{"id":2025455,"date":"2023-09-08T04:22:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-08T08:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/americans-divided-as-mask-mandates-make-a-comeback-amid-covid-19-surge\/"},"modified":"2023-09-08T04:28:28","modified_gmt":"2023-09-08T08:28:28","slug":"americans-divided-as-mask-mandates-make-a-comeback-amid-covid-19-surge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/americans-divided-as-mask-mandates-make-a-comeback-amid-covid-19-surge\/","title":{"rendered":"Mask mandates cause division among Americans amidst COVID-19 surge."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Famericans-divided-as-mask-mandates-make-a-comeback-amid-covid-19-surge%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2025455&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to rise across the country, several schools and private companies have reinstated \u200bmask mandates, sparking \u200ddivisions in communities over how to limit the spread of\u2062 the virus.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased by nearly \u206316 percent in the past week alone.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>In late August, Kinterbish Junior High\u200d School in Alabama issued a mask\u2063 mandate for students, staff, and visitors due to COVID-19. Similarly, Rosemary Hills Elementary School in Silver Spring, \u200dMaryland, recently implemented a 10-day mask mandate after\u2063 three people at the school tested positive\u200b for the\u2063 virus.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\" id=\"in_article_related_stories\">\n<div class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/fauci-touts-face-masks-while-admitting-to-ineffectiveness-5485677\">Fauci Touts Face Masks While Admitting to\u200c Ineffectiveness<\/a>\n          <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/3\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/fauci-touts-face-masks-while-admitting-to-ineffectiveness-5485677\"><\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/new-studies-find-toxic-risks-associated-with-face-masks-amid-reemergence-of-mask-mandates-5484199\">New Studies Find Toxic Risks Associated With Face\u2064 Masks Amid Reemergence of Mask \u200bMandates<\/a>\n          <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">8\/31\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/new-studies-find-toxic-risks-associated-with-face-masks-amid-reemergence-of-mask-mandates-5484199\"><\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;It always starts the same way,\u2062 as a temporary mandate &#8217;15 days to \u200b [slow the spread],&#8217; &#8221; said Kyle\u2062 Wilkens, a parent in Silver \u200bSpring.\u200d &#8220;I can&#8217;t go through this again, my child is not wearing a mask to school.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Ms.\u200b Wilkens believes the \u2064mandate will be extended, though it is set to expire by Sept. 15.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The media is already doing its part to fear monger. Now,\u2064 they are trying to soften us \u2064up with scattered mask guidance and requirements here and there. We \u2062know from before it will escalate.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode post-related-videos\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Others in\u200c the area believe the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-teacher-cries-compares-lack-of-mask-mandate-to-school-shooting\/\" title=\"Texas Teacher Cries, Compares Lack Of Mask Mandate To School Shooting\">temporary mask mandate<\/a> is a good idea to prevent transmission of the coronavirus in the community.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s \u200bbetter than getting stuck\u200b at home for 10 days\u200b or feeling \u2064miserable and getting\u2063 stuck at home,&#8221; said Marlene Tay of Montgomery County, Maryland.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We all \u200dgot COVID last year after some \u200dschool cases. It was awful because of course our daughter was fine while\u200c we felt sick. \u200bI \u2062expect to get sick soon.\u2063 Our neighbors just had their third case a few weeks ago. All the kids are getting fevers and sore throats even though \u2062it&#8217;s not usually COVID, (yet).&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>In other parts of the country, mask mandates have\u2062 been both implemented and lifted.\u2062 Morris Brown College in Atlanta, \u200dGeorgia, recently ended its mask mandate after two\u200b weeks. Similarly, Lionsgate film\u200b studios and\u2063 Kaiser Permanente \u200din California briefly put a mandate in place before lifting it.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>&#8220;Thank god\u200b I live in Florida,&#8221; said Tammy Contreraz of Tampa Bay. &#8220;I don&#8217;t have to deal with all these confusing rules on mandates.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Health Officials Split on Masking<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The CDC has issued recommendations for masking based on hospital admission rates, categorizing admission levels as green, yellow, and red (low, medium, and high).<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>If \u200bhospitalization rates\u200b for COVID are at the yellow (medium) or red (high) level, when there are 10 to more than 20 new admissions \u200dper \u2062100,000 people in a county, the CDC recommends wearing a mask while indoors or in a public space.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I think it&#8217;s smart guidance,\u200d masks\u200b are effective \u2063at\u2063 limiting \u2062any airborne pathogen but only if worn consistently, especially\u2063 in crowded spaces and close contact areas,&#8221; said Santiago Mercado, an Emergency Room Nurse at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, New York.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know how well people will comply with the guidance, but it can absolutely protect the public and improve preventable deaths.