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Business

Peloton and Adidas are working together on an exclusive apparel line

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The new collection — labeled as adidas x Peloton SS21 — was designed with help from some of Peloton’s top cycling instructors, including Robin Arzón, Ally Love and Cody Rigsby.

Source: Peloton

Peloton and Adidas announced Thursday they’re working together to create a new line of athletic apparel and lifestyle gear, in inclusive sizes and unisex styles.

The collection was designed with help from some of Peloton’s top cycling instructors, including Robin Arzon, Ally Love and Cody Rigsby.

The merchandise, which includes shorts, hoodies, tees, crewnecks, sports bras and jogger pants, retails anywhere between $30 and $85. Sizes for the clothes go up to 2X, and unisex options are available. Beginning March 25, they’ll be for sale on both companies’ websites and in select Adidas and Peloton retail stores. The companies say it’s the start of an ongoing collaboration, with more to come.

“During a time where we are not able to be physically together, we have an incredible opportunity to help grow connected communities and continue to support people as they build their new fitness journeys at home,” said Aimee Arana, general manager of global training at Adidas, in a statement.

Beginning March 25, the new line will be on sale on Adidas’ website, Peloton’s website, and in select Adidas and Peloton retail stores.

Source: Peloton

Adidas is the latest clothing company to join Peloton’s roster of brand partners. In addition to manufacturing its own pieces, Peloton sells apparel and accessories made by Lululemon and Nike, and more niche players like Beyond Yoga and Spiritual Gangster, on its website.

Its apparel business is helmed by Jill Foley, the wife of Peloton founder and CEO John Foley. It has never been a strong revenue driver, but is seen as a way for the company to entice new sign-ups for its app-based membership via referral codes that offer clothing discounts. In the past, Peloton has noted that apparel sales are often offset by those referral discounts and other annual markdowns.

Peloton doesn’t break out its apparel sales. Instead, they’re folded into its connected fitness product division.

By working with partners like Adidas, Peloton stirs up more interest in its brand and gives its subscribers access to exclusive content. Peloton said it will be holding a series of on-demand classes beginning Thursday that are in celebration of the Adidas launch, as well as a special live class on March 25.

Other at-home fitness equipment manufacturers have taken a similar approach. The athleisure brand Fabletics, for example, has a partnership with rowing machine Hydrow. It designs and produces all Hydrow apparel, and Hydrow’s trainers exclusively wear Fabletics during workouts. SoulCycle, the New York City-based fitness company owned by Equinox, also collaborates with Lululemon and Nike on limited, SoulCycle-branded gear.

Peloton shares are up more than 320% over the past 12 months, but have fallen almost 30% year to date, following a huge run-up for much of 2020. The company has a market cap of more than $30 billion.

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Business

Dick’s Sporting Goods is launching its own men’s athleisure line

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VRST is debuting Tuesday on both Dick’s Sporting Goods’ website and a standalone VRST.com, and will be rolled out to more than 400 Dick’s Sporting Goods locations across the country in the coming weeks.

Source: Dick’s Sporting Goods

Dick’s Sporting Goods is entering a hotly contested market for men’s athletic apparel with the launch of its own brand called VRST.

VRST debuts Tuesday on Dick’s website and a standalone VRST.com, and will roll out to more than 400 Dick’s stores in the coming weeks, the company said. Items in the line, which include everything from joggers and shorts to tees, quarter-zips, and hooded sweatshirts, retail anywhere from $30 to $120, putting it on the higher end of the market when it comes to price point.

Following the success that Dick’s has had with its Calia athleisure line for women, the company said it saw a blank space in its stores to have a more upscale and lifestyle-driven line for men. The line won’t compete directly with the sweat-wicking performance gear sold by Under Armour and Nike. Instead, it’s more similar to Lululemon.

Dick’s amped up private-label investments come, though, as big-name brands like Nike and Under Armour have pledged to sell more merchandise directly to consumers. Adidas announced earlier this month its direct-to-consumer vertical should make up 50% of net sales by 2025. While Dick’s still carries these brands, the pivot has put more pressure on wholesale retailers to have exclusive lines, like Calia and VRST, to drive traffic and sales.

In 2020, Dick’s rang up $1.3 billion in sales from its in-house brands. Total revenue was $9.58 billion. The company said its own brands outperformed national labels in the golf, fitness, outdoor equipment and team sports categories. Calia was the second-best women’s apparel brand falling only behind Nike last year, it said.

Filling the ‘white space’

VRST will be the second brand that Dick’s has launched with its own website. Calia was the first.

“When you see VRST, it will be a very different product assortment from when we have with our core vendor partners right now, and it is a white space,” Dick’s Chief Executive Lauren Hobart said earlier this month during an earnings call. “It covers a broad range of activities.”

“VRST will put us in a much stronger position to compete with similar offerings from premium apparel brands and specialty athletic apparel stores,” Hobart explained.

Items in the VRST line, which include everything from joggers, shorts, tees, quarter-zips, and hooded sweatshirts, retail anywhere from $30 to $120, putting it on the higher end of the market when it comes to price point.

Source: Dick’s Sporting Goods

Companies like Lululemon, Nike, Adidas and Under Armour have seen more momentum over the past 12 months than clothing brands focused on work wear and dressier items. And in turn, more traditional apparel brands and department store chains quickly shifted their merchandise and marketing to center around casual and comfort, creating more clamor in an already noisy category.

Activewear grabs market share

Prior to the pandemic, for example, Lululemon said it planned to double its men’s business in five years. Direct-to-consumer men’s athleisure brands like Rhone, Ten Thousand and Vuori have also been doubling down on marketing spending online to reach new customers. Even department store retailers Nordstrom and Kohl’s have put a renewed focus on activewear, in a bid to boost sales. Kohl’s efforts include an in-house line called FLX, which debuted earlier this month.

