Protecting Consumers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Year in Review

"One of the FTC’s strengths is the ability to anticipate and respond to current events and the predatory behavior that capitalizes on those events. Over the past year, the FTC found that consumers were struggling from the pandemic in several key ways. First and foremost, they were anxious about their health and safety and the health and safety of their loved ones. Second, some consumers faced unprecedented economic distress. Third, consumers spent much more time online, making them more susceptible to digital harms.

Our data, research, and outreach surfaced specific threats within each of these areas. Hundreds of marketers began making deceptive claims as they peddled COVID-related products and services. Schemes proliferated in response to demand for scarce goods, to peddle treatments and cures, and to exploit the financial distress people experienced. Hundreds of thousands of people filed reports about consumer problems they experienced in the pandemic—ranging from money lost in frauds to identity theft related to government benefits. As people followed stay-home orders and their professional and educational lives moved to the digital world, it became even more important for technology companies to deliver on their privacy promises.

This report highlights the ways the Commission has worked to address these issues—through sophisticated targeting, aggressive law enforcement, and ongoing partnership and outreach. The Commission developed systems to track and alert the public to shifts in reports from consumers, launched a public dashboard providing information on reports associated with COVID-19, and used COVID-related reports to identify law enforcement targets. The FTC challenged deceptive claims through law enforcement actions and warning letters designed to effectuate the immediate removal of problematic claims. The Commission just brought its first action seeking monetary penalties under its new authority under the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act,4 targeting deceptive COVID-19 marketing of vitamin D and zinc products.5 The Commission buttressed these enforcement efforts with consumer and business education, sending out more than 100 alerts to inform consumers about COVID-19 scams, reminding businesses about their responsibilities regarding honest advertising, and alerting companies about scams targeting them. This multi-prong strategy of harnessing data, halting fraud in its tracks, educating consumers and businesses, and partnering with stakeholders allowed the FTC to protect consumers efficiently and effectively, including communities that were already hardest hit by the pandemic..."
Consumers and COVID-19 

The District of Columbia Emancipation Act

"On April 16, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill ending slavery in the District of Columbia. Passage of this act came 9 months before President Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation. The act brought to conclusion decades of agitation aimed at ending what antislavery advocates called "the national shame" of slavery in the nation's capital...":
District of Columbia 

Legal Issues Related to Transportation Mask-Wearing Mandates

"On January 21, 2021, President Joe Biden issued an executive order directing federal agencies to require mask wearing in a range of transportation contexts nationwide. In response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an order (Mask Order) requiring mask wearing on commercial and public transportation. A number of other federal agencies have since taken additional actions to support the enforcement of these mask-wearing requirements. This Legal Sidebar provides a brief overview of the CDC’s Mask Order and the role of other federal agencies in enforcing its requirements. It then discusses a number of related legal considerations for Congress, including the scope of the federal government’s authority to impose mask-wearing requirements in transportation contexts.

CDC Mask Order

The Mask Order requires passengers and personnel on covered modes of transportation and at transportation hubs to wear masks that cover the mouth and nose. The CDC also has issued guidance listing the specific attributes of masks that satisfy CDC requirements. The Mask Order applies broadly across commercial and public transportation, such as aircraft, trains, buses, ferries, and taxis, as well as at transportation hubs, such as airports and train stations. Operators of covered modes of transportation and transportation hubs must use “best efforts” to ensure that individuals comply with the mask-wearing requirements. The Mask Order contains a number of exclusions, such as exempting certain people with disabilities and children under two years of age from the mask mandate. The order does not apply in states or localities that enforce mask-wearing requirements providing “the same level of public health protection” as the CDC’s requirements.

Enforcement

The CDC states that it may enforce the mask-wearing requirements through criminal penalties, but that it “does not intend to rely primarily on these criminal penalties.” Instead, the CDC expects widespread voluntary compliance, as well as support from other federal agencies in implementing civil enforcement measures. A number of federal agencies have now taken such action..."
Transportation mask-wearing 

Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community

"This annual report of worldwide threats to the national security of the United States responds to Section 617 of the FY21 Intelligence Authorization Act (P.L. 116-260). This report reflects the collective insights of the Intelligence Community (IC), which is committed every day to providing the nuanced, independent, and unvarnished intelligence that policymakers, warfighters, and domestic law enforcement personnel need to protect American lives and America’s interests anywhere in the world.

