The Sociability Argument for the Burqa Ban: A Qualified Defence.

Over the past decade, countries such as France, Belgium, Denmark, Austria, Latvia, and Bulgaria have banned face-coverings from public spaces. These bans are popularly known as 'burqa bans' as they seem to have been drafted with the aim of preventing people from wearing burqas and niqabs specifically. The scholarly response to these bans has been overwhelmingly negative, with several lawyers and philosophers arguing that they violate the human right to freedom of religion. While this article shares some of the concerns that have been raised, it argues that banning face-coverings in public is morally justified under certain conditions with the exception of facemasks that are necessary for the containment of infectious diseases, such as COVID-19. The reason for this is that those who publicly cover their face make it very difficult for other members of society to socially interact with them, especially for those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, which is problematic in an age where many people are chronically lonely or at risk of becoming chronically lonely. As such, this article can be understood as a more elaborate, and arguably more sophisticated, defence of the justification that France offered for its face-covering ban before the European Court of Human Rights, namely that covering one's face undermines the conditions for 'living together'.

Changes to Czech Corporate Restructuring Laws During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comment

The author briefly comments on various measures undertaken in order to mitigate the effects of the extraordinary situation in connection with the pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 and seeks to put them into the context of the available data. In this connection, the paper mainly focuses on corporate insolvency filings, extraordinary moratoria and suspension of loan repayments. The author also briefly describes the future outlook.

Visiting hospitalized loved ones: a right of family members and patients

In hospitals and nursing homes, regulations apply different limitations to family visits: from a total ban even for critical and/or terminal patients, or in the delivery room (new mothers give birth alone), to limiting the number of visitors (one at a time) or the type (immediate family members only), to the time for the visit (a maximum of 10 to 45 minutes);other facilities allow access for critical and/or end-of-life patients. It is time to return to pre-covid normality. The patient has the right to be accompanied, by the people who matter to her/him;the presence of family members next to the patient is not a concession but a concrete expression of the respect and attention due to the patient and his/her dignity as a human being. To continue the debate on family visits to hospitalised loved ones, we publish two letters/appeals. One, from the relatives of nursing home residents, hospitalised and dead during the pandemics, without any contact with their relatives (edited by Anchise Comitato Nazionale Famiglie RSA RSD Sanita), which in sometimes very harsh, but hardly contestable tones, at the end of August 22 launched an appeal (which is still little heeded) to the future government, to reopen the doors of hospitals and nursing homes. The other, a press release of December 2022, from the Nursing College of Trento, reaffirms the importance of family visits as a right and responsibility to guarantee the care and caring of the person being cared for, recalling the attention and responsibility of nurses, who should consider a fundamental care to be able to care for patients with the closeness of the family.

The Prohibition of Dismissal or Termination of the Contract Due to Covid. Commentary on the Judgment of the Supreme Court of October 19, 2022. Once Again on the Slogan of May 1968, Il Est Interdit D'interdire

The Covid-19 pandemic gave rise to a kind of legislation that, without prejudice to urgent needs and other causes, has shown on several occasions that it presents relevant legal technical problems and excessive ideological content. It is desirable that these legal observations do not occur again, providing the entire Legal System with greater legal certainty, basis of the Rule of Law.

In Silico Analysis of Bioactive Compounds from Sea Urchin (Echinometra mathaei) against SARS-COV-2

SARS-CoV-2 is a kind of coronavirus that produces Covid-19 illness, which is still a public health concern in Indonesia. Meanwhile, an effective drug has not yet been found and although vaccination has been carried out, in several regions and neighboring countries there is still an increase in Covid-19 cases. This study aimed to obtain bioactive compounds from sea urchins (Echinometra mathaei) that have greater antiviral potential and lower toxicity than remdesivir. This research was started by predicting druglikeness with SwissADME, followed ADMET predicition with pkCSM online, and docking of molecule using the Molegro Virtual Docker (MVD) 5.5 software against the main protease (Mpro) target (PDB ID: 6W63). The results showed that six compounds from sea urchins (Echinometra mathaei) had antiviral activity, where the bioactive compound from sea urchins (Echinometra mathaei) with the highest affinity was shown by Spinochrome C a smaller rerank score compared with Remdesivir and native ligand (X77). So that Spinochrome C compounds are candidates as SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors potential developed drug.Copyright Published by Oriental Scientific Publishing Company © 2023.

