Despite Texas high court ruling, some mask mandates remain
3 years, 4 months ago

Despite Texas high court ruling, some mask mandates remain

Associated Press  

HOUSTON — Some Texas cities, counties and school districts remained defiant Monday and kept in place mandates requiring students and others to wear facial coverings despite rulings a day earlier by the Texas Supreme Court halting mask mandates in two of the state’s largest counties. The Austin school district and Harris County, where Houston is located and which is the state’s most populous county with 4.7 million residents, also said their mask mandates for schools remained in place. Officials in San Antonio and Bexar County said the Texas Supreme Court’s ruling had little practical effect on their lawsuit as state District Judge Antonia Judge Arteaga held a hearing Monday to decide whether to grant a temporary injunction against Abbott’s order, which would put it on hold while the lawsuit goes to trial. A group of parents and their children demonstrated outside the Texas Governor’s Mansion in Austin on Monday to protest his executive order barring local school district control of mask mandates.

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History of this topic

Federal court dismisses case against Iowa governor’s ban on school mask mandates
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Federal court dismisses case against Iowa governor’s ban on school mask mandates

Associated Press  

DES MOINES, Iowa — A federal court on Tuesday dismissed a legal challenge to Iowa Gov. The ruling marks the conclusion of the yearslong court battle, originating in the fall of 2021 with a lawsuit alleging that Reynolds violated federal disability law by preventing schools from adopting mask mandates as an accommodation for students with disabilities. Rita Bettis Austen, ACLU …

Los Angeles County avoids new mask rule as COVID stabilizes
2 years, 4 months ago

Los Angeles County avoids new mask rule as COVID stabilizes

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County dropped a plan to impose a universal indoor mask mandate this week as COVID-19 infections and rates of hospitalizations have stabilized, a top health official said Thursday. Health director Barbara Ferrer said two weeks ago that the nation’s most populous county could again require face coverings if trends in hospital admissions continued under criteria …

A new L.A. mask mandate would have less value at this stage of the pandemic, some experts say
2 years, 4 months ago

A new L.A. mask mandate would have less value at this stage of the pandemic, some experts say

LA Times  

As successive waves of COVID-19 have swept across the Southland, Michael Matteo Rossi, a 35 year-old filmmaker who lives in Los Feliz, has gamely masked up whenever he shopped, ate out or visited with his parents, who are in their 70s. Barbara Ferrer, director of L.A. County Department of Health, announced plans to reinstate an indoor mask mandate if the …

Necessary or excessive? Debate intensifies over potential mask rule for L.A. County
2 years, 4 months ago

Necessary or excessive? Debate intensifies over potential mask rule for L.A. County

LA Times  

Visitors to the Grand Central Market are mostly masked on Tuesday, July 27, 2021 in Los Angeles. Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer has said L.A. County would reimpose an indoor mask mandate if it reached the high COVID-19 community level, as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and remained there for two consecutive weeks. cited growing …

Even as COVID cases rise, mask mandates stay shelved
2 years, 7 months ago

Even as COVID cases rise, mask mandates stay shelved

LA Times  

The CDC urges people to mask up in indoor public places where cases are rising, but few local jurisdictions are bringing back requirements. In New York City, cases are again rising and this week crossed the city’s threshold for “medium risk” due to the widening spread of the Omicron subvariant knowns as BA.2. “I don’t anticipate many places, if any, …

Even as COVID cases rise, mask mandates stay shelved
2 years, 7 months ago

Even as COVID cases rise, mask mandates stay shelved

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — An increase in COVID-19 infections around the U.S. has sent more cities into new high-risk categories that are supposed to trigger indoor mask wearing, but much of the country is stopping short of bringing back restrictions amid deep pandemic fatigue. In New York City, cases are again rising and this week crossed the city’s threshold for “medium …

Mask mandates return to US college campuses as cases rise
2 years, 8 months ago

Mask mandates return to US college campuses as cases rise

Associated Press  

The final weeks of the college school year have been disrupted yet again by COVID-19 as universities bring back mask mandates, switch to online classes and scale back large gatherings in response to upticks in coronavirus infections. But several Northeast cities have seen a rise in cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks, as the BA.2 subvariant of the omicron variant …

Philadelphia to end mask mandate, days after reinstating it
2 years, 8 months ago

Philadelphia to end mask mandate, days after reinstating it

Associated Press  

Philadelphia is ending its indoor mask mandate, city health officials said Thursday night, abruptly reversing course just days after people in the city had to start wearing masks again amid a sharp increase in infections. to say it appears that we no longer need to mandate masks in Philadelphia and that we can actually move to simply a strong recommendation.” …