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Mr. \u200bMercado worked at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/officials-eleven-soldiers-hospitalized-after-ingesting-chemical-found-in-antifreeze\/\" title=\"Officials: Eleven Soldiers Hospitalized After Ingesting Chemical Found In Antifreeze\">intensive care units<\/a> in hospitals \u2064across the New York City \u2064area\u2063 during the pandemic in 2020 and\u200c has seen how quickly COVID\u200c can spread\u2014inundating healthcare facilities.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It was like a brush\u2064 fire; so many people were \u200ddying every day.\u2062 Anything we can do to prevent that \u200dagain, I support,&#8221; he\u200c said.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>People wearing protective face masks \u200bwalk on the street in Brooklyn, New York, on Oct. 7, 2020. (Chung I\u2063 Ho\/The Epoch Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Healthcare professionals on the other side of the issue disagree and say masking has\u200c no significant benefit to avoiding infection by\u2063 the coronavirus.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>&#8220;The CDC&#8217;s own data reveals that those who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/despite-insistence-by-democrat-politicians-and-medical-elites-empirical-evidence-does-not-conclusively-show-that-masks-reduce-the-spread-of-covid\/\" title=\"Despite Insistence by Democrat Politicians and Medical Elites, Empirical Evidence DOES NOT Conclusively Show that Masks Reduce the Spread of COVID\">wear masks<\/a> get infected with\u200d COVID at the\u2062 same rate\u200d as those who don&#8217;t,&#8221; according to an analysis from Americas Frontline Doctors posted\u2064 on their website.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;85 percent of those infected with COVID wore masks some or all of the time before their infection. The \u200ccountless jurisdictions that mandated masks actually saw an increase in infections during the mandate. A key randomized, controlled study of \u200cmass masking during the COVID outbreak, concluded that wearing a mask had no significant effect on viral spreading.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>The organization goes on to report that even if masks were effective, there are negative impacts of \u2063continuous\u200c mask-wearing, such \u2062as a &#8220;decrease in the levels \u200cof oxygen intake, headaches, Mask-Induced Exhaustion Syndrome (MIED), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/americans-divided-as-mask-mandates-make-a-comeback-amid-covid-19-surge\/\" title=\"Mask mandates cause division among Americans amidst COVID-19 surge.\">reduced immunity germ load<\/a> and skin reactions.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Governors on Mask Mandates<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>There are no <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/some-states-drop-mask-mandates-as-cities-keep-theirs\/\" title=\"Some States Drop Mask Mandates As Cities Keep Theirs\">statewide mask mandates<\/a> \u2064across the country so far, though in\u2062 New York, Gov. Kathy\u200c Hochul (D) unveiled a plan to distribute N-95 and KN-95 masks to schools this fall but is not mandating their use.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>&#8220;Thanks to the hard work of New York schools, teachers, and parents, we have come a long way to ensure students can safely return to the classroom,&#8221;\u2063 Ms. Hochul\u200b said.\u200b &#8220;Frequent testing for COVID-19 is an important part of keeping our kids safe and preventing an outbreak, and I will \u200ccontinue working to\u2063 ensure our school districts have the resources they need to provide a safe, in-person learning \u200cenvironment\u200d for\u200c our\u200b students.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:721px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>A discarded face\u2064 mask is pictured on the\u2063 sidewalk in Long Beach, Calif., on\u2064 Aug. 22, 2020. (Apu Gomes\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves (R) has made his opposition to masking abundantly clear, stating there will \u2063be no mask mandates \u2063in the near future.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>&#8220;There are\u200b some on the left that\u200b still want COVID restrictions&#8230; Let me say it again \u2013 there will be no mask mandates, COVID vaccine mandates, or lockdowns in Mississippi,&#8221; Reeves posted on Facebook.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>&#8220;Mississippians will\u200d not and should not submit to fear again&#8230; If \u2064you want to take extraordinary measures to protect yourself from getting\u200c sick, God bless you. That is your right and you should do \u2064what you think is best. Maybe you&#8217;re the smartest of all of \u200bus. But we are never going back to 2020.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Fight Over Mandates on Capitol Hill<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The split over mask mandates has<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>response to the rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, numerous schools and private firms have reintroduced mask mandates. This has sparked divisions within communities regarding the most effective measures to curb the spread of the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports a nearly 16% surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations in just one week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1544,"featured_media":2025456,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2025455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2025455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1544"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2025455"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2025455\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2025456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2025455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2025455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2025455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}