Sample Emergency Plan - Department Of Children & Family Services: Fill & Download for Free

As s much research is going on, and we all the time get new information, I from time to time am writing new information in this answer. I am writing this as a Mini-Blog about covid-19.Edit 28. October 2020: The studies of Remdesivir is now finished, and it is proven Remdesivir shortens the time to improve if having a severe Covid-19 infection. It is not proven to enhance the survival rate.Edit 5. June 2020: MARVELLOUS NEWS! Learn the name REMDESIVIR, as it probably will be the new drug with effect on covid-19! This is originally a drug used against cancer. Now it is found to have anti-viral properties as well, along a different route than Remdesivir. Norway and Great Britain are about to start a joint study on patients hospitalized with covid-19. 60 patients will get the drug and 60 controls will not get the drug. It is a British study called ACCORD (Acclerating covid-19 Research & Development Platform). The Norwegian firm BerGenBio is producing Bemcentinib, which is chosen as the first drug to be tested against covid-19. The drug might be able to hinder the bodys immune system to be weakened by the virus. If it actually works, we will have two medicines with effect against covid-19. Edit 25. May 2020:About children and covid-19. There is still much we do not know, due to the need of far more tests in the population as a whole to really know whom has been infected, and knowing more of the routes of infection.What we do know, is fewer children are being infected compared with adults. Also in infection tracking, there is by far less people being infected by children compared with youths and adults, also when adjusted for fewer children being infected.In general children are being less ill when infected by covid-19. Of children being ill from covid-19, infants younger than 1 year of age had a higher rate of serious infections compared to children over 1 year of age.New York warns of children's illness linked to Covid-19 after three deathsThere has now has been rapported 73 cases in New York of children getting a very serious condition with toxic shock similar to what is called Kawasaki Syndrome. Still, it is not certain the condition was caused by the infection, as the Kawasaki Syndrome can happen to children without any infection, with an incidence rate ranging from about 9 to 20 per 100,000 children under 5 years of age. It may be these children would have gotten the Kawasaki Syndrome also if they had not been infected by covid-19. Still, the finding of this syndrome in ill children means we have to be alerted to the possibility of developing this possible complication in children.Edit 24. May 2020:There now is one more promising drug being tried out against covid-19. The place on our cells where the covid-19 is able to attach itself and enter the infected cell, is a cell surface protein called Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2, ACE2 in short.We have now been able to produce a solution of ACE2, this solution is called APNo1. It is produced by the Austrian company called Apeiron Biologics. It has already been tested in small pilot tests, and the testing till now has made it clear it is not harming the patient in any way.Now there is planned a larger scale scientific trial with 200 patients getting the drug and 200 controls. The clinical trials will be done at 10 sites together in Austria, Denmark and Germany.The possible working mechanism is if flooding our blood stream with artificial ACE2, the covid-19 viruses may connect to these free ACE2 molecules. If the viruses actually connects to these artificial ACE2 in the blood, they can not at the same time attach themselves to the ACE2 molecules on the host cells nor enter the host cells. If this drug actually works the way we hope, the drug will stop the viruses from infecting the body cells.In this way the APNo1 may shorten the time the person is ill from the infection, and may giving milder infections with less deaths.This is a very promising drug, but of course we have to await the results from the study.Edit 23.May 2020:The drug Remdesivir has a proven effect in hindering the covid-19 virus from multiplying. See details under the headline The work on antiviral Treatment.Also edit 23. May 2020: New information of how the covid-19 kills has been found. Among them there is multiple thrombosis in many of the smaller arteries to different organs, leading to the destruction of those organs in persons who have died from the disease. Due to this findings, there now is started clinical studies with more heavy anticoagulant treatment than before, to see if this can prevent the multi thrombosis, and thus lower the death rate.The results from these studies are not ready yet.By the 13. April 2020 Norwegian doctors came across a woman ill with covid-19 who tested negative on the ordinary covid-19 tests twice. The test swabs were taken from the pharynx.It turned out there was nothing wrong with the tests themselves.But further out when being ill and the infection having reached the lungs, there were no longer viruses in the pharynx. The viruses were only in the lungs.This lack of viruses higher up in the airways when the illness has progressed, makes it more difficult to get correct diagnosis.Testing for viruses from the lungs can only be done in hospital.Start of original answer:The picture shows doctor Li Wenliang. He