LOCK DOWN IN ENGLAND
Here we go again! Days before Christmas P.M. Boris Johnson todl the nation it would be inhuman to cancel Christmas because of Covid-19. 72 hours later as stores stocked up and people travelled to loved ones, he cancelled Christmas. Ordered all stores shut, gyms and hair salons and restaurants closed. A new covid variant rocking England with a 70% increase in it’s ability to spread.
This weekend P.M. Johnson did another U turn. He said on the weekend no way would schools close. Monday many of them reopened. Monday night at 8pm Johnson addressed the nation and schools were a vector for spreading the disease and he ordered a national lock down. All schools closed until Feb. or March. My two sons are now doing online learning. Not sure what will happen to their exams this spring.
Devastating news. If you don’t live in the U.K. understand this new variant which has increased those in hospital by some 40% in the last 2 weeks, is likely already spreading where you are. And covid19 is mutating.
In South Africa it’s possible a mutation there has already outpaced the vaccines. It’s being examined now because the spike protein is changing and that’s what the vaccines use to defeat Covid-19.
In The U.K. this variant here has gone through some 23 mutations at last count. And the spike protein is changing. We are in a race against time to vaccinate and slow down the spread. because the more this variant spreads and finds more hosts the more it mutates and can out run the vaccines.
Back Story podcast on how the vaccines do not protect you from getting the infection but lower the level or illness, critically lower it. And the mutations.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/back-story-with-dana-lewis/id1512445640
PROUD BOYS ARREST
Enrique Tarrio was on his way to the planned protest called By Team Trump, against the election results. He had just arrived in Washington when police arrested him for burning a Black Lives Matter banner in a Church on Dec. 12.
Tarrio had told a newspaper he was among those who had burned the banner. He was also charged with possessing firearms magazines.
GEORGIA RUNOFF
The elections for two Georgia Senate Seats is Tuesday. It will decide control of the Senate. Democrats need to win both races to win back control of the Senate. They need to win both Senate seats and even then it would be a tie with Republicans in The Senate only to be broken by V.P. Kamala Harris who can cast tie breaking votes.
The race is going to be close. The back drop is Trump rambling on about bogus election fraud and the tense protests in Washington which could get violent.
Wednesday congress is set confirm Biden’s win. But with some republican Senators supporting Trump’s struggle to hold onto power, democracy be damned, the confirmation could run into Thursday.
IRAN
President Trump ordered defense officials to keep the USS Nimitz in the Middle East after the Pentagon had said it would pull the aircraft carrier out of the region.
Acting defense secretary, Christopher C. Miller, announced its redeployment in a 'de-escalatory' signal to Tehran in the run-up to Sunday's one-year anniversary of the killing of General Qassem Soleimani.
But the president is then said to have overturned Miller's order, a senior defense official told CNN.
Worrying.
Have a good Tuesday everyone!