This assessment focuses on the most direct, serious threats to the United States during the next year. The order of the topics presented in this assessment does not necessarily indicate their relative importance or the magnitude of the threats in the view of the IC. All require a robust intelligence response, including those where a near-term focus may help head off greater threats in the future, such as climate change and environmental degradation.

As required by the law, this report will be provided to the congressional intelligence committees as well as the committees on the Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Information available as of 9 April 2021 was used in the preparation of this assessment..."
Annual Threat Assessment 

Scope of CDC Authority Under Section 361 of the Public Health Service Act (PHSA)

"Since the beginning of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, all levels of government have grappled with how to stem the spread of the disease. Until the recent authorization of several COVID-19 vaccines, community mitigation activities (such as social distancing and use of face covering), combined with traditional tools of communicable disease control(such as testing, contact tracing, quarantine, and isolation)—have been the primary strategies used to reduce or prevent COVID-19 transmission.

Under the United States’ federalist system, states and the federal government share regulatory authority over public health matters, with states traditionally exercising the bulk of authority in this area. Consistent with this framework, states and localities have been at the leading edge of the United States’ pandemic response in many respects. For instance, to varying degrees, they issued mandates aimed at promoting the relevant public health measures, including temporary stay-at-home orders, restrictions on public gatherings, requirements to wear face coverings under specified circumstances, and quarantine requirements for out-of-state travelers. Because adherence to some of these measures—particularly ones that place restrictions on business operations—resulted in income losses for their residents and businesses, states have also issued orders aimed at alleviating the pandemic’s associated economic impact. For example, many states temporarily halted evictions or provided other housing support to assist households that have experienced pandemic-related income losses that rendered them unable to pay rent. The federal government’s pandemic response to date includes providing support to states through guidance, technical assistance, and funding, as well as providing certain direct assistance to private entities and individuals, including through several pandemic relief legislations.

The scale and nature of the pandemic have prompted some commentators to call for the imposition of public health orders at the federal level. In their view, coordinated federal action, rather than a patchwork of state-level orders, is the more effective approach to addressing COVID-19, given that the virus that causes COVID-19 is highly transmissible and can cause serious illness in some people. Commentators have considered whether Section 361 of the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) could serve as a source of authority for such federal executive action. Section 361 authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS Secretary)—who, in turn, delegated the authority to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)—to issue regulations “necessary” to prevent the foreign and interstate spread of communicable diseases

In September 2020, the CDC—in the broadest invocation of its Section 361 authority to date—issued an order that nationally halted residential evictions for certain tenants under specified conditions. The CDC concluded that this eviction moratorium was necessary to prevent the interstate spread of COVID-19 because evictions could lead a sizeable portion of the population to become homeless or to relocate to new congregate living situations that increase the risk of COVID-19 transmission. The CDC’s order—which could be characterized as both a public health and an economic regulation—could raise larger questions about the scope of agency authority under Section 361, including the CDC’s authority to implement transmission control measures that have broader economic implications...."
CDC Authority 

Income and Poverty in the United States: 2019

"

Download Income and Poverty in the United States: 2019 [PDF - 1.2 MB]

This report presents data on income, earnings, income inequality, and poverty in the United States based on information collected in the 2020 and earlier Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplements (CPS ASEC) conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Highlights:
Income: 

• Median household income was $68,703 in 2019, an increase of 6.8 percent from the 2018 median of $64,324 (Figure 1 and Table A-1).
• The 2019 real median incomes of family households and nonfamily households increased 7.3 percent and 6.2 percent from their respective 2018 estimates (Figure 1 and Table A-1). This is the fifth consecutive annual increase in median household income for family households, and the second consecutive increase for nonfamily households.
• The 2019 real median incomes of White, Black, Asian, and Hispanic households all increased from their 2018 medians (Figure 1 and Table A-1).
• Real median household incomes increased for all regions in 2019; 6.8 percent in the Northeast, 4.8 percent in the Midwest, 6.1 percent in the South, and 7.0 percent in the West (Figure 1 and Table A-1)..."
  Income and poverty 

Poverty in the United States in 2019

"Calendar year 2019 was the last full year before the start of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and the last year of the economic expansion since the Great Recession. The strength of the U.S. economy in 2019 was reflected in low poverty rates—the percentage of the population living in poverty (economic hardship characterized by low income)—for the nation and by demographic group.

