February 22nd, 2022 Daily Headlines

Cornell is no longer requiring “surveillance testing” for fully vaccinated and boostered people. According to WHCU Radio, cases at Cornell have remained low. The university is also encouraging students to practice caution during the upcoming february break, and is encouraging testing before returning to campus. Students who aren’t vaccinated and boostered will still be required to undergo surveillance testing. According to Cornell, 97 percent of students have been vaccinated and 89 percent have received a booster.

——-

Last week, a second circuit court affirmed a lower court decision dismissing a disability bias lawsuit against Cornell University. According to the Cornell Daily Sun, the suit was brought by a former administrative assistant who alleged Cornell subjected them to disparate treatment, a hostile work environment, failed to accommodate their disability, and retaliated against them after complaining about disability discrimination. The court ruled that the plaintiff’s case lacked “sufficient merit” and that Cornell had legitimate reasons to terminate the employee.

——-

On Saturday New York State officials confirmed a case of bird flu on Long Island. According to Syracuse.com, samples were tested at Cornell and later confirmed by the USDA. In addition, the virus was recently detected in commercial bird farms in Indiana and Kentucky as well as in a flock in Northern Virginia. No human cases have been detected, and the CDC says Bird Flu does not represent an immediate public health concern.

——-
On Sunday, Governor Kathy Hochul said New York State is assessing it’s cybersecurity. According to Spectrum News, increased tensions with Russia around Ukraine could result in retaliation by Russia or Russian backed assets including cyberattacks. The Governor said that New York is the headquarters of numerous important industries in the United States and could be affected by such attacks. The Governor has proposed doubling the state’s funding for Cybersecurity in the state’s next budget.