Category: mask mandates

Spokane City Official Defies Mask Mandate, Talks About Freedom Versus Following Rules

SPOKANE, Wash.—Spokane city council members attempted to pass a resolution in late January asking the mayor to revoke councilman Jonathan Bingle’s City Hall access after he chose not to wear a mask indoors. Bingle told The Epoch Times that the question of masking has moved from being about health to being about politics. “I would…


‘Our Kids Are in Crisis’: GOP Energy and Commerce Leader Calls for End to Child Masking

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rogers (R-Wash.), a GOP leader on the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations, called for an end to mask mandates for children on Thursday, noting the negative influence these mandates have on children’s mental health and social development. McMorris Rogers’ statement comes after a coalition of 40 school district superintendents…


Chris Lane’s Spouse Lauren Bushnell Slams Mask Mandate for Young Children

Lauren Bushnell, the wife of American country singer Christopher Lane, called the mask mandate for young children “not fair” and “cruel,” explaining the measure has an impact on kids’ concentration and ability to learn in school. “Young children cannot learn with a mask on period point-blank. This is cruel. I am thankful we are able to…


Scotland’s COVID-19 Death Rates Higher Than England’s Despite Tougher Restrictions: Report

Scotland’s stricter COVID-19 restrictions did not prevent its COVID-19 death rates from climbing above those in England during the Delta and Omicron waves, new analysis of official data shows. In the summer of 2021, after the UK government abolished mask mandates in England, the Scottish National Party (SNP) administration continued to require the use of…


Virginia Governor Seeks March 1 End to School Mask Mandates

RICHMOND, Va.—School mask mandates in Virginia would end on March 1 if the General Assembly adopts amendments made by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin to just-passed legislation on the issue. The legislature passed a bill Monday giving parents and students the ability to opt out of mandates imposed by local school boards. But the legislation would…


Families of Virginia Students Punished for Challenging Mask Rules say Mandates are Illogical

Loudon County, Virginia, students defying mask mandates have been segregated from masked peers, put in detention, and suspended for choosing not to wear masks at school after Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order making masks optional. Two families—Muriel and Brian Groce, with their daughters Annabelle and Madeleine, and Andrew Missler, with his son, Jarod—said…


LA Parents React to Garcetti, Others Maskless at Super Bowl Game

LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles parents are calling on county officials to end the mask mandate for students after Mayor Eric Garcetti and other celebrities were pictured maskless at the Super Bowl LVI on Feb. 13 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Bipartisan parent group Outraged LA Parents said it was “deeply disappointing, but not at all…


Capitol Report (Feb. 11): Biden Admin Warns of Russian Airstrikes

President Joe Biden is under pressure to do more to help struggling Afghans. On Friday, he divided frozen Afghanistan funds, sending half to victims of 9/11, the other half to the country to help Afghan people. But could the money get into the wrong hands of the Taliban? Biden has called for all American citizens…


CDC Director and Teacher Union President Do Not Support Ending Masks Mandates for Children

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky and American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten both said Tuesday they do not support ending mask mandates for school children, amid a growing trend by states to end masking in schools. Weingarten said she would support the end of masks if there…


Oregon to Scrap Indoor, School Mask Mandate by March 31, Officials Say

Oregon will scrap its mask mandate for indoor public places and schools by March 31, the Oregon Health Authority announced on Monday. Citing declining COVID-19 infections in the state, health officials said it is expected that by late March, 400 or fewer Oregonians would be hospitalized with COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese…