Thursday 16 December 2021

COVID outbreak after unofficial Christmas party wreaks havoc at Manhattan DA's Office and puts dozens of staff into quarantine

 A bureau at the Manhattan District Attorney's office is now in quarantine after they had an unofficial Christmas party.

Many members of the Trial Bureau 40 team began experiencing 'mild to moderate symptoms,' after the event Administrative Assistant DA Bonnie Sard said in a staff email. 

The affected staff had been forced to quarantine, leading to 'significant staffing shortages' in the office.

'Of course, those who have tested positive must quarantine, and in an abundance of caution we have asked many members of the impacted department to avoid coming into the office for the time being,' her email read. 

'This has caused significant staffing shortages, disruptions to the department's practice, and other challenges.' 

Manhattan DA's Trial Bureau 40 has quarantined several of its employees after they attended an offsite holiday party

Manhattan DA's Trial Bureau 40 has quarantined several of its employees after they attended an offsite holiday party 

Since Trial Bureau 40's party - which was offsite in an undisclosed location - the DA office is working to cancel any on-site parties and are strongly discouraging offsite ones. 

'The health and safety of our staff continues to be of paramount importance, and it is with this in mind that we are instructing all bureaus, units and departments to cancel any on-site holiday or social gatherings through the end of the year. In addition, we are strongly discouraging all bureaus, units and departments from hosting off-site holiday parties,' the internal memo read. 

The Manhattan DA's office also reiterated that any staff experiencing symptoms or is traveling, seeing friends, or feeling sick to get tested regularly, the New York Post reported.  

Proceedings at the courthouse have reportedly not been affected by this outbreak and only one assistant DA has reported to the courts that they tested positive, according to the New York Post. 

Administrative Assistant DA Bonnie Sard (pictured) said in a company email that the DA office is facing 'significant staffing shortages' due to the quarantines

Administrative Assistant DA Bonnie Sard (pictured) said in a company email that the DA office is facing 'significant staffing shortages' due to the quarantines 

DailyMail.com contacted the Manhattan's DA office for comment. 

The DA's office isn't the only one that had a holiday party backfire.

Peloton's CEO John Foley faces backlash after hosting an invite-only holiday party for the company's top trainers, despite canceling the company-wide bash. 

John Foley held a swanky party at the famous five star hotel, near Central Park, on December 8, with pictures of the glitzy bash being shared to social media by glamorous Peloton instructors who were among invited VIPs.

The Peloton co-founder claimed the party was a 'personal' event hosted by himself for his 'vaccinated family and friends' and was not affiliated with Peloton, according to a company-wide email seen by the New York Post.

But that excuse cut little ice with the vast majority of the firm's workers, who had their own work party canceled due to the Omicron COVID surge and the firm's tanking share price.

Speaking about the party, one company insider reportedly claimed all of the instructors were invited to attend the private event, and were allowed to bring plus ones, despite the company's own party being cancelled due to supposed 'space constraints' imposed by the latest COVID variant. 

Pictures of the luxurious party showed groups of instructors dressed up in gorgeous gowns and were shared to social media by Peloton instructors Kendall Toole and Jess Sims.

Photographs showed groups of people posing for snaps and selfies in front of a Christmas tree and on a grand staircase, while videos showed attendees dancing the night away in a room grandly decorated with a disco ball. 

In a companywide email sent to staff on Tuesday, Foley claimed that the party was hosted by himself and his wife for his 'vaccinated' family and friends.

He wrote: 'This holiday season, my wife and I hosted a personal party for our vaccinated family and friends to celebrate all NYC has been through over the past two years.


'Although some Peloton teammates were invited, the event was not officially affiliated with Peloton in any capacity.'

He said he had been told that the party had caused 'frustration' and 'angst' with employees, but insisted that that was 'never' his intention.

A Peloton spokesperson told MailOnline: 'This was a personal party hosted and paid for by the Foley family for their vaccinated family and friends to celebrate all that New York City has been through over the past two years. It was not an official Peloton event.

Omicron cases in the United States have jumped seven-fold in a week, the CDC revealed, with data from states showing confirmed infections with the new COVID-19 variant jumped 27 per cent in the last 24 hours, from 189 to 241.

On Tuesday, the CDC said Omicron is now estimated to account for 2.9 per cent of all COVID-19 cases, up from 0.4 per cent a week ago, meaning the true number of infections from the new strain likely numbers in the thousands.

Peleton CEO John Foley (pictured) held a swanky party at the Plaza Hotel, near Central Park, on December 8, with pictures of the glitzy bash being shared to social media by Peloton instructors

Peleton CEO John Foley (pictured) held a swanky party at the Plaza Hotel, near Central Park, on December 8, with pictures of the glitzy bash being shared to social media by Peloton instructors

Pictures of the luxurious party showed groups of instructors dressed up in gorgeous gowns and were shared to social media

Pictures of the luxurious party showed groups of instructors dressed up in gorgeous gowns and were shared to social media

Meanwhile, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Omicron comprises up to 13 per cent of new infections in New York and New Jersey, with the variant now confirmed to have been found in 36 states, as well as Washington DC.

Experts recently warned a 'tidal wave' of Omicron is headed to the US, with the UK recording its biggest one day diagnosis total - 78,610 cases on Wednesday, 10,000 of which were the new variant, giving Americans a likely preview of what's to come.

According to most recent data gathered by BNO - which scrapes data from local health departments nationwide - cases of the variant have jumped to 241, up by 52 cases from Wednesday.

Overall, cases in the US are continuing to grow, up 46 per cent over the past two weeks to 121,687 per day. More than 67,000 people are in the hospital with the virus every day as well, up 22 per cent over the past two weeks. Deaths are nearing the 1,300 per day mark as well, up 40 per cent.

On Tuesday, the CDC estimated that Omicron made up 2.9 per cent of all COVID-19 cases in the US

On Tuesday, the CDC estimated that Omicron made up 2.9 per cent of all COVID-19 cases in the US

The Omicron variant has been spotted in several countries and continues to rise in cases

The Omicron variant has been spotted in several countries and continues to rise in cases 


As of 11am on Wednesday, Johns Hopkins reports that 50,251,149 COVID-19 cases and 800,867 deaths have been recorded in the United States since the pandemic first began in March 2020. 

The UK confirmed Omicron cases surpassed 10,000 on Wednesday, nearly doubling from the day before, as the COVID-19 plagued islands prepares for the outbreak to worsen over time. 

An all-time high number of COVID-19 cases - 78,610 - were recorded in the UK on Wednesday, with warnings the Omicron surge could repeatedly break that record in the coming weeks. 

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