{"id":2028373,"date":"2023-09-11T17:35:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-11T21:35:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/its-2023-but-covid-restrictions-are-not-a-thing-of-the-past\/"},"modified":"2023-09-11T17:36:27","modified_gmt":"2023-09-11T21:36:27","slug":"its-2023-but-covid-restrictions-are-not-a-thing-of-the-past","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/its-2023-but-covid-restrictions-are-not-a-thing-of-the-past\/","title":{"rendered":"COVID restrictions still in place in 2023"},"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\">14<\/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%2Fits-2023-but-covid-restrictions-are-not-a-thing-of-the-past%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=2028373&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--><h2>COVID Restrictions Still in Place: A Familiar Echo<\/h2>\n<p>It may\u200c be \u200c2023, more\u2063 than three years after the pandemic began, but COVID restrictions remain a mandatory part \u2064of life for many.<\/p>\n<p>Some schools,\u2062 employers, and government entities are forcing students, \u200cworkers, and the public to comply with COVID measures in a familiar echo of last year, and the year before that, and the year before that.<\/p>\n<h3>Mask \u200bMandates Persist in Certain Areas<\/h3>\n<p>The city of San Francisco is still <a href=\"https:\/\/sf.gov\/information\/know-when-masks-are-needed#:~:text=There%20are%20no%20longer%20masking,or%20people%20living%20in%20jails.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">requiring<\/a> people who\u2063 work in health care or at \u2062jails to wear a \u200cface \u200dmask.<\/p>\n<p>Even in \u2063deep-red Alabama,\u2062 three court buildings in \u2064Dallas County have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/mask-mandate-update-alabama-dallas-county-restrictions-1825563\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">resurrected<\/a> their\u2062 mask\u200b mandate for the public after several \u200ccases of the virus cropped up in the buildings.<\/p>\n<p>In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis (R) <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/ron-desantis-vaccines-ladapo-florida-d40276077f5fb6de98c2087172b423dc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">criticized<\/a> \u2064the idea of \u2064going back to \u200bCOVID restrictions and promised\u200b Florida will not do\u200c so.<\/p>\n<p>Vermont is pushing \u200bback as \u2063well. The state will no longer\u200b allow school \u200cnurses \u2063to test students for COVID, according to the Vermont\u2064 Department of Health,\u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/2023\/09\/06\/absent-in-vermont-schools-this-fall-student-covid-19-testing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">signaling<\/a> \u2063that they are viewing the virus as more like a seasonal flu.<\/p>\n<h3>Deja Vu\u200d in Schools<\/h3>\n<p>The \u2063return of COVID restrictions\u200c comes amid \u2063an \u2062uptick of virus \u2062cases and hospitalizations as \u200bwe head into the\u2063 colder months, but the outbreaks appear to be concentrated in hotspots \u200cand are \u2062well below the peaks we saw at the height of the \u200dpandemic.<\/p>\n<p>With the school year kicking off and students returning to\u200b classrooms and\u2062 campuses, several \u2062schools are giving\u200b students deja vu with their own\u200c mandatory \u2014 and strict \u2064\u2014 pandemic \u2062rules.<\/p>\n<p>This week, a Maryland elementary school reinstated its face \u200cmask mandate after several students \u200btested positive for COVID.<\/p>\n<p>Rosemary Hills Elementary School just north of Washington, D.C., is \u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wbal.com\/article\/616010\/2\/mask-mandate-returns-for-one-class-in-montgomery-county-elementary-school\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">requiring<\/a> the third-grade \u2063class \u200cand school staff to wear\u2062 masks for 10 days after \u201cthree or more\u201d third graders \u2063tested positive for the virus.<\/p>\n<p>The young students must wear masks \u201cexcept\u2064 when eating\u200b or \u2062drinking,\u201d\u200b and the school is providing KN95 masks to students and staff in the \u201cidentified classes or activities.\u201d Parents\u200c will also be sent at-home rapid COVID tests, and Rosemary Hills is <a href=\"https:\/\/wtop.com\/montgomery-county\/2023\/09\/1-class-required-to-wear-masks-after-covid-outbreak-in-montgomery-co-school\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">asking<\/a> them to report any positive test results to\u2062 the school attendance office.<\/p>\n<p>In Alabama, Kinterbish Junior High <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/mask-mandate-update-full-list-schools-restrictions-1825285\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">announced<\/a> an indefinite mask mandate last month,\u2064 and students \u2063appeared \u200cto still be wearing masks last week based on Facebook photos.<\/p>\n<p>In\u200d Georgia, Morris Brown College, a private, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/maryland-elementary-school-forces-kids-to-mask-up-again\/\" title=\"Maryland elementary school reinstates mask requirement for children.\">historically black liberal arts school<\/a> in Atlanta <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/maryland-elementary-school-forces-kids-to-mask-up-again\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">announced<\/a> a two-week\u2064 mask mandate last month.<\/p>\n<p>There \u2064were no active COVID cases on \u200dcampus, but several students at the other three colleges in the Atlanta University Center system had tested positive after students returned to campus.<\/p>\n<p>Morris Brown students were \u200drequired\u2063 to practice social distancing and were prohibited from having parties or large gatherings.\u200b They were also required to get their temperature checked when they arrived on\u2063 campus, comply with contact\u200c tracing efforts, and \u200bisolate for at least five days if they tested positive.<\/p>\n<p>Dillard University, another private, historically black university in \u2063New Orleans announced \u200ba two-week mask\u200d mandate last\u200d month, citing a jump in virus cases.<\/p>\n<h3>COVID Impact on Schools and Beyond<\/h3>\n<p>Meanwhile, two \u2063California high schools canceled their upcoming \u2064football games \u200dover COVID cases among students.<\/p>\n<p>Esparto High School west of Sacramento canceled its \u2062game after\u200c six players \u2063contracted the \u200bvirus and seven more players\u2064 were out due to injuries. Likewise, Santa Paula High School north\u200c of Los Angeles \u2062canceled its football game due to 20 positive COVID cases\u2063 within the football and cheerleading teams.