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Portugal scraps some virus restrictions as pandemic abates 02/17/2022 01:03pm • LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portugal’s government announced Thursday it is winding down its coronavirus pandemic restrictions, following the path of other European countries where a surge in cases blamed on the omicron variant is ebbing. Among the requirements being scrapped are: isolation if a clos Estimated 73% of US now immune to omicron: Is that enough? 02/17/2022 12:24pm • The omicron wave that assaulted the United States this winter also bolstered its defenses, leaving enough protection against the coronavirus that future spikes will likely require much less — if any — dramatic disruption to society. Millions of individual Americans’ immune systems now recogniz Weekly US jobless claims up, but remain historically low 02/17/2022 09:34am • WASHINGTON (AP) — Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits rose last week but remain near historically low levels, reflecting relatively few layoffs across the economy. Jobless claims rose by 23,000 to 248,000 for the week ending Feb. 12, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Claims were revi Prince William School Board rescinds testing mandate for unvaccinated staff 02/17/2022 08:24am • This article was written by WTOP’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today. Hours after the General Assembly made masks for all Virginia public school students optional, the Prince William County School Board vote Japan eases border controls amid criticism as exclusionist 02/17/2022 08:09am • TOKYO (AP) — Japan announced Thursday it will ease its tough COVID-19 border controls by increasing the number of people allowed to enter each day and reducing quarantine requirements following criticism that its current policy is unscientific and xenophobic. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the US minus Decker comes up short in Olympic final vs. Canada 02/17/2022 06:27am • BEIJING (AP) — The United States may have lost the gold medal 10 minutes into the Olympics. Two weeks before facing Canada in the women's hockey final, the Americans watched first-line center and arguably their best player, Brianna Decker, get stretchered off the ice with a broken leg early in the G-20 finance leaders eye ways to support pandemic recovery 02/17/2022 06:13am • JAKARTA (AP) — Countries must avoid tensions and cooperate to support a recovery from the pandemic as it lingers in many parts of the world, Indonesian President Joko Widodo told a gathering of top financial leaders of the world's largest economies Thursday. “The winter is coming," Widodo said BEIJING SNAPSHOT: N. Korea not at Games but diplomat remains 02/17/2022 05:28am • BEIJING (AP) — As skaters and sledders vie for medals at the Beijing Olympics, another extraordinary event is quietly unfolding on nine acres in the city’s embassy district. Here, in rows of concrete beige buildings, hundreds of North Koreans are enduring perhaps the longest-running pandemic-enf Rapid COVID-19 home tests surge in India, experts flag risks 02/17/2022 05:23am • NEW DELHI (AP) — On New Year’s Eve, the Indian government wrote to states encouraging them to promote the use of COVID-19 home tests, especially for people who are experiencing symptoms, in a bid to avoid straining local health systems. During last year's delta-driven surge, an explosion in case Anne Arundel Co. school board votes to lift mask mandate 02/17/2022 04:48am • The school board in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, voted unanimously to lift its mask mandate Wednesday evening. Starting Friday, masks will become optional in Anne Arundel Public Schools, but students will still need to wear masks on buses due to a federal mandate. Students at the schools at For COVID a wildcard as Biden prepares for State of the Union 02/17/2022 12:25am • WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is hoping to use his upcoming State of the Union address to nudge the pandemic into the nation’s rear-view mirror. But it could turn into yet another disruptive display of national tensions and frustration over trying to move past COVID-19. Biden’s March 1 Judge orders Loudoun Co. schools to lift mask requirement immediately as other districts prepare for changes 02/16/2022 09:50pm • Public schools in Virginia's Loudoun County have a new mask-optional policy in place, Thursday morning, after a judge granted a temporary injunction in favor of three parents who sued the school board for enforcing a mask mandate. Several Northern Virginia school systems are taking a wait-and-see More virus rules fall as CDC hints at better times ahead 02/16/2022 07:10pm • The nation's leading health officials said Wednesday that the U.S. is moving closer to the point that COVID-19 is no longer a “constant crisis” as more cities, businesses and sports venues began lifting pandemic restrictions around the country. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director UK to offer COVID vaccine to all children 5-11 02/16/2022 02:26pm • LONDON (AP) — British authorities will offer a coronavirus vaccine to almost six million children from age 5 to 11, officials said Wednesday. The government said young children will be offered a low-dose COVID-19 shot on a “non-urgent” basis beginning in April in England. Scotland, Wales an January retail sales surge 3.8% as consumers defy inflation 02/16/2022 11:48am • NEW YORK (AP) — Fueled by pay gains, solid hiring and enhanced savings, Americans sharply ramped up their spending at retail stores last month in a sign that many consumers remain unfazed by rising inflation. Retail sales jumped 3.8% from December to January, the Commerce Department said Wednesda