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.