Mask mandates return to U.S. college campuses as cases rise
2 years, 8 months ago

Mask mandates return to U.S. college campuses as cases rise

LA Times  

Signs indicating that protective face masks must be worn in classrooms are displayed outside lecture halls at Columbia University in New York. But several Northeast cities have seen a rise in cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks, as the BA.2 subvariant of the Omicron variant continues to rapidly spread throughout the U.S. “As much as we would like to move …

Philadelphia ends indoor mask mandate just days after reinstating it
2 years, 8 months ago

Philadelphia ends indoor mask mandate just days after reinstating it

LA Times  

A store in Philadelphia advises customers that masks are required as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus. Philadelphia is ending its indoor mask mandate, city health officials said Thursday night, abruptly reversing course just days after people in the city had to start wearing masks again amid a sharp increase in coronavirus infections. to say it appears that …

Justice Dept. to appeal order voiding travel mask mandate
2 years, 8 months ago

Justice Dept. to appeal order voiding travel mask mandate

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is filing an appeal seeking to overturn a judge’s order that voided the federal mask mandate on planes and trains and in travel hubs, officials said. The CDC said in a statement that it is its “continuing assessment that at this time an order requiring masking in the indoor transportation corridor remains necessary for the …

Justice Dept. to appeal order voiding travel mask mandate
2 years, 8 months ago

Justice Dept. to appeal order voiding travel mask mandate

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is filing an appeal seeking to overturn a judge’s order that voided the federal mask mandate on planes and trains and in travel hubs, officials said Wednesday. The CDC said in a statement Wednesday that it is its “continuing assessment that at this time an order requiring masking in the indoor transportation corridor remains necessary …

Uncomfortable flying without a mask mandate? Some airlines may refund your ticket
2 years, 8 months ago

Uncomfortable flying without a mask mandate? Some airlines may refund your ticket

LA Times  

Passengers make their way through Delta Air Lines Terminal 2 at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday. Airports and airlines dropped their mask requirements after a federal judge in Florida voided the Biden administration’s mask mandate for planes, trains and buses. An Alaska Airlines spokesperson said the Seattle carrier would “work with guests on a case-by-case basis if they’re not …

Canada to Keep Mask Mandate After Judge Strikes Down US Rule
2 years, 8 months ago

Canada to Keep Mask Mandate After Judge Strikes Down US Rule

News 18  

Canada’s government said on Tuesday it has no plans to stop requiring masks on planes after a Florida judge struck down a U.S. version of the law. ”We are taking a layered approach to keeping travelers safe, and masks remain an incredibly useful tool in our arsenal against COVID-19,” a spokesperson for Canada’s Transport Minister wrote in an email. The …

Justice Department to appeal order voiding travel mask mandate
2 years, 8 months ago

Justice Department to appeal order voiding travel mask mandate

LA Times  

Travelers enter a security line at Rhode Island T.F. The Justice Department is filing an appeal seeking to overturn a judge’s order that voided the federal mask mandate on planes and trains and in travel hubs, officials said Wednesday. The CDC said in a statement Wednesday that it is the agency’s “continuing assessment that at this time an order requiring …

Feds will appeal mask ruling only if mandate still needed
2 years, 8 months ago

Feds will appeal mask ruling only if mandate still needed

Associated Press  

The Justice Department said Tuesday it will not appeal a federal district judge’s ruling that ended the nation’s federal mask mandate on public transit unless the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believes the requirement is still necessary. In a statement released a day after a Florida judge ended the sweeping mandate, which required face coverings on planes and trains …

Pilots announce mask mandate has been dropped mid-flight in US, angering passengers
2 years, 8 months ago

Pilots announce mask mandate has been dropped mid-flight in US, angering passengers

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Plane passengers in the US are reporting that some pilots announced the country’s federal mask mandate …

Florida judge voids US mask mandate for planes, other travel
2 years, 8 months ago

Florida judge voids US mask mandate for planes, other travel

Associated Press  

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A federal judge in Florida struck down a national mask mandate on airplanes and mass transit Monday, and airlines and airports swiftly began repealing their requirements that passengers wear face coverings. “So thank you and happy unmasking day!” New York City’s public transit system planned to keep its mask requirement in place. The White House said …

Covid-19: No masks required on planes and trains, rules US federal judge
2 years, 8 months ago

Covid-19: No masks required on planes and trains, rules US federal judge

Hindustan Times  

The US Transportation Security Administration will stop requiring passengers on airplanes, trains and other public transportation to wear masks, after a federal judge struck down the mandate earlier Monday. “Today’s court decision means CDC’s public transportation masking order is not in effect at this time,” an administration official said in a statement. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki called the …

