Where's the 'emergency?': The end of COVID 'emergencies' should be death knell of Biden's loan forgiveness plan So much for 'misinformation': COVID may have leaked out of a Chinese lab, after all In response, more than half the states since 2020 have passed restrictions on what governors and public health officials can do on their own, without legislative input. These mandates had devastating effects on states’ economies – and their schoolchildren. In the three years since lockdowns began, we’ve also gotten a lesson in how hard it is for governors, health officials and the president to relinquish this control over our lives.Įven after initial lockdown orders were lifted in the United States (some much sooner than others, depending on where you live), a lot of other rules remained, telling us when and where to wear masks or how many people could be in a restaurant at one time. It was also the first time many of us saw the extraordinary powers the government has to limit our liberties in the name of public health. It was jarring to go from that lively experience to our new COVID-19 reality, with businesses and schools shuttered and other gatherings barred. Government too slow to give up COVID powersĭays before states around the country started locking down in March 2020, I was in New Orleans celebrating my husband’s birthday. Opinions in your inbox: Get exclusive access to our columnists and the best of our columnsĪs the Biden administration winds down the treatment of COVID-19 as an emergency by May 11 and as Americans, more than 70% vaccinated, have mostly gone on as if the pandemic has ended, the USA TODAY Opinion team looks back on the lockdown and how our lives have changed. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports nearly 104 million cases and more than 1.1 million deaths. Three years later, with uneven distribution of tests, vaccines and treatments, the world has recorded about 677 million cases of COVID-19 and nearly 7 million deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. On March 15, states began implementing shutdowns. That same day, President Donald Trump issued a travel suspension from Europe for 30 days. COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic.' On March 11, the World Health Organization announced: 'In the past two weeks, the number of cases of COVID-19 outside China has increased 13-fold, and the number of affected countries has tripled. There are now more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries, and 4,291 people have lost their lives. Anthony Fauci, America’s point man on infectious diseases, spoke with (us) about the latest coronavirus developments.' As a published synopsis of the interview said: 'With China taking extreme measures to prevent further spread of COVID-19 and previously quarantined American cruise ship passengers returning to the United States, Dr. 17, 2020, the USA TODAY Editorial Board met with the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Watch Video: Coronavirus risk 'low for the American public': Infectious disease chief

The world after covid