CDC quietly lifts universal mask recommendations for health care providers



The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has once again quietly changed its COVID-19 recommendations and no longer recommends universal masking in health care settings.

Without fanfare, the agency made sweeping changes to its infection prevention and control recommendations for health care workers on Friday, notably removing the masking recommendation except in areas with high COVID-19 transmission. Additionally, the CDC says vaccination status is no longer used to inform use of face masks, screening testing, or post-exposure recommendations.

“Updates were made to reflect the high levels of vaccine- and infection-induced immunity and the availability of effective treatments and prevention tools,” the updated guidance states.

The CDC is recommending that health care facilities in areas without high virus transmission develop their own protocols for masking. They can "choose not to require" all doctors, patients, and visitors to mask. However, masking is still recommended for individuals in health care settings who have suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases or have another respiratory illness.

Health care settings "refers to places where healthcare is delivered and includes, but is not limited to, acute care facilities, long-term acute-care facilities, nursing homes, home healthcare, vehicles where healthcare is delivered (e.g., mobile clinics), and outpatient facilities, such as dialysis centers, physician offices, dental offices, and others," the CDC said.

Facilities in counties with high transmission are encouraged to continue universal masking. The CDC says community transmission is the metric used to evaluate whether an area has high transmission, and it refers to the presence and spread of SARS-CoV-2.

About 70% of U.S. counties have high community transmission, according to the CDC.

Community transmission is a different metric from the community level measure used for non-health-care settings.

"COVID-19 Community Levels place an emphasis on measures of the impact of COVID-19 in terms of hospitalizations and healthcare system strain, while accounting for transmission in the community," the CDC says.

Under that metric, only about 7% of U.S. counties are at high risk.

Health care providers were given several other recommendations for COVID-19 protocol in case of an outbreak at their facility. When there is an outbreak, or when doctors are providing care to immunocompromised patients, they are recommended to wear a face mask.

Even in areas with high transmission, providers may establish "well-defined areas" removed from patients where workers can remove their masks. An example might be a staff meeting room.

Health care providers must still abide by the COVID-19 recommendations imposed by state and local governments where they are. In New York, for example, the state still requires masks in medical settings regardless of the CDC's recommendations.

California's Santa Cruz County mandates mask-wearing in private homes



An indoor mask mandate has been reinstated in Santa Cruz County, California, after a surge in winter coronavirus cases has led to increased hospitalizations.

The county health department is requiring that people wear face coverings in indoor settings, including in private homes. The mandate went into effect on Sunday at 11:59 p.m, after the county reported a seven-day average of 72 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people — placing it in the "substantial" transmission category, according to the CDC.

"Unfortunately, a potential winter surge appears to be a significant threat to the health and safety of our community," Santa Cruz County Health Officer Dr. Gaill Newel said in a statement.

Both people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 and those who have not are required to wear face coverings indoors. Business and governmental entities are being told to require their employees to wear masks and to post signage at points of entry for their indoor settings to alert the public of the mask requirement.

Anyone who works in a closed room or office by themselves or with members of the same household does not have to wear a mask. The health department's statement also clarifies that masks are not required during indoor activities where they "cannot be worn safely," which includes eating, drinking, swimming, showering in a fitness facility, or obtaining medical or cosmetic services.

However, people in private settings — including their own homes — are required to wear masks if they are visited by anyone outside of their households.

"As we look forward to spending time with those we love during the holidays, it is important to protect vulnerable friends and family members by wearing a mask indoors," Newel said.

"Everyone who has not been vaccinated should get their first dose as soon as possible, and anyone who was vaccinated more than six months ago should seek out a booster."

Santa Cruz County has among the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates of any county in California, with 70.8% of the population fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

California currently has one of the lowest coronavirus infection rates in the country, with only 1.9% of people testing positive for the virus last week, according to the state's COVID-19 dashboard. And while coronavirus hospitalizations in the state have fallen about 14% over the last month, officials are raising concerns about a potential surge of cases over the holidays.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday urged state residents to get vaccinated and wear masks over the holidays, observing that at least 27 other states have seen at least a 10% increase in COVID-19 cases in the past week.

