Is It Normal Yet?

It's been a year since the "Is It Normal Yet?" podcast started documenting how the DC region is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. This week, ex-host and co-creator Laura Spitalniak returns to the show to take stock of the podcast's first year with host and co-creator Luke Garrett. The two review their favorite episodes and share what they've learned from creating and hosting the "Is It Normal Yet?" podcast.

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Though COVID-19 caseloads, deaths and hospitalizations are declining in the U.S., the nation’s top infectious disease expert is urging Americans to get vaccinated and boosted as a new variant emerges across Europe. WTOP's Digital Editor Scott Gelman talked to President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, about the rise in COVID-19 cases, why it's happening and what to do about it. This episode features Scott's entire conversation with Dr. Fauci.

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COVID-19 cases continue to fall in the United States, but parts of Europe and Asia are seeing spikes in coronavirus cases due to BA.2 — a subvariant of Omicron. It remains un-clear if BA.2 will cause a similar spike in the U.S., but experts believe cases will go up. Andrew Pekosz is a professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Johns Hopskins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Professor Pekosz explains what BA.2 is and how we should respond to it.

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The price of a house in the DC area continues to rise, even as COVID-19 restrictions and case counts ease. This week, I talk to WTOP's Jeff Clabaugh about why this is and what home-buyers can do about it. We also discuss the future of work and the new-found leverage workers have during the "great resignation."

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How does one determine whether it's normal or not? One way is to look at the medical reality of COVID-19 and the government's response to the virus. This week, I talked to Dr. Monica Gandhi, a Professor of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco. We try to answer this impossible question: is it normal yet? Dr. Gandhi says we are, in fact, returning to normal and explains why.

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It remains unclear how many trucker caravans will actually make it to D.C. to protest COVID-19 restrictions, but the U.S. Capitol police and the Secret Service aren't taking any chances. Fences are up and the national guard is active in the nation's capital. This week, WTOP reporter Dick Uliano talks about what we know so far about these convoys, their motivations and whether their protests will affect area residents. He also shares his conversation with D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton who received a security briefing on the convoys.

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The debate over mask mandates at Virginia schools is coming to a close, after Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed his mask-optional policy into law. The battle over mask mandates started on Youngkin's first day in office, when he signed a mask-optional executive order. This sparked a political, moral and legal battle that ultimately ended in the governor's favor. WTOP's Neal Augenstein reported on this story from start to finish and spoke with Gov. Youngkin about the issue. This week, Augenstein explains what this law means for Virginians and how the new governor was able to pass the mask-optional law with bi-partisan support.

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Governors across the United States are rethinking mask mandates in the classroom and Maryland's Gov. Larry Hogan is one of them. He's asked the state board of education to change their rules and make masks optional for all students. WTOP's Luke Lukert has been covering this emerging battle over masks in Maryland. He explains the current board of education rules, why Hogan didn't sign a mask-optional executive order like Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, and what this all means for COVID-19 restrictions in the D.C. region.

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COVID-19 galvanized voters on both sides of the aisle. Since 2020, politicians have been judged on their stance toward the pandemic. But as the virus enters a new endemic phase, will COVID-19 continue to be a key issue for voters? This week, WTOP Capitol Hill reporter Mitchell Miller reviews pandemic politics and explains how the virus will likely influence the midterm elections.

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The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has had a difficult pandemic. Between extremely low ridership, COVID-19 staff shortages and the October Blue Line derailment, Metro is losing money and unable to provide the sort of reliable and frequent service seen pre-pandemic. WTOP's John Aaron tells us how Metro is doing now after two tough years and what the transit system's plan is for the future.

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