At the same time, there’s been enormous growth in the space.

Last year, men’s activewear gained market share to account for 45% of the total men’s apparel market, compared with 39% in 2019, according to data compiled by the consumer research firm NPD Group. Categories that helped drive dollars in the space included sweatpants, which were up 16% year over year, and sweatshirts, which rose 3%, it said.

But VRST isn’t a hurry-up solution to take advantage of a pandemic pop. It has been in the works for a few years, the company said.

“And obviously we’re maximizing the current momentum,” Nina Barjesteh, senior vice president of product development, said in an interview. “But more than anything, we continue to look at the long run, and make sure that we’re building products that you want to come back for more.”

Dick’s shares are up more than 190% over the past 12 months, as of market close on Monday. The company has a market cap of $7 billion.

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Business

Americans ready to restock wardrobe, but shipping snafus may plague retailers

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An employee at Anthropologie at Fashion Island greets customers at the store in Newport Beach, CA on Tuesday, May 26, 2020.

Paul Bersebach | MediaNews Group | Orange County Register via Getty Images

Some of us are saying “so long” to sweat pants.

In the final week of February, seven of the top 10 selling items on Anthropologie’s website were dresses, the company, a unit of Urban Outfitters, said this week during an earnings conference call. Until that point, it said, it was lucky to see just one or two dresses break into the top-10 list.

Urban Outfitters CEO Richard Hayne called the change a striking and very positive one.

“Up until recently, the fashion predominantly has been … casual and home-comfortable,” Hayne said. “We’re beginning to see — what I’m calling ‘go-out fashion’ start to take hold. The apparel business will be in for a change in terms of what categories we sell.”

Apparel sales dropped 19% last year, according to market researcher The NPD Group, as Americans stayed home and focused their spending on groceries and other household essentials.

When shoppers bought clothing, comfort was the theme: Sweatpants sales surged 17% year over year, and sleepwear was up 6%, NPD said. Within fashion footwear, which dropped 27% for the year, sales of slippers increased 21%, as consumers shuffled from cooking in the kitchen, to holding video conference calls from the bedroom, to streaming the latest series from the living-room sofa.

Retailers like Urban, Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch, Macy’s and Nordstrom had to quickly pivot their merchandise when lifestyles abruptly shifted last spring. They pulled blazers, skirts and slim-fitting pants from mannequins, to be replaced by stretchy joggers and roomy pajamas.

But the Covid vaccine rollout has quickly ramped up in recent weeks, with the U.S. now averaging 2 million vaccine doses daily. At the same time, the number of reported cases is on the decline. Encouraged by the positive trends, a wave of states has eased Covid restrictions — opening up the possibility of people venturing out to restaurants or a night at the movies. That means many Americans are going to be digging into their closets looking for something new to wear.

It’s time for retailers to pivot — again. That won’t come easily, though. Businesses continue to face congested U.S. ports and container shortages, backlogging merchandise, which will make stocking shelves with fresh outfits all the more complicated. Management teams said shipment delays range anywhere from three to four weeks, and are coupled with higher transportation costs.

“Historic volumes, social distancing measures for workers, plus driver shortages to truck goods away is causing congestion and significant delays in processing times,” Wells Fargo analyst Ike Boruchow said.

‘Sick of sameness’

The department store chain Macy’s has said it has a plan in place to quickly restock work and formal wear, as its customers begin to resume more normal activities. Many analysts are betting on a brisk turnaround in shopping behavior.

“People have got money in their pockets, they’re sick of the sameness, and you’re going to see an explosion of feel-good purchasing,” said Stacey Widlitz, president of SW Retail Advisors. “The weather’s turning, and people are feeling positive about going out again — or even sitting in the park in a dress.”

“The nature of human beings is that they want to feel good,” she added. “They want to feel fresh — especially for the younger generations. It’s your price of entry for socializing again.”

Retailers are already seizing on this messaging. Kohl’s website proclaims “The Great Refresh,” while Banana Republic touts a “Spring Awakening.” The men’s suit maker Suit Supply’s new ad campaign alluding to a “New Normal” went viral on social media this week.

Others are still hedging their bets, though, anticipating continued momentum with comfortable, lounge wear in 2021. Some consumers will likely desire sticking to a more casual wardrobe — one that they’ve grown accustomed to over the past 12 months. Businesses, in turn, might choose to relax office dress codes as their workforces return.

Nordstrom is still marketing “Work-from-Anywhere Style” on its website’s homepage. Rent the Runway keeps a section of its mobile app for outfits for “Entertaining at Home.”

The tween-and-teen apparel retailer American Eagle earlier this week said it expects its current-quarter sales will be the strongest in three years, hinging on the growth of its Aerie brand, which sells work-from-home options like yoga pants, sports bras, pajamas and lingerie.

Kontoor Brands CEO Scott Baxter, meantime, told CNBC that jeans are staging a comeback, as Americans look for a way to dress up, only slightly more so than they’ve been doing at home. Kontoor’s brands include the denim-focused labels Wrangler and Lee.

“Denim is casual, it’s easy … you can dress it up, you can dress it down,” Baxter said in an interview earlier in the week. “As people go back to the office, people are thinking about how they’re going to dress, and denim seems to be the choice.”

Logistics headaches linger

But retailers don’t simply have to worry about gauging demand for apparel bouncing back. They’ve had logistics headaches for much of the pandemic. And those don’t appear to be abating, making planning for the spring, summer and back-to-school seasons even more difficult.

Nordstrom noted shipping delays held up some of its holiday merchandise from getting to shelves and stockrooms on time, hurting its fourth-quarter results. It’s still working through selling that inventory, the company told analysts earlier this week, and hopes to be back to normal inventory levels by the second quarter.

