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Fort Myers, Fla. – The Seton Hall men’s basketball team will participate in the 2021 Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off in a four-team tournament that features schools from three other “Power Six Basketball” conferences, tournament officials announced Wednesday. The Pirates will be joined by California, Florida and Ohio State, and the event will take place on the campus of Florida SouthWestern State College during Thanksgiving week.
Game dates, matchups, game times and television designations will be announced at a later date.
Official fan travel packages for the 2021 Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off will be available in June for fans looking to spend Thanksgiving Week in sunny Fort Myers with their favorite team. Information on travel packages can be found at www.fortmyerstipoff.com/travel. Ticket-only packages, based on availability, will go on sale this fall. Fans interested in ticket-only packages can visit www.fortmyerstipoff.com/tickets to sign up to receive future ticket updates regarding the 2021 Tournament.
Seton Hall is 14-5 in its last 19 early-season, multi-team event (MTE) games, including winning the 2014 Paradise Jam Tournament title and the 2018 Wooden Legacy Tournament title.
The Pirates last faced California in the 2016 Pearl Harbor Invitational in Honolulu, Hawai’i, a 60-57 Pirates win. They last played Florida in the 2016 AdvoCare Invitational, an 81-76 Gators victory. And The Hall last faced Ohio State on Dec. 20, 2003, a 75-59 Pirates win at the Meadowlands.
[KINGSTON, Jamaica] – The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) has relaunched its Jamaica Travel Specialist Advisory Committee in an effort to enhance the development of its current program and boost sales of the destination. The 11-member advisory committee, comprises graduates of the JTB’s travel specialist program drawn from across the United States and Canada. Members will serve for a one-year term.
“We are pleased to see the relaunch of this advisory committee, as we at the Jamaica Tourist Board truly value our relationships with travel specialists,” said Donnie Dawson, Jamaica Tourist Board’s Deputy Director of Tourism, Sales. “Our travel specialists are a crucial part of selling the destination. Plus, they have proven time and time again their value to Jamaica. Especially, based on the revenue generated in room nights sold. We welcome their input as the destination prepares to take advantage of the recovery of tourist industry.”
Advisory Committee Members
The advisory committee members from the United States include:
The JTB will be represented on the committee by Dan Hamilton, Dian Holland, Christopher Dobson, Victoria Harper, Christopher Wright, Allana Faustin and Paulette Wright with Francine Carter Henry as the airline representative. The Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association will be represented by Nicola Madden Greig.
Advisory Committee Goal
The main purpose of the advisory committee is to provide the Jamaica Tourist Board with advice on the way forward for the Jamaica Travel Specialist One Love Rewards Program to ensure future growth. Specific goals include developing niche market training strategy, revamping/updating the general training course to continuously increase the knowledge on Jamaica’s tourism product as well as offering incentives that are advantageous to members.
Not a fan of lifting heavy dumbbells? Don’t fret, there are plenty of other ways to build some serious strength without all that metal equipment. The secret is having alternative gym gear to help you reach your fitness goals.
Enter: Resistance bands, the most affordable, travel-friendly and versatile pieces of exercise gear you can buy. As a bonus, they barely take up any space in your house, making them a good option for those without a lot of room in their homes.
Perfect for working out both your upper and lower body, resistance bands can help anyone (at any fitness level!) get into shape. However, not all resistance bands are created equal. Here, we’ve rounded up the best bands on the market. From budget-friendly options to picks that target specific muscle groups, these choices will help you build muscle in no time.
To shop this article by category, simply click on each link below:
Built to last, these tube bands utilize no-slip grips and latex rubber to offer a high-quality alternative to dumbbells. Simply slide the center of the band under your feet while gripping the handles to perform a bicep curl or a row for a full arm workout.
If pullups are your preferred form of upper body workouts, then these resistance bands are for you. They come in four intensity levels, and the amount of resistance of the workout bands can be adjusted by giving more or less slack on the band. Not only does this band work great for assisted pullups, it can also add resistance to your pushups. Simply lay the band across your upper back, loop each end of the band into each hand and complete your pushups as you normally would.
