Free Republic

Desks sitting six feet apart will not allow students to skirt the universal mask or face shield mandate ordered by the state Department of Health, according to guidance that was issued on Monday to school officials. Pennsylvania’s Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said on Tuesday this guidance is a clarification, rather than a change, in rules that were sent out to schools in July that drew a lot of questions. “What we heard is some of the language isn’t as clear as it could be so we wanted to make sure that we were as clear as possible,” Levine said...

Students over the age of 2 will be required to wear face coverings for nearly the entire school day under Pennsylvania’s universal mask order, according to a Department of Education memo released this week. There will be a limited number of instances in which students will be allowed to remove their face coverings, according to the memo. These include while eating or drinking, or during an activity that makes mask-wearing unsafe. Students can also take their masks off during 10-minute “face-covering breaks.” “For the safety of students, staff and families and to avoid community spread of COVID-19, students and staff...

Walmart and Sam's Club shoppers will be required to wear face masks to prevent coronavirus spread in all stores starting July 20, the company announced Wednesday. "Currently about 65 percent of our more than 5,000 stores and clubs are located in areas where there is some form of government mandate on face coverings. To help bring consistency across stores and clubs, we will require all shoppers to wear a face covering," the retail giant said in a blog post.

Gov. Wolf issued a reminder Friday that masks are mandatory, even as the state Department of Health issued answers to some of the most common questions about what, exactly, the state is requiring. “Especially as we are beginning a long Fourth of July weekend, it’s critical that everyone remember that masks are mandatory and must be worn when leaving your home,” Wolf said in a news release. “This virus is not gone, and mask-wearing is a required mitigation effort that we know works to stop its spread.” Here are some answers to frequently asked question as they were provided by...

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday announced a series of new steps designed to curb a resurging coronavirus, including expanding an order that will allow businesses statewide to refuse service to customers who are not wearing face coverings. The governor had earlier issued a no mask, no service order, but it had only applied to Yakima County, which has been struggling to contain the coronavirus. His new order will now apply statewide, he said, but customers who have an underlying medical condition that could be worsened by wearing a face mask will be exempt from the order. "This...

Texas has joined other, mostly Democrat run, states in requiring face masks in most public places, including retail, services, and restaurants, except when eating or drinking. This is despite the fact that the GOP holds all statewide offices, as well as both houses of the Legislature, both Senate seats, and a majority of the U.S. House seats. Our rulers understand one thing above others: the almighty dollar. They also respect the voices of major financial donors. Texans and residents of all mask mandatory states should not buy anything other than food or items absolutely necessary, like a needed car repair...

Having people look at you, knowing they consider you a lawbreaker and a health threat. Looking at yourself, knowing you risked passing a disease that could kill someone’s grandparent or chronically-ill spouse. Those apparently are the harshest punishments Gov. Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine hope to impose on violators of their new order to wear face masks in most indoor and outdoor public settings to help block the spread of COVID-19. They were pressed this week on exactly what penalties apply to those who violate the order, such as someone entering a store without a mask...

On Wednesday, Pennsylvania Heath Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine made the wearing masks when you leave your home mandatory for all Pennsylvanians - an expansion of the Secretary's order that people must wear a mask when visiting businesses. Dr. Cyril Wecht told KDKA Radio's Wendy Bell that Levine's order is "totally, totally absurd."

Former Vice President Joe Biden said he’d do everything he could if president to force people to wear masks in public. “I would go back to making sure that everybody had masks,” Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, told KDKA. “The one thing we do know is that these masks make a gigantic difference. I would insist that everybody in public be wearing that mask. … I would do everything possible to make it required that people had to wear masks in public,” he added later. Federal health officials recommend wearing face coverings in places where people can’t maintain six...

Former Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday that he would compel Americans to wear masks in public if elected president. In an interview with Pittsburgh CBS affiliate KDKA, Biden said that he would use federal power to “mandate” masks. Q: I know you have been critical of the president’s handling of the pandemic in the past. But let’s look ahead. If you became president tomorrow, what would you do differently regarding the pandemic and getting these surging cases now under control? Biden: I would go back to making sure that everybody had masks, that you had PPE [personal protective equipment]...

AP) – North Carolina’s governor has ordered people across the state to wear masks or other face coverings in public to fight the spread of COVID-19. Gov. Roy Cooper issued an executive order Wednesday that people must wear face coverings in public when it’s not possible to maintain physical distance. The order also mandates masks or other face coverings for employees of businesses including retailers and restaurants, as well as state employees in the executive branch. Violations of Cooper’s executive orders are punishable by misdemeanor.