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‘Reckless’: New CDC quarantine guidelines met with mixed reactions from health experts

Some experts wonder why a negative test isn’t part of the CDC’s new quarantine guidelines that shorten the recommended quarantine period for those infected with or who have been in close contact with COVID-19.
Here are the new CDC recommendations
COVID-19: THE LATEST

CDC recommends shorter COVID isolation, quarantine for all

Hospitals prepare for Omicron-fueled surge as Mass. approaches 1 million COVID cases since pandemic began

Massachusetts implemented new pandemic protocols Monday as the state prepared already understaffed hospitals for an expected Omicron-fueled surge in cases in the coming weeks.
These are the 55 Mass. hospitals getting support from the National Guard amid COVID surge

Former state senator Ben Downing, who now lives in East Boston, ended his gubernatorial bid this week.
Ben Downing, former state senator, ends bid for Massachusetts governor
Downing pointed to financial challenges as the reason for ending his run, adding that he made the decision “with a heavy heart.”

Who is running for Mass. governor in 2022?
Mass. coronavirus at a glance
Vaccinations
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Trend:
1+ dose received:
Fully vaccinated:
Cases and deaths
Total cases:
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Total deaths:
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Other resources:
Last updated: . NOTE: Mass DPH releases data Monday-Friday starting July 2021. Mass. population of 6,892,503 is used to calculate vaccination percentages. SOURCE: Mass. Dept. of Public Health
Kevin Lowther, also known as Big Lux, is a violinist, veteran, and BLM advocate.
A Beautiful Resistance | Jeneé Osterheldt

From bell hooks to Virgil Abloh to your local creatives, the arts contribute to radical change

Activism requires organizers, policy, and protest. But first, there is imagination.
Follow @abeautifulresistance on Instagram See more from A Beautiful Resistance
Opinion
Massachusetts State Police takes photographs of a heavily-damaged unmarked state police cruiser that was struck by another car on March 16, 2016. Thomas Clardy, a Massachusetts State Police trooper, died of injuries from the crash. The other driver was found to have THC in his blood at the time he lost control of his vehicle.
EDITORIAL

Toking and driving just isn’t cool

Five years into recreational marijuana sales, Massachusetts "driving under" laws overdue for an update.
Carlo Ratti

Mayor Wu’s moonshot: The Boston Climate Challenge
Even if said in a casual way, "Good to see you!" invites a deeper bond.
IDEAS | KALLE OSKARI MATTILA

Good to see you!
OPINION

Words of the Year
Emily Cooper (Lily Collins) gets stuck in the rain with her hot chef neighbor, Gabriel (Lucas Bravo), in the new season of "Emily in Paris."
Joan Vennochi

Sorry, but I don’t hate ‘Emily in Paris’
The compressor station pictured in December 2020.

Appeals Court rejects latest challenge to Weymouth compressor station

The court’s ruling came down Dec. 16, with Justice Sabita Singh writing in a 14-page opinion that the plaintiff, Fore River Residents Against the Compressor Station, an advocacy group long opposed to the project, lacks standing to challenge a key ruling on the project.
Coach Jeff Hafley's BC team finished 6-6, with a lost opportunity to get over .500 against East Carolina.
college football

Cancellation of Military Bowl a crushing blow for Boston College and bowl organizers

The Eagles had more than 40 players unavailable — because of COVID and injury — so there was no choice but to cancel Monday's game.
Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems facility in Woburn.

Raytheon was supposed to have a bad year. It didn’t

At the start of 2021, there was uncertainty around the Waltham-based defense juggernaut. But the company’s stock has risen 25 percent, despite revenue losses due to the US pullout from Afghanistan.
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More recent stories

Some Mass. towns facing snowplow driver shortage; officials warn of potential delays to road clearing

The shortage is prompting local officials to warn of possible delays in clearing roads in the event of a big storm.

Elorza tightens COVID vaccine requirement for Providence city employees, removing option to get tested

The move comes as public and private institutions alike tighten restrictions on COVID-19 vaccinations, with mansions in Newport, R.I., requiring visitors to provide proof of vaccination and boosters.

