Here’s what you need to know: The Lucerne was among about 60 hotels in New York City that took in homeless people during the pandemic. Residents received supplies from volunteers outside the hotel in November 2020. Credit...Amr Alfiky/The New York Times New York City plans to move about 8,000 homeless people out of hotel rooms and back to barrackslike dorm shelters by the end of July so that the hotels can reopen to the general public, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Wednesday. When the pandemic lockdown began last spring, New York City moved the people out of the shelters, where in some cases as many as 60 adults stayed in a single room, to safeguard them from the coronavirus. Now, with social distancing restrictions lifted and economic recovery on the line, the city is raring to fill those hotel rooms with tourists. “It is time to move homeless folks who were in hotels for a temporary period of time back to shelters where they can get the support they need,” Mr. de Blasio said at a ...
Japan is set to announce the easing of a coronavirus state of emergency in Tokyo and six other areas this weekend, with new daily cases falling just as the country begins making final preparations for the Olympics in just over a month By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press June 17, 2021, 5:47 AM TOKYO -- Japan on Thursday was expected to announce the easing of a coronavirus state of emergency in Tokyo and six other areas, with new daily cases falling just as the country begins making final preparations for the Olympics starting in just over a month. Japan has been struggling since late March to slow a wave of infections propelled by more contagious variants, with new daily cases soaring above 7,000 at one point and seriously ill patients straining hospitals in Tokyo, Osaka and other metropolitan areas. Daily cases have since subsided significantly and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was expected to allow the downgrading of the state of emergency when it expires on Sunday to less stringent me...