Take your workout to the next level with resistance bands from the popular fitness brand Tone It Up. The light and heavy stretch bands cost less than $10, and if you’re not sure how to incorporate them into your exercise routine, you can download the Tone It Up app to find workouts that utilize your new gear.
This trio of resistance bands includes three different colors to differentiate the three different resistances. As a bonus, the set comes with a trendy black carry bag.
As a favorite on Amazon, this four-piece set ranges from 10 to 35 pounds of resistance. Customer reviews rave that the bands are both cute and effective, and that the included pouch makes traveling with them a breeze.
If you’re looking for bands that provide more rehabilitative results, then this option is for you. Often used by physical therapists to help heal injuries, these non-latex elastic bands measure five feet and are easier to use than their circular counterparts. The color-coded options also make it easy to tell which fitness level you’re at.
Made specifically with stretching in mind, these four-foot bands act similarly to a yoga strap. Pro tip: fold the band in half to add more tension when stretching.
With over 56,000 five-star reviews, these resistance bands are clearly a fan favorite. They come in five varying resistances making them optimal for any fitness level, and they’re made of high-quality latex to ensure they stretch further than other options.
It should be no surprise that Bala makes this list. After all, the brand’s workout gear already has a lot of people hooked on it (us included). Simply set these bands around your calves or thighs to get the ultimate leg burn, or use them to strengthen your core, quads and hamstrings.
As the most versatile option on this list, this set includes five resistance bands, a door anchor, an ankle strap, a carry bag and a starter guide with detailed workout instructions. The five resistance bands are color coded and range from two to 30 pounds of resistance. In order to help users attach handles (for upper body workouts) or ankle straps (for lower body workouts), each resistance tube comes complete with a metal clipping system for easy set up.
MMGY Travel Intelligence has released the results of its 2021 “Spring Edition” of the Portrait of American Travelers survey.
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The research indicates unprecedented optimism from leisure travelers in advance of the summer travel season, and MMGY’s Traveler Sentiment Index (TSI) rose to 119, which is on par with pre-pandemic levels.
However, the research also shows that, while there is an increase in the intent to travel, Americans still have concerns about safety precautions. With increased vaccinations and decreasing COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, perceptions of safety remain below pre-pandemic levels, lingering 12 points lower.
PHOTO: Mother and sun jumping on the beach. (photo via E+ / skynesher)
“It has been a devastating year for the travel industry, but companies have remained incredibly resilient and steadfast in their commitment to meeting travelers’ needs and concerns,” said Chris Davidson, executive vice president, MMGY Travel Intelligence. “The results from the study show that we are already in the midst of an impressive rebound, and travel companies should leverage these insights and use them to guide their strategies in the months ahead.”
The top states for travelers are Hawaii, Florida, California, Colorado, Alaska and New York. However, certain cities have seen large decreases in visitors, including Portland, Seattle and Washington, D.C.
The survey found that just 19 percent of Americans expressed interest in international travel in the next six months, which is down from 24 percent in January of 2020.
Three in 5 U.S. adults (62 percent) expect to take at least one leisure vacation during the next six months with the preferred mode of transportation being a personal car.
Two in 5 (38 percent) indicated that they will take a domestic flight. I
n the next 12 months, four in five (81 percent) of U.S. adults expect to take at least one trip.
When it comes to spending, those who intend to travel within the next 12 months expect to take 3.7 overnight leisure trips this year and spend an average of $2,415 on those trips. Gen-x and Boomers intend to take fewer trips than Gen Zs and Millennials, however, they intend to spend more.
Travelers are also on the lookout for deals. Travelers’ perceptions of the affordability of travel is the only metric that went up during the pandemic as they expected travel companies would slash prices with reduced demand.
MMGY Global’s CEO, Clayton Reid noted that business travel demand has historically driven fare and rate strength but the pandemic has created a “unique and historic shift” in this dynamic.
