Tag: COVID mandates

Massive Mask Meta-Study Undermines Remaining COVID Mandates

Just the News

An international research collaboration that reviewed several dozen rigorous studies of “physical interventions” against influenza and COVID-19 through last year failed to find even a modest effect on infection or illness rates from masks of all qualities.

Published in the peer-reviewed Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, run by the British evidence-based medicine charity Cochrane, the study raises new doubts about ongoing mask mandates and public health recommendations worldwide.

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Neil W. McCabe Comments on Testimony of Cassidy Hutchinson, January 6th Committee, and the Forced Retirement of National Guardsmen

Julie Carr

Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed The Tennessee Star’s national political editor Neil McCabe to the newsmaker line to weigh in on the testimony of White House staffer Cassidy Hutchinson, J6 hearing, and the forced retirement of National Guardsmen who refuse the COVID-19 vaccine.

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Former Personal Sniper for Trudeau Heads Truckers’ Freedom Convoy Security as Movement Spreads Globally

Susan Berry, PhD
Daniel Bulford

The former Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) personal security detail for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is now head of Freedom Convoy security for the truckers whose anti-mandate protest is growing beyond Ottawa, into more Canadian cities, and across the globe as well.

Corporal Daniel Bulford, who was resigned from the force after refusing to take a mandatory COVID vaccine, said during a press conference Saturday some in the media and on social media platforms have been attempting to smear the truckers, associating them with “agitators” who have been arrested for property damage and an assault.

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Child Psychiatrist: Toll on Children’s Mental Health During Government Response to Pandemic Is ‘Utterly Devastating’

Susan Berry, PhD

Though children are least likely to experience severe illness from COVID-19, the level of mental health distress many are exhibiting during the government’s response to the pandemic is “utterly devastating,” child psychiatrist Dr. Mark McDonald said in a recent interview.

The Los Angeles-based clinician expressed his concern during a late November podcast for the Unity Project, an organization working to end COVID-19 vaccine mandates for healthy children in grades K-12.

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Resolution to Potentially Nullify Federal COVID Mandates Now on Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s Desk

The Center Square

Along with the seven bills that passed Tennessee’s Legislature during its recent COVID-19 related special session, a joint resolution also passed both chambers of the legislature and sits on Gov. Bill Lee’s desk.

While the bills become law if Lee signs them, “resolutions differ from bills in that they do not become law but simply serve to express the views of the majority of one or both houses of the Legislature.”

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Knox County Sheriff Tells President Biden He Will Not Enforce Mask Mandate

Morgan Nicole Veysey

A local sheriff has responded to President Biden’s COVID vaccine mandate for businesses with 100 or more employees. Sheriff Tom Spangler, of Knoxville, Tennessee sent Biden a letter telling the President that he would not be enforcing the mandate on his staff.

Spangler said in his letter that enforcing the mandate was unconstitutional and was putting the lives of the people of Knoxville at risk.

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Lt. Governor Randy McNally and House Speaker Cameron Sexton Formally Call for Special Session to Address COVID Mandates

Cooper Moran

Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) and House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) on Tuesday formally issued a call for a third session of the 112th General Assembly.

According to the two state lawmakers, the additional session “will cover a number of issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including overreaching health care mandates.”

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Lt. Gov. McNally and Speaker Sexton to Consider Additional Special Session for COVID Mandates

Cooper Moran

Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) and House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) on Friday announced that the two leaders will consider an additional special legislative session to address COVID-19 mandates throughout the state.

The response from the two state legislature leaders follows a decision by Governor Bill Lee to call a special session to advance work for the new Ford electric vehicle and battery plant.

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Commentary: Facebook ‘Fact-Checkers’ Disagree About University COVID Vaccine Mandates

Admin
Mark Zuckerberg

Facebook’s “fact-checkers” cannot agree on the legality of university COVID vaccine mandates.

Disagreement about the legality of the COVID vaccines is understandable — The College Fix explored this topic several weeks ago in our own article, but the problem is that a Facebook fact-check on an article can lead to reduced distribution.

And enough strikes against a page can lead to a permanent ban. The College Fix has seen this firsthand, after Facebook overlords punished us for sharing the comments of an epidemiologist who made a prediction about what would happen if lockdowns were lifted.

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Florida Surgeon General: Fully Vaccinated Should Go Maskless

Grant Holcomb

Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees said fully vaccinated Floridians should go maskless despite the CDC’s recommendations regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rivkees rescinded previous public health advisories on Thursday through a three-page advisory saying state offices should return to in-person working environments and long-term mask-wearing can cause unintended consequences.

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Orange County Seeks to Relax Mask Mandate by June

Grant Holcomb
Jerry Demings

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said the municipality is putting together a plan to relax its mask mandate by as early as June.
“We are working with the department of health on a plan to phase reducing requirements of wearing facial coverings and social distancing,” Demings said. “We are reviewing how CDC requirements are evolving along with COVID infection data and a plan will be announced soon.”

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House to Vote on Bill Prohibiting Emergency Regulations, Closures on Churches, Religious Institutions

Corinne Murdock

In Tennessee, houses of worship may never have to worry about blanket policies shutting them down during a state of emergency. Specifically, a proposed bill would limit state, political subdivisions, or public officials from imposing restrictions or outright prohibiting churches or religious organizations from operating. 

The bill would also limit the authority of county health officers to mandate quarantines. It wouldn’t extend its protections to those places of worship where an outbreak has occurred.

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Knox County Commission Votes to Strip Its Board of Health’s Powers Over Policy

Corinne Murdock

Knox County Commission voted to strip the county’s board of health of its powers to issue mandates on Tuesday. Instead of having the power to impose regulations, the Knox County Board of Health will be limited to serving as an advisory group. After a heated, divided exchange lasting eight hours, the commission voted 6-4 in favor of diminishing the board’s authority, with one commissioner abstaining their vote.

