Nearly one year after President Joe Biden declared the pandemic over, some colleges and work places have reinstituted mask mandates amid reports that the administration is set to roll out new COVID regulations as early as next month.
The COVID sub-variant, currently known as Eris, which has been seen in more than 50 countries including Denmark and Israel, has spurred increasing numbers of medical professionals and health activists to begin calling for a reinstatement of COVID-era restrictions, including forced face coverings.
However, the public can expect any new regulations to be met by congressional pushback. Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) told The Epoch Times that new mandates would be “simply inappropriate for any level of government.”
“The notion that certain jurisdictions and institutions would rush back into mandate mode is not going to be well received by anyone in this country,” said Mr. Kiley. “The president himself has declared an end to the national emergency. A review of the evidence around these mandates has not shown a positive health impact.”
Still, in some parts of the country, mask mandates have already arrived. A slight uptick in the virus led two hospitals in Syracuse, New York, University and Community General, to reimpose mandatory face-masking and COVID testing on Aug. 17, according to local news outlets.
“Effective immediately, mandatory masking is required by all staff, visitors, and patients in clinical areas,” instructed a memo sent to staff and obtained by Syracuse.com. “Clinical areas are defined as any location patients gather, wait, transport thorough, or receive care.”
In Los Angeles, major Hollywood studio Lionsgate demanded employees cover their faces at its Santa Monica office buildings. The policy was announced in an internal memo obtained by Deadline, demanding that “Employees must wear a medical grade face covering (surgical mask, KN95 or N95) when indoors except when alone in an office with the door closed, actively eating, actively drinking at their desk or workstation, or if they are the only individual present in a large open workspace.”