“MMGY Global believes the next six months will see a unique environment whereby weekend leisure travel demand is so significant that it pushes leisure demand to weekdays, thereby displacing traditional corporate travel. We are calling this ‘reverse-compression.’ We think trip volume will not only be led by leisure demand but that fare and rate strength will also come first from consumers and second from business, even in market environments and periods where that just doesn’t happen,” said Reid.
While the pandemic hasn’t completely shifted the mindset of travel, sustainability does weigh heavier on the minds of travelers post-pandemic and they are naturally inclined to seek out the outdoors and more open spaces in light of COVID-19. However, while older travelers are less inclined to care about their impact, 83 percent of active leisure travelers overall indicate they are open to changing some aspect of their travel behavior to reduce their impact on the environment.
Trey Walters (Co-Owner / CEO) and his wife, Kelsey (Co-Founder), started Blue Line Aviation with one goal: to provide the highest quality flight instruction for your dollar. Trey is a decorated Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran and former Raleigh Police Officer. Trey is an FAA Safety Representative and holds multiple ratings including Instrument Ground Instructor, Gold Seal Flight Instructor Airplane Single Engine, Multi-Engine, and Instrument instructor certifications.
Trey’s Most Memorable Spring Flying Trips
When it comes to springtime flying, I often think back to the many trips I would take down to Florida for a cruise with my wife. She was a travel agent and would often coordinate cruises for our family and friends, many of which departed from Fort Lauderdale. It’s still to this day one of my favorite vacation spots to fly into! There’s something very satisfying about heading South for warmer weather and setting off on a cruise with some of the favorite people in your life—especially after a dreary winter.
Out of the many trips and vacations I’ve been on, there are two that distinctly stand out in my mind. For one trip, I took advantage of being the proud owner of a King Air 300, which I primarily used for charter operations.
On one occasion, when the King Air wasn’t busily flying charter customers, my family and I decided to load up the airplane and take a trip to the “SUN ‘n FUN” fly-in. After departing from Raleigh, we were off to pick up my sister and her family in Atlanta, Georgia. Once we had an airplane full of passengers, half of which were kids under the age of six, we departed for Tampa.
Shortly after takeoff, we climbed through a cloud layer and broke out just in time for sunset. Everyone, the kids especially, loved seeing the sun set below a vast sheet of white clouds on our way to warmer weather. My family and aviation mean the world to me, so any chance I get to bring the two together, I make sure to take full advantage of.
Another memorable springtime trip, although less eventful than my outing with the King Air, was flying a Robinson R-44 a few hundred miles down the coast from Palm Beach to Raleigh. Although not quite as fast as the King Air, I was able to cruise low over the coast, and see a new level of detail in the topography that’s entirely lost at higher altitudes.
Trey’s Spring Flying Tips
Generally, when I plan trips for the springtime, I try to look at the whole picture and get an idea of what I need to happen, and what is possible to happen. Planning as far ahead as practical is crucial, and using aeronautical decision making during every step of the planning process is the key to success.
Making sure you have the right aircraft, right airport, and finally the right FBO. I recommend forming a good working relationship with the staff at your destination’s FBO. You may find that it yields pleasant results. I fly to Florida a lot, so whenever I can I try to take a coastal approach down South. It’s stunning during all times of day, and the weather typically tends to be a little bit calmer off the shore than it does over the land. Just be sure you stay within power off glide range if you don’t have life preservers!
A tip that I like to keep in my pocket when flying during the spring is to always take weather into account. Weather has always been one of those things that makes flying fun (interesting). If you want to fly South, do your best to time your arrival to come in either before or after the afternoon pop up storms. As always, having an instrument rating is a key component to flying safely, but also being current and proficient in your aircraft and instrument flying in general. If you haven’t flown in a while, a long cross country in instrument conditions probably isn’t the best place to start back up again. Having an extra set of eyes in the flight deck never hurts either, if all else fails they can get some awesome pictures as you are coming in on your approach!
While major travel is off the table this spring, there is a way to bring the taste of some of your favorite American cities to your dining room table.
Goldbelly, founded in 2013, is a website where you can order food from 800 legendary restaurants and bakeries across the country.
