WPLG: Florida man spit at boy who refused to remove his mask, police say. “A Florida man has been arrested after police say he confronted a child wearing a mask at a restaurant and spit in his face when the boy refused to take it off. Treasure Island police say 47-year-old Jason Copenhaver approached the child’s table Sunday and asked the boy to remove his mask.”
face masks
Coronavirus: Face covering use expanded in England and Scotland (BBC)
BBC: Coronavirus: Face covering use expanded in England and Scotland. “Face coverings have become mandatory in more indoor settings in England and Scotland following a recent spike in coronavirus cases. Places where coverings must now be worn in both countries include museums, places of worship and aquariums. Other new settings in England include cinemas and funeral homes, and in Scotland, banks and beauty salons.”
The faster a country required masks, the fewer coronavirus deaths it had: study (Global News)
Global News: The faster a country required masks, the fewer coronavirus deaths it had: study. “Some countries have been devastated by the novel coronavirus, and others have escaped lightly. Why the extreme differences? The main one is that countries that quickly resorted to widespread mask-wearing had far lower death rates and shorter outbreaks, a new study argues.”
New York Times: Wear Your Mask. Please. No, Not on Your Chin.
New York Times: Wear Your Mask. Please. No, Not on Your Chin.. “Rachel Kobylas longs for the days when her job as a code enforcement officer in the laid-back Florida town of Key West meant that she drove around making sure people turned off noisy power tools after 7 p.m. She went after overgrown grass, unpermitted construction and boats illegally parked on the street. That all changed this summer, when her main challenge became convincing the tourists, bartenders, T-shirt shop sales clerks and fishermen who flock along Key West’s sweltering streets in shorts and flip-flops that they should also be wearing a mask.”
Sheriff: Man threatens Florida grocery store employees with ax after told to wear mask (WJLA)
WJLA: Sheriff: Man threatens Florida grocery store employees with ax after told to wear mask. “A Florida man is accused of threatening Pensacola grocery store employees with an ax after being told to wear a face mask inside the store, according to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office report.”
CNN: Wisconsin’s governor makes face coverings mandatory in indoor spaces
CNN: Wisconsin’s governor makes face coverings mandatory in indoor spaces. “Wisconsin is one of the latest states to require citizens to wear a face covering when they’re indoors in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus. On Thursday, Gov. Tony Evers declared a public health emergency and issued an emergency order mandating people wear a face covering when not in a private residence, according to a statement from his office.”
South Florida Sun-Sentinel: Help us out, Gov. DeSantis. We’re dying here | Editorial
South Florida Sun-Sentinel: Help us out, Gov. DeSantis. We’re dying here | Editorial. “Gov. Ron DeSantis wore a face mask as he greeted Vice President Mike Pence with a fist-bump at Miami’s airport Monday. He should back up the photo-op with a sensible and long-overdue statewide mask requirement.”
CNN: Countries are strengthening their face mask rules. Soon you might have to wear one outdoors, too
CNN: Countries are strengthening their face mask rules. Soon you might have to wear one outdoors, too. “Cases are ticking upwards in parts of Europe, the process of unlocking is paused in the UK, and the Americas are still battling to contain vast Covid-19 outbreaks. But as the tremors of a potential second wave of infections are starting to be felt, some governments are reaching for a new tool that many public health experts have been touting for months: stricter mask mandates.”
CNN: Pelosi mandates masks in House chamber after Gohmert tests positive for Covid-19
CNN: Pelosi mandates masks in House chamber after Gohmert tests positive for Covid-19. “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Wednesday she would require all House members and aides to wear masks on the floor after Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert — who was often in the chamber interacting with colleagues and refusing to wear a face-covering — tested positive for coronavirus.”
Montgomery Advertiser: Gov. Kay Ivey extends Alabama mask order through August as coronavirus pandemic continues
Montgomery Advertiser: Gov. Kay Ivey extends Alabama mask order through August as coronavirus pandemic continues. “Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday extended a statewide mask order for four weeks on Wednesday as COVID-19 continued to batter Alabama. The state’s safer-at-home order, which includes the mask mandate, will now expire Aug. 31 at 5 p.m. The amended order also includes an order mandating masks in schools and colleges for employees and students in second grade and above.”
Bloomberg: Masks made from Banana-tree species could be the answer to cutting Covid plastic waste
Bloomberg: Masks made from Banana-tree species could be the answer to cutting Covid plastic waste. “Fiber from a relative of the banana tree could replace plastic in millions of face masks and hospital gowns the world is making to fight the coronavirus. Abaca — a fiber from the Philippines used in teabags and banknotes — is as durable as polyester but will decompose within two months, said Philippine fiber agency head Kennedy Costales.”
Daily Beast: Trump COVID Task Force to Guvs: Make Masks Mandatory Before You Fall Into Red Zone
Daily Beast: Trump COVID Task Force to Guvs: Make Masks Mandatory Before You Fall Into Red Zone. “As states in the South and Southwest grapple with how to control the spread of the coronavirus, officials on President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force cautioned the nation’s governors Tuesday that a new set of states is beginning to experience an uptick in positive cases and recommended that local leaders implement mask mandates and close bars to contain the outbreaks.”
Washington Post: At the heart of dismal U.S. coronavirus response, a fraught relationship with masks
Washington Post: At the heart of dismal U.S. coronavirus response, a fraught relationship with masks. “The mask is the simplest and among the most effective weapons against the coronavirus in the public health arsenal. Yet from the start, America’s relationship with face coverings has been deeply fraught. Faulty guidance from health authorities, a cultural aversion to masks and a deeply polarized politics have all contributed. So has a president who resisted role modeling the benefits of face coverings, and who belittled those who did. The result, experts say, is a country that squandered one of its best opportunities to beat back the coronavirus pandemic this spring and summer. In the process, the United States fell far behind other nations that skipped the fuss over masks, costing lives and jeopardizing the recovery heading into the fall.”
Washingtonian: The Medical-Mask Emoji Sucks. This DC Man Is Petitioning Apple for a Better One.
Washingtonian: The Medical-Mask Emoji Sucks. This DC Man Is Petitioning Apple for a Better One.. ” The current mask emoji (😷) on Apple’s iOS looks sickly. Its wincing eyes connote the agony of illness—an undeniable reality of our current moment. But it’s not the reality of daily mask usage by asymptomatic folks, notes DC resident Shohsei Oda. With this in mind, Oda started a petition to change that: ‘Design a smiley mask-wearing emoji for Apple iOS.'”
The Hill: Georgia governor withdraws request for emergency hearing to block Atlanta mask order
The Hill: Georgia governor withdraws request for emergency hearing to block Atlanta mask order. “Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) withdrew a request for an emergency hearing in a lawsuit that aims to block his state’s largest city from ordering people to wear masks in public or imposing other pandemic-related restrictions. Kemp spokesperson Cody Hall told The Hill Tuesday morning that the governor was heartened by Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’s (D) recent decision to impose economic restrictions on restaurants on a voluntary basis.”
