Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Several Airlines Tighten Mask-Wearing Rules
Dallas Morning News: Southwest Airlines, American Airlines Say No More Mask Exceptions For Anyone Over 2 Years Old
Southwest Airlines and American Airlines now say the carriers won’t be able to transport anyone over 2 years old who won’t wear a face mask, even those with medical conditions. Travelers who can’t wear a mask should stay home, the airlines said. Even Delta and United have toughened rules and are requiring those with medical issues to get advance clearance to be without a mask or face covering. (Arnold, 7/22)
Politico: Bipartisan Majority Supports Statewide Mask Mandates, Poll Finds
A bipartisan majority of registered voters strongly support state mandates that would fine or jail individuals if they fail to wear a mask in public, a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll finds. The broad approval for such mandates comes as statewide mask orders aimed at stopping the spread of coronavirus are under effect in more than half of U.S. states. Increasingly, Republican governors in states like Alabama and Arkansas have issued mask mandates, while top health officials are pleading with the public to cover their faces. (Cohen, 7/22)
The Washington Post: D.C. Government To Investigate Trump's No-Mask Appearance At Trump Internation Hotel
The president’s maskless appearance at the Trump International Hotel this week — in apparent defiance of D.C. coronavirus regulations — caught the attention of local authorities, who inspected the hotel on Wednesday to check for compliance with city rules. The investigator found no violations at the time of the visit, but the agency pledged to continue monitoring the hotel. (Nirappil and Zauzmer, 7/22)
The Washington Post: D.C. Expands Face Mask Requirements As City Records More Than 100 New Cases
D.C. and Baltimore expanded mask requirements Wednesday in an attempt to stave off the growing spread of the novel coronavirus in the region. D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser said her order requires people older than 2 to wear a mask when they leave the house and are likely to come into contact with others. It’s one of the strictest mask ordinances in the country — and came on the same day the city recorded 102 new coronavirus cases, the highest daily number since early June. (Zauzmer, Wiggins, Hedgpeth and Chason, 7/22)
AP: Oregon Expands Virus Mask Order To Children, Lowers Venue Size
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced Wednesday that she is expanding the state’s current COVID-19 mask order to also apply to children 5 years and older and that she is decreasing the capacity of indoor venues from 250 people to 100. The governor said these new mandates, which go into effect Friday, are necessary to help slow the increasing spread of coronavirus. On Tuesday, the total number of confirmed and presumptive virus cases in the state topped 15,000.“When we see the numbers rise, we must respond,” Brown said. (Cline, 7/22)
Bloomberg: California Orders Millions More Masks With Virus Cases At Record
With California now recording more coronavirus cases than any other state, Governor Gavin Newsom said he will extend a contract with China’s BYD Co. for hundreds of millions of masks and warned that efforts to contain the pandemic will stretch into next year. California is burning through 46 million masks per month but needs more, with domestic companies still unable to supply them at the scale required, Newsom said in a news briefing Wednesday. He’s extending a contract with automaker BYD to supply another 120 million N95 masks and 300 million surgical procedure masks. (Baker, 7/22)
The Washington Post: Banks Urged To Require Masks Despite Industry Concern About Robbery Risk
Face masks are mandatory at Walmart, Target and a growing number of retailers. President Trump, who long resisted being photographed in a mask, now encourages the public to wear them and said he carries one with him. But for U.S. banks, widespread adoption has been trickier. The small pieces of cloth public health officials consider one of the best defenses against the growing novel coronavirus threat could double as a handy disguise for would-be bank robbers, they say. Face-mask requirements “create the very real risk of increases in bank robberies,” a top financial regulator said recently. (Merle, 7/22)
In related news from Indiana, Ohio, Florida, Minnesota and D.C. —
Politico: Republican Governors Of Indiana And Ohio Issue Mask Mandates, Joining More Than Half Of U.S. States
The Republican governors of Indiana and Ohio on Wednesday announced statewide mask mandates a day after President Donald Trump threw his support behind facial coverings as a tactic to stop the spread of coronavirus. More than half of U.S. states now have mask mandates in place, as top health officials plead for universal mask wearing amid a rise in coronavirus cases and deaths. (Cohen, 7/22)
The New York Times: Miami Mayor Wants Florida To Mask Up, Too
When Mayor Francis Suarez of Miami contracted the coronavirus in March, schools offered in-person classes, churches held worship services and restaurants were packed with diners. A very prominent patient No. 2 in Miami-Dade County, Mr. Suarez entered isolation just hours before declaring a state of emergency in his home city. More than four months and 90,000 cases later, Mr. Suarez now finds himself overseeing a city in crisis, as Florida emerges as a new epicenter of the pandemic. (Lerer, 7/22)
The Hill: Minnesota Governor Issues Statewide Mask Mandate
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) issued a statewide mask order Wednesday that will require people to wear face coverings at all times when in indoor public settings and businesses. Walz said the requirement, which many states have already put in place, is the cheapest and most efficient way to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus and allow businesses to reopen. (Klar, 7/22)