is known to the world for privately warning others about the disease. He got ill himself and is now dead.If you were sure not to be one of those who are not being very ill by the virus, it could be a good idea just to expose yourself to the covid-19 virus and get immunity.But there are several reasons for this not being a good idea after all.Now it is a big risk to expose oneself to the virus.You can be one of the more than 80 % who just get a weak disease.But you do not know if you one of those who are being very ill.We also wait for antiviral treatment which can relieve the illness. Until this is developed, it is better to try to avoid being infected.The more infected people there are at the same time, the more difficult it will be to protect the most vulnerable part of the population from being infected. This includes people with heart conditions, lung conditions and cancer. It is unethical to not try protecting our vulnerable fellow citizens from being infected.23. April 2020:Covid-19 gives rise to far more deaths than the common flu. This is most easily seen in graphs.London, showing all deaths every week for the last nine years:From New York State, weekly deaths from the flu the last five years compared with covid-19 deaths in 2020:April 2020: Why humanity will be less vulnerable to covid-19 after some years due to immunity against some of the antigens on the virus, even if some of the antigens are mutated:Humanity will get SOME immunity against this virus, even if the virus mutates.Viruses have many antigens on their surfaces. Usually we fight the viruses off by attacking the main antigens. This is what happens with the seasonal flu. The virus mutates those main antigens, making us vulnerable to it again, and making it necessary to make a new seasonal flu vaccine.But there is one BIG DIFFERENCE. We do not only create antibodies against the main antigens on the viruses. We make some antibodies against most of the antigens on the surface of the viruses.We still have some immunity against some of the less important antigens on the surface of the virus. The virus does not mutate them all at once.The reason for us not having ANY immunity against covid-19, is because this virus is totally new to humanity. Nobody have any immunity to any of its antigens.The same was the case with the bird flu and the swine flu: We were so vulnerable to the viruses due to the viruses being completely new to humanity, and nobody having immunity against any of the antigens on the surfaces of these viruses.The covid-19 virus probably will mutate its major antigens. But the virus will not mutate all of its surface antigens at once. This will in time render humanity less vulnerable to the virus compared to what the case is now.30. Mars 2020, Cultural differences in distancing:The Scandinavians have personal distancing as a way of life.The following gif picture shows Swedes at a bus stop - BEFORE the covid-19:About health resources:The Scandinavian Health authorities publishes the number of intensive care hospital beds with possibilities to use respirators. This number is enough under usual circumstances. But if too many people are being severely ill at the same time, the number of intensive care beds with respirators will be too few.Fun fact:In Norway the opera had to close due to the covid-19. The opera has seamstresses who usually are creating costumes for the opera.Now they have had to stay at home. But they were not idle! They started sewing re-usable protection coats for health personell as there was some shortage of protection clothing, especially in the care facilities for the elderly.The picture shows one of the opera seamstresses at her home, wearing one of the protection coat she has sewn to help in the covid-19 crisis.This is what she usually is creating:In Norway many people does work to help in the covid-19 crisis. Medical students gets extra education and then start working in medical receptions, taking covid-19 tests, and even working as ambulance drivers.The picture shows medical students in Bergen, Norway who are taking covid-19 tests.You see it is in a tent. This tent is placed besides the local emergency reception.In Norway all the health system is now organized to NOT mix covid-19 patients with other patients. Those suspected of being infected with covid-19 are not allowed entrance to the actual emergency reception or a doctors waiting room. This to protect other patients from infection:Sweden:HRH Princess Sofia of Sweden, Duchess of Värmland, married to Prince Carl Philip who is the forth in line to the crown in Sweden has taken a course in how to work in a hospital, and is actually working as and aid to the nurses and other staff to help in the crisis.Cudos to this fine Princess!She is doing real work, not just a publicity stunt!I can not help myself, but posting another picture of this fine Princess. This is from a Nobel Prize reception:The number being severely ill depends on the number of people being infected.Due to this, it will help the survival rate if the infection rate is slowed down, making the amount of severely ill at no time exceed the capacity of respirators and intensive care beds. This of course also is true in countries outside of Scandinavia, and is a good reason for slowing down the spread as much as we can.Italy has been hit hard. Alessandro Paronuzzi tells in a comment that Italy still have not been in need of rejecting patients. Patients are