Theresa Balick
Staff Writer
National
Thousands gather across the country to honor the victims of Tuesday’s racist attack
People across the country held vigils over the weekend to remember the eight victims of a racist attack against Asians that happened Tuesday, March 16, in Atlanta. The people made signs with slogans such as “Stop Asian Hate” to show their support for the Asian community, in addition to honoring the victims with candlelight vigils and flowers. President Joseph Biden also spoke out against anti-Asian racism Friday in an address in Atlanta. The attack was not the first anti-Asian hate crime, but it has drawn national attention to the rising problem of anti-Asian racism in the United States, which increased during the coronavirus pandemic.
CDC updates coronavirus guidelines, encourages schools to re-open
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention released updated social distancing guidelines Friday, saying that social distancing can be reduced from 6 feet to 3 feet as long as masks are worn. The revised guidelines are supported by science, said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky. This update allows for more public schools to open across the country, which is good news for the Biden administration. The guidelines still encourage 6 feet of social distancing but allow schools that could not accommodate previous guidelines to re-open as long as there is a strict mask policy.
Curfew implemented in Miami Beach, Florida, during spring break
Miami Beach police imposed a curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. that went into effect Saturday due to overwhelming and out-of-control spring break crowds. Thousands of people crammed the streets and the beaches of Miami as spring break began, violating coronavirus regulations and breaking into fights on the street. The crowds damaged businesses in the area with their brawls, causing stress on businesses who usually benefit from spring break tourism. Officials are unclear as to how long the curfew will be in place, but Interim City Manager Raul Aguila recommended in a statement to keep the curfew until at least April 12.
International
Iceland volcano erupts after centuries of sleep
A volcano in Iceland erupted Friday after being dormant for nearly 800 years. The eruption at Fagradalsfjall began around 8:45 p.m., following nearly 50,000 earthquakes over several weeks that prepared the people in the surrounding areas for the blast. No one was harmed in the eruption. The amount of ash that Fagradalsfjall spewed was not enough to halt air traffic. The biggest threat that the volcano posed was pollution, but officials from the Icelandic Meteorological Office said Saturday that the pollution will have hardly any effect on the health of nearby Icelanders. Fagradalsfjall is located about 19 miles from the capitol of Reykjavik.
Torrential rains cause floods in New South Wales, Australia
Heavy rainfall led to record flooding in areas of New South Wales, Australia, over the weekend, and some of the flash flooding was severe enough to be life threatening. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said Sunday in a briefing that the flooding was a once in a century event. People were ordered to evacuate from their homes in low-lying areas of Sydney, especially as the Warragamba Dam, Sydney’s main water source, began to overflow. Another 4 inches of rain was forecast to fall over the weekend, and flooding is not expected to subside until late next week.
No international fans will be allowed to attend the postponed 2020 Olympic games
Japanese authorities announced Saturday that no international fans will be permitted to attend the Olympic or Paralympic games in Tokyo this summer due to concerns over the coronavirus. The games, which were postponed last year during the height of the pandemic, are scheduled to be begin in late July, with the Paralympics scheduled to begin in late August. Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, said that the decision was very difficult to make and apologized to international fans and to the families of international athletes. Japan hopes to not postpone the games a second time despite the majority of the Japanese public being opposed to still having the Olympics this summer.