Are Covid Restrictions Coming Back?

“The COVID-19 pandemic is not over.

One could almost be forgiven for believing otherwise… At his recent State of the Union speech where most in attendance were unmasked, President Biden took a cautious victory lap. “Thanks to the progress we’ve made in the past year, COVID-19 no longer need control our lives,” he said.

Here’s hoping this won’t become Biden’s “Mission Accomplished” moment. Americans moving on from COVID doesn’t mean COVID has moved on from us…

Around the world more than 6 million have died from the virus; by the end of April, it will have killed at least 1 million Americans.

Vaccination rates have flatlined. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 66 percent of Americans are “fully vaccinated”... And there’s still no approved shot for children under age 5…

Yet what we keep hearing is that we’re getting back to normal. And this is what “normal” looks like — [500] people a day perishing from COVID; American vaccine interest that has fallen off a cliff; and persistent vaccine inequality and lack of access around the world, especially in Africa, which prolong the pandemic and leave everyone vulnerable…

Perhaps there will come a time for post-pandemic victory laps. But this moment needs more vigilance, not fewer protocols or threats to federal funding for virus treatments. COVID is still here, but what seems to be all but gone is the leadership on every level to do everything possible to eradicate it.”

“At least 30 guests who attended Saturday’s Gridiron Club dinner have tested positive for the coronavirus… While contact-tracing investigations have yet to confirm that these infections occurred at the dinner itself, the growing number of cases among attendees suggests the Gridiron was a super-spreader event.

Still, that does not mean large events should be canceled. To the contrary, the Gridiron Club outbreak shows what living with covid-19 looks like…

Event organizers should decide what level of risk they can tolerate and therefore what precautions they need to have in place. The Gridiron event required proof of vaccination, an important safeguard. Requiring proof of same-day rapid testing is another layer of protection that would further reduce risk…

I think it’s great if hosts want to take these precautions, particularly if they know there are many vulnerable people who would not attend the event without them.

I also think it’s acceptable if event organizers choose not to exercise precautions, and instead put the onus on individuals to decide the acceptable risk for their own medical situation. A lot of people will decide that because they are vaccinated and boosted, it’s extremely unlikely that they will become severely ill and that they are fine with the increased possibility of infection.

Others could just as reasonably decide that [they] will attend a work party or wedding only if they can wear an N95 or equivalent mask the whole time… [keeping] the risk of contracting the coronavirus low…

There are those who would argue it’s irresponsible to hold parties that could turn into super-spreader events. That was true before vaccines were widely available, but it’s no longer realistic. We need to use a different paradigm — one that’s based on individuals being thoughtful about their own risks and the risks they pose to others.”