaces of the vehicle as a precaution, the owner said. |
| Bud.com, a delivery service that operates in Northern California — where selling marijuana is legal in some cities and towns — experienced a 500 percent increase in sales after lockdown orders in mid-March, according to Dean Arbit, the chief executive of the company. | Bud.com, a delivery service that operates in Northern California — where selling marijuana is legal in some cities and towns — experienced a 500 percent increase in sales after lockdown orders in mid-March, according to Dean Arbit, the chief executive of the company. |
| “Where we normally get 200 orders a day, we saw closer to 1,000,” he said. | “Where we normally get 200 orders a day, we saw closer to 1,000,” he said. |
| The service has enabled its drivers to do touch-free deliveries by not handing products directly to customers, but instead leaving them at the doorstep at a safe distance, Mr. Arbit said. | The service has enabled its drivers to do touch-free deliveries by not handing products directly to customers, but instead leaving them at the doorstep at a safe distance, Mr. Arbit said. |
| But those protocols may not be enough to keep delivery workers safe from the coronavirus, said Curtis Gardner, 26, a driver for Bud.com. | But those protocols may not be enough to keep delivery workers safe from the coronavirus, said Curtis Gardner, 26, a driver for Bud.com. |
| “A lot of people aren’t practicing space,” Mr. Gardner said in an interview. “I’d be lying if I said I thought that I would be 100 percent OK dealing with all of these people and going to their houses.” | “A lot of people aren’t practicing space,” Mr. Gardner said in an interview. “I’d be lying if I said I thought that I would be 100 percent OK dealing with all of these people and going to their houses.” |
| Mr. Gardner has developed a delivery routine during the pandemic: First, he lets the customer know he is on the way. When he arrives, he puts on a fresh pair of gloves and a face mask. After he tells the customer he has arrived, the buyer will usually head to his car to pick up the order. | Mr. Gardner has developed a delivery routine during the pandemic: First, he lets the customer know he is on the way. When he arrives, he puts on a fresh pair of gloves and a face mask. After he tells the customer he has arrived, the buyer will usually head to his car to pick up the order. |
| He asks for identification. If the customer pays with cash, he folds the money and puts it in a bag. If it is a card transaction and a PIN is required, he hands the customer the card terminal. He then hands over the purchase and removes his gloves. | He asks for identification. If the customer pays with cash, he folds the money and puts it in a bag. If it is a card transaction and a PIN is required, he hands the customer the card terminal. He then hands over the purchase and removes his gloves. |
| The risk appears, he said, when the customer does not respond to his messages and he must go to the front door. But he said most customers stand a distance away. | The risk appears, he said, when the customer does not respond to his messages and he must go to the front door. But he said most customers stand a distance away. |
| Initially Mr. Gardner was apprehensive about making deliveries during the pandemic, but he soon noticed that many of his customers were also taking precautions. | Initially Mr. Gardner was apprehensive about making deliveries during the pandemic, but he soon noticed that many of his customers were also taking precautions. |
| “It is comforting to know that other people are ready and willing to make this transaction as safe as possible,” Mr. Gardner said. | “It is comforting to know that other people are ready and willing to make this transaction as safe as possible,” Mr. Gardner said. |
| Updated June 30, 2020 | |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | |
| Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles. | Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles. |
| A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. | A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. |
| The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth. | The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth. |
| The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave. | The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave. |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| Uncle Ike’s, a dispensary in Seattle, where marijuana was legalized in 2014, isn’t making deliveries, but the influx of customers in the shop puts its staff members, or “budtenders,” at risk of contracting the coronavirus. | Uncle Ike’s, a dispensary in Seattle, where marijuana was legalized in 2014, isn’t making deliveries, but the influx of customers in the shop puts its staff members, or “budtenders,” at risk of contracting the coronavirus. |
| “People were lining up to make sure that they were able to get what they could,” said Jesse Huminski, 30, the regional manager at Uncle Ike’s. “There were people ordering $500 and $700 worth of product. It felt like we were doing black Friday business on a Monday.” | “People were lining up to make sure that they were able to get what they could,” said Jesse Huminski, 30, the regional manager at Uncle Ike’s. “There were people ordering $500 and $700 worth of product. It felt like we were doing black Friday business on a Monday.” |
| Uncle Ike’s asked employees to wear gloves and masks and spaced out customers inside the store to help prevent anyone from getting infected. | Uncle Ike’s asked employees to wear gloves and masks and spaced out customers inside the store to help prevent anyone from getting infected. |
| “We are doing everything we can to ensure the safety of everyone coming in and out,” Mr. Huminski said. | “We are doing everything we can to ensure the safety of everyone coming in and out,” Mr. Huminski said. |
| Jack Flash delivery workers are still finding safe ways to loosen the strict rules that are in place to keep them from being detected by the police, the service’s owner said. | Jack Flash delivery workers are still finding safe ways to loosen the strict rules that are in place to keep them from being detected by the police, the service’s owner said. |
| “I have done a couple where I’ve left it in their mailbox and they’ve left money in the mailbox,” the owner said. “I’ve done two or three like that.” | “I have done a couple where I’ve left it in their mailbox and they’ve left money in the mailbox,” the owner said. “I’ve done two or three like that.” |
| Some deliveries have been made using the “hand out the window” method, but Jack Flash’s owner has warned his staff not to get arrested. There are fears of a potential health catastrophe in New York City jails, where thousands of people are held in close quarters. | Some deliveries have been made using the “hand out the window” method, but Jack Flash’s owner has warned his staff not to get arrested. There are fears of a potential health catastrophe in New York City jails, where thousands of people are held in close quarters. |
| “That’s kind of a death sentence right now,” he said. | “That’s kind of a death sentence right now,” he said. |