Gap also noted Thursday, when it reported mixed fourth-quarter results, that port congestion is expected to continue through the first half of the year. That’ll result in elevated inventory levels into the second quarter, Gap said.

For Urban, the bigger issue at play today is getting access to containers to ship goods, Chief Operating Officer Frank Conforti explained earlier in the week.

“While, yes, the ports are absolutely experiencing congestion, especially on the West Coast … and we’re seeing anywhere from two to seven days of delays in the ports, the bigger challenge is actually on the inbound vessels, having enough containers over in Asia to bring product in,” Conforti said.

The limited availability of truck drivers to haul retailers’ goods cross-country remains another issue, Telsey Advisory Group CEO and Chief Research Officer Dana Telsey said in an interview Thursday with CNBC’s Sara Eisen.

Companies likely won’t sort out their inventories to match up with shopper demand until closer to the back-to-school season, she said. But, like Widlitz, Telsey doesn’t think that’s going to shop shoppers from soon heading back to stores for a new look.

“We haven’t had apparel spending in over a year,” Telsey said. “I think [people] want to refresh their wardrobes.”

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World

Japanese manners and customs that every traveler to Japan should know

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Customs and manners are so important to Japanese culture that many travel websites have sections dedicated to the topic.

Japan is currently closed to international travelers, but the country is exploring ways to safely reopen before the start of the Tokyo Summer Olympics, which is scheduled for late July. Tourists aren’t expected to understand all of Japan’s complex social rules, but they can avoid the most commonly committed faux pas.  

Here’s a guide on what to do — and what to avoid — based on advice from Japan’s government-affiliated tourism organizations.

Don’t touch the geisha

What many travelers call “geisha,” are referred to as “maiko” or “geiko” in Kyoto, which is considered one of the best places in Japan to see the decorated female entertainers.

If one is spotted, the travel website for the Kyoto City Tourism Association (KCTA) advises travelers against stopping or asking maiko to pose for photographs.  

“Do not bother them or grab them by their kimono sleeves,” states the website.

A maiko, or appentice geisha, walks in the snow in the district of Gion in Kyoto, Japan.

Koichi Kamoshida | Getty Images News | Getty Images

This is one of Kyoto’s Manners Akimahen, a list of 18 tips, recommendations and warnings for those traveling in Japan’s cultural capital.

The list of “akimahen” (which means “don’t” in the local dialect) ranges from tips about automatic taxi doors (“make sure to stand far enough away that the door can open without bumping into you”) to littering, which can lead to a fine of 30,000 Japanese yen ($280).

Emoticon ratings indicate the seriousness of each offense. Tipping, which is frowned upon throughout Japan, rather than saying thank you in the local dialect (“okini”) is given one sad face. Bicycling while intoxicated earns three angry faces — the worst rating — not to mention a possible prison sentence of up to five years.

Expect pushing, but no talking on trains

Travelers should expect pushing and shoving on crowded trains, states Go Tokyo, the travel guide website for the Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau.

“But bear in mind that this is not aggressive behavior, just the product of daily life in a metropolis,” states the website.

Japanese rarely talk or eat on trains, especially when they are crowded.

Junko Kimura | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Videos of white-gloved train attendants cramming people into Japanese trains have enthralled travelers for years. They also make it easy to understand one of the top rules of Japanese public transport: no talking on mobile phones. In fact, travelers are advised to not even let them ring.

“If you carry a phone, keep it on silent mode,” states Go Tokyo’s website.  

“Etiquette in public places is a serious business in Japan,” states the travel website for the government-affiliated Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO). “A public-wide respect for these rules is probably the main reason why a megalopolis like Tokyo can function so smoothly.”

Eat sushi with your hands

Travelers who are not proficient with chopsticks can ask for flatware, advises JNTO’s travel website, although they “may not be available, especially at more traditional spots.”

Rather than struggling with chopsticks, the tourism organization recommends travelers follow another local custom.

It’s customary to eat sushi with your hands in Japan, especially nigiri sushi, which translates to “two fingers.”

Makiko Tanigawa | DigitalVision | Getty Images

“If you have come to Japan for sushi, remember, you can eat it with your hands,” states the website.

Shrines and temples

A tourist attraction to one person is a sacred place of worship to another. Travelers should “be quiet and respectful in shrines and temples,” according to KCTA’s website.

Kyoto’s tourism association also asks that visitors remove hats and sunglasses in houses of worship.

Dai Miyamoto, founder of the tour company Tokyo Localized, said he frequently sees tourists “sitting everywhere inside … shrine and temples,” even in places “where it is not a bench or a place to take a rest.” He also sees tourists taking photos of Buddha statues and in locations where photographs are prohibited.

Go Tokyo recommends travelers embrace the “full cultural experience” at Shinto shrines by walking on the sides of the pathway that leads to the shrine because the center is “technically reserved for the enshrined deity.”

At the compound entrance, travelers can rinse their hands and mouth with “purifying water” before approaching the main hall. There they can “bow lightly, ring the bells, place a small monetary offering in the box, bow twice, clap twice, and bow once more to complete the ritual,” according to the website.

The rules of the ryokan

Staying at a traditional inn, or ryokan, is a popular way to experience Japanese hospitality, but doing so comes with more social rules than a hotel stay.

Ryokans are typically neither cheap nor exceptionally plush, which can surprise travelers who associate higher prices with sprawling suites and luxurious bedding. Ryokans are typically one-room accommodations that are spartanly furnished and lined with straw tatami mats.

Ryokan prices are often quoted per person, not per night.

recep-bg | E+ | Getty Images

KCTA has a list of guidelines for ryokan guests, including changing into (provided) slippers before entering. Luggage wheels are not to touch interior flooring. And, bags should never be stored on the wall ledge, or tokonoma, where flowers and scrolls are displayed.

Meals are often served in guestrooms, and visitors change into casual kimonos, called yukata, to eat. After dinner, plates are cleared and futon-style mattresses are arranged on the floor for sleeping.