While the 2019 poverty estimates do not reflect people’s incomes during the pandemic, the pandemic affected survey data collection for that year, which took place February-April 2020. Instead of a combination of in person interviews and telephone interviews, only telephone interviews were conducted due to social distancing restrictions. That affected the estimates because some respondents were harder to reach by phone than in person, less likely to respond to a telephone interview than an in-person interview, or less likely to respond for other reasons. The increased rate of non response affected persons with low incomes to a greater degree than persons with high incomes. That means that while poverty in 2019 was at or close to a historic low, it was likely not as low as the official estimates suggest.

Bearing the above caveats in mind, the poverty rate in the United States was estimated to be 10.5% in 2019, down from 11.8% in 2018. This was the fifth year in a row that the poverty rate declined. The decline in poverty was broad based, affecting many demographic groups and occurring in every region of the country. The estimated poverty rate fell

 both for women (11.5% in 2019, from 12.9% in 2018) and men (9.4%, from 10.6%);

 among families with a female householder and no spouse present (22.2% in 2019, from 24.8% in 2018), the latest of a series of historic or near-historic lows for this group;

 among Hispanics (15.7% in 2019, from 17.6% in 2018), Whites not of Hispanic origin (7.3%, from 8.1%), Blacks (18.8%, from 20.8%), and Asians(7.3%,from 10.1%);

 for both full-time workers (2.0% in 2019, from 2.3% in 2018) and non workers (26.4%, from 29.7%); and

 in 23 states and the District of Columbia.

Work reduces the estimated likelihood of being in poverty but does not eliminate it entirely: 39.2% of poor 18 to 64-yearolds had jobs in 2019. Furthermore, poverty is measured using the needs and resources from the entire family, meaning that nonworkers in poverty may be living with working family members. Among 18- to 64-year-olds without jobs estimated to be living in poverty, 19.2% lived in families where someone else worked..."
Poverty 

Working Together to Reduce Black Maternal Mortality

"Black Maternal Health Week is recognized each year from April 11-17 to bring attention and action in improving Black maternal health. Take these steps to reduce risks of pregnancy-related complications and deaths.

Most Pregnancy-Related Deaths are Preventable

Each year in the United States, about 700 people die during pregnancy or in the year after. Another 50,000 women each year experience severe pregnancy complications that can cause serious consequences for a woman’s health. Every pregnancy-related death is tragic, especially because two in three of them are preventable. Recognizing the warning signs and providing timely treatment and quality care can prevent many pregnancy-related deaths.

Racial Disparities Exist

Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than White women. Multiple factors contribute to these disparities, such as variation in quality healthcare, underlying chronic conditions, structural racism, and implicit bias. Social determinants of health have historically prevented many people from racial and ethnic minority groups from having fair opportunities for economic, physical, and emotional health.

Working Together to Reduce Black Maternal Mortality

During Black Maternal Health Week, learn how you can support pregnant people in your life to reduce factors that contribute to pregnancy-related complications and death.

Pregnant people and their families can:

• Talk to a healthcare provider if anything doesn’t feel right or is concerning.
• Know and seek immediate care if experiencing an urgent maternal warning signs, including severe headache, extreme swelling of hands or face, trouble breathing, heavy vaginal bleeding or discharge, overwhelming tiredness, and more. These symptoms could indicate a potentially life-threatening complication.
• Document and share pregnancy history during each medical care visit for up to one year after delivery.
• Maintain ongoing healthcare and social support systems before, during, and after pregnancy.

Healthcare providers can:

• Help patients manage chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and obesity.
• Listen to pregnant and postpartum people’s concerns, and communicate with patients about urgent maternal warning signs.
• Use tools to flag warning signs early so women can receive timely treatment.external icon
• Coordinate ongoing healthcare for women before, during, and after pregnancy..."
  Black maternal mortality 

Dog health

"Dogs can have many positive effects on the lives of their owners. They influence social, emotional, and cognitive development in children, promote an active lifestyle, provide companionship, and have even been able to detect oncoming epileptic seizures or the presence of certain cancers. Dogs can also help to relieve stress and anxiety in people. Around 38% of US households are estimated to have one or more dogs.

Although dogs can be beneficial to the health and wellbeing of their owners, people should be aware that dogs of any age, including puppies, can sometimes carry harmful germs that can make people sick. Germs from dogs can cause a variety of illnesses, from minor skin infections to serious illnesses. One of the best ways you can protect yourself from getting sick is to thoroughly wash your hands after handling, caring for, feeding, or cleaning up after dogs.

