San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Poles hail reopening of bars, restaurants
Polish citizens pulled off their masks, hugged their friends and made toasts to their regained freedom as restaurants, bars and pubs reopened for the first time in seven months and the government dropped a requirement for people to cover their faces outdoors.
The reopening, for now limited now to the outdoor consumption of food and drinks, officially took effect once the clock ticked into Saturday.
“Now they are opening and I feel so awesome,” said Gabriel Nikilovski, a 38yearold from Sweden who was having beer at an outdoor table at the Pavilions, a popular courtyard filled with pubs in central Warsaw. “It’s like you’ve been in prison, but you’ve been in prison at home.”
DJs were finally back at work and waiters and waitresses were rushing to fill orders once again. Meanwhile, the end of a requirement to wear masks outdoors added to the the sense of liberation. Masks will still be required in settings like public transport and stores.
Bar owners were also happy, thanks to the prospect of being able to finally start earning money, and many said they had been bombarded with reservation requests leading up to the opening.
Pandemic restrictions have meant that restaurants, cafes and other establishments have been limited to offering only takeout food and drinks since last fall.
The easing of the country’s lockdown is coming in stages but the reopening of bars with outdoor gardens or dining areas was clearly a key psychological step on the road back to normality. Starting May 29, indoor dining will again be allowed.
The loosening of restrictions comes as vaccinations have finally picked up speed across the European Union, of which Poland is a member, and the numbers of new COVID19 infections and hospitalizations have plunged in Poland in recent weeks.
Soldiers, health workers deploy to slow variant
Britain is deploying public health officials, supported by the army, to distribute coronavirus tests doortodoor in two northern towns on Saturday to help contain a fastspreading variant that threatens lockdowneasing plans.
Cases of a strain first identified in India have more than doubled in a week. Government scientific advisers say the variant is likely more transmissible than the U.K.’s dominant strain, though it’s unclear by how much.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the next stage of lockdowneasing measures will take place as planned on Monday but warned the variant might delay plans to lift all restrictions on June 21.
Johnson said soldiers would help carry out “surge testing” in Bolton and Blackburn where popup vaccination sites were also being set up to speed the inoculation drive.
More than twothirds of British adults have received a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine and 37% have had both doses.
Britain has recorded almost 128,000 coronavirus deaths, the highest reported toll in Europe. But new infections have plummeted to an average of around 2,000 a day, compared with nearly 70,000 a day during the winter peak, and deaths have fallen to single figures a day.
Virus alert level raised around capital of Taipei
Taiwan has raised the COVID19 alert level for the capital Taipei and the surrounding area of New Taipei city following its worst outbreak since the pandemic began.
The level 3 alert announced Saturday requires people to wear a mask outdoors and limits indoor gatherings to five people and outdoor gatherings to 10 people. The alert remains in effect for two weeks.
Health authorities said that 180 new locally spread cases had been confirmed through Friday, the majority in the capital region. The number of new cases had risen steadily from single digits early this week to 29 before the tripledigit jump announced Saturday.
“The epidemic is gaining intensity,” Health Minister Chen Shihchung said, while noting that more cases are being identified as authorities hone in on hot zones.
Movie theaters, museums, indoor swimming pools and amusement parks were among the places ordered closed under the level 3 alert, as were community colleges and senior citizen activity centers.
No vaccine mandate for public universities
Georgia’s 26 public universities and colleges do not currently plan to require students, faculty or staff to be vaccinated against COVID19 in the fall, according to guidance issued by the University System of Georgia.
The 340,000student university system in March asked all campuses to plan for resuming normal operations in the fall. The new guidance says fully vaccinated people won’t have to socially distance or wear masks, while unvaccinated people “are strongly encouraged to continue” socially distancing and wearing a mask inside.
The universities are supposed to make sure vaccinations are available, but schools won’t be “responsible for assessing current COVID19 vaccination rates for their institution.”