CAMPUS DISTURBED
The U.S. Department of Education sent letters on Friday to the Republican governors of Texas and Florida, as well as Florida school administrators, amid an escalating battle between the White House and state officials over school mask guidance while the Delta variant surges.
In the new letters to governors Ron DeSantis of Florida and Greg Abbott of Texas, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona stressed that their respective states' school mask policies go against "science-based strategies for preventing the spread of COVID-19" and sharply voiced the support of President Joe Biden administration for the states' educators.
"The Department recognizes that several school districts in your State have already moved to adopt such policies in line with guidance from the CDC for the reopening and operation of school facilities despite the State level prohibitions. The Department stands with these dedicated educators who are working to safely reopen schools and maintain safe in-person instruction," Cardona wrote in the letter.
In a further action in support of educators, the secretary clarified in his letter that school districts that lose state funding for enacting local safety measures can pull from federal relief dollars.
Meanwhile, Harris County, Texas, has filed a lawsuit against Governor Abbott on Thursday seeking to challenge his ban on mask mandates, the latest county to challenge the order thus far, reported The Hill.
Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee said in a statement posted on Twitter that he is seeking to challenge Executive Order GA-38, which bans schools and other local authorities from imposing mask mandates, adding that Abbott has "repeatedly misused his authority" when responding to the pandemic.
"The current wave of the Delta variant presents a real and imminent threat to our lost vulnerable populations, and local officials need to be able to respond to this crisis. The governor's executive order acknowledges this crisis, and then bans any meaningful acton to address it," Menefee said.
BOOSTERS PREPARED
To ensure the safety and sustainability of its businesses, U.S. concert giant Live Nation has said that it will require all artists, crew and attendees to show proof of full vaccination or a negative test at their venues and upcoming festivals starting Oct. 4.
The company previously announced that it would be up to the artists whether to enforce the mandate. Live Nation further clarified guidelines that mandate a requirement for all shows at their venues starting in October, where permitted by law, and has also developed best practices for artists to request these policies at third party venues.
Meanwhile, San Francisco on Thursday became the first major U.S. city requiring patrons and employees to provide proof of full vaccination to enter restaurants, gyms, bars and entertainment venues.
The order from Mayor London Breed takes effect Aug. 20 for customers and Oct. 13 for staff, prohibiting residents from submitting negative COVID-19 test results as a substitute to vaccination. Breed's directive also applies to select health-care personnel, including pharmacists, dentists and home health aides.
The CDC endorsed on Friday the use of a third dose of COVID-19 vaccines in immunocompromised people. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky signed off on recommendations approved hours earlier by the agency's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices following the Food and Drug Administration's approval late Thursday. The recommendation applies to mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.
With a stockpile of at least 100 million doses at the ready, Biden administration officials are developing a plan to start offering coronavirus booster shots to some Americans as early as this fall even as researchers continue to hotly debate whether extra shots are needed, reported The New York Times on Saturday.
The first boosters are likely to go to nursing home residents and health care workers, followed by other older people who were near the front of the line when vaccinations began late last year. Federal officials have discussed starting the effort in October but have not settled on a timetable.
