Puerto Rico mandates COVID-19 vaccinations for public school students
The governor of Puerto Rico announced that the country will require students age 12 and older to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The U.S. territory is battling a surge of COVID-19 cases and has made various efforts in attempt to contain the virus. According to NBC News, “Puerto Rico had reported a test positivity rate of below 5% late last year, but it shot up to 36% this month, a change officials blame on the omicron variant.” In addition to the vaccination mandate, the governor also put a 75% capacity on all public and private places that serve clients.
California city becomes first to enforce liability insurance for gun owners
San Jose, California has become the first city in the U.S. to require and enforce gun owners to purchase and carry liability insurance. According to NBC News, “In a statement, Mayor Sam Liccardo said the City Council had voted in favor of both measures, which are aimed at reducing the risk of gun harm and relieving taxpayers of the financial cost of gun violence.” The funding from the required fee will be put into different initiatives to reduce gun violence and the fee is expected to be close to $25 according to Bay City News.
Backlash after healthcare worker vaccination mandate
Although the Supreme Court prevented Biden’s vaccination mandate for larger businesses, the Court did allow vaccination mandates to be applied to some healthcare workers. According to the New York Times, “Local and regional hospitals, as well as multistate hospital chains, have wrestled with the resistance among some nurses and other staff to the [COVID-19] vaccines. Many of the larger hospital groups, including the Cleveland Clinic and HCA Healthcare, suspended their own vaccination mandates last month (December of 2021) while they awaited the Supreme Court’s decision. The Supreme Court received lots of backlash from politicians like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis who called the new policy “insane.”
Cuomo’s groping charge dropped
On Jan. 7, prosecutors from the Albany County District Attorney’s office dropped the groping charge against the former governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo. According to The Associated Press, “The charges against Cuomo were based on allegations by Brittany Commisso, one of the governor’s executive assistants before he resigned amid sexual misconduct allegations in August. Commisso says Cuomo slid his hand up her blouse and grabbed her breast when they were alone in an office at the governor’s mansion in Albany in late 2020. Her lawyer, Brian Premo, said in a statement that she ‘had no control over the filing or prosecution of criminal charges. She had no authority or voice in those decisions.’”