"Ask the governor of Michigan (or) Colorado how they are doing," Newsom said. "States are struggling because people are taking down their guard or claiming 'mission accomplished.' ... I don't want to see that happen here in California."

Nancy Pelosi torched for swanky maskless Napa Valley fundraiser: 'It's utter hypocrisy'



House Speaker Nancy Pelosi found herself embroiled in another situation that had unsavory optics once again on Sunday. The California Democrat was seen schmoozing with Democratic deep-pocket donors, all of which were not wearing masks, at a Napa Valley fundraiser while Americans are still trapped in Afghanistan. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was also trounced with criticism for dancing up a storm this weekend.

New York Times journalist Kenneth Vogel posted an invitation for the Sunday morning fundraiser event, which shows that tickets started at $100 and were as much as $29,000 to chair. The money raised went to vulnerable frontline Democrats who are in danger of losing their seats in the 2022 midterm elections.

Vogel posted video from the fundraiser in Napa Valley, which showed no social distancing and no mask-wearing except for the wait staff.

This appears to be a video of @SpeakerPelosi talking to donors at the @dccc retreat this weekend in Napa. https://t.co/YsqRvM16ex

— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) 1629646947.0

The event was held in California's Napa County, where COVID-19 cases from Aug. 13 through Aug. 19 are up 71% from the previous week, according to the Napa Valley Register. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designate Napa County as a "high level of community transmission." The event was held outdoors and face masks are not required outdoors, but the CDC recommends people "consider wearing a mask in crowded outdoor settings and for activities with close contact with others who are not fully vaccinated" in areas with high numbers of COVID-19 cases.

Social media commenters lampooned Pelosi for the maskless event.

  • House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy: "Speaker Pelosi wants to lock you down again while she wines and dines with her political donors. It's utter hypocrisy."
  • Independent journalist Glenn Greenwald: "All the servants fully masked. The almost-entirely old, white, rich crowd of DCCC donors free to go maskless as they're served."
  • Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.): "SpeakerPelosi does not care about #COVID. Democrats don't care about covid. They only care about controlling you. Magical covid science: The virus stops spreading the minute you sit down to eat or when you speak in a microphone or if you are one of the elites. Liars."
  • Progressive political commentator Jimmy Dore: "Isn't this what they used to call a "Super-Spreader Event"? They don't seem worried at all. What do the rich elite know that we don't?"
  • Attorney Harmeet K. Dhillon: "SUPERSPREADER EVENT!"
  • "Relatable" podcast host Allie Beth Stuckey: "They're not scared of COVID, in case you hadn't noticed."
  • Former Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell: "The white people are all free to breath without a mask. The people of color must wear masks - and serve. Stop voting for Democrats…they are laughing at how easy you are to manipulate."
  • Former Congresswoman Nan Hayworth: "Good to see the nation's malefactors having a wonderful time as the torture and slaughter--for which they bear distinct responsibility!--continue in Afghanistan."
  • Newsmax host Steve Cortes: "Worst part of this video is that workers have to mask up, but not the swanky Dem donors. Two sets of rules."
  • Conservative pundit Ned Ryun: "Not seeing those masks there. . . Almost feels like they feel the rules are more a series of suggestions that only the peasants should follow."

This is the latest case of Pelosi being caught in a situation that has damaging optics. Last month, Pelosi was seen not wearing a mask on two occasions at the U.S. Capitol building a day after the Capitol Police declared that face masks must be worn "at all times" on the House side of the complex. Last September, Pelosi violated San Francisco's health orders when she was caught on video inside a California salon without wearing a face covering.

Schumer also received backlash for his questionable behavior this weekend. With as many as 10,000 Americans still trapped in Afghanistan following Biden's disastrous withdrawal, Schumer was seen dancing without a care in the world on Saturday.

During the "We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert" in Central Park, the Schumer was caught on video dancing closely with late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert, who was maskless.