Two Boston researchers propose ‘circuit breakers’ to stem spread of COVID-19

Two Harvard-affiliated researchers are urging the CDC to consider the use of “circuit breakers,” which are temporary, local restrictions on “high-risk” activities like indoor dining, performances, or non-essential work outside of homes.

A customer looks over items at Brattle Square Florist in September of 2020. The owner of the store said Monday that it would close at the end of January, citing a labor shortage, high costs for flowers and other materials, and real estate challenges.
After a century, Brattle Square Florist to close its doors
Rising costs and availability of flowers and materials, as well as a widespread labor shortage and deteriorating real estate contributed to the decision to close the 104-year-old floral shop.

Man dead, two women injured in Roxbury shooting

A man was killed and two women are in the hospital after a shooting in a residential neighborhood near Franklin Park in Roxbury on Monday afternoon that appeared to be an incident of domestic violence, officials said.

Man stabbed in Hyde Park early Tuesday

Officers responded to 144 Arlington St. at approximately 1:31 a.m. Tuesday morning, according to police.

THE GREAT DIVIDE ⟶

See the latest from our education team focused on race, class, and opportunity in schools.

RHODE ISLAND ⟶

See the latest from Globe Rhode Island.

NEWTON ⟶

See the Globe’s expanded Newton coverage in partnership with Boston University.

The holidays

People under the holiday lights on Boston Common.

9 places around Boston where you can get into the holiday spirit (for free)

Every holiday season comes with a gamut of things to do and gifts to buy, and it can take a toll on the old wallet. That got us thinking about some activities in and around the city where you can revel in the holiday spirit for free.
6 New Year’s Eve performances from Boston-bred artists

Recommended reads

Dr. Elizabeth Nabel, then president of Brigham Health, brought a Boston delegation in April 2018 to celebrate the opening of the Boao Evergrande International Hospital in China, constructed in a new medical tourism hub.
Spotlight team report

How Brigham Health helped create a Chinese hospital for elites — and almost nobody came

In a deal worth millions with Chinese developer Evergrande, a Harvard teaching hospital risked its reputation on what would become a near-empty shell.

Ambulances outside of Massachusetts General Hospital.
Two Boston researchers propose ‘circuit breakers’ to stem spread of COVID-19
Two Harvard-affiliated researchers are urging the CDC to consider the use of “circuit breakers,” which are temporary, local restrictions on “high-risk” activities like indoor dining, performances, or non-essential work outside of homes.

Christanie Channell tended goats at the Channell Homestead in Hanson as they chowed down on used Christmas trees last year.
All done with your Christmas tree? These farm goats will happily eat it for you
Before you throw out your holiday centerpiece, consider dropping it off at a local farm instead.

GLOBE MAGAZINE
Dave Barry looks back at the newsmakers of 2021.
Dave Barry’s 2021 Year in Review: A variant of 2020, so to speak
Is there anything positive we can say about the year? Yes. We can say that it was marginally better than last year. Granted, this is not high praise.

video

Culture & Lifestyle

The Main Stage cast at Improv Asylum will be performing three New Year's Eve shows.

Six local New Year’s Eve comedy shows to help you get the last laugh on 2021
A scene from “My Dad Is a Sausage,” one of the films to be shown at Belmont World Film’s 19th annual Family Festival.

At this family film festival, see the world through kids’ eyes
Getting fresh air is one way to stay sane during quarantine.

Found yourself in quarantine? We asked public health experts for suggestions on how to spend the time
If there is one thing we love, it's a good whoopie pie.

Where to find the best whoopie pies around New England

Special Projects

An older lobsterman passed by Tanner Lazaro as he hauled up his traps in his boat, Used N Abused, on Aug. 24. During the summer Tanner hauled his own traps on whatever days his mentor Frankie Thompson or another lobsterman didn't need his help.

The lobster trap

The plentiful catch that brought wealth to fishing families is at risk, as climate change warms the Gulf of Maine. A way of life is on the line, but lobstermen can't, or won't, imagine another.

The 2021 Top Places to Work in Massachusetts

Is your employer among the 150 companies to make the list?
Jeneé Osterheldt

A Beautiful Resistance

Black joy, Black lives, as celebrated by culture columnist Jeneé Osterheldt.

