Christmas tree-lights in Bethlehem a muted, digital occasion

Christmas tree-lights in Bethlehem a muted, digital occasion

The Connected Press

9h ago / 10: 43 AM UTC

Bethlehem lit up its Christmas tree Saturday evening but without the identical old crowds, as Covid-19 restrictions put a damper on the birth up of Christmas festivities in the holy city.
EMMANUEL DUNAND / AFP – Getty Photography

BETHLEHEM, West Bank — Simplest a pair of dozen of us attended the lights of the Christmas tree in the biblical city of Bethlehem on Saturday evening, as coronavirus restrictions scaled abet the annual occasion that is incessantly attended by thousands.

A minute physique of workers of residents and spiritual leaders participated in the tree-lights ceremony at Manger Sq. advance the Church of the Nativity, the place Christians imagine Jesus was once born. Others watched it merely about because of restrictions led to by the virus pandemic.

Bethlehem Mayor Anton Salman stated Christmas is being noticed this twelve months in ways appreciate no time before.

“We resorted to common expertise and to the digital world to celebrate the lights of the Christmas tree, wishing hope and optimism would flutter upon Palestine and the enviornment,” Salman stated.

Thousands of pilgrims and tourists in most cases focus on with Bethlehem, maintain inns and dine at ingesting places at some stage in the Christmas season, bringing the house a valuable-wanted injection of money.

Dennis Romero

9h ago / 10: 43 AM UTC

California sheriff says he couldn’t put in force unique protect-at-dwelling rules

The sheriff in Orange County, California, stated Saturday that his deputies would now now not put in force stricter protect-at-dwelling rules scheduled to switch into attain at some stage in Southern California Sunday evening.

Sheriff Don Barnes stated in an announcement that his pandemic policy has been “consistent.”

“Compliance with effectively being orders is a matter of private responsibility and now now not a matter of regulation enforcement,” he stated. “Orange County Sheriff’s deputies is perchance now now not dispatched to, or reply to, requires service to position in force compliance with face coverings, social gatherings, or protect-at-dwelling orders handiest.”

On Saturday. California effectively being officials launched that stricter protect-at-dwelling measures for areas including the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California may per chance per chance be imposed at 11: 59 p.m. Sunday. The measures encompass the closure of hair and nail salons, a ban on eatery dining, even exterior, and 20 p.c capability for most main retailers.

Barnes is now now not the handiest sheriff who has bristled at the unique rules. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco stated in a video deal with Friday that whereas his deputies would “ask” residents to coach the laws, “These closures and protect-at-dwelling orders are flat out ridiculous.”

San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore has assigned four teams, every restful of two deputies, to accompany effectively being inspectors as they bring discontinuance-and-desist orders to noncompliant companies.

Stefan Sykes

20h ago / 11: 48 PM UTC

As colleges execute spring ruin, college students peril mental effectively being results

The San Diego Mutter University campus in September.Elliot Spagat / AP file

San Diego Mutter University this week turned the newest in a string of 4-twelve months institutions at some stage in the country to execute spring ruin thanks to Covid-19 security concerns.

Colleges and universities are altering their 2021 calendars to be ready to curtail roam and protect some distance from the packed beaches and occasions of closing twelve months as coronavirus cases surge.

Some, appreciate SDSU, occupy scrapped spring ruin altogether, a switch hailed by public effectively being experts but criticized by college students who state it will most likely per chance per chance occupy a detrimental attain on their mental effectively being. SDSU has countered by giving college students single days off over the the same period. Nevertheless some college students stated it’s now now not sufficient.

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Reuters

20h ago / 11: 40 PM UTC

Britain’s Prince William tours country by put together amid pandemic

Britain’s Prince William wears a protective veil as he visits St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London in October.Matt Dunham / Reuters file

LONDON — Prince William and his wife, Kate, birth up a tour of Britain by put together on Sunday, assembly frontline employees, care dwelling physique of workers and lecturers to thank them for his or her efforts at some stage in the pandemic.

Britain has been the toughest hit country in Europe by Covid-19, with over 60,000 deaths.

William, Queen Elizabeth’s grandson and 2nd-in-line to the throne, and Kate will wander the Royal Educate, traveling 1,250 miles at some stage in England, Scotland and Wales.

“The Duke and Duchess are very valuable anticipating colorful a highlight on the wonderful work that has been executed at some stage in the country all the contrivance via this complex twelve months,” Kensington Palace stated in an announcement.

Dennis Romero

20h ago / 11: 25 PM UTC

Mutter to impose unique restrictions on Southern California

Southern California faced stricter protect-at-dwelling measures after its intensive care unit capability dropped to harmful levels ensuing from the national spike in coronavirus cases, convey effectively being officials stated Saturday.

The California Division of Public Health stated the place of living’s ICU capability had dropped to 12.5 p.c, the 2nd day it was once beneath a spot of living off for stricter measures launched Thursday by Gov. Gavin Newsom: 15 p.c. The San Joaquin Valley place of living also dipped beneath the threshold.

The regional protect-at-dwelling instruct will birth up at 11: 59 p.m. Sunday and can remain in attain for now now not now now not as much as three weeks, officials stated.

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Minyvonne Burke

21h ago / 10: 48 PM UTC

R&B singer Jeremih launched from sanatorium

R&B singer Jeremih is recovering at dwelling weeks after he was once hospitalized with a severe case of Covid-19, his household stated in an announcement on Saturday.

The 33-twelve months-broken-down artist, whose real name is Jeremy Felton, thanked the docs and nurses at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago “for saving my lifestyles.”

“I will most likely be without raze grateful. I would also derive to thank my household and pals for all their prayers and effectively wants. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude,” he stated, giving a “special thanks” to Likelihood The Rapper, 50 Cent and Diddy.