Onsen etiquette

Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s “How to Enjoy Tokyo: Manners & Custom Handbook” advises travelers to remove all clothing to use onsens, which are bathing areas connected to Japan’s natural hot springs.

As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsens, many of which are part of a hotel or ryokan and separated by gender.

John S Lander | LightRocket | Getty Images

According to the government handbook, bathers are to rinse off before entering and refrain from swimming, jumping or diving into the water. Hair and towels should not touch the water.

People with tattoos may be refused entry to more traditional onsens due to tattoos being associated with Japan’s “yakuza,” or organized crime groups, said Miyamoto. This is decreasing, he said, due to the popularity of tattoos among younger generations and foreign travelers.

Sightseeing and shopping

Cutting lines is verboten in most countries, but in Japan, holding a space for friends or family members is also considered improper, according to Tokyo’s manners handbook.

It also advises travelers to refrain from walking up or down escalators; those in a hurry should use the stairs.  

When shopping, bargaining for better pricing isn’t common. And clothing sizes differ from those in Western nations. An extra-large men’s shirt in Japan is akin to a U.S. men’s size medium.

Miyamoto, who is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 185 pounds, wears a Japanese size XL because “large is too small.” He said Americans who need larger sizes aren’t out of luck though.

“Uniqlo, which is the most famous casual brand in Japan, sells over XXL size … in online shops,” he said.

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Business

Macy’s (M) reports Q4 2020 earnings, sales beat

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People wear facemasks as they walk through Herald Square on January 8, 2021 in New York City.

Angela Weiss | AFP | Getty Images

Macy’s on Tuesday reported its first quarterly profit in a year, as its efforts to slash inventories during the holidays and rely less on deep discounting paid off.

The company said it expects 2021 to be a recovery and rebuilding year, as it claws its way back from the losses it has suffered during the pandemic. It offered an outlook that anticipates continued pandemic-related obstacles during the spring, with momentum escalating in the back half of 2021.

Like many of its peers, Macy’s has been hurt by shoppers taking fewer trips to the mall during the health crisis, and purchasing less clothing as they work from home and attend fewer special events.

Macy’s shares were up more than 3% in premarket trading.

Here’s how the company did during the fourth quarter ended Jan. 30, compared with what analysts were anticipating, based on a poll by Refinitiv:

  • Earnings per share: 80 cents, adjusted, vs. 12 cents, expected
  • Revenue: $6.78 billion vs. $6.5 billion, expected

Net income fell to $160 million, or 50 cents per share, from $340 million, or $1.09 per share, a year earlier. Excluding one-time charges, the company earned 80 cents per share, better than the 12 cents expected by analysts.

Sales fell to $6.78 billion from $8.34 billion a year ago. That came in better than the $6.5 billion that analysts were expecting.

Macy’s said its same-store sales, on an owned plus licensed basis, fell 17.1% from 2019 levels. Analysts were calling for a 21.3% drop, according to Refinitiv data.

CEO Jeff Gennette remarked the company saw the most strength in home, beauty, jewelry and watches during the quarter, as consumers diverted more of their spending away from clothes and fancy shoes, and more toward accessories and items to dress up their homes.

E-commerce sales were up 21% in the latest period. The company said digital sales accounted for 44% of net sales, while roughly a quarter of Macy’s digital sales were fulfilled from its stores during the quarter.

Macy’s said it expects its annual online sales will eclipse $10 billion within the next three years, as the department store operator anticipates shoppers’ habits of buying more on the internet will stick beyond the pandemic.

Macy’s is in the midst of pruning its real estate, too, to keep what it says are its better-preforming stores in America’s best malls open for business. In 2019, the company said it would shut 125 locations by 2023. Earlier this year, Macy’s released the locations of more than 40 stores to shut by mid-2021, as part of its three-year closure plan.

Looking to fiscal 2021, Macy’s is calling for sales to fall within a range of of $19.75 billion to $20.75 billion. Analysts had been calling for annual revenue of $20.13 billion.

It expects adjusted earnings per share to fall within a range of 40 cents to 90 cents. Analysts had forecast adjusted earnings of 77 cents a share.

Read the full press release and materials from Macy’s here.

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World

Israel to issue badges as proof of vaccination

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JERUSALEM — Israel unveiled a plan on Saturday to allow people who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus to attend cultural events, fly abroad and go to health clubs and restaurants.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the plan at a news conference on Saturday night, saying those who have been vaccinated will be able to download the “green badge” in the coming days.

“The green badge is gradually opening up the country,” Netanyahu said.

Israel has conducted the world’s speediest vaccine campaign over the past month and a half, inoculating nearly half of its 9.3 million people. But with the coronavirus still spreading rapidly among the unvaccinated, the country only recently began emerging from a two-month lockdown.

On Sunday, retail stores, shopping malls, gyms, some middle school grades and other public services for limited crowd sizes are set to start back up.

Netanyahu said the government could not keep unvaccinated residents from places like medical clinics, pharmacies and supermarkets. But he said other services would be allowed only for those who have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Israel’s main international airport, for instance, remains closed to nearly all air traffic because of concerns of foreign variants of the virus entering the country.

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THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

— Pope Francis and Italy’s president mark new annual day to honor doctors, nurses and other health care workers

— Governors Andrew Cuomo of New York and Gavin Newsom of California are embroiled in political woes from the pandemic

— Powdering sleeping beauty’s nose: Virus eases Louvre works

— Airlines plan to ask passengers for contact-tracing details

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Follow all of AP’s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

PODGORICA, Montenegro — Tiny Montenegro has launched vaccinations against the coronavirus with doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccines that were donated by neighboring Serbia.

Health authorities said the first person to receive a shot on Saturday was a 66-year-old resident of a care home in the coastal town of Risan. Two doctors working at the same nursing home came next.

