White House rejects return of lockdowns as Europe’s new shutdowns spark protests The White House said Monday it has no plans to shut down the economy again as COVID-19 chaos seizes Europe, with lockdowns meant to thwart a fourth wave triggering violent protests.
A German official declared his countrymen will be “vaccinated, cured or dead.”
Austrians were told to stay home for 10 days, starting Monday, except to go to work or school, or to get groceries or exercise, prompting thousands to protest in the streets of Vienna. Similar protests against a partial COVID-19 lockdown broke out in the Netherlands, resulting in fires and clashes with police, and tens of thousands of Belgians took to the streets as politicians warned of a virus crackdown.
White House COVID-19 Coordinator Jeff Zients said the U.S. has no interest in joining the fracas.
“No, we are not headed in that direction. We have the tools to accelerate the path out of this pandemic — widely available vaccinations, booster shots, kid shots, therapeutics, including monoclonal antibodies to help those who contract the virus,” he said at a COVID-19 task force briefing. “We can curb the spread of the virus without having to in any way shut down our economy.”
Viral spikes in Europe tend to augur what’s in store for Americans. Outbreaks in Italy and Spain at the start of the pandemic preceded a crush of cases in New York City and a variant known as “Alpha” battered the U.K. before walloping the U.S. and the rest of the world.
Mr. Biden faces pushback over workplace vaccine mandates but he’s avoided talk of 2020-style restrictions, preferring instead to promote vaccines and pre-purchases of millions of courses of COVID-19 treatment pills.............
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/nov/22/white-house-rejects-return-covid-19-shutdowns-euro/
