England has ended all social restrictions. But the country is confronted with a large new wave of covid-19 infections. Thread 👇
Analysis by The Economist finds that in recent months the link between covid-19 cases and subsequent hospitalisation and death in England has weakened—but not entirely broken econ.st/3zfvpmY
Official cases in England per head of population are the sixth highest in the world and infections are doubling every six days econ.st/3zfvpmY
But restrictions such as mask-wearing and social distancing are no longer mandatory econ.st/3zfvpmY
Face-masks help reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes covid-19 econ.st/3x4Txrj
This is because masks cut the number of infectious particles entering the nose and mouth, which helps the clinically vulnerable econ.st/3x4Txrj
“The issue with face masks here is that the government is sending two very different messages.”
@natashaloder tells @kncukier why removing the legal requirement in England for face coverings may be a risky policy. Listen to “Babbage” econ.st/3xUTbo1
Polling by Ipsos MORI for The Economist suggests two-thirds of British people think masks, social distancing and travel restrictions should continue for another month econ.st/3kC5Rwt
The British government certainly thinks it is possible to relax restrictions without incurring lots more deaths and overwhelming the NHS econ.st/3Bnb8Om
Around 95% of Britons over 65 have been vaccinated, but faced with a wave of the more transmissible Delta variant, the country's vaccination strategy is being put to the test econ.st/3zkIE6a
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Plans to overhaul American energy will come before Congress in the next few months. What unfolds will set the course in America for the next decade—and quite possibly beyond. Thread 👇 econ.st/2ZSGk6N
Last week America rejoined the Paris agreement. But as one of the world's largest emitters of greenhouse gases, it must do much more econ.st/3bvuGnr
Joe Biden wants America's net greenhouse-gas emissions to reach zero by 2050 and the electricity sector to be emissions-free by 2035. Delaying action to 2030 would nearly double the cost of reaching these targets econ.st/3bvuGnr
Today is Donald Trump's last full day in office. He has made The Economist's cover many times in the past five years. Our editors have picked some of the most notable. Take a look back at his presidency in this thread 👇 econ.st/38VQuZy
When Mr Trump announced his candidacy for the presidency in June 2015, many found it hard to take him seriously. But the possibility that he might win was not a joke. From September 5th 2015 econ.st/2XX20xk
When Mr Trump won the presidency, an era of uncertainty beckoned. From November 12th 2016 econ.st/2M2oWIU
Today Wikipedia celebrates its 20th birthday. But how much do you really know about the crowdsourced encyclopedia? Test your knowledge (and no peeking ahead at the answers!) 👇
Wikipedia is the most-read reference work ever. How many page views does the site attract per month?
Read how the site, once treated as a bit of a joke, came to be taken seriously econ.st/2LKm3MT
📮 As well as laughs—intentional and otherwise—Christmas newsletters provide a rich social history. A festive thread (1/10) economist.com/christmas-spec…
The oldest archived example of a Christmas newsletter was penned by Marie Harris in 1948, detailing her family’s move to a rambling old farmhouse in Oregon (2/10)
After the second world war, Christmas newsletters emerged as a medium on both sides of the Atlantic (3/10)
What will 2021 hold for American politics? There are a few things to watch out for. Thread 👇 #TheWorldIn2021 (1/11) econ.st/33vdX0H
The Biden administration will take rapid steps to rebuild America’s Trump-bruised institutions, its economy and its foreign policy (2/11) econ.st/3nT7e8p
But the 2020 presidential election will not reset America's relations with China. The Biden team wants to see a fitter, smarter America pick fights with China more carefully—then train hard to win each one (3/11) econ.st/33eOFDB
Covid-19 has changed what people value around the world. How has that affected prices in big cities? Thread (1/9)👇 econ.st/3kWDLZs
The index compares prices across nearly 140 items in 133 cities (2/9)
Paris, Hong Kong and Zurich are tied for first place. Living costs there are 3% higher than in New York, the index’s benchmark city (3/9) economist.com/graphic-detail…