Return of the MASK: COVID 2.0 is already snaking its way across the country



If you thought the pandemic was over, we're sorry to say that you're wrong.

As the 2024 election looms closer and the presidential candidates are increasingly at each others' throats, so it seems COVID is at ours. And Lauren Chen is well aware.

“It does seem like COVID part two is back. That’s right, the pandemic strikes back,” Chen says. “A lot of people, if you ask me, have been a little too quick to move on and forget that hey, you actually had neighbors who are calling the police on you if you tried to have guests over.”

“There were actually people who were dying that were prevented from seeing their loved ones,” she adds.

We need to remember, because if we don’t, then it could easily all happen over again. And in some ways, it already is.

Lionsgate, a production company based in California, has re-implemented a mask mandate for some employees after a few employees tested positive for COVID.

The employees were told in an email to “wear a medical grade face covering (surgical mask KN95 or N95) when indoors except when alone in an office with the door closed, actively eating, actively drinking at their desk or workstation, or if they are the only individual present in a large open workspace.”

“If you are still afraid of COVID in this day and age, you haven’t been paying attention and you should probably go see some sort of mental health professional, rather than place all of your concern in something like COVID,” Chen says.

It’s not only the Hollywood studio that’s making a big deal out of re-implementing mask mandates. Morris Brown College has also reintroduced a mask mandate for both students and staff.

The college made this decision because there have been reports of students testing positive for COVID.

“Yes, the fatality rates for COVID are very similar to that of the flu. Do we institute mask mandates for the flu now? Absolutely not. It’s just something we live with and we understand that we live in a society. People get sick. So, the fact that some people out there still have this irrational fear when it comes to COVID,” Chen says. “It’s not based in science. It’s not based in medicine. This is an ideological thing.”


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Virginia Senate passes bill ending school mask mandates — with Democratic votes



A bipartisan bill to make masks optional in all of Virginia's K-12 schools passed Wednesday with three Democrats joining Republicans to codify GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin's executive order. The bill now heads to the state House of Delegates, where Republicans have the majority, and it is expected to pass.

The Senate voted 21 to 17 in favor of the bill which requires schools to be open for in-person learning and gives parents the right to decide if their children will wear masks in school. Youngkin celebrated the bill's passing in a statement.

SB 739 has passed the Senate with bipartisan support! This is a big win for our kids and families! In person instruction and parental mask options are important to the well-being and development of our children. On to the House and a quick trip to the Governor's desk!pic.twitter.com/zrzGFA68pu
— Siobhan Dunnavant (@Siobhan Dunnavant) 1644441720

"Kids across the Commonwealth win with this bipartisan vote today. Parents are now empowered to decide whether their children should wear a mask in schools," the governor said.

"I promised that as governor, Virginia would move forward with an agenda that empowers parents on the upbringing, education, and care of their own children. I am proud to continue to deliver on that promise," he continued. "This vote also shows that school boards who are attacking their own students are stunningly detached from reality. It's time to put kids first and get back to normal."

The bill would not have passed without Democratic support. Democrats have a majority in the state Senate,and three lawmakers crossed the aisle to join Republicans and end school mask mandates. Those Democrats were Sens. Chap Petersen, Joseph D. Morrissey, and Lynwood W. Lewis Jr.

Petersen partnered with Republican Sen. Siobhan S. Dunnavant to introduce the parental opt out legislation. Dunnavant introduced a bill that would require school boards to permanently offer in-person instruction, and Petersen offered an amendment that would give parents an opt out on mask mandates for their children in K-12 schools. The amendment passed with more support than the final bill, with 10 Democrats voting in favor. But by the time Wednesday came about, seven of those lawmakers switched their positions.

Following the final vote on the bill, Dunnavant celebrated and called on the House and the governor to quickly enact it into law.

"This is a big win for our kids and families! In person instruction and parental mask options are important to the well-being and development of our children," she said. "On to the House and a quick trip to the Governor's desk!"

She also thanked Petersen for going against the majority of the Democratic conference and supporting parents' rights.

In anticipation of today\u2019s final Senate vote on SB 739, I need to say that I respect Senator Chap Petersen because he does the hard things and I love him because he is a man of integrity\u00a0\u00a0who does what he believes is right.pic.twitter.com/Wg2mRdYXes
— Siobhan Dunnavant (@Siobhan Dunnavant) 1644417225

Youngkin became the first Republican elected governor of Virginia since 2009 in November after campaigning on supporting parental rights in education, including the rights to make decisions on masking and exert control over materials taught in school. Upon taking office, the governor issued 11 executive orders fulfilling his campaign promises, including an order creating a parental opt out from school mask mandates.

