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CNN — As families prepare to gather for Labor Day and children head back to schools, coronavirus cases are once again on the rise. Covid-19 hospital admissions are up more than 18% in the most recent week, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some experts are encouraging a return to masking, especially for older adults and individuals most vulnerable to severe disease. With concerns that Covid-19 could spread as people gather, this has led to many questions about disease prevention: What virus prevention measures should those planning Labor Day events consider? As kids return to the...

When Philadelphia’s health commissioner announced this week that the city’s indoor mask mandate would be reinstated as Covid-19 cases there rise, something unusual happened: Not a single other major U.S. city followed suit. Throughout the pandemic, local, state and federal precautions have followed a predictable pattern. As key Covid indicators, such as infections, hospitalizations and deaths, have gone up, so has the number of officials who have required masks, proof of vaccination or other measures to slow the rate of transmission of the coronavirus.

A return to normal after the end of restrictions appears unlikely after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that some “extra precautions” will be needed. Giving the clearest indication yet that he hoped for Stage 4 of unlocking from pandemic measures to be completed by July 19th, the prime minister said on Thursday that he would set out the terms of returning freedoms to Britons in the next few days. During a visit to a Nissan plant in Sunderland, after the Japanese car manufacturer announced it would be building its next-generation of electric vehicles and batteries in the English city, Mr...

Amid a standoff over actions to potentially remove President Trump from office, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has told colleagues she phoned the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to discuss 'precautions' to prevent Trump from starting a war or accessing nuclear launch codes. Pelosi released the letter just minutes before House Democrats were to meet to discuss whether to go ahead with a second impeachment of Trump, after he egged on his supporters in their march to the Capitol that led to a riot and multiple deaths – including of a Capitol Police officer. She headed her comment: 'Preventing an...

...I hope this clears up any questions...

An American story posted in an effort to show how far the coronavirus insanity has traveled and how the character of our country is being reshaped .... Hoops Removed at Legendary NYC Basketball Courts as a Coronavirus Precaution by Angi Gonzalez Brooklyn (snip) -- "The basketball court at Rucker Park in Harlem is considered hallowed ground for some of the greatest players in the game. On Thursday, it was empty, which seemed surreal for people who live in the neighborhood. Earlier in the day, the hoops at the Rucker Park court and at 79 other basketball courts across the city...

A preliminary investigation has found that a gasket failure caused a chemical gas leak that forced the temporary closure of a heavily used bridge connecting Delaware and New Jersey on one of the busiest travel days of the year. Officials with Croda Inc. said Tuesday that initial findings show that an incorrect gasket fitted on a pipe during construction of its Delaware ethylene oxide production plant failed Sunday. The company is sending the gasket to independent experts for analysis and confirmation.

Subject: Flu Update from Dr. Gitterle After I returned from a public health meeting yesterday with community leaders and school officials in Comal County , Heather suggested I send an update to everyone, because what we are hearing privately from the CDC and Health Department is so different from what you are hearing in the media. Some of you know some or maybe all of this, but I will just list what facts I know.. - The virus is infectious for about 2 days prior to symptom onset - Virus sheds more than 7 days after symptom onset (possibly as...

PICKING YOUR BATTLESby Timothy Rollins, Editor and Publisher March 5, 2002 If there has ever been a time to pick sides, that time is now – and that applies to every aspect of your life imaginable. Six months ago, I may not have said that publicly (though I have privately practiced that philosophy my entire adult life), but since the events of 9-11, all bets are off. In every area of our lives, we are called upon to make choices, and those choices we make will affect other areas of our lives – as such, we need to choose carefully...

BOSTON -- As millions of Catholics prepare for the traditional midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, the Boston Archdiocese is making an unusual plea to parishioners. NewsCenter 5's Jorge Quiroga reported that church leaders are asking anyone with cold or flu symptoms to take certain precautions and avoid some rituals. The announcement comes days after two elderly men on Cape Cod died of flu complications. But public health officials warn against overreactions saying the cases are not unusual considering the ages of the victims, 89 and 90. Parishioners attending Christmas Mass are urged not to shake hands as a sign of...

Read it just now on Yahoo News Japan [ www.yahoo.co.jp ] in Japanese as a top story (link provided above here). The Japan Ground Self Defense Forces (JGSDF), which has dispatched approximately 50 peacekeepers to the Golan Heights, has quickly proceeded with vaccinations for all of its troops there against the smallpox virus.They are being vaccinated with their individual approval and beginning at small doses using vaccination stocks from domestic Japan. The had been dispatched the the ceasefire area for cargo missions and the like for the UNDOF operations in the Golan Heights. Japan is taking this action as...