U.S. is approaching phase where 'covid isn't a crisis,' White House ...

Then everything fell apart.Why?The Washington Post is providing this news free to all readers as a public service.Follow this story and more by signing up for national breaking news email alerts.The United States has made “tremendous progress” in its ability to protect against the coronavirus, and plans are underway for the next phase of the pandemic, White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients said Wednesday.Three-quarters of adults are fully vaccinated, he said. In January, Gov. Gregg Abbott (R) sued the Biden administration for requiring vaccinations for Texas National Guard members.Texas also sued the administration in October for requiring vaccination of federal contractors, alleging that the government was encroaching on individual rights.The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the air-travel lawsuit.RICHMOND — Gov. Glenn Youngkin has signed into law a measure requiring public schools to make masks optional by March 1, taking to the grand portico of the Capitol for a ceremony marking the first big legislative win of the Republican’s administration.The bill — modified by the governor to go into effect immediately — passed the Republican-controlled House on Wednesday on a largely party-line vote after clearing the state Senate the night before with the support of all 19 Republicans and three Democrats.Ending school mask mandates was a centerpiece of Youngkin’s campaign for office and helped propel Republicans to their 52-to-48 edge in the House.Fifty million free at-home coronavirus testing kits have been shipped to U.S. households, White House officials said Wednesday, and additional efforts are underway to shore up the nation’s testing supply.The kits out the door include 200 million tests, as each kit contains four of them, and represent about 85 percent of initial orders, White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients said during a news briefing. That’s because he led the FDA during the last year of the Obama administration and worked as its deputy commissioner for medical products and tobacco the year prior.Here’s what to know about the top coronavirus stories around the globe:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday that the agency would soon update its guidance on masking and other preventive measures.Speaking during a White House coronavirus task force briefing, she said decisions will be made not just based on the current case counts and tools available, but also on the burden on hospitals in a given location. “We all share the same goal: to get to a point where covid-19 is no longer disrupting our daily lives, a time when it won’t be a constant crisis.”Regardless of community metrics, Walensky said masking would continue to be important in certain situations — including when a person is feeling unwell, in the 10 days after a covid diagnosis and while quarantining after an exposure.Lawyers for detainees who identified unsafe conditions at the D.C. jail at the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic have settled a 2020 lawsuit, agreeing to drop the case if the District government complies with up to a six-month term of unannounced inspections, data-sharing and continued inmate access to swift medical care and cleaning materials, according to court filings.The proposed class-action settlement, reached Monday, would end a two-year fight over allegations of mismanagement and mistreatment of inmates at the aged detention facility in the nation’s capital. Meanwhile gasoline sales dropped 1.3 percent, while sales at bars and restaurants declined 0.9 percent.Matthew Sherwood, global economist with the Economist Intelligence Unit, said the data shows how U.S. consumers have borne the brunt of inflationary pressures and supply chain problems.“A significant factor in January’s strong performance is that retailers have been more readily able to pass on higher costs to their customers, particularly in terms of motor vehicles, home furnishings, home improvement and clothing,” Sherwood said.“It is no surprise then that U.S. consumers are in a grumpy mood,” he said.Belgium is the latest country to announce plans to offer employees the option to request a four-day workweek, as the government seeks to boost flexibility in the workplace amid the coronavirus crisis after what Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said had been two “difficult years.”The overhaul of the country’s labor laws will give workers more freedom — and the right to ignore their bosses and work emails after working hours, another growing trend in the coronavirus era.The new agreement, which was struck by the seven-party coalition federal government, aims “to be able to make people and businesses stronger,” de Croo said during a news conference Tuesday, adding that the country was seeking to become “more innovative, sustainable and digital.”De Croo said his administration aims to incentivize more people to work.