A spokesperson told us business has doubled since last year when the pandemic started. It’s also given a boost to small businesses like Texas Inn in Lynchburg.
General manager Rhonda Rankin said they joined Goldbelly in September of last year. Now, with six months under their belt, the restaurant has had nearly 200 orders. Those orders were delivered to 43 out of 50 states.
“Where we can only do 50% (capacity) and we’re such a small restaurant as well, it kind of brings in a little extra revenue to keep things going,” said Rankin. “If you live in California who is going to drive across the country to get Texas Inn when you can have it right to your door.”
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Rankin preps the orders and said they are delivered as kits, frozen.
If you want to keep it local, Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge is the place for a little inspiration.
Catherine Fox, vice president of public affairs and destination development said there’s a 30% increase in locals visiting their website looking for things to do.
She also mentioned outdoor recreation has really been sustainable throughout the pandemic. In fact, now that spring is here and the weather is warming up Fox said a lot of people have been asking about waterfall hikes and local baseball seasons.
From restaurant tours to museums, you’d be surprised at the different ways you can explore the region, even if you’re a local.
“Whether it’s going to Smith Mountain Lake or going to Natural Bridge or going to the D Day Memorial, these are just things that people are not naturally having on their radar and are starting to see as great places to visit,” Fox said.
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The visitor’s center is open seven days a week if you want to stop in and have questions.
Trey Walters (Co-Owner / CEO) and his wife, Kelsey (Co-Founder), started Blue Line Aviation with one goal: to provide the highest quality flight instruction for your dollar. Trey is a decorated Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran and former Raleigh Police Officer. Trey is an FAA Safety Representative and holds multiple ratings including Instrument Ground Instructor, Gold Seal Flight Instructor Airplane Single Engine, Multi-Engine, and Instrument instructor certifications.
Trey’s Most Memorable Spring Flying Trips
When it comes to springtime flying, I often think back to the many trips I would take down to Florida for a cruise with my wife. She was a travel agent and would often coordinate cruises for our family and friends, many of which departed from Fort Lauderdale. It’s still to this day one of my favorite vacation spots to fly into! There’s something very satisfying about heading South for warmer weather and setting off on a cruise with some of the favorite people in your life—especially after a dreary winter.
Out of the many trips and vacations I’ve been on, there are two that distinctly stand out in my mind. For one trip, I took advantage of being the proud owner of a King Air 300, which I primarily used for charter operations.
On one occasion, when the King Air wasn’t busily flying charter customers, my family and I decided to load up the airplane and take a trip to the “SUN ‘n FUN” fly-in. After departing from Raleigh, we were off to pick up my sister and her family in Atlanta, Georgia. Once we had an airplane full of passengers, half of which were kids under the age of six, we departed for Tampa.
Shortly after takeoff, we climbed through a cloud layer and broke out just in time for sunset. Everyone, the kids especially, loved seeing the sun set below a vast sheet of white clouds on our way to warmer weather. My family and aviation mean the world to me, so any chance I get to bring the two together, I make sure to take full advantage of.
Another memorable springtime trip, although less eventful than my outing with the King Air, was flying a Robinson R-44 a few hundred miles down the coast from Palm Beach to Raleigh. Although not quite as fast as the King Air, I was able to cruise low over the coast, and see a new level of detail in the topography that’s entirely lost at higher altitudes.
Trey’s Spring Flying Tips
Generally, when I plan trips for the springtime, I try to look at the whole picture and get an idea of what I need to happen, and what is possible to happen. Planning as far ahead as practical is crucial, and using aeronautical decision making during every step of the planning process is the key to success.
Making sure you have the right aircraft, right airport, and finally the right FBO. I recommend forming a good working relationship with the staff at your destination’s FBO. You may find that it yields pleasant results. I fly to Florida a lot, so whenever I can I try to take a coastal approach down South. It’s stunning during all times of day, and the weather typically tends to be a little bit calmer off the shore than it does over the land. Just be sure you stay within power off glide range if you don’t have life preservers!