Jing Si Herbal Drink as a prospective adjunctive therapy for COVID-19 treatment: Molecular evidence and mechanisms

Background: SARS-CoV-2 has led to a sharp increase in the number of hospitalizations and deaths from pneumonia and multiorgan disease worldwide;therefore, SARS-CoV-2 has become a global health problem. Supportive therapies remain the mainstay treatments against COVID-19, such as oxygen inhalation, antiviral drugs, and antibiotics. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been shown clinically to relieve the symptoms of COVID-19 infection, and TCMs can affect the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro. Jing Si Herbal Drink (JSHD), an eight herb formula jointly developed by Tzu Chi University and Tzu Chi Hospital, has shown potential as an adjuvant treatment for COVID-19 infection. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) of JSHD as an adjuvant treatment in patients with COVID-19 infection is underway Objectives: This article aims to explore the efficacy of the herbs in JSHD against COVID-19 infection from a mechanistic standpoint and provide a reference for the rational utilization of JSHD in the treatment of COVID-19. Method(s): We compiled evidence of the herbs in JSHD to treat COVID-19 in vivo and in vitro. Result(s): We described the efficacy and mechanism of action of the active ingredients in JSHD to treat COVID-19 based on experimental evidence. JSHD includes 5 antiviral herbs, 7 antioxidant herbs, and 7 anti-inflammatory herbs. In addition, 2 herbs inhibit the overactive immune system, 1 herb reduces cell apoptosis, and 1 herb possesses antithrombotic ability. Conclusion(s): Although experimental data have confirmed that the ingredients in JSHD are effective against COVID-19, more rigorously designed studies are required to confirm the efficacy and safety of JSHD as a COVID-19 treatment.Copyright © 2021

Treatment Effects of Integrated TCM and Western Medicine Treatment Scheme on COVID-19: A Single-armed Clinical Trial

Backgroud: The outbreak of COVID-19 has brought unprecedented perils to human health and raised public health concerns in more than two hundred countries. Safe and effective treatment scheme is needed urgently. Objective(s): To evaluate the effects of integratedTCM and western medicine treatment scheme on COVID-19. Method(s): A single-armed clinical trial was carried out in Hangzhou Xixi Hospital, an affiliated hospital with Zhejiang Chinese Medical University. 102 confirmed cases were screened out from 725 suspected cases and 93 of them were treated with integrated TCM and western medicine treatment scheme. Result(s): 83 cases were cured, 5 cases deteriorated, and 5 cases withdrew from the study. No deaths were reported. The mean relief time of fever, cough, diarrhea, and fatigue were (4.78 +/- 4.61) days, (7.22 +/- 4.99) days, (5.28 +/- 3.39) days, and (5.28 +/- 3.39) days, respectively. It took (14.84 +/- 5.50) days for SARS-CoV-2 by nucleic acid amplification-based testing to turn negative. Multivariable cox regression analysis revealed that age, BMI, PISCT, BPC, AST, CK, BS, and UPRO were independent risk factors for COVID-19 treatment. Conclusion(s): Our study suggested that integrated TCM and western medicine treatment scheme was effective for COVID-19.Copyright © 2021

Contested Terrains? The Politics of Alcohol Bans, Drinking Contexts, and COVID-19 in Botswana

The onset of COVID-19 resulted in the adoption of various measures such as lockdowns and alcohol bans. These interventions were new and unprecedented in the way they impacted drinking experiences across various contexts. The impact of COVID-19 lockdowns and other alcohol restrictions in non-Western contexts remains unknown. Little is known about how the strict prohibition of COVID-19 lockdowns impacted drinkers. Using grounded theory methods from an alcohol study based in Botswana with drinkers (n = 20), this paper investigated the impact of lockdowns and alcohol bans in Botswana. Key themes from the data relate to support for alcohol bans, opposition to bans, and adjusting drinking practices. Drinking at home due to COVID-19 lockdowns led to shifts in drinking practices. The paper draws attention toward the need to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic might impact drinking experiences in developing countries. Study findings point toward the complex ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic and its alcohol restrictions may shape drinking experiences in home contexts. More importantly, the paper highlights the importance of home-drinking as a focal area for research in non-Western contexts. © The Author(s) 2023.

Smoke-free homes in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic - a nationwide cross-sectional survey.

