Mask Mandates Return as Rate of Hospitalization Increases in the US
Morris Brown College, a private Atlanta institution, has reissued a face mask mandate for its students and staff following reports of positive Covid-19 cases among students in the Atlanta University Center. The mandate, alongside other safety protocols, will remain in effect for two weeks as a precautionary measure to mitigate the potential spread of the virus.
President Kevin James of Morris Brown College clarified that the institution had not yet encountered any confirmed cases on its own campus. Nonetheless, in a letter to faculty, staff, and students, James emphasized the necessity of proactive measures to safeguard the college community and prevent the emergence of another pandemic.
The Atlanta University Center Consortium, comprising historically Black colleges and universities on the city’s Westside, including Morehouse, Spelman, and Clark Atlanta University, has recently begun its fall semester. The alert level for the consortium is currently designated as green, denoting minimal virus prevalence. Alert levels are assessed based on various factors, including the number of new cases on campus and within the community over a seven-day period.
While the state of Georgia has seen an increase in Covid-19 cases for three consecutive weeks, Emory University, Georgia State University, and Georgia Tech have upheld their existing protocols for the start of the new semester. Georgia Tech’s Stamps Health Services reported 17 positive cases in the past two weeks but noted that these spikes typically taper off shortly after the semester’s commencement.
Dr. Benjamin Holton, Senior Director of Stamps Health Services, explained, “People come together and bring viruses with them. There’s a lot of commingling, and it spreads from person to person, so we typically see a bump at the beginning of the semester. So far, that dissipates relatively quickly.”
Lionsgate, a studio in California, has also brought back its mask mandate for two of the five floors in its main office in Santa Monica. According to an internal memo, first reported by Deadline, employees on the third and fifth floors must wear a medical-grade face mask indoors except when they’re alone or are actively eating or drinking.
The reinstatement of the mandate is the studio’s response to several employees recently testing positive for Covid-19. Employees are now also required to take a test before they go to the studio and to stay home if they have symptoms or if they have just returned from an international trip in the last ten days.
According to the CDC, nationwide Covid-19 hospitalizations increased 21.6% week on week during the week of August 6 to 12 — as many are returning from vacations within and outside the US.
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These measures are all sensible precautions to a perceived threat, but I don’t see such a discussion on ventilation, HEPA air filters, open windows, CO2 monitors (as a proxy measure of ventilation).
And given it’s an airborne virus spread by fine droplets, it’s unfortunate we’re still fixated on gelling hands & standing two meters apart. This is more hygiene theatre than sensible precautions.
A cynic might point out that wearing masks (etc) are a person’s responsibilty, whereas ventilation is the institution’s.