<\/p>\n<p>Some parents were\u2063 frustrated that their kids will miss out after months of lockdowns.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe couldn\u2019t go to the movies. Couldn\u2019t do nothing; locked down with a \u200cChromebook,\u201d a\u2064 Santa Paula \u200bparent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/covid-cancellations-return-two-california-high-schools-cancel-football-games\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told<\/a> a local outlet. \u201cIt\u2062 was horrible.\u200d Totally affected her\u200b life.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Mask Mandates Extend Beyond Schools<\/h3>\n<p>A major Hollywood movie studio brought back its mask\u200d mandate last month as well. Lionsgate,\u200b reinstated its mask mandate for \u200cmost of its Santa Monica office employees after several employees \u2064tested positive for COVID. Lionsgate said\u2062 it would also do contact tracing and give out \u2064free COVID test kits, and the studio also asked employees to self-screen for\u200b COVID before coming to\u200d work.<\/p>\n<p>Late last month, though,\u2063 Lionsgate <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2023\/08\/lionsgate-mask-mandate-lifted-covid-outbreak-1235528599\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a> it would lift its mask \u2063mandate again.<\/p>\n<p>Hospitals are bringing back their mask mandates as well. In California, Kaiser Permanente <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pressdemocrat.com\/article\/news\/kaiser-permanente-reinstates-covid-19-mask-mandate-amid-spike-in-cases-but\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">imposed<\/a> a mask mandate at its hospitals and medical offices in Santa Rosa for not only doctors and patients\u200b but also visitors.<\/p>\n<p>In New York, a group of hospitals have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ap-quotes-mayor-attacking-ron-desantis-doesnt-mention-hes-married-to-desantis-political-rival\/\" title=\"AP Quotes Mayor Attacking Ron DeSantis, Doesn\u2019t Mention He\u2019s Married To DeSantis\u2019 Political Rival\">brought back mask mandates<\/a> as well, <a class=\"color-link\" title=\"https:\/\/www.fox4news.com\/news\/citing-rising-covid-cases-these-us-hospital-systems-have-now-reinstated-mask-mandates\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fox4news.com\/news\/citing-rising-covid-cases-these-us-hospital-systems-have-now-reinstated-mask-mandates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/www.fox4news.com\/news\/citing-rising-covid-cases-these-us-hospital-systems-have-now-reinstated-mask-mandates\" aria-label=\"including\">including<\/a> United Health Services, Auburn Community Hospital, and University Hospital in Syracuse.<\/p>\n<h3>Public Response and Political Stances<\/h3>\n<p>Most of the new mask mandates do not specify whether certain kinds of\u2063 face masks are unacceptable. As long ago as 2021, CNN\u2019s medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/americas\/cloth-masks-useless-omicron-expert-b1980394.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a> cloth face masks were \u201clittle\u2064 more than facial decorations,\u201d and\u200b urged people to wear \u201cat least a \u2064three-ply surgical \u2063mask.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The current COVID variant, which is\u200d descended from Omicron, has been spreading for months, and experts have\u2064 said it is not any more dangerous than previous variants.<\/p>\n<p>Even so, the White \u2063House is\u200d putting out warnings about COVID\u2064 as fall approaches.<\/p>\n<p>Biden has not \u200dtried\u200c to get Americans to return to face mask mandates broadly, but his administration is still strongly pushing \u2062the COVID vaccine.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200d Biden administration recently\u2063 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/article\/flu-covid-rsv-vaccines.html\">recommended<\/a> that many people get not only a COVID \u2063booster shot, but also a flu shot and a shot for RSV, a respiratory virus that \u200ccan be dangerous for infants and elderly adults.<\/p>\n<p>One doctor \u200dwho is an advisor to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)\u2063 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/article\/flu-covid-rsv-vaccines.html\">compared<\/a> an \u2064annual COVID booster to \u201ca seatbelt in a\u200d car,\u201d\u200d saying it is good to keep\u2064 using it.<\/p>\n<p>Former president Donald Trump slammed the \u200dreturn of COVID restrictions late last month.<\/p>\n<p>The 2024 Republican frontrunner <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/donald-trump-blasts-mask-mandates-covid-1823697\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">promised<\/a> that \u2063if re-elected, he\u200d would \u201cuse every available authority\u2062 to cut federal \u200dfunding to\u200b any school, college, airline or public transportation system\u2064 that imposes a mask mandate or a vaccine mandate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Even during \u2064the height of the pandemic, policies like mask mandates, lockdowns, \u2064and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/its-2023-but-covid-restrictions-are-not-a-thing-of-the-past\/\" title=\"COVID restrictions still in place in 2023\">vaccine mandates faced spirited opposition<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Now that \u2062the pandemic \u200dis three years old, it\u2019s doubtful\u2064 Americans \u2062have any\u2062 appetite\u2062 left for more restrictions.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/onelink.to\/dwapp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>year before that. Despite advancements in vaccines and treatments, the persistence of COVID restrictions continues to impact daily routines. The ongoing enforcement by schools, employers, and government entities reflects the enduring need to prioritize public health and safety, reminding us that the fight against the pandemic is far from over.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":2028374,"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":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2028373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"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\/2028373","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\/107"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2028373"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2028373\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2028374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2028373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2028373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2028373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}