Breaking News

CORONAVIRUS

Neighbor county infection rate would justify masks

MINNESOTA — Fourteen counties in Minnesota have COVID-19 infection rates high enough to trigger federal mask recommendations, and two of the counties border Brown County. The CDC guidance is based on the seven-day rate of new infections. In counties with rates of 50 infections per 100,000 people or higher, masks are recommended among vaccinated and unvaccinated people. Brown County does not currently meet the threshold, but Redwood and Cottonwood counties have passed the threshold. As of Tuesday, 14 Minnesota counties had infection rates high enough to meet the threshold. Other ...

New CDC guidelines set off rush to reimpose mask mandates

New guidance from the federal government set off a cascade of mask rules across the nation Wednesday as cities, states, schools and businesses raced to restore mandates and others pushed back against the guidelines at a time when Americans are exhausted and confused over constantly shifting pandemic measures. Nevada and Kansas City, Missouri, were among the locations that moved swiftly to re-impose indoor mask requirements following Tuesday's announcement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But governors in Arizona, Pennsylvania and South Carolina said they would ...

CDC changes course on indoor masks in some parts of the US

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed course Tuesday on some masking guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the delta variant of the coronavirus is fueling infection surges. Citing new information about the variant's ability to spread among vaccinated people, the CDC also recommended indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors at schools nationwide, regardless of vaccination status. In other developments, President Joe Biden said his administration was considering requiring all ...

Fauci says US headed in `wrong direction’ on coronavirus

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — The United States is in an "unnecessary predicament" of soaring COVID-19 cases fueled by unvaccinated Americans and the virulent delta variant, the nation's top infectious diseases expert said Sunday. "We're going in the wrong direction," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, describing himself as "very frustrated." He said recommending that the vaccinated wear masks is "under active consideration" by the government's leading public health officials. Also, booster shots may be suggested for people with suppressed immune systems who have been vaccinated, Fauci ...

Virus surge fears, UK leader’s quarantine, mar ‘Freedom Day’

LONDON (AP) — Corks popped, beats boomed out and giddy revelers rushed onto dancefloors when England's nightclubs reopened Monday as the country lifted most remaining coronavirus restrictions after more than a year of lockdowns, mask mandates and other pandemic-related curbs on freedom. For clubbers and nightclub owners, the moment lived up to its media-given moniker, "Freedom Day." But the big step out of lockdown was met with nervousness by many Britons and concern from scientists, who say the U.K. is entering uncharted waters by opening up when confirmed cases are not falling but ...

Unvaccinated Missourians fuel COVID: ‘We will be the canary’

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — As the U.S. emerges from the COVID-19 crisis, Missouri is becoming a cautionary tale for the rest of the country: It is seeing an alarming rise in cases because of a combination of the fast-spreading delta variant and stubborn resistance among many people to getting vaccinated. Intensive care beds are filling up with surprisingly young, unvaccinated patients, and staff members are getting burned out fighting a battle that was supposed to be in its final throes. The hope among some health leaders is that the rest of the U.S. might at least learn something ...