masks

Top Boston doctors debate whether students should mask up after a study found that mandates cut COVID cases in Boston-Area schools, plus talk about flu and RSV during NBC10 Boston’s weekly “COVID Q&A” series.

A group of doctors are pushing for stronger mask advisories and mandates as COVID cases continue to rise in Massachusetts. COVID-19 cases have been rising steadily in Massachusetts in recent weeks, with most of the state now in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s high risk category. Experts say COVID cases are likely three times higher than the numbers...

The city of Worcester is “strongly encouraging residents to wear masks” in indoor public settings, officials announced Friday, amid COVID-19 cases rising. The city is averaging about 129 COVID cases per day, a metric that’s risen steadily since it reached a low-point on March 12. It’s now at its highest point since February, the city said. COVID cases are on…

President Joe Biden’s administration has been working for months to prepare people to rethink their personal risk calculations as the nation gets used to the idea of living with an endemic COVID-19.

Uber says that riders and drivers are no longer required to wear masks while using the service.

A decision by a federal judge in Florida to throw out a national mask mandate in public transportation across the U.S. created a patchwork of rules Monday that vary by city and mode of transit.

The announcement from the TSA came hours after a federal judge in Florida ruled that the CDC overstepped its authority when it issued a mask mandate for public transportation.

U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle has voided the national mask mandate covering airplanes and other public transportation.

Target will no longer require its staff and shoppers to wear masks inside its store as a matter of corporate policy.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is “cautiously optimistic” about the downward trend in omicron-fueled COVID cases. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said they were considering new benchmarks for masking, based on levels of severe illness and hospital capacity.

Masks will no longer be required at Duxbury middle and high school, effective Monday, as of a decision made by the Duxbury School Committee.

There’s a shifting narrative on COVID-19 restrictions across the country among Democratic officials and candidates

With coronavirus metrics trending in the right direction, Boston doctors are hopeful that life will return to some sense of normalcy by the summer, if not sooner. Cases across Massachusetts have dropped by more than 85% since mid-January, prompting some towns and cities to relax safety restrictions. For context, state health officials reported a single-day record on Jan. 5, topping 27,000…

As coronavirus rates continue to improve, Massachusetts and other states are lifting school mask mandates. Top Boston doctors have differing opinions on whether that’s the right move. The school mask mandate in Massachusetts will expire at the end of the month, Gov. Charlie Baker announced Wednesday, which falls in line with other nearby states. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont has...

The current statewide K-12 school mask mandate is in effect through the end of this month in Massachusetts, but Gov. Charlie Baker hinted that could change. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont has said he will not extend the school mask mandate there past Feb. 28. The governors of both New Jersey and Delaware have announced their respective school mask mandates will…

New Jersey will end its school mask mandate on March 7, Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday. Though the state mandate is ending, Murphy said school districts can continue their own mandates if they want — and they are not permitted to ban masks, either. The New Jersey Education Association — with which Murphy is closely allied — issued a statement…

Free N95 masks are now available at local pharmacies nationwide as a means to continue combatting COVID-19 and its variants. The federal government is shipping 400 million N95 masks to pharmacies and community centers across the country to distribute. You are limited to receiving three masks. The masks are from the strategic national stockpile, that’s the federal government’s surplus...

Top Boston doctors talk about next steps now that the omicron surge has peaked, the new omicron subvariant BA.2, variant-specific vaccines, natural immunity and masks in schools on NBC10 Boston’s weekly “COVID Q&A” series.

The surge of the omicron variant of COVID-19 created more interest in filtered masks – so here’s what you need to know.

Millions of masks and other pieces of protective equipment are used every day, and while they save lives, many contain plastic. We should develop an effective reusable mask to curb pollution, and avoid littering, says Sian Sutherland of Plastic Planet, a UK-based environmental group.