Live: Daily Coronavirus News Updates, Dec 2: What You Need To Know Today About COVID-19 In The Seattle Area, Washington State And Around The World

President Joe Biden will extend the requirement for travelers to wear masks on planes, trains and buses, and at airports and transit stations until mid-March, a person familiar with the decision said Wednesday night.

The decision to renew the mandate, which expires on January 18, is part of a much broader winter COVID-19 strategy that Biden will announce on Thursday during a visit to the National Institutes of Health. The strategy will also include a new requirement for foreign travelers to be tested for COVID-19 the day before leaving for the United States, according to officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Reuters first announced the extension of the mask on Wednesday.

Biden will present his strategy as a new variant, known as the omicron, surrounds the globe. California health officials on Wednesday announced the first confirmed case of this variant in the United States in a San Francisco patient who arrived Nov.22 from South Africa.

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday that people who have not been vaccinated will be excluded from non-essential shops, cultural and entertainment venues, and parliament will consider a common vaccination mandate as part of efforts to curb coronavirus infections, which again surpassed 70,000 new confirmed cases in 24 hour period.

Speaking after meeting with federation and state leaders, Merkel took action on fears that hospitals in Germany could find themselves overwhelmed with COVID-19 infections that are more likely to be serious in those who have not been vaccinated.

“The situation in our country is serious,” Merkel told reporters in Berlin, calling the measure “an act of national solidarity.”

Merkel herself supported the most controversial proposal for a general mandate for vaccinations. If adopted, it could come into force as early as February.

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Does the mask make your glasses fog up in the winter cold? These tips will help you see clearly and know what not to do (uh). As the omicron variant spreads, it is worth taking a close look at whether you are wearing a good mask and how to test its effectiveness.

“This is not the time to panic” Washington state health leaders said this after the nation’s first case of omicron was discovered in California. But it’s time to double down on the tools we have, they say. Scientists and the CDC now say every adult should get a booster shot. This rapid reversal, with the number of new cases of COVID-19 in South Africa, where the omicron was first detected, nearly doubled in one day. Here’s how to find vaccines and boosters in our state.

Washingtonians officially have a new way of proving vaccination. The state launched its digital tool, WA Verify, following a paused deployment. Here’s how it works and where to register.

The political struggle for vaccines leads us to a federal government shutdown with a key deadline tomorrow. Need to catch up? Here’s a quick overview of what’s going on with mandates and legal issues.

Donald Trump, Super Representative? The former president gave positive results a few days before he shared the debate scene with then-presidential candidate Joe Biden, his former chief of staff said. Trump then had a number of close contacts with other people, including the Gold Star families, before the public became aware of his COVID-19 case.