While new cases and deaths saw drop-offs due to the holidays, they have since rebounded as backlogged data gets reported. Hospitalizations, a more reliable metric, continue to increase across the country. There are more than 131,000 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, an increase of ten percent from the same period 14 days ago. ICU's in several hospital systems are overwhelmed, most notably in Southern California. Los Angeles County has told EMTs not to bring people who have little chance of survival into hospitals and to conserve oxygen out in the field.

Stop the Steal Protest - On 06 January 2021, supporters of President Donald Trump, including members of the Million MAGA March movement, Women for America First, the Proud Boys, and others will be gathering in Washington, D.C. at approximately 1100 local time at the White House and Freedom Plaza, before marching towards the Capitol at 1300.

Over the past week, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) announced a significant and sustained cyber-attack. CISA issued Emergency Directive 21-01 in response to a known attack against SolarWinds, an American software company that helps businesses manage their networks. 

New cases and hospitalizations continue to rise across the country. The U.S. saw a record high 251,000 new cases on 18 December. Over the past week, there has been an average of 216,000 cases per day, an increase of seven percent from the average two weeks earlier. Hospitalizations are up 13 percent across the country compared to the same period two weeks ago. At least 115,000 Americans are hospitalized with COVID-19.

On December 17, Dale Buckner, CEO of Global Guardian had the chance to sit down with Stephen Barth, Founder and CEO of HospitalityLawyer.com to discuss Global Affairs Beyond COVID-19 and what lies ahead in 2021 in BTN's featured webinar: 30 Minutes with Dale Buckner.

While it is too early to know with certainty how and when travel will truly pick back up in 2021, there are two key variables that will play a huge a role –vaccine distribution and confidence of travelers. Global Guardian’s VP of Global of Global Risk Services, Michael McGarrity, weighs in on the discussion in Washington Post's recent article "How will the COVID-19 vaccines affect your travel?"

New cases and hospitalizations continue to rise across the country. The U.S. saw a record high 229,000 new cases on 04 December. Over the past week, there has been an average of 207,064 cases per day, an increase of 18 percent from the average two weeks earlier. Hospitalizations are up 22 percent across the country compared to the same period two weeks ago. At least 104,000 Americans are hospitalized with COVID-19. 

Last week the Global Guardian team had the chance to sit down with the Global Business Travel Association audience to discuss Global Affairs Beyond COVID-19 and what lies ahead in 2021. 

The list of services the COVID-19 pandemic has forced to change is long with corporate duty of care being one of them. According to the Wall Street Journal “Many employees who are now working from home due to the pandemic don’t have the same protections—such as a badge system or a front-desk security guard—often found in corporate office buildings. If a threat is credible, remote employees and their families could be more vulnerable.”

The COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused more than 63 million infections and over 1.4 million deaths worldwide, has exposed a critical shortage of lifesaving personal protective equipment (PPE) in the United States. As suppliers have rushed to meet this demand, the quality of PPE imported from abroad has frequently fallen short even as these products are often sold at inflated prices. Consumers are literally risking their lives and paying more to do so.