Some Virginia schools have refused to comply with the governor's order and parental groups that support mask mandates have sued to keep them in place. A judge in Arlington blocked Youngkin's order from taking effect in seven school districts, while the state Supreme Court this week dismissed a lawsuit brought by parents from Chesapeake on procedural grounds.

Facebook bans page organizing US trucker convoy to DC



A popular Facebook group for U.S. truckers planning to protest against vaccine mandates was taken down by the social media platform early Wednesday, leading to accusations of "censorship."

The group, "Convoy to DC 2022" had gained upwards of 137,000 members before it was removed. It was set up to organize a protest similar to the "Freedom Convoy" of thousands of truckers that traveled from Vancouver to Ottawa last week in protest of Canada's vaccine requirements.

Jeremy Johnson, the group's administrator and one of the U.S. protest organizers, told Fox News Wednesday that Facebook's action was "censorship at its finest."

"They like to silence people that speak the truth," Johnson said his group's ban.

A spokesperson for Facebook's parent company, Meta, said in a statement: "We have removed this group for repeatedly violating our policies around QAnon."

Those policies were put in place in October 2020, when Facebook banned all content related to the QAnon conspiracy theory, which the company called a "militarized social movement."

Brian Base, another organizer of the U.S. convoy, disputed Facebook's characterization of the group during an interview on "Fox & Friends."

"I have to laugh about that. Can they contact me or something? Can we talk? That's not true," he said. "They actually had offered the administrators to remove content and then request to review again. They didn’t even give that option.

"They literally wiped Mike Landis and Jeremy completely out of Facebook," he said. "They don’t even have a profile anymore, so how are you supposed to request a review or remove anything?"

Landis, a trucker and fellow convoy organizer, added that a widespread protest against U.S. vaccine mandates is "a long time coming."

"The presence of that amount of people that show that they are unhappy with what’s going on is a good way to hopefully get their attention," he said.

The protest organizers told Fox News they hope a wide range of Americans will come out to support them, just like Canadians cheered for their countrymen that convoyed to Ottawa.

"This crosses all genders, all races, all sexual orientations, all occupations," Brase said. "Truckers might be standing up, but it’s not about the truckers. It’s about America."

They hope that peaceful protests will end COVID-19 vaccine mandates once and for all.

"The government needs to really take a look at what the American people want," Johnson said. "And they don’t want mandates."

Watch:

Arkansas judge strikes down ban on school mask mandates, governor applauds decision



The statewide ban on school mask mandates in Arkansas was struck down by a judge Wednesday in a ruling welcomed by Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox ruled that the law Hutchinson signed in April was unconstitutional on multiple grounds, the Associated Press reported. Fox said the state government's prohibition on schools and local government authorities from implementing masking requirements unlawfully discriminates between children in public and private schools. Private schools were not impacted by the mandate, which applied only to governmental bodies.

After Fox blocked the ban from taking effect in August, more than 100 public and charter schools and school districts in Arkansas imposed mask mandates.

Hutchinson said he was pleased with the judge's decision.

"The ruling that Act 1002 is unconstitutional serves as a restraint against the legislative branch and helps reset the correct balance between the branches of government," the governor said in a statement.

"The ruling also makes it clear that local school boards have the authority to protect the health of students during this pandemic. I am in favor of schools and local governments having the authority to keep students and their constituents safe as we see another surge in Covid-19 cases," he said.

pic.twitter.com/R1JrRGuVpE
— Gov. Asa Hutchinson (@Gov. Asa Hutchinson) 1640810768

The governor said in August that he regretted signing the ban on mask mandates into law and hoped that courts would find it unconstitutional. He excused his previous support for the law at the time by saying he though the Republican-controlled state legislature would override his veto.

Amid a statewide surge in coronavirus cases caused by the Delta variant, Hutchinson had asked the legislature to hold a special session to repeal the mask mandate ban, but he was vigorously opposed by Republican lawmakers.

Now, the state is experiencing another surge in COVID-19 cases, the highest reported number of cases since last summer.

The Arkansas Department of Health on Tuesday reported 1,626 new active cases, the largest one-day increase since Sept. 17 when there were 1,809 new cases, according to KARK-TV.

The health department reported 11,716 total active cases, the largest number since Sept. 26 when there were 12,494 cases reported.

Data shows that 67.2% of those infected are not fully vaccinated.

“There’s an upward trajectory in new cases with more than 2,400 and 51 new hospitalizations,” Hutchinson said Tuesday. “Our positivity rate is up and our vaccinations were lackluster yesterday. With Omicron on the rise we have to prepare for a rough January. I will talk about new CDC guidelines Thursday.”

