United States citizens reasonably fear new restrictions, mask mandates and vaccine requirements as the Delta variant spreads and the number of new cases is on the rise for several weeks now. Despite the vaccination efforts, some states report a record number of cases since the start of the pandemic last March.
Few weeks CDC announced new mask guidelines for coronavirus ‘hot spots’, but it seems like every area in the country is slowly becoming a ‘virus hot spot’ more or less. And the situation is becoming even worse considering the fact that hospitals in some areas are under serious pressure as a result of the number of hospitalized Covid-19 patients.
Two weeks ago president Joe Biden said that all federal workers will be required to get the vaccine or they will have to undergo weekly testing. Several companies including Google and Walmart, also announced that they will start to require their employees to get vaccinated.
The vaccination process slowed since April, but the latest CDC’s data shows increasing trend in vaccination in the last two weeks across the country. However, all these efforts will take time to show their results. It looks like none of these measures are slowing the Delta variant spread. So, what other options do we have? Lockdown!
Joe Biden and White House officials in multiple occasions denied lockdowns or any other measures that will negatively affect the businesses, but the recent surge in numbers might change their mind. And the alarm was set off two weeks ago, when Biden was asked whether Americans should expect more Covid-19 restrictions and he, almost nonchalant, answered “In all probability.”
Additional fire to the lockdown hysteria was added by Jack Posobiec, political activist and TV presenter, who said on Twitter that “White House chatter is that lockdowns for delta variant all but a done deal.” According to him, the first lockdowns will be announced in the second week of August.
Although Posobiec didn’t reveal his source, one shouldn’t be a health expert to realize that recent numbers are leading to the most desperate and unpopular measure, lockdown. Some states like Arkansas are reporting twice as much daily cases compared to the period when first closures and mask mandates took place.
Many countries around the world are seeing increasing number of cases as a result of the Delta variant, but US is among the states with highest infection and positivity rate. The time will show if CDC and president Biden lifted the mask mandate too early two months ago.
It doesn’t really matter if a new lockdown will be announced this week or later in August, it just seems that the country is seriously getting closer to it as the number of hospitalizations grows every day.
One thing is clear, the Biden administration doesn’t have a specific plan how to handle the recent situation.