A nation of some 620,000 people, Montenegro has reported more than 70,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 939 known deaths.

Montenegrin authorities say they plan to acquire supplies of China’s Sinopharm vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

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MEXICO CITY — The official leading Mexico’s response to the pandemic says he has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Assistant Health Secretary Hugo López-Gatell tweeted Saturday that he had light COVID-19 symptoms on Friday night and an antigen test came out positive. He was awaiting the results of a PCR test, which takes longer to process and is generally more accurate..

“I’ll be working from home,” López-Gatell said, adding that he was involved in Mexico’s vaccination program.

Some 200,000 doses of China’s Sinovac vaccine arrived in Mexico from Hong Kong on Saturday, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Twitter. A total of 10 million Sinovac vaccines are expected.

Mexico has approved several other coronavirus vaccines and has administered 1.5 million shots so far.

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HONOLULU — The Hawaii Department of Health says it has temporarily extended the window incoming travelers have to get a pre-arrival coronavirus test that comes back negative.

The state says travelers can now take the tests up to 96 hours before their scheduled flights instead of 72 hours because of winter storms that have ravaged the continental U.S.

The tests still have to be conducted by a state-approved provider.

Hawaii News Now reports the extension will be in effect through Sunday.

Alternatively, visitors can quarantine for 10 days after arriving in Hawaii.

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska public health officials say 3,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine will arrive later than expected because of a winter storm that has ravaged the continental U.S.

The state’s immunization program manager, Matt Bobo, said some vaccine appointments may be postponed until next week.

The doses were supposed to reach 21 different providers.

Another state vaccine official says the delay occurred at a somewhat fortuitous time — a part of the month for which the state had already anticipated a smaller vaccine shipment.

State officials say they have been communicating with officials at the White House and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control about the delay.

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LAS VEGAS — Before the coronavirus pandemic, tourist-dependent Nevada had a notorious attraction: It was the only place in America where someone could legally pay for sex. These days, even in the state known for sin, the business is taboo.

Legal brothels have been shuttered for nearly a year, leaving sex workers to offer less-lucrative alternatives like online dates or nonsexual escort services.

While the business of legal bordellos may seem incompatible with social distancing, sex workers and brothel owners say they should be allowed to reopen with protective measures like other close-contact industries, including massage therapy and dental services.

A state task force that makes recommendations on coronavirus restrictions hasn’t responded to pleas from brothel owners seeking a way to reopen.

Gov. Steve Sisolak recently said brothels, along with other adult entertainment like nightclubs and strip clubs, would stay closed at least through May 1. After that, the state may let counties decide whether to allow those businesses to open, as long as COVID-19 infections aren’t surging.

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PHOENIX — Enrollment at U.S. community colleges dropped 0% from fall 2019 to fall 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic.

That’s according to The National Student Clearinghouse, which says community colleges were hit the hardest among all types of colleges in terms of enrollment drops.

Four-year universities in the U.S. fared better than many had expected, seeing only slight enrollment decreases.

There are myriad reasons for the community college downturn. Fewer freshmen are enrolling and some are delaying college until campuses fully reopen.

But the pandemic has also taken a heavy toll on older adult students. Many lost jobs or have no time for their own schooling as they supervise their children’s online classes.

More Americans typically turn to community college education amid economic downturns, seeking to learn new job skills or change careers. But education experts say the pandemic seems to have upended usual trends.

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PHOENIX — Arizona’s Maricopa County plans to close two of its six regional COVID-19 vaccination sites in coming weeks as public health officials put increased emphasis on smaller sites and events to give more shots.

The county’s site in north Phoenix, operated by Honor Health, will last operate on Feb. 28. and the site run by Dignity Health in Chandler will close in early March.

Officials say current appointments will be honored at both locations. Arizona on Saturday reported 2,047 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases and 59 deaths, increasing the state’s pandemic totals to 806,163 cases and 15,480 deaths.

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LONDON – The British government has announced a small step out of lockdown — allowing nursing home residents to have a single friend or family member visit them indoors.

Residents and their visitors will be able to hold hands, but not hug. The change takes effect March 8. For months, nursing home residents have only been able to see loved ones outdoors or through screens.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he will announce a “road map” out of lockdown on Monday. The government has stressed that reopening will be slow and cautious, with store reopenings or outdoor socializing unlikely before April, though children will go back to school from March 8.

Johnson’s Conservative government has been accused of reopening the country too quickly after the first lockdown in the spring. Britain has had about 120,000 coronavirus deaths, the highest toll in Europe.

The new measures apply in England. In other parts of the U.K., nursing home visiting rules vary, with Scottish residents able to have two visitors from March 8.

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HELSINKI — Denmark has temporarily closed some border crossing points with Germany and stepped up checks at others due to a spike in COVID-19 cases and a rise in virus variants in the the northern German town of Flensburg, just off the Danish border.

The Danish justice ministry said late Friday that an increasing number of infections and virus mutations have been detected in Flensburg, just some seven kilometers (4 miles) from the border with Denmark.

The Danish justice ministry said officials police will significantly intensify border controls at the Danish-German border. Local authorities in Germany said Saturday on Flensburg’s webpage that the town’s coronavirus incidence rate was running at 193 per 100,000 people.

Dozens of cases of mutated coronavirus, mostly the variant first detected in Britain, have been detected in Flensburg, a town with some 90,000 inhabitants, in the past days.

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UNITED NATIONS — Britain has circulated a draft resolution to the U.N. Security Council demanding that all warring parties immediately institute a “sustained humanitarian pause” to enable people in conflict areas to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

The proposed resolution reiterates the council’s demand last July 1 for “a general and immediate cessation of hostilities” in major conflicts from Syria and Yemen to Central African Republic, Mali and Sudan and Somalia, an appeal first made by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on March 23, 2020, to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

The draft, obtained Friday by The Associated Press, “emphasizes the need for solidarity, equity, and efficacy and invites donation of vaccine doses from developed economies to low- and middle-income countries and other countries in need, including through the COVAX Facility,” an ambitious World Health Organization project to buy and deliver coronavirus vaccines for the world’s poorest people.