‘On the Street’: The changing face of Greater Boston neighborhoods

The changing face of Greater Boston neighborhoods.

Opinion, ideas, and commentary

People line up for food donated from a nearby church at a camp for migrants on May 14, 2021, in Reynosa, Mexico. The encampment, like others along Mexico's northern border with the United States, are temporary home for migrants hoping to seek asylum in the United States.
MARCELA GARCÍA

The most neglected story of 2021? Immigration.
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, seen here giving a COVID-19 on Dec. 21, is behind legislation aimed at strengthening protections for survivors of abuse.
EDITORIAL

Victims make their case for better protections
MARCELA GARCÍA

In defense of materialism: Why shopping and holiday gift-giving is my love language
A utility crew places a toxic lead water pipe onto the road after extracting it from an apartment building and under the street in Newark, N.J., on Oct. 21. Newark city officials say crews have removed more than 22,000 lead pipes from private residential properties over the last few years and replaced them with new copper pipes.
Katherine Clark, Malden Community Organizing for Racial Equity, and Clean Water Action

Cleaning up America’s lead water pipes
A nurse from Brigham and Women's Hospital watches as demonstrators gather outside the Massachusetts State House in September to protest COVID-19 vaccination and mask mandates
Jeffrey L. Schnipper

Pandemic Christmas at the Brigham
"I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t know how I’d pull it off." The author runs along a dilapidated street in Maracaibo.
IDEAS | ANTONIO MATHEUS

The lunacy of the long distance runner

Metro

Coronavirus Live Updates

CDC recommends shorter COVID isolation, quarantine for all

The latest news and guidance on the state of the COVID-19 pandemic in New England and beyond.
RI HEALTH

Elorza tightens COVID vaccine requirement for Providence city employees, removing option to get tested

The move comes as public and private institutions alike tighten restrictions on COVID-19 vaccinations, with mansions in Newport, R.I., requiring visitors to provide proof of vaccination and boosters.

Mameve Medwed, novelist with an ‘irrepressible sense of humor,’ dies at 79

Ms. Medwed's seven comic novels include "Mail” and “How Elizabeth Barrett Browning Saved My Life." She had lived for many years in Cambridge, the home to many of her fictional characters.

Appeals Court rejects latest challenge to Weymouth compressor station

The court’s ruling came down Dec. 16, with Justice Sabita Singh writing in a 14-page opinion that the plaintiff, Fore River Residents Against the Compressor Station, an advocacy group long opposed to the project, lacks standing to challenge a key ruling on the project.

Sports

Coach Jeff Hafley's BC team finished 6-6, with a lost opportunity to get over .500 against East Carolina.
college football

Cancellation of Military Bowl a crushing blow for Boston College and bowl organizers

The Eagles had more than 40 players unavailable — because of COVID and injury — so there was no choice but to cancel Monday's game.
Jayson Tatum will miss Monday's game against the Timberwolves.
live updates

COVID-19 sports updates: NFL returns record-high positive tests on Monday

We’ll be tracking the latest news, including postponements, positive tests, and other adjustments.
Fans watch the warmups of a men's IIHF junior hockey tournament game. That schedule has not been affected by COVID-19, but the women's tournament was canceled once again.
hockey

USA Hockey asks IIHF to reschedule women’s U18 tournament after second straight cancellation

The IIHF's announcement last week — two days before the start of the men's world junior tournament that was not affected by the cancellations — sparked outrage across the hockey community.

COVID-19 concerns lead to changes in Rose Bowl buildup
celtics

Celtics’ Jayson Tatum enters COVID-19 protocol, misses Monday’s game at Timberwolves
dolphins 20, saints 3

Jaylen Waddle helps streaky Dolphins beat Saints to win seventh in a row

Business

Raytheon was supposed to have a bad year. It didn’t

At the start of 2021, there was uncertainty around the Waltham-based defense juggernaut. But the company’s stock has risen 25 percent, despite revenue losses due to the US pullout from Afghanistan.

