Mayors & Governors, Presidents & Prime Ministers; Shelter in Place

[rcjordan]

Arkansas GOP governor who is holding town halls to urge vaccinations said people he meets have called the shot a 'bioweapon' and talked about 'mind control'

https://www.businessinsider.com/arkansas-governor-people-call-vaccine-a-bioweapon-mind-control-2021-7

...and don't forget Jesus.

https://old.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/orx94q/know_your_bible/

[ergophobe]

Spoiler alert: Jesus didn't vote for Trump either.

[rcjordan]

California to require proof of vaccination for state workers
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/california-to-require-proof-of-vaccination-for-state-workers

NYC to require vaccines or weekly testing for city workers
https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-health-coronavirus-pandemic-662b50089c314a8083a1aa0be26549bd

[rcjordan]

+

VA implements first federal agency vaccine mandate
https://theweek.com/coronavirus/1003034/va-implements-first-federal-agency-vaccine-mandate

[ergophobe]

I didn't think we'd see that until full approval, but there has been a lot of chatter about it lately.

The Matt Yglesias (I think) take was that the FDA says they can't violate their process without injuring their integrity, but
- they already did that with the Alzheimer's fiasco
- if things go south and we all get horrible conditions from the vaccine, nobody is going to say, "Well, don't blame the FDA. I know that hundreds of millions of doses were given out, but they said it was only and Emergency Use Authorization, so you should have expected some horrible side effects."

When you add that up, there's not a lot of downside and there is a lot of upside. Of course, it's like a self-driving car. If an employer requires a vaccine and someone dies, that's going to be deemed unacceptable, regardless of the overall fatality equation

[rcjordan]

^{US, UK, ??: F*ck it, we're done with this. Time to party.}

COVID-19 Surging as North Carolina Set to Ease Restrictions
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/north-carolina/articles/2021-07-26/covid-19-surging-as-north-carolina-set-to-ease-restrictions

[Drastic]

Yep, here we go. Interesting times, to say the least.

[rcjordan]

A movement seems to be developing among large gov & health employers, as it has previously been cleared for employers to mandate vaccines.

LA requires city workers to get vaccinated or regular tests | The Fresno Bee
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/article253073643.html#storylink=mainstage_card

[ergophobe]

The park concessioner and the federal govt just mandated masks inside all buildings.

[rcjordan]

Florida recorded its fourth highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began 16 months ago, reporting 17,589 new cases Wednesday

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article253119138.html

[rcjordan]

^{Canada ain't messing around;}

Two travellers from U.S. fined $20,000 each for fake vaccination documents

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2021/07/30/two-travellers-from-us-fined-20000-each-for-fake-vaccination-documents.html

[rcjordan]

Biden orders tough new vaccination rules for federal workers
https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-joe-biden-business-health-travel-a1670ffa08f1f2eab42c675d99f1d9ad

[ergophobe]

^{Canada ain't messing around;}

We're going to have to go there if we want the new federal employee mandate to work. It's already happening here - people who are unvaccinated are signing paperwork saying they are vaccinated because that gave them (until last week) the right to go without a mask a work. Lots  of lying and no followthrough.

Meanwhile, in a quirk that is unique here, many vaccinated people are lying and saying they are not vaccinated, because unvaccinated people must live in single-occupancy employee housing, but vaccinated people might potentially get a roommate. So there's a perverse incentive to not vaccinate or to vaccinate and lie about it, especially now when everyone has to mask again so there's no incentive to lie about being vaccinated when you're not.

I can't believe that we have "mandates" that simply require a signature. It's absurd. What was the point of issuing those vaccine cards if you aren't going to ask people to show them?

[rcjordan]

Florida reports highest number of new COVID-19 cases in a single day since the start of the pandemic - CBS News
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-covid-cases-record-high/

[rcjordan]

Florida breaks COVID-19 hospitalization record with more than 10,200 patients | TheHill

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/565864-florida-breaks-covid-19-hospitalization-record-with-more-than-10200