With the cases of Covid-19 steadily on the rise again, there are those who are sounding the alarm that lockdowns and mask mandates may once again become a reality.
CLAIM: Transportation Security Administration was told mid August that by mid-September airport employees will again be required to wear face masks. By mid-October the policy will apply to travelers as well. Further, the TSA was told that COVID-19 lockdowns will return by December.
With COVID-19 hospitalizations on the rise since early July, some on social media are falsely claiming that federal employees were told that mask requirements and other pandemic-era mandates will start returning this fall.
The claim is said to have originated on the Aug. 18 episode of “The Alex Jones Show,” Alex Jones said an anonymous “high-level manager in the TSA” and an unnamed “Border Patrol-connected” source told him about the claimed announcement.
Alex Jones claims that a TSA whistleblower told him TSA employees were instructed on that masks are coming back by October for travelers & full Covid restrictions/lockdowns by December due to a new ‘dangerous variant’ out of Canada. But TSA Press Secretary Robert Langston has stated to the Associated Press that managers at the agency did not receive any such instructions. Benjamin Haynes, a spokesperson for the CDC, confirmed that reports of upcoming lockdowns are “utterly false.”
But NBC News was the first to report that “COVID is making a comeback” as Lester Holt took to broadcast television to report that, “cases are once again on the rise” ultimately asking when new booster shots will begin to “rollout.”
These claims come as the media begins to ramp up reporting on a new, “highly mutated” and “concerning” variant called B.2.86. A quick Google search will bring up an entire page of news articles surrounding how “concerned” doctors are and how this variant is spreading throughout the US, leading many to ask if this will lead to a second wave of lockdown.
So, here is the heart of the matter, the reason I posted this article. Read the following with the understanding that “Alex Jones” is known for his conspiracy theory format on his show. That he plays to a particular audience that ‘wants to believe’ that things are darker than they appear. As always … do your own homework on this matter.
NEW: COVlD-19 mandates are coming back just in time for the 2024 election cycle as early signs are hinting towards what’s to come. What impeccable timing! Just days after a TSA whistleblower allegedly reported that mandates would be coming back in October, Lionsgate, a Hollywood studio, announced they were bringing back mask mandates. “Employees must wear a medical grade face covering (surgical mask, KN95 or N95) when indoors except when alone in an office with the door closed, actively eating, actively drinking at their desk or workstation, or if they are the only individual present in a large open workspace,” response manager Sommer McElroy said. Morris Brown College recently announced new mandates: “All students and employees are required to wear face masks.” The Biden administration is also ramping up their COVlD rhetoric. “We will be encouraging all Americans to get those boosters in addition to flu shots and Respiratory Syncytial Virus shots,” a White House official announced.
The Federalist Papers – August 25, 2023
So, let’s look at the all dependable, politically accurate Factcheck.org. According to them, there is nothing to support the fear that the Government could reinstate Covid-19 mandates through the 2024 Election cycle.
In recent weeks, COVID-19 cases, as estimated from wastewater data, and COVID-19 hospitalizations have been on the rise in the U.S. This comes as the omicron variant EG.5, recently designated as a “variant of interest” by the World Health Organization, became the newly dominant variant in the country.
In a few limited instances, colleges and companies have announced they will be requiring masks for the time being.
But contrary to many viral social media posts, there is no indication that any kind of government-ordered COVID-19 restrictions are about to begin.
This has led some public health experts to suggest that some people — especially those at higher risk of severe COVID-19 — wear masks when out in public, and to be a bit more cautious about contracting the coronavirus.
Factcheck.org – August 25, 2023
Two new COVID-19 variants have recently emerged. As of August 23rd, the latter had only been reported in Denmark, South Africa, Israel, the U.S. and the U.K, according to the CDC. Health Canada confirmed to the AP that as of Aug. 18, no cases had been detected in the country. Canada has seen a steady increase of EG.5 cases, but the World Health Organization reported in early August that its risk to global public health is low.
And while COVID-19 hospital admissions are rising they’re a far cry from past reports. Still, some schools and businesses are reinstating mask mandates and other restrictions.
Leana Wen, a professor of public health at George Washington University, told the AP that the fact that COVID-19 has become an endemic virus is another reason future lockdowns or restrictions at any level of government are highly unlikely. An endemic virus is one that has a constant presence in a geographic area.
“Eliminating it is not possible,” she said. “And so having measures that are aimed at a societal level, containment is not practical and won’t achieve the aim that we initially thought was possible in early 2020.”
The Associated Press
