JERUSALEM – Israel has opened up most of its economy as part of its final phase of lifting coronavirus blocking restrictions, some of which have been in place since September.
Bars and restaurants, event halls, sporting events, hotels and primary and secondary education can reopen to the public on Sunday, with some barriers to entry and capacity. The move comes after months of government closures.
The Israeli government agreed to relax Saturday night’s limits, including the opening of the main international airport to a limited number of daily arrivals.
Most major public activities, including food at restaurants, are available to people who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus. Israel has gone ahead with their vaccination campaign. Over 52% of the population have received a single dose and almost 40% have received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine, one of the highest rates in the world.
Israel has confirmed at least 799,000 cases since the outbreak began, including 5,856 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.
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THE VIRUS ISLANDER:
– Biden, Democrats dominate Senate $ 1.9 trillion virus relief bill
– Russia gets points with vaccine diplomacy, but bags rise
– Murder, but quieter: ‘Cozy’ is a balm of a pandemic era
– AP PHOTOS: Cyprus keeps the spirit of Carnival alive among COVID-19
– Follow AP pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
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HERE’S WHAT ELSE’S INVOLVED:
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Sri Lanka has received the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines under the COVAX facility.
He received 264,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which will be given to the most vulnerable people over 60 years in the most vulnerable areas affected by COVID-19, the health ministry said.
The vaccines, delivered through UNICEF, mark the first distribution of 1.44 million doses of vaccines from the COVAX facility that the island nation will receive. Sri Lanka is expected to get the rest in stages through May.
To date Sri Lanka has received 1 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine made in nearby India, which delivered half of the doses. Sri Lanka bought the balance from the Serum Institute of India.
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LAS VEGAS – Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak has signed an emergency order changing the minimum distance between actors and audience members that previously challenged the return of productions in Las Vegas.
The tourist destination built for overcrowding and famous for bright lighting, crowdsourcing, unhealthy food and major exhibitions has started to reopen after the pandemic industry ceased in March. Businesses, particularly on the Strip were struggling due to limited air travel, lack of mid-week conference business and lack of range events and entertainment options.
Previously, players had to keep 25 feet (7.6 meters) of space between the audience as a warning against the coronavirus. However, some smaller establishments could not accept that restriction.
Sisolak signed the new emergency directive Friday, updating the minimum speed to 6 feet (1.8 meters) if actors wear masks and 12 feet (3.6 meters) when actors are unregistered.
The order is effective immediately and applies to live entertainment and performances at all sizes of public gatherings and events.
“This is amazing news,” said Angela Stabile, co-founder of Stabile Productions, Inc., which has been operating three different shows at the Las Vegas Harrah Hotel and Casino and Hotel & Casino Flamingo Las Vegas. “It was a great guide at first. This is another step in the right direction. ”
Other performances included the “Australian Bee Gees Show” at Excalibur Hotel & Casino, David Copperfield at MGM Grand Las Vegas Hotel & Casino and Terry Fator at New York-New York Hotel & Casino in anticipation of concerts will resume this month, the Las Vegas Sun reports. Now, smaller venue productions also plan to reopen because of the new guidelines.
Nevada on Saturday reported an additional 500 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 16 deaths, raising the state’s pandemic disease numbers to 295,960 cases and 5,036 deaths.
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SCAPPOOSE, Ore. – Democrat Oregon Gov. Kate Brown received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on Saturday and is encouraging others to get it.
Brown says she received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to show it is safe and effective, and to resist rumors and misinformation.
She also says the single-dose vaccine is more suitable than the two-dose requirements of other vaccines to protect against the chronavirus.
Brown says Oregon residents should feel safe getting any of the three vaccines currently available. Brown says that over a million doses of the various vaccines have been given, and that 20,000 doses are given every day.
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LOS ANGELES – Counties across California are increasingly seeking to opt out of the state’s centralized vaccination program run by Blue Shield.
The Los Angeles Times reports that none of the 58 counties in the state have signed contracts with the insurance giant even as California moves forward plans to take 10 counties led by Blue Shield starting the this week.
The state is currently transitioning to a vaccine recruitment and delivery system run by Blue Shield, which aims to ensure that doses are distributed fairly and reach low-income communities that are under the influence of the pandemic.
But some county leaders call the system too bureaucratic and do not want to look at Blue Shield.
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PHOENIX – One Day After Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey lifted capacity restrictions at restaurants, gyms and other businesses, the state reported 1,735 confirmed coronavirus cases.
Arizona does not have a state mask command. With a further 54 confirmed deaths on Saturday, the numbers rose to 825,119 cases and 16,323 deaths.
The number of coronavirus-related hospitals fell below 1,000 for the first time in four months. On Friday, 966 COVID-19 patients were living in patient beds, down from 1,043 Thursday and the Jan. 11 pandemic of 5,082.
Nearly 19% of the state’s population has received at least one dose of the vaccine and about half of those people are fully vaccinated. The Arizona Health System Alliance, an organization representing major hospital systems, opposes Ducey’s move to lift capacity constraints.
“Now is not the time to settle our mitigation efforts; we need to stay on course to ensure that our vaccination efforts can spread the virus, ”says the organization.
The Ducey order did not raise state requirements regarding social distance and shelter requirements for businesses or influence local government mask orders.
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WASHINGTON – The Senate has passed a loose anti-Republican relief package, moving closer to a political milestone for President Joe Biden.
The $ 1.9 trillion bill passed Saturday will carry payments of just up to $ 1,400 for most Americans, extended emergency unemployment benefits and spending for COVID-19 vaccines and testing. It also brings billions to sick states and cities, schools and businesses.
Democrats say their “American Rescue Plan” will help the country recover from the virus and restore its economy. Republicans criticize the move as more expensive than necessary.
The bill is now going to the House for the final passage.
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OKLAHOMA CITY – More than 1.2 million Oklahomans have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine.
The CDC on Saturday reports that 19.9% of Oklahomans have been given at least one dose to 10th place in the country. The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported 978 new coronavirus cases for a total of 428,536 diagnoses.
The health department said at least 7,202 deaths were confirmed.
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The world’s most famous sled dog race kicks off Sunday, but this year’s edition of the Iditarod will see a lot of changes driven by the pandemic.
The race will be shorter this year, just 860 miles instead of a mile. This is the first time in race history that the finish line will not be in Nome. Instead, mushers head to the ghost town of Iditarod and loop back to the Anchorage area for completion. Mushers go through a strong COVID-19 test before and during the race and if one tests positive, they are out of the race.
Most of Alaska’s rural cities will be avoided for safety reasons, leaving mushers to sleep in tents.