The British draft stresses that “equitable access to affordable COVID-19 vaccines, certified as safe and efficacious, is essential to end the pandemic.”

It would recognize “the role of extensive immunization against COVID-19 as a global public good for health in preventing, containing, and stopping transmission, in order to bring the pandemic to an end.”

The draft follows up on British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab’s appeal to the 15-member Security Council on Wednesday to adopt a resolution calling for local cease-fires in conflict zones to allow the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines.

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MEXICO CITY — Mexico says it will get its first shipment of the Chinese Coronavac vaccine Saturday and by Monday will receive its first lot of the Russian Sputnik V shot. Both shipments are expected to consist of about 200,000 doses.

Health officials say the first shipments of the Chinese and Russian vaccines will be used in low-income neighborhoods of Mexico City or its suburbs.

Mexico is currently using the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines and has applied almost 1.6 million doses of those.

The country will now be faced with the logistical challenge of handling four different vaccines, all of which require two doses. In addition, the Sputnik first shot is different from the second and is not interchangeable.

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LOS ANGELES — The University of Southern California expects to reopen campuses this fall, joining the state’s major public universities in planning to resume on-campus life curtailed by COVID-19.

USC President Carol Folt issued an online letter Friday that said she is “cautiously optimistic” because virus cases are down and vaccinations are ramping up. USC and other universities nationwide were forced to switch to online learning last March.

Both the University of California and California State University systems also have said they plan to reopen their campuses this fall if conditions permit.

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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — President Alberto Fernández asked Argentina’s health minister to resign after a well-known local journalist said he had been given a coronavirus vaccination preferentially after requesting one from the minister, a government official said Friday.

The president “instructed his chief of staff to request the resignation of health minister” Ginés González García, who is in charge of the government’s COVID-19 strategy, said the official, who was not authorized to release the information and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. He did not say who would replace González García as health minister.

The scandal erupted when journalist Horacio Verbitsky, whose stories and columns on a website and on the radio are seen as pro-government, said he called the minister to request a vaccinination and González García summoned him to the Health Ministry where he received a Sputnik V vaccine shot Thursday.

“I decided to get vaccinated. I started to find out where to do it. I called my old friend Ginés González García, whom I have known long before he was a minister,” Verbitsky told a local radio station. “I went to the ministry and the team of vaccinators was there.”

Fernández’s government has been harshly criticized for Argentina’s slow vaccination operation.

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TRENTON, N.J. —The winter storm that brought snow, ice and frigid temperatures across the country this week has disrupted COVID-19 vaccine distribution in New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy said Friday.

Murphy, a Democrat, said he has asked the facilities run by the state to extend hours because of the delay.

The delayed shipments mean some vaccination appointments will likely have to be canceled and rescheduled, according to the governor, though some facilities may have enough shots on hand to keep up. New Jersey’s vaccination rate has roughly been keeping pace with the country overall, which stands at nearly 5% of the population having gotten both shots.

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NEW BRUNSWICK, New Jersey — Johnson & Johnson has applied to the World Health Organization for an emergency approval of its COVID-19 vaccines, which should help speed up its use in countries around the world.

J&J said Friday that its Janssen-Cilag International subsidiary has submitted to the WHO the last testing data needed on its vaccine’s efficacy and safety, completing the New Brunswick, New Jersey company’s application for an emergency use listing.

Obtaining that listing will expedite access to J&J’s single-dose vaccine for United Nations procurement agencies and scores of countries. The listing also is required for Johnson & Johnson to supply doses of its vaccine to what’s called the COVAX Facility, a WHO-backed project to ensure equitable access to vaccines for about 190 low- and middle-income countries. Johnson & Johnson in December agreed to provide up to 500 million doses of its vaccine to COVAX through 2022.

“If we are to end the global pandemic, life-saving innovations like vaccines must be within reach for all countries,” Johnson & Johnson Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Paul Stoffels said in a statement.

The company is supplying the vaccine at not-for-profit prices during the pandemic’s acute phase.

Besides requiring only one dose, J&J’s vaccine can be stored for at least three months at standard refrigerator temperatures, making it a good fit for poor and rural areas and developing countries that lack infrastructure for the ultracold storage some other COVID-19 vaccines require.

Interim results from a 44,000-volunteer late-stage testing found the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was 66% effective at preventing moderate to severe cases of COVID-19 in Latin America and 57% effective in South Africa, where a more-contagious variant is spreading. It was 72% effective in the U.S.

Testing also indicated the vaccine was 85% protective against the most serious symptoms — and starting 28 days after their shot, researchers found no one who got the vaccine needed hospitalization or died.

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Entertainment

Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise, 14, enjoy a mother-daughter shopping trip in New York City

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Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise enjoyed a mother-daughter shopping trip in the swanky SoHo area of New York City on Friday afternoon. 

As the 42-year-old Dawson’s Creek star walked down the street in an olive green jacket, her 14-year-old looked like a total fashionista in a light blue puffer coat and light-wash denim. 

The actress’ mini-me completed her trendy look with a hot pink shirt and matching tote bag, which read: ‘I don’t use plastic bags’ in white lettering.  

Fun afternoon: Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise enjoyed a mother-daughter shopping trip in the swanky SoHo area of New York City on Friday

The close-knit pair walked closely together as they both wore face masks amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.  

While strutting down the block in her brown leather boots, Holmes chatted away with Suri, who partially braided her long chestnut locks.  

Suri appeared to be holding an iced coffee and looked nearly as tall as her five-foot-nine mom. 

