The E.U. is planning to allow fully vaccinated Americans to visit and travel within its borders this summer, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the New York Times Sunday.
Why it matters: Von der Leyen didn't specify when the rules will officially be relaxed, but the prospect of opening up tourism to Americans displays a buoyed confidence in the both the American and E.U. vaccination campaigns.
Joe Biden promised as president-elect to get 100 million coronavirus vaccine shots in American arms during his first 100 days in office; since taking office, he's more than doubled that goal — and more than a quarter of Americans are now fully vaccinated.
By the numbers: Not quite 1% were vaccinated when Biden took office, although the Trump administration managed to reach an important milestone of 1 million doses administered in a day.
Senate Budget Committee Chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and 16 Democratic senators sent President Biden a letter on Sunday calling for his American Families Plan to significantly expand Medicare.
Why it matters: The plan, expected to be announced ahead of Biden's address to Congress on Wednesday, is one of several massive proposals brought by the administration to ease mass economic pain caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Why it matters: Vaccine effectiveness of partial immunization from Pfizer or Moderna — more than 14 days after the first dose, but before the second dose — was 80% in a recent CDC study of health care workers.
Bars, department stores and theaters across Japan closed for 17 days Sunday, after Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a state of emergency for Tokyo and three other prefectures in an attempt to curb surging COVID-19 cases.
Why it matters: In less than three months, Tokyo is due to host the summer Olympics — which have already been delayed by a year due to the pandemic. This is the third state of emergency declared in Japan since the pandemic began.
Maryland officials announced they'll review cases of deaths in police custody overseen by retired state chief medical examiner David Fowler, who testified in Derek Chauvin's trial that George Floyd's cause of death was "undetermined."
Why it matters: As Chauvin was convicted last Tuesday on murder and manslaughter charges in Floyd's death, D.C.'s former chief medical examiner Roger Mitchell wrote a letter signed by over 450 other doctors calling for a review into in-custody deaths during Fowler's tenure.
Iran on Saturday banned all flights to and from India and Pakistan to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the Islamic Republic News Agency reports.
Details: Mohammad Hassan Zibakhsh, a spokesperson for Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization told IRNA that the ban will be effective starting at midnight. Zibakhsh said there are now flight restrictions to and from 41 countries.