OBJECTIVES: Secondhand smoke exposure causes serious health problems. Banning smoking in public venues decreases exposure to secondhand smoke. However, the implementation of smoke-free rules in a private setting (including homes) is largely voluntary. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and characteristics of voluntary smoke-free home rules in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as to identify factors associated with the voluntary implementation of smoking bans at home. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This cross-sectional survey was conducted in March 2022 with a nationally representative sample of 1090 individuals aged ≥18 years in Poland. Data were collected using a computerassisted web interviewing (CAWI) technique. The research tool was an original questionnaire developed for the purpose of this study. RESULTS: Nationally, 60.6% of individuals had total ban on smoking in home (100% smoke-free home rules), 34.0% had implemented a partial smokefree home rule and 5.4% had not implemented any smoke-free home rules. Over three-quarters of non-smokers (76.8%) and only one-fifth of smokers (20.7%) had adopted a full smoke-free home rule. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, males (OR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.22-2.22, p < 0.01), non-smokers (OR = 13.78, 95% CI: 9.80-19.38, p < 0.001), respondents who had higher education (OR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.15-2.14, p < 0.01) as well as those who lived alone (OR = 2.44, 95% CI: 1.52-3.90, p < 0.001) had higher odds of having a 100% smoke-free home rule. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the implementation of smoke-free home rules in Poland. Less than two-thirds of the Polish population has adopted a total smoke-free home rule, with significant gaps between smokers and nonsmokers. Information on current voluntary smoke-free rules will be useful for further implementation of the smoke-free law in Poland. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2023;36(1):84-95.

Changes in hazardous drinking pre, during and post 70-day alcohol sales ban during COVID-19 pandemic in Botswana.

BACKGROUND: Absolute alcohol sales bans instituted in countries like Botswana provide a rare opportunity for a quasi-natural experiment on how such strict policies influence users' behaviours during the COVID pandemic and beyond. From March 2020 to September 2021, Botswana banned the sales of alcohol on four separate occasions spanning a cumulative 225 days. We studied changes in retrospectively recalled hazardous drinking following the longest and last alcohol sales ban in Botswana. METHODS: This online cross-sectional study, carried out following a 70-day alcohol sales ban in 2021, comprised a convenience sample of 1326 adults who completed the AUDIT-C and had to recall their alcohol use during three points: pre alcohol sale ban (before 28th June 2021), during alcohol sales ban (28th June 2021 to 5th September 2021), and post alcohol sales ban (after 5th September 2021). RESULTS: The prevalence of hazardous drinking (defined by an AUDIT-C score of 3 or 4 for females and males, respectively) prior, during and post the alcohol sales ban was 52.6% (95%CI=49.8-55.3), 33.9% (95%CI=31.3-36.5), and 43.1% (95%CI=40.4-45.8), respectively. CONCLUSION: The findings from this study showed that reduced alcohol availability by way of the fourth alcohol sales ban was associated with reductions in self-reported hazardous drinking, albeit at a lesser degree compared to during an earlier sales ban.

Family support in intensive care units during COVID-19 visit ban: A multinational Delphi Study during first COVID-19 wave.

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed opinions and experiences of healthcare professionals, former patients and family members during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and focuses on challenges in family-centred care for intensive care unit patients and affected families. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY/DESIGN: A two-round modified Delphi process assessed the opinions and experiences of experts such as healthcare professionals, former patients and their families (n = 151). SETTING: This study was conducted across four countries in Europe. RESULTS: In total, 121 participants (response rate 80.13%) answered the first Delphi round; the second was answered by 131 participants (response rate 86.75%). Participants perceived family support in the intensive care unit as highly important during the COVID-19 pandemic. Enabling contact amongst patients, families and clinicians is regarded as essential to build hope and confidence in the treatment and the recovery process. The extraordinary situation led to the implementation of new communication structures such as video calls and websites. CONCLUSION: A consensus was reached between healthcare professionals that virtual contact is essential for patients with COVID-19 and their families during visit restrictions. This should be done to establish confidence in the treatment.