End to US mask mandate for travel brings cheers, concerns
2 years, 8 months ago

End to US mask mandate for travel brings cheers, concerns

Al Jazeera  

With COVID-19 cases rising again, lifting the mandate could make some passengers wary, prompt others to fly again. A United States judge’s decision to strike down a mask mandate on planes, trains and other forms of transportation in the US has been met with some cheers, while sparking concerns that removing masks could lead to more COVID-19 infections. In a …

Florida judge voids U.S. mask mandate for planes, other travel
2 years, 8 months ago

Florida judge voids U.S. mask mandate for planes, other travel

LA Times  

A federal judge in Florida on Monday voided the national mask mandate covering airlines and other public transportation as exceeding the authority of U.S. health officials in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The White House said the court ruling means that for now the mask order “is not in effect at this time.” The ruling appeared to free operators …

US judge overturns mandatory mask mandate on planes, trains
2 years, 8 months ago

US judge overturns mandatory mask mandate on planes, trains

Al Jazeera  

A federal judge in the US state of Florida has ruled a United States government order requiring people to wear masks on public transportation is unlawful, overturning a Biden administration effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Last week, US health officials had extended by 15 days the mandate requiring travellers to wear masks on airplanes, trains, and in taxis, …

L.A. Unified to lift indoor mask mandate next week in agreement with teachers union
2 years, 9 months ago

L.A. Unified to lift indoor mask mandate next week in agreement with teachers union

LA Times  

Alberto Carvalho talks with science students at Washington Preparatory High School in South L.A. Please consider your situation and do what is best for you or your child.” The district also agreed to: Maintain a supply of high-grade masks and provide them to employees upon request “Strongly encourage” indoor masking “at every school and worksite through ongoing communications” Maintain a …

First on CNN: Biden administration set to extend travel mask mandate for another month
2 years, 9 months ago

First on CNN: Biden administration set to extend travel mask mandate for another month

CNN  

CNN — The Transportation Security Administration is set to extend the federal public transportation mask mandate for another 30 days, an administration official told CNN, pointing to guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The official’s comments came after CNN reported that federal officials began notifying stakeholders in the airline industry of the upcoming announcement. “During that …

Chicago Public Schools drop mask requirement in classrooms
2 years, 9 months ago

Chicago Public Schools drop mask requirement in classrooms

Associated Press  

CHICAGO — Chicago Public Schools will stop requiring face masks for staff and students in the nation’s third-largest school district starting March 14, officials announced Monday. “CPS was one of the first to require universal masking in schools, and we would not be moving to a mask-optional model unless the data and our public health experts indicated that it is …

Masks optional in many New York schools after mandate ends
2 years, 9 months ago

Masks optional in many New York schools after mandate ends

Associated Press  

BUFFALO, N.Y. — School districts across New York state, including many of the largest, made mask wearing optional for students and staff beginning Wednesday as a statewide mandate came to an end. “I thought it was good because I could finally breathe better.” In New York City, which has the nation’s largest school district, an indoor mask mandate is expected …

Lamont: About 85% of Connecticut schools dropping mask rule
2 years, 9 months ago

Lamont: About 85% of Connecticut schools dropping mask rule

Associated Press  

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and the head of state’s association of school superintendents say about 85% to 90% of school districts across the state have elected to drop mandatory face mask wearing as of Monday, the day when local officials were allowed to decide whether to extend the state’s mask mandate. “I do have a mom …

L.A. County will align with state to end school mask mandate after March 11
2 years, 9 months ago

L.A. County will align with state to end school mask mandate after March 11

LA Times  

New L.A. schools Supt. Alberto Carvalho talks with masked students after teaching part of a biology class during a February visit to Fremont High School in South L.A. Los Angeles County health officials on Monday said they will align with the state’s move to end indoor school masking requirements after March 11, giving officials in the county’s 80 schools districts …

Mask mandates are being ditched by more states and schools. But a decision on public transportation is still up in the air
2 years, 9 months ago

Mask mandates are being ditched by more states and schools. But a decision on public transportation is still up in the air

CNN  

CNN — Even some of the most ardent supporters of Covid-19 precautions are ditching mask mandates as health officials release new guidelines and hospitalizations plummet. Dr. Mark Ghaly, state Health and Human Services Agency secretary, said he’s “pleased with how the data has come down.” Los Angeles County is aligning itself with California’s new masking guidance by no longer requiring …

Governor Kathy Hochul says New York indoor school mask mandate to be lifted this week
2 years, 9 months ago

