Biden and Local Officials Avoid Lockdowns, New Mask Mandates in Omicron Fight

LINK: https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-omnicron-covid-masks-vaccine-mandates-11638574233?mod=hp_lead_pos2

MLA: Parti, Sabrina. "Biden And Local Officials Avoid Lockdowns, New Mask Mandates In Omicron Fight ". WSJ, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-omnicron-covid-masks-vaccine-mandates-11638574233?mod=hp_lead_pos2. Accessed 4 Dec 2021.

The Biden administration along with state and local leaders are urgently requesting for Americans to wear their masks and take precautions in response to the recent discovery of the Omicron Variant that was discovered by South African scientists. Unlike the beginning of the pandemic, there will be no lockdowns or mandates put in place because we are in a different phase where we have vaccines and boosters available to the public and because after over one year, the last thing Americans want is to return to tough restrictions.

So far, there have been several confirmed cases in the U.S. regarding the variant, but leaders do not believe this is any cause for panic just yet. However, there is very little knowledge on the omicron variant and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy believes that there should be more research in order to better understand just how serious this is and make recommendations for the public as well as predictions on how this could affect not just the U.S. population but the entire globe. Scientists do believe that the Omicron variant is likely more contagious than earlier variants but it's too soon to tell whether it makes people sicker.

This brings to mind the idea of another hit to our economy. The early stages of the pandemic created great economic challenges for companies and individuals. Although 70% of people are vaccinated, there doesn't seem to be a return to normal anytime soon. Furthermore, how will this affect the schools, and necessary workers such as healthcare, law enforcement, and essential workers in stores and dealerships?

It's all up to the Biden administration to take charge and create a sense of confidence not only within the government but for the people to know that they will be taken care of and we will not have to revert back to March 2020 and another shutdown.