Read The Signs: Many Businesses Drop Mask Rules, Some Not Yet
Retail companies are announcing their plans for also relaxing requirements on face coverings as individual businesses must now navigate shifting state and federal guidance.
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Retail companies are announcing their plans for also relaxing requirements on face coverings as individual businesses must now navigate shifting state and federal guidance.
Americans who ventured out over the weekend faced a patchwork of inconsistent rules.
Both the National Nurses Union and the California Nurses Association slammed the relaxed CDC guidance, saying the protective measures helped keep health care workers safer. Other public health experts worry that the sudden appearance of normalcy will set back efforts to control virus spread.
Neither public or political pressure played a role in the decision to relax mask guidance for fully vaccinated people, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said when answering questions about her agency's drastic change.
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
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Three more regions in Japan have been added to the list of areas already under covid emergency orders. In other news, vaccine makers are under pressure to boost access to shots, and Ireland's health service is offline after a digital attack.
India's covid crisis continues with case numbers still rising but at a slightly lower rate. The AP notes that covid misinformation is "surging" in the country, as other reports cover how officials are scrambling for vaccine supplies and trying to administer the ones they do have properly.
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Gov. Mike Parson said the move was because of a lack of funding coming from the General Assembly. Elsewhere, Texas passes a 'heartbeat' anti-abortion bill, states consider their own bans on flavored tobacco, and the plan to house Los Angeles' Skid Row homeless hits a legal snag.
In other news, actor Eva Longoria joins a program to boost mental health services to farmworkers; the FDA has authorized the first overnight contact lenses to manage myopia; and Ohio and Georgia join the list of states that will opt out of federal enhanced unemployment benefits.
A bill that would speed up the prior authorization process and demand more transparency when insurance plans deny health provider's requests was reintroduced Thursday. Separately, Mayo Clinic and Kaiser Permanente plan to boost hospital care in patient's homes, and Connecticut's nursing home workers postpone strikes.
Meanwhile, CBS News notes the Pfizer covid vaccine is a top target of conspiracy theorists and misinformation efforts, and Fox News covers how Prince Harry "slammed" Joe Rogan for his covid misinformation efforts.
The White House announced that the funds come from the recent relief bill and will be used to hire additional public health workers and modernize the existing departments.
Infectious-disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said schools should be open "full blast" five days a week. American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten echoed that sentiment: “There is no doubt: Schools must be open, in person, five days a week, with the space and facilities to do so.”
The Biden administration's next weekly shipments of covid vaccines will not include any Johnson & Johnson doses, according to CDC reports. The early production issues at a Baltimore plant are largely blamed for the disruption.
Youths ages 12 to 15 lined up with their parents Thursday, eager to get their "freedom" back. Dr. Anthony Fauci also encouraged parents to get their children vaccinated.
The U.S. reported more than 38,000 new cases and 802 deaths Thursday. Meanwhile, new research suggests that coronavirus may contribute to erectile dysfunction.
Companies are also considering how to respond to the CDC's new recommendations, Bloomberg reports, with stores like Home Depot saying they'll stick twith their current mask rules -- pitching workers into an even trickier battle with non-mask wearing customers. NPR notes that that maskless shopping rules depend on where you live.
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