Headlines Politicians say it's time to live with Covid. Are you ready? (WIRED) In the past week, some countries have begun to drop restrictions and consider the possibility of treating Covid like an endemic disease, even as Omicron has yet to subside. England has set aside its work-from-home guidance, Ireland has dropped almost all of its restrictions, and Denmark is getting rid of all measures starting tomorrow. But when a government lifts restrictions, taking precautions becomes an individual responsibility rather than a collective one. On top of the mental health toll of the pandemic, this reorientation won't happen overnight. Beijing counts more Covid cases as the Olympics approach (Reuters) In the past four days, 119 cases have been reported among athletes and others affiliated with the Beijing Winter Olympics. There are around 3,000 athletes, coaches, officials, and other personnel expected for the events, which start later this week. Participants, staff, and media are in a "closed loop" bubble, which allows them to get between accommodations and events while staying separate from the public. 60 million American households have successfully ordered free Covid tests online (WIRED) In the weeks since the US government rolled out its website for free Covid tests, some 60 million households have placed their orders. While the site has encountered a few problems, it has mostly worked smoothly so far, even when 700,000 people were on the site at the same time during its first day—more than all traffic on other government sites combined. This is thanks, in part, to the work of the United States Digital Service, which was launched in 2014 to help improve government tech and has become even more important during the pandemic. |
