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More GOP States Now Wagering on Vaccine ‘Passports’ Technology
Several Republican-leaning states that eschewed so-called vaccine passports over concerns that they limited freedom are now embracing the technology behind them so that their residents can travel and get their immunization and health records online.
The technology — which allows proof of COVID-19 vaccination to be digitized and often includes a QR code — had been touted by supporters, largely in Democratic-leaning states, as a way to facilitate safer reopening after pandemic-related shutdowns.
But now the technology is gaining momentum in at least five states — Arizona, Mississippi, South Carolina, Oklahoma and Utah — despite bans on “vaccine passports” or governors opposing them.
These states do not plan to require vaccine “passports” or proof of immunization to enter indoor spaces like New York City and Los Angeles have.
NBA Referee Suspended for Refusing COVID Vaccine ‘Proud’ of Freedom Convoy
Ken Mauer, an NBA referee since 1986 who says he was prevented from continuing his career because of his religious objections to the vaccine mandate agreed to by the NBA referees’ union, said he is “proud” of the truckers protesting against COVID restrictions and mandates in Canada and that he wishes his union would have done the same.
Mauer said in a recent episode of Fearless, a show from The Blaze hosted by Jason Whitlock, that some of the NBA’s over 70 referees in the union had questions about the union agreeing to a vaccine mandate.
Canadian Lawmaker Claims Single Mom Had Bank Account Frozen After Giving $50 to Freedom Convoy
Canadian politician Mark Strahl on Feb. 20 claimed that a single mom with a minimum wage job had her bank account frozen after she “legally” donated $50 to the Freedom Convoy.
“Briane is a single mom from Chilliwack working a minimum wage job,” Strahl wrote on Twitter on Feb. 20. “She gave $50 to the convoy when it was 100% legal. She hasn’t participated in any other way. Her bank account has now been frozen. This is who Justin Trudeau is actually targeting with his Emergencies Act orders.”
Capitol Police Prepare for People’s Convoy to Arrive Earlier Than Scheduled
U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) are preparing for protesters to begin popping up at the Capitol ahead of President Joe Biden‘s State of the Union Address to Congress on March 1, even though the timeline from the People’s Convoy estimates that they will arrive in the DC area the evening of March 5.
Protesters were planning to gather on Wednesday morning in Adelanto, California, before traveling across the country to demand that all COVID-related restrictions be lifted nationwide — a transcontinental demonstration inspired by Canadian truckers who completed a similar journey last month and occupied Ottawa for 24 days.
Despite the timeline, authorities in the DC Metro area have been executing safety plans, having already secured roughly 400 National Guard soldiers and 50 tactical vehicles from the Department of Defense.
Chicago to Become Latest City to Lift Mask and Vaccine Mandates
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Tuesday that the city will lift its indoor mask mandates for public settings and lift mandates for restaurants, gyms and bars to require proof of COVID vaccination for entry starting next Monday.
The city is lifting the requirements at the same time as the state mask mandate is set to be lifted Monday, and Lightfoot and other officials said improvements in several key metrics used by health officials motivated the decision, according to WTTW-TV.
After Chicago’s requirements are lifted, Los Angeles, New York, New Orleans, San Francisco and Seattle will be the remaining large U.S. cities with proof of vaccination requirements for certain business and entertainment venues, Newsweek reported Tuesday.
Mayor Adams Plans to Soon Phase Out NYC’s Indoor COVID Vaccine and Mask Rules
Mayor Adams hinted Wednesday that he will soon roll back the city’s coronavirus vaccine and mask mandates for indoor settings as infection rates continue to drop across New York.
The mayor didn’t give an exact timeline for when he envisions ending the longstanding pandemic precautions, but said at an unrelated press conference in Brooklyn that rescinding them are top priorities for him.
“Yes, and I can’t wait to get it done,” Adams said when asked if he plans to phase out the city’s indoor vaccine mandate for dining, fitness and other activities. Unprompted, Adams then suggested he’s also looking to relax or even outright scrap the city’s requirements and guidelines on mask-wearing.