A tip that I like to keep in my pocket when flying during the spring is to always take weather into account. Weather has always been one of those things that makes flying fun (interesting). If you want to fly South, do your best to time your arrival to come in either before or after the afternoon pop up storms. As always, having an instrument rating is a key component to flying safely, but also being current and proficient in your aircraft and instrument flying in general. If you haven’t flown in a while, a long cross country in instrument conditions probably isn’t the best place to start back up again. Having an extra set of eyes in the flight deck never hurts either, if all else fails they can get some awesome pictures as you are coming in on your approach!
People wearing face masks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus walk on a street in Tokyo, Wednesday, March 31, 2021. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)
Koji Sasahara
AP
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron announced a three-week nationwide school closure and a one month domestic travel ban to fight the spread of the coronavirus.
In a televised address to the nation Wednesday night, Macron says efforts are needed as “the epidemic is accelerating.” The move is a departure from the government’s policy in recent months, which has focused on regionalized restrictions. School closures were seen as a last resort.
Paris hospital officials warned they’d have to start refusing patients for lack of space. The total number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care in France surged past 5,000 on Tuesday, the first time in 11 months the figure has been that high.
Previous nationwide lockdowns in France were in March and October 2020.
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THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:
— COVID-19 pushed total US deaths beyond 3.3 million last year
— Pfizer says vaccine is safe in kids as young as age 12
— Follow AP’s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
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CHICAGO — Chicago officials are warning if the number of coronavirus cases keep climbing, they’ll stop letting baseball fans into Wrigley Field, along with limits on bars and restaurants.
The city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications made the announcement a day before Thursday’s Opening Day for the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Wrigley and Guaranteed Rate Field, home of the White Sox, can allow up to 25% of their capacity when they open for fans for the first time since 2019.
Illinois Department of Public Health officials on Tuesday reported 2,404 coronavirus cases, including 17 more deaths. More than 1.2 million residents have contracted the virus and there’s been 21,273 confirmed deaths.
Health officials say hospitalizations have increased almost daily since falling to a one-year low on March 12. Hospitalizations totaled 1,396 beds on Monday, the most since late February.
The state reported more than 2.1 million Illinois residents have been fully vaccinated, about 16.6% of the population.
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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — South Dakota announced it will open COVID-19 vaccinations to anyone over age 16 on Monday.
Gov. Kristi Noem’s announcement on Wednesday came amid a recent uptick in cases statewide. Over the past two weeks, the rolling average number of daily new cases has increased by 34%, according to Johns Hopkins University.
State health officials say 43% of people have received at least one dose of a vaccine and about 65% are fully vaccinated.
As those over 16 become eligible, more than 400,000 people in the state can receive a vaccine.
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ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s number of confirmed coronavirus cases reached 39,302, a record high for a second straight day.
The Health Ministry reported 152 more deaths, pushing the confirmed death toll to 31,537. The total number of confirmed infections stands at 3.3 million.
On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government re-imposed restrictions, including weekend lockdowns, amid a sharp increase in the number of infections less than a month after the measures were relaxed. The government has also announced restrictions over the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
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NEW YORK — A new report says U.S. deaths last year topped 3.3 million for the nation’s highest annual death toll, including about 375,000 deaths from the coronavirus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the report Wednesday. In 2020, COVID-19 was the third leading cause of U.S. deaths, after heart disease and cancer. Overall, the death rate was up nearly 16% compared to the previous year. The COVID-19 death rate was highest among Hispanic people.
There have been more than 551,000 coronavirus deaths in the U.S. since the start of the pandemic, the highest tally in the world.
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BERLIN — The European Medicines Agency says there is “no evidence” that would support restricting use of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine in any population despite reports of rare blood clots associated with the shot.
The comments Wednesday by the head of the European Union regulator contradict the advice given a day earlier by an expert panel in Germany that prompted the government there to restrict the use of the shot in people under 60.
EMA Executive Director Emer Cooke said the agency’s assessment was based on 62 cases of unusual blood clots, including 14 deaths, worldwide reported to EMA by March 22. She says her agency continues to study reports of new cases as they come in and will provide a further assessment next week.