Impact of internal auditing practices on the internal control system: pre- & postpandemic comparative study

Internal auditing is an impartial practice, which involves providing assurance and consulting services that are aimed at improving a company's business operations. The recent business malfunctions and increased fraudulent and corruption cases in both developed and developing countries have raised questions over the effectiveness of internal auditing practices. The key objective of this study was to assess the effect of internal auditing practices on the internal control system quality pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic. This study proposes organizational independence, objectivity, audit work performance, scope of work, and professional proficiency as the solution for business operations. The study also advocates that risk assessment and control activities are essential elements of the internal control system to evaluate and enhance the quality of audit work. The data for this study were collected from 89 respondents from 31 Iraqi banks using a survey questionnaire technique. The data were analyzed using SPSS and Smart-PLS. The findings present that the organizational independence impacted the control activities and the scope of work impacted the risk assessment before the pandemic. Objectivity impacted control activities and objectivity, organizational and scope of work impacted risk assessment post COVID pandemic. Moreover, the multigroup technique was used for comparative analysis and the results also showed that only organizational independence showed significant impact on control activities. This study is unique in a way that this is the only study that compares the pre- and post-COVID pandemic impact of internal auditing practices on the internal control system.

Impact of the hunting ban on the population and hunting bag of the Eurasian Woodcock Scolopax rusticola (Scolopacidae, Aves)

Materials from National census of woodcock on the evening roding and hunting bag data from the State Registration Service on the territory of European Russia were used in the study. The impact of hunting bans due to viral infections in 2006 and 2020 (bird influenza A H5N1 and human coronavirus Covid-19, respectively) on the population of the Eurasian Woodcock Scolopax rusticola was described. An increase in roding intensity (the number of contacts) by 9.4% was de-tected in European Russia in 2007, possibly due to the ban. In 2019–2021, the roding intensity in-creased by 14.5% in the year of the ban (2020) only. The increase in the number of hunters in European Russia from 2006 to 2020 probably affected indicators of the National census of woodcock. This fact is consistent with the total (spring and autumn) shooting volume and the indicator of in-dividual hunting bag in European Russia in 2021. After the hunting ban, the indicators of hunting bags remained almost the same as in 2019, and there was an increase in these indicators in 2007 as compared to 2005. Thus, the short-term and incomplete ban of spring hunting in European Russia (23 of 41 regions), based on the available data on roding and hunting bag, does not allow us to speak unambiguously about its positive effect on the number of woodcocks. © 2022, KMK Scientific Press. All rights reserved.

A secure communication using multifactor authentication and key agreement techniques in internet of medical things for COVID-19 patients

Currently, Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) gained popularity because of an ongoing pandemic. A few developed countries plan to deploy the IoMT for improving the security and safety of frontline workers to decrease the mortality rates of COVID-19 patients. However, IoMT devices share the information through an open network which leads to increased vulnerability to various attacks. Hence, electronic health management systems remain many security challenges, like recording sensitive patient data, secure communication, transferring patient information to other doctors, providing the data for future medical diagnosis, collecting data from WBAN, etc. In addition, the sensor devices attached to the human body are resource-limited and have minimal power capacity. Hence, to protect the medical privacy of patients, confidentiality and reliability of the system, the register sensor, doctor and server need to authenticate each other. Therefore, rather than two factors, in this work, a multifactor authentication protocol has been proposed to provide more secure communication. The presented scheme uses biometric and fuzzy extractors for more security purposes. Furthermore, the scheme is proved using informal and formal security verification BAN logic, ProVerif and AVISPA tools. The ProVerif simulation result of the suggested scheme shows that the proposed protocol achieves session key secrecy and mutual authentication

Alcohol ban during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown: Lessons for preventing foetal alcohol spectrum disorder in South Africa.

During the two national lockdowns implemented in South Africa to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages were prohibited. There is observational evidence from the literature suggesting a drastic reduction in the emergency and trauma unit admissions in many South African hospitals and clinics with alcohol-related restrictions. This article explores the potential benefits of the restrictions placed on the sale and consumption of alcohol during the COVID-19 pandemic on preventing foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) in South Africa. Following the potential benefits of the alcohol bans, we recommended that the current South African national liquor policy and the 2012 South African government-drafted Bill for Control of Marketing of Alcoholic Beverages should be fully implemented and enforced. Furthermore, the 'best buys' by the World Health Organization (WHO) should be adapted (based on local evidence) and executed. Implementing the abovementioned policies can reduce alcohol abuse by limiting and regulating the manufacturing, distribution, advertising, sponsorship, promotion, physical availability and hours of sale of alcoholic beverages in South Africa.Contribution: This article shows that alcohol bans during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown reduced the short-term effects of alcohol. We believe that this could be a game-changer for the prevention of FASD in South Africa and positively impact the incidence and prevalence of FASD. This piece provides evidence that policymakers, health practitioners and academics can use to continue advocating for stricter alcohol control measures in South Africa.

