Three things for November 8
1. U.S. to lift 19-month travel ban on more than 30 countries
Today, President Joe Biden will lift a 19-month travel ban placed on more than 30 countries as a COVID-19 preventative measure. The Trump administration enacted the ban before the Biden administration later expanded it. The restrictions have barred most visitors from the European Union, United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, China and India from flying into the U.S.
New requirements to enter the country were included in the announcement, such as non-citizens will have to show proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
“Accepted vaccines are those approved or authorized by the Food and Drug Administration and those listed for use by the World Health Organization: Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Covishield, Sinopharm and Sinovac,” reports CNBC.
Vaccinated travelers will need to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test from the past three days, while unvaccinated travelers must have a negative result from a test one day before departure.
The U.S. is making exceptions for these rules for people under 18 in certain countries, visitors with medical exemptions and visitors from over 50 countries with low vaccine availability.
2. Biden infrastructure bill passes Congress
The Biden administration celebrates a legislative victory as a delayed $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill finally passed Congress with bipartisan support.
“The bill’s passage — combined with some positive news on the economy and the pandemic — could give Biden some momentum for tackling the next big piece of his agenda, a sprawling package of social programs, an overhaul of the tax system and billions of dollars of climate incentives,” reports NPR.
The bill includes a budget for roads, bridges, rail lines, airports, electric vehicles, clean drinking water and much more.
The bill will be funded through several funds, including repurposing unspent COVID-19 relief money and strengthening cryptocurrency tax enforcement. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill will add approximately $256 billion in deficits over the next 10 years.
The bill largely focuses on modernizing the nation’s transportation systems and making them more environmentally conscious.
3. At least 8 dead from Astroworld Festival tragedy
During Travis Scott’s performance at an Astroworld festival in Houston, Texas on Friday night, eight people died, 25 people were hospitalized and over 300 people were injured. 13 people, including five minors, remained hospitalized on Saturday afternoon.
“There are a lot of unanswered questions. Over the next several days, several weeks, could be even longer, we’ll take an in-depth look at everything that took place, why it took place, what steps we can do moving forward to mitigate an incident of this kind from taking place,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
People in attendance described being increasingly squeezed in the minutes before Scott’s performance began, and then feeling crushed and seeing others pass out and scream in terror once his show started, reports CNN.
Many people said they feared for their lives as people around them in the crowd began to pass out, scream for help and die.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing.