#AloneTogether
* Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha was fined the equivalent of $190 for not wearing a mask at an emergency government meeting.
* The U.S. is now further restricting travel from India. The U.S. already requires negative tests and quarantines for all international travelers.
* “At the same time that the world works to get through this pandemic, we also know that we must prepare for the next. The status quo is not nearly good enough, and innovation is indeed the path forward.”–Vice President Kamala Harris in a virtual address to the United Nations.
* “One thing is clear: All 27 (EU) states will accept, unconditionally, all those (Americans) who are vaccinated with vaccines that are approved by the European Medicines Agency.”–European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
* 100 million: The number of Americans fully vaccinated. That’s about 40 percent of American adults.
* According to law enforcement data, police officer vaccination rates are lower than—or about the same as—those of the general public.
* The TSA is extending a federal mandate requiring people to wear masks at airports, on commercial flights and on commuter buses and trains through Sept. 13.
* Airbnb has instituted a global ban on parties and has set up a 24-hour hotline for neighbors to report on banned gatherings.
* The Border Patrol says it has insufficient time and space to conduct coronavirus testing at crowded processing stations. Officials in border cities fear further spread of the virus.
* Visitor spending in New York City fell by 73 percent last year, costing the city $1.2 billion in tax revenues.
* Births have fallen dramatically in many states during the pandemic. Births for all of 2020 were down 4.3 percent from 2019.
* “Joints for Jabs.” Several marijuana dispensaries are giving out cannabis treats or free rolled joints to encourage people to get vaccinated in New York City and Washington. Some breweries are offering “shots and a chaser” to motivate the unvaccinated.
* With more than 85 percent of the Rays players and staff receiving at least one dose of the vaccine, the Rays are in line to have MLB protocols relaxed later in May.