Florenians On Alert as COVID Surges Around Kingdom; King and PM Both Exposed

As COVID cases skyrocket in the regions of the northeastern United States surrounding the Kingdom and in which all Florenian citizens spend the majority of their time, Florenians are again preparing for the possibility of disruptions to their daily lives and the need to practice more intense social distancing. The omicron variant has so far proved highly capable of infecting the fully vaccinated, and both the King and prime minister were separately exposed to potential COVID cases in the past week. Neither of them is exhibiting serious symptoms nor has either tested positive since the exposure.

While many Florenians – including the King and Queen and the Prince Zachary – have experienced confirmed or suspected COVID cases, the rapid uptick in cases has made many uneasy with Christmas festivities right around the corner. It is unknown at this time whether the royal family’s plans will be effected.

While all Florenian citizens are fully vaccinated, vaccines have been shown to be far less effective against omicron, now believed to be driving the surge around the Kingdom. Medical advisors to the government have promoted booster doses as a necessary preventative measure which should offer significant and sufficient protection against severe illness.

Important Government Data Lost Due To Hardware Failure

Sackett House – The government reported today that many important files have been rendered inaccessible due to the failure of the laptop computer on which they are stored. While it is not currently known whether the files – which include many drafts of government orders, acts of parliament, coats of arms, maps, and military documents as well as certain state records – are permanently lost, the government has decided to assume that they will not be recovered and will immediately commence work on their replacement.

In a press release issued this afternoon, The Prince Nathan detailed how an assessment by professionals determined that the cost of repairing the laptop exceeds what the government is willing to pay. The prince also stated that the government would immediately commence with redrafting the effected primary legislation and would also set out to procure the necessary software to begin redrafting the heraldic imagery and maps as quickly as possible. There will be no attempt to replicate the records of April’s resolution referendum.

The government had planned on introducing a wide swath of legislation in the first days of the new year effecting and constituting various elements of the Florenian state including the army and navy, a national library, the peerage, national emblems, and succession to the Crown. While the prince acknowledged the hardware failure proves a setback to these plans, the government is evidently still confident that it will be able to begin rolling out the legislative package by early 2022.

The Florenian government is no stranger to delays in its plans, and the Florenian political project has long been defined by such slow moving, ever elusive reforms. In fact, the soft New Years deadline had already been a rescheduling of the Resolution Plan’s April 2021 timeframe. While the government did formally constitute Parliament, the Council of State, the Crown Court, and Ministers of the Crown through Orders in Council issued that month, it fell short at completing the reforms. Whether it will be successful this time is an open question, but the laptop’s failure may prove more significant than the government is ready to acknowledge.