By providing your dog with routine veterinary care and following the Healthy People tips, you are less likely to get sick from touching or interacting with a dog..."
Dogs 

Income Tax Form 1040, 1913

"April 15 is the deadline for most Americans to file their Federal individual income tax returns. Passed by Congress on July 2, 1909, and ratified February 3, 1913, the 16th amendment established Congress's right to impose a Federal income tax. In 1913, due to generous exemptions and deductions, less than 1 percent of the population paid income taxes at the rate of only 1 percent of net income..."
Income tax 

Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP)!

"The CGP is the finding tool for federal publications that includes descriptive information for historical and current publications as well as direct links to the full document, when available. Users can search by authoring agency, title, subject, and general keywords, or click on "Advanced Search" for more options.

The catalog offers you the option to find a nearby Federal Depository Library that has a particular publication or that can provide expert assistance in finding and using related U.S. government information. Click on the title of interest from your search results list. Then click on the Locate in a Library link within the displayed record.

Also try our federated search engine MetaLib to retrieve reports, articles and citations by simultaneously searching across multiple U.S. Federal Government database.."
Catalog Government Publications 

Articles of Agreement Relating to the Surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia

"On April 9, 1865, Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee met in the parlor of a house in Appomattox Court House, VA, to discuss this surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, which would end the Civil War. According to the terms, the men of Lee's army could return home in safety if they pledged to end the fighting and deliver their arms to the Union Army.."
Confederate Army Surrender 

Robotics and Workplace Safety

"We are in a period of rapid growth and advancements in robotics technology. Workplaces are increasingly using robots that enhance worker safety, health, and well-being. As robots are increasingly used in workplaces there are also safety concerns. Learn more about CDC’s role in robotics and workplace safety.

Robots are machines or automated technologies that can perform a series of actions to do everything from drive cars to perform surgery. Robots have existed in the workplace for years, but their presence on jobsites is increasing, as are their capabilities. Industrial robots are no longer confined to cages or cells. Today’s robots are designed to work alongside, move amongst, and be worn by human workers.

Taking on dangerous jobs

Robots can improve worker safety by doing work that is especially dangerous. They remove the worker from the hazard. Some examples include:

• Robots can inspect offshore oil rigs while people remain safely on shore.
• Drones might allow farmers to apply pesticide without exposure to chemicals.
• Service robots may help healthcare workers safely lift patients eliminating debilitating musculoskeletal injuries.
• A fleet of self-driving vehicles could reduce motor vehicle crashes among delivery workers.

Safety concerns

While robots have potential benefits for safety and productivity, there are also safety concerns. Working closely with robots such as in a warehouse or on a construction site, may pose different hazards. For example, a drone flying near a worker may also pose a threat to workers from distraction, however, there is little data on distraction and the potential for drones to cause a fall. Information about both the number and specific details of robot-related injuries to workers involving newer robotics technologies are not well-documented. This information is critical to inform policy changes and actions to improve worker safety and health.

CDC’s Center for Occupational Robotics Research

The Center for Occupational Robotics Research within CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is addressing the safety of today’s workers who use, wear, or work near robots. The Center focuses on:

• Evaluating the potential for robotics technologies to prevent worker injuries and musculoskeletal disorders
• Increasing understanding of human and robot interactions to ensure human worker safety
• Improving the ability to identify and track injuries involving robotics technologies
• Providing guidance on working safely with robotics technologies

The Center for Occupational Robotics Research works in partnership with academic researchers, trade associations, robotics manufacturers, employers using robotics technology, integrators who set-up robotic systems in workplaces, labor organizations, and other federal agencies. The Center addresses traditional robots and emerging technologies such as collaborative robots, mobile robots, powered exoskeletons, and remotely controlled or autonomous vehicles and drones..."
Robotics and safety 

Lettuce, Other Leafy Greens, and Food Safety

"Vegetables are an important part of a healthy, balanced diet. Leafy vegetables (called leafy greens on this page) such as lettuce, spinach, cabbage, kale, and bok choy, provide nutrients that help protect you from heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.

But leafy greens, like other vegetables and fruits, are sometimes contaminated with harmful germs. Washing does not remove all germs because they can stick to the surfaces of leaves and even get inside them. If you eat contaminated raw (uncooked) leafy greens, such as in a salad, you might get sick. To prevent contamination, leafy greens should be grown and handled safely at all steps in the journey from farm to fork.

• CDC estimates that germs on produce that is eaten raw cause a large percentage of U.S. foodborne illnesses (also called food poisoning).
• Leafy greens and other vegetable row crops are a major source of E. coli O157 infections.
• Other harmful germs found on leafy greens include norovirus, Salmonella, Listeria, and Cyclospora.

