CDC says fully vaccinated people can safely travel

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in new guidance on Friday that fully vaccinated people can safely travel.

The agency further said fully vaccinated people do not need to get tested before or after domestic travel unless the destination requires it. People should still wear a mask while they travel, the agency said, and people should get tested three to five days after international travel, given the increased risk of virus variants internationally.

Unvaccinated people are still advised not to travel, the CDC said.

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“CDC recommends delaying travel until you are fully vaccinated, because travel increases your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19,” the agency said in the guidance.

Still, the agency said the recommendations could change as more people become vaccinated.

“CDC will update these recommendations as more people are vaccinated, as rates of COVID-19 change, and as additional scientific evidence becomes available,” it said.

At the same time as the agency issued the guidance, CDC Director Rochelle WalenskyRochelle WalenskyOvernight Health Care: CDC says fully vaccinated people can safely travel | Biden bemoans those acting as though COVID-19 fight over | Will vaccine passports be the biggest campaign issue of 2022? CDC says fully vaccinated people can safely travel New COVID-19 cases climb back above 70,000 in US as vaccinations make progress MORE still sounded a cautionary note about travel overall at a White House press briefing on Friday.

“We know that right now we have a surging number of cases,” she said when asked to clarify whether the agency was still calling on vaccinated people to avoid travel that is not essential. “I would advocate against general travel overall. Our guidance is silent on recommending or not recommending fully vaccinated people travel. Our guidance speaks to the safety of doing so. If you are vaccinated it is lower risk.”

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The recommendation on travel for fully vaccinated people is a step toward reviving the travel industry, which has been hit hard by the pandemic.

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The CDC received some questions last month for not lifting the advisory against travel when it issued its first set of guidelines for fully vaccinated people. At the time, it said fully vaccinated people could gather with each other without masks and could gather with one household that is not vaccinated as long as no one in it is at high risk.

Air travel numbers were already rising even before the CDC issued the new guidance. More than 1.5 million people went through security checkpoints on Thursday, according to the agency’s data. That was still down from the 2.4 million from the same date in 2019.

The US Travel Association, an industry group, praised the new guidance.

“The CDC’s new travel guidance is a major step in the right direction that is supported by the science and will take the brakes off the industry that has been hardest hit by the fallout of COVID by far,” said CEO Roger Dow. “As travel comes back, U.S. jobs come back.”

The new guidance comes as the country makes steady progress on vaccinations but as rising cases, particularly in the Northeast and Midwest, pose a short-term threat.

Almost 100 million people in the U.S. have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to CDC figures, and more than 56 million are fully vaccinated.

Updated at 12:24 p.m.

Biden taps five agency heads to sell infrastructure plan

President BidenJoe BidenThe Hill’s Morning Report – Biden may find zero GOP support for jobs plan Republicans don’t think Biden really wants to work with them Lack of cyber funds in Biden infrastructure plan raises eyebrows MORE on Thursday tapped five Cabinet officials to lead the administration’s effort to educate the public on his $2.25 trillion infrastructure proposal.

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Biden announced during his first official Cabinet meeting that Transportation Secretary Pete ButtigiegPete ButtigiegThe Hill’s Morning Report – Biden may find zero GOP support for jobs plan Biden says Cabinet ‘looks like America’ at first meeting White House hopes to see infrastructure bill passed by summer MORE, Energy Secretary Jennifer GranholmJennifer GranholmThe Hill’s Morning Report – Biden may find zero GOP support for jobs plan Lack of cyber funds in Biden infrastructure plan raises eyebrows White House hopes to see infrastructure bill passed by summer MORE, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia FudgeMarcia FudgeThe Hill’s Morning Report – Biden may find zero GOP support for jobs plan White House hopes to see infrastructure bill passed by summer Biden taps five agency heads to sell infrastructure plan MORE, Commerce Secretary Gina RaimondoGina RaimondoThe Hill’s Morning Report – Biden may find zero GOP support for jobs plan White House hopes to see infrastructure bill passed by summer Biden taps five agency heads to sell infrastructure plan MORE and Labor Secretary Marty WalshMarty WalshThe Hill’s Morning Report – Biden may find zero GOP support for jobs plan White House hopes to see infrastructure bill passed by summer Biden taps five agency heads to sell infrastructure plan MORE will be at the forefront of the public relations push.

