Media Brace For Round Two Of COVID Restrictions

Written by Hudson Crozier

What’s happening: Mainstream media outlets are reporting a “surge,” “spike,” or “jump” in COVID-19 cases as new variants of the virus spread. CNN says that “it may be time to break out the masks,” according to “some experts,” and Time magazine warns that “pandemics don’t really end.”

Why it matters: COVID is barely a threat anymore — it was responsible for less than 2 percent of deaths in the U.S. last week, according to government data. But this panic narrative could serve as the pretext for a return to restrictions such as mask and vaccine mandates or lockdowns, which may already be in the works.

The signs: Some hospitals, businesses, and at least one college have implemented new mask or vaccine mandates. The Department of Veteran Affairs now requires employees to mask in “high-risk” areas, and other federal agencies are inexplicably buying COVID testing equipment.

• Still, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention denied claims that lockdowns will return soon as “utterly false.” The Transportation Security Administration also denied that it would require masks for travelers and employees again.

But there’s no remorse: Hardly anyone in government has admitted to how severely these restrictions harmed businesses, children’s education and development, and livelihoods. Former health official Anthony Fauci even said this month that some lockdowns were “absolutely justified.”

• Pushback: Florida’s surgeon general said that Americans should refuse to cooperate with “terrible policies” such as lockdowns and mask and vaccine mandates if they return.