The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
August 30, 2021

Florida Judge Says Schools Can Impose Mask Mandates; Dr. Fauci Banks Vaccine Mandates for Students
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

U.S. COVID-19 hospitalizations are averaging 100,000 per day for the
first time since the winter surge. Southeast states warn they are
running out of oxygen as the highly transmissible Delta variant
continues to spread, especially in areas with low vaccination rates.

A Florida judge has blocked Governor Ron De Santis's rule banning
schools from issuing mask mandates. The judge concluded that requiring
masks during the pandemic is "reasonable and consistent with the best
scientific and medical opinion in this country." At least 10 school
districts were already defying Governor De Santis's order.

In California, an unvaccinated, COVID-positive teacher infected half her
class of 24 elementary students after removing her mask for storytime.
The case study was published by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and dates back to May. Meanwhile, a CDC-backed study says
that without masks or regular testing, over 75% of unvaccinated children
could be infected with the coronavirus in the first three months back to
school. With pediatric COVID cases surging, Dr. Anthony Fauci said
Sunday he supports a vaccine mandate for schoolchildren, though, for
now, only students 12 and older are eligible to receive the shot.


.