The five Cabinet officials will be tasked with outlining the details of Biden’s American Jobs Proposal, which he formally unveiled a day earlier during a speech in Pittsburgh.

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The proposal calls for spending $2.25 trillion over the next eight years to repair 20,000 miles of roads and 10,000 bridges, expand broadband access to rural and underserved communities, replace all of the nation’s lead pipes and service lines to ensure clean water, invest in research and development and manufacturing, and expand access to home and community-based care.

The package would also aim to weatherize buildings and retrofit them to become more climate friendly, while also investing in research to boost climate-friendly industries.

Biden is proposing paying for the legislation by hiking the corporate tax rate from 21 percent to 28 percent, which the White House says will pay for the investments over a 15-year period.

Republicans have balked at the plan, taking issue specifically with the proposed tax increase on corporations and with the inclusion of priorities outside of traditional infrastructure projects like roads and bridges.

The organized effort from the Cabinet officials to essentially sell the proposal to the public mirrors what the White House did for the American Rescue Plan, Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill signed into law last month.

Biden and Vice President Harris traveled to states across the country after the bill was passed to highlight specific provisions that benefit the public, while officials like Buttigieg made media appearances to tout the law.

CDC director walks tightrope on pandemic messaging

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle WalenskyRochelle WalenskyCDC director walks tightrope on pandemic messaging Sunday shows preview: Democrats eye passage of infrastructure bill; health experts warn of fourth coronavirus wave Overnight Health Care: CDC says fully vaccinated people can safely travel | Biden bemoans those acting as though COVID-19 fight over | Will vaccine passports be the biggest campaign issue of 2022? MORE finds herself in a delicate position as she seeks to balance the optimism of increasing vaccinations with the reality that the U.S. is still very much in the grip of a deadly pandemic.

Walensky started the CDC job with a reputation as a savvy communicator, tasked with salvaging the reputation of an agency that took a beating under the Trump administration.

“When I first started at CDC about two months ago, I made a promise to you: I would tell you the truth, even if it was not the news we wanted to hear,” Walensky told reporters recently.

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Walensky’s expertise is in HIV research, like her predecessor Robert RedfieldRobert RedfieldCDC director walks tightrope on pandemic messaging Biologist Bret Weinstein says COVID-19 likely came from a lab The CDC must rescind a misguided policy tying asylum seekers to COVID MORE, and before being appointed to lead the CDC, she was head of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital.

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While former colleagues say Walensky is the perfect fit for the CDC post, her skills are now being put to the test as she faces criticism for being both too negative and too hopeful.

“She is quite a compelling and clear communicator, but it’s a challenging set of messages to try and get out there,” said Chris Beyrer, a professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Public health messaging during a global pandemic is complicated enough, but experts say this particular moment is especially difficult.

After weeks of decline and then stagnation, the rate of coronavirus infections has once again started to climb across much of the country. Cases are up about 12 percent nationally compared with the previous week, averaging around 62,000 cases per day, according to the CDC.

At the same time, nearly 100 million Americans have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. Many states are expanding vaccine eligibility, in some instances to all adults, and federal health officials say there will be enough supply for everyone to be vaccinated by the end of May.

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Walensky tried to emphasize both aspects this week when she issued an emotional appeal to the public.

“We have so much to look forward to, so much promise and potential of where we are, and so much reason for hope. But right now I’m scared,” Walensky said, adding that she had a “sense of impending doom” if people continued to ignore public health precautions.

Yet almost in the next breath, she talked about a “tremendously encouraging” new study showing that vaccinated people were 90 percent protected from infection, meaning they pose an extremely low risk of spreading the virus.

While that may come across as mixed messaging, experts say it accurately reflects not only where things stand right now but also how the country has been reacting to the virus for the past year.

“Whiplash is a true reflection of how we’re all experiencing the epidemic and the response to it. So I’d rather she be honest about that and others be honest about that than give people something that they want … to make them feel better,” said Judith Auerbach, a professor in the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine.

Auerbach, who previously worked with Walensky on HIV research, praised the director’s openness, which she said had been missing from agency leadership during the Trump administration.

