Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Texas Sues Over Airline Mask Mandate
The Texas Tribune: Texas Sues CDC To Stop Mask Mandates On Planes
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Irving, are suing the Biden administration to end mask mandates on planes. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, argues that the mandate imposes a “restriction on travelers’ liberty interests” and that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not have the authority to introduce such a blanket preventive measure. First issued in January 2021, the federal mask mandate requires travelers to wear masks while using public transportation services or facilities, including airports and subway stations. Those who violate the mask mandate could be subject to fines. (Dey, 2/16)
AP: 4-Year-Old Autistic Boy Allowed To Fly Without Wearing Mask
Lawyers representing the family of a 4-year-old boy with autism said Wednesday that they have received a temporary court order from a federal judge exempting him from having to wear a mask when flying from Florida to Boston for treatment. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Patti Saris in Boston scheduled an emergency hearing Wednesday after the lawyers said two airlines and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declined to grant a mask exception for the boy. His family lives in Sanford, Florida, and must travel for care at Boston Children’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. (2/17)
Many states and cities lift mask mandates —
AP: No Mask Mandates As Louisiana Extends Emergency Status
With the state heading into the peak of Carnival season, Gov. John Bel Edwards extended Louisiana’s COVID-19 health emergency declaration Wednesday, but did not reinstitute long-expired mask mandates or gathering restrictions. New Orleans, however, plans to keep in place mask mandates and requirements for vaccines or negative tests for many indoor events through Mardi Gras, which falls on March 1. Carnival celebrations were largely canceled last year because of the pandemic. Officials now believe the 2020 celebration was responsible for making the city and state early Southern hot spots of the disease. (McGill, 2/16)
Detroit Free Press: Michigan Drops Mask Guidance For Schools, Other Indoor Settings
Michigan health department leaders are no longer urging local school leaders and others to require masks in many indoor settings. The new guidance takes effect immediately, reflecting improving COVID-19 trends and similar moves from other administrations across the country amid fierce pressure from critics who argue that mask recommendations at schools are unnecessary. "While Michigan hasn't had statewide mask policies since last June, this updated guidance will underscore that we are getting back to normal," Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a news release. (Boucher, 2/16)
The Washington Post: Virginia’s Youngkin Signs Law Requiring Public Schools To Make Masks Optional By March 1
Gov. Glenn Youngkin took to the steps of the Virginia Capitol on Wednesday to ceremonially sign a bill making masks optional in public schools, proclaiming before scores of cheering supporters that “we are reaffirming the … fundamental rights all parents have to make decisions for their children.”Youngkin (R) treated the bill-signing like a major campaign event, with schoolchildren brought in as a backdrop and Republican legislators on the steps of the Capitol portico behind them. (Schneider, Vozzella and Natanson, 2/16)
AP: Omaha Lifts Mask Mandate As COVID Cases Plunge In Nebraska
The number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations has improved enough in Nebraska that local health officials lifted Omaha’s mask mandate Wednesday, and some of the state’s largest hospitals said they were easing certain restrictions. The number of people hospitalized with the coronavirus statewide has fallen steadily since hitting a peak of 767 on Jan. 28. State health officials said 436 people were hospitalized with the virus Tuesday — the lowest number since early November. (Funk, 2/16)
Some colleges and universities drop masks, too —
AP: UW System To End Mask Mandate By Spring Break
University of Wisconsin System officials said Wednesday they plan to end their campus mask mandates by spring break. UW System President Tommy Thompson announced that widespread vaccinations and waning case numbers on system campuses and across the state justify the move. Thompson said vaccines and tests will still be available on campus and students and employees can still opt to wear masks if they wish. (2/16)
AP: West Virginia University Draws Back Mask Requirements
West Virginia University is lifting some of its masking requirements put in place to combat COVID-19 as the number of virus cases in the state is decreasing. University officials announced Wednesday that masks will no longer be required in most indoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status. (2/17)
AP: Purdue To Make Masks Optional Friday In Many Indoor Spaces
Beginning Friday, Purdue University will make face masks optional in many indoor settings on its main campus in the West Lafayette, the school announced Wednesday. The new policy does not apply to instructional, research and health care settings or where contractually required, the university said. (2/16)
In related news —
The Atlantic: The Pandemic Isn’t Over For Immunocompromised People
In the past, immunocompromised people lived with their higher risk of infection, but COVID represents a new threat that, for many, has further jeopardized their ability to be part of the world. From the very start of the pandemic, some commentators have floated the idea “that we can protect the vulnerable and everyone else can go on with their lives,” Seth Trueger, who is on immunosuppressants for an autoimmune complication of cancer, told me. “How’s that supposed to work?” He is an emergency doctor at Northwestern Medicine; he can neither work from home nor protect himself by avoiding public spaces. “How am I supposed to provide for my family or live my life if there’s a pandemic raging?” he said. Contrary to popular misconceptions, most immunocompromised people are neither visibly sick nor secluded. “I know very few people who are immunocompromised and get to live in a bubble,” says Maggie Levantovskaya, a writer and literature professor who has lupus, an autoimmune disorder that can cause debilitating inflammation across the entire body. (Yong, 2/16)
