Vox Sentences - Biden's omicron plan

Biden unveils his strategy to defend against the omicron variant; South Africa mulls a vaccine mandate as the variant spreads.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Ellen Ioanes. 

Biden on omicron: Testing, masking, vaccinations in, lockdowns (hopefully) out

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

• US President Joe Biden outlined on Thursday a new plan for combating the omicron and delta variants of Covid-19 aimed at keeping businesses open and vaccinating Americans, and emphasizing the need to avoid lockdowns. [White House]
• The plan includes a robust vaccination and booster drive, as well as increased access to in-home testing and a requirement that private insurance companies cover at-home testing costs. The plan aims to keep schools open by increasing pediatric vaccinations and providing alternatives to quarantine. [NYT / Sheryl Gay Stolberg]
• The federal mask mandate on public transportation will be extended at least through March 18; violators will face fines of up to $3,000. International travelers will be required to test negative for Covid-19 within one day of travel regardless of their point of departure or vaccination status. [USA Today / Bailey Schulz]
• Biden previously blocked travel from eight southern African countries in response to the discovery of the omicron variant in South Africa. His new plan includes more stringent testing requirements for international travelers entering the US. [CNN / Kevin Liptak and Donald Judd]
• The first two cases of the omicron variant have been detected in the US, in California and Minnesota. Both of the infected people had been vaccinated and reported mild symptoms. [NPR / Rachel Treisman and Jonathan Franklin]
• A third case was detected in Colorado Thursday, in a person who had recently returned from a trip to a southern African nation. In response to the news, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said “nothing is off the table” to help control the spread of the virus. [Washington Post]

South Africa considers vaccine mandate in face of omicron

• Cases of the new omicron Covid-19 variant have exploded in South Africa, the nation where it was first identified. It’s quickly becoming the dominant strain of Covid-19 in the country, causing South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to consider a vaccine mandate for specific situations and activities. [CNBC / Elliot Smith]
• Ramaphosa said his government was working on making vaccination mandatory to access “workplaces, public events, public transport, and public establishments,” in a televised address Sunday. Only about 25 percent of South Africans are fully vaccinated, due not to a lack of supply, but rather lack of access and vaccine hesitancy. [Reuters / Promit Mukherjee and Tim Cocks]
• Kenya recently imposed a vaccine mandate, requiring citizens to be fully vaccinated by December 21 in order to access public transportation and schools, and to go to work. The nation has started a mass vaccination campaign, but it’s unclear whether Kenya will be able to hit its target vaccination rate. [CNN]
• Previous efforts to vaccinate South Africans had stalled prior to the appearance of the omicron variant, but the new variant is driving more aggressive efforts, which already seem to be paying off. Daily vaccination totals went from about 120,000 on November 25 to about 160,000 a week later. [BBC]

Support our journalism

The Biden administration will restart the Trump-era "remain in Mexico" program, even as it attempts to dismantle it. [AP / Elliot Spagat]

• Stacey Abrams announced her Georgia campaign to replace Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution / Greg Bluestein]
• Germany bans unvaccinated people from many public spaces, including bars, restaurants, and theaters, as the nation considers a vaccine mandate. [Guardian / Jon Henley]
• The US, UK, Canada, and the EU announced new sanctions on Belarus over the country’s attempt to push migrants to the EU border. [Al Jazeera]

“The select committee has no desire to be placed in this situation, but Mr. Clark has left us no other choice. He chose this path. He knew what consequences he might face if he did so. This committee and this House must insist on accountability in the face of that sort of defiance.”

[House January 6 Committee Chair Bennie Thompson on the committee’s intent to charge former DOJ employee and Trump ally Jeffrey Clark with contempt of Congress]

What we know so far about omicron (AA-muh-kraan ... or OH-muh-kraan) [Spotify]

Read more from Vox

The case for rent control 

The religious right wants states’ tax dollars, and the Supreme Court is likely to agree

The escalating costs of being single in America

The quest for a power grid that can withstand extreme weather

Why December is always government shutdown season

This email was sent to you. Manage your email preferences or unsubscribe. If you value Vox’s unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring contribution.

View our Privacy Notice and our Terms of Service.

Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Floor 11, Washington, DC 20036.
Copyright © 2021. All rights reserved.