The decision followed the board’s latest regulations limiting social gatherings and in-person dining. At the beginning of this month, the board imposed a social gathering limit of 10 people within 360 square feet, with limited exceptions including nursing homes.  Two weeks later, the board elected to limit restaurants and bars to 50 percent capacity, and impose a curfew limiting in-person services lasting from 10 pm to 5 am.

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Richland County Is Close to Becoming the First Ohio County to Reach ‘Code Purple’ on Ohio’s Emergency Map

Jack Windsor

  Richland County is teetering on the verge of becoming the first Ohio county to reach code purple on the Ohio Public Health Advisory System (OPHAS). According to OPHAS,  purple means that the county is experiencing “severe exposure and spread” and residents are to leave home for only “supplies and services.” The Ohio Star discussed the county’s numbers with Richland Public Health Commissioner Sarah Humphrey. The health commissioner anticipates that five of seven indicators will be triggered – technically keeping Richland County in code red. During the phone interview with The Star, Humphries anticipates that Richland County will trigger indicators: 1,2,3,4 and 6 – and not triggering indicators 5 and 7. Whether staying in red or moving to purple matters from a policy perspective is now in question. During a press conference on Tuesday, Governor Mike DeWine said “going purple has no consequences or sanctions from the state of Ohio. And that’s the same way as being red.” Consequently, Humphrey said, “Knowing that he will give some latitude will give us some workarounds. Let’s see how we can continue in-person learning.” “Given what the governor said today during the press conference – businesses, schools, everyone can stay open. Richland County…

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Ohio Public Health Advisory System: Indicator Five – Outpatient Visits for COVID-like Illness

Jack Windsor

OPHAS has seven indicators and each of Ohio’s 88 counties is assigned a color based on the number of indicators that are triggered.

Indicator five measures the sustained increase in outpatient visits for COVID-like illness.

According to the state website, the indicator “provides information on the health care seeking behavior of the population and a sense of how concerned residents are about their current health status and the virus.”

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Gov. DeWine Sends Mixed Signals on Mask Orders

Jack Windsor

  Last week The Ohio Star broke the story of Alecia Kitts.  She is the Ohio mom who was tased, arrested and escorted from a football stadium because she refused to wear a mask at her son’s middle school football game – consequently, Kitts was charged with criminal trespass, resisting arrest and obstructing official business. Kitts refused to comply with the request to put on a mask claiming an exemption for her asthma. She was also seated away from other fans. At the heart of the controversy is whether schools are required to honor mask exemptions written into the statewide mask order and the Ohio sports order, the latter which gives schools guidelines for conducting sports contests. The July 23 statewide mask order contains a list of exemptions: Those with a medical condition or a disability or those communicating with someone with a disability; Those who are actively exercising or playing sports; Those who are officiants at religious services; Those who are actively involved in public safety; or Those who are actively eating or drinking. The sports order released by the Ohio Department of Health Interim Director Lance Himes includes the same exemptions from the statewide mask order. The order…

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Sinking Approval and Boos Don’t Move DeWine Off the Dime 

Jack Windsor

Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine enjoyed an 81% approval rating in April for his handling of COVID – the top rating in the country.

By the end of August, DeWine’s rating saw the sixth biggest drop in the U.S. according to The State of the Nation – a 50-State COVID-19 Survey.

The report was created by a consortium of contributors from American colleges – Northeastern, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Kennedy School, Rutgers, Northwestern.

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Ohio FEMA Camps – Still More Questions Than Answers

Jack Windsor

The Ohio Star reported on September 3 that Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Interim Director Lance Himes released an order on August 31 – an order creating Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) shelters and legalizing their use for people who “are unable to safely self-quarantine in their place of residence and to isolate those diagnosed with or showing symptoms of COVID-19.”

The non-congregate FEMA sheltering will be utilized throughout the state for people, according to the examples given by Himes, who “test positive for COVID-19 who do not require hospitalization but need isolation (including those exiting from hospitals); those who have been exposed to COVID-19 who do not require hospitalization; and asymptomatic high-risk individuals needing social distancing as a precautionary measure.”

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Ohio Representative Jena Powell: ‘Ohioans Deserve Better Than They Are Getting Now’

Jack Windsor

Representative Jena Powell (R-Arcanum) is a freshman legislator from Ohio’s 80th District with the tenacity of a rookie and the strategic thinking of a veteran. During a Friday afternoon phone call with The Ohio Star, Powell said “everyone can speak on things, but it takes a plan to get there. I am not the kind of person that says ‘open Ohio’ and doesn’t have a plan – you have to have a plan to get to the endpoint.”

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Warren County Judge Rules Against Contact Sports Injuction

Ben Kolodny

A Warren County Court judge ruled on Thursday against the director of the Ohio Department of Health Lance D. Himes injunction on contact sports.

The order allowed non-contact sports to re-open for their normal seasons, as long as certain precautions are followed. Contact sports, however, including football, basketball, wrestling, boxing, martial arts, and soccer would have been required to test players for COVID-19 several times per sporting event. Students would be required to test negative within 72 hours of a game, again during any tournament lasting more than three days, and every two days after that should the tournament last longer.

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Nashville Boutique Venues Owner Dan Cook Discusses COVID Mandates and Its Affect on the Quality of Services

Julie Carr

Live from Music Row Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. –  host Leahy welcomed the owner of Nashville Boutique Venues Dan Cook to the newsmakers line.

During the third hour, re-occurring guest Cook offered some positive news. He cited some important facts pertaining to any mask mandates that would affect the quality of event services by stating how people are not going to patron restaurants or want to attend private events wearing masks.

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