The divergent paths of the pandemic across the two continents may be in part linked to the much more successful introduction of vaccines in the US and the spread of more contagious variants in Europe.
However, health experts in the US say that what is happening in Europe should serve as a warning to ignore social aloofness or drop other safeguards too soon.
“Each of these countries has had troughs like we have today, and each went through an upward trend after ignoring well-known mitigation strategies,” says Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “They just took their eyes off the ball.”
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Here are more headlines from today:
Indoor dining restrictions were relaxed in Tri-State
Major changes are coming to restrictions on indoor dining in restaurants on the Tri-State Friday, including in Connecticut, where capacity limits are being lifted completely. Meanwhile, indoor dining capacity at restaurants in New York City and New Jersey will be expanded to 50%, while the rest of New York will go to 75%.
Yankees, Mets to facilitate fans like more COVID restrictions
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced some long-awaited news for sports fans in New York on Thursday as restrictions on the coronavirus continue to ease. From April 1, sports venues with an indoor capacity of 1,500 or outdoor of 2,500 can reopen – meaning it’s time to play with the ball. Indoor capacity will be limited to 10% and outdoors to 20%, allowing 8,384 fans to attend matches at Citi Field and 10,850 at Yankee Stadium.
Mayor Bill de Blasio has been vaccinated with a shot from Johnson & Johnson
Mayor Bill de Blasio received his COVID-19 vaccination during his morning news conference on Thursday. The mayor received the one-time Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and New York City Health Commissioner, Dr. David Chokshi, executed the shot. The mayor came to his press conference this morning in a summer shirt with a collar and short sleeves, ready to get his dose. De Blasio said the city had administered 3,077,587 doses as of Thursday.
Biden’s speech on the progress of COVID-19 vaccination comes at a critical time
President Joe Biden will address on Thursday the progress his administration has made towards its goal of getting 100 million coronavirus vaccines into the arms of Americans within its first 100 days in office, a White House official told CNN. The US is on the cusp of hitting that 100 million vaccine milestone before Biden takes 60 days in office – a new goal set by the president in a national prime-time speech last week. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 113 million doses of coronavirus have been administered in the U.S. to date. More than 96 million of those doses have been administered since Biden took office Jan. 20.
Unemployment claims in the US reach 770,000 with many layoffs still being made
The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose to 770,000 last week, a sign that layoffs remain high, even as much of the U.S. economy is steadily recovering from the coronavirus recession. Thursday’s report from the Labor Department found that the number of unemployed increased from 725,000 the week before. The numbers have fallen sharply since the depths of the recession last spring, but still show employers in some industries are continuing to lay off workers. Before the pandemic hit, there were no more than 700,000 applications for unemployment assistance in a single week. The four-week average number of claims, smoothing out weekly variations, fell to 746,000, the lowest since late November.
Indoor fitness classes to resume, curfew for some companies lifted
Gov. Cuomo announced that indoor fitness classes, primarily in New York City, may reopen on Monday, March 22. He also announced that the 11pm curfew for casinos, cinemas, bowling alleys, billiard halls, gyms and fitness centers has been lifted. The curfew for restaurants and bars remains in place and will be re-evaluated “in April”.
NY cluster zones to be eliminated
As of Monday, March 22, the last five yellow zone clusters in New York will be discontinued, said Governor Cuomo. The remaining clusters are located in East Bronx, West Bronx, Manhattan, Newburgh, New Windsor, Queens Kew Gardens and Forest Hills.
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