Covid-19: Miami Beach imposes emergency curfew over spring break ‘chaos’ – BBC News (stupid is epidemic too)

A large crowd of people participate in a party during spring break in Miami Beach Large crowds on the US city’s party strips prompted an emergency overnight curfew.

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said thousands of tourists had brought “chaos and disorder” to the city.

“It feels like a rock concert, wall-to-wall people over blocks and blocks,” Mr Gelber told CNN. “If you’re coming here to go crazy, go somewhere else.”

Spring break is a holiday period for schools and universities in the US that usually takes place in March or April. It attracts thousands of students to Florida and other warm-weather destinations around the country.

Officials warned tourists to “vacation responsibly or be arrested” prior to the holiday period, and a county-wide midnight coronavirus curfew was already in place due to the pandemic.

But the Miami Beach area was thronged with revellers over the weekend, and many did not appear to be wearing masks or socially distancing.

Source: Covid-19: Miami Beach imposes emergency curfew over spring break ‘chaos’ – BBC News

Biden rebukes Turkey after it quits accord protecting women | Turkey | The Guardian

Joe Biden has joined European leaders in condemning Turkey’s withdrawal from a landmark international accord designed to protect women from violence.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan issued a decree early on Saturday annulling Turkey’s ratification of the Istanbul convention, a landmark European treaty protecting women from violence that it was the first country to sign 10 years ago and that bears the name of its largest city.

Source: Biden rebukes Turkey after it quits accord protecting women | Turkey | The Guardian

Covid-19 Is Surging in India, but Vaccinations Are Slow – The New York Times (Government rah-rah breeds disbelief and poor response to real Covid and vaccinations)

“On social media we come to know this is all a big game to make money,” Mr. Patel said. Of the vaccine, he said, “many things have been hidden.”

The coronavirus, once seemingly in retreat, is again rippling across India. Confirmed infections have risen to about 31,600 daily from a low of about 9,800 in February. In a recent two-week period, deaths shot up 82 percent.

Covid-19 Is Surging in India, but Vaccinations Are Slow – The New York Times (Government rah-rah produces disbelief and poor Covid containment)

On social media we come to know this is all a big game to make money,” Mr. Patel said. Of the vaccine, he said, “many things have been hidden.”

The coronavirus, once seemingly in retreat, is again rippling across India. Confirmed infections have risen to about 31,600 daily from a low of about 9,800 in February. In a recent two-week period, deaths shot up 82 percent.

After Spa Attacks, Officers Handcuffed Victim’s Anguished Husband for Four Hours – The New York Times

He questioned why it took officials so long to tell him that his wife had died, and wondered why they had detained him in the first place.

“Maybe because I’m Mexican, I don’t know,” he said. “Because the truth is, they treated me badly.” He showed the camera the marks left on his arm from the handcuffs placed on him by officers.

Philippines asks Chinese flotilla to leave disputed reef | News | DW | 21.03.2021

On Sunday, the Philippine defense chief demanded that more than 200 Chinese vessels he said were manned by militias leave a South China Sea reef claimed by both Manila and Beijing.

“We call on the Chinese to stop this incursion and immediately recall these boats violating our maritime rights and encroaching into our sovereign territory,” Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in a statement.

He warned that the Philippines would uphold its sovereign rights.

Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin later tweeted that Manila had filed a diplomatic protest over the Chinese presence.

Source: Philippines asks Chinese flotilla to leave disputed reef | News | DW | 21.03.2021

How Long With Covid-19 Vaccines Be Effective?

We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident

Just wondering out loud …

Thursday, I received my first dose of the Moderna vaccine.  Non of the vaccines are 100 percent effective.  That is one reason why we still need to wear masks until everyone is vaccinated — but I don’t see that happening.

Because I’m prone to allergies, I had the vaccination in a Prompt Care facility and had to wait a half hour after the vaccination before I could leave.  While waiting, I wondered if America is doing the right thing by sending vaccinations to other countries now.

According to the CDC, no one knows how long the vaccinations will protect us.  Three months?  Six months?  Twelve months? More than a year?  No one knows.  We’ve not had and tested Covid-19 vaccinations long enough to know.  So, what happens if we find that vaccinations only protect us for 6 months, and we don’t have a supply…

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