Don’t expect a government mask mandate again

Thank you for signing up!

Subscribe to more newsletters here

The Big Story

Several masking requirements have popped up around the country in recent weeks. But despite the uptick in COVID-19 cases, don’t expect another federal mandate.

© AP

A few schools, hospitals and businesses scattered around the country have brought back masking requirements in response to spikes in COVID-19 cases in their regions.

Morris Brown College in Atlanta issued a two-week, precautionary mask mandate for its students and employees despite no cases being detected on campus yet. The move was informed by some positive cases detected around the Atlanta University Center, a consortium of four historically Black colleges and universities, including Morris Brown College.

Perhaps the most well-known entity to bring mask requirements back to the workplace is the Hollywood movie studio Lionsgate, which informed staff members this week that they would be required to wear masks at their offices in Santa Monica, Calif.

On top of these measures, employees at Lionsgate will also be required to perform daily self-screenings and to stay home if they are experiencing symptoms or have traveled internationally in the past 10 days.

Public health officials say such moves are warranted if individual schools and companies think it’s the right decision. And in an era of living with COVID, these decisions will come about on a case-by-case basis.

Just as individuals practice mitigation methods based on their own level of risk, singular entities like schools and businesses will practice how they see fit.

Meanwhile, experts are doubtful that governments mask mandates will come back.

Aside from the political issues, the vast majority of the U.S. is under what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers to be low-risk, and the country is entering into this year’s respiratory viral season with new shots to prevent disease, making it better prepared.

Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.

Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.

Essential Reads

How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond:

Kaiser Permanente unions will vote on strike authorization

The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, which represents more than 85,000 health care workers in seven states and the District of Columbia, announced Thursday that its members would vote to authorize a strike between Aug. 26 and Sept. 13. This would be “the largest strike of health care workers in the history of this country,” said Dave Regan, president of the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers …

Canadian wildfire smoke led to spike in asthma ER visits in Northeast US: CDC

The smoke from Canadian wildfires that engulfed U.S. cities this summer and turned New York City’s skies orange led to a spike in asthma-related visits to emergency rooms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed Thursday. Smoke caused dangerously low air quality in cities across the U.S., but the impact was felt especially in the Northeast, a CDC study claims. Nationally, asthma-related ER visits increased …

CDC launches new sepsis initiative for US hospitals

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday announced the launch of a new initiative aimed at supporting sepsis teams at U.S. hospitals in light of new data that found a third of patients who die in hospitals had sepsis while hospitalized. The CDC’s Hospital Sepsis Program Core Elements will act as a “manager’s guide” on how to organize staff and identify resources needed for bringing sepsis rates …

In Other News

Branch out with a different read from The Hill:

Hospital services in the UK come to a standstill as thousands of senior doctors strike again

LONDON (AP) — Hospital care across England largely came to a standstill on Thursday as senior doctors launch another 48-hour strike amid an ongoing pay dispute between medics and the British government. Thousands of hospital doctors say they will only provide emergency care, and the National Health Service warned patients to expect major …

Around the Nation

Local and state headlines on health care:

What We’re Reading

Health news we’ve flagged from other outlets:

What Others are Reading

Most read stories on The Hill right now:

The winner of the first GOP debate: Glenn Youngkin

During presidential primary season, brutal honesty can be viewed as political kryptonite by candidates seeking to spin the media, the voters — and even themselves.

Read more

Putin’s voice in BRICS address raises eyebrows

As expected, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday addressed an annual business summit of world leaders gathered in South Africa. But this time, … Read more

You’re all caught up. See you tomorrow!

Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.