Americans were outraged when hospitals brought back COVID-era mask mandates for visitors and patients
Americans are outraged that Covid-era mask rules have been pushed back into everyday life, with an entire hospital system issuing a new mandate and a public subway system suggesting face coverings must be worn.
A hospital system in Monterey, California, that treats nearly 400,000 patients a year this week reinstated a face mask mandate for visitors and patients.
Meanwhile, several counties in San Francisco’s Bay Area have also rolled back mask rules in healthcare facilities ahead of flu season.
And this week, New York City’s health department again began recommending that people wear masks while using public transportation as the country heads into winter.
But the new recommendations in Monterey and NYC sparked angry responses from many residents, who demanded health officials “move on” in the Covid era.
A New Yorker declared he was “tired of this” on an Instagram post shared by the NYC Health Department that read “Mask up, NYC!”
Another commenter added: ‘Isn’t this a joke? Masks don’t work,” while another wrote, “Are you still pushing this?”
And in response to the face mask mandate at a California hospital, one resident said KSBW news: ‘I think it’s good for everyone to get back to normal and move on.’
The mandates come as the U.S. enters the annual flu season, which typically begins in October and peaks in December and February.
The New York City Health Department is among those urging people to wear face masks as flu season approaches. It has sparked anger among some residents online
RETURN OF THE MASKS: US officials quietly reintroduce mask rules (Photo: A woman in Australia in September 2021
California officials said the mandate was especially important because of declining uptake of the Covid and flu vaccines.
Official surveillance shows that there will not be a wave of flu, Covid or other respiratory viruses this year.
However, cases of mild pneumonia have increased among children.
The test positivity rate for flu peaked at eight percent on August 10, the data show, but had fallen to 6.6 percent over the past week.
In unveiling the mask mandate for the Monterey Peninsula Community Hospital, infection specialist Dr. Martha Blum said, “Now is the time to really make these preparations and be reminded of what we can do to keep things from really spiraling out of control.” land with a strong increase. .
“As we like to say, Noah built the ark before the flood.”
The New York City Health Department urged people to wear masks, saying, “Wearing a mask in crowded indoor settings can help protect you from viruses like Covid and the flu this season.
“Your mask also protects others when you are sick.”
Mask mandates became a staple in many Democratic states during the Covid pandemic as a way to stop the spread of the virus.
But studies have failed to show that they have reduced the number of infections or deaths.
A major study by the Cochrane Institute found they make ‘little to no difference’ to a person’s risk of contracting Covid.
A woman is pictured masked in Sheep Meadow, New York, in May 2020
A woman is pictured wearing a face mask on the New York City subway in September 2022
The above shows flu surveillance by the CDC. The number of tests detecting the virus has remained stable over the past three weeks, as long as data is available
The CDC’s map of flu activity by state shows all have low or moderate levels of the virus
At the same time, some research suggests that Covid measures such as masking and social distancing may put people – especially children – at greater risk of serious infections.
They say it deprives children of exposure to diseases at a young age, meaning their immune systems may not develop properly.
However, some have reacted positively to the news, with one person saying online: ‘Immune system compromised here. It means a lot to us when people wear masks.”
A second said: ‘thanks for this message!’, and a third added: ‘I wish this was normal. Please let’s take care of our health and each other’.
Flu research by the CDC shows that the share of flu tests detecting the virus has remained at 0.6 percent over the last three weeks of data available.
The CDC also publishes a map of the impact of flu by state, which currently shows that almost every state has minimal activity of the virus. Only three – Indiana, Ohio and Virginia – have low activity.