“She’s being really honest about her own emotions. That’s hard for a fed to do and get away with,” Auerbach said. “The science that says we all still need to be, in fact, quite scared because we’re in this race between the vaccines … versus the emergence of these variants, and she felt it at a visceral level, and she conveyed that in a way that I thought was quite telling.”

Glen Nowak, director of the Center for Health and Risk Communication at the University of Georgia and a former CDC media relations director, said Walensky’s candor helps establish credibility.

“She has embraced the fact that credibility comes from being transparent and honest and genuine about your fears and your concerns,” Nowak said.

The CDC declined to make Walensky available for an interview, but in a statement to The Hill, an agency spokesman said every communication reflects the latest science and epidemiology.

“At times, moments must balance hope that we will move out of the pandemic with the reality that we are not out of it yet,” the spokesman said.

“We acknowledge the challenge of conveying such hope and promise that vaccines offer with the reality that cases and deaths are rising. While we are sending the critical message that people cannot and should not let up on their prevention measures, we do remain very optimistic about what the future of a fully vaccinated public will offer,” the spokesman added.

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On Friday, Walensky again came under criticism for her messaging. In updated guidance, the CDC said it is safe for people who have been fully vaccinated to travel.

But Walensky struck a cautionary tone by saying the CDC still recommends anyone, vaccinated or not, avoid nonessential travel because infection numbers are so high.

“We know that right now we have a surging number of cases,” Walensky said during a White House briefing. “I would advocate against general travel overall. Our guidance is silent on recommending or not recommending fully vaccinated people travel. Our guidance speaks to the safety of doing so.”

Nowak said part of what makes public health messaging so difficult is the fact that science doesn’t always deal in absolutes and that the public overall doesn’t do well with nuance.

“Often people don’t want to listen to the nuance; they want advice and guidance to be stable. They get frustrated with the changes or when it seems to be contradictory. They also get frustrated if it doesn’t match their everyday living experiences,” Nowak said.

With the travel guidance, Walensky attempted to spell out the balance she was trying to strike and asked the public for patience and understanding.

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“I want to acknowledge today that providing guidance in the midst of a changing pandemic and its changing science is complex,” Walensky said.

“The science shows us that getting fully vaccinated allows you to do more things safely, and it’s important for us to provide that guidance, even in the context of rising cases. At the same time, we must balance the science with the fact that most Americans are not yet fully vaccinated, which is likely contributing to our rising cases,” she said.

Jen Kates, director for global health and HIV policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation, who has known Walensky for decades, said she thinks the CDC director is aware that she can’t escape criticism, especially when so many people have pandemic fatigue.

If the CDC is too strict and refuses to endorse relatively normal behavior, especially after people get vaccinated, it could risk others refusing to get the shot, Kates said.

But if the agency paints too rosy a picture, more people could act like the pandemic is over and risk further spread of the virus.

“It behooves public officials to always be cognizant that their words are being listened to and can be taken out of context or may be hard for people to grasp,” Kates said. “So I think Dr. Walensky is a great communicator, but that doesn’t mean that this is always easy to do and the balance is always straightforward.”

Demonstrators decorate Easter eggs for latest Myanmar protests

Thousands of people took to the streets in Myanmar on Easter Sunday for another weekend of protests against the country’s military, which deposed the democratically elected government in February.

Many of the demonstrators carried Easter eggs decorated with phrases and imagery used in the past two months, including drawings of three-fingered salutes and chants such as “We must win” as well as “Spring Revolution.”

“Our people’s creativities, braveries and courages are the future of Myanmar. Easter is all about the future, the people of Myanmar has great future in federal democracy, May this Easter bring the new hope and strength to United States of Myanmar,” wrote Dr. Sasa, the country’s special envoy to the United Nations, on Twitter.

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Multiple news outlets reported that thousands of demonstrators took to the streets on Sunday, while Reuters indicated that at least two men were shot and killed by the country’s security forces.

Demonstrations against the military junta have continued as the U.S. and other nations call for the return of Myanmar’s democratically elected government.

In March, a top State Department official dealing with east Asian affairs said in a speech that Myanmar’s military should “restore the democratically elected government, release all those who have been unjustly detained, lift the restrictions on telecommunications, and refrain from violence.”