sent to other parts of the country which are less affected by the virus.The Italian doctors themselves have compared it with war-time circumstances.In war-times and in great crisis, the doctors may have to make decisions of which patients are to be treated. Then it is necessary to leave out those with small possibilities of surviving.Crisis selection of patients is one of the subjects we have in medical school.27. Mars 2020 How different countries handle the epidemics:Both Sweden and UK started with an idea of letting the young and healthy not protect themselves against the virus, thinking this would lead to herd immunity by the fall 2020. The goal was 40 - 60 % of the population being immune. The old, sick and in other ways vulnerable was to be sheltered - this was not meant to let this part of the population ill and die.Both Sweden and UK have now changed their way of dealing with the virus, trying to slow down the rate of infections. The reason for this was they experienced the number of severely ill people in need of intensive care with respirators, and even dying, to be higher than they had expected. They saw that if they did not slow down the general rate of infections, they would get more severely ill patients than the health system could handle. This again would lead to more deaths compared with a policy of slowing down the infection rate in general.I have to add the Swedish state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell still does not agree they should try more to prevent infection among young, healthy people. But the actual politics in the country has changed in a more preventive direction, even though it is not as strict as in Denmark and Norway.Deaths per 100 000 inhabitants in Scandinavia per 29. April 2020:Sverige = Sweden, Norge = Norway, Danmark = Denmark, Island = Island,Finland = FinlandAs we can see, Sweden has far more deaths compared with the other Nordic countries. Still this is no proof Sweden is doing the wrong thing. There is for sure coming more waves with the virus, and then Sweden might have a population with higher resistance compared with the other Nordic countries. First after some years will we really know what is the better strategy.All the Nordic countries are cooperating with each other with research. Due to being small countries with a highly educated population and very well developed health system, the different ways of meeting the pandemic will be measured. This can later on give valuable information of what is the best way to meet pandemics.One thing do we know: Covid-19 is not going to be the last virus pandemic in the world!By 25. May 2020: The country in the world doing the worst possible thing in the covid-19 crisis is by now USA. Not having a central government supporting the states, supporting social distancing - and having created the situation of the States having to bid against each others to buy medical equipment such as ventilator - this artificially making the states getting less equipment for the money is incredible.This combined with holding back medical help to states if the president perceives himself as personally insulted by the state governor is also incredible.Suddenly one of the leading countries in the world is acting like a low level partial dictatorship without educated leadership.This has lead to US being the country in the world with most covid-19 deaths - over 90 000 deaths, even with a possible under-rating of covid-19 related deaths. Again, we have to await how the pandemic evolves. Can also US get a higher amount of people with resistance against the covid-19?The one thing which makes US for sure having more deaths than necessary, is the lack of ventilators and lack of protective clothing and masks for the health personell.27. Mars 2020 The special experiences in the city Vo in Italy:In the city Vo in Italy, they tested ALL inhabitants of the city. Then ALL the citizens was in home quarantine for two weeks. After that, ALL the citizens were tested once more.An unexpected finding was 70 % of all testing positive for the covid-19 virus, had no symptoms at all! We already knew some did not have any symptoms, but in no way the number being this high.The first reporters of the covid-19 virus:As Haodong Du states in a comment, it was other doctors, Dingyu Zhang and Jixian Zhang who kept reporting about the virus to the government through official channel to raise more attention, even under some pressure.About the covid-19 virus:New information is coming nearly by the hour now!It was found the covid-19 virus possibly had diverted into two different strains, the S- strain giving more serious disease and spreading more quickly, and the L-strain giving less serious disease and spreading less quickly. It was estimated 30 % of the cases being by the L-strain and 70 % of the cases being by the S-strain.What is a fact, is that the 21. January 2020 a man in USA tested positive for the covid-19 virus, and they found both the S-strain and the L-strain at the same time in this patient.Later research question both the difference in severity and the difference in spread ability of these two strains, even questioning it being correct to call it two different strains.This is in the study: Xiaolu Tang, m. fl: «On the origin and continuing evolution of SARS-CoV-2», National Science Review, 3. mars 2020:Response to “On the origin and continuing evolution of SARS-CoV-2”Edit 27. Mars 2020 about the covid-19 