“I would also derive to thank all my followers and of us at some stage in the enviornment who prayed for me. I’m getting stronger daily, and inquire of ahead to spending time with my sons,” he stated.

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Minyvonne Burke

22h ago / 10: 10 PM UTC

7 nursing dwelling Covid-19 deaths reported after physique of workers attended 300-particular person marriage ceremony

Seven Washington convey nursing dwelling residents with Covid-19 died after physique of workers individuals attended a 300-particular person marriage ceremony that violated the governor’s coronavirus restrictions.

The deaths occupy been at three nursing dwelling amenities in Grant County, effectively being officials stated Thursday. They occupy been males of their 70s, 80s, and 90s who had underlying effectively being stipulations, in accordance with a press free up by the Grant County Health District.

Four extra deaths are pending loss of life certificate evaluations.

The effectively being department stated it is asking into whether or now now not the deaths are linked to a Nov. 7 marriage ceremony in Ritzville, about 59 miles southwest of Spokane, but an investigation stumbled on that some physique of workers individuals at the amenities had examined definite after attending the occasion.

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Lauren Dunn

23h ago / 8: 34 PM UTC

Covid take a look at provide shortages may per chance per chance motive a ‘public effectively being crisis’ of undiagnosed STIs, effectively being expert warns

Scientist Melissa Miller by no contrivance knows what to ask at her lab from week to week. Since closing spring, there’s been a continuing shortage of finding out affords. In most cases it’s the reagents wanted to creep assessments, and numerous times it’s as straightforward as the plastic guidelines old on the pipettes.

“The shortages nonetheless exist,” stated Miller, director of UNC Medical Heart’s clinical microbiology lab in Chapel Hill. “Lab administrators occupy been screaming about this for months.”

A November note by the American Society for Microbiology of 134 labs at some stage in the country stumbled on that more than half of of them occupy been experiencing shortages in the affords old to study for bacteria that motive overall ailments appreciate strep throat and pneumonia. Extra than 65 p.c of labs reported shortages for finding out for STIs.

This week, Miller realized the reagents wanted to study for chlamydia and gonorrhea occupy been on abet instruct for the next three weeks, she told NBC News. Now the lab, which serves hundreds of patients, can now now not make these assessments.

“It’s arduous for our services to protect note of what we’re ready to make on any given day,” Miller stated. “Suppliers old so as to ask for every roughly take a look at in our lab and now they’ll’t. It’s affecting their capability to observe tablets relatively in actuality.”

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Nicole Acevedo

1d ago / 5: 52 PM UTC

CDC doubles down on ‘proof-primarily primarily based public effectively being methods’ to curb worsening Covid spread

The US has entered a portion of high-stage coronavirus transmission amid much less warm climate, more time spent indoors and the ongoing holiday season, the CDC stated Friday.

With about half of of all unique infections being transmitted by asymptomatic of us, the CDC stated that a “multipronged solution to imposing all proof-primarily primarily based public effectively being methods at every the particular particular person and physique of workers levels is valuable.” Which contrivance, these actions assemble a distinction, and we’d like to make them all: 

  • Universal use of face masks.
  • Physical distancing and limiting contacts.
  • Avoiding nonessential indoor spaces and crowded birth air settings.
  • Elevated finding out, prognosis, and isolation.
  • Instantaneous case investigation and contact tracing to title, quarantine, and take a look at close contacts.
  • Safeguarding folks most in risk for severe illness or loss of life.
  • Preserving most main employees.
  • Suspending roam.
  • Elevated room air ventilation, enhanced hand hygiene, and cleaning and disinfection.
  • Frequent availability and use of efficient vaccines.

The CDC is urging every particular particular person, household, and physique of workers to derive these actions now to lop Covid-19 transmission rates from the newest stage. “These actions will present a bridge to a future with wide availability and high physique of workers protection of efficient vaccines, when real return to more day after day actions in a wide selection of settings will most likely be conceivable,” the agency stated.

Additional minute print on all ten suggestions may per chance per chance additionally be display in the CDC site.

Joe Murphy

1d ago / 2: 04 PM UTC

The U.S. counted more than 200,000 cases, 2,000-plus deaths on Friday

The U.S. counted 214,547 Covid-19 cases Friday, upping its newest complete to 14.4 million cases, in accordance with NBC News’ tally. Mutter and county effectively being departments reported 2,669 deaths, bringing the newest toll of the disease to 279,857.

The U.S. has averaged 182,296 cases and 2,125 deaths the previous week. The closing time the U.S. averaged more than 2,000 deaths per day in per week was once in April when the virus was once ravaging the Northeast.

Several states place of living single-day records:

  • Arkansas, 2,827 cases
  • Delaware, 942 cases
  • Iowa, 83 deaths
  • Maryland, 3,794 cases
  • Massachusetts, 272 deaths
  • Mississippi, 2480 cases
  • Oregon, 2,144 cases and 30 deaths
  • South Carolina, 2,950 cases
  • Tennessee, 95 cases

Willem Marx

1d ago / 1: 59 PM UTC

Covid-19 finding out capability strained by surge in ask

As Covid-19 cases surge at some stage in the US, the outbreak is threatening to overwhelm the finding out capability at amenities which occupy spent months and thousands and thousands of greenbacks to ramp up their capabilities, in accordance with laboratory administrators in six states.

Dr. Geoffrey Baird, who oversees all Covid-19 diagnostics as the performing chair of the University of Washington’s laboratory map, stated he spent an estimated $30 million earlier this twelve months to amass its labs, which now boast a complete physique of workers of 1,500 — a tenth of that hired to point of interest on Covid-19.

Nevertheless even that operation is now struggling to deal with the surge.

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