August 17, 2021

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern put the nation on a three-day lockdown Tuesday after a single case of community-spread COVID-19 was confirmed in Auckland, the country’s largest city. The new case — New Zealand’s first in six months — was diagnosed in a 58-year-old man who had visited the nearby Coromandel area, though it is not known how he contracted the virus that causes COVID-19. At a news briefing, Ardern said it will not be known for certain if the case was caused by the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus until genetic testing is completed. She said

While wildfires continue to scorch the land on the western side of the United States, smoke has spread far beyond the edges of the blazes. Areas as far east as New York and Washington, D.C., have witnessed hazy, smothered skies, demonstrating that the health risks associated with air polluted by low-lying wildfire smoke are becoming an increasingly widespread concern. The Dixie Fire in Northern California is the largest among more than 100 massive blazes burning in more than a dozen states in the West, a region beset by drought and dry weather that have transformed forests and brushland into explosive

New York City’s vaccine mandate took effect Tuesday, requiring anyone 12 or older who enters restaurants, fitness centers, entertainment venues and other businesses to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19. The city’s website explains that people may use the U.S. Centers for Diseases Control vaccine card, the New York State Excelsior Pass or the NYC COVID Safe smartphone app as proof. A picture of the CDC-issued vaccine card is acceptable, too. City officials say that while the rule took effect Tuesday, it will not be enforced until September 13. After that time, businesses not in compliance will be subject to fines. In