Reopening America

Florida has taken another step in moving on from the coronavirus pandemic. On Monday, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill banning vaccine passports and an executive order invalidating all remaining local emergency orders, saying the state is no longer in a state of emergency. Some mayors were pushing back on the orders while other lawmakers argued they were trying to strike a balance of protecting people and protecting their civil liberties. Mary Ellen Klas, Capitol Bureau Chief at the Miami Herald, joins us for these new orders and how they impact the national conversation.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The coronavirus pandemic is still ongoing, but we have gotten parts of it under control. Vaccines are being administered and thanks to the work of various countries, we have treatments that can help spare people some of the most severe infections. One such example is the U.K., not so much a pandemic success story, but their Covid-19 trials is. Through their Recovery Trial project, they were able to mobilize a massive clinical trial that tested various treatments and ultimately found a cheap and widely used steroid that became key in treating the virus, saving an estimated 1 million lives worldwide. Dylan Scott, senior correspondent at Vox, joins us for more.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The CDC updated guidance this week for those that are fully vaccinated saying you no longer need to wear a mask outdoors, except if you are in crowded areas such as concerts or sporting events. There has been ongoing pushback over continued mask wearing with some states rolling back their mandates and others keeping them intact. Lena Sun, health reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for why you can toss that mask when outdoors.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two camps are emerging as more than a quarter of Americans are fully vaccinated… those that want to party, travel, and get back to normal, and those that are still nervous about catching the coronavirus. Some are finding it hard to turn off the past year of extra precautions taken not to get sick and are wary about returning to in-person interactions. Elizabeth Chuck, senior writer at NBC News Digital, joins us why some are still nervous about Covid, despite being vaccinated.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We know that women and especially mothers of school-aged children have had a tough time when it comes to staying in the workforce. Now, we have some numbers, Nearly 1.5 million mothers are still missing from the workforce compared to last year at the beginning of the pandemic. Two big factors driving those numbers, are access to child care and the demands of the home and virtual schooling for kids. Katie Riley, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many companies are starting to hire again and some have a special requirement before coming on board, a Covid-19 vaccine. Employers are starting to mandate candidates get a shot before they are hired and are also applying the rule to existing employees too. Certain exemptions can be made, but generally, it is legal for employers to mandate such vaccinations. Chip Cutter, workplace reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how employers across all industries are beginning to require Covid vaccines.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a rollercoaster year of remote learning and school closures due to the pandemic, many parents may be feeling powerless as they face the possibility of their children being held back. This particular situation deals with third graders across the country who are not reading at the appropriate grade level. 18 states have laws on the books where students must be held back if they don’t meet the requirements and many students have fallen behind. In Tennessee, some estimates say that nearly 66% of third graders don’t meet English language standards. Carly Sitrin, education reporter at Politico, joins us for more.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fake doses of the Pfizer vaccine have been spotted in Mexico and Poland as criminals take advantage of the high demand across the world. There is no indication that this is happening in the U.S. so no need to worry, but investigators said that about 80 people in Mexico got fake shots and in Poland, vials that were labeled as vaccine contained anti-wrinkle treatment. No one has been harmed. Jared Hopkins, pharma reporter at the WSJ, joins us for these counterfeit vaccines.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We might be hitting another snag in the vaccine rollout… too much vaccine. Some states are starting to see the supply of doses exceed the demand. The pace of vaccinations has flattened out at about 3 million per day as states are starting to see too many open vaccine appointments. Rachel Roubein, health reporter at Politico, joins us for how the strategy is changing to get more people vaccinated.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than half of American adults have received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine, and while that is good news, experts increasingly feel that we might not get to herd immunity. Recent polls suggest that 15-25% of Americans don’t plan on being vaccinated which won’t help in the effort. Elizabeth Weise, national correspondent at USA Today, joins us for why herd immunity might no longer be on the table.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.