COVID-19 Update

WaPo: (freebie)

‘Freedom Convoy’-style protests against vaccine mandates reach Europe and beyond

As Canadian officials announced the reopening of a major border crossing blockaded by “Freedom Convoy” protesters, demonstrations against vaccine mandates for cross-border truckers continued to fuel spinoff protests around the world, directing global attention to ongoing frustrations over covid rules as the pandemic stretches on.

Demonstrators were en route to Brussels, where convoys from European countries were expected to converge this week - although warnings from Belgian authorities appear to have kept the rally at bay during Monday morning rush hour. Some groups said they would be arriving by afternoon.

The Canadian demonstrations have also inspired protests and heavy police presence in countries and states incuding New Zealand, France, Australia, Alaska and New York.

Meanwhile, concerns that the protests might disrupt the Super Bowl — Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) suggested truckers should “clog things up” at the sporting event — were allayed. A small group appeared outside the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, but no major disruptions were reported, and the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department said the gathering was peaceful.

Here’s what to know

• Pandemic-era inflation has hit low-income Americans the hardest, a Washington Post analysis of the 10 most inflated categories of goods has found.
• Three simple words — “follow the science” — have become a slogan on both sides of the national divide over how to confront the coronavirus.
• The Biden administration’s plan limiting free coronavirus tests to four per household has forced Americans living in multigenerational homes to make risky and difficult decisions about who gets to use them, activists and public health experts say.