Fauci and Walensky suggest new CDC rules aren't based solely on science — but on what 'people would be able to tolerate'



The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is under fire from health experts and employee groups that say the new COVID-19 isolation and quarantine guidance doesn't follow the science. The critics are saying the government is changing the rules for practical reasons — to keep the economy from shutting down — and comments from CDC Director Rochelle Walensky and White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci indicate the critics have a point.

On Monday, the CDC rolled out new guidance shortening the time people who test positive for COVID-19 are recommended to isolate before interacting with other people. Previously, a person who tested positive for the virus was supposed to quarantine for 10 days. Now, the CDC says people who test positive are asked to isolate for five days and then, if they have no symptoms, they may leave quarantine as long as they wear a mask around others. The new guidance applies to everyone, regardless of vaccination status.

But here's what's causing controversy: The new guidelines do not require a person in quarantine to test negative for the virus before leaving isolation after five days. They are also silent on the type of mask a person leaving quarantine should wear, even though the weight of scientific evidence suggests that cloth masks, which are highly popular, are not that effective at stopping transmission of the Delta or Omicron coronavirus variants.

Fauci and Walensky insist the change is based on science demonstrating that most COVID-19 transmission happens 1-2 days prior to the onset of symptoms and 2-3 days afterward.

Health experts commenting on social media criticized the lack of a testing recommendation, with one epidemiologist going so far as to call the guidance "reckless."

CDC\u2019s new guidance to drop isolation of positives to 5 days without a negative test is reckless\n\nSome ppl stay infectious 3 days,Some 12\n\nI absolutely don\u2019t want to sit next to someone who turned Pos 5 days ago and hasnt tested Neg\n\nTest Neg to leave isolation early is just smart
— Michael Mina (@Michael Mina) 1640645077

On Tuesday night, Fauci went on MSNBC with host Chris Hayes to defend the new guidance. Hayes was clearly skeptical of the new rules, asking if there was actual science behind the change or if the CDC made a "policy judgement" based on certain "trade-offs" — like making sure that America's infrastructure doesn't shut down because essential workers are forced to quarantine for 10 days if they test positive for COVID.

.@chrislhayes pressed Fauci tonight on new CDC guidance.\n\nHAYES: Is there any science backing up the idea that after 5 days\u2026 you\u2019re not still shedding virus?\n\nFAUCI: This is one of those situations\u2026 that we often say, you don't want the perfect to be the enemy of the good.pic.twitter.com/NVSqfZ8yUk
— Dan Diamond (@Dan Diamond) 1640752693

"Nothing is going to be 100%," Fauci answered, calling the CDC's decision a "difficult situation."

"You don't want the perfect to be the enemy of the good," Fauci said, arguing that after five days, mask-wearing should provide enough protection against virus transmission for asymptomatic, COVID-positive people to leave quarantine.

Walensky echoed Fauci's comments in an interview on Wednesday morning, but was even more forthright about how the CDC considered people's resistance to coronavirus restrictions before coming to its decision.

CNN's @kaitlancollins: "It sounds like this decision had just as much to do with business as it did the science."\n\n@CDCDirector Dr. Rochelle Walensky: "It really had a lot to do with what we thought people would be able to tolerate."pic.twitter.com/Ek3X3S7Q9S
— The Recount (@The Recount) 1640784051

"It really had a lot to do with what we thought people would be able to tolerate," Walensky admitted.

Both Fauci and Walensky have also vigorously denied that the lack of a testing requirement is due to limited supply of virus tests in the U.S., contradicting multiple news reports on the CDC's decision-making.

CNN reported Tuesday that a shortage of tests factored into the administration's decision, quoting a senior administration official.

"If we require a test, people are going to say, 'What if we can't get a test?'" the official told CNN. "Rather than letting the perfect be the enemy of the good," the official said, the CDC went with looser restrictions, although the official noted that "best practice would also include a test for SARS-CoV-2 at day 5 after exposure.”

The New York Times corroborated that report: "A scientist who has discussed isolation policy with the C.D.C. in recent months said that officials said the agency could not recommend rapid tests while supplies were so scarce. The scientist spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe confidential discussions."

But Fauci has outright denied that claim. "The reason the CDC gives is not because there is a shortage of tests," he told CNN on Tuesday. Walensky said the same thing Wednesday morning.

"This really had nothing to do with supply. It had everything to do with knowing what we would do with the information when we got it," she told CBS.

So Fauci and Walensky have admitted the policy change was not based solely on scientific evidence, but other considerations as well. And they appear to be lying about, or at least obfuscating, the factors that went into the CDC's decision.