US companies say shortened isolation will ease staffing woes, but health concerns linger

New federal guidance shortening the recommended isolation periods for many infected Americans will provide relief to companies struggling with staffing shortages, businesses said Tuesday, but labor representatives warned that the move could push some employees back to work too soon.

Tech in 2021: The top stories of the year

Esports giant Riot settles discrimination case for $100M

STAT

Dr. Monica McLemore, Associate Professor in the Family Health Care Nursing Department at UCSF, stands for a portrait at the Frank H. Ogawa Plaza on Friday, September 10th, 2021 in Oakland, Calif.
‘Health equity tourists’: How white scholars are colonizing research on health disparities
A STAT investigation shows that researchers with little or no background or training in health equity research are rushing in to scoop up grants and publish papers.

Covid winter illustration
Winter is coming, again: What to expect from Covid-19 as the season looms
STAT spoke with infectious disease experts and others about what to expect from Covid-19 as the seasons change.

Funeral goers sing during a service for Daisy Pace at New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in January 2021.
DISTANCED: Pandemic stories of Black life in the rural South
Photographer Bethany Mollenkof spent six months documenting the impact of Covid-19 on residents of rural Black communities in the South.

Boston, MA -- 05/12/21 -- Dr. Matthew Carty examines patient Jerry Majethic at Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital on May 12, 2021, in Boston, Massachusetts. (Kayana Szymczak for STAT)
Groundbreaking arm amputation surgery makes a ‘phantom’ hand seem real
The procedure aims to restore proprioception, the ability to sense where our limbs are in space and how fast and forcefully they’re moving.

magazine
Dave Barry looks back at the newsmakers of 2021.
GLOBE MAGAZINE

Dave Barry’s 2021 Year in Review: A variant of 2020, so to speak
Jonathan Way plays with two coyotes he helped raise at the Stone Zoo in Stoneham in 2004.
GLOBE MAGAZINE

This scientist bottle-fed and bayed with coyotes. Was he sidelined for loving them too much?
MISS CONDUCT

Advice: Life isn’t getting back to normal. This is what can you do about it
PERSPECTIVE

We’re all feeling fine. We really are. Except we’re not.

metro

Former state senator Ben Downing, who now lives in East Boston, ended his gubernatorial bid this week.

Ben Downing, former state senator, ends bid for Massachusetts governor

Here’s who is running for Massachusetts governor in 2022

US companies say shortened isolation will ease staffing woes, but health concerns linger

sports

Everett’s John Monexant (left) hit some clutch free throws to help the Crimson Tide topple Belmont.

Gritty defensive performance helps Everett boys’ basketball over Belmont

Anthony Ghergurovich sparks Malden Catholic boys’ hockey past Franklin

ACC shortens isolation period for asymptomatic athletes, which could give bowl season a boost

business

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, attends a meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party in Pyongyang, North Korea on Monday, Dec. 27, 2021.

North Korea holds key meeting as Kim marks 10 years in power

Expect more shipping chaos as Omicron forces transport workers to quit

China imposes curbs on foreign IPOs from restricted sectors

politics

The combat ship USS Milwaukee arrives in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for a brief stop for fuel and provisions, Dec. 20, 2021.

Nearly 25 percent of Navy warship crew has COVID-19, officials say

As prices rise, President Biden turns to antitrust enforcers

Bidens mark Christmas with holiday calls to service members

Nation

Seen through a door peephole, a medical worker wearing a protective clothing disinfects the corridor of a hotel used for foreigners to stay during a period of health quarantine in Shanghai, China, on Aug. 12, 2021.

CDC recommends shorter COVID isolation, quarantine for all

Elorza tightens COVID vaccine requirement for Providence city employees, removing option to get tested

US companies say shortened isolation will ease staffing woes, but health concerns linger

World

Russia's Supreme Court judge Alla Nazarova orders the closure of Memorial International, the organization's central structure, over breaches of its designation as a "foreign agent" during a court hearing in Moscow on December 28, 2021.