virus:The last findings are from Iceland, they studied the genetic details in the covid-19 viruses they had collected. There they found 40 different strains of covid-19 virus. They do not know if there is any difference in virulence or infectivity of those strains. They may have the same virulens and infectivity.Specialists in virology states that it is more probable for a virus to mutate and spread as a less virulent type, not a more virulent type. This is due to the “survival of the fittest”, which for viruses means the ability to multiply and spread. The more quickly the virus kills its host, the less time it will have to spread. Of course it is possible for the virus also to mutate into a more virulent strain.We have to expect still more news to come, and still quite quickly. Still news are coming nearly by the hour. We need to be open minded and re-evaluate our opinions as new information is emerging!Original answer by 27. Mars 2020 about the development of a vaccine against the covid-19:It is NOT more difficult to develop a vaccine against covid-19 compared with developing vaccines in general. There are no previous vaccines against this virus, making it necessary to create a new vaccine. Creating a new vaccine usually takes three years. The reason for this is the need for long term tests on human subjects to ensure both the vaccine protecting people from being infected by the disease, and at the same time the vaccine not giving any severe side effects.The vaccine is first tested on cell cultures, then tested on more organized cell cultures, then on animals, then on a smaller group of human test objects. First when all this have went well, the main testing on humans starts. We have to see that antibodies are produced. Then we have to see these antibodies actually help in not getting the disease. And the long term testing is needed to se there being neither short term harms or long term harms from the vaccine.It is quite easy to make a vaccine prototype, many firms already have done so. But a vaccine prototype is not a vaccine ready to be used on the population.The two firms by now leading in the race, is the Boston based firm Moderna and the German firm CureVac.Sara Lourenço has given an update about Trump and the company CureVac:There were rumors Trump has tried to bribe CureVac into only giving their vaccine to US when it is ready, but CureVac’s CEO later denied such rumors ('There was and there is no takeover offer': German coronavirus vaccine company CureVac is shooting down viral reports that Trump tried to buy it). Bill Gates has given a substansial contribution to CureVac, and made sure the vaccine will be distributed to those who need it the most.Moderna has as its vaccine prototype a strand of messenger RNA which codes for the main gluco-protein spike on the surface of the virus. The reason for choosing mRNA is this mimicking a real infection, and thus maybe giving a stronger immune response.Moderna has the 16. Mars 2020 started the first tests on volunteer test subjects. This was done in Seattle, USA. The trial includes 45 healthy adults ages 18-55 and last for approximately 6 weeks as volunteers will receive two shots about a month apart.This picture shows the very first vaccine set on a voluntary human test object.We expect the results of this first study to be ready in July or August 2020.If all goes well, we expect a working vaccine to be ready in 12 - 18 months from now.14. April 2020 about the development of a vaccine against covid-19:By 10. April 2020 Nature published 78 vaccine projects was ongoing. Even 37 more projects are in an early stages of development.The University in Oxford, three Chinese research groups and two American companies including the firm Moderna have started the first trials on human volunteers.Edit 22. April 2020: The Oxford University has worked with a vaccine prototype being a synthetic version of the virus. In April 2020 dr. Sarah Gilbert, professor in vaccines at Oxford, states to The Times she believes there is 80 % probability for the vaccine to work.500 persons age 18 – 55 years of age have volunteered to participate in the test for the vaccine, this testing will start 23. April 2020. The vaccine may be ready already the autumn 2020 to be ready for production. The time for production comes after the testing period is finished. If this test is successful, the British authorities has confirmed being willing to buy several millions vaccines.To speed up the process, some scientists have suggested to expose the vaccinated volunteers with the virus. The reason for this is the studies need to see if those getting the test vaccine actually are protected from being infected. If this is not done in the study, we will wait to see what happens if they only by chance are infected.One of those who suggests this is Nir Eyal, professor in bio ethics at Rutgers University. He emphasizes such volunteers have to be young and healthy, they have to have access to intensive care treatment and have to be medically looked well after.This is not a generally accepted way of speeding up the process. Professor Adam Finn at the University of Bristol says we have to think this through before we do this, due to the risk for the test subjects.Bill Gates is supporting different teams in creating the vaccine. He has told he is willing to support the work of developing a vaccine, also supporting companies where the efforts turn out to not be of