As for their claims about COVID infections not being contagious after five days, some health experts who spoke to the New York Times disagreed. Yonatan Grad, an associate professor of immunology and infectious diseases at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said the CDC's policy "feels honestly more about economics than about the science."

“I suspect what it will do is result in at least some people emerging from isolation more quickly, and so there’ll be more opportunities for transmission and that of course will accelerate the spread of Covid-19,” he told the Times, adding that people are unlikely to strictly follow the CDC's masking guidelines after returning from quarantine.

“I don’t think reducing the time for isolation overall is a bad idea,” said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. “But saying, ‘Five days is probably OK, based on Delta, so let’s give it a shot and see,’ is really not what you should be doing.”

Labor groups have also protested the guidance, fearing that employers will require sick employees to return to work after five days, when they might still be contagious.

“It’s only going to lead to more illness, more cases,” said Jean Ross, president of National Nurses United, during an appearance on CNN.

Sarah Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, told CNN separately that her union is concerned that the CDC changed its policy after receiving pressure from business groups to do so. Last week, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian and company chief health officer Henry Ting, along with medical adviser Carlos del Rio, sent a letter to Walensky urging the CDC to shorten the isolation period from 10 days to five.

"Our concern is that this is putting all the onus on the workers and when you put policies forward that are pro-business and not grounded in public health, it gives people reason to pause and not trust our public health requirement," Nelson said.

The problem is that even people who were fully compliant with social distancing, masking, and vaccination mandates are testing positive for COVID-19. Hundreds of flights were canceled over Christmas weekend because flight crew members tested positive for COVID, despite airline employee vaccine mandates, and had to call in sick, without anyone to replace them.

Faced with a virus that is continuing to infect even those that have fully complied with the government's guidance, the Biden administration can either continue to insist that people adhere to its recommendations — which will shut down the economy again — or they can change the guidance to keep the economy open. It appears they have chosen the latter, frustrating health experts.

"I wish they just came out and said [the real reason]," George Washington University public health professor and former Planned Parenthood president Leana Wen said on CNN Tuesday, according to The Hill. "Tests actually are needed to exit isolation, but if we don't even have enough tests right now to test symptomatic people, then we cannot possibly issue a guidance for all of America to exit isolation that way."

(h/t: Hot Air)

FACT CHECK: Does This Image Show German Soldiers Marching With Torches After Germany Announced Restrictions For Unvaccinated People?

The image is from several weeks before Germany announced restrictions

New York rolls out mask mandate for businesses that don't require vaccines



New York's Democratic governor announced sweeping new coronavirus restrictions on Friday as part of an effort to "prevent business disruption" during a winter surge of COVID-19.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said that masks will be required to be worn in all indoor public places unless businesses or venues implement a vaccine requirement. Beginning Monday, all indoor businesses will have to ask patrons for proof of vaccination or require people over the age of 2 to wear a mask.

The new measure will stay in effect until Jan. 15, 2022, when the state will "re-evaluate based on current conditions," the governor's office said in a press release.

"As Governor, my two top priorities are to protect the health of New Yorkers and to protect the health of our economy. The temporary measures I am taking today will help accomplish this through the holiday season," Hochul said.

New York officials reported that since Thanksgiving, the statewide seven-day average case rate has increased by 43%, and COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased by 29%. According to the New York Times coronavirus tracker, there were nearly 10,000 average new daily cases reported in New York last week.

"We shouldn't have reached the point where we are confronted with a winter surge, especially with the vaccine at our disposal, and I share many New Yorkers' frustration that we are not past this pandemic yet," Hochul said. "I want to thank the more than 80 percent of New Yorkers who have done the right thing to get fully vaccinated. If others will follow suit, these measures will no longer be necessary."

"I have warned for weeks that additional steps could be necessary, and now we are at that point based upon three metrics: Increasing cases, reduced hospital capacity, and insufficient vaccination rates in certain areas," she added.

State officials urged people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, pointing to studies that show the vaccines are effective at preventing hospitalizations and death from the coronavirus. They said that rules requiring unvaccinated individuals to wear masks indoors were in accordance with federal guidance from the CDC.

"New York State and the State's Department of Health continue to strongly recommend mask-wearing in all public indoor settings as an added layer of protection, even when not required. Children 2-5 who remain ineligible for vaccination must wear a proper-fitting mask," the state said.

Businesses found to be in noncompliance with the new order could face up to $1,000 fines per violation.

Germany to lock down unvaccinated people with sweeping restrictions



Germany will impose sweeping new restrictions against unvaccinated people in response to rising coronavirus cases, authorities said Thursday.

Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel and her successor, Olaf Scholz, announced that unvaccinated people will be prohibited from entering public places like theaters, cinemas, and restaurants unless they've recently recovered from COVID-19. Private gatherings that include unvaccinated people who have not recently recovered from the disease will be restricted to one household and a maximum of two individuals from a different household.

“Culture and leisure nationwide will be open only to those who have been vaccinated or recovered,” Merkel said. "We have understood that the situation is very serious and that we want to take further measures in addition to those already taken.”

Large events will also face new restrictions. The number of spectators who attend an indoor event cannot exceed 5,000, while outdoor events will be capped at 10,000 people. Only vaccinated people will be allowed to attend these events, Politico reported Wednesday.

In areas of the country that report more than 350 new infections per 100,000 people over seven days, indoor nightclubs will be forced to close and mask mandates will be put into effect in schools for students of all ages.

Merkel also said that a nationwide vaccine mandate could be imposed in February 2022, once Parliament votes to approve such a measure.

She added that vaccinated people will lose their vaccination status nine months after getting their last shot, in an apparent attempt to force people to take booster shots.

The restrictions come as coronavirus cases are surging in Germany. On Thursday, Germany reported 73,000 new COVID-19 cases and 388 deaths. The day before, health officials reported 67,186 new infections and 446 deaths — the highest number of daily deaths reported in nine months.

Currently, 68.7% of the country's population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, short of the government's goal of 75%.

Merkel described the new restrictions as an "act of national solidarity" that will "get the infection rate down and take the pressure off our health system."

"The number of infections has stabilized, but on a far too high a level," she said.

Several European countries are adopting vaccine mandates, including Austria and Greece, and the European Union is considering a bloc-wide mandate.

European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday the EU should "potentially think about mandatory vaccination" as concerns grow over the Omicron variant discovered in South Africa last week.

"Two or three years ago, I would never have thought to witness what we see right now, that we have this horrible pandemic, we have the vaccines, the life-saving vaccines, but they are not being used adequately everywhere," von der Leyen told reporters.

"How we can encourage and potentially think about mandatory vaccination within the European Union, this needs discussion. This needs a common approach, but it is a discussion that I think has to be led," she added.

Austria is on the cusp of putting the unvaccinated into lockdown



The head of Austria's government warned Thursday that unvaccinated people in the country could be put into lockdown as COVID-19 cases continue to rise.

The central European country has in recent weeks implemented new coronavirus restrictions intended to slow the spread of the virus and encourage more people to get vaccinated. On Monday, a new rule took effect that requires all persons, including travelers, to show valid proof of vaccination or recovery from the virus in order to enter indoor places including restaurants, hotels, hairdressing salons, and large public events.

The new rules stipulate that COVID-19 tests, both PCR and antigen, are no longer valid for entry into certain indoor locations. All persons, including tourists, must have a valid vaccine passport or proof of recovery from COVID-19 to frequent indoor establishments.

Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg announced last month that unvaccinated persons could face additional restrictions if coronavirus case numbers continue to rise. According to the Associated Press, cases have risen. The government reported 710.8 new cases per 100,000 residents over the last week on Wednesday, a higher case positivity rate than in neighboring Germany, where coronavirus cases are soaring.

In September, the government put forward a plan to place unvaccinated people in lockdown once 30% of intensive care beds were occupied by COVID-19 patients, Reuters reports. The current level is 20%, and with cases and hospitalizations rising, the country is on track to trigger the lockdown measures.

On Thursday, while visiting Bregenz in the western part of the country, Schallenberg said that a lockdown for the unvaccinated is "probably unavoidable" and that unvaccinated people will face an "uncomfortable" winter and Christmas.

"According to the incremental plan we actually have just days until we have to introduce the lockdown for unvaccinated people," Schallenberg said. He explained that a lockdown for the unvaccinated would mean anyone without valid proof of vaccination would be forced to stay home except to go to work, shop for essential goods, or take a walk to stretch their legs.

He added that the country's vaccination rate is "shamefully low."

In Austria, 65% of the population are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the lowest vaccination rate of any Western European country, with the exception of Liechtenstein, according to European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control data.

"I don't see why two-thirds should lose their freedom because one-third is dithering," Schallenberg said. "For me, it is clear that there should be no lockdown for the vaccinated out of solidarity for the unvaccinated."

The chancellor said authorities would consider a vaccine mandate for some professional groups.

"We can break this wave together," Schallenberg said.

FACT CHECK: Was The Nevada Governor Forcefully Ejected From A Public Meeting By Security?

The man in the video is not the governor of Nevada