More Cities, Businesses Tighten Mask Restrictions
Milwaukee joins the list of places where you must wear a mask in indoor and outdoor public spaces; Michigan has extended its state of emergency; and more.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Milwaukee Mandatory Masks: What You Need To Know
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett on Tuesday signed into law a mask ordinance for indoor and outdoor public spaces, a day after the city's Common Council passed the measure unanimously. "The reason this is happening is because we cannot say as a community that we have conquered COVID-19 in Milwaukee, in Milwaukee County, in the state of Wisconsin or in the United States of America," said Barrett, who was sporting a mask bearing the People's Flag of Milwaukee. (Dirr, 7/14)
AP:
Best Buy To Require Customers To Wear Masks Amid Virus Spike
Best Buy, the nation’s largest consumer electronics chain, will require customers to wear face coverings at all of its stores nationwide, even in states or localities that don’t require them to do so. The retailer, based in Richfield, Minnesota, joins a growing but still short list of major retailers that have instituted mask mandates throughout their chains. (D'Innocenzio, 7/14)
Boston Globe:
Add Another Ingredient To Restaurants’ Woes: Mask Hostility
When historians try to capture life in the pandemic, perhaps one of the hardest facets for future generations to grasp will be the mask wars, in many cases playing out in places where we go for a respite, or try to — ice cream shops, little farm stores, restaurant patios. ... Most people are following the rules, but as restaurants open back up, a tiny minority of resistors has injected such stress into dining and even takeout, that Mass Restaurants United, an advocacy group trying to help members survive the pandemic, recently posted the following missive on Instagram. (Teitel, 7/14)
Detroit Free Press:
Gov. Whitmer Extends Michigan State Of Emergency Through Aug. 11
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday extended Michigan's state of emergency through Aug. 11. The state of emergency does not in itself place any restrictions on Michigan residents. But it allows Whitmer to issue executive orders that place such restrictions, such as current orders closing gyms and theaters in south and central Michigan, restricting occupancy at dine-in restaurants, and requiring face masks at indoor public places and crowded outdoor spaces. (Egan, 7/14)
CNN:
Mitch McConnell Warns Kentucky About Coronavirus' Surge As Trump Downplays Pandemic
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been crisscrossing Kentucky and delivering a sober analysis of the country's struggle with the coronavirus pandemic, imploring Americans to wear masks and warning in blunt terms that it's unclear how long the virus will continue to wreak havoc on the country. "Well regretfully, my friends, it's not over," McConnell said Monday at a hospital in Mt. Vernon, Kentucky. "We're seeing a surge in Florida and Texas and Arizona and yes, here in Kentucky." (Raju and Zaslav, 7/14)
In related news about masks and PPE —
CNN:
Delayed Use Of Defense Production Act Leads To Ongoing Shortages Of Protective Gear
Nearly four months after invoking a 1950s-era law in order to compel businesses to manufacture equipment for the fight against the coronavirus, the Trump administration has made only sparing use of its authorities, leaving front-line workers in dire need of supplies like masks, gowns and gloves amid the recent surge in cases. The Department of Health and Human Services listed 19 companies that have received contracts under the Defense Production Act to produce emergency supplies, including 600 million N95 respirators and face masks. But experts say it's not enough and that the effort started far too late. (Alvarez, Devine, Griffin and Holmes, 7/13)