use.About sham treatments and false information:By now, we now should NOT be apologetic and tolerant of false information or of sham treatments.In less severe situations the only harm this does, is not helping. But in the situation we are now, false information and sham treatments create a real danger. False information and sham treatments will make it difficult for people to get the correct information they need to keep them healthy and safe.About the use of face masks:The important thing to know, is the difference between wearing a face mask to protect yourself against being infected by air, and wearing a face mask to lower emitting airborne infection from yourself to others.Wearing a face mask to protect yourself does not work. It has to be special masks, such as the N95 mask. It has to be put on correctly, and to only be worn once and then disposed of. Because of the shortage of these special masks, they should be left for those who are working with covid-19 sick patients, or work with test samples.To protect the airborne infection to spread to others from you is a completely different matter.The viruses have to be emitted into the air by droplets though coughing, sneezing or even talking, for creating an airborne infection.An ordinary face mask will stop or at least diminish the amount of emitting these droplets into the air.Also in this case, the face masks should only be used once, due to the risk for yourself being infected if the masks have viruses on them. The face masks we buy, are usually to be disposed of after use.If people used face masks made of cotton cloth - cotton because cotton can take high temperatures being washed - we would lower the amount of airborne infections.If every person had three cotton cloth face masks, they could wash by 70 degrees Celsius the used mask in the evening, and drying it. They then every day would have a clean, virus free face mask to put on. This would lower the amount of airborne infection.About the work on antiviral treatment:Edit 22. May 2020:ABOUT REMDESIVIRhttps://The large National Institutes of Health (NIH) study that enrolled over 1,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients across 22 countries. To qualify, patients had to be hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 and have evidence of lung involvement, such as an abnormal chest X-ray or needing supplemental oxygen. possibility of actually getting a working antiviral treatment gives us reason for trying to contain the spread of the covid-19 virus until we actually have a treatment. An early analysis of the data, which did not include patients enrolled later in the trial, found that median time to recovery was 11 days for patients on remdesivir and 15 days for patients on placebo. It also suggested a lower death rate, 8 percent on remdesivir compared to 11.6 percent on placebo, but that difference was just short of statistical significance.UCSF Medical Center and Zuckerberg San Francisco General were among the hospitals that participated in the NIH remdesivir trial. A COVID-19 accelerated care unit is set up outside the hospital at Parnassus.This is breakthrough, as it is the first medicine with any proven effect against covid-19. Even though the effect is not great, it gives something to start with.GENERAL ABOUT ANTIVIRAL MEDICATIONS AGAINST COVID-19A link about this work: It’s going to take a lot longer to make a COVID-19 vaccine than a treatmentQuote from the link: “The leading candidate is a drug called remdesivir, which was developed by the pharmaceutical company Gilead. Research showed that it could block SARS and MERS in cells and in mice. In addition, remdesivir was used in a clinical trial looking for treatments for Ebola — and therefore, it had already gone through safety testing to make sure it doesn’t cause any harm.That’s why teams in China and the US were able to start clinical trials testing remdesivir in COVID-19 patients so quickly.”In Norway there is being done research now on antiviral therapy against the covid-19 virus. The following picture shows the platform they are working from. It shows how far the work has come with different antiviral medications against different corona virus strains.It is very interesting to really study this chart. For example, just by looking at this chart you can see that Tilorone already is approved for use against MERS.You also can see, in the first column, how far the testing of different antiviral substances have come against covid-19.Remdesivir is in Phase III. Two more phases needed before it can be used - if it at all passes the next level of tests :Paul Peterson shared the following information about antiviral medication. I am copying his comment here:“I am glad to see chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine on the chart as under testing for covid-19. I read these are “ionophores” for zinc ions…meaning they help “shuttle” zinc into (infected) cells, where zinc then blocks “RNA-dependant replicase” (enzyme) from reproducing viral proteins (slowing the rampant spread of a person's viral load. Apparently chloroquin diphosphate (a related form ) is being used in S. Korea (500 mg. per day) and China (500 mg. X 2 daily), and S. Korea has a very low death rate…Italy's fatality rate is 8 times higher (hypothesis).”ABOUT HYDROXYCHLOROQUINEEdit 22. May 2020At first it was suggested Hydroxychloroquine might help against covid-19, but we knew we needed scientific