Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Vaccinations Up, So Pandemic Restrictions Go Down, In Some Places
The Washington Examiner: New York Will End Quarantine Requirements For Domestic Travelers In April
The requirement for out-of-state visitors to quarantine upon arrival to New York will be lifted April 1, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday. Domestic travelers will no longer be required to quarantine upon arrival to the city, but Cuomo said that "it is still being advised as an added precaution." (Deese, 3/11)
AP: Oklahoma Governor Lifting Coronavirus Restrictions In State
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said Thursday that statewide coronavirus restrictions will be lifted because increasing vaccinations and decreasing numbers of new cases and hospitalizations. “There will be no statewide restrictions on events for Oklahomans,” Stitt said. “I’m also removing a requirement to wear masks inside state buildings ... wearing a mask should be a personal decision based on your circumstances.” Limits of 50% occupancy in public buildings and masking requirements, extended in February, will be rescinded Friday, Stitt said. (3/11)
AP: Walz Plans To Dial Back Virus Restrictions For Gatherings
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Thursday he’s planning significant rollbacks of COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings, following an update by state health officials showing that 70% of the state’s senior citizens have now been vaccinated. “They will be probably our biggest turn because we’re at a point where we have not been since this thing started, and it will start to give guidance on larger gatherings starting as early as April,” Walz said Thursday during a visit to a Twin Cities high school. (3/11)
Also —
Politico: Biden's New Covid Workplace Rules Set To Collide With Reopenings
The Biden administration is expected to issue new temporary rules next week to curb Covid-19 spread in the workplace, setting a collision course with the growing number of states loosening restrictions on businesses to aid their reopening. The mandates — which would add enforcement powers to guidelines that are now just optional — threaten to further roil the politics around President Joe Biden’s cautious reopening strategy and ramp up tensions between the administration and the business community, particularly with industries hard-hit by closures like restaurants and entertainment and hospitality venues. (Luthi and Rainey, 3/11)
The Washington Post: Americans Leaving Home More Often Than Before Coronavirus Pandemic
Americans have begun leaving home more often than before the coronavirus pandemic took hold, reflecting a pent-up desire to venture out as new cases have declined, according to University of Maryland researchers tracking the movement of cellphones. The number of daily trips per person — when a cellphone moved more than a mile from home — had hovered around 90 percent of pre-pandemic levels since rebounding over the summer. But by mid-February, after a slight slump amid a surge in new cases, the number regularly started to exceed pre-pandemic travel. (Shaver, 3/11)