Governor Kathy Hochul says New York indoor school mask mandate to be lifted this week

CNN  

CNN — New York will no longer require students to wear masks in schools beginning on Wednesday, Gov. Counties and cities that have a higher rate of Covid-19 transmission have the “flexibility” to keep the mask requirement in schools, Hochul said, and parents and guardians may still send their children to school in masks. “If we see no unforeseen spikes …

L.A. school district lifts outdoor mask mandate for students and staff
2 years, 10 months ago

L.A. school district lifts outdoor mask mandate for students and staff

LA Times  

The Los Angeles Unified School District lifts outdoor masking requirements for students and staff. The Los Angeles Unified School District on Tuesday dropped its outdoor mask mandate after the county allowed K-12 schools to lift the requirement last week. San Diego Unified, the state’s second-largest school system, lifted its outdoor mask mandate Wednesday. Los Angeles County has not yet followed …

Washington state to lift indoor mask mandate March 21
2 years, 10 months ago

Washington state to lift indoor mask mandate March 21

Associated Press  

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington’s statewide indoor mask mandate, one of the few left in the country, will lift in most places on March 21, including at schools and child care facilities, Gov. Inslee said that the late March date to lift the mask mandate is based on hospital admission projections. “And when we make decisions, it seems to me we …

Glenn Youngkin, Virginia governor, signs bill allowing parents to opt out of school mask mandates
2 years, 10 months ago

Glenn Youngkin, Virginia governor, signs bill allowing parents to opt out of school mask mandates

CNN  

CNN — Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill Wednesday that allows parents to opt their children out of school mask mandates. Youngkin had campaigned on rolling back Virginia’s Covid-19 restrictions and giving parents more agency in their children’s education, but the order he signed on his first day in office was met with lawsuits from Virginia school districts …

LAUSD to keep outdoor mask mandate in place this week, but changes may be ahead
2 years, 10 months ago

LAUSD to keep outdoor mask mandate in place this week, but changes may be ahead

LA Times  

Los Angeles Unified Supt. The Los Angeles Unified School District will keep its outdoor mask mandate in place for the rest of the week, despite county health guidance that allowed K-12 school systems to lift the requirement on Wednesday, said new Supt. Carvalho announced the district’s position in an update posted on Twitter Tuesday night, saying that the district “will …

California delays decision on lifting school mask mandate
2 years, 10 months ago

California delays decision on lifting school mask mandate

Associated Press  

Gavin Newsom delayed a closely watched decision on lifting California’s school mask mandate Monday, even as other Democratic governors around the country have dropped them in recent weeks. But the teachers’ stance was made clear minutes after Ghaly finished speaking, when the powerful California Teachers Association issued a statement praising the “cautious approach to masking.” “We know that masking, strong …

California to keep mask mandate in schools as indoor mandate ends
2 years, 10 months ago

California to keep mask mandate in schools as indoor mandate ends

CNN  

CNN — Just one day before California is set to relax a statewide mask mandate for vaccinated people in indoor public spaces, the state’s top health official announced that masks will still be required in schools. There will be no change to the school requirement, Health & Human Services Agency Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly announced at a press conference Monday. …

From New York to Nevada, how US is bidding farewell to COVID-19 restrictions
2 years, 10 months ago

From New York to Nevada, how US is bidding farewell to COVID-19 restrictions

Firstpost  

Seeing a drop in coronavirus infections and hospitalisations, several states, including Nevada, New York and Illinois have ended mask mandates for indoor settings Coronavirus restrictions are slowly being phased out of the United States of America. With the Omicron wave of COVID-19 subsiding, several US states, including Nevada, New York and Illinois have ended mask mandates this week for indoor …

COVID conflict: Democratic governors skip ahead of Biden and CDC on easing mask mandates
2 years, 10 months ago

COVID conflict: Democratic governors skip ahead of Biden and CDC on easing mask mandates

LA Times  

Kathy Hochul listens as President Biden speaks during a meeting with the National Governors Assn. “Governors are picking up on a sense that voters simply won’t tolerate mask mandates any longer,” said Julia Lynch, a political scientist at the University of Pennsylvania. The administration continues to recommend indoor masking in areas of high transmission, which, according to White House Press …

Here’s why mask mandates are falling across the US
2 years, 10 months ago

Here’s why mask mandates are falling across the US

Associated Press  

As the omicron wave of the coronavirus subsides, several U.S. states including Nevada, New York and Illinois ended mask mandates this week for indoor settings, while others lifted requirements at schools. Steve Sisolak said the requirement for masks in public places would be lifted “effective immediately.” State casino regulators quickly followed with an order eliminating the mandate for casinos “unless …