clinical trials to see if this was the case.The conclusion was hydroxychloroquine did not help against covid-19, in fact it was dramatically raising the death rates due to heart arrhythmias.The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) had a study of covid-19 ill patients treated with hydroxychloroquine together with a control group not getting the drug. In the study of 368 patients, 97 patients who took hydroxychloroquine had a 27.8% death rate. The 158 patients who did not take the drug had an 11.4% death rate. This means the death rate was nearly doubled for the patients given hydroxychloroquine compared with patients not given that drug.The patients in this study were very ill.In Sweden they conducted a multicenter clinical trial on patients hospitalized for the covid-19 infection. These were not that ill patients, as it was only generally hospitalized patients, not the critically ill patients. All the patients had cardiac surveillance. During the study the doctors noticed many of the patients who got hydroxychloroquine developed dangerous heart arrhythmias, the arrhythmias being possibly lethal. Due to this the study was stopped from ethical reasons. The Swedish health authorities also published a prohibition to use hydroxychloroquine in covid-19 ill patients, both against the use in trials or for treatment.Conclusion:Hydroxychloroquine does NOT help against covid-19. It in stead represents a risk of higher mortality rate in covid-19 ill patients.Original answer:Ways the hydroxychloroquine might work against covid-19:Hydroxychloroquine has a slight antiviral property. The drug is used against different diseases. In addition to being used against malaria, it is used against several autoimmune diseases, such as severe rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.Because an over reaction of the inflammatory response of the body may be part of the cause for the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrom and the Cytokine Storm, the latter leading to multi organ failure, it is speculated the hydroxychloroquine might help in these cases because of its anti inflammatory properties. Other anti inflammatory drugs have been tried, such as the NSAIDs and corticosteroids. These did not work against the conditions.It is important to have scientific clinical studies with control groups, and see the results from these studies before concluding if hydroxychloroquine is helping or not.A thank to Rowince Gangwar for edit the language in this answer.

Uncertain. Previous statements by the HHS seem to indicate the program would continue (see Tirumalai Kamala's answer) but the latest announcement from the HHS (1/22/2018) indicate otherwise (emphasis mine)[1][1][1][1]DC will continue minimal support to protect the health and well-being of US citizens here and abroad through a significantly reduced capacity to respond to outbreak investigations, processing of laboratory samples, and maintaining the agency’s 24/7 emergency operations center. CDC will also ensure that staff that are currently supporting the ongoing hurricane response will continue their important work to respond to immediate and ongoing public health needs in the affected areas. CDC would also continue World Trade Center Health Program and certain childhood obesity activities, which are supported through mandatory funding, and CDC would continue activities supported with funding not affected by the lapse in appropriations, such as: U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), CDC’s Global AIDS program, the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA), Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, certain asbestos exposure in Libby, Montana, Ebola response and preparedness, and Global Health Security Agenda implementation.Some programs like the global AIDS monitoring initiative PEPFAR are funded outside the normal budget process and will continue in full.[2][2][2][2]In general, the shutdown has been very chaotic in comparison to previous ones and nobody knows what is going onFrom an interview with Pam Gilbertz of the CDC on 1/21/2018[3][3][3][3]MARTIN: Is it clear who in your agency has to work and who doesn't?GILBERTZ: It is not clear to most of us. All we know is that each individual employee got a letter by email from HHS. I haven't even seen my letter yet because I have not logged into CDC email since Friday afternoon, but I have been told that the emails went out overnight, and those emails from HHS told each individual employee how they had been categorized.MARTIN: And we'd like you to know that we reached out to the Department of Health and Human Services to ask how they spoke to their employees about the shutdown. We haven't heard back.The HHS email went out at around 7 pm Friday to the government email account along with a request for a non-government email. Since checking government email is forbidden for furloughed employees,[4][4][4][4] its not clear how people are supposed to know.The statement from Mulvaney hasn’t really clear things up[5][5][5][5][E]ither you were exempt and you were to come to work either today or Monday, depending on your ordinary work schedule; you were absolutely furloughed, in which case you were not to come to work beginning today and going over to Monday; or there’s actually another group of people that would show up for a few hours on Monday or today, up to four hours, in order to close down shop or prepare for the