States Lift COVID-19 Restrictions Amid Vaccinations and New Variants

States across the nation are beginning to lift the restrictions on restaurants and businesses as people get vaccinated and COVID-19 hospitalization numbers improve, although some remain cautious as a new variant of the virus pops up in the U.S. The states of North Dakota and Michigan, as well as cities Chicago and Washington, D.C., are among those that lifted bans on indoor dining this month, while California and New York's stay-at-home orders ended this week, though indoor dining still remains shut. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he will announce a plan by the end of the week for potentially easing indoor dining restrictions. The story received wide coverage from left- and center-rated outlets, which tended to focus on the details of the states' restrictions. Some right-rated outlets pointed out that many of the cities and states who ended lockdown after President Joe Biden's inauguration were Democrat-run cities.