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With Daniel Lippman
BUSINESS GROUPS CAUGHT FLAT-FOOTED BY CDC MASK GUIDANCE: The Biden administration’s announcement Thursday that fully vaccinated Americans can ditch their masks in most situations is undoubtedly a major milestone in the country’s fight against Covid-19. But trade groups representing the businesses, and a union representing the workers who will now be tasked with enforcing mask-wearing for unvaccinated people, are now scrambling to parse what the guidance means for their members.
Larry Lynch, who as senior vice president of science and industry for the National Restaurant Association handles its Covid operating guidance, said in an interview that the new recommendations may be the industry’s biggest challenge yet. “We don t know how to be the vaccine police,” he said. “CDC didn t do us didn t do the industry, any big favors,” he added, though “it certainly helped consumers.”
President Joe Biden plans to name New York Federal Reserve markets chief Daleep Singh to serve as deputy national security adviser, a move the White House says reflects a commitment to prioritizing U.S. workers in foreign policy.
In Puerto Rico, Covid-19 vaccinations are in full swing
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By Ana Umpierre
Regina Ramos and Santiago Del Valle, who live together in Caguas, are both over 65. They were eager to receive a Covid-19 vaccine.
“We used to travel a lot,” Ramos said. “Now, I just leave the house to go to church and the supermarket. [Del Valle] doesn’t go out.”
The couple is retired, but during the pandemic, they’ve been taking care of their grandson – and acting as informal tutors during the virtual academic year.
“We worked with him until late at night,” Ramos said. The sheer volume of assignments – and the challenges of navigating virtual technology – was daunting. “We were not prepared for this.”