At this week's conference, AHCJ reporters might be the only group walking around Austin wearing N95 respirators. "They're gonna look like Martians." By Paul Thacker The Association of Health Care Journalists will kick off their annual conference in Austin, Texas, on...
Travel mask mandates have majority support, despite the viral videos
By ALEX DAUGHERTY — The federal mask mandate for travel still has more than 50 percent support among Americans, despite its uncertain future after a federal judge struck it down. TRANSPORTATION MASK MANDATES POPULAR? A Florida judge’s decision to strike down the...
Lifting of Covid mask mandate on US transportation horrifies health experts
Warning that ‘This is not the time to be pulling back on mitigation measures’ as CDC appeals judge’s overturning of face-covering rule By Lauren Aratani When the US federal government’s mandate requiring masks on transportation was lifted this week, reports...
The mask mandate is off for U.S. travelers. In other countries it’s definitely on
By KAMALA THIAGARAJAN The mask mandate for domestic U.S. flights has been lifted — although it might come back. Here's why you might still want to wear masks on public transport But what about the rest of the world? Masking up is still a requirement with a number of...
Analysis: The U.S. Appealed to Reinstate Masks. But Is It Seeking to Win?
The administration’s actions suggest either a botched case or a shrewd play for time as it gives up on the mask order but hopes to erase an adverse ruling, legal experts said. By Charlie Savage and Sharon LaFraniere Does the Biden administration really want and intend...
Justice Department will appeal judge’s ruling to strike down federal mask mandate if CDC approves
By Bailey Schulz and Kevin Johnson The Justice Department said Tuesday it plans to appeal a federal judge’s ruling that voided the federal mask mandate for travelers if the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believes masking remains...
Former Trump surgeon general blasts ending travel mask mandate: It will ‘endanger’ lives
BY MYCHAEL SCHNELL Former Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who served in the role in the Trump administration, blasted a federal judge’s decision to strike down the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) travel mask mandate, arguing that...
The judge who tossed mask mandate misunderstood public health law, legal experts say
By JOE HERNANDEZ When U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle tossed out the federal government's transportation mask mandate on Monday, she relied in part on her interpretation of the term "sanitation." The 10-letter word can be found in the Public...
Canada to keep mask mandate after judge strikes down U.S. rule
By Anna Mehler Paperny 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...
CDC Peels Off Mask Recommendations for Most U.S. Counties
— New guidance to focus more on risk of severe disease versus cases alone by Molly Walker After much speculation, CDC unveiled its new criteria on Friday for masking throughout communities based on healthcare indicators, where only 30% of the country would currently...
The Mask Debacle
How partisan warfare over mandates became a central feature of the pandemic BY JACOB HALE RUSSELL AND DENNIS PATTERSON ecent days have witnessed the emergence of a new rift in our pandemic debate. Strikingly, this time the dispute is not just partisan, but...
‘The case for masks became hugely stronger’: scientists admit their Covid mistakes
Being proved wrong lies at the heart of scientific progress. Here, experts reveal what they got wrong during the pandemic By Hannah Devlin and Nicola Davis instein once observed that “a scientist is a mimosa when he himself has made a mistake, and a roaring lion when...
How to Find a Quality Mask (and Avoid Counterfeits)
Knowing which mask to pick and making sure it’s not a fake requires the sleuthing skills of a forensic investigator. Our guide can help. By Tara Parker-Pope The fast-spread of the infectious Omicron variant has prompted many people to try to upgrade to a...
We need to wear better masks
Cloth masks won’t cut it against omicron. By Ellen Ioanes The rapid spread of the omicron variant means that many medical and public health experts are urging Americans to adopt better masking protocols to protect themselves and others from the spread of...
Why We Need to Upgrade Our Face Masks—and Where to Get Them
High-quality respirators such as N95s and K95s are now widely available and provide the best protection against COVID, according to experts. Why aren’t more people wearing them? By Tanya Lewis A wealth of evidence has shown that wearing a face mask helps prevent...