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The New Omicron Variant Is Sparking Demand for the Same Old COVID-19 Restrictions

There are calls to reinstate the old pandemic regulations and mandates with a new COVID-19 variation. In less than a week, the World Health Organization has declared that the “variant of Concern” omicron version of the virus was no longer a concern. It was identified first in South Africa. Politicians and public health officials have snapped into action with advice—and requirements—to mask up and vaccinate.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio encouraged all New Yorkers who were fully vaccinated on Monday to use masks indoors.

At a press conference, the mayor declared that “It is time to remind everyone and double down, and said, ‘Even though you began to move away form masks before we’re telling to you to put them back on now.’

A New York City health commissioner has issued an advisory urging people not to use masks in public places such as offices and shopping centers.

De Blasio expanded the city’s vaccination mandate to all city-funded daycare staff. Post The reports cover around 102,000 workers.

Francis Collins, National Institute of Health Director, issued similar advice on a national scale. CNNDana Bash, a Sunday columnist for the Guardian said that masks should be worn indoors by people who are not vaccinated. She also recommended social distance.

We must make use of every tool we have in order to maintain our independence. [Omicron]”We must avoid being in situations that make this more difficult,” he stated.

In the U.K. masks will be required once more in public places in England. Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated that this would allow him to “buy us some time” in face of the new variant.

President Joe Biden has already issued a travel ban for non-citizens and non–permanent residents coming from South Africa and a number of other southern African nations.

The WHO was not pleased with the decision and has been vocal in its criticism of travel bans that are meant to combat pandemics. Biden was also criticised for being too cautious.

New York TimesZeynep Tifecki, columnist, has asked for travel restrictions from all countries in which the omicron virus is suspected to have spread. The same should be applied to U.S. citizens. Her recommendations included stricter requirements regarding inbound travel, including quarantine.

In the meantime It Washington PostLeana Wen from George Washington University’s public health department recommended that all international travellers be subject to a testing and quarantine program. Her recommendation was to the Biden Administration to establish a mandate to immunize interstate trains and domestic flights, as well as for cities to return mandates for masks.

Biden reminded people Monday to get their vaccines, booster shots, and wear masks. He said that as long as these things were done, there was no reason to lock down.

The president said that he was also working closely with pharmaceutical companies Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson to swiftly approve and rollout a modified vaccine if necessary.

To date, vaccines have proven to be the best way to shield people from the devastating effects of COVID-19. They are likely to remain effective, or they can easily be modified in order to combat the omicron variant.

Interview with The Publish on Tuesday, Financial TimesModerna’s CEO indicated that current vaccines will experience a significant decrease in effectiveness.

All the other things that politicians do, such as masking or imposing travel bans on people, feel like political theater. Officials are reportedly committed to this well-known script every time a COVID version is created.


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FREE MINDS

Some people are disappointed that Kyle Rittenhouse won’t go to prison, but are happy that he is going to college. Tucker Carlson was recently interviewed by Rittenhouse on Fox News. He stated that he wants to visit Arizona State University soon. That’s not sitting well with a coalition of left-wing student groups at the school, who have demanded that Rittenhouse—who was recently acquitted of multiple charges related to his shooting of three people in Kenosha, Wisconsin—be barred from attending.

“Even with a not-guilty verdict from a flawed ‘justice’ system, Kyle Rittenhouse is still guilty to his victims and the family of those victims,” the coalition declared in a statement posted on Friday, according to the Washington Examiner. “Join Us to Demand from ASU That These Requirements Be Met to Protect Students from Blood-Thirsty Murderers”

ASU, for its part, says that Rittenhouse is currently not enrolled in any classes.


FREE MARKETS

Senegal, an African country that bans single-use plastic products, is facing backlash. The Senegalese government declared a ban on plastics in January 2020. The ban will be implemented immediately after the expiration of the grace period that was provided by the pandemic.

Bloomberg CityLab Sengalese merchants (many of which are women) who sell water purified in banned plastic sachets don’t seem to like the idea.

The new rule brought attention to another issue: clean drinking water access and women who work in the water industry, including those responsible for packaging tap water into plastic bags and selling it to customers across Senegal. An estimated 30,000 jobs are at risk, according to the Collective of Filtered Water Actors (CAES), a union that represents the industry’s manufacturers and sellers….

Women and girls took to the streets in Dakar at the beginning of September to protest the ban. The demand for cheap water in Sahelian conditions is what drives their business. One 14-year-old reseller said she can buy a pack of multiple sachets for 750 CFA francs and sell it for 1,500 CFA francs.


QUICK HITS

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  • Rep. Lauren Boebert (R–Co.) made some pretty bigoted remarks remarks about Rep. Ilhan Omar (D–Minn.). The opposite has happened to a phone conversation meant for patching things up.
  • CNN’s anchor Chris Cuomo has been criticized for giving advice to his brother, the former governor of New York. Andrew Cuomo explains how to handle the allegations of sexual harassment that led to Cuomo’s resignation in January.
  • Oakland pot sellers are asking tax relief following a string of burglaries.
  • Fears over the new variant of the omicron are leading to stock markets slumping.
  • Merriam Webster selected “vaccine” to be the word for the year.