May isn’t just the unofficial start of summer this year, it also seems to be the unofficial end to the pandemic. Medical experts and the Biden administration are still asking Americans to be cautious and take pandemic-related precautions, but today Ron DeSantis announced Florida is suspending all pandemic-related orders. The Florida Governor remarked, “I think it’s the evidence-based thing to do.” The Miami Herald reports:
Declaring Florida’s COVID-19 emergency over, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed an executive order invalidating all remaining local emergency COVID orders and signed a bill into law that bars businesses, schools and government entities across Florida from asking anyone to provide proof of a COVID-19 vaccination.
Things are getting closer to “normal” in Las Vegas as well. Over the weekend capacity limits there increased to 80% occupancy and social distancing has been reduced to 3 feet. The AP reports that The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority “just launched a new ad campaign promoting freedom and a return to pre-pandemic normalcy.” Masks are still required.
Colorado’s latest order takes things a step further, by loosening mask requirements for certain groups indoors. The CBS in Colorado Springs writes:
Colorado’s mask mandate will remain in place another 30 days — but this time with exceptions for people who are vaccinated.
Gov. Jared Polis has long stressed that vaccines are the only way Coloradans can return to normalcy.
Something he is underscoring with the latest amendment to the mask mandate.
Under the newest version of the order, people indoors do not have to wear masks if the majority are fully vaccinated. The order defines a majority as 80 percent or more.
Apparently proof of vaccination will be required, though it’s unclear how that is being enforced.
Yesterday there were 29,000 Covid cases across the U.S., with 299 deaths reported. Both numbers are significantly down from earlier this year.