Holmes’ sleek brown tresses, the same shade as her mini-me, were left down to cascade over her shoulders.

As the 42-year-old Dawson’s Creek star walked down the street in an olive green jacket, her 14-year-old looked like a budding fashionista in a light blue puffer jacket and light-wash denim

Growing up: Suri appeared to be holding an iced coffee and looked nearly as tall as her five-foot-nine mom

Katie shares Suri with her ex-husband Tom Cruise but she parents the teen on her own as it has been reported that the actor hasn’t seen his daughter in years.

The Batman Begins actress initially began dating Tom in 2005, and seven weeks into the relationship, they were engaged.

Their Scientologist wedding was held at the Castello Orsini-Odescalchi in Bracciano in November 2006, seven months after their daughter Suri was born.  

Budding activist: The actress’ mini-me completed her trendy look with a hot pink shirt and matching tote bag, which read: ‘I don’t use plastic bags’ in white lettering

Recently, Katie has been spotted out more and more with her new love, 33-year-old Emilio Vitolo Jr.

She and he restaurateur boyfriend seem to be getting more serious these days and even spent Christmas Eve together. 

On December 18, Holmes’s birthday, Emilio uploaded an adorable black-and-white photo of the new couple laughing with one another to Instagram. 

Way back when: Katie shares Suri with her ex-husband Tom Cruise but she parents the teen on her own as it has been reported that the actor hasn’t seen his daughter in years (Pictured in 2010)

In the caption, he wrote, ‘The most amazing, kindest, beautiful person ❤️. Every time I see your face it makes me smile . Happy Birthday !!! I love you !!’

And Katie responded in the comments section of the post in kind, with ‘Thank you so much my Love❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ I love u too!!!!!’

Since the couple got together in 2020, the Dawson’s Creek star has been a frequent guest at her chef-boyfriend’s popular, family owned, Italian restaurant, Emilio’s Ballato. 

Katie and Emilio reportedly met for the first time last year, though it wasn’t until September that they launched their romance. 

Love birds: Recently, Katie has been spotted out more and more with her new love, 33-year-old Emilio Vitolo Jr (pictured in November)

L word: On December 18, Holmes’s birthday, Emilio uploaded an adorable black-and-white photo of the new couple laughing with one another to Instagram and dropped an ‘I love you’ in the caption

DailyMail.com confirmed exclusively on September 10 that Emilio broke off his previous engagement with his live-in fiancée Rachel Emmons, 24, via text when handsy photos of him and Holmes were first published.

Prior to being romantically linked with Vitolo, Katie spent years dating Jamie Foxx, whom she split from in 2019.

Katie and Jamie only went public as a couple in late 2017, though there had been speculation they were an item since 2013.

There was a swirl of rumors that Katie’s divorce agreement prohibited her from publicly dating anyone for five years after her 2012 split with Tom Cruise.

It’s complicated: There was a swirl of rumors that Katie’s divorce agreement prohibited her from publicly dating anyone for five years after her 2012 split with Tom Cruise; seen in 2019

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Health

Shopping for KN95 or N95 face masks to protect yourself from COVID-19? Know this first

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More-infectious variants of the coronavirus and new federal requirements have people rethinking the quality of their face masks to prevent the spread of Covid-19 until more people can be vaccinated.

Starting Feb. 2, 2021, masks are required on planes, buses, trains and all public transportation hubs in the United States.

For all of Oregon, face coverings are required for everyone 5 and older in indoor public spaces and outdoors anywhere physical distancing isn’t possible.

Not everyone needs medical-grade N95 filters, but Dr. Anthony S. Fauci and officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encourage everyone not at risk to wear a face covering with at least two layers of protection when around people not in their household.

Other health experts recommend most people wear a tightly woven face covering over a disposable surgical mask.

See The Oregonian/OregonLive’s coronavirus coverage

The face coverings should be well-fitted over your nose and mouth (review the CDC’s “seal check”) and you should sanitize or wash your hands when handling masks. Do not touch the mask when wearing it.

People who have been exposed to the coronavirus, have health issues or live in areas with high transmission rates can better protect themselves and others by wearing a certified N95 mask that filters 95% of aerosols people emit when coughing, sneezing, breathing and talking.

But where can you find N95s that meet the highest standards? And how can you keep the cost down? N95 masks were about 50 cents a piece before the coronavirus pandemic, but now prices are around $2 each for KN95 masks imported from China and around $5 for a N95 mask made in the U.S. (A 3M-brand valve-less N95 respirator is $1.41 in an eight-pack at Home Depot.)

David Sugar of Ashland was part of a friend’s group email asking if anyone would like to buy N95 masks in bulk through Costco (100 masks at $3.20 each). But Sugar and his wife, Skye, already had a supply of 3M-brand filters, which they purchased when smoke blanketed Ashland two years ago.

They wear layered cloth masks with a pocket in which they insert the N95 filter when they need to go inside a public place.

A recent study of 10 types of face coverings found that cloth and blue surgical masks partially filter the small COVID-19-spreading particles known as aerosols that people emit, according to Harvard Medical School health experts.

As the number in the name indicates, N95 masks made to U.S. standards and KN95 imported from China, are intended to filter at least 95% of airborne particles.

“Actually a type of respirator, an N95 mask offers more protection than a surgical mask does because it can filter out both large and small particles when the wearer inhales,” according to the Mayo Clinic.

While N95 and KN95 face masks were hard to get and were being reserved mostly for front-line medical workers at the beginning of the pandemic last year, supplies of these items have expanded recently and more people have been ordering them online for personal use.

Before you buy, see the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) approved products listed by brand and make sure the manufacturer has a NIOSH certificate.

See other federal guidance on mask standards.

