The US won't impose widespread lockdowns again, despite spread of delta variant
Nick Ellis joined The Points Guy in 2016 as an intern and is now Reviews Editor, primarily responsible for arranging, writing (some of), editing and publishing reviews of hotels and airport lounges along with helping manage, write and edit travel content.
Aug. 02, 2021
•
2 min read
The US won't impose widespread lockdowns again, despite spread of delta variant
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America's top doctor on infectious diseases has said the country will not need to undergo another round of widespread lockdowns, despite the rise of the delta variant of COVID-19.
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Speaking with ABC's "This Week" on Aug. 1, Dr. Anthony Fauci warned that the state of the pandemic will continue to deteriorate before it gets better, but believes the U.S. has vaccinated enough people to avoid a similar situation to last winter, when the spread of the virus was out of control and virtually all of the country was contending with some sort of lockdown measures, as reported by Reuters.
Related: What to know about the delta variant
Fauci said, "I don't think we're gonna see lockdowns. I think we have enough of the percentage of people in the country -- not enough to crush the outbreak -- but I believe enough to not allow us to get into the situation we were in last winter. But things are going to get worse."
According to Reuters, cases of the delta variant have roughly doubled in the last 10 days, and it's primarily infected those who have yet to be vaccinated against COVID-19, though there has been a comparatively small number of "breakthrough cases" among vaccinated people.
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Related: Some people avoiding travel due to delta variant
The rapid spread of the variant may end up being a setback for our still-recovering economy, potentially leading to a slowdown in the job market that's begun to pick up in recent months. However, the increasing prevalence of the variant has also led to an uptick in the rate of vaccination throughout the U.S. after it lagged for weeks following the peak rates we saw in the spring.
Related: Warnings about travel to Las Vegas
And while the U.S. is likely to avoid widespread lockdowns, several other nations -- including Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines -- have reimposed some restrictions in "hot spot" areas.
COVID-19 vaccines are available free of charge to anyone 12 years old and up in the United States.
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Featured image by (Photo by Nicole Kwiatkowski / Shutterstock.com)
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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It's hard to find a card that competes with the mile-long list of benefits that come with the Amex Business Platinum. While it's certainly not the card for the average consumer, a business owner with tons of expenses -- especially related to travel -- will find this card incredibly valuable. This card is similar to the consumer version that Amex offers, but with more business-oriented perks around statement credits and earning rates that are a better fit for business owners.Pros
- An up to $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee every four to five years
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- Gold status at Marriott and Hilton hotels (enrollment required)
- Access to the Fine Hotels & Resorts program and Hotel Collection
- Extended warranty protection
- International Airline Program and Cruise Privileges Program
Cons
- Steep annual fee
- Difficulty meeting $15,000 welcome offer for smaller businesses
- Limited high-bonus categories outside of travel
- The Points Guy Exclusive Offer: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Platinum Card® within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
- Get 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com, and 1X points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases.
- Earn 1.5X points (that’s an extra half point per dollar) on eligible purchases at US construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year.
- Unlock over $1,000 in annual statement credits on a curation of business purchases, including select purchases made with Dell Technologies, Indeed, Adobe, and U.S. wireless service providers.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Get up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year for checked baggage fees, lounge day passes, and more at one selected airline.
- $189 CLEAR® Credit: Use your Card and get up to $189 back per year on your CLEAR® membership. CLEAR® is available at more than 50 U.S. airports and stadiums.
- The American Express Global Lounge Collection® can provide an escape at the airport. With more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more lounge location options than any other credit card on the market as of 9/2021.
- $695 Annual Fee.
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