Thursday, December 2 top stories
It is Thursday, December 2. Here are today’s top news briefs.
The Minnesota Department of Health announced that a person in Minnesota was found positive with the coronavirus strain of Omicron. The individual was fully vaccinated and had a booster shot in November. The person recently traveled to New York City to attend a convention. The person had mild symptoms but now has no symptoms.
This is the second known infection of Omicron in the U.S. after the first case was identified in California yesterday.
President Biden announced he has a plan to make at-home rapid Covid-19 tests free. Those who have private health insurance will be able to submit reimbursements for the Covid-19 tests. For those who do not have insurance or are on Medicare or Medicaid, Biden’s plan is to send 50 million at-home tests to 20,000 federal sites around the country to be handed out for free. We’ll know more on January 15 on the specific details of the plan. Biden said he is extending the mask mandate for all public transportation such as airplanes, rails, and buses to March 18. Biden also said beginning next week, all people who are traveling into the U.S. will have to provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test within one day of travel for everyone, regardless of their vaccination status or nationality. Another thing in Biden’s plan is an expansion of sites that provide booster shots with extended hours.
Germany announced today that it would impose a nationwide lockdown on those who are unvaccinated against the coronavirus. Those who are unvaccinated will only be allowed entry in essential businesses such as grocery stores or pharmacies and banned from entry to most other businesses. The new rules say the unvaccinated will only be able to meet two other people from another household.
Germany also said it has plans for mandatory vaccinations for its citizens beginning in February.
Elsewhere in Europe — Austria plans to make vaccines compulsory in February.
Greece said vaccines will be mandatory for those aged 60 and over beginning in mid-January.
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Ethan Crumbley, the 15-year-old high school student who is charged with shooting and killing four other high school students in Oxford Township, Michigan, appeared in court on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty. Crumbley is charged as an adult and was placed in an adult jail in isolation and on suicide watch.
Law enforcement said surveillance video showed Crumbley walking into a restroom on Tuesday afternoon and exiting with a gun, in which he proceeded to open fire on other students randomly and at close range.
Law enforcement said there is a “mountain” of evidence that shows Crumbley planned the shooting in advance, such as a video that Crumbley made the night before the shooting in which he said he would kill students. In his backpack, there was a journal with an entry that said he wanted to shoot up the school.
The handgun Crumbley used was purchased by his father just four days prior. It is possible that Crumbley’s parents will be charged.
The Women’s Tennis Association, the top organization for women’s professional tennis, said it is suspending all tournaments in China over concerns about Chinese player Peng Shuai. I explained in previous news reports that Peng posted on a social media page an accusation against a top Chinese government official of sexual assault. That post was deleted and Peng went missing for about three weeks. Several tennis stars posted on social media concerns about Peng’s safety and her whereabouts. Peng finally appeared in a video call with an IOC official at the end of November, but the WTA said they were not satisfied. The WTA said they have serious doubts that Peng is free, safe, and not subject to intimidation, so they have decided to suspend all competitions in China out of concerns for all other athletes.
China said in response that they are opposed to the politicization of sports. China will host the 2022 Winter Olympics in February and March, so there is an increased sense of scrutiny on the Chinese government.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/president-biden-make-home-rapid-tests-free-covid/story?id=81501935
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/michigan-high-school-shooting-evidence-motive/
https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2021/12/02/omicron-variant-detected-minnesota
https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/59498779
https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/02/europe/germany-lockdown-covid-restrictions-intl/index.html