As Mask Mandates End in All but One State, Retailers and Cruises Follow Suit
As coronavirus cases continue to decline across the country, all states but one — Hawaii — have dropped their mask mandates or have made plans to do so in the coming weeks. This week, Target and Apple stores joined other retailers in pulling back their own mandates.
In recent days, some cruise lines — including Norwegian and Royal Caribbean International — said they are relaxing mask requirements for vaccinated passengers after putting stricter rules in place during the Omicron surge. The industry was hit hard early in the pandemic as horror stories of onboard outbreaks made international headlines.
COVID Lockdown Measures May Affect Brain Health of People Who Aren’t Infected, MGH Study Shows
Lockdown measures aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19 may have an adverse effect on the brain health even of people who’ve avoided infection during the pandemic, according to a new study from researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital.
The study, the hospital said Tuesday in a statement, was published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.
Researchers found that following lockdowns, study participants demonstrated “elevated brain levels” of markers of neuroinflammation, compared to pre-lockdown participants, according to MGH.
Iceland to Lift All COVID Restrictions on Friday
Iceland will lift all remaining COVID-19 restrictions on Friday, including a 200-person indoor gathering limit and restricted opening hours for bars, the Ministry of Health said on Wednesday.
“Widespread societal resistance to COVID-19 is the main route out of the epidemic,” the ministry said in a statement, citing infectious disease authorities.
“To achieve this, as many people as possible need to be infected with the virus as the vaccines are not enough, even though they provide good protection against serious illness,” it added.
COVID: Hong Kong Doctors See More Requests for Jab Exemptions Ahead of Vaccine Pass Launch
Hong Kong Free Press reported:
Hong Kong is set to roll out a COVID-19 vaccine pass on Thursday, almost exactly one year after the vaccination program was launched, which will bar unvaccinated citizens from entering shopping malls, supermarkets, places of worship and other premises.
Since the government announced the scheme as part of its latest and “most stringent” COVID-19 measures under the fifth wave of infections, general practitioner Koni Chan has seen more people knocking on her door for an exemption certificate.
Doctors in Hong Kong may certify a patient to be unfit for receiving either of the currently available COVID-19 jabs in the city, namely the Corona Vac by Chinese manufacturer Sinovac or the German-made Comirnaty by BioNTech.
A New Roadmap for Reigning in Social Media Companies Is Gaining Steam
For years, U.S. policymakers have been railing against social media companies for allegedly stoking divisions and facilitating the spread of noxious content on their sites, with little to show for it beyond distant threats of regulation.
There are signs of growing momentum for a different approach, focused instead on channeling regulators’ consumer protection powers.
It’s a strategy that has shaped a slew of recent proposals aimed at cracking down on platforms that mislead users about their practices and policies, or that fail to be sufficiently transparent about their products.
DC Prosecutor Presses Bid to Question Facebook CEO in Data Privacy Lawsuit
Meta Platforms Inc CEO Mark Zuckerberg should be required to answer questions about Facebook‘s data privacy practices, the Washington, DC, attorney general’s office argued in a new court filing stemming from a lawsuit the city filed in 2018 against the social media company.
The District’s lawsuit accuses Facebook of misleading its users about who had access to personal data. The Menlo Park, California-based Facebook came under scrutiny in 2018 over allegations that defunct British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica duped consumers about the collection of information on the social network.
IRS Will Let Tax Payers Opt Out of Facial Recognition, but There’s a Big Catch
Although the IRS has dropped its plans to use video selfies to verify the identities of taxpayers, this year’s tax season is still set to be a bit more chaotic than usual.
Originally the government agency had planned to use the third-party identity verification provider ID.me as part of its efforts to require taxpayers to create new online accounts. However, following backlash, the IRS reversed course despite its $86m contract with the firm.
Now though, the IRS has announced that taxpayers that don’t want to submit biometric data to sign up for an online account with the government agency will have another option to verify their identities.
It seems the IRS is taking a page out of ID.me’s book as the identity verification firm recently gave public sector employees working for the government the option to verify their identities with a human agent.
