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Disney, Vegas, Apple are among those who require new mask mandates
Mask requirements are coming back in many vacation spots, workplaces and schools.
Staff Video, USA TODAY
The United States is unlikely to see the lockdowns that hit the country last year despite the surge in infections, but “things will get worse,” Dr Anthony Fauci warned on Sunday.
Fauci, making the rounds on the morning TV news, noted that half of Americans have been vaccinated. That, he said, should be enough to avoid drastic measures. But not enough to crush the epidemic.
“We are looking, not, I believe, for blockages, but for pain and suffering in the future,” Fauci said on ABC’s “This Week”.
The United States reported more than 1.3 million new infections in July, more than triple the number in June. Fauci acknowledged that some revolutionary infections are occurring among the vaccinated. No vaccine is 100% effective, he noted. But he pointed to the recurring theme of the Biden administration that vaccinated people who are infected are less likely to get seriously ill than unvaccinated people who are infected.
“From the perspective of illness, hospitalization, suffering and death, the unvaccinated are much more vulnerable,” Fauci said. “The unvaccinated, by not getting vaccinated, allow the epidemic to spread and spread.”
The CDC has brought back guidelines recommending masks for people vaccinated in areas with significant virus spread.
“It has a lot more to do with the transmission,” Fauci said of the new guidelines. “You want them to wear a mask, so that if they are indeed infected, they don’t pass it on to vulnerable people, maybe in their own homes, children, or people with underlying conditions. “
The return of some local mask warrants to schools and elsewhere is generating similar resistance to that of vaccine warrants. In Texas, where new daily infections have tripled in the past two weeks, Gov. Greg Abbott has banned local governments and state agencies from requiring vaccines or masks. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, despite the record number of infections in his state, has also placed limits on local mask rules.
Both governors say protecting against the virus should be a matter of personal responsibility, not government intervention.
“We have a lot of pressure from the CDC and others to make every person, children and (school) staff wear masks all day,” DeSantis said. “It would be a huge mistake.”
The Biden administration’s new policy requiring federal workers to wear masks has sparked some backlash from unions, including those who encourage their ranks and files to wear masks.
“Our union plans to negotiate the details before any new policy is implemented,” tweeted the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 700,000 public servants.
Also in the news:
► A lawsuit filed Friday by the American Civil Liberties Union and local organizations alleges the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in California mis-spent nearly $ 5 million in federal funds intended to alleviate COVID0-19. The lawsuit claims the department spent the money on flooring, office furniture, door keypads, cameras and bulletproof windows, which defendants say were measures meant to prevent the spread. of COVID.
►Thousands of people in France demonstrated on Saturday against a new measure that would require people to present a “green pass” certifying that they have been vaccinated, received a negative COVID-19 test, or recovered from an infection recent in order to enter most public spaces. Most of the protests were peaceful, but riot police clashed with some protesters in Paris.
►Over 100 students at a charter school in Atlanta are in quarantine after the first week of class. At least two students and two staff members tested positive for COVID-19 at Drew Charter School on Wednesday, school officials said on Friday. The students returned to school on Tuesday.
►Despite all other US swimmers wearing masks in interviews with reporters, the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee has allowed unvaccinated swimmer Michael Andrew to not wear a mask. Citing Tokyo’s playbook on COVID-19 protocols released in June, the USOPC said athletes can remove their masks for interviews.
📈Today’s numbers: The United States has recorded more than 34.9 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 613,100 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Global totals: Over 198 million cases and 4.2 million deaths. More than 164.4 million Americans – 49.5% of the population – have been fully immunized, according to the CDC.
📘What we read: Evidence is mounting on the dangers of the delta variant and how wearing a mask is essential to bring it under control, according to a government slideshow dated Thursday. The delta variant is considered to be much more contagious than the other variants of the virus. Read more.
Keep refreshing this page for the latest news. Want more? Sign up for USA TODAY’s Coronavirus Watch newsletter to receive updates straight to your inbox and join our Facebook group.
Florida reported 21,683 new cases in data it released on Saturday, the state’s highest one-day COVID-19 case total since the start of the pandemic. Florida has become a hotspot for COVID infections, accounting for about one in five new cases nationwide. It also recorded 409 deaths from the virus this week.
The situation in Florida comes as the CDC has recommended that people across the country return to masks in indoor public spaces, even if they are vaccinated against the coronavirus, due to the increase in cases and the high transmissibility of the delta variant. The CDC also recommended that all school staff and students wear masks.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, however, resisted masking orders and placed limits on the ability of local authorities to demand masks. He also signed an executive order on Friday setting out emergency rules to “protect the rights of parents,” making face masks optional statewide in schools and leaving the care to parents.
Tenants struggling with months of rent arrears are no longer protected by the federal moratorium on evictions. The Biden administration let the moratorium expire on Saturday night, saying Congress should take legislative action to protect tenants while urging the distribution of billions of dollars in aid to help people facing loss of homes. The administration stressed that it wanted to extend the moratorium, but that its hands were tied after the U.S. Supreme Court reported in June that it could not be extended beyond the end of July without action from the United States. Congress.
House lawmakers on Friday tried unsuccessfully to pass a bill to extend the moratorium, even by a few months. Some Democratic lawmakers had wanted it extended until the end of the year.
Contribution: The Associated Press
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