Vaccination rules and mandates

Vaccination continues to be in the news as fully vaccinated travelers from outside the United States will be allowed to enter the nation starting on Monday.

According to The New York Times, citizens of 33 previously banned countries will be again welcome at airports and other points of entry provided they can show proof of vaccination and a negative coronavirus test within three calendar days of travel.

Additionally, the Biden Administration is gearing up to “defend” vaccination requirements which go into effect on Jan. 4. According to United Press International, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said that the requirement that employees of companies with 100 or more employees get their “jabs” or take weekly coronavirus tests, as well as wear masks, was “good for people’s health.”

Legal challenges in 26 states are being pursued to block or alter the policy.

Biden’s popularity wobbly … for now

The approval rating of President Joe Biden continues to slide. FiveThirtyEight’s summary of recent polls shows 

that – on average – 51.1 percent of respondents disapproved of his handling the presidency and 42.6 percent approved. The rest were undecided or had no opinion.

Biden’s supporters point out that all the polls were conducted before Biden got some good news – passage of his $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill by Congress, and an encouraging surge in new hiring.

Sports: Rams lose, but Chargers win

The two Los Angeles NFL teams went in opposite directions on Sunday. The Chargers (5-3) defeated the Philadelphia Eagles (3-6) by the scores of 27-24 on a last-minute field goal. The Bolts are now tied with the Las Vegas Raiders for first in the AFC West. At SoFi Stadium, the Rams (now 7-2) lost 28-16 to the Tennessee Titans (7-2). Matthew Stafford threw two interceptions that led directly to Titan touchdowns.

• The latest AP Top 25 College Football poll released today (Sunday) shows Georgia (9-0) still on top. The other four leading teams are Cincinnati (9-0) in second, Alabama (8-1) in third, Oklahoma (9-0) in fourth and Oregon (8-1) in fifth place.

Weather: Things are warming up

After a weekend in the high 60s, the West Orange County area should see warmer temperatures for the coming week. The forecast for Monday is for a high of 71 with an overnight low of 53. The morning will be cloudy, with sunshine in the afternoon. After a dip to 70 on Tuesday, Wednesday’s high should hit 74 and then 88 on Thursday. In coastal areas of Huntington Beach, Monday and Tuesday will be a cooler 66, then heat up to 70 on Wednesday and 83 on Thursday.