USA - Covid : CDC wants to 'give people a break' from mask wearing - by John Bacon Jorge L.Ortiz Jeanine Santucc

COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths are all declining and federal health officials could ease guidance on masks soon, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, speaking at a White House briefing on COVID-19, said her agency was assessing data and "will soon put guidance in place" that encourages prevention measures while protecting public health and hospitals.

The CDC recommends indoor masking in areas with substantial or high transmission. That includes 97% of U.S. counties, Walensky said.

"We want to give people a break from things like mask wearing when these metrics are better," Walensky said. "And then have the ability to reach for them again should things worsen."

Read more at: CDC wants to 'give people a break' from mask wearing: COVID-19 updates

USA - Florida: Judge Blocks Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ Order Banning Mask Mandates

School districts in Florida may impose mask mandates, a judge said Friday, ruling that Gov. Ron DeSantis overstepped his authority by issuing an executive order banning the mandates.

Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper agreed with a group of parents who claimed in a lawsuit that DeSantis’ order is unconstitutional and cannot be enforced. The governor’s order gave parents the sole right to decide if their child wears a mask at school.

Cooper said DeSantis’ order “is without legal authority.”

Read more at: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/judge-florida-mask-mandate-ron-desantis_n_61291290e4b02be25b5b8d8c

The Netherlands: Despite the government u-turn, the Dutch are still unwilling to wear masks

Some things are hard to get your head around, even in 2020. The Dutch reluctance to don face masks is one of them.

When I brought my daughter to get tested for Covid-19 recently, I was shocked to find that most people waiting in line weren’t wearing face masks.  The medical professionals taking the swabs were in full gear, but even the workers checking our details were maskless. This was, after all, a place you could (in theory) only walk into if you had symptoms.

Even more shocking was the man who checked-in my other daughter and I at the drive-thru testing centre at Amsterdam RAI. I asked him why he wasn’t wearing a mask. He said he had been, mostly to protect himself against the car fumes, but his bosses told him to take it off.

Why has the Netherlands been virtually alone among its European neighbours—and much of the world—in its reluctance to mandate masks?

Read more at: 
Despite the government u-turn, the Dutch are still unwilling to wear masks - DutchNews.nl

The Netherlands: Dutch Dr. Fauci Thinks Masks Won't Work. Here's Why: by Hannah Osborne

Dutch PM Mark Rutte

The Netherlands' decision to not introduce a mandatory mask policy came after mayors in cities across the country said they should be put  in place for some busy areas, following a slight uptick in cases in some regions. Since then, cities have been given autonomy to introduce their own mask orders. Following a meeting with mayors last week,

Following a meeting with mayors last week, Minister for Medical Care Tamara van Ark reaffirmed the national standpoint.

"From a medical point of view, there is no evidence of a medical effect of wearing face masks, so we decided not to impose a national obligation," Politico quotes her as saying.

At  present, the only places where people in the Netherlands need to wear masks are on public transport and at airports. City mayors have also introduced orders about mask use in busy shopping centers.

Note Almere Digest: These are very unorthodox suggestions on masks wearing by the Dutch  Rutte Government . A Dutch saying goes : "Baat het niet, schaden doet het ook niet."- Even if it doesn't help, It does not do any harm.Yes indeed, wearing masks has shown to help slow the spread of the Coronavirus, and more important Mr. Rutte, it saves lives in the process . 

Mr. Rutte, also, please  don't follow President's Trump's conflicting advice on masks, or anything else,  for that matter. But I am sure you are aware of his mental shortcomings.

Read more at:
Dutch Dr. Fauci Thinks Masks Won't Work. Here's Why

EU-Coronavirus: Mandatory mask-wearing becomes the norm in Europe as cases rise

As several countries on the continent saw an uptick in reported cases of COVID-19, European countries moved to make mask-wearing mandatory in public spaces.

German authorities plan to set up testing stations at airports to encourage people arriving from high-risk countries to get tested for the coronavirus.

The country will also allow people arriving from overseas to be tested for free within three days.

Read more at:
Coronavirus: Mandatory mask-wearing becomes the norm in Europe as cases rise | Euronews