Local mask mandates repealed https://www.chronicle-express.com/story/news/2022/02/18/local-mask-mandates-repealed/6837044001/ PENN YAN — Following Governor Kathy Hochul's statewide repeal of the mask mandate for businesses, the Yates County Legislature repealed its own local law requiring masks within the County Office Building and other county buildings at its Feb. 14 meeting. The motion was made by Legislature Chair Leslie Church and seconded by Terry Button. https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-last-state-to-lift-statewide-mask-mandates-in-the-midwest/ Illinois last in Midwest to lift statewide mask mandate Gov. J.B. Pritzker will end the statewide indoor mask mandate for most Illinoisans Feb. 28, joining the 39 other states who have already lifted COVID-19 restrictions on residents. Illinois will be the only state in the Midwest still mandating masks in schools at the state level. Liberal cities Boston and Washington, DC roll back COVID vaccine mandates for businesses The city of Boston, Massachusetts has lifted its mandate requiring patrons of restaurants, gyms and other indoor locations to show proof of coronavirus vaccination, just days after another liberal city, Washington, D.C. made a similar move.
Did you expect the mandates to last forever? No one thought mandates would last forever so what point is being made when they start coming down as transmission rates/cases drop as well and weather starts getting warmer...
Most state's public health agencies stated they will remove mandates / ease restrictions when their Covid numbers come down and the public health is no longer in danger. Strangely, people seem surprised that mandates are removed / restrictions eased after the Covid numbers come down and our public healthcare system is no longer threatened. I'll keep saying it, Omicron has also completed what vaccination couldn't do for a bulk of the remaining population that didn't want to get the jab. In fact, we're very lucky it has been a virus that has produced mild illness (e.g. sore throat, little fatigue, little fever for a few days) for most that get infected with Omicron. We're very lucky to have not seen a deadlier Variant of Concern than Delta. wrbtrader
Ontario's last 'mandate' was for a few weeks came off as planned; maybe a little longer I can't remember really. It's part of a staged strategy that has been in place since mid-2020. I have no idea what the 'truckers' were protesting but it just seems like angry ignorant people who are whining about Covid and how hard done they supposedly are. Not unlike posters Tsing Tao, Jem, wildchild etc etc on here. I really wish these people would develop some backbone and get on with their lives in a more constructive fashion; the rest of us dealt with Covid far better then they seem able to. The whole thing seemed like a Trump event kind of an angry person's convention but outside. Again, still no idea what their cause was nor do I care.
The people I knew of who did not want to take the vaccine but worked at public or private places were just required to do weekly testing. What I found strange was that unvaxxed had to test weekly but the vaxxed were never asked about contact or required testing. Both classes were required to follow mask and distance protocols at work. As for public employees who were forced out for not vaxxing it does present an interesting issue if the State dropped vax requirements like next month....can they demand to be rehired or sue for lost wages. As for private employers, they have more freedom to establish employment requirements so you are just shit out of luck.
I was suspicious about the purpose of the Canada Freedom Convoy when they said it was about vaccine mandates when the Convoy began AFTER the government had already scheduled dates for the removal of mandates / easing of restrictions... For example, in early January...here in Québec...they schedule to remove mandates / ease restrictions when the Covid numbers came down on February 14th as planned. Here's what I think happened, the organizers of the Freedom Convoy didn't expect the Covid numbers to decline so dramatically even though scientists in the United States, Canada and all over the world had been pointing to the fact that Omicron burned itself out in South Africa after infecting most of the population. In fact, when the Covid number started to decline...the government offered an option to the vaccine mandates...they said then just get a Covid tested. The minority of the truckers said NO under the illusion that taking a test is somehow trumping on their Freedom. Ironically, they take the damn yearly physical and other required health tests to be a trucker...they don't complain about those because the companies that hire them know its a "liability" issue. Anyways, the organizers saw the dramatic declining numbers in Canada and the United States and decided...they then said... Fuck it...lets still protest anyway. They then did the amateur protesting move of moving the goal posts (e.g. they demanded that the government step down so that they can put in their own government that's not elected). That further signals to the government that these are not reasonable people to have a sit-down conversation considering the government had already sat down with other industry groups to listen to their concerns about mandates when they peacefully protested...back on January 22, Nov - Dec 21 without threatening the community. The sad aspect, they were yelling about their Freedom. In reality, they took the freedom away from many more citizens, causing hundreds to lose their jobs or lose a significant part of their income when businesses were forced to shut down and their organizers are associated with alt-right groups and other fanatic philosophies that are shared with the minority. Seriously, I watched a video of one of the organizers of the Freedom Convoy going on a RACIST RANT about his disgust with a large part of the vaccinated truckers being immigrants from either India or Pakistan in which he talks about teaching Canada a lesson as if it was his way of getting payback or a revenge plot. Their own CTA wouldn't support the truckers that decided to leave their jobs to protest and that shows the government there's a breakdown by individuals that not only want to raise hell against the community...they wanted to raise hell against their fellow truckers especially those that are of different ethnicity... They did all of that under the façade of freedom being led by radical organizers in which a few of the organizers are known racists that put it out there for public display in their racist videos that are now circulating online... Sadly, it attracted others like them that share similar racist views but it does show me even further who are the racists and alt-right supporters here at Elitetrader. wrbtrader
Some of the American posters on here don't understand that Canadians have differing views on many social issues. I remember when Trump mania hit the US and some posters on here exclaimed with glee how far right politicians would start winning in Canada and pointing to fringe candidates in the Conservative leadership convention. And some of those candidates did better then normal but nowhere near well enough to get the leadership. Their chances at this point would be zero. Canada isn't interested in far right ideologies beyond small pockets maybe some centers in Alberta. It would never fly here. A Trump style leader would bury their party to fringe status, The 'truckers' never understood that Canadians wouldn't support their cause. Ever.
UK PM Boris Johnson lifts all remaining Covid restrictions in England https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/21/uk-...-remaining-covid-restrictions-in-england.html LONDON — U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday lauded the lifting of all remaining Covid restrictions in England as a “moment of pride” as he set out the government’s long-term plan for living with the virus, prompting concern among public health specialists and opposition lawmakers.