Covid-19 latest updates: Biden's move to encourage mask mandates, vaccinations sparks backlash in some states - The Washington Post

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed an executive order Thursday prohibiting cities and other government entities in the state from enacting vaccine requirements or mask mandates, even as new daily infections there reached 13,000 — the first time since February that Texas has reported a single-day caseload above 10,000.

The path forward relies on “personal responsibility rather than government mandates,” Abbott said. He insisted that Texans “have the individual right and responsibility to decide for themselves and their children whether they will wear masks, open their businesses, and engage in leisure activities.”

Here are some significant developments:

• Vaccinated people infected with the delta variant may be able to spread the virus as easily as unvaccinated people, according to unpublished data cited in a federal presentation obtained by The Post.
• Israeli President Isaac Herzog, 60, received his third coronavirus vaccine on Friday, Reuters reported. Israel, in a world first, will begin offering a third vaccine shot to people over age 60.
• Australia is calling in its military to help enforce a lockdown in Sydney. Some 300 unarmed Australian Defense Force soldiers will begin patrols on Monday, in a move some have criticized as heavy-handed.
• Japan, currently hosting the Olympic Games, announced on Friday it would expand states of emergency in Tokyo, Okinawa, Osaka and elsewhere. The measures will be in effect until at least the end of August, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said.
• As delta cases rise in Asia, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte approved a strict lockdown for the Manila capital region from Aug. 6 until Aug. 20, a state-run news agency reported. The area is already under heightened restrictions.
• Wall Street is proving immune to the impacts of the delta variant with stocks continuing to climb. The Dow Jones industrial average closed at a record high five times this month and is up nearly 15 percent so far this year.

Abbott’s stance was echoed in Arizona, where Gov. Doug Ducey (R) earlier this week lambasted any enforcement of masks or vaccines. “Arizona does not allow mask mandates, vaccine mandates, vaccine passports or discrimination in schools based on who is or isn’t vaccinated,” Ducey said in a statement.

But some areas are moving the other way. In Washington, D.C., masks will again be required indoors beginning Saturday, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) ordered, in a reversal of recent policy.

In Nevada, Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) has brought back the state’s mask mandate, as has Los Angeles County. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) is expected to speak about any updates to requirements on Monday, according to NBC. In Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam (D) urged all Virginians to consider wearing a mask in public indoor settings but added: “This is not a requirement, but a recommendation.”

It’s not just Democrats who are stepping up restrictions: Tulsa’s Republican Mayor G.T. Bynum said Thursday that city employees who don’t get vaccinated may not be eligible for hazard pay, News On 6 reported.

In Florida — currently a hot spot for rising covid cases, accounting for about 1 in 5 new national cases — local mayors this week announced more stringent emergency measures. For his part, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is maintaining his broad opposition to pandemic restrictions as tensions over mandates play out locally.

Biden said Thursday that all federal employees and on-site contractors in the United States will be required to get vaccinated or wear face masks and undergo repeated testing.

The Pentagon announced that all military and civilian personnel will be asked to attest to their vaccination status; those who are “unable or unwilling” to do so will be required to wear a mask, physically distance and comply with a regular testing requirement. Defense leaders are considering whether to add coronavirus vaccines to the full list of requirements for military personnel.

The Biden administration had hoped to get at least 70 percent of the public vaccinated by early July, but parts of the United States are still nowhere close to that goal. Overall, around half of the country is fully vaccinated.

Similar vaccination drives have been carried out in other countries, with varying success. Indonesia and Turkmenistan, for example, are enforcing strict vaccination mandates. In France, lawmakers approved a controversial law on Monday giving vaccinated people privileged access to restaurants, cafes and transportation beginning in August.

In the corporate world, companies in the United States are also taking a strong line. Uber, following Facebook and Google, on Thursday became the latest tech company requiring U.S. employees to provide proof of vaccination when they return to offices, with limited exceptions.

Meanwhile, the polarized politics are presenting some Americans with a dilemma. In Missouri, residents are opting to take the vaccine secretly to avoid any backlash from friends and family, CNN reported. Parents and school leaders across the country are also embroiled in debates over whether millions of children should be required to wear masks when they return after the summer.

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