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MEXICO CITY — Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador says he’ll be vaccinated against COVID-19 next week but doesn’t want it to become a “spectacle.”
The president had the coronavirus in January and says a recent blood test showed he still had antibodies in his system, but doctors recommended he get vaccinated.
The 67-year-old leader was criticized early in the pandemic for not conveying the gravity of the situation. He has consistently refused to push for strict lockdowns used in other countries, calling such tactics “authoritarian.”
Mexico aims to get everyone over age 60 vaccinated by April.
The country has recorded more than 202,000 test-confirmed coronavirus deaths, although the government puts the actual toll at more than 322,000.
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MADRID — Spain’s Health Minister Carolina Darias says the country is “at a critical moment” after a key contagion indicator reached a level deemed high risk by authorities.
Facing another serious outbreak since the start of the pandemic, Spain surpassed 150 infections per 100,000 inhabitants over 14 days, a level that authorities consider high risk.
Darias says the upswing in contagion was linked to the spread of the possibly more contagious variant first identified in Britain, which she says accounts for 60% to 70% of all cases.
Spain reported more than 8,500 cases and 154 confirmed deaths from COVID-19 since Tuesday. The coronavirus has officially claimed 75,459 lives in Spain.
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KYIV, Ukraine — The mayor of Ukraine’s capital is suspending most public transportation and school classes because of sharply rising coronavirus deaths.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko says schools would be closed Monday for two weeks. Over the past day, the city of 2.9 million recorded 1,100 new infections and 35 deaths.
Ukraine on Wednesday reported its highest single-day death toll of 407. Ukraine began vaccinations late February, but only about 230,000 people have received the shots due to widespread reluctance.
Overall, there’s been more than 1.6 million cases and 32,825 confirmed deaths.
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STOCKHOLM — The Swedish prime minister is urging citizens to avoid big gatherings over Easter to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Prime Minister Stefan Lofven announced the government was extending current coronavirus restrictions on opening hours of bars and restaurants and urged local authorities to keep non-essential services closed.
The number of COVID-19 infections in Sweden has surpassed 800,000 as the country reported 8,431 new cases with 35 deaths in the past 24 hours. That’s increased the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases to 804,886 and 13,465 confirmed deaths since the start of the pandemic.
Sweden, unlike most other European countries, opted to keep its society open with few restrictions. However, the government has taken a harder stance in the past months and imposed several restrictions.
Sweden, a nation of 10 million, has vaccinated 1.1 million people with at least one COVID-19 vaccination shot.
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ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s top health official says as many as 800,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine have been administered across the country amid a spike in deaths and confirmed cases of coronavirus.
Faisal Sultan says Pakistan will expand its vaccination program to people who are above 50 years.
Sultan made his televised comments after receiving another 500,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine from Beijing.
The development comes two days after Pakistan reported 100 deaths from the coronavirus, its highest single-day toll since December.
Pakistan has reported 667,957 cases and 14,434 confirmed deaths since the start of the pandemic.
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TIRANA, Albania — The European Commission has given 90 million Euro ($105 million) to Albania to help Tirana “limit the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.”
A statement from the European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations says Albania become the eighth country to receive a disbursement from the 3 billion Euro ($3.5 billion) for 10 non-EU neighboring member countries.
A second installment of 90 million Euro is expected later this year if Albania fulfills some “policy conditions (which) relate in particular to improving governance or enhancing social protection.”
The pandemic in Albania caused a GDP fall of -3.31% in 2020 compared to a year earlier, according to the Institute of Statistics.
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MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down Gov. Tony Evers’ statewide mask mandate, ruling the Democrat exceeded his authority by issuing the order.
The 4-3 ruling from the conservative-controlled court is the latest legal blow to attempts by Evers to control the coronavirus. It comes after Republicans in the Legislature voted to repeal the mask mandate in February, only to see Evers quickly re-issue it.
The court last May struck down Evers’ “safer at home” order, saying that his health secretary didn’t have the authority for such an order. Evers’ attempts to limit capacity in bars, restaurants and other indoor places were also blocked by a state appeals court in October.