A call to ban the sale of tobacco products.

Tobacco is both toxic and addictive. Mounting evidence shows that tobacco use has a detrimental impact on almost every aspect of human health, causing or worsening deadly public health crises from the cancer epidemic to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, while tobacco use is a threat to both personal and public health, it continues to surge across the world, especially in China and other low- and middle-income countries. To this end, this article argues in favor of using a ban on the sale of all tobacco products as a practical solution to the global tobacco use epidemic. It is our hope that insights provided by our work will inspire swift policy actions in countries such as China and beyond to curb the tide of rising tobacco consumption, so that populations around the world could be better shielded from the pervasive and long-lasting damage that tobacco products cause or compound.

[Consequences of the COVID-19 measures for wellbeing aspects of long-term care residents]. / De gevolgen van de COVID-19 maatregelen voor het welbevinden van bewoners van instellingen voor langdurige zorg.

To examine the impact of COVID-19 measures on residents of long-term care institutions, two surveys were conducted in the spring of 2020. Leontjevas et al. (study 1) inventoried practitioners' opinions, Van der Roest et al. (study 2) opinions of care workers, family, and residents without severe cognitive impairments. This article describes the combined results on social interaction and loneliness, challenging behaviour and mood, and lessons learned. In study 1, an online survey distributed to nursing home psychologists, they were asked to complete it anonymously and share the link with their fellow elderly care physicians and nurse specialists. 16 participants were then interviewed via video calling. In study 2, three hundred and fifty-seven care organizations were invited to recruit residents without severe cognitive impairments, family members and care workers for participating in a digital, anonymous survey (Study 2). The completed surveys of 323 practitioners (study 1) and 193 residents, 1609 family members and 811 employees (study 2) were included in the analyses. Social contacts of residents had changed in frequency and form compared to before the COVID-measures. Many residents experienced some loneliness during the visit ban, especially residents without cognitive impairments. There were both an increase and a decrease in challenging behaviour and affect. Several strategies used to reduce the effects of COVID-19 measures on well-being, were considered maintainable. Our studies confirmed a major impact of the COVID-19 measures on the wellbeing of long-term care residents, but also showed successful strategies of practitioners that can benefit future practice.

Modified susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered model for assessing the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic in Seoul.

Susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered (SEIR) models were applied to assess the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) and to study the dynamic behavior of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, SEIR models have evolved to address the change of human mobility by some NPIs for predicting the new confirmed cases. However, the models have serious limitations when applied to Seoul. Seoul has two representative quarantine policies, i.e. social distancing and the ban on gatherings. Effects of the two policies need to be reflected in different functional forms in the model because changes in human mobility do not fully reflect the ban on gatherings. Thus we propose a modified SEIR model to assess the effectiveness of social distancing, ban on gatherings and vaccination strategies. The application of the modified SEIR model was illustrated by comparing the model output with real data.

Aligning conservation and public health goals to tackle unsustainable trade of mammals

Unsustainable wildlife trade is a major driver of biodiversity loss and an important public health threat. Yet, effective wildlife trade regulation is currently at odds with food security and economic incentives provided by this global, multibillion-dollar industry. Given such limitations, public health and conservation resources can be aligned to target species for which trade both increases risk of extinction and threatens public health. Here, we developed a simple conservation and health trade risk (CHT) index (range: 2-50) using a case study of traded mammals based on species' extinction and zoonotic risks, weighed by the extent of their trade. We applied this index to 1161 International Union for the Conservation of Nature-listed terrestrial mammals involved in the wildlife trade to identify 284 high-priority species that scored high in the CHT index (CHT >= 18). Species ranking high for conservation, public health, and trade risks include those belonging to the orders Primates, Cetartiodactyla (even-toed ungulates), Rodentia (rodents), Chiroptera (bats), and Carnivora (carnivores). Of the high-priority species, 33% (n = 95) are country-endemics and may be good candidates for trade regulations and enforcement at national scales. Our study provides a preliminary step in prioritizing species, taxonomic groups, and countries for focused wildlife trade regulation to meet both conservation and public health goals.