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COVID-19 surge in the US renews debate over masks

officials of all U.S are pondering whether they will impose again the use of masks At a time of high number of infections COVID-19 and growing public annoyance with restrictions in the face of the pandemic.

Much of the debate revolves around the nation’s schools, some of which have been closed due to staffing shortages due to infections. In various places, orders to wear masks are being suspended or voted down.

At the same time, the federal government is evaluating supplies of high-efficiency medical masks, such as the N95 and KN95.

In a briefing Wednesday, White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said officials were “seriously considering options to make more high-quality masks available to all Americans.” , noting that the government has a stockpile of more than 750 million N95 masks.

The best mask “is the one that you will wear and the one that you can wear all day, that you can tolerate indoors in public,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Officials in the Wyoming capital voted Monday to end a mask mandate for students and teachers that had been in place since September.

For its part, the Cheyenne County School District reduced COVID-19 isolation requirements, requiring only people with symptoms and positive diagnostic tests — not just those who were exposed to someone infected — to stay home for five days and wear masks the next five.

The University of Missouri board of governors rejected the chancellor’s request to temporarily require masks on the Columbia campus, as well as a specific mandate for classrooms and labs.

A school board meeting was canceled Monday in Wichita, Kansas, after three new members refused to wear masks for a swearing-in ceremony. Elected officials in the Topeka area, meanwhile, rejected a petition to mandate masks and urged people to be cautious, but said they were unwilling to impose the requirement.

Some jurisdictions are moving toward more stringent policies on masks, including that they be made from higher quality materials.

Last week, the University of Arizona announced on its website that it will mandate the use of medical-grade masks indoors where social distancing is impossible. The school noted on its website that it no longer considers cloth face coverings appropriate, although these can be worn over a medical-grade face mask to better fit and increase protection.

A new mandate for wearing masks indoors went into effect Wednesday in New Orleans ahead of the Mardi Gras season.

Daily hospitalizations of people with coronavirus throughout the state of Louisiana have increased sevenfold in three weeks, an increase that has affected clinics, where sometimes the waiting time in emergency rooms is up to 12 hours, according to the director. of health of the city, doctor Jennifer Avegno.

Health officials in Omaha, Nebraska, announced a temporary mask mandate on Tuesday, but the state has warned it will sue if the measure is imposed as planned. Omaha City Council President Pete Festersen said a majority of his council supported the decision.

“This is not a decision I made lightly. It wasn’t easy at all, and I think it’s going to generate some discontent,” said Douglas County Health Director Lindsay Huse. “However, it is an instrument that we have at our disposal. We have research and evidence showing that wearing masks decreases transmission.”

Other places are hesitant to revive requirements that came to an end months ago. In Michigan, where officials said the state’s record numbers of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations could peak in late January or February before beginning to taper off, health officials remained reluctant to reimpose restrictions. or require the use of masks. They continue to implore people to get vaccinated, get boosters, wear their masks correctly in public, and avoid large gatherings.

Elizabeth Hertel, director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, recommended people wear N95 masks or two other snug-fitting masks on their faces. A group of parents called for face masks to be mandated, as most districts have done locally, though not statewide.

In Utah, as lawmakers prepared to begin their sessions for the year, Republican Gov. Spencer Cox exempted the Capitol and other state facilities from the city’s mask mandate.

Jenny Wilson, the Democratic mayor of Salt Lake County, said the governor lacks the authority to waive this policy, which requires the use of N95 and KN95 or similar masks for a month in closed spaces, including schools.

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