Jan 08 Court documents show Djokovic had COVID-19 last month By John Pye, Associated Press Djokovic was given a medical exemption backed by the Victoria state government and Australian Open organizers on Jan. 1, based on information he supplied to two independent medical panels, and he was approved for a visa electronically. Continue reading
Jan 07 Tennis star Djokovic and 2 others deal with fallout from Australian Open visa issue By John Pye, Associated Press Novak Djokovic isn't alone in having his visa canceled after flying in for the Australian Open without the required evidence to support a medical exemption to the country's strict COVID-19 vaccination rules. Continue reading
Jan 07 U.S. governors push back against mandates, closures amid omicron surge By Jeffrey Collins, Associated Press Governors across the U.S. took sweeping action during earlier surges of the COVID-19 pandemic, but are taking a much different approach during the record-setting caseloads caused by the omicron variant. Continue reading
Jan 07 As Chicago teachers union negotiations continue, school closures enter third day By Sophia Tareen, Associated Press Classes in Chicago were canceled for a third consecutive day amid an ongoing fight with the teachers union over remote learning and other COVID-19 safety protocols. Continue reading
Jan 07 LISTEN: Supreme Court holds special session on vaccine requirements By Jessica Gresko, Mark Sherman, Associated Press The Supreme Court’s conservative majority appears skeptical of the Biden administration’s authority to impose a vaccine-or-testing requirement on the nation’s large employers. Continue reading
Jan 06 As experts say Biden should pivot on COVID, Harris sees current strategy making progress By Laura Santhanam The pandemic at this moment “is extremely frustrating” for everyone, Harris said vaccines, but boosters and masks have helped schools and businesses reopen. “We have seen progress … but there are still steps to go.”… Continue reading
Jan 06 Schools, hit by teacher shortages due to COVID-19, rely on administrators and parents By Michael Melia, Associated Press Principals, superintendents and counselors are filling in as substitutes in classrooms around the United States as the surge in coronavirus infections further strains schools already struggling with staffing shortages. Continue reading
Jan 05 Watch 6:34 Unvaccinated children among those driving COVID surge in Louisiana hospitals By William Brangham The omicron variant now accounts for 95 percent of COVID cases in the United States. Public health officials say its effects are milder than the delta variant, but omicron’s high transmissibility is still sending large numbers of people into the… Continue watching
Jan 05 Under strain, France allows some health care workers to keep working while positive for COVID-19 By John Leicester, Associated Press France is allowing health care workers who are infected with the coronavirus but have few or no symptoms to keep treating patients rather than self-isolate. Continue reading
Jan 05 In locked-down Chinese city, major drop in cases comes after stringent restrictions By Huizhong Wu, Associated Press China has reported a major drop in COVID-19 infections in the northern city of Xi'an, which has been under a tight lockdown for the past two weeks that has sharply disrupted the lives of its 13 million residents. Continue reading