Lockdowns Had ‘Little To No’ Benefit On Public Health, Analysis Finds

Fox News: Lockdowns Only Reduced COVID-19 Mortality By .2%, Study Finds: 'Lockdowns Should Be Rejected Out Of Hand'
The researchers – Johns Hopkins University economics professor Steve Hanke, Lund University economics professor Lars Jonung, and special advisor at Copenhagen's Center for Political Studies Jonas Herby – analyzed the effects of lockdown measures such as school shutdowns, business closures, and mask mandates on COVID-19 deaths. "We find little to no evidence that mandated lockdowns in Europe and the United States had a noticeable effect on COVID-19 mortality rates," the researchers wrote. The researchers also examined shelter-in-place orders, finding that they reduced COVID-19 mortality by 2.9%. (Best, 2/1)

Read the full Johns Hopkins analysis —

A Literature Review And Meta-Analysis Of The Effects Of Lockdowns On Covid-19 Mortality

In other news about covid mandates —

Billings Gazette: Judge Refuses To Block Montana Vaccine Ban
A Richland County judge on Tuesday denied a request to block a Montana law barring businesses from requiring employees get vaccinated against COVID-19 or any other disease while a legal challenge plays out. The lawsuit, filed by a law office in Sidney, made several arguments that the new law violated the state Constitution's right to a “clean and healthful” environment and equal protection clause, among other claims. “While the best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 may be vaccination, it is not the only way,” District Court Judge Olivia Rieger wrote in the Tuesday order. (Michels, 2/1)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Sheriff Lifts COVID Vaccine Mandate For New Employees
Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo has rescinded a mandate requiring new Metropolitan Police Department hires to be vaccinated against COVID-19. In a Tuesday interview, Lombardo said he continues to encourage officers and other employees to get the vaccine. But with a recent dip in positive cases at the department, he lifted the vaccine mandate for new hires about a week ago. “I support the vaccines,” the sheriff said. “I think they keep you from a detrimental experience or hospitalization possibly resulting in death, but that is a personal decision.” (Puit and Wilson, 2/1)

AP: Virginia Governor's Mask Order Prompts Dueling Lawsuits 
An executive order by Gov. Glenn Youngkin that allows parents to opt out of COVID-19 school mask mandates prompted dueling lawsuits Tuesday, one siding with Youngkin and the other challenging his order. Parents of children with disabilities filed a federal lawsuit, arguing that forcing schools to repeal their mask mandates effectively excludes those students from public schools, in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act. A separate suit was filed by three parents against the Loudoun County School Board for ignoring Younkin’s order and continuing the school district’s mask mandate. (Lavoie and Rankin, 2/2)

AP: Suits Target New Orleans Virus Rules, Some Affect Mardi Gras 
More than 100 people have joined a lawsuit against New Orleans’ mayor and health director over COVID-19 restrictions that recently were extended to parade and other participants on Mardi Gras and during the season leading up to it. The lawsuit against Mayor LaToya Cantrell and health director Jennifer Avegno targets mask and vaccination mandates, news outlets reported. (2/2)

Dallas Morning News: Texans Are Split On Mask, COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates, According To New Poll
After nearly two years in the coronavirus pandemic, Texans are split on their feelings about masks, COVID-19 vaccinations and related government and employer mandates, according to a new poll from The Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler. While nearly 75% of eligible Texans have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, opinions on whether an employer should require vaccination or weekly testing from their employees largely falls along party lines. (Wolf, 2/1)

Los Angeles Times: COVID Rules And Guidelines For Super Bowl Visitors
Thousands of football fans are expected to descend on Los Angeles for the Super Bowl in less than two weeks, along with the hordes of workers required to put on one of sport’s biggest annual spectacles. Mask and vaccine mandates are in force throughout L.A. County — including Inglewood, where SoFi Stadium is located — along with specific measures in the city of Los Angeles. If you’re coming to Southern California for Super Bowl LVI, here’s what you need to know about COVID-19 regulations during your visit. (Amato, 2/1)

In related news —

Charleston Gazette-Mail: Unemployment Bill Advances After Vaccine Exemption Withdrawn
West Virginia senators advanced a bill Tuesday that would significantly cut state unemployment benefits. Judiciary Chairman Sen. Charles Trump, R-Morgan, pulled Senate Bill 2 from the committee’s agenda Monday afternoon, following the adoption of an amendment that would extend unemployment benefits to employees who are fired after refusing a COVID-19 vaccine requirement. Trump placed the bill back on the agenda Tuesday. Sen. Jack Woodrum, R-Summers, opened the meeting by moving to reconsider the action by which the vaccine amendment was adopted. Members approved the motion 9-8. (Severino, 2/1)

NBC News: The GOP’s Midterm Playbook: Flip The Script On Covid
In Pennsylvania, a Republican Senate candidate bashes the federal government’s Covid response in TV ads. In Ohio, another promotes ending vaccination mandates. In Florida, the Republican governor criticizes the “flip flops” of the government’s top infectious disease specialist during the pandemic. Like never before, Republicans are campaigning on the coronavirus, looking to harness the anger of the conservative base and a growing sense of broader voter fatigue with masks and hybrid schooling. It’s a strategy backed up in polls and focus groups. (Caputo and Korecki, 2/1)