Watch: DC National Guard and Capitol Police respond to security incident

The D.C. National Guard and Capitol police responded rapidly to a security incident at the Capitol on Friday afternoon in quick action caught on video by eyewitnesses on the scene.

Videos captured guardsmen and other law enforcement, many armed and with shields, blocking off access points around the Capitol complex. One reporter tweeted video of the rare sight of a helicopter landing on the Capitol drive.

A vehicle crashed into the barrier on Constitution Avenue near the Capitol building early in the afternoon, injuring two police officers. The suspect exited the vehicle with a knife and was shot by the police, according to Capitol police.

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The National Guard, which has maintained a presence at the Capitol since the Jan. 6 breach, was quickly deployed to secure the area.

“The DC National Guard deployed a Quick Reaction Force (QRF) composed of National Guard soldiers and airmen to the Capitol complex this afternoon to support the U.S. Capitol Police. Due to operational security, we cannot discuss further details regarding the QRF. No National Guard members were injured in the incident at the Capitol,” the National Guard told The Hill in a statement.

One Capitol Police officer and the suspect in the car both died in the incident, Capitol police announced later in the afternoon.

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Rebecca Beitsch contributed.

Blunt says it would be 'mistake' to keep Capitol fencing up

Sen. Roy BluntRoy Dean BluntSunday shows preview: Democrats eye passage of infrastructure bill; health experts warn of fourth coronavirus wave 2024 GOP White House hopefuls lead opposition to Biden Cabinet Trump pollster: Greitens leads big in Missouri GOP Senate primary MORE (R-Mo.) suggested on Sunday that the fencing around the Capitol should still be removed in the wake of an attack on the premise on Friday in which a suspect rammed his car into a barricade. 

“I think it would be a mistake for fencing to be a permanent part of the Capitol,” Blunt told “This Week” host George StephanopoulosGeorge Robert StephanopoulosElizabeth Warren: Filibuster ‘has deep roots in racism’ Graham on proposed return of talking filibuster: ‘I would talk ’til I fell over’ Putin wishes Biden ‘good health’ after he calls Putin a killer MORE. “Fencing can create a false sense of security on a daily basis.”

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Blunt said that while having fencing up for certain occasions, such as inaugurations, could serve as an “important element” it was unnecessary as a permanent structure. 

“The message we send is the wrong message,” Blunt said. “Frankly, we’re probably preparing for the wrong thing. The idea that what happens next at Capitol will be what happened last is almost certain not to be the case.”

Fencing went up around the complex following the Jan. 6 riot in which supporters of former President TrumpDonald TrumpLawmakers say fixing border crisis is Biden’s job Trump calls for Republicans to boycott companies amid voting law controversy Georgia county says removal of All-Star game will cost tourism 0M MORE stormed the Capitol in protest to Congress certifying the Electoral College votes that affirmed President BidenJoe BidenLawmakers say fixing border crisis is Biden’s job Trump calls for Republicans to boycott companies amid voting law controversy White House: GOP has ‘struggled to articulate a reason’ to oppose infrastructure plan MORE as the winner of the 2020 presidential election.

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Blunt said it was not unusual for the Capitol to be a target.

Johnson & Johnson to oversee plant that ruined millions of COVID-19 doses

Drugmaker Johnson & Johnson will assume direct oversight responsibilities for an Emergent BioSolutions facility in Baltimore, Md. that was blamed for ruining as many as 15 million COVID-19 vaccine doses last week.

Reuters reported that a Johnson & Johnson official confirmed the change, which they said was facilitated by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Hill has reached out to HHS for comment.

The company also reiterated to Reuters that it plans to fulfill its commitment to produce and ship 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of May.

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The decision by HHS represents a snub to fellow drugmaker AstraZeneca, which is also partnered with Emergent BioSolutions and was reportedly considering the facility to manufacture its own COVID-19 vaccine.

Emergent BioSolutions came under fire after Johnson & Johnson blamed it for ruining a batch of vaccines manufactured while the site’s authorization with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was still pending.

The New York Times reported that workers conflated two ingredients in the vaccines, potentially contaminating up to 15 million doses.

