Free Republic

Winter is approaching and many restaurants that have relied on outdoor dining to recoup some of their lost business during the pandemic will soon lose their lifeline as temperatures drop.... Restaurateurs across the country this week called on their cities' mayors to extend outdoor dining, warning them that many more closures could be imminent if they don't push for the measure, as the Delta variant compels the majority of patrons to steer clear of indoor dining rooms, new research shows. About 110,000 restaurants and bars have either temporarily or permanently closed during the pandemic, according to National Restaurant Association.... ...Specifically,...

Hospitalizing Americans who aren't vaccinated against the coronavirus is leading to billions of dollars in unnecessary health care costs, according to a new analysis. Over a recent three-month period, the cost of treating unvaccinated COVID-19 patients around the U.S. amounted to $5.7 billion, the report from the Kaiser Family Foundation and Peterson Center on Healthcare concluded. Drawing on hospital admissions and public health data, the groups based that estimate on the roughly 287,000 hospitalizations among unvaccinated people between June and August. They assumed the cost of their care at $20,000 per person, citing Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data...