While the Afghanistan evacuation crisis continues and then-Hurricane Henri approaching, Twitter took to criticizing… https://t.co/lTbx3zrwJI

— Newsmax (@newsmax) 1629648934.0

Broward County Schools will implement fall mask mandate, face opposition from DeSantis



The school board in Broward County, Florida, voted Wednesday to implement a mask mandate that applies to students and faculty in all county classrooms this fall, a policy Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis fiercely opposes.

Broward County Public Schools will comply with updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance recommending that all individuals in areas with high COVID-19 transmission wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status, WLRN-TV reported.

According to the CDC, the entire state of Florida has a high level of community transmission. Over the past week in Broward County there have been 6,055 new COVID cases and 1,037 new hospitalizations, levels of transmission that would trigger the CDC's recommendation to wear masks indoors.

In response, though school board members had hoped to make masks optional in the fall, the board decided that mask-wearing would be mandatory.

"I really wanted to start this school year as normal as possible," board member Lori Alhadeff said, "and a few weeks ago, I thought that we were in a position to go back to school without wearing masks and giving parents a choice."

"But now with COVID soaring, and the Delta variant, a lot has changed," she said.

Parents who attended Wednesday's school board meeting voiced opposition to the mask mandates, arguing that face coverings make it hard for their kids to breathe, to learn, and to socialize with their peers.

Some of the parents voiced anger at the CDC, accusing the agency of "flip flopping" its position on masks, school board member Debbi Hixon said.

Just two months ago, the CDC issued guidance that fully vaccinated people could return to life as normal, without social distancing or mask-wearing because they were immunized. Now, because of concerns that some vaccinated people can still become infected with and transmit the Delta variant, the CDC has changed its position.

"They weren't flip flopping. They're using data and facts to make the best decisions for the time," Hixon argued. "And I think that we have to do the same thing."

Raymond Adderly, the senior class president at Fort Lauderdale High School and the student adviser to the school board, voiced support for the mask mandate.

"Although masks are super inconvenient, I'd rather see students have an inconvenience with breathing, wearing a mask — than having an inconvenience breathing on a ventilator," Adderly said, noting that a 15-year-old student at J.P. Tarvella High School was recently hospitalized with a severe case of COVID-19.

But mask mandates face opposition from the governor. DeSantis, who has received acclaim from conservatives for refusing to enact severe coronavirus restrictions, has vowed to call together a special session of the state legislature to pass a bill that would prohibit Florida school districts from imposing mask mandates. The governor believes forced masking is unnecessarily coercive.

A spokeswoman for DeSantis' office told WLRN his position on mask mandates has not changed after Broward County's decision.

"At the end of the day, the Governor trusts parents to weigh the risks and benefits and make the best choices for their own kids," DeSantis press secretary Christina Pushaw said.

Two months after Biden declares unmasking a 'great day in America,' CDC set to reverse some guidelines: Report



The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reportedly set to backpedal Tuesday on its current masking guidelines and recommend that even vaccinated people wear masks indoors in areas of the United States in which the COVID-19 pandemic is surging, according to report from the Associated Press.

A federal official speaking on the condition of anonymity spoke to the news outlet for its report.

The CDC is scheduled to hold a briefing at 3 p.m. ET Tuesday, CNN reported.

What's a brief history?

In May, the CDC said that fully vaccinated Americans could stop wearing masks altogether while outside and in the vast majority of indoor settings and added that the 6-foot social distancing guideline is no longer necessary for vaccinated Americans.

In the announcement, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said, “Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing. If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic. We have all longed for this moment, when we can get back to some sense of normalcy."

"Based on the continuing downward trajectory of cases, the scientific data on the performance of our vaccines, and our understanding of how the virus spreads, that moment has come for those who are fully vaccinated," Walensky said.

“This is an exciting and powerful moment, it could only happen because of the work of so many who made sure we have the rapid administration of three safe and effective vaccines," she added.

What are the details?

CNBC reported Tuesday that the CDC is "expected to recommend that fully vaccinated people begin wearing masks indoors again in places with high COVID-19 transmission rates."

