Georgia took two big steps toward ending pandemic restrictions Tuesday as Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill allowing a parental veto for school mask mandates and the state House passed a bill banning so-called vaccine passports for public facilities, including colleges and universities.
Top Georgia public health experts raised the alarm Wednesday over the state’s low vaccination rates and the continued politicization of mask wearing, with one official saying it is a “recipe for outbreaks” around the state.
The agency argues that vaccinated people are safe without masks. But the guidance leaves room for plenty of unvaccinated people to mingle dangerously, and many argue that this is fueling case surges.
The spike in cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) at this time of year is linked, at least in part, to children and others no longer widely wearing masks or social distancing to prevent COVID-19 infection, experts say.
Mask-wearing hit an all-time high, but other COVID-19 precautions are less common now than last spring, a survey finds. Experts worry we're ill-prepared for the spread of more infectious new variants.
With a spike in COVID-19 cases colliding with cold weather and the holidays, many Americans are facing difficult decisions about whether and how to socialize.
Social distancing fell dramatically between spring and fall and the gap between Democrats and Republicans widened. But both ends of the political spectrum agree on some measures to fight COVID-19.
The public health agency had previously emphasized that masks protect other people from viruses you might expel. The new advice gives a less altruistic reason to wear face coverings.
