Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Unmasking Decisions 'Probably Premature,' Biden Says
The Washington Post: Biden Says Lifting Covid Mask Mandates ‘Probably Premature’ As Blue States Loosen Rules
President Biden said Thursday that easing indoor masking requirements was “probably premature,” as an increasing number of states announce plans to roll back such restrictions amid a sharp decline in covid-linked hospitalizations. But Biden refrained from criticizing the governors of those states, saying it was tough to judge if they were moving too quickly. “It’s hard to say whether they are wrong,” he told Lester Holt on NBC “Nightly News. “They set a time limit and I assume it has something to do with whether the omicron variant continues to dive,” Biden added. (Jeong, 2/10)
NBC News: White House Plans For Pandemic’s Next Stage Amid Internal Debate
The Biden administration’s effort over the past month to develop a new Covid-19 strategy has sparked an internal debate about how far to go in lifting mitigation measures like masks and how to know when the country is entering that new phase of the pandemic. Administration officials began a “listening tour” in early January to inform the new strategy and have been soliciting input from outside medical experts and state and local public health officials as well as consulting with governors, administration officials said. (Lee, Przybyla, Pettypiece and Strickler, 2/11)
More on mask mandates —
AP: Nevada, Casinos Rescind Mask Mandates Effective Immediately
Nevada and its casinos stopped requiring people to wear masks in public on Thursday, joining most other U.S. states lifting restrictions that were imposed to limit the spread of coronavirus. Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak announced that the state no longer required face coverings in most places, “effective immediately. ”But to avoid having students rip off their masks in class, he said rules for schools remained in place until the end of the day. (Sonner and Ritter, 2/10)
The Boston Globe: Boston To Maintain Mask Requirement In Schools, Loosen Vaccine Mandate For Educators
Mayor Michelle Wu announced an agreement with Boston teachers Thursday that will ease the vaccine mandate on educators, but said masks will still be required in school after Feb. 28, as the uncertain course of the pandemic continues to dominate her early tenure. Wu said Boston’s school mask mandate will remain in place past the expiration of the statewide requirement at month’s end, announced by Governor Charlie Baker on Wednesday. She urged caution, given that many children remain unvaccinated, even as the region begins to emerge from the Omicron surge. (Platoff and Tziperman Lotan, 2/10)
AP: LA County's Indoor Mask Rule Likely To Remain Through March
While the winter coronavirus wave in California is receding fast, it could be a while before Los Angeles County lifts its indoor mask and vaccine mandates, the county’s top health official said Thursday while urging football fans to take precautions when gathering for the Super Bowl. Most California counties plan to follow state guidelines and end their indoor masking requirements for vaccinated people next week. But the state’s most populous county is still seeing high transmission of the omicron variant even as the test positivity rate, case numbers and hospitalizations drop, said Barbara Ferrer, Los Angeles County’s health director. (Weber, 2/11)
The Washington Post: Should You Go Maskless Even If Mask Requirements Have Lifted?
What should I consider when deciding whether to go maskless? There are a few main things that Robert Murphy, professor of infectious diseases at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, said he would consider before deciding to leave a mask at home. (Firozi, 2/10)