In a statement last Wednesday, Johnson & Johnson explained that the mix-up was caught after its “quality control process identified one batch of drug substance that did not meet quality standards at Emergent BioSolutions, a site not yet authorized to manufacture drug substance for our COVID-19 vaccine.”

“This batch was never advanced to the filling and finishing stages of our manufacturing process,” the company added.

 

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Hillicon Valley: Officials say cyber executive order with 'a dozen' actions forthcoming | Epic Games submits Apple complaint to UK watchdog | Facebook's chief revenue officer to leave company

Welcome to Hillicon Valley, The Hill’s newsletter detailing all you need to know about the tech and cyber news from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. If you don’t already, be sure to sign up for our newsletter by clicking HERE. 

Welcome! Follow our cyber reporter, Maggie Miller (@magmill95), and tech team, Chris Mills Rodrigo (@chrisismills) and Rebecca Klar (@rebeccaklar_), for more coverage.

Top federal officials teased an upcoming executive order to improve federal cybersecurity in the wake of two major international hacking incidents. Meanwhile, Epic Games filed a complaint about Apple’s “monopolistic” aspects with a British watchdog group, and a top Facebook official announced his departure. 

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ORDER INCOMING: Officials at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday said that the Biden administration is working on “close to a dozen” action items to be included in an upcoming executive order meant to strengthen federal cybersecurity in the wake of two major breaches. 

“We continue to work urgently to make the investments necessary, and the administration is working on close to a dozen actions for an upcoming executive order,” a senior DHS official told reporters during a phone call. 

The comments were made as the Biden administration continues to grapple with the fallout from both the SolarWinds hack, which U.S. intelligence officials have assessed was “likely” carried out by Russian operatives, and from the newly discovered vulnerabilities in Microsoft’s Exchange Server application that was initially exploited by a Chinese hacking group. 

Anne Neuberger, President BidenJoe BidenThe Hill’s Morning Report – GOP pounces on Biden’s infrastructure plan Biden administration unveils network of community leaders to urge COVID-19 vaccinations Pompeo ‘regrets’ not making more progress with North Korea MORE’s deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technology, announced in February that at least nine federal agencies and 100 private sector companies had been compromised as part of the SolarWinds hack, first discovered in December. 

Neuberger also announced last month that an “executive action” was in the works as part of responding to the SolarWinds hack. Her comments were made prior to the discovery of the Microsoft vulnerabilities, which have hit thousands of organizations worldwide. 

Read more about the impending order here. 

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AN EPIC COMPLAINT: Epic Games on Tuesday filed a complaint about Apple to a British competition watchdog for their “monopolistic practices.”

The video game maker accuses Apple of anticompetitive behavior and establishing strict rules on app distribution and payments, which is a violation under British laws. 

The watchdog is already probing the tech giant for its stranglehold on the app market.

By kneecapping the competition and exerting its monopoly power over app distribution and payments, Apple strips U.K. consumers of the right to choose how and where they get their apps, while locking developers into a single marketplace that lets Apple charge any commission rate they choose,” said Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney in a statement.  

Read more about the complaint

FAREWELL TO FACEBOOK’S CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER:  Facebook Chief Revenue Officer David Fischer announced on Tuesday that he is leaving the company at the end of the year. 

“I want to share the news that I’ve decided to leave Facebook toward the end of this year,” Fischer wrote on Facebook. “I expect to be at Facebook into the fall and will be focused on advancing our mission and ensuring a smooth transition.”

Fischer’s job at Facebook was to oversee advertising business and the social media network’s worldwide sales organization, CNBC reported.

Once Fischer leaves, Facebook is replacing the chief revenue officer position with a chief business officer position.

Read more here

YOUTUBE UNDER FIRE: Staff members at YouTube have recently taken issue with the company’s refusal to remove a song that some of them find to be racist toward the Asian American community.

Employees called for the removal of rapper YG’s 2014 song “Meet the Flockers,” due to its inclusion of lyrics that detail a burglary and call for targeting of Chinese neighborhoods, according to Bloomberg.

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Asian American and Pacific Islander communities have seen a recent surge in violence during the coronavirus pandemic, with a recent incident including a shooting rampage in the Atlanta area that left eight people dead, including six Asian women.