In the latest case, the court ruled that any public health emergency issued by Evers is valid for just 60 days and can’t be extended without legislative approval.
Evers had argued that he can issue multiple health emergencies because of the changing nature of the ongoing pandemic. The mask order first took effect in August and Evers extended it four times since then, most recently on Feb. 4.
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SEATTLE — A legal-aid group in Washington state has sued the state Department of Corrections, demanding that state prison inmates immediately receive COVID-19 vaccines.
The Seattle Times reported that Columbia Legal Services filed the class-action lawsuit on Tuesday seeking an order that would also ban direct contact with inmates by employees and contractors who refuse to be inoculated.
The lawsuit claims the state’s refusal to promptly vaccinate about 15,000 inmates violates the U.S. Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Agency spokesperson Jacque Coe said the department will continue to follow the state published vaccine phase schedule, which is based on age, underlying conditions and other factors.
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BEIJING — Chinese health officials are pushing to expand the search for the origins of the coronavirus beyond China, one day after the release of a closely watched World Health Organization report on the issue.
They also are rejecting criticism that China didn’t give the international experts on the WHO team access to enough data when they visited the city of Wuhan earlier this year. The search for the origins of the virus has become a diplomatic feud. The U.S. and other Western nations have repeatedly raised questions about delays, transparency and data access, while China has promoted theories that suggest the virus may have come from elsewhere.
Liang Wannian, the head of the Chinese team that worked with the WHO group of experts, says the experts agreed that the place where the first case was identified is not necessarily where the virus emerged.
“Based on this scientific consensus, we should have a broader viewpoint in terms of sourcing,” he said.
Experts agree the virus could have come from elsewhere, with neighboring countries in Southeast Asia a prime possibility.
The WHO report concluded that the virus was most likely carried by a bat, which infected another animal that infected a human. Researchers haven’t been able to trace the bat or the intermediate animal yet, but suspicion has fallen on bat habitats in southwest China or nearby Southeast Asia.
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GENEVA — The U.N. health agency says coronavirus cases globally rose for a fifth straight week, with counts in Africa and the Americas now ticking up after holding mostly steady for weeks.
Deaths climbed in every region except Africa. The World Health Organization says the number of new deaths rose 5 percent to more than 64,000 over the last week — a second straight weekly increase after falling or staying nearly flat for weeks.
Europe and the Americas still account for about four-fifths of all cases and deaths. The U.S. leads the world with 30.3 million coronavirus cases and nearly 551,000 deaths.
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BRUSSELS — The European Union said member states will have received 107 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of this week.
The 27-nation bloc, which has secured more than 2 billion doses through contracts with various manufactures, initially expected far more shots in the first quarter. But delays in the deliveries and production issues with Anglo-Swedish company AstraZeneca have slowed down the rollout of vaccines in the region.
EU commission spokeswoman Dana Spinant says AstraZeneca is expected to have delivered about 29.7 million of doses, close to its revised target of 30 million, but far from the 120 million doses initially expected by the EU.
Despite the delays in deliveries, the EU’s executive Commission is sticking to its target to vaccinate 70% of the EU adult population by the end of the summer.
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NEW YORK — Pfizer says its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and strongly protective in kids as young as 12.
The announcement Wednesday marks a step toward possibly beginning shots in this age group before the next school year.
Most COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out worldwide are for adults, who are at higher risk from the coronavirus. Pfizer’s vaccine is authorized for ages 16 and older. But vaccinating children of all ages will be critical to stopping the pandemic.
In a study of 2,260 U.S. volunteers ages 12 to 15, preliminary data showed there were no cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated adolescents compared to 18 among those given dummy shots.
Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech in the coming weeks plan to ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and European regulators to allow emergency use of the shots starting at age 12. Results are expected soon from a U.S. study of Moderna’s vaccine in 12- to 17-year-olds.
Children represent about 13% of COVID-19 cases documented in the U.S.