Russian court orders shutdown of renowned rights group

Hard-hit by COVID, Israel’s ultra-Orthodox slow to get shots

North Korea holds key meeting as Kim marks 10 years in power

opinion

Child advocate’s alarm over R.I. system should stir Mass. to take hard look at DCF

Homework assignment for the media: Follow up on schools’ efforts to foster safe, constructive learning spaces

The writing of history meets art history meets . . . stained glass

lifestyle

Big Heart's wine director, Charlie Gaeta.

Tiffani Faison’s beverage director, Charlie Gaeta, quit an investment banking career to put his stock in wine

Author Mayukh Sen on his new book ‘Taste Makers: Seven Immigrant Women who Revolutionized Food in America’

At Tashan in Bedford, a food-court favorite goes upscale

food & dining

Big Heart's wine director, Charlie Gaeta.

Tiffani Faison’s beverage director, Charlie Gaeta, quit an investment banking career to put his stock in wine

Author Mayukh Sen on his new book ‘Taste Makers: Seven Immigrant Women who Revolutionized Food in America’

Randolph’s Destiny African Market & Variety Store offers rare goods from the African continent. But why do so few in Greater Boston exist?

travel

Guests enjoyed the oceanside view from the front porch of the Chatham Bars Inn.

Chatham Bars Inn ranked among the world’s best hotels by Condé Nast Traveler

New Year’s at the Mystic museum, curling at the Liberty Hotel, and a test lab in the palm of your hand

Jenna Rubaii seeks out parks and the unexpected when traveling

Arts

Visitors at "Imagine Van Gogh" at the SoWa Power Station.

‘Imagine Van Gogh’ doesn’t leave much to the imagination

Adria Arch, known for airborne sculptures, grounds herself with ‘The Visitors’

Italy obscura: Photographer Abelardo Morell opens the mind’s eye

Books

Novelist Mameve Medwed photographed in the third floor study of her Cambridge home. Medwed, whose seven witty novels included “Mail” and “How Elizabeth Barrett Browning Saved My Life,” died Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021.

Mameve Medwed, novelist with an ‘irrepressible sense of humor,’ dies at 79

Away in a manger in ‘The First Christmas’

She reads about politics — and everything else

Movies

A scene from “My Dad Is a Sausage,” one of the films to be shown at Belmont World Film’s 19th annual Family Festival.

At this family film festival, see the world through kids’ eyes

Movies set in the ’70s: Getting beyond disco and double knits

A Boston woman posted to TikTok offering to swap homes with a stranger like the movie ‘The Holiday.’ She leaves for England next week

Television

Issa Rae, left, and Yvonne Orji.

Fans thank Issa Rae, ‘Insecure’ for its portrayal of growth — and its representation of Black women

10 New Year’s Eve-themed sitcom episodes to ring in 2022

‘The Chair’ got academia right, romance wrong

music

The 2022 sign that will be lit on top of a building on New Year's Eve is displayed in Times Square, New York, last week. "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" with Ryan Seacrest broadcasts musical performances from Times Square to ring in the new year.

6 New Year’s Eve performances from Boston-bred artists

It didn’t take a lot for drummer Billy Conway to make a big impression

A Far Cry makes space for complex grief with ‘Flames to Ashes’

Theater/Dance

The Main Stage cast at Improv Asylum will be performing three New Year's Eve shows.

Six local New Year’s Eve comedy shows to help you get the last laugh on 2021

On New Year’s Eve, a cautious return to comedy

Enter, stage left: Omicron

globe local

Archbishop Desmond Tutu spoke to students and staff at Epiphany Middle School in Dorchester in 2002.

Desmond Tutu left his mark on New England

Big Brother mentors sought for growing waitlist of young boys

Coming to a city or town near you: Projects funded by the state’s $4 billion COVID-19 relief bill

Obituaries

Novelist Mameve Medwed photographed in the third floor study of her Cambridge home. Medwed, whose seven witty novels included “Mail” and “How Elizabeth Barrett Browning Saved My Life,” died Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021.

Mameve Medwed, novelist with an ‘irrepressible sense of humor,’ dies at 79

Jean-Marc Vallée, director of ‘Dallas Buyers Club,’ dies at 58

E.O. Wilson, evolutionary biologist who changed how we look at the world, dies at 92