Although anyone can get food poisoning, these groups are more likely to get sick and to have a more serious illness:

• Adults aged 65 and older
• Children younger than 5 years
• People who have health problems or take medicines that lower the body’s ability to fight germs and sickness (a weakened immune system)
• Pregnant women

Leafy Greens Q&As

Read these Q&As to learn more about how leafy greens get contaminated and how to lower your chance of getting sick from eating leafy greens.

How common are foodborne disease outbreaks linked to leafy greens?

During 2014 to 2018, 51 foodborne disease outbreaks linked to leafy greens (mainly lettuce) were reported to CDC. Five were multistate outbreaks that led CDC to issue warnings to the public. Among those, two outbreaks were linked to packaged salads and two were linked to romaine lettuce. The specific type of leafy greens could not be determined for the other outbreak.

The 1,406 illnesses caused by those 51 outbreaks represent only a small proportion of all illnesses caused by contaminated leafy greens in those years. That’s because most foodborne illnesses are not part of a recognized outbreak. Some outbreaks never lead to consumer warnings because the food is no longer in stores, restaurants, or homes by the time it is identified as the source. Usually the source is not identified, and people might not even suspect that their illness was caused by contaminated food. Also, most outbreaks affect people in only one state, so local or state health departments lead work to identify, investigate, and communicate about those outbreaks.

Most recently, in 2019 and 2020, CDC investigated and issued public warnings on three multistate outbreaks linked to leafy greens..."
Leafy Greens 

Type 1 Diabetes and Pregnancy

"If you have type 1 diabetes and you’re thinking about having a baby, planning before you become pregnant is important. Learn how you can stay healthy and help prevent health problems for you and your baby before, during, and after pregnancy.

Deciding to start a family is an exciting time! It can also be overwhelming. It’s natural to have questions about how to keep yourself and your baby healthy during pregnancy, especially if you have type 1 diabetes.

Women with type 1 diabetes can have a healthy pregnancy. Having a plan to manage your diabetes before, during, and after your pregnancy will help keep you and your baby healthy.

Before You Get Pregnant

Use this planning checklist pdf icon[PDF – 887KB] to learn how you can boost your health and get ready for pregnancy. Being in good overall health before you become pregnant is important.

Manage your blood sugar. Many doctors will recommend that you reach and keep your A1C goal for a few months before becoming pregnant.

Review your medicines. Some medicines and supplements aren’t safe to use while pregnant. You should speak with your health care team about each medicine and supplement you take before you get pregnant. Don’t stop taking prescribed medicines without talking to your doctor first.

View this guide to planning a pregnancyexternal icon with type 1 diabetes for more info.

Your insulin needs may change throughout your pregnancy. Be sure to talk to your doctor about how to manage your blood sugar.

During Your Pregnancy

As soon as you find out that you’re pregnant, work with your medical team to manage your blood sugar and head off complications.

During your pregnancy, you and your doctors will adjust your diabetes management plan, so it’s important that you trust your team and feel free to reach out to them. If you don’t have these health care specialists as part of your diabetes care team already, consider looking for:

• An endocrinologist (a doctor who treats hormone conditions, including diabetes). You may want to find one who specializes in caring for pregnant women with diabetes.
• An obstetrician (a doctor who treats pregnant women). Your pregnancy may be considered high risk because of your diabetes. If that’s the case, you may want to find an obstetrician who takes care of women with high-risk pregnancies.
• A diabetes educator who can help you manage your diabetes during pregnancy.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Keep your A1C levels on target. Blood sugar levels that stay high during pregnancy may cause your baby to grow too large (macrosomia) or harm the early development of organs and lead to birth defects.

Know your risks. Women who have type 1 diabetes can have a safe pregnancy and a healthy baby, but it’s important to monitor diabetes complications that could worsen throughout pregnancy, such as high blood pressure, vision loss, and kidney disease. Other risks include:

• Preecalampsia – high blood pressure that can damage the liver and kidneys.
• Insulin resistance – when insulin is less effective at lowering your blood sugar.
• Miscarriage.
• Macrosomia – a larger-than-average baby. This can lead to a more difficult delivery.
• Birth defects that may affect your baby’s heart, brain, spine, kidneys, digestive system, limbs, and mouth.

Read more about possible risks during pregnancy.

Be aware of changing insulin needs. Your insulin needs may change throughout your pregnancy. Low blood sugar is common in women with type 1 diabetes. Check with your health care team about how much insulin you need and how often you need it..."
Diabetes and pregnancy