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GENEVA — A top official with the World Health Organization says there’s “very little evidence” to suggest that three highly transmissible variants of the coronavirus cause more severe COVID-19 disease.
Dr. Kate O’Brien, director of WHO’s department of immunization, vaccines and biologicals, also says generally, the performance of vaccines against “the more severe end of the spectrum of disease” is stronger than against either infection or mild disease.
Dr. Alejandro Cravioto, head of a WHO panel of immunization experts, saus two Chinese vaccines from Sinovac and Sinopharm, which the U.N. health agency is assessing, have so far demonstrated “levels of efficacy that would be compatible with the requirements of WHO.”
He says those levels would be at least 50-percent effective and “preferably close to or above 70 percent.”
Craviato noted many national regulators have already approved the two vaccines for use, even without an emergency use listing that the Chinese manufacturers are seeking from WHO. Such a listing would allow them to be included in the U.N.-backed global vaccine rollout program known as COVAX.
A WHO decision on any emergency use listing for the two Chinese vaccines could come at the earliest next month, the agency says.
Dudley residents are fuming after the council scrapped its deal to use a Wolverhampton Council-owned tip near Coseley.
Anchor Lane tip in Lanesfield has been frequently used by Dudley locals for a number of years.
However, it’s all about to change as Dudley Council has axed its deal after the ‘annual fee was put up by 65 per cent’.
But Wolverhampton Council claims it asked Dudley Council to pay a ‘fair and proportionate’ price towards running costs of the site.
It also claims it’s not fair for Wolverhampton residents to fork out for Dudley residents to use the tip.
Dudley Council said it was left with ‘no choice but to end the agreement’ on April 1 after the rise.
In a statement, Heidi Marsh-Geyton, acting director of public realm, said: “The agreement has been in place for many years but following a big increase in the annual charge we have had to end that agreement.
“We have offered to increase our fee on a number of occasions, but this has been declined. It is really important we maintain a balance between providing first-class, convenient services and facilities for residents while also providing value for money.
“We are extremely disappointed and we have not taken this decision lightly, as we know this change will cause inconvenience for people who are used to using the Anchor Lane site. But I would urge them to use the facilities at Stourbridge instead. ”
Ross Cook, City of Wolverhampton Council’s Director for City Environment, said: “We asked that Dudley Council pay a fair and proportionate share of the running costs for Anchor Lane.
“This included staffing costs and the cost for disposal of waste from the site, taking into account the number of Dudley residents using Anchor Lane.
“Unfortunately we were not able to reach an agreement however it is not right for people living in Wolverhampton to subsidise use of the site for Dudley residents.”
Wolverhampton Council also added that Dudley residents are not permitted to use Wolverhampton’s Shaw Road Household Waste & Recycling Centre.
Residents have expressed their fury about the shock change on Dudley Borough’s Facebook page after it made the announcement just one day before it comes into force.
Tony Sheldon commented: “So they can’t afford the extra 65 per cent, they couldn’t afford a few thousand pounds for computers for home learning during covid but they can afford £120,000 for the artificial turf in the town centre.
“Yet another kick in the teeth for Coseley residents.”
Kaylee Walker posted: “That’s an 18 mile round trip for me to Stourbridge when anchor Lane is 0.4 miles! Coseley is going to be fly-tip central.”
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Ian Robertson-Pike suggested: “So maybe it’s time to look for a site on that side of Dudley- instead of the extra amount of traffic and pollution caused by driving across to Stourbridge?
“Isn’t it about time our MP stepped in? Dudley Council is wasting money on AstroTurf for a deserted town centre. They are supposedly looking at cutting flytipping on Wren’s Nest this won’t help at all.”
Marie Harnett said: “Just a joke! Especially when our council tax has just gone up!”
Natalie Jayne Ellis Oakley agreed: “This is ridiculous. So I can’t drive three minutes to the tip from Sedgley, I need to drive 20. How utterly stupid.
“Fly-tipping will increase I imagine, people will throw everything in the black bins. So disappointing. Does our council tax decrease to compensate the petrol to drive there? I bet not.”