Maryland governor calls to end school mask requirement
2 years, 10 months ago

Maryland governor calls to end school mask requirement

Associated Press  

Larry Hogan called on the State Board of Education on Thursday to stop requiring face coverings in schools. “A growing number of medical professionals, parents, and bipartisan state officials throughout the nation are calling for an end to school mask requirements,” the Republican governor wrote in a letter to Clarence Crawford, the board’s president. “If these trends are not reversed …

As states drop school mask mandates, health experts clash on whether it's too soon
2 years, 10 months ago

As states drop school mask mandates, health experts clash on whether it's too soon

Salon  

As U.S. omicron case numbers drop from their January peak, some states with in-person instruction have started to drop their mask mandates for schools. Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases and associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California, Davis, agreed that it's too early for schools to lift their mask mandates. Blumberg noted that …

As state mask rules end, school leaders are in the middle
2 years, 10 months ago

As state mask rules end, school leaders are in the middle

Associated Press  

As some of the last statewide mask mandates in the U.S. near an end, decisions about whether students and teachers should continue to wear masks in school are shifting to local leaders, who are caught in the middle of one of the most combustible issues of the pandemic. If the decision had to be made right away, he said, his …

US state mask mandates to expire, creating tensions for schools
2 years, 10 months ago

US state mask mandates to expire, creating tensions for schools

Al Jazeera  

School board meeting have devolved into shouting matches and arrests over whether masks should be worn. “We can’t allow those individual passions to decide the debate.” The issue of masks in schools has been so contentious in much of the country that school board meetings have devolved into shouting matches and arrests, superintendents have seen protesters outside their homes, and …

When is it really safe to take off your mask in California? Here’s what we know
2 years, 10 months ago

When is it really safe to take off your mask in California? Here’s what we know

LA Times  

When is it really safe to take off your mask? Pan’s comments are in line with recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which suggests that vaccinated people still wear a mask in indoor public settings when local transmission levels are “high” or “substantial,” the worst two categories in the CDC’s four-level tier system, colored red and …

California will lift mask mandate as omicron cases fall
2 years, 10 months ago

California will lift mask mandate as omicron cases fall

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California will end its indoor masking requirement for vaccinated people next week but masks still are the rule for schoolchildren, state health officials announced Monday amid rapidly falling coronavirus cases. Local governments can continue their own indoor masking requirements and last week Los Angeles County’s health officials said they intend to keep theirs in place beyond the …

Governors in 4 states plan for end to school mask mandates
2 years, 10 months ago

Governors in 4 states plan for end to school mask mandates

Associated Press  

TRENTON, N.J. — The governors of four states announced plans Monday to lift statewide mask requirements in schools by the end of February or March, citing the rapid easing of COVID-19′s omicron surge. Phil Murphy called the move “a huge step back to normalcy for our kids” and said individual school districts will be free to continue requiring masks after …

Analysis: Democratic governors outpace White House with masking pullbacks
2 years, 10 months ago

Analysis: Democratic governors outpace White House with masking pullbacks

CNN  

CNN — A rush of moves by Democratic states laying out timelines to lift mask mandates is leaving a cautious White House behind and hiking pressure on top government health officials to codify an Omicron endgame. On Monday alone, three Democratic governors – in New Jersey, Delaware and Connecticut – and the public health department in Oregon set timelines to …

California Will Lift Mask Mandate As Omicron Cases Fall
2 years, 10 months ago

California Will Lift Mask Mandate As Omicron Cases Fall

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California will end its indoor masking requirement for vaccinated people next week but masks still are the rule for schoolchildren, state health officials announced Monday amid rapidly falling coronavirus cases. Local governments can continue their own indoor masking requirements and last week Los Angeles County’s health officials said they intend to keep theirs in …

New Jersey school mask mandates are set to end in 2nd week of March
2 years, 10 months ago

New Jersey school mask mandates are set to end in 2nd week of March

NPR  

New Jersey school mask mandates are set to end in 2nd week of March New Jersey's governor is calling for a return to "normal" as the state's COVID cases start to fall. ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: New Jersey will no longer require students and school employees to wear masks, starting the second week of March. And just to give you a …

Judge temporarily restores New York’s mask mandate
2 years, 10 months ago

Judge temporarily restores New York’s mask mandate

Associated Press  

An appeals judge restored New York’s mask mandate Tuesday, a day after a judge in a lower court ruled that Gov. The stay came after a day of confusion, in which some New York school districts — particularly in areas that lean Republican — rushed to make masks optional for students and teachers, and state education officials told administrators they …

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