In light of the increased violence, some YouTube employees requested that the company’s Trust & Safety team, which is tasked with ensuring a safe community on the platform, remove the song. That request was later denied, Bloomberg reported.

Read more here

Lighter click: The best addition for your home office 

An op-ed to chew on:  Copyright bots powered by a 1998 law threaten the public’s right to know

NOTABLE LINKS FROM AROUND THE WEB: 

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Fired, interrogated, disciplined: Amazon warehouse organizers allege year of retaliation (NBC / Olivia Solon and April Glaser)  

America’s digital defender is underfunded, outmatched, and ‘exhausted’ (Politico / Eric Geller) 

U.S. Special Operations Command paid $500,000 to secretive location data firm (Vice Motherboard / Joseph Cox)

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Easter crowds flock to Jerusalem after pandemic pause

Easter crowds are pouring into Jerusalem this weekend to commemorate the Christian holiday, just a year after the coronavirus pandemic forced in-person services and events to be canceled.

The New York Times reported that more than 1,000 people gathered for the Good Friday procession along the Via Dolorosa, the route that Christians believe Jesus carried his cross toward the location of his crucifixion. 

The annual event brought together crowds of believers, with police blocking off side streets as members of a Catholic youth group formed a ring around people carrying a large replica crucifix, the Times noted. 

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Videos posted on social media showed the crowds wearing face masks as they packed into narrow streets, reciting chants and songs as they walked to deliver the cross to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and ultimately resurrected from death. 

Rev. Amjad Sabbara, a Roman Catholic priest who helped lead the procession, told the Times that the fact that worshippers were able to commemorate the event in-person this year as the pandemic continues to ravage the globe “is like a miracle.” 

“We’re not doing this online. We’re seeing the people in front of us,” he said. 

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Israel currently leads the world in coronavirus vaccine distribution efforts, with more than half of its population already fully-vaccinated, according to data compiled by the Times

Earlier this month, Pfizer, one of the manufactures of a leading COVID-19 vaccine, announced that based on Israeli data, its inoculation was highly effective against asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections. 

As a result of its rapid vaccine rollout, Israel has launched efforts to gradually reopen businesses and activities. 

On Tuesday, Israel reopened border crossings with Egypt for the first time since the pandemic began, with up to 300 Israeli citizens per day allowed to travel to and from the Sinai Peninsula for tourism, according to The Associated Press. 

In total, Israel has had more than 833,000 coronavirus infections, with at least 6,220 deaths due to the virus recorded, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

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Lieutenant calls Chauvin's actions 'totally unnecessary' in Day 5 testimony

A Minneapolis police lieutenant testifying Friday in the trial of Derek Chauvin said the former officer took action that was “totally unnecessary” when he knelt on George Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes.

“If your knee is on a person’s neck, that can kill them,” said Lt. Richard Zimmerman, a veteran member of the Minneapolis Police Department. “When a person is cuffed, the threat level goes down all the way. … They’re cuffed, how can they really hurt you?”

He called that level of force for that duration “totally unnecessary.”

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“Pulling him down to the ground face down and putting your knee on his neck for that amount of time, it’s just uncalled for,” said Zimmerman, who leads the homicide unit for Minneapolis police. “I saw no reason why the officers felt they were in danger, if that’s what they felt, and that’s what they would have to feel to be able to use that kind of force.”

The remarks came on the fifth day of Chauvin’s trial, which included testimony from another police force veteran, Sgt. Jon Edwards, the supervising sergeant for the city’s 3rd Precinct where Floyd was killed. Chauvin faces three criminal counts in Floyd’s death including murder.

Prosecutor Matthew Frank questioned Zimmerman about use-of-force standards at the department, a critical aspect of the case.

“Have you ever, in all the years you’ve been working for the Minneapolis Police Department, been trained to kneel on the neck of someone who is handcuffed behind their back in a prone position?” Frank asked.

“No, I haven’t,” said Zimmerman, who has been with the police department since 1985, making him the most senior officer on the force.

In subsequent questions by Frank, Zimmerman added that what Chauvin did rose to the level of deadly force but did not meet the level of threat Floyd was presenting to him or the other officers.

Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill adjourned proceedings before noon local time after hearing testimony from the two witnesses. The trial will resume next week.

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