To Mask or Not to Mask
The confusing and often conflicting guidelines and how to make sense out of them
On April 18, 2022, Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle of the Middle District of Florida struck down the federal mask mandate, saying it exceeded the statutory authority of the CDC. The TSA stopped enforcing the mask mandate at airports, and airlines made masks optional on domestic flights. The Justice Department is planning to appeal the decision. Statewide mask mandates indoors have all but disappeared.
Coronavirus cases were already on the upswing in the Northeast as the Omicron subvariant BA.2, which is more contagious than its predecessor, became the predominant strain in the U.S. The BA.2 subvariant has given rise to another subvariant, and its share of new Coronavirus cases is growing. According to estimates by the CDC, the newly identified form, BA.2.12.1, makes up about 36 percent of all new infections in the United States.
As reported by the New York Times, COVID cases are increasing in all but seven states and territories. The daily average for new cases on May 10 was 73,056, a 49% increase from two weeks ago. COVID infections in the U.S. may be an undercount as many people who test for the disease at home will not be reporting the results. Hospitalizations in the U.S. increased by 21% over the past two-week period…
