Reopening the Economy

With 82% of its population fully vaccinated, mostly with mRNA vaccines, COVID case incidence on Nov. 1 is the same as Wyoming, where 44% of the population is fully vaccinated. Hospitals are feeling the strain, and deaths are at their highest level.

November 2, 2021 - Reuters

Cases are surging in the U.K. despite 68% of its population being fully vaccinated. Experts say that U.K. officials should observe how Israel, with 63% of its population fully vaccinated, managed to reduce transmission after a similar surge.

October 26, 2021 - Bloomberg Prognosis

Life in Tel Aviv is bustling again since COVID-19 vaccine boosters became accessible to anyone over 12 years of age. Traffic is now more of a concern than COVID, Mayor Ron Huldai told Bloomberg CityLab during a visit to 'quiet' Manhattan.

October 18, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

Americans are experiencing their first near-normal holiday weekend, though masks are still required for all traveling at airports and on planes, buses and trains. We take a look back and forward at where the U.S. may be heading in the pandemic.

June 1, 2021 - CNN

Coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths are dropping in the U.S. Govs. Andrew Cuomo, Phil Murphy, and Ned Lamont jointly announced on May 3 that their states would lift most restrictions on May 19. Experts and residents have mixed reactions.

May 11, 2021 - The New York Times

Gov. Newsom's unexpected announcement that the pandemic would end on June 15 led one city to consider reopening its al fresco street and parklets to motor vehicles. After hearing from the public, the city council sided with diners over drivers.

April 29, 2021 - San Mateo Daily Journal

Gov. Gavin Newsom has foreseen the end of the pandemic that has killed over 61,000 Californians and has taken a page from his Republican counterpart in the second most populous state by setting a date when all restrictions will be lifted.

April 21, 2021 - San Francisco Chronicle

Dr. Rochelle Walensky sounded the alarm during the White House COVID-19 Response Team's press briefing on Monday, warning Americans that the pandemic trajectory in the United States is the same as in Europe. The latter is experiencing a third wave.

March 30, 2021 - CIDRAP News

It's pandemic déjà vu in the Lone Star State, with local governments wanting to protect their constituents from an increase in viral transmission, a power preempted by Gov. Abbott's executive order. Attorney General Ken Paxton lost the first round.

March 15, 2021 - Austin American-Statesman

The White House COVID-19 Response Team explains why governors are wrong to lift mask mandates and ease restrictions by putting the current level of coronavirus infections in the country in perspective, i.e., comparing it to the two prior surges.

March 8, 2021 - The White House

Unlike other states that lifted restrictions statewide after coronavirus cases plummeted, California replaced its regional stay-home order with a county-based blueprint, permitting counties to advance based on performance in three health metrics.

March 4, 2021 - The Mercury News

Gov. Greg Abbott announced that he is reopening Texas 100% and lifting the state mask mandate, as is Gov. Tate Reeves of Mississippi. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning of a variant-induced fourth surge.

March 3, 2021 - Austin American-Statesman

Many coronavirus restrictions were lifted on Monday in Massachusetts by Gov. Charlie Baker due to falling COVID cases and hospitalizations, but many experts feel the move is too hasty and could lead to a resurgence in the virus.

March 3, 2021 - Associated Press

With COVID infections plummeting, Gov. Gavin Newsom surprisingly lifted California's regional stay home order that had imposed the nation's strictest personal and business restrictions during the most deadly phase of the pandemic.

January 27, 2021 - California Department of Public Health

The City by the Bay has joined eight largely rural counties in California by advancing last Tuesday to the least restrictive tier of the state's new reopening criteria by reducing coronavirus transmission to nearly New York levels.

October 27, 2020 - The Mercury News

A midwestern commuter rail line found a unique, if controversial way to achieve 100 percent mask compliance on its trains: Set aside one car, though preferably not the bike car, for riders who opt to travel maskless.

September 28, 2020 - Streetsblog Chicago

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign developed a high-frequency coronavirus testing system that would be the envy of an country or corporation, testing students, faculty and staff twice a week, but it still failed to stem a major outbreak.

September 21, 2020 - Bloomberg BusinessWeek

COVID-19 deaths topped 5,000 in Los Angeles County last week as deaths continue to mount due to a hasty reopening after an early shutdown. The center of the of outbreak in California now shifts to the Central Valley.

August 19, 2020 - Los Angeles Times

Public health experts assert that to safely reopen the economy, the coronavirus needs to be contained. In Manhattan, where the virus is largely controlled, chain restaurants are closing while their sister stores in Florida are expanding.

August 18, 2020 - The New York Times

A grim warning was issued by the non-profit group that represents America's medical schools and teaching hospitals: if the nation doesn't change its response to the pandemic, "Multiples of hundreds of thousands" of additional deaths may occur.

July 31, 2020 - CNN