Coming Next Week To Your Pharmacy: Free N95 Masks From Uncle Sam
The White House said the masks, which come from the nation's emergency Strategic National Stockpile, are the largest deployment of PPE in U.S. history. Meanwhile, a mask battle among Supreme Court justices is proof that no office is immune to the debate over face coverings.
CNBC:
Biden Will Make 400 Million N95 Masks Available To Americans For Free
President Joe Biden will make 400 million highly protective N95 masks available to Americans for free at pharmacies and community health centers around the U.S., a White House official said. The masks will start to become available late next week, and the program will be fully up and running by early February, according to the official. The White House said the free masks are the largest deployment of personal protective equipment in U.S. history. (Kimball, 1/19)
The New York Times:
The Biden Administration Will Give Away Masks In The ‘Largest Deployment’ Of Such Equipment In U.S. History.
The masks will come from the Strategic National Stockpile, the nation’s emergency reserve, which was badly depleted at the outset of the pandemic, leaving health care workers without masks and other personal protective gear essential to fighting the novel virus. An investigation by The New York Times published in March found that for years, the stockpile was heavily weighted toward protecting against bioterror attacks; throughout most of the past decade, nearly half its budget was spent on the anthrax vaccine. (Stolberg, 1/19)
In other mask news —
CNN:
Neil Gorsuch Declines To Wear Mask, As Bench-Mate Sonia Sotomayor Works From Her Office
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has been listening to arguments remotely from her chambers because she doesn't feel comfortable sitting on the bench near colleagues who are not masked, including Justice Neil Gorsuch, according to a source familiar with the situation. In addition, Sotomayor has been participating in the justices-only conference sessions remotely, a court spokeswoman confirmed. Those sessions -- where only the nine are allowed, no staff or hangers-on -- is where the justices debate and essentially determine the legal direction of the country. (de Vogue, 1/18)
The Washington Post:
Va. Parents File Lawsuit, Schools Vow Resistance Against Youngkin’s Order Making Masks Optional
A major showdown over masking in Virginia schools — already involving at least one lawsuit — is brewing between newly minted Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) and parents and superintendents across the state he was just elected to lead. Youngkin, who took office Saturday, started his term as Virginia’s 74th governor with an executive order that declares masking optional in school systems statewide, subject to the preference of parents. Although some school districts complied almost immediately, other superintendents promised defiance — including the superintendent in Youngkin’s new home, Richmond. Jason Kamras, the head of Richmond Public Schools, vowed in a tweet over the weekend to keep his district’s mask mandate and told The Washington Post, “We will fight it to the end.” (Natanson, 1/18)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Milwaukee Leaders Approve New Mask Mandate With No Enforcement
A mask mandate is returning to Milwaukee, this time with a potential March 1 end date and no plans to enforce it. "I think we're hopeful that businesses will be asking their patrons to mask, all businesses whether it's retail, a coffee shop, a restaurant, the Fiserv Forum, which is already asking people to mask," Health Commissioner Kirsten Johnson said in a virtual press briefing following Common Council approval Tuesday. Johnson said her department does not have the staff to enforce a mandate as it focuses on COVID-19 testing and vaccination, but she offered support for the ordinance changes approved by the council. (Dirr, 1/18)
AP:
Utah Lawmakers Weigh Overturning Local Mask Mandates
The GOP-dominated Utah Senate passed a measure Tuesday to block local mask mandates as the omicron variant of the coronavirus fuels a punishing coronavirus surge. The resolution was introduced on the first day that lawmakers began their work for the year. It would overturn requirements in Salt Lake and Summit counties to wear masks indoors, preferably N95 or KN95 masks that are more effective against the variant. The measure must still pass the state House. (Whitehurst, 1/19)
