Coronavirus updates: As variants spread, countries pursue new round of travel restrictions

Here are some significant developments:

  • The first U.S. case of the highly transmissible Brazil variant has been identified in Minnesota.
  • Biden said he hopes the United States can vaccinate 1.5 million people per day, a major jump from his earlier goal of 1 million daily doses.
  • The president plans to reopen federal marketplaces selling Affordable Care Act health plans, fulfilling a campaign promise after the pandemic cost millions of Americans their coverage.
  • Protesters in the Netherlands clashed with police over coronavirus restrictions, including a 9 p.m. curfew, for the third consecutive day.
  • Mexico’s pandemic policy: No police. No curfews. No fines. No regrets — even as a severe epidemic rages and President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has tested positive.
  • With the Tokyo Games months away, USA Swimming is shrinking the Olympic trials because of continued virus risks.
  • Vice President Harris plans to receive her second dose of the vaccine on Tuesday. Biden received his second shot on Jan. 11 as part of a deliberate effort to stagger his timetable with his vice president.
Source: WP