Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC's Indoor Mask Rule Reversal Prompts White House To Defend Move
Politico: ‘The CDC Hasn’t Changed’: Biden’s Top Health Officials Try To Sell New Masking Guidance
Across several morning media appearances, the government’s most senior scientists defended the decision Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to recommend that people wear masks indoors again regardless of vaccination status, particularly in crowded indoor settings. The announcement marked a striking reversal for the nation’s premier public health agency after it previously declared in May that vaccinated Americans no longer needed to wear masks outdoors or indoors in most circumstances. But Anthony Fauci, Biden’s chief medical adviser, insisted Wednesday that “what has changed is the virus” — not the CDC. (Forgey, 7/28)
The Washington Post: CDC Reversal On Indoor Masking Prompts Experts To Ask, ‘Where’s The Data?’
In the text of the updated masking guidance, the agency merely cited “CDC COVID-19 Response Team, unpublished data, 2021.” Some outside scientists have their own message: Show us the data. “They’re making a claim that people with delta who are vaccinated and unvaccinated have similar levels of viral load, but nobody knows what that means,” said Gregg Gonsalves, an associate professor at the Yale School of Public Health. “It’s meaningless unless we see the data.” (Achenbach, Abutaleb, Guarino and Johnson, 7/28)
NPR: The Pentagon Requires Everyone On Its Facilities To Wear Masks Indoors
The U.S. Department of Defense has issued directions that require anyone inside its facilities to wear a mask, even if they're vaccinated. The updated requirement applies to all service members, federal employees, onsite contractors, and visitors, and requires masks to be worn in indoor facilities and installations in areas of "substantial or high transmission," according to a statement from Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Jamal Brown. The update rescinds a previous mask guidance, which since May had allowed fully vaccinated Department of Defense personnel to not wear a mask indoors or outdoors. (Fischels, 7/28)
In updates about mask-wearing in Florida —
AP: Florida Mayors Defy DeSantis With Mask, Vaccine Mandates
As coronavirus cases continue to soar, two Florida mayors are announcing mask and vaccine mandates and defying the governor who is firmly opposed to any pandemic restrictions. Masks will again be required at indoor county facilities in Florida’s populous Miami-Dade following new federal guidance recommending that even people vaccinated against COVID-19 should wear facial coverings. And in Orange County, home to Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort, the mayor went a step further and announced all 4,200 nonunion county employees will be required to get their first coronavirus vaccine shot by the end of August, and the second shot by the end of September. Disney World announced on its website Wednesday evening that beginning July 30, face coverings will be required for all guests ages 2 and up while indoors and in Disney buses, monorail and Disney Skyliner, regardless of vaccination status. This includes upon entering and throughout all attractions. Face coverings remain optional in outdoor common areas. (Licon and Schneider, 7/29)
CNBC: Disney World And Disneyland To Require Parkgoers To Wear Masks Indoors
Disney has amended the mask policy at its U.S.-based theme parks in the wake of new guidance from health and government officials. Starting Friday, the company will require all guests, regardless of vaccination status, to wear face coverings in indoor locations at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and the Disneyland Resort in California. Children under the age of two are exempt from this mandate. (Whitten, 7/28)
Health News Florida: DeSantis, Allies Discuss Opposition To Masks In Schools
Gov. Ron DeSantis held a roundtable discussion Monday at the state Capitol that focused on opposition to mask mandates in schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. DeSantis’ office did not giving prior public notice and excluded reporters. The discussion was recorded by the governor’s staff and posted to Rumble. The event was held as hospitals across the state are seeing sharp increases in COVID-19 patients because of the delta variant and lagging vaccination rates. (Dailey, 7/28)
Also —
AP: Kemp Says No Mask Mandate, Schools And Atlanta Announce Them
The city of Atlanta and Georgia school districts announced mask mandates Wednesday even as Gov. Brian Kemp repeated his vow that he won’t impose a statewide mask rule or restrict business and public activities. Infections and hospitalizations from COVID-19 in Georgia continued to rise steeply Wednesday. “Georgia will not lock down or impose statewide mask mandates,” Kemp tweeted on Wednesday, repeating a stance that has remained consistent since the Republican lifted closures early in the pandemic. (Amy, 7/29)
Philadelphia Inquirer: CDC Guidance Spurs Statewide Masking In N.J. And Calls For Vaccination, Worry About Restrictions In Pa.
New Jersey recommended Wednesday that all residents, regardless of vaccination status, resume wearing masks in public indoor settings, effectively extending Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance issued for certain areas Tuesday to the entire state. Warning that a statewide mask mandate or other restrictions could become necessary if case numbers spike, Gov. Phil Murphy was one of many officials in the region and nation Wednesday to urge those who haven’t been vaccinated to get their shots now. (McDaniel and McCarthy, 7/28)
The Boston Globe: Baker Says Mass. Is Different As Other States Impose COVID-19 Protocols
Governor Charlie Baker said Wednesday that he sees no need for Massachusetts to reinstate restrictions in response to rising COVID-19 cases, striking a contrast with President Biden, who is urging Americans to mask up again and requiring many federal workers to get vaccinated. “Massachusetts is in a much better position than the vast majority of the states in this country with respect to how we deal with and how we’re prepared to deal with COVID,” Baker said, speaking at an environmental funding event. But Baker, who tussled with the state’s largest teachers unions over COVID-19 vaccination and safety measures, did say that he is considering mandating masks in public schools this fall. (Fox, Fatima and Andersen, 7/28)
The New York Times: Wearing Masks Indoors Again? Some States Are A Vehement No.
In Missouri, where rampant Covid-19 has once again flooded hospitals, St. Louis County reinstated a mask mandate on Monday, ahead of the C.D.C.’s updated advice — only to face a lawsuit hours later from Eric Schmitt, the state’s Republican attorney general, who accused the county of “unacceptable and unconstitutional” overreach. By Tuesday night, the St. Louis County Council, meeting in a packed chamber where a woman was hoisting a sign that read, “STOP THE TYRANNY,” had voted to overturn the mandate, though the measure’s fate may ultimately be decided by the courts. (Mazzei, 7/28)
San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Considers Mandating Masks Indoors Regardless Of Vaccination Status
Mayor London Breed said Wednesday that San Francisco is exploring how it can “go further with its vaccine mandate” and also considering an indoor mask mandate for everyone, regardless of vaccination status. Breed mentioned the possibility of an indoor mask mandate at a news conference Wednesday, shortly before she spoke to a large, unmasked — but fully vaccinated — crowd at Manny’s on Valencia Street. (Thadani, 7/28)
Bloomberg: Most Apple Stores To Require Masks Again For Shoppers, Staff
Apple Inc. plans to restore a mask requirement at most of its U.S. retail stores on Thursday for both customers and staff, even those who are vaccinated, in response to a resurgence in Covid cases. The company informed retail staff of the move Wednesday in a memo obtained by Bloomberg News. Apple already started requiring masks for employees at select stores earlier this month, and it pushed back a return-to-office deadline for corporate employees. It also began requiring masks for customers in a few counties based on local guidelines. (Gurman, 7/28)
