States Weigh Reinstating Mask Mandates

AP: Nevada Adopts COVID-19 Mask Rule In Line With Federal Advice
Nevada is re-imposing a mask mandate for public indoor settings in places where COVID-19 is surging, including the state’s largest cities, state authorities said Tuesday. Gov. Steve Sisolak’s order, effective at 12:01 a.m. Friday, follows an indoor masking recommendation issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier in the day. (Metz and Ritter, 7/28)

AP: Oregon Health Officials Recommend Wearing Masks Indoors
In response to a spike in COVID-19 cases in Oregon and updated national guidance calling for masking measures to prevent the spread of the highly transmissible delta variant, state health officials announced Tuesday they are recommending that people wear a mask in public indoor settings — including those who are fully vaccinated. The announcement occurred the same day that the Oregon Health Authority reported 1,032 new and presumed COVID-19 cases, the state’s highest daily case count since January based on recent data. (Cline, 7/28)

AP: No Mask Mandate, But Pennsylvania Urged To Follow Guidance
Gov. Tom Wolf said Tuesday that he is not considering a statewide mask mandate as coronavirus cases surge in Pennsylvania and across the country, while his administration said it is not requiring masks in schools. Wolf, speaking on KDKA-AM in Pittsburgh, said his strategy to fight the spread of COVID-19 has been the vaccine, and will continue to be. The masking mandate was for when there was no vaccine, Wolf said. (7/27)

AP: Michigan Governor Resumes Wearing Mask At Indoor Events
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday resumed wearing a mask at indoor events, citing revised guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a recommendation from Michigan’s chief doctor. The Democratic governor, who is vaccinated, said she does not anticipate reinstating a face covering requirement, “not in the near future and maybe not ever.” The CDC on Tuesday reversed course and recommended that even vaccinated people return to being masked indoors in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging. (Eggert, 7/28)

The Boston Globe: In Hot Spots Like Boston, Cape Cod, Vaccinated Advised To Mask Up Indoors
In an alarming sign of the pandemic’s resurgence, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed course Tuesday and recommended that fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors in areas of higher transmission, including Boston, Cape Cod and the Islands, and Bristol County. Citing new information about the Delta variant’s ability to spread among vaccinated people, federal health officials also recommended indoor masks for all students and staff at schools nationwide, regardless of vaccination status. (MacQuarrie and Martin, 7/27)

Los Angeles Times: Yolo County Reimposes Indoor Mask Mandate, Citing Rising COVID Cases And Hospitalizations
Yolo County on Tuesday ordered that everyone must wear a mask or face covering in indoor public spaces, regardless of vaccination status, beginning Friday. In issuing the order, the county’s Health Department said the number of cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents has risen eightfold, from 1.2 to 10, since June 15, when the county lifted capacity limits and other restrictions on businesses and allowed vaccinated people to go unmasked in most settings. The Health Department said the Delta variant, more than twice as contagious as the original virus, was to blame for mounting cases and an increase in hospitalizations. (Ormseth, 7/27)

AP: Ducey Keeps Virus Policies Despite New Federal Guidelines
Arizona won’t be making any changes to its COVID-19 polices even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reversed course on some masking guidelines, Republican Gov. Doug Ducey said Tuesday. Citing a surge of infections from the delta variant, the CDC recommended that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the country classified as having substantial or high transmission. The agency recommends indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors at schools nationwide regardless of vaccination status. (7/28)

Georgia Health News: Mask Rules Make Comeback As Concern Grows On Virus Spread 
Hospitals treating more patients and bracing for even more. Mask requirements returning. The push for vaccinations getting stronger, with more workers facing mandatory shots. The unsettling rise in COVID cases has prompted a flurry of virus-related activity this week across the state and the nation. Take Central Georgia. A Public Health spokesman there sent out data Monday that said his 13-county district has seen a major increase in COVID cases. The incidence rate of COVID-19 for district residents has hit 125 per 100,000 population, about four times the number from the  previous two-week period. Emergency room visits and hospitalizations are climbing, too. (Miller, 7/27)