Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New York Mandates Masks Indoors Except Places With Vax Requirement
USA Today: New York Brings Back Mask Mandate As Cases Spike
Masks will be required starting Monday in all indoor public places across New York unless businesses or venues implement a vaccine requirement for entry. The mandates come as COVID-19 cases spiked statewide more than 43% since Thanksgiving, straining the health care system amid staffing shortages, Gov. Kathy Hochul said. New cases have been rising steadily across most of the nation in recent weeks. New York's requirements extend to both patrons and staff, with businesses facing a maximum $1,000 fine per violation. The measure will remain in place until Jan. 15, after which the state will re-evaluate. (Santucci and Bacon, 12/12)
Politico: De Blasio Defends Vaccine Mandates, Points To Effectiveness In NYC
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio wants everyone watching his newly imposed vaccine mandate to know one thing: they work. In a move not yet seen anywhere else in the nation, de Blasio is requiring all New Yorkers who work in the city’s private sector to be vaccinated against Covid-19 by Dec. 27. (Crummy, 12/12)
In other updates on covid mandates —
AP: Rhode Island Governor Extends Pandemic Executive Orders
Rhode Island’s governor has extended his executive orders requiring masks in schools and declaring a disaster emergency due to new COVID-19 variants. Both orders were due to expire Saturday. Gov. Dan McKee signed an extension through Jan. 8. McKee reported on Saturday the state’s first case of the omicron variant of coronavirus in an adult who recently had traveled out-of-state. (12/12)
AP: Connecticut Will Have Proof-Of-Vaccination Cellphone App
Connecticut residents soon will be able to show their vaccination status using a cellphone app, though whether it’s required will be up to businesses, restaurants and other establishments. Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont announced Friday the app will be available by the end of the year. Lamont hasn’t followed the example of Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has reinstituted a statewide mask mandate beginning Monday. (12/12)
Houston Chronicle: Rice Keeps Employee Vaccine Requirement Despite Judge’s Ruling Against Biden Mandate For Contractors
Rice University is continuing its employee vaccination requirement despite a court decision that temporarily halts President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for federal contractors. U.S. District Judge R. Stan Baker on Tuesday blocked Biden’s directive nationwide, forcing leaders of colleges and universities that partner with the federal government to rethink any existing vaccination policies. By the end of a weekly meeting Friday of Rice administrators overseeing the campus’ COVID-19 response, the university’s rule requiring vaccinations for all employees remained unchanged, a Rice spokesman said. (Ketterer, 12/10)
KHN: How LA, Calling The Shots On School Vaccine Mandates, Can Lead The Way On Covid Rules
On March 31, 1977, as a measles epidemic swept through Los Angeles, the county health department issued an ultimatum to the parents of the county’s 1.6 million schoolchildren: Get your kids vaccinated within a month or keep them home. The “no shots, no school” warning was a novel threat at the time. Since the 1920s — and smallpox — no major city in the United States had locked the unvaccinated out of school. (Allen, 12/13)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Metro Atlanta City With Strictest Mask Mandate Reports No Fines, Police Calls
Decatur remains metro Atlanta’s strictest city when it comes to requiring face masks, even if its mandate is mostly ceremonial at this point in the COVID-19 pandemic. City leaders said the detection of the Omicron variant in Georgia coupled with DeKalb County’s low vaccination rate prompted them to extend the city’s mask mandate through mid-January. The historic DeKalb city was among a handful of cities to bring back mask requirements in August in response to the surge of new cases brought by the Delta variant. Decatur’s policy allows for private business owners to opt-out of enforcement by posting signs if they wish, effectively making the mandate optional. While the policy carries a potential $50 fine for violators, City Manager Andrea Arnold told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that police have not been called once — let alone issued any fines or citations. (Hansen, 12/10)
USA Today: Some Missouri Health Departments Halt Public COVID-19 Work After Letter From GOP Politician
Multiple local health departments in rural Missouri have halted most or all of their COVID-19 tracking and prevention work after the state's Republican attorney general ordered agencies to comply with a recent court ruling. The Laclede County Health Department, located northeast of Springfield, said it received a letter from Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt that demanded it halt some COVID measures after a court ruling last month. The ruling by a Cole County circuit judge said local health authorities did not have the power to impose COVID-19 public health orders. It rendered certain Missouri regulations, including language on notifying people exposed to the virus and providing information for residents to respond, null and void. (Hayes and Yancey-Bragg, 12/11)
In news from Massachusetts —
The Boston Globe: Without Statewide Mask Mandate Against COVID-19, Mass. Will ‘Fight This War With One Arm Tied Behind Our Backs’
As numbers of coronavirus cases climb in Massachusetts, a growing chorus of local, state, and federal officials is sounding the call for mask mandates in indoor public places to stanch the spread of the pandemic this winter. The urging comes amid threats posed by the virus’s Delta and Omicron variants, and as the weather grows colder, gatherings move indoors, and the holiday season approaches. The US Centers for Disease Control reported Sunday that every Massachusetts county faces high community transmission and recommends residents wear masks in indoor public settings. Local health officials, including Julia Raifman, an assistant professor of health law, policy, and management at the Boston University School of Public Health, said Sunday that a statewide indoor mask rule would play an important role in limiting transmission of the virus. (Hilliard, 12/12)
WBUR: Mass. Hospitals See Significant Number Of COVID Breakthrough Cases
If you’re vaccinated and you get COVID-19, the chance you’ll need hospital care is still very rare. In Massachusetts, the rate is 0.05%. But as COVID cases surge, hospitals are reporting a significant portion of patients who’ve had their initial vaccine shot — or shots — and a few who’ve received a booster as well. At major hospitals around the state, anywhere from 25% to 43% of patients tested positive this week for the coronavirus, according to daily numbers provided by the hospitals. In a few cases, the main reason for hospitalization was something other than COVID-19. It is also worth noting that the vast majority — in some cases 75% of COVID patients — reported that they are unvaccinated. (Bebinger, 12/10)