The FDA has a list of non-NIOSH-approved KN95 respirator models approved for emergency use during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

N95 respirators are intended to be used once and then properly disposed of and replaced with a new N95 respirator.

Here are N95 or KN95 respirators available to purchase online right now:

AOK N95 mask: This $2.99 mask at Well Before is sold out but you can be notified when they’re in stock again.

BLSCode KN95 protective mask ($1.33 each if purchased in a 60-pack, individually wrapped for $79.74 through Amazon): The mask is made of two layers of non-woven cloth, two layers of melt-blown fabric and one layer of hot air cotton with an adjustable metal nose bridge wire. Read more about KN95s

Home Depot has N95 and KN95 as well as reusable cloth masks. Avoid the N95 masks with a valve or vent. A six-pack of 3M disposable, valve-less N95 respirators is $8.46, or $1.41 a mask.

Kimtech (Kimberly Clark) N95 pouch respirator ($3.99 each from Well Before): The NIOSH-certified mask has a large, duckbill-style breathing chamber and foam headband to maximize comfort. There is also a bendable nosepiece for a consistent seal.

N95 Medical Supplies has three-ply surgical masks as well as N95 and KN95 masks. The ALG hard-cup shell N95 mask with NIOSH approval is sold in a 25-pack for $99.99.

Portland-based Protectly has U.S.-made surgical, N95 and KN95 masks by 3M, Fangtian, Moldex, 3PE and Medline with a 100% guaranteed. Take 23% off Respokare’s N95, NIOSH-approved mask at $5 each in a five- or 30-pack.

Powecom KN95 face mask: The FDA emergency-use authorized mask has multi-layer protection. Available in a 10-pack for $12.94 from Amazon.

Respokare Niosh N95 respirator (10-pack for $89.99 from N95MaskCo.com): This mask design by personal protective equipment company Innonix has patented multilayer, anti-viral technology that blocks 95% of small (.3 micron) particles and is said to inactivate up to 99.9% within minutes. Also available in a 5-pack for $49.99 or a 20-pack for $179.99.

Well Before KN95 mask by the company formerly known as Honest PPE Supply: Individually wrapped, the disposable mask has a five-layer design and adjustable nosepiece. Available for $1.99 each but must be purchased in 10 packs. Kid-size masks are also available.

Xiantao Zhongyi N95 respirator mask (20-pack for $179.99 at n95maskco.com): The NIOSH-certified, cup-style mask can be purchased in a box of 1,000 for $6,999.

There are more N95 and KN95 masks available at Amazon and Sears.

Now that we’ve been wearing face coverings for nearly a year, it could be time to replace masks that have been washed frequently (check manufacturers’ guidance) or don’t fit as well as they should.

Before you mask in a bandana or neck gaiter, read this: Evaluation is ongoing on the effectiveness of those types of face coverings in preventing droplets and particles from spreading the coronavirus. At the very least, double up the fabric when in poorly ventilated areas or if you’re unable to safely keep your distance from others.

Face shields, folded handkerchiefs and masks with exhalation valves or vents are also discouraged since they may not be effective enough barriers.

Layers of washable face coverings should also not be see-through.

What to use if you are not at risk? Two or more tightly woven layers of washable, breathable fabric. The mask should completely cover your nose and mouth, and it should fit snugly against the side of your face and have no gaps, says the CDC.

Here are some retailers’ reusable masks offerings:

Amazon has an ever-changing supply of washable and U.S.-made disposable protective masks. The online retailer also has antimicrobial masks and sells PM 2.5 activated carbon filter inserts (100 pack for $21.99).

American Eagle has reusable masks made with two layers and an antimicrobial finish. Youth face masks are on sale and come in a variety of prints and patterns. Twenty percent of mask sales were donated to the Crisis Text Line.

Backcountry has its own line of face masks to have handy when you pass someone on the trail. Also, men’s, women’s and kids clothing plus hiking, camping, biking, climbing, running fly-fishing and paddling gear is up to 50% off during the winter sale.

Dick’s Sporting Goods has “sportmasks” face masks by Under Armour and other fitness brands. Also found at underarmour.com

Fanatics has adult and youth-size face coverings to cheer on every sports team, especially Oregon’s teams.

Disney has Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars character-theme face masks in small, medium and large (see measuring chart) and the company is donating one million cloth face masks for children and families in underserved and vulnerable communities across the U.S. through MedShare.

Spacemask offers three layers of antibacterial nanotech fabric yarn that is said to protect from dangerous particles, droplets, dust, smog, pollen and mold. The washable, contoured Advanced Nanotech Premium face mask is $19. The company pledges to donate 5,000 masks.

School MaskPack has color-coded, Crayola-branded reusable masks ($29.99 for a five-pack for kids, $39.99 for teens and adult sizes) that come with their own mesh laundry bag to keep them together in the washing machine. The masks have adjustable ear straps to securely fit a wide variety of face shapes and sizes. The company is donating 1% of net sales to No Kid Hungry, DonorsChoose and Heart of America.

MasQd has coverings for adults plus a kids collection with themes of green camouflage, rainbow hearts, space, unicorns, cars, puppies and solid colors ($17 each ) plus mask filters (20-pack for $27).

The Gap has masks with filter pockets in adult sizes and kid-friendly ones with themes like Hello Kitty, Jurassic Park, Ninja Turtles, Justice League and Minions (3-pack starts at $5). The company pledges to give away 50,000 masks to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Canada.

The Odells has handmade, washable masks in adult and kid sizes made of a cotton blend with adjustable, behind-the-ear straps with an interior pocket sized to fit a PM2.5 filter ($10). Each mask sold supports 10 meals for hungry children and adults.

Walmart has cotton face coverings for adults and kids on sale. A five-pack of reusable face masks in a washable polyester-blend for ages 3-10 is $10.99 (regular price is $21).

— Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072

jeastman@oregonian.com | @janeteastman



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