GOP and Democratic governors reinstate Covid emergency orders to combat omicron surge

As Covid-19 cases surge across the nation, Republican and Democratic governors alike are issuing new or reinstated emergency health orders in an effort to slow the spread of the omicron variant and alleviate the strain on hospitals.

Officials from Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, Kansas and California have all announced executive measures — some of which are renewals of emergency orders that are expiring or have been lifted — since the start of the month.

Instead of ordering lockdowns and business closures, which devastated the economy at the beginning of the...