"The updated guidance comes ahead of the fall, when the Delta variant is expected to cause another surge in new coronavirus cases and many large employers plan to bring workers back to the office," the outlet added.

CNN on Tuesday reported that a senior administration official said the decision was "spurred by the more transmissible Delta variant."

"It's based on the fact that the Delta variant is clearly more transmissible than the prior ones," the official told the outlet.

It seems fair to point out that CDC guidance is only a recommendation.

On Sunday, White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that the COVID-19 situation was "going in the wrong direction."

"It's a dynamic situation," he said. "It's a work in progress, it evolves like in so many other areas of the pandemic. You've got to look at the data."

The outlet noted that some regions across the country — including areas in California and Nevada — are advising all residents, even those who are fully vaccinated, to wear masks while indoors.

Citing CDC data, CNN reported that approximately two-thirds of counties across the U.S. have "high or substantial transmission" of COVID-19. According to the data, 46% of U.S. counties have "high transmission," and 17% have "substantial transmission."

CNN's Brian Stelter on Tuesday tweeted, "Some folks on this site are overstating what the CDC intends to say today. Here is CNN's reporting: 'People in areas with high or substantial COVID-19 transmission should resume wearing masks, the CDC is expected to say.' Places with higher vax % tend to have lower transmission."

Some folks on this site are overstating what the CDC intends to say today. Here is CNN's reporting: "People in area… https://t.co/vuJmCGZiSl

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) 1627397855.0

Horowitz: Two Georgia counties offer community service credits to criminals who vaccinate



Isn't it so nice of these criminals who are willing to serve their community by getting vaccinated? That should be grounds to lop off half their already lenient sentence of community service.

This might sound like another sadistic joke, but it is the reality for two Georgia counties. Georgia's Hall and Dawson counties are now offering those performing community service as part of their sentence to receive earned time for getting vaccinated.

Hall County Court Administrator Jason Stephenson told local media that judges can offer up to 20 to 40 hours' worth of community service for who show proof of vaccination.

"In our judge's view, every shot in the arm is a service to the community," Stephenson said. "For some offenders it does seem appropriate to recognize that the time and the cost involved and perhaps lining up childcare, taking time off from work, arranging for transportation, and making to a vaccination site – not once but twice. This recognizes the commitment they've made in doing that."

Yes, I mean can you imagine the sacrifice it takes for these criminals to be willing to be vaccinated. Andy Maddox, senior assistant public defender of Hall County, aptly described the amazing self-sacrifice and why it should count toward community service time.

"Somebody mentions 20 hours and that may not sound like a lot," Maddox said, "but that half a work week and if somebody can get a shot instead of doing 20 hours of community service, that is a pretty strong incentive."

It's hard to tell if these sentiments demonstrate how dangerous the vaccine is or how callous we are in dealing with criminals, or both. Remember, judges have already released hundreds of thousands of criminals due to COVID jailbreak, and countless others have never been locked up because of COVID-19. Now the vaccine is being used as a backend leniency to both line the pockets of big pharma and to go easy on criminals, two pastimes of our corrupt ruling class.

Some media reports have observed that Georgia's vaccination rate is about 10 points lower than the national average, however, there is no evidence that Georgia is suffering any worse community spread than any of its neighbors. So many states in the northeast or upper Midwest have much higher vaccination rates than Georgia, yet they have more community spread, according to CDC's latest tracking map. Minnesota ranks #11 in terms of percent of the residents vaccinated, but it is currently one of the hot spots.


Clearly, it's herd immunity and seasonal/geographic patters, not vaccination rates that are driving the waning months of this pandemic. However, that won't stop governments from violating all laws and social norms to obsessively promote the experimental vaccines.

Maryland and Ohio residents can register for a lottery if they receive a vaccine. In New York, anyone who gets vaccinated will receive a $20 lottery ticket for the $5 million Mega Multiplier Lottery as part of the "Vax & Scratch" program.

These people have lied to us about every aspect of this virus – from the origins and methods of transmission to social distancing and masking. Are we really supposed to believe their narrative regarding vaccines when they are acting this capriciously in getting people to take the shots?