lapse. So those notices went out today (Friday night)Why is this statement not clear?There are three classes of employees in a shutdownEssential and not furloughed due to your job role (military, most law enforcement, clinical doctors, senior officials etc)Not essential and furloughedNot essential but needed to keep the place running and therefore not furloughedIn previous situations, the designation of employees needed to keep he place running was made about a week in advance. There was no department wide guidance at all in this shutdown from the HHS.Disclaimer: These answer is my own and does not reflect the views of the HHS, the federal government, or anyone except myselfFootnotes[1] FY 2018 HHS Contingency Staffing Plan for Operations[1] FY 2018 HHS Contingency Staffing Plan for Operations[1] FY 2018 HHS Contingency Staffing Plan for Operations[1] FY 2018 HHS Contingency Staffing Plan for Operations[2] How the U.S. Government Shutdown Could Impact Science[2] How the U.S. Government Shutdown Could Impact Science[2] How the U.S. Government Shutdown Could Impact Science[2] How the U.S. Government Shutdown Could Impact Science[3] For Federal Employees On Furlough During Shutdown, An Uncertain Future[3] For Federal Employees On Furlough During Shutdown, An Uncertain Future[3] For Federal Employees On Furlough During Shutdown, An Uncertain Future[3] For Federal Employees On Furlough During Shutdown, An Uncertain Future[4] If the shutdown continues, feds should report to work on Monday, but after that it depends[4] If the shutdown continues, feds should report to work on Monday, but after that it depends[4] If the shutdown continues, feds should report to work on Monday, but after that it depends[4] If the shutdown continues, feds should report to work on Monday, but after that it depends[5] If the shutdown continues, feds should report to work on Monday, but after that it depends[5] If the shutdown continues, feds should report to work on Monday, but after that it depends[5] If the shutdown continues, feds should report to work on Monday, but after that it depends[5] If the shutdown continues, feds should report to work on Monday, but after that it depends

I don’t believe it’s safe for anyone to visit Syria these days. Should you decide to , here is some advice, Jewish surname or not, from the US State Department:Draft a will and designate appropriate insurance beneficiaries and/or power of attorney.Discuss a plan with loved ones regarding care/custody of children, pets, property, belongings, non-liquid assets (collections, artwork, etc.), funeral wishes, etc.Share important documents, login information, and points of contact with loved ones so that they can manage your affairs, if you are unable to return as planned to the United States. Leave DNA samples with your medical provider in case it is necessary for your family to access them. Find a suggested list of such documents here.Establish your own personal security plan in coordination with your employer or host organization, or consider consulting with a professional security organization.Develop a communication plan with family and/or your employer or host organization so that they can monitor your safety and location as you travel through high-risk areas. This plan should specify who you would contact first, and how they should share the information.These are things that everyone really ought to do before going on vacation, but there are few vacations where someone will actually give you this advice.That doesn’t sound like you’re going to be having an enjoyable anxiety-free vacation. Better to just go to Dollywood.Here’s some more advice from your friendly, neighborhood Department of State:Do not travel to Syria due to terrorism, civil unrest, and armed conflict.No part of Syria is safe from violence. Kidnappings, the use of chemical warfare, shelling, and aerial bombardment have significantly raised the risk of death or serious injury. The destruction of infrastructure, housing, medical facilities, schools, and power and water utilities has also increased hardships inside the country.The U.S. Embassy in Damascus suspended its operations in February 2012. The U.S. government does not have diplomatic or consular relations with Syria. The Czech Republic serves as the protecting power for U.S. citizens in Syria. The range of consular services that the Czech Republic provides to U.S. citizens is extremely limited, and the U.S. government is unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Syria. U.S. citizens in Syria who seek consular services should try to quickly and safely leave the country and contact a U.S. embassy or consulate in a neighboring country, if at all possible.The U.S. government particularly warns private U.S. citizens against traveling to Syria to engage in armed conflict. U.S. citizens who undertake such activity face extreme personal risks, including kidnapping, injury, or death. The U.S. government does not support this activity, and our ability to provide consular assistance to individuals who are injured or kidnapped, or to the families of individuals who die in the conflict, is extremely limited.Fighting on behalf of or providing other forms of support to designated terrorist organizations, including ISIS and al-Nusrah Front, can constitute the provision of material support for terrorism, which is a crime under U.S. law that can result in penalties including prison time and large fines.